Jaypore!

Hurrah! 

Happy days are here!

For there is a beautiful online app that has been launched

To bring hand picked treasures 

Right on to your iPad!

Jaypore, is made of a handful of dweebs who are passionate about craft, artisans, design and above all, connecting savvy shoppers with unique, one-of-a-kind products found in the remotest corners of the world. The team at Jaypore, start their journey in India, and have connected with designers and craftsmen in awe-inspiring places like Jaipur, Goa, Pondicherry, Tibet, and more. Spread across India and the Bay Area, the Jaypore team firmly believes that shoppers around the world deserve more than the mass-produced so-called ethnic designs and fashion big box retailers peddle. And that the independent artisans around the world deserve access to a world of consumers seeking out unique global treasures.

This is what the team at Jaypore have to say about their creative venture:

Jaypore is about bringing the world a little closer together. We discover the best designs from artisans and craftsmen from countries around the world, and deliver them at exceptional value to our members. Every day, visit us on your iPad to discover a new story. We don't like to call them sales, or events. We are storytellers; about amazing product, and the people behind them. Jaypore focuses on products with unique, high quality craftsmanship; unmistakably local designs that feel at home anywhere in the world. Our products include home decor, accessories, jewelry, apparel, gifts, vintage items and more..

Jaypore is currently available to all ipad users in the US. Access to Jaypore is granted only via an exclusive invitation code, and for you, my favorite peeps, the access code is INDIANSUMMER. For my adorable peeps who are not in the US, fret not! Jaypore would very soon be available on iphone and via an online store, with plans to retail in other countries too. And you would still be able to use INDIANSUMMER to gain access to this fabulous store!

Excited? :)

Here's a quick recap of what you need to do to shop these gorgeous products:

1. Download Jaypore app for ipad from the itunes stores (currently available for US only)
2. Use the invite code INDIANSUMMER to gain access
3. Create your unique login ID and password
4. Shop away!


[All images: Jaypore and An Indian Summer. Jaypore on facebook]

The fabric of life

I have been looking through textile collections in various museums for a personal project, and when I came across these exquisitely embroidered pieces at V&A, I just had to share them with you. I can not resist old, vintage fabric and get completely mesmerized by the skill that must have gone in to create that piece of art. I imagine the stories and the history associated with each piece of textile - the loom, the weaver, the embroider, the person who wore it, how it was used - it's just fascinating to think of the memories that any piece of fabric holds. 

Tell me how you like some of my favorite picks and do browse through the entire online collection available at Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

[All images: From the textile collections at V&A]

Hello September!

What a lovely start to this ninth month of the year!

Two generous giveaways

By two really fabulous stores

Right here

Right now

Read on to know more and win some gorgeous goodies!

~ Sir Alistair Rai.com ~

Sir Alistair Rai, the store with gorgeous scarves, clothes and accessories, has teamed up with An Indian Summer for a lovely giveaway. Sir Alistair Rai is the brainchild of designer Kiran Rai, who originally started the brand to teach her son about their Indian roots. Kiran takes her inspiration from lush locales around the world, and transforms it into brilliantly colored scarves, that have been adored by the who's who in Hollywood and the fashion industry.

Sir Alistair Rai would love to giveaway this beautiful mixed media reversible scarf and tibetan mala beads to one of You, my fabulous readers! The giveaway is open to all, and you need to do is this:

1. Leave a comment on facebook right here, telling us what would you pair this scarf with?

2. Double your chances peeps! Leave a comment on this post too!

3. Umm...that's it! Wait for result to be announced after a week on September 10th.

[Shop Sir Alistair Rai here, and connect with them on facebook] 

~ Island Company ~

Island Company, a lifestyle resort apparel company that was launched in 2002 by Spencer Antle, celebrates an authentic island experience with it's motto "Escape,Travel, Live". Carried by high end boutiques and five star resorts around the world, Island Company has recently also launched Island Vintage, a handmade men's and women's collection that focuses on intricate custom hand-work and detailing, all done by artisans in India.

 

Island Company, along with An Indian Summer, is very excited to give away a timeless staple from their line - a classic linen shirt, of your choice, color and size! Island Company would ship the shirt to any address in USA, so the giveaway is open to all An Indian Summer readers who live in the US or have an shipping address in the US. To enter the giveaway, just:

1. Leave a comment on facebook right here, telling us your favorite color for the linen shirt?

2. Double your chances peeps! Leave a comment on this post too!

3. And, that's it! Wait for result to be announced after a week, on September 10th.

[Shop Island Company right here, and connect with them on facebook]

Enter both giveaways, right away! 

Fingers crossed for you, folks!

Eclectic Rooms

Penny moons

Star gaze

Mirror haze

 Wood burn

A little turn

Calm lake

 Color awake

Eclectic Rooms

I asked you to stop me

You didn't

I ran off with a rhyme here

So there.

:)

[Images from this, that and there]

Does it happen to you?

Image I saw

That you see an image of a home, and like it so much that you spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the rest of the images of that home to share with them, your peeps over at the Internet?

Images I found

And that while you are exclaiming with joy over those found images, you see pretteh pics of chinaware, and they are so pretteh that you decide to include them in the post too, even though they have nothing to do with the rest of the post?

 

Tell me, does it happen to you too?

[Image source: Nuevo Estilo]

 

This Independence Day

Some pretty gifts from An Indian Summer 

Two discount codes and two giveaways

Just for You, my fabulous peeps!

 Kahani

Kahani (story) is Lisanne's dream project and has been launched recently. Lisanne, originally from Montreal, Canada, has been living in New York since 2007 and has worked as an Art Director for many magazines and fashion retailers. A visit to Kutch, India and the crafts she saw there, inspired her to design and launch her collection of scarves, bags and jewelry in a way that helps artisans preserve their craft integrity. 

You can view and shop for Kahani's beautiful collection right here. As a special Independence Day gift to all An Indian Summer reader's, Kahani is offering a 25% discount (with a minimum $25 purchase)! Just use the code indiansummer at the checkout. The discount is applicable till the end of this month. 

Earthen Canvas

Working with hand spun silk, khadi and linen, Arun Kumar Tiwari creates striking contemporary silhouettes in his Earthen Canvas collection. A NIFT graduate, Arun's work is rural in inspiration and urban in presentation. Along with creating very wearable apparel, Arun also dabbles in costume designing and has had many notable projects to his claim. 

Arun's work is available at both online and retail outlets, and he has fabulous Independence Day offer for An Indian Summer readers - a whopping 40% discount! Just use the code EARTHENCANVAS40 when you shop for his products online right here. They do ship internationally, so hurrah! Arun also retails from O Layla in New Delhi and from Sobo in Bombay. Here too, just mention EARTHENCANVAS40 to get a 40% discount on the collection. In case of any further question or issue, just shoot an email to Arun.

Tadpole Store

[Clockwise: Aharin, LimitedEdition,Studio Kink, Studio Saswata]  

The latest cool online store on the block is the Tadpole Store, which offers authentic design from an array of young designers. The brains behind Tadpole Store, Bhavna Bahri and Samarth Mungali, are from NID, and the store is one of their many initiatives to spread the goodness of design. Tadpole Store is the only online store where the focus goes beyond just retailing designer products and elaborates to creating an immersive design experience. Showcases such as Behind the Scene associated with a product present the designer's journey of creating the product. Also, to encourage customer- designer interaction Tadpole Store features biographic accounts of designers as Design Diaries and facilitates social media conversations on mediums like facebook and twitter.

The GiveAway!

For Independence day, Tadpole Store and An Indian Summer would like to giveaway this gorgeous silk cushion cover from Ek Karkhana! You know how to enter the giveaway, right? Let me tell you once again :)

1. Think of a quick rhyme or haiku, using the word 'Tadpole' OR 'Summer'

2. Leave your brilliant rhyme as a comment, right here on An Indian Summer's facebook page

(make sure you are logged into facebook and have liked An Indian Summer's page to do above!)

And, that's it! Bhavna Bahri from Tadpole will pick up the winner on Aug 22nd!

Peacocks and Paisleys

Peacocks and Paisleys, the online store featuring lovely textiles from India, is the brainchild of Priya, a block print enthusiast currently in Australia. Her store features a range of block printed textiles, from quilt covers to curtains to cushions covers. 

Priya is joining in in the Independence Day party, and is giving away a quilt cover and two pillow cases from the serene Turquoise Temple collection! As before, all you need to do to enter:

1. Take a look at the beautiful collection on Peacocks and Paisleys

2. Leave a comment, right here on An Indian Summer's facebook page

(make sure you are logged into facebook and have liked An Indian Summer's page to do above!)

The winner would be selected using random generator on Aug 22nd. Priya would ship anywhere in the world!

Have a brilliant rest of the week folks! 

And many many thanks to all the lovely people and stores featured above for being so generous!

 

Design Hotels Ahoy!

San Giorgio Mykonos is one of the projects of Design Hotels, a company that represents and curates select independent hotels across the world. What caught my eye when I looked at San Giorgio Mykonos was the exquisite simplicity of it's interiors. The charm of white offset by a colorful rug, pillows and cushions, the very put-together-on-the-site kind of furniture, an earthy organic feel to the place, and of course, a certain ethnic influence seen in the furnishing and the decor - made it impossible for me to resist sharing this lovely little place with you. I would have loved to recreate this look in my home, if only I wasn't living in a dust bowl of a city! My interior aspirations aside, this style and look is one of the easiest ways to incorporate a global influence in home interiors. 

[All images: San Giorgio Mykonos]

For my Facebook peeps

A quick note for all my peeps connected with An Indian Summer on facebook:

Apparently a lot of you aren't getting updates from An Indian Summer's page in your news feed. So (a) thanks for letting me know peeps, and (b) that's not good at all! I did some quick check here and there, and people, this is what you need to do.

1. Like the page (i.e. if you haven't liked it yet. Which by the way, if you haven't, just why haven't you? Kindly do so pronto!)

2. Hover/Click over the 'Liked' blue icon and a drop down will appear (see screen shot below)

3. Check (click) 'Show in news feed' 

4. That's it! You'll get all the prettiness from An Indian Summer and occasional dollops of love from me, right there in your facebook news feed!

See ya on facebook then! :)