1,2,3 : About Inspiration

Three quirky uses of pictures hurriedly taken with my phone camera. A word about inspiration, when one really looks , it is everywhere... Travelling, browsing through books, mags, wonderful blogs and sites online. Thing about ideas is that they strike when one is not even looking for them... quite pensive hectic days, driving through congested roads, shopping at local bazaars, peaceful contemplative moments, fragments of dreams and in recesses of long lost memories.

What inspires you? Where do you seek that initial spark of an idea? When does it strike? How do you keep in touch with an idea and utilise it when the moment arises...

Good thing that with a camera in the mobile phone, one is always ready to pin that flash down.. listing three quirky inspirations and how they got utilised around the house.

Taking a break from reading Charle's Correa's `A place in the shade' one quite afternoon. I noticed the graphic monochromatic pattern on the jacket against a red silk cushion. We had our wall!

Even attempted playing with the texture with the help of my painter bhau before painting it solid black :)

An arrangement on a coffee table inspired by the days adornments placed in a startling red ceramic dish on the bed side table.. ( Pic above: Silver plated platter from Goodearth, Lapis and coral Buddha heads from the Jade market in Kowloon, Hongkong, Burmese lacquer tray from Kinnari, Hong Kong)

Finally, window dressing and a jute lamp shade against a terracotta wall inspired by a familiar sight at local bazaars. (Pic Left: Lamp and shade from Contemporary arts and crafts, Mumbai)

Reblogging!!

Girl about home has moved. Yet again. Countless times in ten years. Pitching tent, folding all parts of a movable household and moving on- comes easily by now. This time, I am back home, to a city I love - Mumbai.

A lot has happened. I have had no time although all the inclination to sit and go over the going-ons of last year. As I try to put it together on the blog, a sense of panic grips me, a familiar fear of the blank page. I have in the process of finding my feet in a new city and a new country with a much large family, neglected this space and there is just too much to share.

Where does one begin? Maybe like Lewis Carol says in his Alice in the wonderland, ``it is best to begin at the beginning,’’

So I shall start with pictures of the skeleton of an apartment that I stepped into exactly the same time -first week of July-last year. It was instant love. The space has transformed into our home over the course of a year.

Setting up home has to be the most enjoyable experience I have had in this exciting and super challenging city this far. Making it mine with colour texture, pattern, material and yeah, love..lots of it..has been a ride. And what a ride! Meeting wonderfully talented people, discovering exciting places to shop at, working with painters, masons and contractors, learning new things and not to miss the problems and lessons learnt for life !

This house was a first in many regards, the first one my babies moved in to, the first one that I supervised from start to finish, the first one with so much colour, and at least one room that I took upon myself to paint myself....

Will keep adding the various elements that have gone into dressing the space in subsequent posts. Also stories from Mumbai, my hugely fascinating new home. There is much I have encountered and learned… More later. Have a great day folks :).

The beautiful Ganpati belongs to the previous occupants of the house.. of course we keep it.

The area that I took upon myself to paint ..!

Buddha

Probably nothing is as emblematic of peace and serenity as the figure of Buddha. For eternity, artisans, painters and sculptors have slaved over the right proportions that would artistically represent the beloved ascetic.

The features - eyes the shape of half open lotus buds, a keen nose and the hint of smile together convey the calm introspection that is beautiful beyond words.

Have been photographing Buddhist iconography around the region for a few years now. Sharing a few images form around the house and elsewhere.

The Buddha in emptiness. The Buddha in solitude. The Buddha in poetry.

Contemplating a now-lost statue of the Buddha in French sculptor Rodin's garden, German poet Rilke gropes his way towards and understanding of emptiness:

center of all centers, core of cores,

almond, self-enclosed, growing sweet --

all the universe, to the farthest stars

and beyond them, is your flesh, your fruit ...

Now you feel how nothing clings to you;

your vast shell reaches into endless space,

and there the rich thick nectars rise and flow.

Illuminating your infinite peace,

a billion stars go spinning through the night,

Glowing high above your head.

But in you is the presence that

will be, when all the stars are dead.

In unexpected corners.

In turbulence, noise, age, decay and death.

The Buddha is every where..

Colour Stories :All things red and ravishing

Ceramic Platter from Earth Home, Hong Kong, assorted seasonal fruits in red . Silk sarong from Altfield Interiors, Hong Kong. Silver Cuff from Khan Market, New Delhi.

Holi just went by, spring is out there is in full bloom, Valentines day, Chinese new year all wonderful occasions, that bring colour to mind one way or the other. Particularly the last two stand for a very vibrant and bold hue....Yes, I am talking Red !!

Bright, bold, hot and the irrepressible red!

Lately because it has been on my mind to, I see the colour every where.. In stores, books, magazines, in nature, in my kids crayons and paint boxes, clothes, lipstick ( a la Sandra Bullock rocking the colour on Oscar night)... every where. Since a lot of what one sees comes around, let me post some pictures of all that was red the past month.

Red and orange kantha reversible sheet from Anokhi, Delhi, Kantha cushion covers in Maroon (Anokhi) Red rectangular cushion covers from Tequila Kola, Hong Kong.

Red Lacquered bamboo tray and runner from Laos, hand glazed Tea pot and cup from Lane- Crawford Hong Kong. Wooden opium grinder from Rajashtan.

Red and turquoise necklace, Lhasa. Red Dzao tribal neck piece from Vietnam

From the archives: Red and yellow Ranunculus.

Happy Holi!!

A very very Happy Holi to all!

1,2,3

Three uses for a quirky object. Picked up a pair of iron stirrups from a flea market in Lhasa a few years back. Although I had no idea about how I will use them, their texture and shape caught my fancy.

After lying around unused for some time, the stirrups have been hung on a mango-wood hook by a bay window. Posting pictures of three different ways I use them.

To hold pots of miniature plants or creepers some times.

To hold flowers every now and then.

even tea lights some evenings.

Which use do you like the most? What else can one do with these?

Eco Wraps

For those who love to wrap their gifts, but are wary of wasting paper, here is my year of gift wrapping in pictures.

Have avoided buying gift wrapping paper for a whole year now, using alternate materials like newspaper, used paper, magazines and recycled packaging material and fabric.

Sample these
A child's birthday gift is packed in paper made from News paper, recycled gift wrapping paper ( which was too creased to reuse as is) curling ribbon from balloon ties and paint. The paper was made by my eight year old during the course of an afternoon activity.

Tissue paper salvaged from a shopping bag was used to pack a baby shower gift. The cutesy accent on the gift in turn salvaged from the bottom of my child's toy chest.

For a fashionista buddy, an attractive center-spread from Financial Time's Weekend Supplement made the perfect wrap alternative!

There was no reason to dispose off an A4 sized paper that had served its purpose. Used it to wrap a bottle of perfume.

To wrap my Diwali gifts, we hand block printed peacock motifs on old newspaper with gold and red acrylic paints.

Apart from those that I could document in images, there were wraps fashioned out of scrap fabric, plastic and spray painted newspaper.

Have been trying to recycle every scrap of paper that we use around the house, in whatever way possible. More later.