Shuffle pourri – Earrings swap party

An abode for artisan, a backyard of art connoisseur,  the Queen of e-bazaars. They say… She is a beauty!

There’s a new buzz in town. It’s delightful and every jewelry-maker’s muse. ItsHandMade.in is throwing a swap party – Shuffle Pourri for all jewelry artist. Yay!

It’s no news to my Facebook followers, how much I rave about my awesome new workplace but I never mentioned why. Bangalore is the entrepreneurial hub of India and this shift is ought to happen. Long story short, tired of dead-end  role at a corporate giant in this new age India, my focus turned to startup jobs and found my place at ItsHandMade. Well, I must say the reverse migration was such an ordeal to begin with, however, it has been a fascinating episode in my existence. Working with young minds who are forerunners in business is just exhilarating.

That’s the chalk talk… let’s get down to “chai-pani-binness” business.

The rulebook is shared on ItsHandMade Blog…..It’s simple, here’s is how it goes:

• Cook up your bead pourri , Snap a pretty picture…Bundle up to let fly!
• Prepare for airdrop,  Buckle up peeps…Its time to get busy beading…
• Design a gorgeous pair of earring and Share, Share, Share!

Psst, they have some really cool DIY post. This is a closed event accepting participants who sell on the website. {Meeeeee….me..me}

Right on! Registered and waiting to see who is gonna be my shuffle partner. Now I’ve dealt with beaded, wire wrapping and fabric jewelry, suddenly, I’m inquisitive about  paper quilling or terra-cotta jewelry…. Guess why? Okay, here’s the deal

Apart from selling as Kaajewel - Krafted and Artisan Jewelry exclusively on ItsHandMade, I love this website for the wide artist and all the community building activity.

“Can you tell, those are paper filigree jewelry?” now that’s an attention grabber, right there.  Isn’t it awesome?

Swaati, the artist behind QuillKaari, makes these fabulous paper-quilled jewelry that’s long-lasting and finished to perfection! She calls these earrings “Fireworks on a Moonlit Night” Makes me wanna be there gazing at the sky. Aaaahhh…I’m such a big fan. Hmm….I know you can tell.

I couldn’t resist shopping for these funky creations. Here’s another one….

Neither I’m high maintenance nor do I treat my man like an ATM, yet we think this Hubby-Wifey coaster  an über cool rest stop for our evening cuppa-coffee and jibber jabber. (Te-he-he…Dr.Cooper!)

Do check back on Kaajewel Facebook page for my shuffle partner and our hybrid creations.

3 secrets of blogging a (plum) cake recipe

Gotcha! Now that I have your valuable attention, let me impart my blogging knowledge to you. Its fairly simple, when I can do it so can you!

Time for some Gyaan with giggles…. (Gyaan is advice in hindi)

Inspiration is a key to creativity yet we debate about it being a clever theft. They say… as long as you credit your sources, it should be fine. Internet, as you know it, has tonnes of recipes and their variation. In a way, each blog post is just a repeat, if you don’t put your heart to it.

So, Tell me something…  What makes your blog post different from the rest?

Recipe

Is it the best kept secret of your family, your Grandma’s recipe?

Content

That juicy story of how you got baked  with your friend while the cake was in oven?

Visuals

May be, its the drool-worthy food photography that makes your reader have a sweet tooth!

Experts believe that it is a right mix of all the above. Do you agree?

Food blogging is a broad topic and there are multiple ways to be successful. Sunshine and smile, by Kankana has been my inspiration for food photography. Her captivating posts like this one -> Breakfast in Bed  brings your nostalgic memories afresh. Although, I’ve been cooking for over a decade now but when it comes to blogging I prefer writing about all the baked goods, trying out new sweet treats and spicy savories.

Lets get practical! Who has to time to be a jack of all trades, anyways. I think that photography is an integral part of food blogging because it captures your audience to begin with. The content/ recipe plays a major role with SEO, blog traffic and to create a long-standing fan following.

Talking about photography, I’m no expert but I like to shoot before, while and after.

The Curtain raiser – Ingredients

Clean the shutter, sparkle the sensor and keep your camera ready, right from the start. Sometimes ingredients are so gorgeous that it takes the center stage. If your recipe  calls for one a juicy fruit like orange, lemon or this sugar sweet plum the you are in for a treat.

Wait…Dont eat the fruit, I mean… treat for eyes. Try shooting a slice of orange with natural light source at the back and you will know it.

Light source and its placement is crucial for good macro photography. In first image of this post, I’m shooting while my camera faces the window. Notice how the shadow of the plum fall at the bottom front of the fruit.

Of course, to keep the background clutter free, I’ve used a pale fabric forming a relevant color palette.

The Drama – Making of sugar sweet plum-cake

Its gripping! If you are a pro, go for motion shots. Capture the pouring egg yolk, or splash of syrup or while you sprinkle the freshly ground cinnamon powder over the batter.

Focus, focus, focus! It is not said enough how important this can be. Focus defines the photograph and says it all.  If you are a beginner, let your lens focus automatically while you choose the manual settings to adjust the light and exposure. I still do this, I’m no expert and Im afraid to risk it.

In the photo above, I wanted to capture the texture of the cinnamon sprinkle and the one below shows the view of cake right before it hit the oven. When using fabric for your photo-shoot, let it be messy. The ruffles and folds are playful and creates depth to your shot but also keep in mind that fabric wrinkles are just unpleasant.

The Show stopper – Its time to relish! 

By now, your home has a sweet smell of baked cinnamon plum cake. All you want to do is “grab a spoon” and go at it but hold on….

At this point, if my husband is home, he usually becomes cranky and blame how nice our pre-blogging life was. This is just like how Indian moms made you wait for your turn to get your hands on the yummy Indian festival sweets until the evening because its made as an offering to Gods.

• Spend some time arranging the background and prop up the foreground. While choosing add-ons, stay within the same color palette so its pleasing to the eye.
• Interesting cutlery, silver ware…Oh! White plates of various shapes is a must have! I’m still working on this one.
• Lighting and camera- This whole set up is placed on a white scarf with a lot of diffused sunlight. The camera is positioned in a way where I don’t cast shadow on the element photographed. This works well for most product photo shoot and again the best time to shoot is between mid day to late afternoon.
• P.S – No flash photography in this zone – Food, usually cakes hate flash. You will scare away all the yumminess!

Play around with your shots, adjust lighting and focus. Try to capture the shadow of the glass. Go macro and shoot the cake crumbs  or water droplet on the fruit. Its your blog after all… do what make you happy!

There…. that’s my 5 cents on photography and blogging and if you are here for the recipe, lemme clear things out!

Not my grandma’s secret recipe…. (Well my grandma just made ladoos and murukkus)

Didn’t make out on the kitchen table nor got stoned in the process…

It’s probably about photography and the plum-cake recipe is here….

Oh ya! You are adopted  adapted from Martha Stewart’s Open Face Plum Cake. Sorry, this came out rude! I still love you cake!

Recipe

• 2 large plums, halved and pitted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil – I’m the butter kind
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup  milk
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Vanilla extract – 1/2 teaspoon

Baking in 4-inches spring pan is a great way to store and share the whole baked goodies with your friends.  The way I arranged the plum slice were different and this may sink into the cake, unlike round slices in the original recipe.

Hope you enjoyed reading! This is me on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D

Lens: Canon 100mm

Music, Art, Kitsch Mandi

Warm sunshine, sweet smell of love;

Breezy evening under banyan shade;

Zest of art with groovy tunes in the air;

A clan of free spirit & glowing hearts;

It’s a ticket to joyride and peace!

Sometimes, all you need is a lil-bit-o-love to spring back up into action and make that small world around you a fascinating one again.

Once known as ‘Garden City of  India’ its now a desi silicon valley and a start-up capital.  A lot has changed in the past decades and all you nostalgic Bangaloreans from 90′s, will have much to share. Yet you would agree that adjectives like ’Happening’, ‘Cool’ and ‘Trendy’ are still associated with this new age Bengaluru. 

Kitsch Mandi

um, What?… Ya, Kitsch Mandi. Psst, new in town huh? I was too… Just take my word for it.  It’s that new thing in town everybody talks about.  A revolutionary art reform that has been long over due!  It’s In… 

Seriously, Where were all these people before? Seems like the gestation period is over and its time to break open the cocoon. 

When it comes to handicrafts and art, the kinda potential India has is tremendous. It’s appealing how artist here take cues from our cultural heritage and apply it to make a off-beat, quirky artifacts.

Who would have thought that beautiful handmade jewelry and fun printed scarfs would make these funky beaded scarf neck pieces.

On Feb 10th, Kitsch Mandi held a theme based event for all the book lovers. Not to many books as such, worth it for it was our first visit. If you are in the city you should check out the one happening on March 10th, that’s today!

Pebbles at Palace ground is the spot, perfect setting for art fair and flea markets. Just relax on one of those rocks and cool off with some chilled beer to the tune of rock, blues or jazz. The ambience is just enough to spend all afternoon pushing all those mundane worries of weekday life.

Who can forget their teenage summer love, that feeling of being infatuated to someone you never spoke to. Ignorance is in fact bliss.. Not knowing what life has in store for you keeps you happy and surprise in every step of your way.

Sparkles in the air, sweet smell of baked cupcakes, a gathering of artists and happy crowd,  just made my day. Every time I think about it, this peppy song plays in my head. Rhythm of love by plain white tees… it’s a song that inspires me to believe in romance, love and happy ending that  are not always real. 

Color palette inspiration

Taking it one step further, listening to this song with my eyes closed, I can visualize the colors and mood. The blue eyes and cloud nine, the sunset and dark night. Right there, I had my color palette. To create abstract texture with acrylic color yet keep up the whiteness of the paper I’ve used the masking tape  technique. 

Time to say adios amigos… with a cup of tea for poem. Love the way these poems were clipped to a string and that cute couple at the background.  Share your story or write a little something about that first crush  you still remember.

How to enjoy your day trips in India?

Emotions are merely a reflection of our inner self. We, human see what we want to see…. Perception is everything! Sounds philosophical and its so not what I usually write about here, but its true… and I realized it lately. 

Being back in Bangalore after three years, we decided to see some places. Its early monsoon in southern part of India. Hiking trails are wet  and risky but the non-perennial rivers and waterfalls are not yet overflowing. Temple and museum are not our first choice either. Our best bet? Plan short day trips to nearby destination, but they activities ended soon. Away from the traffic and urban commotion, we often found ourselves amidst the calm villages and these are a few things I would like to do:

Watching butterflies in flower field

On our way to Shivanasamudra waterfall, we stopped by this gorgeous marigold field. The local farmers harvest the arrays of plants and we watched them pluck those flower in bloom. While I enter the flower field a pair of happy butterflies caught my attention. 

Marigold butterfly

Train spotting under the tamarind tree

The best part of being back home in India is the luxury of stopping our car anywhere off-road. And so we did halt under this (Puliyamaram) tamarind tree, to watch a passenger train pass by. 

Village hut and train

Picking mangoes from a roadside farm

Oooo… Mangoes! Raw, sweet and sour, crisp and tasty! I missed you guys so much out there in US! Summer ends by June here in India and so does the season for mangoes. Luckily, we arrived just in time to relish the raw or ripe mangoes this season 

To hard to resist, we stopped at a farm that was harvesting and asked if we could pick some mangoes and buy it. Unlike the cherry picking and strawberry picking farms in northern California and other parts of US, if you are an Indian you would know that farm guards usually drive people away from the fruit farms. These farmers happily gave us a bunch of handpicked mangoes. 

Mango picking

Walking the narrow paths of a paddy field

Living in a cosmopolitan city like Chennai or Bangalore, it ain’t hard to find the brand I want or the cheese I eat. But India, as you may know, is an agricultural country. If you drive a 100 miles from a well-developed area you will find endless farm land, small towns and villages. It remains unchanged, just the same as it was, for ages now! But its beautiful, acres and acres of land covered with fresh green plants.

The next stop…. A rice farm, walking through the narrow paths that separated the field was a challenge but we enjoyed it anyways. After all how often would you get a chance to do this.

Paddy field

Finding lone trees & strange rocks

This is just another activity that one may love while on a road trip. Finding strange rock formations and lone trees like this one at the edge of a cliff, carved by the river flowing below.  

Lone tree

Strange rocks

End of the day, anywhere you go in the world, you just need to have an open mind to enjoy the local flavor of the place you visit. This is not the first time I’m visiting these small time place, nor is the best time suggested. But I must say, being with my family and curiosity made these trips a rocking one!!! Share your unusual trip story too…

Hundred “Likes”, Hundred Hands

Days have pass by unremembered, it’s a milestone that marks an ordinary day in the pages of history. 

100 likes and counting….

Needless to say, my blogging has taken a backstage when life needs a great deal of attention. It’s time I begin using social media from promoting my blog and create a network within the craft lover community.

It involved a hard-earned first 30 likes on my fresh new Facebook page,insisting friends to promote my page which allowed me to view the Facebook insight. A few months later thirty turned fifty and in no time Kaajewel page has reached its first hundred likes and counting! Yes, it may be small insignificant number in comparison but I’m glad that I’m here!

100 Hands – a handmade collective

Shopping scene has a fresh new approach here in Urban India. Gone are the days when the fashion meant branded product that’s factory-made bulk and an exact replica. It’s refreshing to see people appreciate art and uniqueness with a whole new revolution going on in here. Often time, your home town become foreign when you return after almost half a decade. With shopping fairs and sunday markets, artists and crafters have a lot of scope, an arena to spread the word  and sell themselves.
                            

One such event happened in the heart of the city, A Hundred Hands at Brigade-MG Road. Homey, ethnic setup housing talented artists and NGO from all over India, this was my first experience visiting a cozy bazaar back home. We walked past the commercial street and caught a glimpse of the dressed up street for the festive season in November here in India.

Apparently, events like these are called ‘flea market’ colloquially , which should really be selling products at a bargained price. Instead, they have hourly workshops,  renowned artists selling designer one-of-a-kind products with upmarket pricing and branding strategy. It’s a lot of fun attending an art exhibition cum fair with much more to offer than my words can express.

If you have enjoyed reading this post and love to see more of these art fair do leave me a message and don’t forget to follow my Facebook page Kaajewel. Thanks for making it all a happy success. Good day!

Mother nature’s color palette – Utah

Red, Blue and Green with a dash of snow and Sunlight… Mother nature at work!

Defined by its beautiful landscapes, Utah is situated in the western America.

Wait…. why sound serious!? I’m talking about an awesome trip… to so-called “canyon” which is a range of strange structures and frightening figures. hmm… Something about the snow, water and the temperature forms the hoodoos. (eh…looked it up on wiki)

Wondering if it’s a photo or a painting? Vibrant hues of nature, captured at the right time of the day with my super awesome Leica. Okay! so here’s the story.

Nature’s color palette

 Almost a year ago but the memories of my trip to Utah is still afresh. A perfect road trip was planned with another like-minded couple like us and we arrived at this strangest little town call Hurricane. May be its the name or just the way this town was located amidst vast emptiness, halting here overnight was quite an experience. 

Hoodoos in snow

A fresh start, the next morning, we visited the Zion canyon for day hikes to emerald pool and other secluded places were a glimpse of the movie 128 hours. Viewing vacation photos of Utah on our friends Facebook, listening to how they rave about the Bryce, just build more tension and exception in my mind.

Honey gold sunshine

…and yeah! I was so not disappointed. You can stand by the canyon for hours together watching no form of life or activity yet you wont get enough of the beauty of this place.

Later that night, while we drove back from Bryce canyon, I happen to glance the sky. To my surprise, I could see a million stars!  No kidding…When my husband and friends realized this,  we stopped the car at a safe spot somewhere off the road for sky watching.

Sunset at Bryce

Wow… vast emptiness, pitch dark  moonless night and we could actually see a part of our Milky way galaxy with our naked eyes. Shooting stars… Spotted  meteoroids with the  help of iphone sky-map geek squad. Oh… What an experience!  

Uninformed, unplanned and spontaneous… that’s just how life should be..Right? As for us, this incident  made our night and this trip more romantic  

How did I come about making this pearl necklace?

Something that she wish she had, Something that she longs for….Perhaps something that she mentioned, while they window shop?

An elegant cascading pearl necklace draping her beautiful neckline!

Pearl wire wrapped for anniversary

A loving husband meticulously planning a surprise anniversary gift for his wife approached with his raw idea… Oh! Did I mention  that Kaajewel sells in India via ItsHandMade ! My exciting new venture brought in this interesting request. Moved by the love they shared and an opportunity to make it much special, I responded to his email.

This gentleman  actually took the time out to sketch out a design that was in his mind. “The dots are pearl, the line are chains, linked to layer one below the other”, he describes. Instantly, I could visualize the design in my mind and yes that’s a cascading  or multi-layered necklace.His idea is on paper, the vision is in my mind  and to solve the confusion I presented these two sample designs. One with pearl droplets attached to chain and the other with pearls linked to the chain…. and the answer? A right mix of both pearl links with pretty pearl danglers.

Pearl necklace made to order

Pearl necklace

Individually wire wrapped for durability and constructed with utmost care is this pearl necklace made with white metal and chain. To compliment this piece are these various earrings. The choice is yours…

• Just a drop of pearl- to balance out the necklace well.
• Cluster earrings – follow the droplet theme
• White stone embellished - for those grand occasion

He placed the order, I made the necklace and earrings over the weekend. The color of love has always been RED and thats why I chose a pretty red velvet jewelry box, added a matching 2-strand pearl bracelet as a freebie. Something to make the happy couple, happier… Glad to be a part this journey…Happy Anniversary!!!

…..And thats how I came to make this 3 strand cascading pearl necklace.

Pearl earring options

Whim of a fiery red flames

Call yourself a nomad or an explorer… you would agree that transition is fun but often not that easy. My blog(..or blogs including this new one! ), which by the way is a major part of my life, is undergoing extensive changes:

• Hellopalz celebrating its anniversary
• Birth of Kaajewel and a facelift in progress
• Availed  jewelry for sale on Itshandmade

…and of course I continue to blog about my design, inspirations and a dab of DIYs’

On my recent trip to the evergreen Bandipur national reserve in South India, we had a wonderful evening around the bonfire. Soaking in warmth while my camera clicked some casual shots. Soon I realized that one find their muse in the strangest of places . This is my whim to design another piece for the red collection.

Fiery hot inspiration

Blazing hot red flame sizzles with luminous yellow lining reminded the gold tone metal combined with a bright red or a pretty pink components.

Check my bead stock and found this untouched string of beads . Usually I steer clear of chunky beads for earrings but I had to make an exception. Embellished with a couple of swarowski crystals and finished with a pair of flattened metal stud instead of a regular french ear-wire.

Flaming red studded earrings

Order this earring or custom design it for just Rs.299. Visit Kaajewel store on itshandmade.Shipping anywhere in India.

Hellopalz Blogiversary!!!

50 posts, 6 topics, 4 cities, 3 blogger awards, 1 wonderful year!

Candle is lit, cupcake is ready and a reason to celebrate? Not just one…Its my first Blogiversary falling on this special day. 

People often ask, why this name for my blog. Months ago I answered it on my ‘about’ page and today’s kinda like an affirmation.

Why Hellopalz? 

I say…What better way to invite everyone to my place online. This name has been my fav since the internet age and a need for a “unique” usernames.

Happy friendship day!

Cant believe a year has passed since I hit publish on my first post reluctantly. Its been one hell of a journey! So much has changed, so much to learn…Started out as an art/jewelry blog, now I can’t get enough with categories.

Blogger Awards

It’s such a surprise and a great pleasure to receive them. Isn’t it? Three of them in the last few months! Why wouldn’t I be happy?!

Glad my readers thought that I/hellopalz was worth it. If you are a blogger you would know. And for the rest, let me make it clear, this ain’t a big deal. Blogger awards are more like chain letters. When you receive it,  you nominate  10 others along with a brief on yourself. It’s really a tool to increase traffic, visibility and appreciate one another.

I would like to change things a bit…. Lets first meet the people who have nominated my blog.

• Rosie Scribblah – I’m awed by this  talented artist who sketches figure drawing and everyday scene on daily basis for this inspiring blog.  Thanks for seeing the versatility in me. I’m more of a “Jack of all….” kinda person.
• Catbirdinoman – Identifies herself as a Nomad or a wanderer. She is an English teacher who travels the world and shares her beautiful journey with the rest of us through this blog. Thanks, for you recognize my work here is genuine.
  
• mynycphotography - Meet Jem, moved by the beauty the city has to offer, he hosts this blog full of stills. Thankful to my short stay and this blog acquaintance who nominated hellopalz  as one lovely blog.
  

Exceptional talents, awe-inspiring people tie in with each other for one common interest. Love for art of various forms. Grateful to all my family,  friends and followers who have shown their love and support to keep this blog alive. 

As a token of thanks, I  humbly request all my reader to visit these interesting blogs.

                                       

What’s new and exciting in your life?  

Share it here and celebrate friendship day with me…. Don’t forget to  find and “Like” me on Facebook 

Tutti Fruiti Cupcake

If you’ve lived in Karnataka, I bet you would know this very Indian flavor of cupcake. My school evenings were filled with joyous moments of fun when I get my hands on a couple of delicious tutti-fruiti cupcake for snacks. Strangely I’ve never been able to find these cupcakes anywhere else. The first time I found tutti-frutti in Wal-Mart, I picked it up without second thoughts.  Every once in a while I make it to feed my nostalgia.

In a mood to bake??? Head over to your kitchen, try out this recipe and feed your sweet tooth! 

4 ways to sketch on black paper

Two month long wait,  meetings friends and family, travel between chennai and bangalore and  finally something that makes me happier than ever….

Yay, Our shipment has arrived! All those dresses, boots, jackets, accessories and everything that define me as a person is here. Although we are home with our family, there are times when I miss the cooking a delicious dessert or spending all afternoon designing an elegant earring. Memories make life beautiful and while I unpack my belongings, it was nice to revisit the various black paper sketches arranged neatly in my portfolio.

Drawing with white pencil

My DH is a wine connoisseur who loves red wine, needless to mention all the Napa valley visits and wine tasting experience. Inspired by the world class flavor of Robert Mondavi wine served with cheese and cracker is this sketch made on large black paper with white pencil.

Wine on black

A little unusual from my previous sketching experiences is the wine sketch. This time I tried sketching the from the object itself, capturing reflection of light on glass and scaling to the right size.

Wine glass white charcoal

Speed  sketching with silver pen

Beautiful laced white heart, “Love is in the air” sketched with silver pen on black paper has been the most visited post in Hellopalz. Visit the link or share thoughts.

White sketches on black

Using Chalk on black 

Check out the random scribbles of a music lover…Monochrome art appreciating the real music, I mean the rock music. Not that I don’t enjoy small doses of hip hop and R&B

Painting gold over black

Take a tour of the cityscape of San Francisco with bay bridge as seen from Oakland, photographed by Kiran. 

While job search and settling down takes a toll, writing a post always makes a blogger happy.

Interchangeable pearl-coral necklace

Getting in touch with my roots, this necklace is made with the ethnic vintage design in mind. We Indians love gold and gold tone, mostly because it looks gorgeous on our olive, dusky complexion. 

Soon after I ventured out into jewelry making, my family from India visited us and I realized that I seldom could gift them the handmade items. It turned out to motivate me to kick start these ethnic designs.

Interchangeable chains

Something unique about this necklace. The store-bought pendant and earring set is the common piece while it’s designed to swap the handmade beaded chains with a simple lobster clasp. Howzat!

Make a statement with  red coral attachment or wear it with elegant pearls finished with this contrasting pendant. I added a few ruby reds and green crystals to balance it out.

Pearl coral beaded

These two pairs of necklaces, one with ruby another with emerald was made over year ago and preserved safely so that I can gift it to my mom and mil when visit India. 

Indian pearl necklace

It’s that time now and they absolutely loved it! Makes me so happy to see them wear it with Indian sarees and salwars.

Now since I’m here I’m taking it slow… ‘coz I’m enjoying the tropical fruits yet suffering in heat, relishing grand festive meals whilst attending crowded indian gatherings. In a nutshell, I do feel homesick in hometown, but the busy days are keeping the blues away.

Cant wait to go beads shopping here! Tell me how do you like my design and photography. Pin it if you like it!!! Ciao.

Ethnic coral necklace

Yarn accessories

Designer bags, fashion watches, chic outfits. Have you shopped your spring collection yet???

Find them at the canal street knock off or at the high end 5th ave stores… living by the city does have its perks!

Fashion accessories

With the warm ‘n humid weather its time to really pack away those cute hats and scarf making space for the fun & colorful spring summery clothes.

As for me, its not just a time to spring clean my home. Its time to move…. AGAIN!!!! 

And this time its much more exciting, ‘coz its where I belong!  

My blue crochet hat and scarf made with chain stitch zig zag pattern came in so handy this winter but its time to hibernate while I enjoy the warm tropical Sun!

Blue crochet hats and scarf

The travel and relocation may be stressful, but my blog has a lot more variety and flavor than usual! Keep coming back for more, from yet another exciting location!

Women in New york

A new addition to the photography section… Inspired by the city and the people of NYC…

Lady in love

 

Enjoying the solitude

 

Women smoking

 

Girl in the garden

Over the phone

 

Coffee lovers’ dessert

A few year ago, after a decent Italian dinner at a local restaurant, my friends and I shared this delicious dessert. Soft yet rich, sweet and subtle on the palette, this coffee flavored dessert was the highlight of the dinner.

Mascarpone layers

Later when I started blogging, it was mostly about jewelry and art until I decided to create a go-to place for all my recipes. The recipe for this Italian delicacy tiramisu and home-made ladyfinger had to go up here…

Tiramisu & coffee

Buy it ready-made or bake it at home, good lady-finger cookies are a ‘must have’ to make tiramisu. On my first try, I adapted the food network recipe to make the ladyfingers, which turned out pretty good. But this time,  I took a short-cut and used the ‘store brought’ ladyfingers. 

Tiramisu

Recipes

There may be a various ways to make tiramisu, but the traditional method is to make it with mascarpone cheese with egg yolk. Adding whipped cream just spoils the authenticity of this delicacy.

Ladyfinger recipe

Find how to double boil the eggs for the authentic tiramisu recipe and how to make home-made lady fingers below…

Blinded colors

Darkness, void, the absence of light, evil, fear or just something unknown….Black. This color could mean a million things to people of various culture, but in this modern world, its intriguing, elegant, versatile, trendy, chic and always in. Not matter what it symbolizes, I love the black for it’s the darkest color out there and create a wonderful contrast!

Monochrome flora

Like a desire to make darkness visible, I captured these pixels of gray and white against the darkness. The depth of monochrome makes this everyday plant seem mysterious. The soft snow flakes melt way in the bright morning sunshine of a winter day. Out with my camera after a hot cup of coffee, it was a great way to cheer up, soon after I moved to my new apartment in Jersey. 

monochrome plant snow

Spring has spring, the winter is done
But my love for black is never gone!

Oh look! that’s some what rhyming… after all, nature does inspire us to be poetic Rested on the stagnant pond this leaf with thorny bottom, caught my attention. The texture, highlights and reflection all fell in place making it a right time and place to shoot.                                                                                                                          

floating water plant

Monochrome art – Chalk over black

Art doesn’t always be on a white canvas. Like these photos, lets highlight the negative space to create something different. In line with my other black paper drawings, sharing another doodle scribbles with chalk. Just a speed drawing to express myself and love for music.

Music Chalk on black paper

More on black paper art…

With silver ink – Love is in the air

With golden paint – SF cityscape