The cat that launched a post

I chanced upon the above pic on facebook, and couldn't get my laptop's mouse to move forward. While the mouse was transfixed by that fur ball, I ooh-aahed over the pretty little setup. I knew I HAD to see more of that cat, as well as more of this home. I dashed off an email to the mistress of both, Chondamma Cariappa, the uber creative brain behind Sole Sisters, and over a couple of weeks, as we exchanged cat stories and pictures, she put together a tour of her lovely eclectic pad for us.

Chondamma is  a Creative Director with Bates Advertising in Bombay. Originally from Coorg, she has travelled all over India along with her dad who was in the army. She is now a resident of Bombay since the last eight years.

~ Chondamma on The Sole Sisters ~

"The Sole Sisters was inspired by an album I have on facebook called 'fetish'. Each time I travelled, I put up pictures of shoes I bought from various parts of the world. This led to discussions and comments from friends, and I decided to create a larger platform - The Sole Sisters, a blog dedicated to women who love shoes!"

~ Chondamma on her style and home space ~

" My style is constantly changing and evolving. But, more often than not, Pop Art is something I draw my inspiration from. I absolutely love bright colors and graphics. And I have been tripping on print on print/mixed patterns for a while now.

When I sat down to design the current space, one things was pre-decided. Limited budget. I reused and reupholstered old furniture in interesting paints and fabrics. And threw in more colors and patterns in the form of cushions. Random patterns and colors came in together and started co-existing nicely. All things random is what I would like to call it."

And finally, the cats!

" Bubbu, the fur ball was abandoned a few years back. I was looking to adopt a cat around that time, and that's how Bubbu came into my life. He is one of the best things that has happened to me. He is gentle, never complains and is the most easy going baby. Recently I got him a live toy. His baby sister is Kikki, and she bullies him crazy!"

Hello Kikki! And, this is how your brother Bubbu launched a post :)

Thanks C, for sharing your warm casa and your purr babies with us!

Oh, before you folks leave,  a quick announcement

I dillied and then dallied some more

But finally, I am on twitter! 

Still figuring out how the tweet world works

But I am there, peeps!

Go join me, follow me, and such

Say hello too, pretty please

I plan to share goodies from the blog 

And a whole lot of things that I like, there

Here, click here

And follow @_AnIndianSummer

See you!

[All pics: Chondamma, Meera and Purvi. Sole Sisters on facebook. Creative story boarding: An Indian Summer]

It's raining men

Hallelujah!

Well

It might not really be raining men

But

It is raining rooms for men at least!

So yes, all of you who got up to look out the window

Come back!

I am waiting

With this post

For you

So. Even though I just announced that these are 'rooms for men', I am sort of iffy. I mean I just don't like generalizing that these rooms are meant just for men, or that such decor will appeal only to men. I, and I am sure many of my women readers will like these rooms as much as your average Ryan Gosling. Also, I don't like saying that men don't appreciate what is considered 'feminine' decor. I am all for de-generalization and respecting individual choice. Men, women, cats and dogs - there is no saying what one might identify with when it comes to decor.  

Yet. Yet, there is something about these rooms that spells, for lack of a better phrase, masculine energy. The colors maybe? The fact that they are organic in nature with wood, stone, exposed bricks and such being the key elements? Or is it that they are non-fussy, non-messy? 

[On an aside, ha ha on the non-messy bit. I am sure there is some joke floating around about how many men it takes just to identify and then admit that a room is actually messy!]

[Men readers of this blog: That above, was a harmless private joke between me and my women readers. You know, over drinks and tea kind of a joke. We still believe in de-generalization, non-stereotyping and are an equal opportunity blog]

Oh look! Pretteh chandelier!

Back to the pondering, what do you think? 

Do you think we can say these rooms and decor would go well for guys?

Guys: How about you? Would you like such decor and styling for your space?

And well, 

For what it is worth

I don't know about your average guy

But, Ryan Gosling seems to like our rooms ;)

[If you haven't done so yet, do check out the Hey Girl series :)]

[All images: Tumblr.  Ryan Gosling pic: Ryan Gosling. Creative story-boarding by An Indian Summer]

With Love, From Central Asia

Ah! It's Sunday today. And unlike other Sundays, I am up and about and oh-my-god, also doing a post! But I had to people, I had to. For my favorite one stop shop to sigh over, the place where I point at exquisite things and say look! has a sale! Exotic art, rugs, jewelry, furniture, cushions & pillows from Nisha Misra's lovely treasure trunk - Arastan, are on sale, and not only are they available at Arastan's retail shop in Bangalore, India, they are also available via their online shop! And the good news doesn't end here. Arastan ships world wide! 

Take a look at my favorite picks from the sale. Though do hurry - some of these beautiful products are exclusive and available only one a piece. Click here to quickly grab what catches your fancy.

The sale is on from Sept 8th till 22nd

Find:

Arastan online

Arastan on facebook

And

Arastan's retail outlet

 Happy Shopping! 

What a beautiful way to start a Sunday :)

[Images: Arastan. Creative storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Me Luv Kush

And you?

Read on, and I am sure you will too!

Three working moms got together and launched their creative baby venture, MeLuvKush, to bring to the world the comfort and beauty of the traditional baby bassinet from India. Named 'Godee' (meaning lap), the idea came to them when their moms hand-stitched plush blankets for their childen, called 'godhri' in India. The three friends then redesigned the godhri, combining modern elements, yet keeping it's traditional use. With motifs designed in-house, godee is hand made by women in Jaipur. Godee allows the baby to be held in a comfortable and snug environment, and is a safe, germ free way to pass along the baby to family and friends who would like to hold the little bundle!

~ GiveAway ~

MeLuvKush would like to giveaway a godee, to an An Indian Summer reader, who stays in the US or Canada, or has a shipping address in US or Canada! So if you are a new mom or dad, or are looking for a thoughtful and interesting gift, make sure you look through their range here, and enter the giveaway!

How to enter:

1. Browse through the pretty colors available for godee right here

2. Let us know which is your favorite by leaving a comment on facebook, and on this post. Do like MeLuvKush on facebook to increase your entry count

3. And, that's about it! The winner of the giveaway will be announced on Sept 13th (Friday). 

Have a beautiful weekend, folks! 

Oh, and watch this space on Sunday

A special announcement coming up!

[Images: MeLuvKush. Creative story boarding: An Indian Summer]

Let's say you are in Spain..

And your best friend is in Morocco

Isn't it the solemn duty of this blog to bring you two together?

These rooms and I

Have been having this conversation

Over jugs of sangria and cups of mint tea

And we said

Enough is enough!

Let's get these best friends to meet!

Best friends aka Room Pairs

From

Elle Spain and Al Hossoun in Morocco

Pair 1

Pair 2 

 Pair 3

[It's ok. They might not 'look' like best friends, but they do feel strongly for each other]

Pair 4

Pair 5

 

And finally,

Pair 6

Drop me a note

If ever

You are in Spain, and

Your best friend is in Morocco

The blog and I will see what we can do :)

[Images from Spain and Morocco. Creative bonding exercise: An Indian Summer]

Phew!

Hello there!

Nothing dramatic to phew about

But you know how it is sometimes?

You just need to exhale

Take a deep breath in, and exhale

P h e w!

That

Just felt like doing that

Also,  you know what?

I miss you guys

All this work on tech stuff is making me grumpy

(as if having a grumpuss boy cat wasn't enough for the household)

I need some Pretty

Just some plain simple *insert appropriate adjective* Pretty

You get it.  Right?

And when I talk about YOU

Sigh

You make me go weak in the knees sometimes

 You, with your comments, your emails, your messages on facebook

And

You sent me songs and playlists!

And

You said to me, 'There there, it be ok'

Sigh

Did I tell you how much I love you?

I really do.

This above

Is where I would like to be

Prop myself on that cute tiger cub pillow

Curl up

And read that book

Or maybe one of the books from the haul I got yesterday

A disadvantage of doing tech stuff

You get mad at freakin css bored,

And then you shop

But my dear folks

Things are moving along

Taking longerrr than anticipated

But moving along

I don't have a live date yet for the new site

But 

We shall continue living

And live *insert appropriate adjective* pretty at that, my lovelies!

So tell me

Isn't this post pretty?

Well worth your time?

Maybe you need to exhale too?

Here,

*e x h a l e*

Exhale right here :)

Phew!

See ya tomorrow

Yes, the new site can go fish

(No, don't go fish. Really Site, you don't have a sense of humour, At All!)

There's a fun giveaway out there

And on Friday,

There's another lovely giveaway coming up

So, I'll see you tomorrow, ie Thursday

And then again on Friday

Ok?

Do come back!

I better publish this post

Before I ramble any more

Who knows what else I may say?

And then we'll have three grumpus entities at hand

My cat, my site and me

Alright bye

Seriously

See you tomorrow! :)

[Such pretteh images from here]

Such bright colors, I say!

And a giveaway!

It must be September on An Indian Summer!

Vidushi had always loved art and design and kind of knew, right from school that she would end up doing it for a living. Born and raised in New Delhi, she graduated in BFA in Communication Design from the Parsons School of Design and worked in New York during her formative years. After returning to India, Vidushi created and started the metallic world of élan. Vidushi is passionate about the tactile, the messy, and the raw – designs and colors that transcend the mundane and bring joy to your everyday life.

élan creates refreshingly happy moments with style and panache. The vivid colors and delightful patterns is the first thing that catches your eye, and the very well-crafted objects in metal, bring an instant smile on your face. élan’s lifestyle products range from trays, stools, napkin rings, lanterns, buckets, boxes, gardening tools, bird homes…and the list goes on! Each piece is lovingly crafted by hand.

 

~ Give Away ~

Here's your chance to bring these lovelies into your home this week. You can shop right here, AND, enter this giveaway to win a voucher of INR 2500 to make your purchases!

How to enter:

1. Browse through all the happy products available on élan

2. Leave the name/link of your favorite product right here, on facebook. Leave the comment on this post too, to double your chances

3. And, that's it! Winner shall be announced on Friday - September 6th. Don't forget to check here to see if you are the lucky birdie to have won the voucher!

All the best, folks!

Coming up: Another post soon! I can not stay away from you for long...site redesign can go fish! 

Psst: Side Redesign - don't go and fish! it was a joke. said in jest. come back! 

Sigh.