Kismet

ˈkɪzmɛt,-mɪt,-s-/

destiny/fate 

It's kismet  that Kismet Jewell Nakai and I 'met' each other in the virtual world. Like the face that launched a thousand ships, an absolutely ethereal photograph shot by Kismet, that was part of my diwali inspiration mood boards, launched a full fledged post!

 Kismet and her stylist friend/partner April Sher Bhaika, conceptualize, style, create and capture magical moments via The Unreal Bride. Not limiting themselves to just wedding photography, they have experimented with a bunch of other conceptual shoots and also offer to make any moment that celebrates love and life, into a memorable one.

What I love love about The Unreal Bride was just how thoughtfully styled each shoot is. There is a certain elegance, an old world charm, opulent yet subtle accessories and props, without it being too stuffy. You can see and feel from the pictures that the photographer, the stylist and the subject had fun while shooting! With rich heritage saris and textiles, combination of modern and heirloom jewelry, the would-be and the already brides caught candid in various moods, the color and the lush setting that is so Indian in its mood - each shot is a visual delight!

Take a look at Kismet's photography portfolio here, and take a stroll through the stories and gorgeous imagery from the The Unreal Bride photo shoots right here.

In Kismet's own words:

"I started as a photographer back in 2008 officially. I chanced upon my love for photography rather late in life and went through a number of jobs before actually realizing that I wouldn't mind taking photos all my life. Sitting with a friend, we started talking about the wedding industry and how it would be a fun idea to do different photo shoots of brides - something atypical. You see it a lot in fashion but not with real brides, so we thought the combination of my photography and April's styling - we could do some real fun stuff. The blog - The Unreal Bride, was meant to be a way to advertise what we did, but instead we started blogging a lot more and we enjoyed it! From there we have done loads of fun projects, which have varied from wedding stuff to food photography to all sorts of things!" 

[Kismet and April]

You can connect with The Unreal Bride via email or through their facebook page.

[All Images Copyright: The Unreal Bride. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Yesterday Once More

And now, even better!

Presenting

Chandan Dubey and her treasures!

Chandan is one of my earliest blogger pals, and her home, her aesthetics, eye for color, design taste and her photography has always inspired me. She has an unique take on the mundane and also the exquisite, and it's always refreshing to read her perspective and experience her visualization. So, today, I am not only happy, but also proud to announce the launch of her project, where she is attempts to, and succeeds so beautifully, in combining her different skills sets and interests. As I put the post together, it was so hard for me to decide what to leave and what to showcase - I wish I could have shared her entire portfolio of products with you here :)

In Chandan's own words:

"This select range of fine art photographs, hand crafted objects and graphic prints are a coming together of my skills as a photographer, artist and collector. The range of art work comprises up-cycled objects such as old boxes, small cabinets and platters. The idea was to restore and reinvent old objects by lending a fresh layer of interest to them with the use of equally old material, both collected and found. This includes vintage photography, film posters, postcards, old books, art and fashion catalogs, hand writtern letters, coins, stamps interspersed with hand painted detail and graphics."

Chandan is displaying and retailing her exquisite products soon. Mark your calendar for:

 AWC Annual Fair

Date: Nov 30th, 2013

Where: Trident, Bandra Kurla

Bombay

And, for the rest of us, not in Bombay

We can connect to her via her facebook page, and demand request her make this gorgeousness available to us too :)

Read Chandan's engaging story behind the project right here on her blog.

Don't forget to look at her other work

And the entire portfolio of these products on facebook, in the days to come

[All images: Chandan Dubey. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Dammit! I miss you.

Eye candy rooms

Lovely corners

Quirky art on walls

Interesting displays

Bright fabrics

Flowers in cups

Twigs in vases

Vintage curios

I miss you all!

Sniff.

Here's my post (card) to you

From Home Life Australia

So I would miss you a little less

Sigh.

I feel much much better now

How about you?

[Prettiness from Home Life Australia. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

When Fishes Fly

They are called Flying Fish!

Excuse the inane joke, but it's friday today!

And I am not only Friday evening happy

But also glitter and all-things-shiny happy

Gorgeous jewels

From Nitika Bose

And

One lovely pair of earrings to giveaway!

Flying Fish is Nitika Bose's world of whimsical and exquisite jewels, designed for the contemporary woman, and handcrafted by skilled craftsmen. I love the attention to detail in each of her beautifully designed unique pieces. Crafted in sterling silver and gold plated with 18k or 24k gold, I can see myself wearing these jewels with both traditional Indian dresses and western outfit. It's just a question of how to pick and choose from among the many many lovely designs!

~ The GiveAway ~

Nitika would love to giveaway this exquisite pair of silver earrings to one lucky An Indian Summer reader, from anywhere in the world! That's right - all readers of An Indian Summer are invited to participate!

All you need to do to enter:

1. Click right here, and leave a comment. In the comment, use the words Flying and Fish. Tell us a story around the words, or a song, or a poem, a haiku, a joke - anything! Make sure you are logged into facebook to leave the comment.

2. To double your chances, you can leave another comment on the post on Flying Fish's facebook page too!

3. And, if you are feeling specially creative, leave a third comment on this post

4. That's it. Winner will be announced next friday -  Nov 22nd, on facebook.

What a happy Friday!

Right? :)

[All Images: Flying Fish. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Gaatha, a tale.

Gaatha, a sanskrit word meaning 'a great story' or 'a legend', is an initiative launched in 2009 by group of students and alumni at National Institute of Design [NID]. What started as a project to research and document the unfortunate erosion of Indian crafts clusters and heritage, has now evolved into a online repository of stories, folklore and myths associated with these crafts and their creators. Gatha has also launched an online store, aimed at helping these craftsmen reach a wider market and earn sustenance. 

Gaatha's blog is a lovely read, where the reader not only gets to know how each of these beautiful products is created, but we also get to 'meet' the skilled women and men behind the various crafts. 

Beautifully photographed, the products are a visual delight! Gaatha's online store is filled with handcrafted unique pieces for personal use and for home.

Visit Gaatha's online shop here, and immerse yourself in the enriching tales of craft, right here.

How have you been, my dear readers?

I am back after a break for Diwali and post Diwali recuperation

See you this friday, with a lovely giveaway!

[All images: Gaatha. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

This Diwali..

Get inspired 

By

What is inspiring me these days

Stunning moodboards

To inspire creativity 

And a love for all things beautiful and festive

From me to you

[click to enlarge the pics]

 Love the contemporary twist to the saree/dhoti. Complemented by Lakshmi Ganesh in Madhubani, and a Kutch woman decorating her home

The elegance of subtlety

 Ah! The visual delight of this mood board! Peacock and it's hues in gorgeous forms

The eternal painting by Raja Ravi Varma of Goddess Laxmi, and Hamsa from Morocco, interpreted as the Indian sign of 'blessing' in this mood board. On the left, fresco from Rajasthan with mughal motifs

Rich and edgy textile and fashion, goes well with the simplicity of a traditional puja thaali

Jewel tones, with the woman balancing it out with a simple chiffon saree and silver adornments
[The central image is from The Unreal Bride]

Colors and textures that spell festivity!

 Warm tones of mustard and orange, and the love of Radha and Krishna in this miniature painting

The brilliance of her native jewelry and the twinkle of fairy lights. Diwali is upon us, folks :)

Do tell me how you like the visual inpsiration

And what it inspired you to create :)

Oh, and do grab the Femina Issue for Oct 30th, 2013. I have a two page spread on creative ways to do up your home on Diwali. More ideas for Diwali, people! 

[Images from: 1, 2, 3 and Pinterest]

And then, we were in the jungle

Sigh!

While I sigh

You will very soon have a reason to get all chirpy and travel happy

When you come across the great offer at the end of this post

So read on :)

 

Looking in from the deck at Tree House Hideaway

 What do you say or do when a brilliant vacation comes to an end?

 One, you sigh. A lot.

Second, you long to go back. Quite fervently.

And third, you look at the pictures. And then sigh. Again.

I am just glad that atleast I could pass off my looking at pictures again and again as 'work'

For today, I'll share with you

My experience with Pugdundee Safaris

At their gorgeous lodges at Bandhavgarh and Kanha

Warm inviting interiors

The cottage at Kanha Earth Lodge

The good folks at Pugdundee Safaris had invited me to experience their lodges in the forest reserves at Bandhavgarh and Kanha. After a round of efficient communication to and fro with their reservation office in Gurgaon, the logistics and dates were fixed - we arrived at Bandhavgarh's Tree House Hideaway, just a day before the Tiger Reserve opens, after closing down for the monsoon season. A beautifully done up tree cottage, all in wood, with a large deck looking out to the forest, was all that was needed after the night journey. The interiors were all very tastefully done up - local Gond art, tribal masks and furniture made from logs, with the jungle right outside the glass doors. Our next stop was at Pugdundee Safari's Kanha Earth Lodge, where the eco conscious architecture, local building techniques and subtle yet colorful interior styling, made me exclaim with delight at every few steps.

The view while lounging on the bed, at Bandhavgarh Tree House Hideaway

The many handpicked artifacts at Kanha Earth Lodge. I loved the wooden statuette (center above)! 

We did not spot any tigers during our safaris at Bandhavgarh and Kanha, and dubious sources might claim that it was because of my recurrent exclaiming in delight. Kindly don't pay attention to such dubious sources. Tigers are best sighted during March-April and the summers, though within a fortnight of the reserve's opening, tigers become a lot more sociable and circulate around, meeting and greeting and eating. While I was looking forward to saying hello to a tiger or two, given my natural affinity to the feline species, I thoroughly enjoyed the glorious forests. A photographer's delight, these forests are teeming with wild life of all sorts and have such beautiful vistas that you start again. Sighing i.e. Pugdundee Safaris has a handpicked staff, and the safaris and dinner conversations were made all the more interesting because of the resident managers and the naturalists at both properties. They regaled us with stories and anecdotes of the wild, and their passion for the jungle, wildlife, flora and fauna was infectious.

 Snippets from Bandhagarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Go there just to experience the jungle, if not the tigers

When we were not bumping around in the open jeeps (which I also drove, quite skillfully, if I may modestly add), we were being served the most delicious food by their courteous staff. Pugdundee Safaris has a Masterchef India finalist on it's Chef's panel, so you can imagine how each meal was an experience in itself. The pleasure of getting back to a luxury accommodation and fine cuisine, after roughing it out in the wild (yes, open jeeps means roughing it out. thank you), was blissful.

Dining at Kanha Earth Lodge, and, dining wares at the local bazaar

And and, how can I forget shopping! Yes, I got the inside scoop on the fabulous old brass utensils on display around the lodges, and found out that they have been sourced from the local weekly bazaar. With the additional information that old silver jewelry could also be found in the bazaar, I enlisted an obliging and uber helpful staff member to take me there; and not only came back with goodies, but also had a lovely time meeting local villagers in their homes.

Pick of brass and kansa old utensils and old tribal silver jewelry

Sigh

Now you know why more than a few sighs are so relevant for this post

Which reminds me

How about that offer that will make you all chirpy and travel happy?

Well, to all readers of An Indian Summer

Pugdundee Safari would like to offer

A Village Walk and a Bush Dinner

At any of their lodges

Free of cost!

Just mention your favorite blog

An Indian Summer

At the time of making the reservation

I cannot recommend Pugdundee Safaris high enough
I am very picky and particular about where I travel and where I stay
And Pugdundee lodges exceeded my expectations

 I am going to go back soon

Hope to meet you there! :)

Coming up tomorrow: More images from the lodges and forests on facebook! Be sure to check. I got to show my vacation pics on facebook, my peeps! It's THE thing to do. Plus the pictures are pretteh. So do go and check, tomorrow :)

On another note: If you own/run a unique property, and would like An Indian Summer to visit you:

a) You lucky bird, you!

b) Write to me! An Indian Summer is not only happy but extremely travel happy!

[All images: Mine. Ok, ours. An Indian Summer's and Bhavna Bhatnagar's. Sheesh. My blog is a bully. Don't mess with him and use the images without credits. Ok?]