Art at Zazuta

Magical days of Summer

2011-05-09T00:54:00.001-07:00

I forgot I had a blog. I really did forget. 1001 things had me held captive and try as I might I could not remember.
Days of summer, filled with the laughter of friends, dinners and tea parties. Tomatoes ripening and almost ready to be plucked. Sudden sprouts of secret pumpkin seeds.. that had managed to hitch a ride from our old residence found a place in the new house. And before I knew it.... had crept all over and under, sideways and above to new heights.
Lady birds, magically appeared from child hood days.
Sudden showers that cooled the miserable heat of summer at 104 F ( 41-42 C), gave respite to all creatures. The plants were most grateful.
I saw butterflies with iridescent blue-green wings... and beautiful Robins that come every morning to say Hello.

These are what my summer days have been filled with. A new shop. New website , new stock. Fingers, busy with sewing colorful felt treats.

Peeking in...

2011-04-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hello you wonderful people!!

No, I don't have the internet yet. I'm still using the Mexican's work laptop for everything. Which can be a challenge as I only have access to it for a few hours a day. But my work efficiency has defintely improved!

since I can't really upload any pictures until I get internet at home... here are some snippets from my new handmade shop.

I love pin cushions!

Especially in yummy felt colors...

This is my all time favorite necklace.

I am still in the process of setting up house. The only thing left is the guest bedroom. Which is where I put anything that didn't fit in the rest of the house. It's going to be a looong day.
I hope , the next time I blog, I'll have my old internet back. :(

Happy Easter!

~~See you soon~~

Look at what's growing..

2011-04-02T07:09:00.001-07:00

In my little container garden.
Little tomato flowers, so pretty, so perfect so summer.

That turn into lovely little baby Tomatoes.
This is the first time I have had a successful sowing of tomatoes. And I didn't even plant the seeds really, I don't know how they came to be. It's a little gift for me, left by tiny mischievous elves.
Either that... or someone put a Tomato in the bed.

I ddn't have time to plant them from seed, I missed the season. So I bought tiny Marigold babes.
They're doing well now.

It's getting quite hot here. I don't like to venture out anymore. To top it all, I have allergies to hot climates. How an Indian, who's lived all her life in hot climate developed allergies to heat... is beyond me. It's ironic really.

But , It doesn't stop me from being out there, in the heat and the sun, admiring little miracles. If I sound insane.... it is because I am so so proud of myself, for being able to grow Tomatoes.

In other news, I prepare for Easter.
With the moving and everything that involves, I think I might just miss Easter. But I'll probably work for inventory's sake. You never know...

See you soon~

p.s: The Mexican is preparing Tomato Rice, with Chilaquiles . With drinks.
Spicy chilli potatoes, BBQ pork ribs.
Tummy is growling. See you soon!!

New Beginings

2011-03-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

This post is about new beginnings in my life this month. It's been a while since my last post. I have been oh! so busy with normal life getting in the way ;) We're moving. The last few weeks were spent looking for houses, that met certain criteria... you know how that can be...

Well, we finally found a place, that met all criteria and currently it's under renovation. We plan to move in about 10 days. So the house is such a mess with boxes and things everywhere.

The second new beginning, is my new Etsy shop. For handmade goodness, made with felt and fiber. The last year, my obsession for all things felt and crafting have been growing steadily. Now that my Jewelery , art and fabric and trim stores are set up and running smoothly... I decided to give this a shot. Follow the passion. :D

That is about all I can muster at this point. There are lots of pictures I have been taking.
Lots more stories to tell. We'll meet soon.

Love from Nature~

2011-03-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

The best thing about summer/ spring is all the lovely fruits you get. And all the yummy juice you get to make for breakfast every morning. Maybe with a slice of yummy pie and cream. Or maybe just juice by itself...

I was experimenting with mixed fruit juice, strawberries and black grapes. Yummy!
And look what I found in my strawberry bunch...

Isn't that so awesome!!! A heart shaped strawberry. Warm fruity love from Nature. I kept it a whole day and a half.. and only put it in my next drink after I saw it was over- ripening. Wish I could have preserved it. I was so kicked!!!

Flowers are blooming in the garden-ette.

I love them. Very tasty in salads. The flowers and the leaves.

I see worker bees everywhere now,but my camera is too old to get them in focus. :(
Herbs are flowering too~

I spent a lot of yesterday planting insanely. Lots of morning glory and more herbs.
Pumpkins are on their way... now you know how warm it is. :)
I still have to run to the seed store and get some corn.

I have opened a new Etsy store. I'm working on inventory as we speak. I feel like my fingers will fall off with so much hand cutting and hand sewing.

See you soon. I must be off, I plan to list in my new store tomorrow. Lots of work to be done!

3 Woofs and a loud " Sit" .

2011-03-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

So it occurred to me that I have never... not really shared what my 3 canine flat mates look like. In Day light. Not blurry indoor pictures. So I called them out on a rather sunny day , and asked them ever so politely if they'd mind just a few poses.

I present to you:
Senor Amigo, Senorita Zoya and Senora Yana :)
They do not look amused.
I think they were rather insulted, I made them sit and pose for a silly picture.

The girls, giving me the 'hurry up' look. It was before their breakfast... so tummies were rumbling.

I love him.
Absolutely love him.
I think he is the most handsomest dog in the whole wide world!!!! <3

Zoya sneaks into bed every night, after we have dozed off and are dead to the world. Amigo does too, but not so often. Zoya does it everyday. I think I kicked her off in my sleep once...

Catching some sun.
It had rained for days and it was cloudy and wet. I wasn't allowing them out much...

On a different note.
The strawberries are blooming! I can't wait...

I forgot the name of this herb. It's on the tip of my tongue as I type... lol.. and I can't seem to spit it out. It smells a lot like cilantro/ coriander... what was it?!!

The mint survived the foggy winter. It seems to be growing back now.
My broken ceramic fairy.... that Zoya had a chance with.

That's it for now.
I have many things to share.
I spent all of today doing yucky inventory.

~~Till next time~~

Another year gone by

2011-03-08T01:08:00.000-08:00

It was my birthday recently, And of course... I turned another year older. Not an entirely bad thing... but not so happy with the age factor. :)

I decided to have a nice low key time at home. A nice home cooked dinner, Mexican food and relaxing with wine.

I did cheat on the dessert though.

Usually, I would bake from scratch... but I just wanted to have easy food. :D How lazy am I~

And to top it off.. I forgot and opened the oven midway... for some weird reason.. and of course the cake dropped.

However, I managed to make the most of the situation by adding stuff to it.

My pictures are so blurry... It's time to retire the camera. But not before showing you my yummy Shrimp cocktail, that the Mexican made. I'm married to a Mexican... have I ever mentioned it? Yummy exotic food is such a bonus!! haha...

Then add yummy avocados to it. Perfect. I love avocados. I can live on them!!

I've just finished re reading... and now I'm hungry. There is still some cake left. Off to cut the strawberries and then whipped cream... Mmmmm
Till next time then~
Adios!

Peeking in to say hi

2011-03-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit off from blogging lately. I think, the constant demands of 2 online stores, my own jewelery business, my art and life in general take up so much of my day, that I have either forgotten to capture the moments with my camera, or I am just too tired.
It's an effort to keep a blog going, always finding new things to write about, to keep this online journal fresh.
I signed up for a free e-course on how to declutter your business, through Etsy, and wow... lets just say I'm a lot of clutter. But this course has really motivated me to re-do my inventory.. both for the jewelery and fabric trims.
Exhausting and daunting work.. but totally worth it.
I also bought new jewelry supplies yesterday, lots of lovely stones and such. And lots of fittings and things from fellow Etsians.
I'm waiting impatiently for the packages to arrive so I can share them with you!

That's all for now, I have to rush for a family thing. Lunching in the warm lazy afternoon sun.

xoxo

What I've been upto...

2011-02-12T01:19:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been full of activities. Too much in too little time resulted in a bout of flu.

I have been extremely busy with my Etsy shop, and have finally managed to get my listings to 130 . Yay!

Here is an image of one of the many felt, aquatic themed brooches I made for the charity fair. I love them. So colorful and fun.

With photography and then editing being a huge part of it.
I have gotten quite a few inquiries for this. But I think I love it too much to sell it. Hmm...maybe my thoughts aren't letting it go. lol

I have been getting better at my photography and am contemplating to open up another Etsy shop. Two weeks ago I was back in the narrow lanes of the wholesale markets here to source, buy and handpick over 200 trims for my Etsy shop. After 6 hours of careful selection... all I saw for days after that... were trims. Even in my dreams. I'm so glad this happens once in 2 months.

I am also going to start stocking silk and cotton,sari fat quarters in my trim shops.
This is by far the most popular.It's one of my favorites. I love spring related things. I love color!

Things are going well and I hope to be able to make 100 sales by March.

This is turning out to be a bit of a random post. But that's more or less what this month has been like. Random, chaotic but fun in it's own way.
I have a whole bunch of things I'm working on for my existing shop and the new one as well.
Until next time.... :D

Facebook Page and New Arrivals

2011-02-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Lots of work here at Zazuta.

I have just finished making a Face Book Page my Etsy shop. Last night was spent going through all the new Spring line Trims and Borders. Yes, here even those are governed by seasons. I got some very pretty trims for my shop, for Valentines day.

I love Mirror work. I have always loved it. Although this is faux mirror work in the sense that instead of tiny hand cut pieces of mirrors embroidered onto the fabric, they now days use a kind of foil to give it the same appeal. Can you imagine the shipping cost if it were real mirrors? Yikes!

Also, I love Red. I mean who doesn't. And with Valentines Day hardly any time away, I wanted to grab this pretty trim before it sold out. I love Paisley designs and motifs. If you have ever been to my Etsy shop, you would know.

Yesterday was spent at my suppliers. I ended up with a royal headache after looking at Ribbons and Trims for 6 hours, selecting,accounting ....whew! I am glad I do this once a month or once in two months. It is exhausting work to build an inventory.

On another note, I have been working on a painting the last few days. It is finally finished and although I cannot yet share it here... I could give you a sneak preview :D

There is so much to tell, but not just yet. Lots of good things happening. But at lightening speed. Sometimes, it's hard not to get overwhelmed.
This month, I will be adding listings every other day on my Etsy, Lots of gorgeous, exotic, ornate trims. Sigh... to float around in gowns fit for queens.

For a cause..

2011-02-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

I did a show a couple of weeks ago, for a charity organization called PFA (People for Animals). You can visit them at their site. I had a jewelery cubicle and right next door were adorable little puppies looking for homes. A few were adopted that day. Just thought I would share with you.

This was my display area. We had uncharacteristically strong sun that day. Also I took the picture in the afternoon, so it was bright. Bright and a bit too warm.

I had a blast this day. I think there were lots of times, I was not at the jewelery stand. Instead, I was busy cuddling and playing with the little ones. Awwww. They were SO cute!! and that delicious puppy smell!!

Just look at them sleeping. I mean, seriously... how could anyone NOT like puppies.

Ooh! this one was my favorite. She was such a cutie. And so social. And friendly and loving. Sigh! And she smiled in her sleep when I was taking this. Maybe she knew and was posing. :D

On a diferent note. I just HAD to take a picture of one of my dogs. Her name is Zoya. She will be 2 years old on the 4th of April. And she sleeps like goofy.

But then, she made this face and freaked me out.

I love them. Goofy and scary. I love them all the same.

Changes in and out

2011-02-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

I have had an organic vegetable gardening blog for a year or so now. Which is so badly neglected because after taking care of this blog, twitter, a new FB fan page,Etsy,and new business plans for this year..so I've decided to just export my other blog on here. I am not sure how exactly the posts in the other blog would fit in here. Anyways, there's always the first time.
I do have a couple of posts lined up for this blog, but I want to get this exporting thing done with.

Spring Fever

2011-01-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

Yup, Still enjoying my spring.

Yesterday India celebrated her Republic Day. I'm a sentimental fool.

Sometimes I can't believe that my grandparents lived in the pre-independence times. I mean... 1920's... that is OLD! :D

We talk about their 'times' often. Almost every time we meet.... which is everyday! Times were simple then, they said.

No insane competition for jobs, money, careers, love. Time passed by slowly, food tasted better then ( all organic), Now for them, there is no taste in today's food. Adulteration, chemicals, soil pollution, under ground water pollution, air pollution... I wonder how we made it. Or rather... I wonder how we are going to make it.

Anyways, I wanted to show you what I had been up to. Spring fever and all, Felt madness...
Did you know I learnt to sew last month... thanks to you tube??? :D

Hope you enjoyed the colors. I'm off now for some tea. I'm always drinking tea. They say drinking too much tea is bad for you. But I'm Indian.... what do I know ;)
Tea is gold <3

A day in the sun

2011-01-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

It's Spring!! Yes, it is. It's warm and sunny!! :D

The sky is blue again ( in winters over here, the fog and pollution is so bad.. you don't see the sky for days and days at a time).

The birds are singing, squirrels are everywhere, people are happy sunning themselves in the parks.

I take a break from work and the man and I go sun ourselves for 30-40 minutes. And it's the perfect kind of sun. Lazy sun. The kind that won't burn you. The kind that doesn't hurt the eyes. It's gentle.

The breeze is crisp and cool. Fresh air ( as fresh as it gets).

This is a good time to be in India, to travel, to see places. If you want to know the fun way to see India... see this post. Or this one!

I am dreading summer though.... ah well! we'll deal with that in March/April.
I'm off to have my tea and love the puppies.

P.s: This weather is making me want to craft with felt even more. I made a bunch of felt flower brooches for sun, fun and happy-ness. Yummy colors!

Felt necklace and more

2011-01-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. I'm still trying to get a hang of Etsy. Loving it so far!

I have been busy with preparations for an up and coming craft show and of course Valentines day and other things. I have also, been felting away.

Not making felt itself, rather making things with felt. I have wanted to do a bunch of tutorials and I have all these ideas.... but at the end of the day, when I am with my 100th and also the last cup of tea.. I tell myself tomorrow.

Did I tell you I am also painting again? And art journaling. And learning how to make your own dairies. So exciting to be learning new things.

I made this a couple of weeks ago. It just happened. I saw it in my mind and there I was.. snipping and cutting felt like a mad woman. Felt every where!

I had/have tons of buttons . I don't know from where.. I think my granny gave them to me coz she had no use for them...So I made this.

I have also been saving up some yummy recipe tutorials to post here. I need to organize myself.
I promised myself that this year, I would buy an organizer and actually write in it. Check against all chores that were completed. So far... I've written on one page... 15th January. I'm still checking it and today is the 19th. where does time go?

How on earth do people stay sane and organized??
More later. Hopefully, I will get the tutorials and recipes done this year! :D

Be mine...

2011-01-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's approaching that time of the year. Some will be ecstatic, full of love, new relationships and giddy...

I've been seeing a few Valentine's day decorations... but thankfully not as much as some. I've heard, stores putting up their V-Day decorations same time as Christmas. One crazy, hectic holiday at a time please. Although, I wonder if V-day qualifies as a holiday everywhere. Not here.

Anyways, It got to me. So I made these.

Happy early Valentine's!!
:D

Treasures!!

2011-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

While strolling through the old Indian markets.... I found some oh so yummy, Vintage-y ( I don't know if they're really vintage) Treasures. They are so Summer. So royal. So ..of- a time-forgotten. I just had to have them.

Of course it turns out, they are all 100% hand made. Even today. So I got me some as supplies for my shop.

Shop Update

2010-12-30T18:31:00.001-08:00

I do feel better now :D

Just thought I'd pop over and let you know about my shop update.

I recently added these Silk thread wrapped bangles to my shop.

They're 100% hand made and absolutely exotic.

Check them out.

A sniffly post

2010-12-30T01:24:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been full of annoying sniffles.... of the flu variety. Blocked, Fuzzy head, gallons of tea,soup,tea,soup and so on.

It's still pretty much there. It's getting hard to sleep at nights these days. I'm in bed by 8 pm.. but fall asleep by 11 pm or even later. In the middle, I'll be serenaded by stray dogs, howling in grand symphony to a passing ambulance.

I've been wanting to call the animal helpline... will do once I can speak.
It's been snowing in the North of the country, that's brought us lots of cold rain and dense fog. I know.... I shouldn't complain... Ive been looking at the Blizzards across the world on CNN...Brrrrrrr. Too cold.

We don't have central heating here in India. so even if it's in Single digits.... you need heaters in the house. Not very convenient.

This post is sounding a bit whiny.... but I'm just going to blame it on the flu. ;)
These pictures were taken in October... or November..We get lazy sun in those months. Lovely.
Right now, the fog and the pollution are just too much.

Miss those lazy sunny days! Ooh~ just came across this recipe for yummy hot soup.
I'm going to try it right after I finish my 200th cup of tea.

Recipe source: Mixed vegetable soup

Yoga Calender 2011

2010-12-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Heloooooo~

We are still pretty much Christmas-sy over here.... and still opening presents.

Just thought I would let you know that we now have the new Yoga 2011 Calender in stock in Shop.

All the money we get from the sales goes into feeding the poor .

The money for each calender buys about 40 Kilograms of rice over here.

It would be lovely to be able to sell more and keep the food on the table for a lot of poor people.

Do your bit this Christmas~ :D

Happy Holidays!!

A poem

2010-12-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this poem I came across. It's engraved on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta. It's so beautiful, true and really such a simple way to look at life.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis
it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

I'm still in the middle of Christmas Mayhem :D . Love this kind of Mayhem.
How was your Christmas?
See you soon~
Happy Holidays.

A Christmas Wish for you

2010-12-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hello and Merry Christmas... or almost.

It's 2 hours to Christmas here and while the bird roasts in the oven, soaking in Orange juice and herbs, I thought I'd pop in and wish thee well.

So here is my well ness thought for you.

May you cherish every memory and every moment of this year that has almost come to pass.
For nothing in life is wasted... and no experience truly without learning.
Know that you have emerged stronger and better for having gone through the hard times,
and grateful and loved and blessed for the good times.
May god always shine his love on you.
And may you always be happy in what you do.

So with this I bid you...
Adieu, farewell Adieu

Until January 2011.
What an exciting thing to say. 2011.

A sad but true tale

2010-12-17T05:37:00.001-08:00

I am hoping to volunteer with this wonderful organization , in the near future. It's called Samarpan and they operate in many cities in India. I first heard about it a year or so ago and have been wanting to volunteer since then. The timing was never right. There was something... always happening.

Then it hit me: "Tara, you silly goose, something will always happen... it's life. You should worry when things stop happening.... that means you're dead"
So after battling with laziness, apathy, laziness, excuses of inconvenience.... I told myself enough is enough. You know why?

Because every year more than 25,000 children die in Urban India due to starvation.

Because every year more than a 100 poor farmers commit suicide due to failed crops and crushing debts.

because half the luxuries I enjoy... somewhere.... somehow are tainted with child labour.

Because more than 75% of this country lives in sub Saharan poverty with no access to clean drinking water, sanitation and 3 meals a day.

Because One Million girls from fetus to toddlers are killed every damn year ... for being female. The pressures of society, preference for a male child, inability to afford a daughter's wedding due to dowry and other rubbish.

So, it's okay to be lazy and not want to do something. But that farmer who killed himself.... yeah... he grew my food. You and I, sitting here, in the comfort of our homes.... with a computer.... we're the minority in the world. Just about 3-5% of the world's total population.

And that is why, my dear friends.. I choose to get off my ass and help.... even though just a tiny little bit.I'm really excited about it. :D
This wasn't meant to be a gruesome post. I'm really sorry if I've depressed you....It's just too apparent in this country to not talk about it. Don't get me wrong. I love India, she's been wonderful to me..... but then I should be doing the same for her too. It only takes a bit. very little. sometimes just a click. go have a see at the site. Samarpan is doing some amazing work.

Next post will be about buttons.... I promise. :D

Post show + Shop Update

2010-12-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

Hey you~

How have you been?

It's taken a bit but I finally managed to shrug off the post show laziness and update my shop. The Charity show was great. Although we didn't raise as much money as we hoped to, it was so much fun to be able to do this. I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm really grateful for this opportunity, so thank you to the people who thought of including me.

In other news, I have been at the computer since 7 am ( it's now 5:30 pm my time), editing pictures that I took .... from the last 2 months. That's 430 images. My laziness is really paying me. I decided to lighten the load further by updating my Etsy shop with some of the new stuff. :D

Ooh~ I've got new supplies in the shop now. Yummy colours as well.
It's getting chilly here... single digits. And I can feel a sore throat coming on. I also have a show this weekend. If you guys are in Delhi, drop by Promenade :D

We had a good response for the last show.

In other news, I have some exciting news... non-jewelery related ... which I will share in a few weeks.

You can visit my shop to have a see. Happy shopping!!

xoxo

Quick post and dates

2010-12-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

This is just a quick post to let those of you who are in town.... know that I will be participating in a Charity show at DLF Emporio, on Nelson Mandela Road. Would love to meet those of you who are in Delhi.
It's on the 9th and 10th of this month.

Toodles. Oodles to do!

xoxox