Making Masti

Even babies love music

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:39:00 +0000

There is no place higher than on Daddy's shoulders....

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:24:00 +0000

There is no place higher than on Daddy's shoulders

Dads are stone skimmers, mud wallowers, water wallopers, ceiling swoopers, shoulder gallopers, upsy-downsy, over-and-through, round-and-about whoosers. Dads are smugglers and secret sharers.
~Helen Thomson.

Second to None

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:13:00 +0000

What is Second to None?

A group of volunteers who are trying to practice and encourage everyone to practice a life of reuse, recycle, reduce waste and replenish resources. We aim to do this by sharing recycling ideas, discussing ways to reduce consumption of harmful materials and encourage buying used goods instead of new. The activities and discussions could occur through our blog (that's in the works), on our Facebook page and through events like the periodic flea markets that we plan to organize.

What are these ideas that we will encourage sharing? To find a new lease of life for objects around us. Own an old but gorgeous saree? It’s another’s curtain. Shoe boxes? Decoupage and make them center table attractions. A plate in a set of 6 broken? 4 are perfect for a small family.  Don’t discard. Resell. Don’t waste. Share. Before you buy new, discover the charm of the old.  

The first of many events is @ Jaaga on 30th & 31st July.

For rules, guidelines and registrations you can contact us at this mail ID: secondtononemarket@gmail.com

Be a part of Second to None. If we change the way we live, we can change it for others.

Maati, the Craft Store

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:03:00 +0000

Introducing Maati, the Craft Store. Came across this by sheer chance on Facebook and what a wonderful find it's been. Not only do they bring you the best of Indian textiles, block prints, crafts and accessories but also work with producer groups across the country to build sustained market opportunities for artisans based in rural areas.

From apparel in silk and cotton and handloom weaves (from Bhagalpur, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, & Andhra Pradesh) to pottery (from Pondicherry & Maharashtra), baskets (from U.P & Tamil Nadu) to intricate hand embroidery & applique work (from Kutch & Rajasthan), Maati has it all.

Here's a glimpse of some of the beautiful products that Maati has to offer.

Hand woven baskets in vibrant colours from Chettinad

Gorgeous sarees, dupattas and stoles in silk

Beautiful applique cushions from Rajasthan

Ceramic Animals

Teapots, Mugs and Vases from Maharashtra

For more details visit Maati on Facebook
OR
Call Jayashree or Anita @ +91 22 2571 7209 or +91 22 6453 2111, Email :maaticrafts@gmail.com
OR
Visit Maati @ 109, 1st Floor, Powai Plaza, Opp Pizza Hut, A.S. Marg, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai 400 076

Maati's products will be available for the first time in Bangalore from June 30th - July 2 at the Concern India Exhibition - @ Chitrakala Parishath. Mark your calendars and be there :)

Father's day celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 16:27:00 +0000

Dad's usually don't get as much credit as they should in most cases. So when I saw all these reminders for Father's day I knew I wanted it to be special for my husband since this was his first and he deserves it for all the effort that he's put into raising baby Dhruv.

Considering that I spend close to 12 hours @ work (The commute is a pain!) and can barely keep myself awake after I'm done with cooking dinner, feeding Dhruv and putting him to bed (this is not complaining! ask any mom ;)), I didn't really have time for any personalized gifts this year. So online shopping it was!

So the unsuspecting daddy (who usually has amnesia when it comes to remembering special occassions) got a coffee mug from Chumbak & whacky sticker from Quirko from baby Dhruv on Father's day :)

Chumbag Mug

Cute & Vacky sticker

From my side I did my best to make his day special by cooking him a special lunch. The modest menu consisted of Vegetable Biriyani (there's a special recipe that he likes), Raita and Caramel Pudding. There are no pics since I didn't get out the fancy cutlery and serving dishes because - 1. I'd end up having to do the dishes since they're too delicate to hand over to the maid (& I did want to spend more time with family than in the kitchen today) and 2. Baby Dhruv's latest pastime has been pulling at the tablecloth (unintenionally of course) which has resulted in a shattered pepper shaker and a bowl so why risk the dinner set ;)

We ended the day by taking Dhruv to the mall where they have a kids play area which he loves! He rode his favourite horse on the carousel, drove a few toy cars and was excited when we bought him 2 new picture books.

So daddy happy with the gifts and lunch, baby happier (weekends are always special to him since we're aound all day) and I'm happiest since daddy and baby are happy. All in all a fabulous Father's day :))

Father's day fun

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:14:00 +0000

On the occassion of Father's day sharing some fun stuff I came across while browsing. Enjoy!

They Draw and Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:40:00 +0000

They Draw & Cook from the design and illustration team of Kids Draw & Cook - A treasure trove of illustrated recipes from professional illustrators, practicing artists, passionate doodlers and a few who have only just begun to draw.

Here are a couple of entries submitted by the very artistic Kamini Raghavan of Saffron & Silk (You must visit her blog if you haven't yet!)

Find a recipe or submit your own and for those who want to own a copy of beautifully illustrated recipes (like the ones shown above) pre-order the TDAC book and save 33% - it's only $13.43! Details on the website.

More fun from Chumbak

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:28:00 +0000

My one stop shop for fun products that make for great gifts too - Chumbak (Click on the link to read more).

Not only do they have fun contests where one can win their super cool products as prizes but the folks at Chumbak are super generous and give discounts on every other occassion.

So here's the latest deal. They currently have 11331 fan on Facebook. How soon can they get to 25,000? If most of you tell 3 people on your list to like Chumbak, they'll get there really fast. By the 10th of June 2011. If this does happen, EVERYONE gets 50 % off on 4 categories for a whole 48 hours. No questions asked ! With FREE SHIPPING !

So spread the good word people and also shop @ http://www.chumbak.in/ or @ their Stores

Latest from Chumbak

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:17:00 +0000

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”

~Rajneesh

We've been blessed with an angel to complete our family around the same time last year. Life has never been the same since and I'm thankful to have the privelege of experiencing the best feeling in the world - Motherhood.

On the occassion of Mother's Day (My very first :)) for lack of time (as if juggling work and home wasn't enough at times I feel the need to blog too ;)) I'm putting together some fun Mother's day stuff that I came across while browsing.

And finally a Calvin & Hobbes poem ...

"I was going to buy a card with hearts of pink & red.
But then I thought I'd rather spend the money on me instead.
It's awfully hard to buy things when one's allowance is so small.
So I guess you're pretty lucky I got you anything at all.
Happy Mother's Day. There, Iíve said it. Now I'm done.
...So how about getting out of bed & fixing breakfast for your son."
Signed, "Calvin."

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mom's out there.

Every mother is a working mother

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:33:00 +0000

I think I underestimated it when more experienced people told me that life after a baby is never the same! As if life wasn't hectic enough with managing my baby and home when I was on my long break, it's multiplied 4 times ever since I've rejoined work.

As a working woman I never realised how tough it was for homemakers until I took a long break post delivery and had to manage my home full time. Cooking, cleaning, entertaining friends and relatives, grocery shopping, the list is just endless!

Managing work and home is another ball game altogether. For me it's something that wouldn't have been possible without my wonderful husband and parents who're super supportive of me! At the end of the day what makes it all worth it is my baby's toothy grin and endless hugs when he sees me when I return in the evening.

Here's to all the women in my life who play so many different roles and make it seem so effortless. You're an inspiration!

World Champions 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:28:00 +0000

Sportsmanship and easygoing methods are all right, but it is the prospect of a hot fight that brings out the crowds.
~ John McGraw

....and boy did yesterday's match draw the crowds!!! A fantastic finals played by two excellent teams - couldn't get any better than this!

Kudos to Sangakkara for leading his team so well and for so gracefully saying "India were the better side. They were fantastic tonight. We are disappointed but the better side won."

Hats off to Dhoni and his team and like Dhoni rightly said this victory should shut up all the critics who doubted his judgement :)

Thanks Team India for bringing the cup home and Team SriLanka for putting up a tough fight!

Beautiful Tree Homes (Machans)

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Machan on the way to Wayand

One of the many machans on the way to Kabini

Art by Prithvi

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 04:04:00 +0000

Came across some pencil sketches and paintings by my better half (these are more than a decade old) while dusting our bookshelves today. Sharing a couple of my favourites here!

Pencil sketch - Madonna & Lourdes

Water colour painting - Cindy Crawford

Chumbak

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Until last year my fridge magnet collection comrpised of a number of magnets collected either during my travels or gifted by friends. Sadly none of them were from India. When I came across Chumbak (though facebook) last year I was thrilled to see their funky magnets with Indian themes and lost no time in colllecting most of them. Here's a pic and no points for guessing which ones are from Chumbak (They stand out don't they :))

Shubhra Chadda's love for travel and all things Indian led to a business idea and that, coupled with Alicia Souza's talent for illustrations resulted in the launch of a brilliant venture - Chumbak. From a simple beginning of fridge magnets their product range now boasts of coffee mugs, magnets, key rings, boxers, luggage tags, soaps, playing cards, coasters, wrapping paper, chocolates, car fresheners and tins to name a few!

These fun, colourful and contemporary items are very affordable and available at a number of stores across citiies in India but what's more impressive is their quick delivery when you order online from the comfort of your home.

Presenting some of my favourites -
The highlight of my fridge magnet collection - Chumbak magnets!

The Holy Cow Magnet

The Chaiwallah Magnet

India Magnet

Paan Wallah magnet

Bangalore Magnet

These colourful coasters jazz up any table in a jiffy.

Coasters

How often have we seen this on the trucks in India - "Horn OK Please"

KeyRing

Take a peek at the "No Peeking" playing cards

Playing cards

Chumbak also hosts contests on facebook from time to time and the two entires below won me 2 pairs of super cool Chumbak boxers a couple of months ago. Do follow Chumbak on Facebook and enter their fun contests. Believe me their prizes are worth it :)

Chumbak's been the talk of the town in the past year and they're always in the news. Here they are in this week's Hindu Business Line and lucky me got to root for them :) See here.

Chumbak turned 1 this week and they've been generous enough to have a blowout sale and most items are available at reduced prices with free shipping. Go grab em while they last!

Wishing Shubhra, Alicia and their team a wonderful year and lots of success for the future.

Colours

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:48:00 +0000

Happy Holi to all my friends and family. May your life be filled with beautiful colours.

One of my favourite songs

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Love this song ever since I heard it five years ago on the soundtrack of "Scrubs"

Overkill by Colin Hay

I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know I'll be alright
Perhaps it's just imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
It's time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

At least there's pretty lights
And though there's little variation
It nullifies the night from overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Come back another day

Seoul Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:33:00 +0000

I came across Shweta Jain Chopra's blog "Seoul Curry" by chance. Her post on her lovely home (Read here) had me hooked to her blog.

She resides in the beautiful city of Seoul, is a designer by profession and an enthusiast of the oriental culture since childhood.

She has come up with a beautiful idea to help people understand the difference between the 3 countries of the orient - Korea, China & Japan. Using her artistic talent she has created some fun characters to represent each of these countries and they would be featuring in her upcoming product range as well.

The first of these is a loveable character named Yun (Read more about it @ Yun). For adventures of Yun & some super cool crafting tips do keep a tab on Seoul Curry for "Monday's with Yun".

I'm looking forward to crafting tips, home decor ideas and lots of information on oriental culture from Shweta through Mondays with Yun.

Good luck with your wonderful blog Shweta :)

Introducing Anek Designs & a lovely giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:34:00 +0000

Anek Designs specializes in home textiles and accessories that are colourful, traditional and yet contemporary in design.

Kanika Bahl is the founder cum chief designer @ Anek. She is a graduate in textiles from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Prior to starting Anek Designs, Kanika spent over 5 years, working as a designer in the home furnishing industry.

Their design studio also undertakes custom orders and consultation for interior spaces. They are currently based out of Pune.

The ones shown below are just a few of my favourites from their range of beautiful home textiles and accessories.

Their products are available @ their Etsy Store and at the following retail outlets:

Bliss: Mumbai

Loose Ends: Mumbai
Masala Chai: Chennai
The Orange Bicycle: Bangalore

Kanika has announced a giveaway at her blog "and another" and is generously giving away a beautiful key ring to one lucky winner. Do participate if you're interested in winning. I'm just hoping I get lucky and win this awesome key ring :)

Note: All the pictures in this post are from Kanika's Etsy store.

Glimpses of my parents' garden

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:13:00 +0000

Though I'd love to have a beautiful garden, my parents love for gardening, their patience and the green thumb gene (if there is one;)) is not something that I've inherited. Consequently I have to be content with the lone money plant in the dining room and two rose plants in our balcony (See here).

I've been meaning to share a few glimpses of their beautiful garden and finally managed to click some pictures and dig a few from my archive for this post.

The nature of my dad's job took us to different cities and we spent more than a decade living in apartments. Though the balconies weren't large enough they'd always have plants lined all around and indoor potted plants would grace every corner of the living and dining rooms. What's more, when we'd move from city to city they'd transport the potted plants too.

When we finally moved back to our very own home in Bangalore more than a decade ago, my parents left no stone unturned to build the garden they'd always wanted.

They regularly buy seasonal plants from the various nurseries in South Bangalore and lovingly tend to all the plants and trees everyday and ensure that they're regularly trimmed, watered and manured.

Their garden boasts of different varieties of roses, hibiscus', marigolds, jasmine and many other floral plants all year round. The backyard has 4 coconut trees, a mango tree, a custard apple tree, a butter fruit tree to name a few and a kitchen garden where mom grows basale soppu, brahmi herbs, Chayote Squash, curry leaves, colocasia, etc...

Sharing glimpses of their beautiful garden here....

2011 Year of the fig recipe contest

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:54:00 +0000

The good folks from the "They Draw & Cook" are hosting a fun contest for those of you who either like to draw or cook :)

2011 YEAR OF THE FIG RECIPE CONTEST
Sponsored by Simply Beautiful, Simply Delicious California Figs

$2,000 in cash prizes will go to six talented winners!
1ST PLACE PRIZES: $500 for best FRESH FIG recipe and $500 for best DRIED FIG recipe
2ND PLACE PRIZES: $300 for best FRESH FIG recipe and $300 for best DRIED FIG recipe
3RD PLACE PRIZES: $200 for best FRESH FIG recipe and $200 for best DRIED FIG recipe

More Details @ They Draw & Cook

While you're there do take a look at the beautifully illustrated recipes submitted by talented artists around the world.

For the special woman in my life....

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:04:00 +0000

.....This one's for you mom.

You've been the perfect daughter,sister,mother and wife,

You've given me the greatest gift of all - life,

You laughed with me and wiped my tears,

Instilled confidence and values, driven away my fears,

Mom, if I can be even half of what you are,

I'd be better than most by far.

~Shilpa

Happy Women's Day to all my lady friends and hope your day is every bit as special as you are!

Soul Mates

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you. They are not perfect but are always perfect for you. ~Author Unknown

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow.

If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder.

If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow.

If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile.

But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me."

~Author Unknown

Foot(Paw)prints on the sands of time...

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:16:00 +0000

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Meow

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:58:00 +0000

My parents were taking care of two kittens for a friend. Sharing a couple of pictures of the adorable kitties and a lovely poem that I came across.

When God created kitty cats,

he had no recipe.

He knew he wanted something sweet,

as sweet as sweet could be.

He started out with sugar,

adding just a trace of spice.

Then stirred in drops of morning dew,

to keep them fresh and nice.

He thought cats should be soft to pet,

thus he gave them coats of fur.

So they could show they were content,

he taught them how to purr.

He made for them long tails to wave,

while strutting down the walk.

Then trained them in meow-logy,

so they could do cat-talk.

He made them into acrobats,

and gave them grace and poise.

Their wide-eyed curiosity,

he took from little boys.

He put whiskers on their faces,

gave them tiny ears for caps.

Then shaped their little bodies,

to snugly fit on laps.

He gave them eyes as big as saucers,

to look into man's soul.

Then set a tolerance for mankind,

as their purpose and their goal.

When one jumped up upon his lap,

God gently stroked its head.

The cat gave him a kitty kiss,

"What wondrous love," God said.

God smiled at his accomplishment,

so pleased with his creation.

And said, with pride, as he sat back,

"At last, I've reached purr-fection!"

~Author Unknown

The Color Caravan

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Kamath) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:54:00 +0000

If you're fond of collecting Indian handicrafts do take a look at The Color Caravan for some beautiful items.

Founded by Swati Seth, The Color Caravan is a platform for traditional Indian handicrafts. It was born out of Swati's passion for travel, love for art & craft and concern to preserve and propagate age-old traditional Indian crafts.

They present traditional Indian handicrafts in contemporary style & market them to urban buyers and consequently create a livelihood for artisans.

When you buy from The Color Caravan you not only get to own some beautiful Indian handicrafts but also get to promote and help some unrecognized talent.

I recently won a contest hosted by them and the prize was this beautiful handmade papier mache elephant.

Do take a peek at the wonderful handmade fashion accessories, home furnishing, ethnic wear, home decor & utility products on their facebook page - The Color Caravan.