I am stepping out of my boundaries, and moving to
http://theprintlover.wordpress.com
See you there!
p.s: Even the comments carried over. I love wordpress.
“Project Runway” is one of my favorite shows on TV, where upcoming designers compete against each other to produce clothes in a time restricted environment.
I am just awed by the talent of some of these contestants. They make sewing seem effortless and very cool.
Inspired, I joined a sewing class last Fall. We started with the basics on how to use the sewing machine and proceeded to understand patterns, cutting cloth based on patterns and finally sewing. I don’t have a sewing machine at home, so that rather limited how much I can do. I used to go about 15 mins before the class to catch up with everyone else.
Some students in my class were budding designers! There was one girl in particular who even had completed a fashion show!! She said she was learning to sew to understand how better to design. Valid point. (At the beginning of the class we all had to introduce ourselves. I was the only one from an IT background and we all know that doesn’t happen often 
).
I’ve completed 2 levels now. Level 1 we did a pajama and level 2 a pencil skirt.
The sides look puckered (thats the hand sewn part :-/). Its funny how the darts have turned out better than the sides.
This cloth cost me $6 and buttons, thread etc cost about $3. So thats a skirt for $9! A similar skirt in Banana Republic costs $90. Crazy, right?
I took a break after level 2. I want to make 10 skirts like this, before I go to level 3.
And for that, I need a sewing machine. Any recommendations?
p.s: I promised asaan I’d put up a pic of the skirt.. and I made a whole post out of it 
Previously, I used to buy things on a whim. If it pleases the eye, that was reason enough to buy. The problem with that approach is, you also get tired of such things quickly. With experience, I have now switched to the ‘quality over quantity’ approach. Esp. when it comes to home decor.
I am trying to follow this principle when I travel too. I pick and choose when it comes to souvenirs. (This line makes it sound like I am a great traveller. I am not! Give me a good movie and decent food, and I’ll be a happy camper on my couch ).
These are things I brought back from my Grand Canyon trip this summer.
A metal wall hanging reminiscent of the legendary Rt. 66 (This will some day go up on the garage wall)
Doesn't it scream 'road trip'?
And a clay vase hand-made by the Navajo tribes (I am thinking the living room for this one).
The Wedding Vase
Quoting from the note the came with the the vase:
“The vase was widely used by Indian tribes during weddings. As part of the ancient marriage ceremony, the medicine man would prepare a special potion for the young lovers. The mixture signified the promise of deep love and eternal happiness for the couple.
The Brave and Maiden then sealed the promise by drinking simultaneously from the vase, each using one spout. Wedding vases thus became a symbol of happiness and remain so until this day.”
Finally, one of my fave pics of the Grand Canyon. Its surprising to know that a seemingly small river has carved out all these rocks!
Grand Canyon
En route Grand Canyon, we stopped at a small charming town called “Williams”. A very famous movie is based on this town along Rt.66.
Can you guess which movie it is?
I think its the buttons that got me! You like?
We got our master bedroom set delivered a few days back. What was supposed to be an hour’s affair, turned into an ordeal.
The problem started with the head board. It was too big to be brought into the entrance. Or so claimed the delivery guy. We pointed to the couch that is at least 1.5 times the size of the head board and was brought in through the same entrance. All we wanted was for him to try different angles and see if the head board can be brought in. “No” he claimed. Based on his “5 years experience” he knows this head board cant be brought in. We could either refuse the delivery (and send the bed back ) or give it to him in writing that we will not hold him responsible for any scratches/dents made on the bed. And of course there is still no guarantee that he can get the head board in, at which point we cant even refuse the bed, because its now dented. Argh!
Short of actually lifting the headboard, we did everything we could. Suggested different angles, ideas.. and after nearly 30 mins (of which atleast 25 were spent just convincing the mover guy to try!) the head board finally made its way in. Whew!
Next they started assembling the bed and realized only 4 pieces out of the 5 had been deliverd. They went looking for it in the van and finally declared that the 5th piece was never delivered by the furniture company. (The furniture company had hired these local movers for delivery). I volunteered to call the furniture company and find out about the missing piece, but the movers were not ready to wait. They had more deliveries to take care of, you see.
But where was the 5th piece? It had to be somewhere!!
While my husband was haggling with the movers, I made a quick call to the furniture company and miraculously got to speak to a live agent instantly. As I was handing out our order number, I hear some commotion. The 5th piece has been found! It was right there in the van!!!
There were more minor setbacks, but finally the bed was put together. I even debated not handing out a tip, but I gave in thinking about the 3 other workers who were doing the actual physical work under this boorish boss.
I told him straight up that I was not happy with the service (or rather lack of it) and that I was going to talk to the furniture company about it. And talking I did. I called both his supervisor and the furniture company. They apologized and have promised to give me an update soon.
“Why do you have to complain now, when the furniture has already been delivered?” asks my husband. Well for one, I dont want someone else to be subjected to this inefficient service. And more importantly, I dont want the moving team boss to think he can get away with such sloppy behavior again.
Do you guys think I over reacted?
The weekend however ended on a sweet note. I made this date kheer for a dinner dessert (the invitees included 3 sets of parents) and it was very well received. Someone asked what the dessert was made of and soon it turned into a mini game. Everyone was asked to write down what they thought was the main ingredient. And guess what – 3 of the younger generation (we can call ourselves “young” in the midst of parents, right?) guessed it right and none of the parents got it. Interesting moment, it was
A post on the weekend we spent at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a small dainty town set at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
En route, we were driving along a freeeway known to be infested with trailer trucks. And ofcourse, when it was my turn to drive, trucks from everywhere decided to land up right there. At one instance I had a truck in front, to my right and behind, all 18 wheelers riding at at least 80 mph. Reminded me of those old Rajnikanth movies where the villain’s henchmen would surround him with trucks on all 4 sides and then brake. LOL! (I am laughing now. But I’ll admit, I was sh*t scared then!)
Once at Gatlingburg, we were joined by our cousin with his wife and 4 year old daughter Aditi, lovingly referred to as ‘Dudhi’ (yes, the vegetable).
This was the 1st time I was meeting Dudhi as a toddler. And I expected her to be a little shy initially. So in addition to a memory game, I took set a set of paints with me which I thought might lure her out. And they worked like a charm Every evening, we did a painting project – finger painting on day 1 and Spray painting on day 2. (I’ll make a separate post on the how-to of spray painting. For finger painting, read Shruti’s detailed steps.).
Some of the highlights from the trip:
The cabin – that we’d rented. They said it was a wood cabin. I wasn’t expecting it to be ‘wood’ top to bottom
The winding roads and the crispness in the air (and the blocked ears!) – reminded me of Kodaikanal.
"Smoky Mountains" - No prizes for guessing how the mountains got their name
The hikes – that led to hidden treasures like a mini waterfall or a humbling valley.
The Tubing – We had to sit on tire like thingies and float away on the river. The river was pretty shallow. So if at any point you want to stop, you can steer your way to the bank, get up and walk away. (Though I didn’t see anyone doing that. Walking is so over rated compared to tubing!!)
Float, float, float away.. gently down the stream
Oh and on the way back, we sighted a baby bear! (And it left me thinking – what if I’d seen the bear while we were hiking.. how do you escape from a bear? Does the act-dead really work? Any one who has tried that and lived to tell the tale? Pls give a shout out!!)
Last but not least, the souvenirs from the trip – Locally made jams, jellies and sauces. Yum!
And a name sake magnet
He looks grumpy, doesn't he?!
What did you guys do over the long weekend?
For an intro on the Sep series, go here.
Sep 14th’s theme is Blue and Orange. Guess what? I have nothing in orange!!! (This Sep exercise is reconfirming my black & white fears!)
I do have an orange cardigan but its all old and raggedy now (Not to mention, too tight). The only possible reason why I still haven’t throw it out is because it was one of the first items I bought after I landed a job. I try not to cling on to stuff for sentimental reasons. But this one shall remain an exception.
So instead of the blue and orange, I’ll showcase a blue and beige experiment. I got this dotted navy blue top from Ann Taylor (yet again!) and I would’ve usually paired it with grey/white trousers. But for a change, I wore it with beige trousers. And since the top was halter neck, I wore a cardigan.
I like tops like these because they need no ironing (which means I can sleep for an extra 2 mins )
Tell me what you think of the combo. Would a white/grey trouser looked better? I pulled in the cardigan by wearing black shoes.
Blue and Beige
FootNote
Pant – The Limited
Top – Ann Taylor
Cardigan – The Limited
I present to thee, my patio garden.
Patio Garden
Many a evening, we pull our chairs and sit outside. Drinking tea, munching on watermelon slices…
He is usually looking skywards tracing a random flight’s trajectory. Telling me that there should be a British Airways flight soon coming this way.
I water the plants and untangle the creepers. I watch out for the stray lady bird crawling around while checking to see if there are any new flowers in the tomato plant. I wave to our neighbor collecting his mails.
“The flight is here”, he shouts in glee. I look up. Yes, indeed!
Summer will end in 3-4 weeks. I will miss summer.
[This post is a submission to the Oasis@Home series]
For an intro on the Sep series, please go here.
Sep 9th theme was Black and Ivory. This must be the easiest theme, because I have multiple items in these 2 colors. I debated between a pant and a skirt, ballet shoes (yesterday’s) or peep toes and finally settled on a rather uncreative skirt, top and cardigan. (I just realized that the skirt and top together look like a dress).
The cardigan is my current favorite item in the closet. Check out the flowers near the neck. I love these little details.
And the shoes are very pretty, if I may say so myself. These were the last pair in the store and were priced at a clearance rate of $20! And it was in my size!! How can I not buy, right?! I wore it with yesterday’s bangles.
My ankles are disproportionately thin.. Grrr!
(Please click on pictures for a larger view)
Black and Ivory
Lace Peep toes
An extra view
Gold Bangles
Footnote
Skirt – JCrew
Top – Shop & Stop, India
Cardigan – JCrew
Shoes – Ann Taylor
Bangles – Cerulean
For an intro on the Sep outfit series, please go here.
As per the calendar, Sep 7th was Red and Leopard and Sep 8th was Updated Vintage. Since Sep 7th was a holiday, I decided to adopt the Red & Leopard theme for today. (And also because I own nothing vintage!)
The only leopard print item from my closet are my ballet flats. So that was easy. Now for the red part.. I have 2 red tops. And both are not really office appropriate (sleeveless and the bright print). So I turned to my ever-faithful cardigan.
I did think of tying it in with a belt. But decided not to.
Red and Leopard Print
Ballet Flats
Gold Bangles
Footnote:
Pant – Limited
Top – Ann Taylor Loft
Cardigan – Ann Taylor
Ballet flats – Kenneth Cole (When I bought these, my husband asked if they are made of real leopard skin. Grrr!)
Bangles – Cerulean
Note: Due to some scheduling difficulties, I will not be posting daily on the Sep outfit series (though I will continue to follow the calendar). But stay tuned for periodical updates
