Saffron and Silk

Messenger Rugs

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:07:00 +0000

Ok, so I've been babbling on and on about a rug post.....not just any old rug, but in case you noticed, this beautiful orange and white rug that was peeking out of my bedroom in my post a couple of weeks ago.
Yes, this one....

So here's how this ended up in my bedroom. A friend of mine in LA introduced me to one Kathleen Olsen, the maker, or rather the creator/designer/executor of this gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. Kathleen moved to rainy Seattle from sunny Santa Barbara a year ago and my LA friend thought we'd get along well. She was soooo right. I met up with Kathleen at a Starbucks a couple of weeks ago where we chatted and time just flew by.

Kathleen founded Messenger Rugs, a company that makes rugs inspired by the traditions of yoga, meditation and prayer. The designs reveal how image and symbol serve as gateways to healing the mind and body. The designs evoke commentary on yoga and meditation as a practices affecting world sustainability.

Kathleen's personal interest in a variety of cultures as well as her deep interest in the study of Yoga, led her to A Masters in Mythology helped her enrich her knowledge of sacred symbols and the world's stories. She is well versed in Indian mythology and I bet could give me a run for my money in that area!

Following Mother Teresa’s beloved adage, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love,” Kathleen began designing a line of rugs inspired by the practices of meditation and yoga.

The result is the SERENITY SERIES of six symbolically rich rugs, beautifully crafted and hand-knotted in Nepal and designed by Kathleen. The rugs are intertwined with richly colored images of birds, dragons, phoenix’s and mandalas, offering inspiration from the World’s diverse mythologies.

Here is a small sampling.....

The CHAKRA RUG depicts a body’s seven chakras; as the birds stand reminder of our spiritual freedom.

The LAW OF OPPOSITES rug depicts the duality of our physical world, the nature of opposites.

The LOTUS MANDALA is all about the beautiful lotus which grows up from the dark watery mire is a traditional symbol of purity and renunciation.

Check out the website to see the rest.......and tell me if Dragon and Phoenix isn't just spectacular!

Yoga, meditation, chakras, sustainability...all words that make my ears perk up....you see now why these rugs hold such incredible appeal to me?

At the end of a very interesting couple of hours with Kathleen, I of course, mentioned how I would love to do a feature on her rugs on my blog and lo and behold - she said she had a couple in the car I could use for my post!

We went out to her car and sorry to use the phrase again, but LO AND BEHOLD....she had the Law of Opposites rug in orange!!! YES, orange! I mean of all the gazillion colors possible, how come she had an orange one, orange - the color that is all over my house, the color I love!! It was a sign....I was chosen to do a post on her! Laugh all you want, I'm convinced she and I have a deeper connection from some past times....

So armed with my prized possession I came home and laid it out, and yes, it was meant to be. Take a look....

So for the past few days it has been adorning my bedroom and I've been meditating and practicing my yoga on it. The rug is so incredibly soft to touch and the minute I turn my back on it, Lucy, my constant companion, sneaks by to sit on it. I have to keep shooing her away....

Messenger Rugs are made of 100% Tibetan sheep's wool in rug looms in Tibet providing opportunity to the weavers to embark on a new life. The rugs are small in size, but speak volumes by their sheer imagery and patterns! And trust me when I say, my Sirsasana and Kakasana have reached new heights on this magical rug!

I am so excited to have this breathing, living piece of utter gorgeousness in my bedroom for a few days! Do check out Kathleen's website....just reading about it awakens my inner chakras and brings me peace!

The rest of the house....contd.

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Sorry folks to break up one post on the house into so many small ones....but had to wait for a sunny day to get some good shots. The weather guys were all off....!

Anyway, be prepared for an orange onslaught when you see my bedroom pics. Don't know what it is about orange that appeals to me, but...well.....almost everything in my bedroom is orange and varying shades of orange. No one is complaining yet.......

The pics are pretty self explanatory. Its a large room with 4 large windows so lots of light floods in (on those rare sunny Seattle days).

So this is just as you enter the bedroom.....the door on the left leads to the bath, the one on the right to a walk-in closet.

Do you see my dog Lucy sleeping on the chair? Where I go, Lucy goes.......she never leaves me alone.

Lots of familiar stuff which came from Hyderabad.....

Thats a picture of my mother-in-law when she was vey young....teen years I think.

More photographs....

My bangle stand/wall art......

This is the hallway as you come out of the bedroom, The first door to the right leads to a guest bedroom, I have posted 2 pics below. The door farther down leads to another bedroom, which is still as they say "Under Construction". The door straight ahead is the guest bath!

I'm still working on the third bedroom. Need to add a desk or something there.

Did you all notice that rug in my bedroom, the small orange and white one in front of the bed? Stay tuned for a story on that.......

The rest of the house.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 01:46:00 +0000

Every time I start on a new blog post, I have to re-learn blogging!!!! Either Blogger has too many employees with nothing better to do than to keep updating the blogging process or I am waiting too long to post!!! I have a sneaky suspicion its the latter!!!!

For my loyal readers who still haven't abandoned S&S and are reading this, my lack of blogging is because I simply did not have anything to post! Ok that sounds like I am leading a desperately dull life!!! On the contrary....rather. My days are chock full, I don't have a second to spare but you really don't want to read about my yoga routine....or my dog walking routine (though those do get very exciting and adventurous at times when the squirrels are scampering about...)....or my daily meal plan!

And I refuse to post and re-post the same old pictures of my home in different lights and moods! That's boring and a tad bit presumptuous?

But...wait! I do have more pics of my home that you haven't seen. Maybe you want to see that? Some of you may have missed part I of the tour. That was the living area of the house.....living room, kitchen, dining, family room etc.

This is a sneak peek of Part II! It took me a while to get the bedrooms figured out...the layout, how and where to hang the pictures.....then changing things around and I think I am finally done. Unfortunately we are in the midst of a wet, rainy Fall season, so I am waiting for a sunny day to get some good shots. But here are a few I managed to capture......

The weather man has promised good sunny weather tomorrow, so if all goes well I should have the full "upstairs house tour" up by the weekend! Yay!

I also have to tell you about my new friend in Seattle, an amazing lady who makes the most beautiful rugs! You all know about my rug fetish......so you can understand why I am so thrilled. But all that will come later.

Vignettes of beauty in Reshma's home!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:21:00 +0000

Its been a while since I have done a home tour. Not for lack of finding pretty homes, but all the other design bloggers beat me to them! :-)

Well sirree, not this time!

Have you ever seen images of a home and related INSTANTLY to them? Homes that have the same design sensibility, the same colors and the same textures that appeal to you? That's what happened when I came across pics of Reshma's home. I had just befriended her a few days ago on FB and when she posted these pics of her home last week, I was like "whaaaaaaat"?

Here's a look at one of them....

Wicker seat, ceramic pot with succulents, textured cushion covers, wooden tray.....I loved it! So I asked her for more pics and permission to post on my blog and she obliged.

What I liked best about her home is the little vignettes of utter beauty she has created. Little "hot spots" of color and texture that are total eye candy. I've long been a believer of "vignettes"...those little visual treats that light up dark corners and unused spaces and give your eye a resting place while they are darting about the room. A place to stop, stare and drink in the beauty. I have also toyed for a long time on doing a post on that. So this was the perfect segue for me.

This is what Reshma says about her home

"It all started in Jan 2011 when we bought a plot and started building a house on it. We knew nothing about house construction, had never even got a pillar erected before this since we had been living in rented places for 10 years so were quite apprehensive but very excited nonetheless. I got into every aspect of house building, construction, masonry,carpentry, tiling, the works and there would be times when things went totally wrong and we had to pull down certain parts and do it all over again. i would get really mad coz I really wanted the work to finish off soon and sometimes things just did not turn out well. Those were the weak moments or rather frustrating ones but once I was flipping through some magazine and I came across a quote that said 'some people look for a beautiful place to live in and some can make any place look beautiful' and these two lines changed my entire view."

Anyway, enough prose here. Let's get to the pictures. Enjoy!

Reshma herself says - "I love converting all those dead corners into something cozy and every room in my home has a corner dedicated to chatais/durries and floor cushions, some potted plants and knick- knacks huddled up together and of course a lamp. You will also see a lot of wrought iron stuff in my house...love it"!

"My patio is made up of 5 wooden pillars. I love that area specially coz I get to hang lots of chimes and pots from the beams...just love all that hanging stuff and terracotta is my favourite outdoor stuff....reasonably priced and ethnic too."

Another thing we both share in common is we are both "Lucknowites"! Many of you may not know but I lived in Lucknow for 8 years as a child and have always loved that city. So when I heard that Reshma lived in Lucknow, I felt the connection get even stronger.

Reshma, thank for allowing us all a peek into your home! Its lovely, and when I come visit Lucknow (which is a top priority on my bucket list), I'll swing by and see it in person :-)

Our Seattle home tour!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:52:00 +0000

"Unless a home becomes a love affair, it is not a success. You have to love every single little thing—if it doesn’t have a memory, a story, it doesn’t count".

If you are someone who has ever received an e mail from me you will recognize the above line. It is my e mail signature line, something I came across many months ago and loved on sight. So I decided to use it from then on, as a reminder to myself (every time I sent out an e mail) to not collect and buy things indiscriminately.

Before we left Hyderabad and I was sorting out the gazillion things I had, I very consciously tried to follow this. I could only bring so much, and so very deliberately chose only those things that "have a story to tell, things I adored, cherished and held close to my heart".

Sure, the story could be as simple and not too profound as "oh, a very dear friend gave it to me recently"....like the colorful platter below the bowl

....or as meaningful as these wooden ceremonial spoons which our family priest has been using in all our religious family events for the last 50 years, worn out and burnt at the edges from so many years of pouring spoonfuls of hot ghee into the sacred fires...for births, weddings (mine included) and deaths!!!! The last time it was used - before I bribed our family priest to give it to me - was for my late FIL's first death anniversary this February. So it has a lot of significance to us.

Or these coasters, prints of temple drawings - done by a relative and given to my husband on his recent trip back to India for a ceremony - where each one of the 6 drawings represents a temple that was of special significance to the family performing the function!

But all have a story! And each time I see these things in my home I cannot BUT remember the story, the people and the occasion behind it. OK, I admit, there are some things that have no story other than "I went to the store and bought it"...but, for the most part I have tried to stay true to the sentiment.

So......a little description on the house....its bright, its white, its ultra modern and has lots of windows! Quite a change for me from all my previous homes that have had nary a white wall, have been pretty typical, and with the usual amount of windows. But you know what, I've come to like it. At one time I shirked away from light, now I'm loving it. (I think its an age thing...).

I chose bamboo reed blinds for the windows, to bring in some warm wood tones, and to let in light but still maintain some sort of privacy.....

I put up my artwork and stuff on the walls....

I threw pillows and added texture all around...

I scattered the rugs on the floor.....

And I can almost forget the walls are white!!

Anyway, enough rambling, you guys be the judge....So....

WANT TO SEE THE HOUSE TOUR?

Then go here. Gagan of OPAP asked me months ago if she could feature our Seattle home on her blog, and so hop on over to her blog to take the tour!

You will see many familiar things from previous house tours here, here and here, but also may new things. If you need to know anything about anything, just ask. Happy to oblige.

40' containers and all....

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:45:00 +0000

So before I post all the house pics, you readers have to go tolerate the "move and unpacking" pics and prose.

Let me backtrack a bit here. Our container left Mumbai port - after a one week delay due to some strike - on the 22nd of April and around early May we got an email informing us it would get to Seattle on the 31st of May. Hubby, myself and pooches moved from our rental home into our new (empty) house over the Memorial Day weekend on the 26th of May figuring we'd have to rough it out for....mmm....max. a week! Sort of roughing it out - we had 2 air mattresses between the four if us (dogs included) with some bedding we brought from the rental, a washer, a dryer, a TV, our suitcases with clothes, 3 borrowed plastic chairs, one skillet, one pot, one pan, 6 spoons, 2 teacups, 4 glasses, 2 plates. And all kitchen appliances of course.

Well, the air mattresses were not that much fun. They'd keep deflating during the night and when any one of us moved, the other three would roll off onto the hardwood floor. I had to wash dishes after every meal to recycle the one pot, one pan...4 spoons...you get the picture. The chairs were too hard to sit on to watch TV so the twin air mattress doubled as a divan sort of thing and the whole deflating/rolling off process would start! But we kept saying.....ok, one more day..one more day.

Believe it or not - our container did get to Seattle port at 3pm on the 31st. Amazing how they can track that sort of information and stick to it!!! But it got stuck at customs for a WHOLE WEEK and finally they delivered it on the 9th. My back still hurts after 15 days of "air mattress issues"

The container was driven to our house - this thing is massive. It took the guy 30 minutes to parallel park it which is an amazing feat!
This very container with all our worldly possessions, with all my favorite things that will make my house a home...made it all the way from Hyderabad to Seattle, across seas, for 40 days. Quite unbelievable when you really stop and think about it.

Once it got parked, they laid cardboard down on the floors to protect them. Neat huh?

Lucy - not a very happy dog....she wanted to be in on all the action, not corralled in a corner for 8 hours. Junglee sort of settled down and went to sleep.

We had 150 items, and as they brought them and set them down on the driveway, we had to check the number off on the sheet. Painful process.....

Slowly the house started filling up and I was so happy to see my things. Even the dogs got excited when they started smelling their old familiar "India smells" on the furniture.

Mountains of wrapping paper and cardboard piling up on the driveway.

Well, anyways, by about 4pm the guys had to leave cos they were on overtime. By then they had assembled all furniture that needed to be assembled, unpacked about half the boxes, so the next day Raga and I unpacked the remaining 40-50 or so. It got to a point where if I saw a box marked "showpieces" I was ready to throw up! Honest to goodness, I had no idea I had sooooo much stuff!

So before we show you the rest of the pics in a couple of days, here are a couple more sneak peek pics.

I might have another blogger show you guys the house pics. I feel funny putting my own house pics on my blog....! I'll let you know soon.

Happy 4th of July all of you!

Sneak peek - my new digs in Seattle!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:35:00 +0000

TWO MONTHS????? Its been 2 months since I posted?
Is anyone still left out there reading my blog? I doubt it, cos if I were you I'd have abandoned me a long time ago. Seriously.

So if you are there, reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means a lot to me.

Ok, so here is a quick sneak peek of pics to come this weekend. Pics of our new home in Seattle. Many of the things you see will be familiar, but the setting is different. I am still working on the bedrooms, and those pics will be up in a week or so. But the main living/dining.family room/kitchen areas are done.

Here are just a few pics to whet your appetite.

Come back on the weekend. I promise lots of pictures. And its so good to be back blogging, even though it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to post!!!!!

A fundraiser for a worthy cause!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, when did Blogger change everything? It took me half an hour to figure out what was where....see, that tells you how long its been since I blogged!

I'm finally pretty well settled in our small furnished beach cottage, and I'm going stir crazy within the 4 walls of the living room! I want my home, my stuff, my belongings around me.....but I have to be patient and wait, maybe another 2 weeks....!

In the meantime, I must do this post.

One of the best things that has happened since the world of blogging opened up to me, is getting acquainted with fellow bloggers, not just in the field of design, but other "artistic" fields as well. One such friend is Vaishali, and another is Richa, of this food blog. I came across both blogs when I had just converted to "veganism" and was searching and googling madly looking for tasty vegan recipes that did not have - as my son would say - flax seeds, dandelions, rainbows and cardboard, along with wheatgrass and cattle fodder in their list of ingredients!!

via

These two blogs opened up this whole new culinary world for me....cookies, desserts, curries, vegetables....things I never dreamed could possibly be vegan. And since then cooking has never been quite the same for me.

There are usually 2 reasons why people turn vegan - one is for health reasons, since there is so much evidence now that certain hormones inherent in dairy can cause cancer cells to grow, and the other is for humane reasons. My reason for veganism started out for health reasons, but I am now following it COMPLETELY for humane reasons. Why I had to wait till I turned 50 to figure out how much cruelty animals have to go through to feed the non vegan population, beats me. But like I say better late than never. And let me say this - I am not here to preach or convert anyone. To each his own, I firmly believe each one has to do what works best for them.

I am here however, to thank Richa and sort of pay her back for allowing her blog to be such a go-to resource for me when I was desperate, by letting you all know about an online auction fundraiser she is having on her blog, to raise money for the VSPCA - Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals.

VSPCA does amazing work and if compassion towards animals is something close to your heart, then go here to read the details. The online auction is open through May 22nd. Take a look yourself and see what goodies are up for grabs....some can be shipped to India, some only within the US, and some to both countries.

I'd happily have donated an artwork of mine, but sadly I have no way of knowing when my container will arrive from India, so I am donating a gorgeous table runner of choice from Saffron Marigold.

I request you all to take a few minutes to browse Richa's site, not just the food posts, but the fundraiser as well.

Thanks, and don't give up on me yet! I will be back on the "regular blogging" bandwagon soon!

The Big Move

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:56:00 +0000

We're in Seattle!! We made it. After 4 months of planning and plotting and selling and buying and paperwork that can drown us all, we are here in the great Pacific Northwest.

For those of you interested in reading about our India to US adventure, go here to my travel blog. Its a long post.

I'll be back next week blogging as usual on S and S! While this is primarily a design blog, I think you will be seeing a variety of topics here going forward.

Have a great week!

WARNING - wordy post ahead, get your coffee!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:17:00 +0000

WHEW! Its been 3 months and a day since I posted! That's a new record and one that should immediately disqualify me as a blogger worth my weight in salt!!!!

But no one has done that yet, so here I am.....and don't say I didn't warn you, but this is going to be one long post!

In 5 days we leave for Seattle from Bangalore. Almost exactly 6 years ago, we bid farewell to Seattle to come to Hyderabad......

........never thinking in our wildest dreams that 6 years later we would be working our way backwards.

We came here to India for a reason, and that was to take care of my in-laws. Both my husband and I are glad we did, glad we spent the last 5-6 years with them. We knew the weather would be unbearable, the traffic horrendous, the civic sense completely lacking, laziness and inefficiency rampant, politicians corrupt to the core...but we were coming here for a purpose, and reminding ourselves of that seemed to help tolerate all this over the past few years. But things have a way of turning out and suddenly last year we found ourselves in a position we just could not ignore....we no longer had the responsibility of looking after anyone, an old colleague of my husband wanted him to come work for him in Seattle, my son and son-in-law were in DC, my parents here were still in good health....and almost as easily as we made the decision in 2005 to return to India.....last November we made the easy decision of moving back to the US. The logistics of a trans-continental move never worried us...we'd done it once, we'd do it again!!!

As many of you know, where we go, our dogs go, and vice versa. The first thing I did way back in November after we made the momentous decision to move back, was to find out the quarantine rules for bringing dogs into the US. If there was even a one day quarantine, I was willing to give the whole idea up. Irrational I know, but I was sticking to it. And I was thrilled to find out that as long as they were vaccinated with all the proper shots and all the proper documentation, they could breeze right into the country.

(On a side note: I plan to write a long detailed post on this process to help others in the same situation, cos I researched so much on the web, but could not find one comprehensive article on it. So folks with pooches - stay tuned).

So now 4 months later, armed with vaccination reports, health certificates, doggie passports, quarantine no-objection-certificates, acclimation certificates and micro chip numbers, Lucy and Junglee are ready for Seattle!!!!

Am I ready for Seattle? I would be completely dishonest if I said I am sad at leaving Hyderabad. I have often compared India to a rough blanket.....it keeps you warm but irritates you. I have tried to adopt the "chalta hai" attitude (for non-Indians, its the "oh its alright" attitude), but that always eluded me. I have fought with all my neighbors...for burning leaves outside my window, for having carpentry work done late at night, for dumping trash on the street, for blocking my driveway with their chauffeur driven cars...! But I have enjoyed the hospitality of fellow Indians....total strangers crowding around you to help you in an emergency, people completely incapable of admitting they don't know the way to a place when you stop and ask, and giving you wrong directions instead, being able to borrow sugar and rice from my maid when I run out of it, having manicures and pedicures and haircuts at home, having almost everything brought to your home, the amazing food, watching people get knocked out of their motorbikes on the road and then getting up, brushing themselves off, shrugging and continuing on...only in India will this happen!

But I am so ready for Seattle. The 23 years I spent there were not for nothing.....I have some of my best friends there, I love the diversity of the population, I love the organic "Birkenstock" vibe, I love Seafair and the Space Needle and the ugly EMP, I love Starbucks, and nothing beats Seattle in the summertime. So I am thrilled to be heading back.

The past couple of months has been an absolute frenzied whirlpool of planning, organizing, decision making, sorting, buying, selling, negotiating, late night scanning and e mailing, hair pulling and teeth gnashing....in no particular order!

And at the end of it, in addition to many new grey hairs, this is what we have...a house that is sold (after soooo much paperwork) in Hyderabad......

another house that is bought in Seattle (yes, you read right, we bought a house online AND unseen.....for a week straight we were up from 2am to 5 am signing, scanning and emailing purchase agreements to our agent in Seattle)!!!

a 40' container of our precious cargo on its way (as I write) to the US of A......

2 doggies trying to adapt to their new homes........big plastic crates......

A living room that went from this.....

to this.....

As sorry as I am to leave this house, which was a labor of love for my husband and me, I am excited to start life anew. A new house is like a blank canvas.....so its waiting for me to add my brush strokes to it and make it a home. People have asked me over the last couple of months how I can even leave my home? And I say, its easy - after all what makes it a home are the people (and pooches) who live in it, and the things of beauty I surround myself with. And thanks to efficient airlines, lack of quarantine laws, moving companies and the Internet, I am able to take everything I need to make my house in Seattle a home. A house is just the physical thing that "holds" the things I love in one place.

So speaking of things I love, what better excuse to buy some lovely Indian linens and furniture than a move to the US??? So very wisely, when my husband was immersed in some sort of excruciatingly painful bank work or real estate transaction which had his complete attention, I would brazenly suggest we should buy this or that...you know...cos we'll never find something in Seattle for this price!!! And almost always his answer - cos he was so preoccupied - would be "yes"!!! I won't list all the things I bought - you'll get to see them in pics after I settle down, but I just had to show you just a couple of beauties.......

This amazing 80 year old vintage wooden salt container from Preethi of Indyakaleidoscope....

and this absolutely lovely Katran chair I bought 3 days ago from Sahil and Sarthak , which got delivered as the packers were packing!

So now the dust has all settled - literally and figuratively, the dogs are somewhat happy in their crates, (one is, one isn't), 4 large suitcases are packed with enough things to keep us going for 2 months till our container arrives, and our hearts and minds are filled with lots of cherished happy memories in this home and we look forward with great excitement and anticipation to returning back to another home.

Before I sign off for a week or so, I must thank all those loyal and faithful readers who didn't abandon S and S when there was no post forthcoming....in fact, they continued to visit daily looking for one and told me how much they were missing them. So thank you to all of you....it's because of that, that I am able to muster up the strength (at 10.15pm tonite at the tail end of 3 very exhausting days) to write this post I promised I would before I left India.

And one last request from you all...please pool together your collective chi and good wishes and energies....and hope my 2 little babies, Lucy and Junglee, make it well across the seas in the cargo cabin below the aircraft :(, and emerge from their crates at Seatac airport, with wet noses and wagging tails!!!

I'll be back blogging, hopefully at my usual pace, once I settle in Seattle! Now off I go to do my final packing....bye!

My big news and Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:52:00 +0000

First of all, I apologize for this horribly long delay in posting, but once you read on you'll understand why it appeared like I fell off the planet!

Before anything else, I have to reveal the BIG NEWS I mentioned in my last post.

My husband and I are moving back to the US in April 2012. After almost 6 years in Hyderabad, we are moving back to Seattle. As of now its a temporary move, we hope to return in a few years or so, but anything can happen to change that. When we moved here in 2006 we had NO intention of going back, but things and events have a way of happening which completely turn things around. A company in Seattle which has been wanting to hire my husband Raga for years, finally got what they wanted! So - there's no telling when we will be back, but be back we will for sure....sooner or later.

It goes without saying that I am excited. I moved to Seattle when I was 23 and left when I was 45, so a good part of me belongs there. I love that city! And as much as I would like to call India home, I feel more at home in Seattle. But like anything else, there is a part of me that's a bit sad.....! India has this annoying habit of growing on you, like a rough blanket that irritates the skin but keeps you warm.....I complain about the noise, traffic, heat, dust, laziness and so on...but I know I will miss it. And most of all I will miss my parents with whom I have spent so much time. But that's an easily solvable problem.....they are only one - albeit looong - flight away! So I've threatened to send them tickets every year so they can come see me!!

So the last few weeks ever since we got back from the US has been a whirlwind of activity. I have had a house full of guests since I got back and it will continue for another week. Then we've had to get things ready to sell the house - this house that I simple LOVE but which has to go for all the practical reasons! Hordes of people have come and gone and we finally think we may have a deal....but I'll keep you all posted!

Its been almost a year since my dear FIL passed away and his first year ceremonies happen end January, and it is only after that that I can really start planning for the move. Even though moving is a hassle, playing "House House" all over again is so much fun and its a perfect excuse for me to shop.....saying "Oh we won't find this in the US, we better buy it here".....things like lovely Kantha bedspreads, blockprint linens, lovely teak furniture, artifacts and things! Then I've had to do a lot of research into pet travel cos we have to take our two canine babies along too....paperwork for their shots, kennels, crates, quarantine laws and so on. Then I've been scouring websites for homes and rentals so we have a place to stay in as soon as we get to Seattle.

So now you know why I have been a bad blogger. Hopefully I can post a few more between now and my move in March/April, but rest assured, once I settle down in Seattle and the creative Pacific Northwest juices start flowing again, I'll become "good blogger"!

So before I sign off for this year....a very Happy New Year to all of you! You folks have been great readers and commenters, and any self respecting blogger will tell you we need both to sustain us and keep us going! Thank you for that.

Happy New Year from me, my husband Raga, and my 2 pooches Junglee and Lucy! Have a great 2012!!!!

Grandma/Ammamma/Nanima comes to stay!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:13:00 +0000

I am back! Back from a 5 week long vacation to the US, 5 weeks in which I visited 7 states, if you include Denver...8. Thanks to unforseen flight delays and missed connections, I visited Denver airport way too many times!!!!! Of the 9 different flights I took, only one - I repeat - only one went as planned!!!!! But anyway, that's a story in itself, which will be up on my travel blog soon.

But this post is about my 90 year old grandmother, or as I fondly call her Ammamma, who stays with my uncle and aunt in Chennai, who wanted to take a vacation to the UK, so she got dropped off at our house here in Hyderabad a few days after I left for the US. My mother who usually stays at our place and takes care of my dogs whenever we are out of town has been looking after her since. The last time Ammamma came to stay at my house was the summer of 2009, but I was away on vacation so I really didn't get to spend any time with her. Luckily this time she is here for an extended stay, so ever since I got back from the US, I have been observing my mom look after her till said uncle and aunt get back next month. And I have learned that taking care of elderly people requires a lot of patience and compassion!!!!!

Except for some serious short term memory loss, Ammamma is in fine fettle. She has no diet restrictions and can eat anything she wants, her hearing and eyesight are as sharp as ever. She's picked up on every whispered conversation we have had!!!! But in everything else she is like a 2 year old. So my mom has been helping her with her bath, combing her hair, tucking her into bed at night....all the things a mom does to her child, my mother now does to my grandma. Its been fascinating to watch. But what really fascinates me is Ammamma's daily evening ritual of making flower garlands.

Every evening around 4.30 or so, we sit her outside and my mom brushes her hair and packs it into a neat little bun all tucked into a black net!!!!

Then my maid picks little white flowers from the tree and hands them to Ammamma one by one, who in turn with her gnarled knobbly 90 year old fingers, her face wrinkled with years of wisdom and experience, wrinkled even more in furious concentration, deftly intertwines and weaves them into a garland. She holds the tiny green stem of each flower and wraps the twine around it into a knot, then the next....and so on till she has a flower garland about 2 feet long. The whole process takes about 30 minutes....I watch riveted and my dogs nuzzle at her red nail polished toed feet while she does so. So here are pics taken from this evening's ritual to share.....!

Isn't she adorable?

I have lots to share about my trip....and some BIG NEWS! So stay tuned!

Mrhba Bkm Fi Bladi Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:02:00 +0000

In case you're wondering what the title is...it is "Welcome to my blog" in Arabic, the language in Morocco!

As you all know I am off on a mini vacation, and except for the air travel part of it, (every flight I have taken so far has been delayed!!!), I'm having a great time. My travel blog is up and running so do check it out.

In the meantime, Susi from Arcadian Lighting has kindly offered to do a guest post on my blog. And she said she'd write on Morocco! Anyone who knows me even a teeny tiny bit knows my love affair with all things Moroccan! So take it away Susi!

Hi, I'm Susi, a writer from the Arcadian Lighting blog, a fabulous source for inspiration from lighting fixtures to dÈcor. I'm so happy to be visiting Saffron and Silk today to talk about Moroccan style, specifically magical Moroccan spaces.† There is a love affair right now with all things Moroccan. Have you noticed? Are you embracing it? I am in love with the colors and patterns of Morocco so am delighted to share these 8 Magical Moroccan Spaces with you.† Hope you are inspired to add a bit of Moroccan magic to your dÈcor. Enjoy!

This Moroccan style living room can magically transport you to Casablanca or Marrakesh.† Moroccan lanterns, carved table, tile, rug and other accessories combine with the Moroccan arches for amazing Moroccan style.

Magical Moroccan spaces are all about color, pattern and tons of both.† Pillows, textiles, rugs and poufs can all help you create a magical Moroccan space in your home.

This Moroccan room is magical with layer upon layer of colors and patterns.† Low profile seating creates a casual atmosphere that invites lounging.

Magical Moroccan spaces don't have to be a riot of bold colors. Pastels in contrasting hues also create Moroccan magic. From lovely hanging pendant lighting to magical mirror to vintage rugs, this is such a gorgeous Moroccan style bedroom!

Blue and white and tons of pattern make this a lovely Moroccan space.† Pattern and gorgeous details are hallmarks of Moroccan style.

This beautiful living room is definitely a magical Moroccan space. The deep blue and purple palette is accented with gold and pearl inlay accents.

This gorgeous bedroom is a stunning example of Moroccan style. Love the door, the ceiling medallion and warm color palette.

Moroccan style in an outdoor living space is magical.† Hang a collection of Moroccan outdoor lanterns for twinkling, colorful light. Lounge on colorful cushions and poufs.

Want to add some Moroccan flavor to your home? Implementing some unique pendant lights should do the trick. Check out Arcadian Lighting today to get inspired!†

Images: ( 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 )

India to America!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:32:00 +0000

My first post is up on my travel blog. More to follow.

Till then....

TTFN

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:36:00 +0000

Or as we say in India "Ta Ta for now" TTFN - ....meaning bye for a few days!

Am off tomorrow to the US for 5 weeks......visiting Seattle. Atlanta and DC...with a few side trips to Nashville, Connecticut and New York City thrown in for good measure!

A lot of fun things happening on this trip:

I get to reunite with my best Seattle buddies, as well as a go for a Diwali party at my friend Leena's place. Leena started this Diwali party tradition sometime in the late 90's....it started out with a small gang of 4 to 5 families, then became 7 to 8, then more, and the last time I attended in 2005, it up up to 15 families. I hear it had swelled to 25 plus and is the happening party for Diwali. Her house is lovely, the food is fantastic, the drinks unending, but more than anything we all look forward to the riotous game of Teen Patti (the Indian version of Texas hold-em) we play after dinner. The monies we play with are pennies and nickels, but you'd think we were playing with millions of dollars the way things heat up!!!!Finally after 6 years I get to go back and re-participate!

Another exciting thing is, if things go as planned, I get to meet 6 blogger friends. Anu of MDC in Seattle, Anpu in Atlanta, Sudha of TDE, also in Atlanta, and Divya of SHP in New York City, plus....2 food blogger friends - Richa of Hobbyandmore and Vaishali from this blog! So its a bloggievaganza!

My mom and dad will be here holding the fort....and looking after my 2 canine babies who adore her! My 90 year old grandma from Chennai will also be hanging out here...so yes, my mom will have her hands full.

My travel blog will once again get resurrected...so do drop by and check out what's happening there!

So until then.....

If I find anything design worthy or Saffron and Silk post worthy, I'll post. If not, some inspiring quotes like this....just to keep things going!

Ouro Preto ~ Baroque Architecture at its finest!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:20:00 +0000

I really do not have time to blog....am up to my neck in shopping lists and endless packing for my upcoming trip in 4 days to the Americas. But I simply had to show you some gorgeous architecture!

Ouro Preto (Black Gold in Portugese ) is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaco mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque Architecture.

via

European baroque arrived here and adapted itself. This is evident in the ups and downs of roofs and the narrow confusion of side-to-side housing, the palaces, the bridges and the fountains.

Isn't this photo amazing??? It took a lot of convincing and googling and tumbling (my latest addiction) for me to believe it really is the town.

via

And here are more images for you to swoon over.

via

Now excuse me while I get onto Expedia to find out how much it will cost me to cancel my US tickets and get a one way ticket to Ouro Preto!!!!

Happy Birthday Anna!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:53:00 +0000

Quickly before you all start asking who Anna is.....I am referring to my late father-in-law! "Anna" in our native language Tamil, means elder brother. Not sure why, but my FIL was always called Anna by his 3 sons - my husband and his 2 younger brothers, and after my marriage I started calling him "anna" too.

Many of you were with me (in thought) throughout his illness last year and his passing away early this year, and your heartfelt comments helped tremendously through the difficult time. So I am sharing with you all his birthday today. The last few years as his memory was slowly fading he would keep insisting his birthday was the 13th of October, even though we all knew it was the 11th of Oct. So we would celebrate both days....maybe he did that deliberately so he would get sweets twice???

Even though he is not here with us physically, his presence is still felt at home especially when I pass by our puja room.

And so today, in his memory and because it was his favorite food (and mine ;-), I made "pongal". Every Saturday night was pongal dinner for him.

via
Pongal is this decadent creamy concoction of rice and mung lentils, cooked together and then seasoned with pepper, ginger, curry leaves and cumin, mixed gently with coconut milk and topped off with fried cashew nuts!! Finally something that's not just delish, but good for you too and often recommended as food when you are ill (Ok, not the cashews maybe, but its equally delicious without the nuts!) Most South Indian wedding breakfast menus include pongal and it is the only reason I go for breakfast!!!

This along with coconut chutney is a gastronomic marriage made in heaven!

via

So Anna, Happy Birthday! We miss you! I know you're watching from above and licking your lips too! :-)

Ikea - Portugal style!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:50:00 +0000

I am not really a huge fan of IKEA furniture. I mean, there's nothing wrong with IKEA, I had a ton of their stuff when I lived in Seattle, and their store was 2 miles from home so any free afternoon I would go window shopping....to get some great design ideas. Their furniture is stylish and affordable...but...well....it's so IKEA! Its easily recognizable.....strong linear Scandinavian lines, easy-to-assemble looking, contemporary styled. It is a great place for families starting out and college kids!

But be that as it may, I LOVE their new IKEA family website and the Home stories section. You have to hand it to them, they know how to engage their customers and their marketing guy is a genius.

OK, enough blabbing! I came across this colorful psychedelic home in Portugal, and even though I do vaguely remember seeing it featured in other blogs a while back, I had to engrave it on my blog too. For those who haven't seen it, it is serious pink, eye candy and the color in the home will leave your head spinning for days!

The home belongs to Interior Designer Maria, in the charming little village of Sintra, outside Portugal. (If I had known I would have dropped by when I went to Sintra 2 years ago).

I'll let you read up on the design story and her ideas here. I just want to hurry up and post the pics because they are soooo lovely!

Got your dose of pink today huh? Maria is certainly not afraid of color!

Design theory in food!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Am guest blogging on Richa's blog today! Am so excited cos I actually get to blog on a seriously great food blog!

Have you heard of Washoku?

Did you ever look at the food on your plate and think how fantastic it would be to design a room around the colors on your plate? Or vice versa...have you ever looked at a bowl of creamy chocolatey Tiramisu and think how lovely a room would be in the same shades of cream, brown and espresso???

Well, think no more....go check out my guest post and tell me if you think I have finally gone off the deep design end here....

Architect profile - House and House Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:10:00 +0000

I'm thinking of renaming this blog "Mexico and Morocco", because it seems to me that lately most of my posts have been "Mexican/Spanish or Moroccan-centric". Here I go again.

I came across House and House Architects today while surfing the web. And instantly fell in love with everything that Steven and Cathi House do.

First of all, they do a lot of work in Mexico - anything Mexican or Spanish in my opinion deserves one thumbs up!
Secondly, they love and embrace color - 2 thumbs up.
Thirdly - their homes are deeply sensitive to light and movement and they are committed to sustainability. 3 thumbs up!
Fourthly - they throw in little pops of my favorite color - orange, 4 thumbs up
and finally
All their homes have a tiny bit of Moroccan inspiration. 5 thumbs up!!!

Take a look at some of the absolutely stunning homes they have designed.
{WARNING: Picture heavy post!}

Casa Lluvia Blanca, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Casa de las Estrellas, San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Casa Cabo Pulmo in the Baja Peninsula, Mexico

Casa de Buenas Alamas - Baja, Mexico

Casa Renamiciento - Rio Laja, Mexico

Francisco Marquez - San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

I spent a bulk of my day drooling over the pics. If you have a few hours to totally waste, then I suggest you hurry on over to this site and check things out.
Happy Surfing!

Monthly wrap up???

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:47:00 +0000

OK, so like Patty's weekend wrap ups, I am going to do a monthly wrap up cos I have been completely MIA on my blog for way too long now. Maybe a sporadic post now and then, but for those of you who think maybe I fell off the planet....nope, I'm here.

So I've been reading a lot, had way too many books collecting dust on the shelf.

Loved this book, I cannot believe it took me this long to read it...its been around for years!

Great book, very inspirational on how women fought hard to go to school, get educated and start their own small businesses after the Taliban came into Afghanistan and tried to put a stop to all of that. The story focuses on the tailoring business started by one Kamila Sidiqui. An easy read.....but very inspiring!

Am reading this currently.....about an Indian girl who comes back to visit India after being away for 7 years in the US. She arrives right in the middle of the mango pickling season. I can so relate to this especially as it is set in the city I live in - Hyderabad!

Then I've been painting a lot, just gifts for friends......

Then I've been gardening a lot, the weather has cooled down and its perfect fall planting time. Fall? In Hyderabad? Yes, when the temp is 80 degrees F as opposed to 100 degrees F, that's Fall!

I've been harvesting insane amounts of organic basil and making insaner amounts of basil/walnut pesto.

As well as harvesting and eating ginormous amounts of salad

Then I've been sneezing a lot because the allergy season really socked it to me this year. I fought it via steam inhaling and neti pot-ing, but that didn't work. Then I tried Allegra...that didn't work either. Then I tried Homoeopathy...no good. Finally after 2 weeks of sniffling and sneezing and congested insomniac nights, (I was getting to a point where it was dangerous to be around me), I called my good old antibiotic dispensing doc, he did the needful and after one day of his potent medication I feel terrific! In fact, almost giddily light headed.......(the last time he gave me something, the right side of my face got numb and on googling I found the medication was banned in developing countries!!!!!))). Really.

Then I've been blogging a lot for Saffron Marigold. Well, change that....blogging a bit, but messing around with their gorgeous samples a lot. I took all their lovely voile curtain swatches and hung them up in my studio......not only do they look fabulous, they're easier to look at and feel and touch when I need to write a post on them.

Do read my posts on their blog when you have time, In fact, I just posted one on India and the significance of flowers in our daily life here.

So see? I have been busy......!

Me OCD??? Uh...think again!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:57:00 +0000

I've been accused of being OCD - meaning I have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In my case, its about neatness and being tidy! I know I've nagged my poor husband and son to death about this over the last so many years, and every time they said I was OCD, I strongly protested! But honestly, sometimes I wondered if I really was...?

Granted, I've eased up over the years - I pick my battles now. But all those years I wish I had known about Ursus Wehrli, then I would have told them a thing or two!!! Who you ask is Urus??? Ursus is this Swiss artist and comedian who makes OCD's like me look downright messy! UW is "deranged tidy".

To give you an example here is what he did to his bowl of alphabet soup (which OK I'll admit, I have been tempted to do but never did).

Now that's OCD folks! And as if that's not enough...here are some more examples....

He took a pine branch, broke it into sub-branches, and then separated and sorted the needles? (though it's kind of fascinating that the needle count on the two branch pairs are precisely equal.)

He was able to recruit a bunch of totally cooperative Swiss kids, moms, dads, grandparents to come to a local park to hang out, after which they were re-sorted by gender, age and size.

Bowl of fruit???

There he goes again......

And this one of a beautiful starry night....obviously all done in his head, but still....

Me OCD? I think not!

Its raining giveaways....

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:49:00 +0000

Yes, another giveaway! Right on the heels of mine and Priya's, we now have Anu of MDC giving away a fabulous handbag!

And if you are a "typical normal female" then you know that a girl can never have enough handbags!!!!! I mean, you could have 30 in your closet, but trust me there will be that one occasion when not one of the thirty is right for the occasion.

So, here is what she is giving away....this blue Ikat crescent shaped Hobo from Tignanello

I have never heard of Tignanello, so I googled it and then I goggled it!! Lovely lovely stuff.

So hurry on, follow the instructions and normally I would say "All the best, hope you win"...but not this time, cos I want this one!!!!!! YES!

So all I'll say is "May the best woman win"!!!

Lantern love!

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 05:52:00 +0000

Scored this baby last month as I was cruising down a street.......! A glass mosaic lantern.

I saw a few hanging from a tree and an old lady sitting by the tree selling them....! She must have been 80 years plus. I've seen these before in places, and on one of my trips to Goa almost bought a ridiculously priced one...but the thought of having to carry it back in my hand baggage stopped me.

So this is how our conversation went:

Me: Kitne ka hai? (How much is it?). Theek daam bolo. (Give me a decent price)

Lady: Pandra sau rupaii (Rs 1500/$35).

Me: Pandra sau??? Nahi nahi, paanch sau ko dede na. (Rs 1500?? No, no, give it to me for Rs 500/$12)...bracing myself for a haggling match to follow to settle somewhere in between.

Lady: Theek hai, le lo! (Ok, you got it!!)

I almost died in shock. What a bargain huh?

So the electrician came by yesterday and wired it for me. Its hung where I can see it from my studio. I love it.

Not the greatest night shot ( I need a better camera)...but here's what it looks like all lit up....

All the work that has gone into it...sometimes I feel a twinge of guilt that I got it so cheap and bamboozled the old lady...? But she didn't argue at all????

I just realized this is my third "Moroccanny" post in one week!!!

Another giveaway....

noreply@blogger.com (Kamini) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Yes, but this time its not on my blog, but on Priya's blog at OUATT!

For those that didn't win in my giveaway, here is another chance to win similarly fabulous linens from Le Attiser! And the best thing is its open to India and US readers! YAY!

So hurry on over to her blog, and follow the really easy instructions and sit back to have your name picked! All the best!