Rajee Sood

The chair in Kantha upholstery ...

2012-02-15T16:45:00.000+05:30

As promised to all ... here's the ladies parlour chair that I had picked up at the oshiwara market, in Mumbai. Will you believe me if I said that I waited 3 yrs. to upholster it ... well ! I am of that sort ... can't just do something for the heck of getting it over with. Ofcourse, I have a few hundred more such stories I could tell you about me ...;)))) But this one ended well ... I am completely loving this Kantha upholstery ... :) Taa...daa ... hope you all hotpink lovers are loving it too ... :))

In love with the colors ... :)

2012-02-14T17:40:00.003+05:30

One of my chairs from the upholsterers, just came in ... and I loved the way it turned out ... I found this really beautiful Kantha piece in cotton. What I loved was the geometric embroidered motif.

Pairing the hotpink with our new cushions ... and a few of our other Kantha pieces ... :)) ... its fun to discover how I have been working with these happy cheerful colors ... and I didn't even realise how they have overrun my life.

... and definetly no denying I feel the effect of these colors ... they really do rub off on you ... :)) even this yummy pink tray from our range of tray @ rajeesood.com ... can imagine the pop of color on your table ... :)

... and definitly loving how our Kantha range is growing. Our new collection of pieces is all ready ... we are in the process of getting them prepared for the store ... and hopefully you'll get to see and buy them real soon.If you'd like to see our current range of cushions you can find them here.

In support of the stray dogs ... in support of Aarohi's work... :)

2012-02-07T18:47:00.000+05:30

These posters have been playing on my mind for a while ... in support of the stray dogs ( please read Indie Dogs) ... there is a whole load of what happens to them ...what can be done and what does get done ...

It is all about being humane ... caring for them ... and yes! there are some ... doing a lot in the best way they know. Artists like Aarohi ... in more ways then one ... are leading the way. I am in love with her new collection. And stand in full support of her gorgeous work and the cause that helped her shape such a beautiful collection.

The dog motif inspired by the stray dogs ... is truly amazing. The colors that Aarohi has worked with ... :) ... well ! completely down my alley I'd say ... :))

...the clutch ... well sure a style statement and definitely a conversation piece ... so be prepared for loads of eyes popping and people keen to chat up with you suddenly ... :)

... my must have ... :)))))) ... the ...a... ahhhh! ... well I'll tell you, moment I get my hands on it ... I had my heart set on it since the day Aarohi mentioned and shared some sneak -peaks with me ... my heart skips a beat ... I am in love ... Aarohi, ... I am soooo dying to get my piece from your collection ... :))

If you want to see her collection ... click right here and find out more about her .... and her work by a lil' click-click ... here.

And guess what, if you are in Bangalore ... well! lucky you ... do pop over ( and make me J ... ) at

    100 ft. Boutique. Bar. Restaurant.
   777/1 , Near Satyapaul,
   Opp. New Horizon School ,
   HAL 2nd Stage,
   100 ft. Rd. ,
   Bangalore, India 560017
(From 10th -12th Feb.)
   ... as her collection is showcased at the fundraiser for and by VoSD .
All the Best Aarohi ... and all the best VoSD.

Meeting Amerjit ... :)

2012-01-30T15:51:00.002+05:30

image courtesy Amerjit's iphone

That picture ... I am completely in love with ... Amerjit and Rajee ... whole day of freaking out meeting some great mastercraftsmen ... chatting up ... and more yummy Indian crafts to source ... dog tired ... and still ready to smile for a quick picture ... that ladies and gentlemen is a true candid ...sans make up ... up close pic. of us after tons of fun doing what we love doing... :)

I was super thrilled to finally meet Amerjit , after months and months of being that girl over at CHAI STUDIO and that girl over at RAJEE SOOD HOME ...

... I stole this pic. from Amerjit ... she shot it while we spend a day out at Dilli Haat ... we were like two doe eyed girls falling in love with everything we saw ... I do think Amerjit got a dose of hot pink...reds... oranges ... happening in my life at the moment ... I'll tell you later wheather it rubbed off on her or not ...;))))

I had great time driving her around the dusty roads of a neighbouring village ... but first catch that look on her face over at my Kantha weavers ... :)) ... our candy store. With the loads of tea we drank there ... the entire clan left us alone cause we were sooooo ... at home ... not sure how many hours we spend there ... but it was not enough ... :))

... it was fun learning the colors Amerjit works with ... and fun to keep suggesting my happening colors to her ... ;)) I did not for once think had we never met before ... guess this is how blogging and FB makes you such close friends ... and there is enough conversation to chatter on about and common people to talk about ... :)

... thanks Amerjit ... had loads of fun and loved making a new girl friend to make travel plans with ... loads of travel plans and you can rest assure she has tons of gorgeous things coming up at Chai Studio ... and I for one am dying to see them in her next load of pictures from her store... :)

So, what do you think did my colors rub off on her ... ??? ... ;)) ... guess... we'll just wait and watch her new collection coming soon ... :))

Happy Basant Panchami ... and the colors of spring are inspiring ... :)

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000+05:30

Oh! dear ... I could sense something is changing in the air ... and before I could quite put my finger on it ... BAM!!! ... the Hindu calender says its Basant Panchami ... for all my non Indian readers ... Basant Panchami is the day marking the arrival of Spring and the month of Maghi, as it is called by the Hindu calender ... and quite honestly, I am amazed at the accuracy with which it marks all the season changes and ton loads of other things Rajee Sood is yet to discover ... :)

Well ! it apparantly also marks an auspicious day for the world of arts ... o.ky , so I'd just like to say that I'm adding my profession into that category to enjoy and herald the coming of ... Maghi ...

woo -hoo spring is here ...

And if you don't believe me ... check out ,these pictures I am getting all inspired to cover my green chairs in diff. shades of ... red ... orange and hot pink ... aaaaannnnnnd for all of you wondering whyyyyyy sooooo ... well ! its spring ... for one, and actually my lil' girl Sofiee did not quite take too well to the green ( well! under diff. circumstances I would agree with her) ... :)) ... but torn and shredded isn't quite the look I was thinking about ... :))

I hope the spring brings good cheer into your lives too and may you find some interesting piece to start thinking of covering in hot pink and orange ... and may be red ... :))

A big thankyou to Rekha and her team at Prismma ... :)

2012-01-23T12:03:00.000+05:30

Here are a few screen shots of the lovely feature about Rajee Sood Home , in the latest edition of Prismma ... I owe a big ... o.k, biggest ... :) ... thankyou ... to Rekha and her team @ Prissma.

Thankyou Rekha, it was fun ... really, truly loved it... :)) Drop by at Prissma to read the entire feature ( page 48) and so much more, that Prissma showcases.

When I'm feeling blue ... all I wanna do is take a look at you ... :)

2012-01-18T11:40:00.000+05:30

Its rather gloomy weather here ... brings a lot of my work to a grinding halt ... makes me anxious ... hyper ... confused ... how can I forget to add a short fuse ... ;)) But a bit of cheer. Flowers ... thanks P, I love the flowers you sent over ... I got them all over the place.
I wonder how you like the flowers in your homes ... the casual look works with me... not loud, but part of the home look ... the staged arrrangements ... makes my fingers start to twitch ... ;)) ... you know what I mean.
These yellow roses and white lillies, sitting on my desk ... sure help, while I wait and watch the Sun God play traunt.

Art I am loving ... no wait ... I want ... I want ... I want ... :)

2012-01-16T16:53:00.001+05:30

Some amazing discoveries just ... well! happen ... quite by chance ... like Linda, writting to appreciate my work ... gosh, I was red in the face when I followed her link to discover her work ... wooooooooaaaaaa! ...I was blown away ... tell me you are not distracted from what I am writting to peek at her work ... :)

... the colors ... her subjects ... are all my absolute fav. things ... to actually see them through her eyes ... as her expressions ... :))) ... I love her work ...

Linda lives and works in Canada and while I go figure how I am going to get one of her works ... you can enjoy some of her pieces ...

One thing I know Linda, we have to see you with your work in India ... :)) See more of Linda's work and read more about this incredible artist over at her blog here .

Good things happening around us ... :)

2012-01-16T09:46:00.000+05:30

In my heart I do believe ... bad news sells and so we read just that all over the main news media ... but there is a parallel world which thrives healthly ... living a humane way ... where there is joy in the little things of life ... there is a will to share and care ... love and help and it is all around us ... and it is created by people like us, all around us ... Aarohi's work for an NGO doing amazing work called The Voice of Stray Dog based out of Bangalore , needs to be applauded ... :)
It has all the news of starting a day with that feel good factor ... if you want to read more about this, pop over to her blog here. You 'll sure feel more positive about things happening around us. Who knows you 'll figure that we can all make a diff. in our own ways.
HAVE A GREAT DAY ... :)

Inspiration ... ;)

2012-01-12T13:00:00.000+05:30

Back in 1997, we designed a dining room unit, for a site we were working on in Pune ... went crazy with the handles and knobs we used on it. And everytime I look at diff. pretty ones ... makes me want to do that all over again.
This morning I e-mailed my old collegue this picture ... its a bunch of color pop she wanted for just placing in a bowl ... :) ... great to know I am not the only one doing simple loney things .... ;)) ... I got company ... ;)
This was a special request, pick for her ... all inspired by our Hardware section over at Rajee Sood Home ... :)

Some green to get over the gloom ... in winters ... :)

2012-01-08T14:38:00.000+05:30

Some of my fav. elements ... a pottery piece with that weathered patina... greens and stone ... :) ... just never know how a little time in the sun gets me all solar charged and ... ;))

... so there I was reading a book in the sun ,that just peeked out of the Gurgaon fog today ... and little do we know ... out come the scissors ... chop-chop ... :)) ... decided to revive my love of topiary,with these two cypress plants I picked up a little before Christmas ... and I love doing that thing with green cuttings (take them indoors) ... :) ... Oh! did I forget to tell you ... this pottery piece ... was my buy at the potter behind our conplex, while Sarah was looking for a diya for her diwali project at school ... wooohoo ... look what I dug up lying in their junk pile ...

... I really love the beautiful weathered patina on it. Don't ask me what is it ... hell! I have no clue ... but just liked it ... and I have a feeling you may get to see more of them if I can find them and yes ... these are sure getting used in some future photo shoots ... :))

... as each year that I grow older, there is something coming over me ... I am getting comfortable with my choices ... I don't necessarily get influenced by what others think about them ... if it makes me happy ... never mind if it looks weird or gets all myfamily and friends to go ... what's THAT ... ;))))

Its a brand new year ... I got my resolutions in order ... going to be all me ... arranging with greens and not just flowers ... I love the tarnished look so more of that elements are going to be in ... stone, yep I want to bring that architectural feel indoors with more of something in stone ... hmm ... :)) feels nice to have said that aloud... :))

How about you ... how much about your home are you thinking about making all about you ... ??? ... drop me a line, incase you are in a mood to share your thoughts ... would sure love to hear from you... :)

Happy New Year ... :)

2012-01-01T15:43:00.000+05:30

It was a fun Christmas this year ... :)

2011-12-28T11:38:00.000+05:30

This Christmas was real good fun with the kids ... Sarah played host to all her friends ... but honestly I think we parents had a real ball ourselves. And we still got the NewYears to cheer about ... it sure feels like one long party ... I can't help lighting the candles every evening. It make sme feel so me ... :)
With temperatures dipping to 0 degree celsius ... it really is awesome ... now all I miss is some snow... :))
Hope your New Years plans are all ready and .... Ahmmm ! the list of resolutions as well ... ;))

Feliz Navidad ... :))

2011-12-23T22:54:00.000+05:30

Somehow I always associated silverware with the feel of Christmas ... Hmmm ... wonder why ...

but then, my brass collection is increasing way faster and silverware, not really( I'd love to work on that) ... :) and sooo ... I find all my brass thingies out and I got over the patina look and polished some of them ... sure I am trying to figure out ... would it work ... will they all put together look Christmassy enough ... or is it going to be a oh! so Diwali -a-look ... ??#$@

I sure drool over all the conifers in all the pretty Christmas pictures that some really lovely blogs showcase ... guess junipers and mayur panki can do a fab job stepping in ...

though most of the decor this year has been my 5 1/2 yrs. doing ... but I find myself a few corners here and there ... ;))

We are off to celebrate the holidays ... have yourself a very Merry Christmas ...and a great New Year ... catch you all in 2012.
............ FELIZ NAVIDAD ........

Good morning foggy Gurgaon ... :)

2011-12-19T12:10:00.000+05:30

Never mind mom's not done with the garden clearing up after the changes ... its super foggy here in Gurgaon ... and the mention of Santa got my girls (all dressed in pink) ... to go CRAZY ... ;))

... this is what it was all snug and right next to the Christmas tree ... we are late ... our lights just went up yesterday ... :)) ... I think I need the right ambience to get going ... so the freezing last evening got me all excited and I even added the star on top of the tree ... as for the decorations ... well ! move over mommy ... its Sarah's tree now ... :((

we are a neighbourhood of spoilt brats ... and if Sarah ... Aimee and Sofiee were not enough ... I got two more across the fence ... :)) ... my morning buddies while I have tea with my neighbour across the fence ... meet Bruno who competes with Sofiee , in whose the bigger brat of all ... Ah! honey ... both of you win hands down... :))

Annnnnd there comes Frisky, Bruno's big brother ... today, all dolled up in two sweaters and a wizard coat on top ... :))))

Well! Mona and Rajee are two happy and blissful mommies as we sip our morning tea ... Its a wonderfully... Christmassy feeling morning here today ... wooohoo ... what Monday morning blues ... I here by declare and off today ... ;)))

P.S - At a recent women entrpreneur group meeting , they told us Business owners are just employees without a boss ...;)) ... now, what fun ... on a foggy morning like this I better live up to it ... :))))))))))

Our new collection is headed out to production ... sneaky peaky ... :)

2011-12-12T18:54:00.000+05:30

I fell in love with this jaquard textile and had to add it to the next line I am working on ... a little different feel from the silks. When the sample pieces arrived ... wee-hee ... these pieces were swiped away for my own home office ... ;)) Sorry , I couldn't help myself... :)

Looking at them makes me want to mix them with loads of bright colored pieces ... Hmmm ... well ! this is turning out to be soooo much fun ... :) And I do love that perky green piping ... oh ! yes ... these pieces are snatched ... but we are sending for some more to be ready soon ... :)

If you like the magic cushions create in a room ... drop by our online store and do see our collection of cushions ... at www.rajeesood.com , we really are crazy about cushions and in case you are looking forward to our new line,and want to know more ... you can e-mail us @ rajeesoodhome(at)gmail(dot)com

A centre piece and lets warm up the indoors for winter ... :)

2011-12-05T10:58:00.000+05:30

... its winter, .... that time of the year when plants actually are alright coming indoors at my place ... and I have been feeling sad about my coffee table looking dull and boring ... :) And yep! had a lil' experiment thingy somewhere in the back of my head ... ;)

... so , what do you get if you have a certain experiment itch ... an ol' ceramic pot ( yep, see no bottom tray to hold water) ... and some new succulents you spied at the nursery ... :))))))))))

... looking at them all tiny lil' ones ... its not so exciting ... no filled up looking pots ... aaaah! ... what do you do .... :) ...

... o.ky so I sweet talked my daughter into sharing her collecion of shiny stones from our recent road trip across India ... and guess what I even got a few tiny shells put in for free ... hey! these kids can be generous to mums, at times ... ;)

... yes , it was a concern how to save the polish of my coffee table .... well ! I just placed this slate tile, I had lying around ... and yep! it will need to be taken out to be watered and kept there till it completely drains ... but thats cool with me ...

... ah! did get into trouble with the lil' brat falling in love with how mum, lil' project looked awesome all because she helped in with her shells and stones ... so that was not going to be it ... ''mama, now that you are so happy with that look ... I'll be real nice and go decorate the entire garden with my collections " ... NOoooooooooooooo ............. help me ... some body , ... that was not what I had bargained for ...

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas ... :)

2011-11-29T17:31:00.000+05:30

Its breezy here, in Gurgaon today ... I am potterring around the place in my socks ... and the home office of mine sure knows how to chill me ... but guess what ,lil' does it know I am an all out Christmas girl ... chill me too much and I'll set the decor at home in total Christmas fever ... ;))giggle-giggle ...

If you know this picture from my archives ... :) ... you've been around for a while,so you know the little things we love to do .. to make sure we never miss an occassion to celebrate ... :)

If you are new to my blog ... then hope you'll keep coming by, while we have some good fun getting all Christmassy over here ...

It's so beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... Hm ..hmm... hmmm .. hm ... hmmmhmmm ... hmmhmm ... ;))

Getting cozy with Cushions ... :)

2011-11-23T16:45:00.001+05:30

I launched our first line of cushions this Diwali and in case you missed out ... here is a peek into our cushion range. Thankyou, to all of my customers for all their great reviews. I am glad you all are loving our pieces.

This time, we used silks, crushed tissue with Zari work on it. And my fav. are the Shibori range ... again in silk with all over Kantha stitches.

Almost all of them have co-ordinated backs ... and its wonderful to use both sides.

I had a time of my life creating these pieces ... we used textiles headed out to the fashion designers and repurposed them for styling up our interiors ... ;))

I have to tell you its an amazing feeling sitting with mounds and mounds of textiles and then co-ordinating them ... with fabric for the backs ... visualising the final pieces ... :) I get so caught up in all that ,... that I have had frantic calls from home wondering where I disappeared ... ;) Ah! those precious moments where you pinch yourself,that I do this for a living ... :)

... this, here is another of my super fav. one ... and as one of my friends (who came over to see and to check them out and ended up buying half my store) said ... it makes your mouth wanna go 'pop' ... :)

... we used a sea green backing in silk for it with these tiny paisley designs all over ...

... we have a whole range of colors to perk up the home this winter ... do drop by our website ,you could start with some window shopping don't you think ... ;))

Celebrating Women ... Celebrating with Rajee Sood Home, Gift Cards ... :)

2011-11-21T16:43:00.000+05:30

We have had some lovely stories of gifting for loved ones, here at Rajee Sood Home. You can also know more about a few of those, in some of the future posts I have planned. And thanks to all these lovely people ... I am launching the Rajee Sood Home, Gift Cards. Now you can ask for the Gift Cards and just sit back and enjoy knowing you've gifted your loved ones, the option to buy our exclusive products.

To know more about our Gift Cards, or to order a Gift Card for any of your loved ones... you can e-mail us @ rajeesoodhome(at)gmail(dot)com.

And what is most exciting is that the very first Gift Card, is going to be Auctioned at an event I sure an waiting for. Its called Celebrating Women - organized by Gurgaonmoms.com and Biz Divas India (an NGO supporting women entrepreneurs) ... and not just that ... the great evening is also to recognise and award the women of substance in Gurgaon and the NCR region ... if all this is not amazing, the dynamic organisers of the event donate the entire proceeds from the event to ADAA (http://www.adaa.in/), a charity working for underpriveledged children.

You cannot imagine, the pure goodwill and love and compassion that exists in all these organisations ... they help women like me by being our support groups as we are fumbling around with issues in our ventures ... you have to feel it, when I say that it feels sooooo... nice to have them as a guiding force, a friend and in truly creating that assurance of ... Hum Hai Naa ... :)

And after all that, to recognise the women who are real life role models... :) ... wow!... ladies and gentlemen, I sure know there is a lot of women who need a standing ovation ... such support groups make it possible to help bring out the strenghts of many of those women ... thankyou ladies. I am absolutely honored to be part of it all ... :)

Winter entertaining ... :)

2011-11-14T10:58:00.000+05:30

Its no longer just a nip in the air ... its winter chill all right ... mercury sure still needs to dip way more ... but, if you are anything like me .... ;)) ... looking for an excuse to celebrate,well ! ... lets share, this is what's on my mind... :)

I love an excuse for tea and I love tea with company ... loads of friend company. So if you too need an an excuse ... how about .... hey! its winter. Couldn't be a better time for some fun tea parties or just cozy time with friends over tea.

You might wonder why I always use the same darn, whiteware set for every tea shoot ... :)) ... well! actually there are a couple of reasons for that ... firstly, I loooooove whiteware .... secondly this is the only complete set I own under the sun (love this reason, good enough to go shopping next time) ... and thirdly, I guess you too could be in my situation ... trying to create a new look with same thingies most of the time (well! I assume a few of us are in this boat ;)) ... )

Well!... either which ways, I hope I 'd inspire you to get celebrating ... enjoying ... style up a bit ... and if there is no reason, that is wonderful ... lets have a do, cause there is nothing much happening... ;) And if you are as neurotic this morning as me ... ;)) ... enjoy your tea.Its the blissful winter time.
Not to forget all the winter blooms on their way .... weeeeee-hee ... aren't you gearing up for all the colorful winter blooms that'll soon be popping into our homes ... ;)Love ... love ... love ... Winters ... :))

Annnnd we are back .... :)

2011-11-09T11:21:00.000+05:30

A much needed break ... wow! really it was amazing ... 3,000 kms across India ... covering 4 states ... was an experience. When you hit the road ... the India you experience is only beautiful ... beautiful ... beautiful ... :). Am I biased ... ;)) ... hell ! yes. And if you always wondered how awesome would it be ... well ! ask me .... AWESOME... AMAZING. Give it a try.
Its great to be back ... I am slowly getting over the holiday hangover... :). And look forward to loads of new posts on the blog ... new additions on our store soon. And look forward to hearing back from all of you... :)

A very Happy Diwali ... to you ... :)

2011-10-24T11:42:00.000+05:30

This Diwali, I have lots and lots to thank you all for. You have helped me from being an Interior Designer blogging about home style and design ... to launching my brand, Rajee Sood Home .Its a mile stone for me and very important one indeed.The network of friends we have formed here, through this blog ... has had such a strong influence in my life, that I often find myself thanking God ... for the blessings I am showered with.
So here's thanking all of you ... the ones I hear from all the time ... the ones who write in some times ... and all of you who I know are reading and following my blog silently... :). Thankyou all for being there for me and appreciating my work and efforts. I love to hear from you and it sure means the world to me ... :)
There its done ... its Diwali and I believe in letting the ones I love know I love them and never missing an occassion to do that ... :)).
LOVE YOU ALL ... :)

Hope you all have a super happy-dappy ... fantafabulous ... Diwali .
We are off for Diwali and will be back with all of you in the 2nd week of Nov., ... till then have a lovely time ... and if you miss us too much ... pop over and check out our Diwali archives for some inspiration.

Pink flowers for the day ...

2011-10-19T11:57:00.000+05:30

These pictures, pop out of my personal style files ... I am not sure if I have shared them before ... but today seems like a nice day to share them anyways ... :)

This flower arrangement was in my Navi Mumbai home ... about 2 yrs. ago.And I never think before I start with the flowers ... and I certainly don't believe in any rules about (that's the way flowers should be arranged) ... guess that kind of frees up my heart to really enjoy them .

... so you see stems sticking out .... :)) ... I love doing that ... some times ... they are great fillers if you run short of flowers and the arrangement begins to fall all over ... stick those chopped up stems right back in ... if you like it ... walla ... its your creation ... ;) And if you don't .... uuuuh! ... blame it on Rajee Sood for silly ideas ... ;)

... this chinese jar of mine has been fashioned for so many purposes ... hell! I don't even know if it is genuinely old ... or just a made to look that way ... but honestly, I don't care ... its good fun using it around. Its been my flower vase ... spatula holder in the kitchen ... coin jar for a few years(but I'd forget my coins were in there) .... so it went back to being my flower vase and sometimes just sits pretty in some corner of the house ... :))

Ofcourse, I keep juggling it between my feelings of ... I hate it ... to oh! I love it ... :)) ... but I've hung on to it for 10yrs. now ... :) ...

But this time ... I like the pink gerberas and my old chinese urn ... :)

Decorating and organising with trays ... :)

2011-10-14T22:33:00.000+05:30

Definitely, one of my top fav. elements of styling a home ... trays ... trays ... trays ... :). There was a time I used to feel limited with my options with trays ... guess not anymore. Just like other things at home , the trays you pick are a sure shot style statement about YOU.

This Tibetan tray ... has been in my photoshoots ... I guess from the beginning of my blogging days... every fresh coat of polish gives it a new life ... I fall in love with it all over again. It sure is a classic ... ever green. And it was my first choice when we decided to have our own range of trays at our store.

Trays sure can add that lil' something to your moments of pottering around the house ... prettying up things ... believe me ... its true ... :). Tidy up ... stage a collection ... or just put things together and wow-wee ... we have a beautiful vignette.

I have been dying to have some in colors ... and our new range of trays ... is just about all that. No fuss,no loud talks ... just beautiful colors. I really wanted to create classic pieces as that's more my thingie ... ;).

We are working on more colors ... and each color makes my mind go crazy thinking about the look that they can create ... in the pink I sure an going to be serving some in-house Cosmopolitan ( shaken not stirred, my fav. cocktail ) ... ;)

Wonder , if this gets you thinking about the possibilities of some styling up before the festivities ... add a lil' special ... ' YOU ' ... touch to things this season with some tray vignette's ... and if you need our help with trays ... guess what ... drop by at our online store, before you know your style elements will be crusing on their way, over to your place. We do express deliveries for the festive season. So hope you are all gearing up. Diwali is right around the corner ... :)

Would love to hear from you if you enjoyed our take on trays. Ofcourse do drop by and share with us what you love to do with your collection of trays ... :)

Our Diwali selections are online ... :)

2011-10-11T11:05:00.001+05:30

It has been a crazy few days ... we have been racing against all odds to finish photoshoots of all our products and load them on the website for you. And today morning at 4o' clock ... we went online ... finally ... phew!never mind that I am pretty foggy headed this morning and that I miss a step or two everynow and then ... ;). But I guess I'll make up for that sleep someday(not that I am much of a sleeper anyways) ... but nothing beats the sheer joy of seeing all our collection online ...
Do drop by www.rajeesood.com and check out our pieces ... this Diwali we are definitely going to be part of your celebrations ...;))So get inspired ... get excited and lets all have a fantafabulous Diwali.

A sneaky-peaky ... at what more is coming over for Diwali at Rajee Sood Home ... ;)

2011-10-07T15:15:00.000+05:30

Dassehra, was lovely ... I got to see ... feel and fall in love with my first collection of home linen and basic essentials for entertaining ... :))
Couldn't help myself ... just had to share a sneaky -peaky with all of you ... and all of these are ... completely ... fully and lovingly designed and crafted in-house ... :)))).
I just can't decide what color to keep for myself ... this is so much fun ... :)
Hope, Diwali spirit is beginning to work its magic on you too ... woooo hooo ... it that time of the year ... :))
Do let me know what you think ... of our lil' sneaky-peaky of the pieces ... ;)

Kapoor diyas ... :)

2011-10-04T15:09:00.001+05:30

It was these images last Diwali, that my blog went buzz...buzz..buzzzzzzzzz ... ;)... I loved discovering these diyas ... ya! you know one of those Eureka ... moments of mine.... :). They were so well received, by all my readers... that the disappointment of not being able to share the things I love with many -many more ... of you may possibly have sown the seeds of Rajee Sood Home ... :)

... I am all knocked out and drugged up to deal with viral ... but... :)) ... looking at these new diyas on my worktable ... me , is all excited enough, to click a few pictures and share a little more about them.Its just a wee, bit ... but then its fun to know more about the stuff that we rediscover ...

... well! as I was selecting my pieces ... couldn't help but chat up with the man who is assigned to clean up the pieces ... and so I asked him if he knew what exactly are these. Much to my surprise ... he was more than happy to give me a enlightning talk on how to care for brass (that'll be for another post) ... and that these are actually kapoor lamps.
O.ky ... I was lighting them up last year as exotic diyas ... :)) ... but hey! like we say 'NEVER THE MIND' ... ;)) ... they are beautiful ... and I love them ... both the mini's and the biggies ... ;))
And I promise, you can buy them this year (both ... the mini's and the biggies) at Rajee Sood Home ... moment my drugs wear off and fever is bye-bye ... ;) And hope you enjoyed (incase you didn't already know ) ... this lil' introduction to the kapoor lamps ... ;))

Be inspired ... we are getting ready for Diwali ... :)

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000+05:30

... can't believe it ... this year, time sure flew by ... and we are feeling the rush to present our Diwali selections ... I really hope some of the lines we are working on are really loved and appreciated ... and as every year ... you can drop by for some Diwali inspiration ... discover what style you like this year and dig into out Diwali Archives here ...
... what is the bestest part ... well! this time you can shop at our store ... for all that you love and enjoy on this blog ... no more wondering where to pick up those pieces ... if you like them, just e-mail us at rajeesoodhome(at) gmail(dot)com. And before you know, your shopping arrives at your door step ... in case you wonder how our readers have been enjoying shopping, with us ... read all about it in our testimonials section of our website www.rajeesood.com .
Its Diwali time ... we are all up for the fun and riot of colors this year ... are you too ... do drop me a line and share your thoughts ...

Who says mom's work thingies are boring ... :)

2011-09-27T20:18:00.001+05:30

It is really fun watching kids get innovative around mom's work ... my daughter,was busy this evening while I had some important e-mails to respond to ... kids sure have a way of finding their own perks and treats ... 'we' do comeback with tons of goodies ... from the carpenter's workshop ... 'we' do have our very own samples from the weavers .... ;))

... and who said you can't play war games with mum's new stocks coming in ... yep! my inventory count is two short ... and the missing pieces are in my daughters treasure box ... while we have the rest lined up for a ... ??? ...

...yesss !! the new deliveries arrived some time back and we will be adding them to our Diwali collection coming up soon ... hope you have e-mailed in your requests ... we do have limited stocks ...

In the mean while ... it sure is fun seeing lil' Sarah ... and the ingenious games foot scrubbers make ... :)

As good as an antique ... :)

2011-09-27T09:47:00.000+05:30

Just in from the work shop are these trays ... we have been busy in recreating these reproductions of an antique oriental tray ... which gets featured in almost all my posts. It has been loved soooo long by my readers ... we had to recreate the charm of this piece ... :))
We'll be having it soon at the store ... in case you have any questions ... shoot us a e-mail at ... rajeesood(at)gmail(dot)com ... :)

Our online home store ... www.rajeesood.com
(You can now read all about the experience of our customers at here ... :)) ... and believe me its fun on our side too, we love all the queries ... and try our best to make it a fun experience for your too ... ;) ... )

Scooby ... a baby's story ...

2011-09-11T12:11:00.001+05:30

Scooby... is one of Sofiee and Aimee's best buddy ... they are like a storm in the mornings in case we get late in taking them to meet up at the lawns. If there can be a more delightful sight in the mornings ... than seeing Sofiee and Scooby run the entire length of the lawn outside our complex ... chasing each other ... well! I don't know of any. I have actually seen passersby stop their car's and bikes to have a look at these kids enjoying themselves ... ofcourse with doses of ... 'watch it kiddos' ...barks from Aimee ( she is 6 yrs. and likes friends more her age) ... though secretly enjoying the attention from the kiddos.

Sadly, Scooby's family wants to find him another home ... and as upsetting as it is ... we are all coming together for the sake of Scooby ... to find him a loving home. A home forever. A home he'll be loved and be the apple of everyones eyes ... because that's the way it should be ...

Do join us ... help us ... prayers made a lot of difference when Doginder was in an accident ... this time to we need prayers, for love and a home for Scooby. And our efforts will be as big as prayers... Please lets all come together ... and show that this matters to all of us ... we care ... everyone needs a home and a family ,no matter the species.

Scooby needs us to to stand up for him ... he needs us ... lets find him a family, a home.

No more guessing ... and here's the winner ... :)

2011-09-10T10:11:00.002+05:30

Discovering them has been a learning experience for me as well ... having shared them here with all of you has been the best part ... and so before they come up for sale at www.rajeesood.com , here's a lil' bitty ... more about them.

... if you haven't caught up with all the comments that were left ... you absolutely MUST ... :)) ... they are the most cutest ... innovative ... and ofcourse bang... right on ... thoughts ... they've perked my spirits all these days ... ladies you all are amazing ... :))

So not only do I have to finally declare that YES, these are traditional FOOT SCRUBBERS , from the South... :)))) ... )

But interestingly, with this contest we may have figured loads of contemporary uses for them ... unless you don't think having such a gorgeous piece as 'exclusively yours' ... foot scrubbers in the bath ... with a 'don't anyone dare touch my scrubber' air hanging around it ... I am pretty sure all you mum's out there know what I mean .... when the lil' missy runs away with ... 'mum I need this' declaration ... ;))

... what really blew me away were ... the thoughts ... hmmm ... cufflinks .. for men, now that's real weeee-heee ... :)) ... wow! ladies ... revenge time ... for ages of wearing of wearing heavy anklets and not to forget the nose rings( increasing in weight with the prosperity of the husband ) ... :)) ... men watch out ... these could be your return gifts ...;))

I do have to include the comment ... all loaded with the info., that we all should love to know by now ... about these foot scrubbers ... here is what Roshmi shared with us ... Roshmi thanks a super ton ...

Unusual, Fine Brass Foot Scrubber (Vajri)
This foot scrubber (vajri) comes from southern India and dates to the 19th century. Typically, women when bathing - to scrub the feet - used such scrubbers, something made necessary, as most users did not wear shoes.These were of cast brass and comprised of a pedestal with a cage and a rough, scored
base that is surmounted by a pair of finely cast birds (as shown in the pieces in the pics) that is both decorative and also functions as a handle.Small pebbles or rocks or tiny metal balls usually are contained within the bases of most such scrubbers. Bathing often occurred in a public space, perhaps by a stream, a pond or a river. When the scrubber was being used, the small pebbles/rocks/metal balls jingled, perhaps to warn off others in the vicinity that women were bathing nearby.
The quality of this example (as shown in the pics) is underscored by the fact that the base contains not irregular pebbles or rocks but uniform spheres of metal balls.
P.S. 'Vajri' is not to be confused with Indra's 'Vajra' :)

Hope all the ladies, are now ready... I have to declare that on a democratic note ... the first one to recognise these pieces is the winner ... annnnnnnnnnnnnnd it is .... ahh...acchoooo .... aaa ... sorry might be a cold getting me ;) ... wee ... so were was I ... aaaahhhaaaa .... ooooh! yes! .... the winner ... ;)))) .... it is

... Kamini ... , from Hyderabad .... but since Kamini feels ... its only fair that she have this won by the next right answer ( cause she wasn't guessing she knew the answer) ... :)) ... that is super sweet Kamini ...

Inwhich case ... I have to say that the winner is Madhavi ( guess your persistence in posting your answer was for all for the best) ... Madhavi do get in touch with me and I can have your piece shipped to you.) ... :))

For all my gorgeous friends following this conversation, love you all for such sporty enthusiasm ... especially the overseas friends you joined in for the spirit of fun. You all rock.

...... I hope I'll have you over at the store ... the remaining of the collection comes up for sale tommorrow.

Remember ... don't get pink dotted ... ;))

A new collection of collectibles ... a first ever contest ... :))

2011-09-06T15:33:00.002+05:30

We have a new and exciting collection coming up at the www.rajeesood.com , and here is your chance to preview it ... well! not just that ... you can even win yourself one of the pieces ... :)

... and all you have to do is ... tell me what these pieces are ... :)) ... phew! ... now I can't make it any simpler than that for you ...

... so here's a lil about these brass pieces ... they definitely come from down south. Check out the bottom side ... now that should be a give away ... :)

... the tallest of the pieces stands at a cute 3''... most being about 2 1/2'' ... :)) ... Inside the bottom part that has a mesh like design ... are tiny metal balls ... :)))) ... yep they actually rattle like rattlers ...

.... so now that you have come all this way reading about them ... I assume you are super curious ... what is it ... ???? ...??? ... ;)

Well! ... how do you win yourself one of these ... sooooooooooooo ... all you have to do is share this post on face book ... and as you do that ... leave me a comment here on blogger (not on facebook ,please) ... and you can tell us what you think these pieces are ...

... the first one to guess it right is very obviously, the winner ... and the winner is announced on Saturday ... the 11th of Sep. ... Would absolutely love to hear from you and your thoughts about our new collection ... we sure have lots more coming to the store ... so do drop over at www.rajeesood.com and make sure you haven't missed out.

This contest is open to all Indian residents ... purely because we are only shipping within India as of now ... (but for all my International readers ... please don't loose heart we are going International ASAP) ... :)

P.S - Guys, these not openable pieces ... :))

Today at our online store ...

2011-09-05T15:09:00.000+05:30

If you pop over to www.rajeesood.com , you could shop for our newset color ... the prettiest green that ever could be ... ;)) ...we've restocked our vintage inkbottles ...

... you can pick them up in white ... amber ... and now green joins the whole range ...

... incase you were back ordered ... your orders are on their way ... :)

If you are interested in bulk ordering our products ... please mail us at rajeesoodhome(at)gmail(dot)com . We also work with Architects and Designers ... to help furnish homes ... feel free to e-mail us at rajeesoodhome(at)gmail(dot)com

a keepsake for the special moments... ;)

2011-08-30T10:44:00.000+05:30

Just yesterday one of my new customers, had the most beautiful reaction to these boxes at Rajee Sood Home ...'' uuuh, can you imagine just what all one can do with them ... wow, best place to park my special pictures I like to flip through ... :)) ... '' well! I do think they real dream catchers ... they can hold ... some precious moments ...

... if you are like me and love collecting lil-lil thingies ... who knows ... they just might excite you to restart 'that old collection' of yours ... you had forgotten all about ...

... how about perking up your cofee table ... give it that feel of freshness with our keepsake boxes .. the best keepsake for your precious memories .. your dream like moments,treasure them for ever ... ;))
... hmmm, wonder what more ideas are brewing in your mind ... how about sharing your ideas with us ... I sure would look forward to hearing from you ... :))

Fab India and BBC GoodHomes workshop ...

2011-08-27T11:34:00.000+05:30

If you haven't already registered yourself for the fabulous workshop at FabIndia, KalaGhoda, Mumbai ... being organised by BBC Good Homes ... well! don't miss out out.... rush ... they do have limited places.
And if you are heading over to the workshop ...do remember, to remind them ...you heard about it all here at the sulking girls' blog over in Gurgaon ... ;))
Well! lucky you guys in Mumbai ... we'll be waiting for this workshop to come by Gurgaon soon ... hello ... hello ... can anyone hear me ...loud out there ... sob! sob! ... ;))

Annnnddddd we are online ... :)

2011-08-26T08:55:00.000+05:30

Here is a direct link to our website ... http://www.rajeesood.com/ ... a big thankyou to all of you ... for all the ... go girl ... encouragement ... we look forward to growing slowly ... and steadily ... add a lot more to our collections .It is very difficult to decide when is the right time to come online ... but hope you all enjoy our point of... lets do it now ...
Will look forward to hearing from all of you and thankyou all ... all over again ... each one of you . :)))

Love
Rajee

And we are ready to come online ... :)

2011-08-25T15:04:00.000+05:30

After all that talk about this and that ... Kanthas ... and vintage pieces and all the blah ... blah ... that I get carried away with ... ;) ... I 'think' ... after a month and a half of self work ... I am ready to present to you our all new web site ...
So what is it you can look forward to .... ahhhm! ... well! I have the complete catalogue of Rajee Sood Home , for one...;). Definetly tons more of work needs to go in, but I'll sure keep addding in more features as we go along.
Will try to keep loads of more products coming in regularly. And as always ... drop me a mail to let me know how to improve.
And since it has been one heck of a story of the techonology challenged lady ... dealing with all things technology ... :)) ... I think you can comfortably look forward to a biiiig post here about my blooper moments... :)
Its been loads of fun and so I really hope you'll drop by tommorrow to have peek into my new venture ... www.?????? ... ;)

A crazy day of photoshoot ... : /

2011-08-17T17:28:00.000+05:30

... if I say I had a tough day ... please believe me ... it is an understatement of the day ... it was planned that today I'd finish shooting all the textile pieces ... ( yeah ! fat chance) ...

got some pictures , while the dear Sun God! played hard to catch ... what with Gurgaon finally seeing some rain ... well ,thankyou ... but what timing ...

... thought I'd share some unedited pictures from today's shoot ... since I had made such a fuss over my Kantha collection from Bengal. :)) ... hope you guys enjoyed the sneak peak ... Tommorrow , is the turn of th other Kantha pieces .

I do want to say website should up and running ... hopefully next weekend ... ;)

P.S for the day ... get a professinal photographer if you want to keep your sanity ... :)) ... hope that explains,to many of you whom I may not have replied ... do understand ... one man army at work ... ;)

Well! excuse me, a minute while I glue a paper flag on a rather long straw ... yep! that work too( being mommy) ... never ends ... ;)) ... sure all you mommies out there are nodding your heads ding-dong ... sorry again ... Soffiee here is suddenly feeling neglected and wants mommies hug ... :))

I think I need one of those KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON ... posters. Hope you had a great day ... :))

A creative thought to dear ol' basin ... :)

2011-08-16T17:39:00.001+05:30

unknown
... I have been thinking on the basin issue for a while now... it is so predictable that when we buy a house, the first thought is to getting the latest in the bathroomware ... as a major goal to finish 'the work' in the house ...

unknown

... wouldn't it be great fun to actually look at even the mundane basin as a creative expression ... ???...

unknown

John Saladino unknown

via velvet and linen

via this is glamourous

... I've had a lot of people get concerned about the fact that only ceramic suits the purpose ... Aaaah! but what about the time before,when we didn't have the ceramicware (nothing against ceramicware though) ... wouldn't that be an interesting thought to pounder over ... and a few more options may come to mind about making that powder room a real glamour room ... :)
For me, a thought to the 'me' factor when designing and decorating your home ... is the real style statement ... yes! a sure bet ... money can't beat ... :))
So, have you looked had a good look at your home and discovered what is ' your style ' ...

A page out of my life ... :)

2011-08-12T13:50:00.000+05:30

Every time the packages get ready to be shipped out ... it is a moment of mixed emotions. I feel like adding in a big letter to all my customers to let them know how much their confidence in me ... means. Hope I can always make shopping at Rajee Sood Home, exciting ... with new products added often.

We are working hard at creating our website... to showcase more of our products.

In the meanwhile, I am completely bowled over by the orders we receive ... another shot of encouragement and support comes from my shipping guy. I have to introduce you to him soon. He has been with me from the first day the first order got shipped out ... lol ... over the last couple of months of working with me ... he is super comfortable with packaging it himself the way I like it ... mind you he can now do a fab job of tying the ribbon bows... :)). Never missing to check that each package has the thank you card attached...

... as we ship packages out ... I am reminded ... that there are a bunch load of us ... starting from my vendors ... to my delivery boys ... to my domestic help ... to the shipping guys ... their absolute unshakable trust in me and your confidence in my line of products ...

... here's to a great start of my venture ... thankyou for all your support ... and making it so exciting. Please do feel free to share your thought here ... would love to hear from you.

Lantana Mera ... Hmm... hmm... lantana mera ... ;)

2011-08-09T11:11:00.000+05:30

Only a gardner with a pocket size garden like mine ... will feel the joy I feel ... :)) . A mix of emotions, won't let me junk the trimmings from the garden ... "find a pot ... find a pot ...quick " ... lol. Even Lantana ... looks beautiful.
As a lil' girl ... I used to love plucking loads of these and get them home,and they'd be arranged all over MY ROOM ... ;) ... in just about anythig that would hold water ... guess some things never change.

Crafting Kantha ... :)

2011-08-07T17:38:00.001+05:30

My readers who know me ... can easily guess ...' I died ... :) ... went to heaven and came back ' ... and while in heaven I had to wait for this shipment headed to Australia to get packed ... damn ... I do fall for pieces I can't get ... believe me I tried every trick in the book to get this one piece in hot pink ... :(

O.K, Rajee so what really happened. Well ! I went to my Kantha lady ... :) ... and I really did not mind waiting for her to finish her consingment headed out to Australia , what better excuse for hanging around all those beautiful thingies... ah! but that thing about hot pink Kantha stole ... all true ... :(( ...

there is a ... something of a cross between a kitty party and assenbly line work happening here ... one is giving the final nips to all the knots ... other checks the edges ... yet another ... stitches in the brand tags ... and the final one guns in what are probably the price tags ... the muscle man ( not in the picture ) ... packs zips and ships ... how more organised can it be ...

... these are women from Bengal ... they live as a family and do some of the most amazing Kantha work ... what I loved were the kantha work on silk ... an Indian saree gets transformed with simple kantha work ... but mind you, very intricate and spaced very close ... and there you have stoles and dupattas that are heavenly creations. You won't be wrong, if you think I am all dizzy with the beauty.

There is also a loom in the background, you can see ... and they create lovely jamdhani textiles on that ... some sold as is and some that get worked on with the Kantha stitches.

Here , is a bedspread ... getting the finishing touches ... as the work is done on the textile ... loads of knots are left all over the pieces ... because of thread ends ... these ladies then sit down and painstakingly trim each piece.

Aahha ! ... don't miss that smile she is trying to conceal ... :)) ... she loved being photographed ... real sweethearts ...

... if you own pieces, machine made and embroidered ... sure it has its own beauty and finess ... but the gorgeouness of a hand made piece is to be held and felt ... the slight imperfections ... because, not a machine ... but the hands of a craftsman made it... that adds ... aaaa ... something very special ...

... as I see these women painstakingly work away in their own world ... can't deny ... HANDMADE ... just gets a special place in my heart ... :)
Next time you hold a handmade piece ... feel it gently ...you too will feel the hands that worked on it and made it look so pretty that you wanted to hold it ... it surely has to be about that human touch ...

... sorry about the shaky picture here, but had to share with you my loot ...

... this wine color bedspread ... wooooow! ... and you'll get to see more of it here soon ... :)) . And i promise not a shaky picture again ... ;))

If you are interested in getting to know more about Kantha pieces I stock ... feel free to write in at rajeesood(at)gmail(dot)com ... we are open to export enquiries ... and retail orders... :)
I really hope you enjoyed a beak - a - boo ... into an afternoon out with me ... :)

This and that ... :)

2011-08-06T12:02:00.001+05:30

For a very special customer, we have been working on this tray ... were perfecting the distressed look ... Sweet heart, will mail you the detail pictures and hope you love your pieces ... :)

... also, in the process of reproduction is this tray ... inspired by my antique, oriental tray ... which you may have seen in, innumerable photoshoots of mine ...

... yep! ... this one here ... it has gotten soooo much attention and interest and admiration and I could even say close to a fan following ... that I had to try a reproduction ... :)) ... I am glad to say we are almost completing a success story here ...

... so for all of you out there how loved and enquired about this piece ... your wait may just have gotten over ... I have yet to add it officially to the inventory for the online store ... but we are very much open to anyone wanting to place orders.I hate waiting myself...won't put you through that ... ;) ...

... so this happens to be my carpenters workshop ... not mine,I just have my pieces crafted out of here ... :)) ... this mirror ... loved it ... I am still deciding on the finish ... its like being given a single bar of chocolate and told to figure out ... want to bake with it ... make mousse with it ... sauce it ... or hell ... just eat it ... ;) ... yep! I am so temptted to just forget about the shop and take it home ... :)) giggle... giggle*

Standing it up with the ... very baroque ... looking console ... hmm ! ...

... the details are very interesting ... I feel here is were things change ... if you don't like a particular style ... which many people say about carved pieces ... it is getting to understand the design details ... loving the work that the craftsmen put into it ... and getting to know the history behind the work ... that gives you a different perspective to those pieces ...

I really hope you enjoyed some of the pieces we are crafting ... if you have any suggestions about the finish ( help me lord) ...and would like to say ... Hey ! Rajee you could try that ... feel free to leave me a message here ... or mail me @ rajeesood(at)gmail(dot)com ...

A big thank you to all of you who have been leaving me awesome comments... and compliments ... I sure feel like I am riding a jet propelled rocket these days ... ;)) ... super enjoying zooooooming around with a new enthusiasm ... revitalised energy ...

MERCI !!!

Thankyou Femina ... :)

2011-08-03T10:15:00.000+05:30

Thankyou Femina. It is really wonderful that Femina in its relaunch campaign is spotlighting on the the changing roles of women.And in focus are a few of us blogger women.
I am completely bowled over with what they had to say about their new campaign ...
"For all the women you are" Femina's new brand campaign, we have chosen to put the spotlight on the modern Indian woman's expanding roles & changing equations at her Home, Workplace, Social space, Personal life & the Online space.

She is the Princess of all things -Shoes, She is Nobody's fool, She is the Wizard of Odds, She is the FeminaWoman!
Here's a video shot by Anurag Basu, featuring Kalki Koechlin celebrating the relaunch campaign. http://www.facebook.com/feminawoman?sk=app_238877759476704

Its kind of nice ... I'm sure a lot of women out there will agree with me... "I like the different roles I play in life ... I like that life has different options open for me ... I like the way my family understands me and supports me ... I feel happy being me.And I am sure that makes my family so much happier and healthier. I love my freedom to be ME ."
Being the Femina's Blogger Bee ... Home Decor ... is really awesome. Thankyou Femina ... :)

Shopo.in ... when you want to follow your heart ... :)

2011-07-24T15:24:00.001+05:30

You have to understand we are a generation, that had to rebel and put up a fight to follow our hearts ... I had an all out rebellion against my Colonel father ,when I declared my MBA plans shelved and Interior Design school admission form was on the table... where he had to sign. Aaaah! all hell had broken loose ...:)... I can laugh about it today ...
But when I see Krithika and Theyagarajan ... I feel a common bond. Follow your heart ... and these two sure did ... and guess what came out of that ... www.shopo.in.

Krithika Theyagarajan
Their online store is a platform for some amazing designers emerging in India today.... and most of them again ... people following their heart and dreams... :)

Aarohi ... from Bangalore, Vineeta from Mumbai ... , Kanika from Pune ...

Artesania by Carmina Fernandes ... is all about rural women creating beautiful handcrafted pieces.

Here's a beautiful picture of Carmina with the womenfolk crafting their beautiful pieces ... :)

Varnam has a contemporary take on some unique traditional products ...

I am a big fan of Kanika's products at Anek Designs ... find them at shopo.in ... too

In ... love with the seashell jewellery by Salonee Gadgil ...

Also at shopo are designers like Abhilasha Jain of MishMash Design ... loads of new stuff arrives and we are introduced to many more designer ...

So here's to Krithika and Theyarajan ... whose, Shopo.in takes care of everything else for you as a designer ... so that you have more time to do what you really would love to do ... Design .

And for bringing into our lives handcrafted gorgeouness like no other online store has done before.

So incase, you aren't quite done your shopping for the day ... pop over to www.shopo.in ... you are sure to find something else you'd want... ;))

Office chair update... :)

2011-07-22T16:16:00.000+05:30

... the chair is all ready... so heres sharing someupdates, with you all ... do ignore the curtains in the background ... we are still to get there ... :))

... I would have normally gone in for the plain fabrics and then added a brighter cushion or some accesory ... but this time I picked this printed one from fabindia ... more about the background of this fabric in a future post ...

before after

and this is the taadaa ... moment ... There is a lot to be put together before the whole room comes together ... and I'm on to it ... but at least I got basic working essentials now ... :)) If you know what that feeling is like... :)

At the workshop ... :)

2011-07-16T11:51:00.001+05:30

Here is what we are upto at the workshop. A table for my office space at home and the chair too ... this is something that has been long over due ... :)

I am completely in love with the table ... the detailing on the legs and side panels ... just enough not to be too loud. He chair all ready for upholster to finish his work.( ah! that lavender color is the foam )

... I am experimenting with the bare ... just waxed look with this piece. If you notice in this picture ... the top is yet to be waxed ... but we tried the look first on the carved panel. Once the surface has been prepared and sanded ... the details cleaned up a bit more... the wax is applied. I was quite anxious. Its quite one thing to want to experiment ... and you really do want it to work out the way you imagine it to finally look ( doesn't happen all the time) ... and I hate that feeling in the pit of my stomach when I know its not working out and I need to rework .... aaah!... but this time ... I like what we have done so far ... the moment the wax is rubbed in and buffed up a few times ... the same unfinished surface begins to look finished. The color of the wood remaining unchanged ...

... if you are a deep polish prefering person ... its a moment of, sooo ... did anything happen ... ;) ... it did ... very softly and subtly ... it did ... compare the first image ... with the image above and then ... the image below...

... I love the soft look of the wood ... the grains showing through ... I thought about giving it an aged patina ... Ahhhhmmm !... may be with some other piece ... this one I like just this way ...

... a tiny thing that is ofcourse, bothering me ... that the top is veneer ... and somehow edges of the veneer don't take wax the same way as wood does ... so the last time I was at the workshop ... the line of veener top was nagging me ... today we need to find a solution to that ... I know it won't be a biggy issue ... but I hate that nagging feeling of not being 100 percent satisfied ...

with the monsoons playing tricks I better finish the polishing job on the chair ... and please God! tell me the upholsterer is at it while I write this post ... or else ... grrr! ... well ! let me be honest ... they rule ... Rajee Sood will have to smile and say ... bhaiya please jaldi kar do na ... ;)

:) ... I am pretty sure at some point or the other you would have shared my sentiments ... ;))

P.S - Incase you liked this table ... we have another piece all ready (though unfinished as far as the polish goes) ... we can accomodate your finish requirement and yes! we can work around the shipping factor ... incase you live out of our NCR region. E-mail me at rajeesood@gmail.com to know more about the price and details of the piece.It can be great as a console or a sofa table ... :)

Are you up to voting for me ... ;)

2011-07-14T10:49:00.001+05:30

Prismma, the interior and design, e-magazine ... not only announced their Stylish Home contest last month ... but guess what , Wooo hooo...! I got invited,to be part of it ...here's sharing with you all... that I am full on, part of the Indian homes across the globe that have found a feature in this contest ...
So ... ???...are you voting for me :):) ...??? :))... COME ON... , what's the fun in a contest,if there's no cheering and voting ... ;)
I sure promise to be a very sporting loser if I have to be and pretend let the best entry win ... but while it is still on ... HELL!!! ... come on vote for me ... that's what friends are for ... :):) ... Right ... :)
The rule book says ... you spread the word around ... share it on Face book ... mail it to your friends(make them vote for me too ;) ...) ... and follow the link ... leave a comment( you have to do that) and vote for Rajee to win.
... weee hee ... that simple eh! ... :)... so here's the linky ...

http://www.prismma.in/2798/rajees-stylish-home/

Hey ! and age no bar ... SOOOOO... ;);) ... VOTE ... VOTE ... VOTE FOR ME ...
.................gosh! do I love this ... :):)............... ;) ... Big Thankyou's in advance ...:)

In love with green ...

2011-07-05T13:55:00.000+05:30

... there is something about green ... for me there isn't a more magical color ... always gets me feeling upbeat .... an extra zing in my life .... this patch especially ... just outside my house.Our canine kiddies have a ball here ... my girls , Aimee n Sofiee and their gang of Ruby... Scooby ... Jerry... Jenny... Doginder ... Maverick ...Boozo and Bozo. Ah! ofcourse ... Ladoo and phew! quiet a few more on the list ... have many fun mornings running up and down the length of this patch ... :)

... this particular quite moment ... as I walked with just my camera ... lil' Sikander the Beagle was having some good fun with his handler ... guess green magic works for all of us ... no matter the species ... :):)

About flowers and collecting ... :)

2011-07-02T13:16:00.000+05:30

... the thing about flowers at home is ... the casual and easy arranging ... and each of us, sure has our own style for that. The stiff and starched look of the flowers that the flower vendor cum florist did for you ... ah! makes me break out into a crazy itch ... ;)... fix those flowers itch ... ;):)

... since I had been ruining a lot of my glassware with water marks ( happens with the Gurgaon water atleast). I finally bought myself some simple glasses to leave flowers around the house ... believe me it is so much fun and less guilt about having to deal with the stains latter ... :)

... infact lil' flower glasses on my coffee table always make my collections look pretty too ... and talking about collecting ... my latest love is tiny bowls ... and added to the old brass and enamel ones are these new handmade ones from Turkey ... incase you haven't alreay seen them ... drop by at Tarini ... you are sure to fall in love with their collection ... I did ... :)... aaaannnddd ... nopes all their selections are not on the net ... so, incase you want to have a looky ... check out their stores at Delhi and Gurgaon ...you'll find the address on their Facebook page here.

Organising with a bit of a pizzaz ... :)

2011-06-20T12:50:00.000+05:30

... getting organised shouldn't have to be boring and a matter- of-fact affair ... a bit of unpredictability makes it quite fun ...

... seeing something you did not expect makes it interesting ... if you are getting as bored as me of the things around the kitchen ... may be you ought to let those twitching figures work a bit of magic in the kitchen ... Oh! I'm not talking about cooking ... :):)

... do stay tuned for more stuff happening on the kitchen front ... I'm all in the mood for the makeover ... o.k so its going to be a very cosmetic makeover ... never the less I need a change ... I need my kitchen to inspire me ... and excite me ... boring kitchens are such a put off .
Are you also having... Oh! I'm so bored of my kitchen moments ... :):) ... join the club ... ;) and feel free to share your thoughts ...

Ah! the things novice do ... ;) my old work pictures ...

2011-06-15T23:27:00.000+05:30

...sooooo, incase you are giggling at the pictures ... come on ... I was only 23 ... a yr. out of design school.and this was one of my first projects ... it taught me a lot ... including the fact that when s#@* hits the ceiling ... its still gotta be you whose going to clean up ... yep! in lot of ways made me grow up ...

... a picture that'll stay in my mind for as long as I live ... the very first terrace I designed ... sure I was just the junior designer ... but the big guys at work helped me out in crisis and let me walk away with all the accolades ... ( so I was the baby of the office) got away with a lot stuff that could have other wise got me fired ... ;) ... Ah!and did I mention this terrace was on the 5th floor ...

... this was the area opening up to the terrace garden ... please don't ask me why that dining ... the client freaked out over wanting a low table and the photograper discovered the new addition of the chairs ... ;) ... well ! ... :):)

... would you believe me, painting that entrance door red and designing those iron grills was a lesson for me ... 'sweetheart ... no free hand sketches when dealing with guy who'll be making your pieces... design ... measure and specify ... or be ready for goof ups' ... courtsey my architect/designer friend ... sure she's reading this and gloating ... ;) ...

... my boss one day took me to the stinkiest slum ever and introduced me to a guy who carved out grinding stones (our kitchen variety) ... his words ... "oh! you have those stepping stones planned out in that water body ... and that water fall ... well ! I found you the perfect solution ... use the stones this guy carves ,tell him what you want and you'll be fine with that design concept of yours ... " , 'who MEEEE !!! tell him ... you kiddin' I have no clue what to do MYSELF' ... after getting out of there ... throwing up a few times ... crying my eyes red and puffy ... and still no more help coming forth my way ... I did it... :) ... couldn't locate the picture of that waterfall we managed out of the grinding stones ... but you can see the stepping stones ... which refused to set in cement ... ;);)

... after the project was ready to be handed over ... this window was my fav. spot ... it looked on to that lil' pond out side ... lined with gorgeous petunia and palms ... and two waterfalls making that sound we all fall in love with ... :):)

Sure when you look back at the projects you did a couple of years ago ... and you go ... eeeeks ! I couldn't have done that ... (I do that all the time) ... but now I realise ... what I am today is all because of what I got to do all those years ago... sure I'll be yikes! ... and eeeks! in afew years ... about a lot of things I do today... :):)... but its all fun cause I still love doing this stuff ...

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my novice days ... sure go ahead you are free to eek ! and yike ... ;):)

A simple home solution ... messy garden hose finds a home ... :)

2011-06-15T09:03:00.000+05:30

...I feel in love with this cast iron tag at the most unlikely of places to find it ... :):) ... at a road side market ... that sells many such things for a steal . Basically what they are, is just discarded / rejected / or just last season samples and seconds. And yep! mostly meant for the export market...

... o.k so I loved what I saw ... loved the finish and it looked worn out ... love that patina too ... :):) ...

Hey! do I have a solution to a problem that has been nagging me for a while now. So the ssue is my hose pipe in the garden ... looks super ugly are strewn across ... and I have not been able to think of a neat solution to put it away ...

...ah! that pile is a neat look ... believe me it gets worse on a normal day ... ;) ...

...not anymore ... :) ... all organised and completely off the lawn ...

... its sure fun to find simple organising solutions around the house ... helps keep you focused on the look you are working to create . And making sure clutter doesn't ruin all the beautifying projects ... :)

Would love to hear your thoughts about how organising works for you ...

Color I am enjoying ...

2011-06-07T23:32:00.000+05:30

via Lonny mag
I am completely ready to paint my home ... and I keep toying with the idea of walls of deep-deep-deep color ...that is until the family vetos my ideas right out of the window ... yes! I am the minority vote. And I am begining to realise , that the only time I seem to be getting things my way are the times I pull a fast one on them ( a fast paint job before they get home ...;) .... )
Well! its real late in the night , and I am sooo loving the color on these walls... ah ! come early morning I will start thinking of how to play the game on them again ... :):)
Please people wake up I need something other than walnut polish and cream walls ... ;):) ...
Now I wonder if you too have to play hooky with the boys at home ... to get them to tow your line ... gosh ! in front of daddy even my lil' girl sings his tunes ... grrr! ... :):)

A table vignette ... and a gorgeous find for my store ...

2011-06-03T09:58:00.000+05:30

... can't help doodling around the house ... :):)

...there is something about creating table vignettes ... the very same pieces come to a whole new life ... and if your table vignette has gone old ... theose same fav.pieces start to ... eeeek! ... you out ... :)

... while I sit on the sofa and click away ... can't help also including a gorgeous find for my store .... ;):) ... believe me I am as excited as a baby ... figuring my way around ton loads of things I never thought I'd have to ... but ... its so much fun ... besides family visiting ... summer vacation in full swing ... I am all into photographing the pieces you'll see on the online store ...

... this beauty was a stunning find at one of my vendors ... a middle eastern coffee pot ... its called a Dalla ... read more about it as it comes up for sale on the store ...
it is a vintage piece ... the bottom even showing the years of brewing on a hot bedouin fire ... if you are looking for a collectible piece ... this could be adorning your table soon ... just stay tuned ... :):)
Had to share a bit of what's been going on in my life at the moment ... cause I haven't been getting enough hours of the day ... and I know a lot of you are wondering where I disappear ... Thank you all for all the lovely comments you have been leaving me ... hopefully when the summer vacation ends and the schools start ... I shall have my world back in order ... I am so sure loads of you mums are nodding ... I know you all understand ... :):)

the bird paintings of Shuvaprasanna Bhattacharya ...

2011-05-20T11:07:00.001+05:30

www.indianartnouveau.com

We were at an art show ... a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore ... it showcased artists from the Bengal school / the Bengal style. It was here that while I was not intrigued by most of the art work ... this particular piece was very fascinating .Now believe me... I am not into collecting owl art (my brother is)... but I liked this work ... turns out it is by Shuvaprasanna Bhattacharya ...

www.tehelka.com

... he is a senior artist from Kolkata ... and his works feature in almost all the major art galleries in India. He paints subjects realted to his native kolkata and these birds are part of a lovely series by him.

... he seems to be big time involved in the Bengal politics ... but I have to say I love his work as an artist too ... his pieces by no means are inexpensive ... be ready to shell out a lakh plus .. :):) ... for the acrylic on canvas ... though I have seen the ones on other mediums being a lil' less expensive ...

www.artchill.com
... here is the artist himself with one of his work ... he is an artist who believes in the universal appeal of art ... not something bound down by regionalism or themes ... his bird s definately go by what he believes in...

mixed media on canvas available at www.saffronart.com
... he may be a man surrounded with controversies and politics ... but when you walk into an art gallerie ... his birds will make you stop and take notice ... Read a lovely article about him here to get to know more about the life ofthis great painter
Hope you enjoyed a bit of Toohoooot time ... with me getting to know the works of another acclaimed artist of India ...

Just a few B'day details ...

2011-05-19T11:56:00.000+05:30

... once you've thought over your colors for the party ... the fun starts just about then ... its getting the lil' details to have a hint of your colors that pulls the whole room together ... in my case the party fav.'s are a big way of adding that color element ...

... one year , we hung ribbons from the chandelier and just stapled lil' paper hearts in two shades ... randomly ... suddenly the kids had a lot of interest in the chandelier ... :):)

... if you are like me and get put off by the typical b'day store shiny mickey mouse or princess on just about everything and claims of pulling your theme party together ... well! ... what do I say ... loads of triangles stapled on a ribbon and wala!! ... you can't go any more personal ... infact tiny fabric pieces are even more adorable ...

... well! there's my two cents on making your do's a lil' more intimate ... making them more about you and boldly telling your guests you cared enough to go this far ... believe me they never miss the details ... :):)
Its a lovely feeling to walk into a party and see that the hostess cared to go that extra mile for you ... :)

Crazy month of May ... :)

2011-05-17T17:23:00.000+05:30

so I designed the tutu for my lil' girl ...;) ...I was a wanna be fashion designer once... :)

I have loads of e-mails ... facebook reminders and comments ... for missing out regular updates on my blog ... the honest truth is ... every year, around this time.. ( and this is just how it will always be) ... cause it is a real- real and I mean it when I double emphasise it ... really crazy time in our household ...
It was Sarah's B'day mid month and the tom-tomming about it starts early ... that's when my tensions soar high ... and I wake up in the middle of the night imagining lil' 5 yr. olds hate me for a lousy party. ... come on seriously... ask any mom of lil' 5yr. old's ...

packed and ready to be shipped out to the clubhouse

I always want to take pictures of the entire setup ... once things have been designed and the styling for the final look is complete ... Aah! dear me ... do I speak of a picture perfect life ... that's not how it really happens does .. it ...if you are going solo ... its crazy at the last minute ... the cake needs to be fetched ... its scorching hot outside it could melt ... the extra hands are not on time ... oh! this year the balloon guy almost stood me up ... #*!@*#% ... :):) ...

ready with my flowers for the tables ... God! save them from the scorching heat

... so no matter all you plan the ... last miutes are all crazy pulling the whole thing off and I miss out having someone photograph it for me. Luckily this year a dear friend helped me with the kiddies at play ... pic's .... but the MY KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHY ... sigh ...
But never the less ... I am really inspired by one of the readers who wrote to me saying she loves to refer back to my blog everytime she plans her parties ... well ! how about it ... in the next few posts I want to share with you my two cents on some quick party styling for kiddies ... Oh! if not for the dead line ... I'd say I love doing those crafty lil' styling ideas ... plus I'll share with you some of my fav. party blogs to refer to when planning your next party ... hope you'll come back and join me ... and yep ! I'd for you to share your fav. lil' tricks for the parties ... leave me a note and I'd absolutely love to hear from you...

A short and sweet makeover story ... :):)

2011-05-03T12:34:00.000+05:30

I have been settling my books in ... some shelf designing could sure help ... and as I potter around ... I remembered these old frames my co-sister and I picked up in Ajmer. All striped of paint ... and dirty ... but we both fell in love with the metal work ... it has that feel of genuinely-crafted cast iron frame and not a cheap rip off ...

.... and what is a lil' bit of cleaning and some gold spray paint (remember the one I used here) ... well! how about, quite a happy and sweet makeover story ...

... what am I doing with the shelving ... :):) ... another post I guess ... but one thing is for sure ... every once in a while we can all do with some pepup projects ... I like some instant fix kinds ... ;) How about you ... :):)
Hope you liked another lil' story about what magic some lil' projects can do ... would love to hear what you think ... :):)

Plump and fluff is pretty ... :):) lumpies are only excuses ...

2011-05-01T01:59:00.000+05:30

www.degournay.com
... you ever wondered why your lovely cushion ... your gorgeous sofa ... and your stunning bed you just bought... never look as pretty in your house as they looked in the store ... well! some times ... the answer is as simple as the lumpy cushions ... FLUFF them up ... :)

... somehow they do work magic ... a lot many believe that the fluff is just the stuff of new look and then its all about lumpy looking thingies ... infact ... it shouldn't have to be that way ... a regular fluffing up of your cushions will keep them looking nice and perky...

ada and darcy

... I love the bright and cheerful ( very infectious) ... cushions I see over at the blog ... Ada and Darcy ... its fun to just pop over to their blog and wonder about any new additions to their cushions ...

ada and darcy

... and its not just the bright and colorful fabrics ... but reading their blog ... I am completely sold to the idea of mix match cushions ... and I mean completely ... :)

So honestly, unless there's a particular look you are going for (excuse me???... ) .... there are no two ways about it ... your furniture either does not need cushions ... and if it does ... then cushions are meant to be plump and fluffy ... or its that time ... when you go chuck-chuck and then go shopping for some pretty new ones... for your gorgeous home ... :)

... there I said it ... :)... incase you couldn't quite figure out what was missing in your home ... its just that good ol' plump and fluff ... and just in case you still have some questions bothering you ... leave me your thoughts in the comment section or feel free to e-mail me ... and since you are stepping out to get some newbies ... pick up a few extras ... oh! yes ... they always come handy ...:):)

Time for some thankyou's and .... :):)

2011-04-18T12:46:00.000+05:30

Some of the last few posts have been so amazing ... I can hardly believe myself ... and I know that I have a lot of you for ... reading my blog ... enjoying the posts ... going click-click ... and leaving me such amazing comments ... the responses I got ... here on the blog ... the Facebook ... the Facebook Fan page ... are sooooo rewarding ...

... THANKYOU ... to all of you who joined in for the Tea Party ... it was good fun to see everyones version of our common passion ... Tea ... :)

And while I am here at the Thankyou Land :) ... I also want to thank all of you who have been soooo enthusiastic about my textile pick for Spring .... I am completely overwhealmed by the response I have received from all of you . TO those of you who have received your pieces ... I hope you love them as much as I do.And for those of you who are waiting for your pieces to arrive ... I hope you'll enjoy them .

The beautiful words ... I have been sent by you are encouraging beyond imagination...

... I hope you'll all enjoy the soon to be launched online store of mine ... a very exclusive selection of my picks ... :):) ...

... Took these pictures for my article on whiteware for the March issue of Page7seven Magazine ... hope you enjoyed them .... :):)

Happy Baisakhi ... :)

2011-04-13T08:03:00.001+05:30

via punjabiboliyan.blogspot.com

Harvest festivals are universal ... happiness is genetic ... sharing is natural ... Wish you all a VERY HAPPY BAISAKHI ... :):):)

Tea with my friends ... a sweet dreamy afternoon ... :)

2011-04-01T07:39:00.001+05:30

''... Lets have a tea party like the grown ups do ... we'll have the finest tea and fancy cookies too ... we'll go around the neighbourhood inviting everyone ... lets have a tea party ... won't it be fun... '' won't that inspire you ... its one of Sarah's songs I stole ...;);)

... and yes, this post is completely dedicated to all my readers who silently enjoy my blog ... THANKYOU SO MUCH ... and everytime one of you gets inspired to leave me a comment ... believe me ... like I said in my last invite post ... it is really a ''Oh! my Gosh I never knew who all are reading my blog '' ...

... I am a through and through romantic ... and I do love going over the top in doing things ... and for celebrations I even enjoy being impratical at times ...:):) ... Aaahwww! come on ... one life to live ... :):)

... so even though my garden was not all pretty and perfect ... moment the flowers began to bloom ... I had to do this post ... I sooooooooooooooooo enjoyed it ... and my kids ( who finally actually had a tea party ... complete, with "can I have a spot of Tea ,please" ... oh! those lil' Tinkerbell's ... :)) ...

...here is my version of a dreamy tea party in the garden ... a lot of matter of factly people say ... aaaah! is it really practical .... ssssssh! ... :):) ... it doesn't have to be ... lets sit ... lets talk ... long sweet nothings ... lets have tea ... and lets forget the rest of the world for the moment ...

... so how long do you think setting up this table setting in the garden took me ... aaa! any guessing ... :):) ... how about all of 15 min.'s ... seriously no goofing around ...

... pull out your tea service ... mix match ... co-ordinate ... it 's a lot of fun... than ... a perfectly matched everything ... I even layered the table covering ... the uneven folds ( I love doing that ) ... especially tissue and organza fabrics can really add the lovely waves on your table if you sort of ... pile them on ... :) Plus the transparent-sheer fabrics over any table cloth ... Hmmm ! feels fun to do ... :)

... pansies ... a lil' additions out of pure whim ... and right out of my garden ... ( are you thinking my garden is loaded ) ... ;);) ... hell no ... just these few and some baskets of petunias ...

... If you enjoyed being over for tea with me ... I am going to wait to hear from you.Don't be anonymous any more drop by and tell me more about you... here's inviting you over and excited to hear from you.

For all my blogger friends ... here's inviting you all to join me by linking in and lets spread some fun over tea time ... ;)

Lets have a tea party ... ;):)

2011-03-24T19:26:00.001+05:30

I have been realising this ... there are loads and loads of blog readers that I have no clue about. Everynow and then a post of mine touches them in a special way and I get to hear from them ... and how do I react to all that ... "OH! my Good Lord! ... and all this while I had no clue you were reading my blog".
And what do I get to hear from those amazing readers of mine ... well! the most beautiful and touching e-mails and comments ...
So to all of you out there ... who for all this time have been silently reading and loving my blog... this is for you.I am having a tea party and I am inviting all of you. Join me here, on this blog ... come share your self with all the other ... I really would love to hear who you are and what you feel about my blog. And while you are here hope you'll enjoy some inspiration for a tea party. I am hoping there'll be a lot more than just Rajee Sood ... talk... ;)

Cause guess who else I am inviting ... all my blogging friends :):)

... honestly, do join me and here's what I think we can do ... I 'll style the party and all the talented food blogggers ... join me with your most yumcious recipes you can dish out and bring them over to the party ... the more the links the more the recipes and more the fun ... no limit to how many recipes you link...
All style bloggers ... troop in with all your ideas and inspirations for tea parties ... indoors or out ...
You think you got tea party conversation... well! what's a party with out some good chitter chatter. Link in honey ...
I am really excited inviting you all ... so what do you all think ... are you game ... and think this could be good fun ... do leave me your comments and suggestions ... we still got some days to go ... and I would love to know what you think ... :):)
How about the whole of first week of April ... an online tea party ... with me and all my blogger friends and readers ... would you be there ... :))

You know you've got style when ... !!! ... :):)

2011-03-24T00:20:00.000+05:30

I love people who have a homes that are all about tem ... I like that kind of style ... and as I say this ... I must confess their is a certain home where I live ... that I caught a peek of... this past Christmas. I am still trying to figure out how to meet up again with the lady of the house and tell her just how much I loved her home ... It is a home where every inch and every piece of furniture spoke about whose home it is. Really, I call that kind of home a style statement.

Hmm! may be I should march upto her home and ring the bell and tell her exactly this ... :):) ... o.k ... if I muster up enough courage to do that ... you'll hear it here first ... ;)

Oh! please do stop smerking ... imagining me actually do that ... :):)

So here I am thinking ... we all have I love this and that ... pictures in our mind ... or like many of us in our style files on the laptops ... so how do you use them ... once you figured what you enjoy, do you actually bring it out in real life or let it be in those style files ... we all need to discover ... and then just do it ... so in case you are figuring out things about what's your style ... well! how about some of these pictures from my style files ...

Restoration Hardware

... if the new home you bought looks nothing like the original finishes but quite like this ... its official you got style ... :)

unknown

... if you chucked out the trend following basin and went to the ol' chap stone wala ... and this is what your bathroom now looks like ... wow ... you are way up there ...

Designer Tim Kemps London Townhouse

... forget the perfectly matched chair and dinner table ... if this is the ensemble you are working at creating ... (please call me for tea) ... you got it ...

unknown

... if this pink room is just the spunk you are all about ... and every evening you get back home ... you get a high just being here ... oh! yeah ! you got style baby ...

unknown

... soooo , in case the decor style in the picture above is not really you ... but that hot pink is another story ... and so you just went and bought ... 9413 pink silk by Asian Paints and now look what you got ... the hottest drawing room in town and with all those fluffed up cushions ... friends like me will never leave ... :):) ... Oh! you soooo got style ...

Homes and Gardens

... I can so imagine Mrs. M , walking in and giving you the third degree about ... " aachaa ab ap tote bhi aainge" ... :):) ...

But no! you went right ahead and bought that lovely vintage piece and wow! it looks gorgeous ... you got style ...

unknown

... if that's what it looks like over at yours ... and all those are frames about things you absolutely love ... you are leading the way ...

House And Garden

... no amount of Indian mom talk about us loving all colors earthy or bright ... could talk you out of it and your bedroom had to be this ... peaceful ... calm ... and serene ... cosy and comfortable ... just the way you always dreamt of it ... Boy! you got style ...

House to Home

... Ah! if all that gibberish talk about keeping the walls all whites and neutrals is soooo boring ... and you haven't felt this way like you now do ... since you painted your room that deep blue ... shubi dubi doo ... you got it too ... :):)

... so you can't help your self ... and your collections are evergrowing ... but you manage to find some place for all the new pieces ... after all they are all about what you love ... Oh! you so have it ...

unknown Steven Gambrel

... so the walls in your home are a clusters of the random things from your life ... and you just smile when you look at all of them up there ... :):) ... oh! you so know what I'd say ...

And then, if that neutral room with your fav. chest of drawers ... is something you love to come home to ... Ahem! ... :):):) ... yes! yes! ... its your style ... you got it ...

unknown

...if nothing cuts it for you like a cozy wingback and a book and some tea ... you just love the texture of that stone floor ... :) ... you got it ...

unknown John Saladino

... it your powder room looks something like this ... start a blog ... what you waiting for ... I'll be the first to follow you ... :):) ...

unknown

... so your kitchen was boring ...old ... drab and outdated ... but you love green soooo much and look now what you did ... Wow! how bloody stylish ... so where's that ol' boring kitchen you were talking about ... like ... ahh ... did you move homes ... for such a snazzy one I would ... :)

Katie Lee's bath

... ah! the crystal chandelier ...in the bathroom ... in Indian heat ... dust and temp., ... yes! yes! yes! ... 'cause I love it and I can .... weee ... I got news ... you so stylish ... :):)

Philpotts Interiors

... in India ... we all love polish ... our polish guys .. wow! they have got to be the best ... and WHAT! you went and got that antique chinese daybed all painted in blue ... and what when you get bored of it ... ;);) ...

... you got style ...

unknown

... and if you are all inspired to show your style and make your home about what you love ... and you are thinking of painting that room of yours hot pink ... I'll help ... honestly ... cause I really love your style ...

:):) ... so wheather you liked them or hate them (the pictures I mean) ... tell me how much of your self have you put out there to feel your style in your homes ... :):)

Mornings with Alyssum ... :)

2011-03-13T17:24:00.001+05:30

Usually at the florist ... roses are whats for sale and just to make your whole bunch look pretty ... they fill them up with these most gorgeous tiny flowers ... I am not sure if this the baby breath ... but I was told so.

I infact like it the other way round ... :) Funny , but the other day at the florist's ... I bought a whole bunch from one guy and then drifted over to the other guys . One of them had some very interesting flowers to use as fillers. I absolutely hsad to have them.... ahah... much to my delight my regular florist send his lil' boy running over to my car ... just to let me know ... Madam, you actually bought ghass-phuss( grass in Hindi) ... :):) ... yes, I did ... I love the way they look.Tiny , lil' bunches all over the house .... one of my fav. Sunday morning indulgence.

Its quite often tickeled my mind ... I am always sharing my fav. ways of flowers and greens around the house ... but what about yours. Would absolutely, love to hear how you love your flowers around the house ... :)

I just updated this post to correct the name I mentioned ... after a lot of to and fro with what is the right name I think th amjority vote suggests it is alyssum ... thankyou all who took the time to write in and help me figure out ... Thanks ... and no matter the name they are beautiful ... :)

I 'm lovin' this ... :)

2011-03-12T14:08:00.000+05:30

I am completely in love with this bedroom at the moment ... every other blog seems to be posting pictures from Lonny Magazine ... and I completely understand. Its a magazine ... like a breadth of fresh air. I am a big one about Architectural Digest and Veranda ... Lonny Magazine is right on that list. And you'd love it too ... check them out... here.

If it looks like a picnic ... smells like a picnic ... it must be a picnic ... what work mom... :)

2011-03-10T20:47:00.000+05:30

This is what my kids were up to while I wrapped up a photoshoot in this evening.Last couple of days have been exceptionally crazy and hectic ... at times ... anxious and sleepless ... :)But when mom puts it all together ... and it looks like what it does ... MOM! ....this isn't work ... and if you are having a picnic ... why can't I ... grunt! grunt !moan ... sigh! ... That is my lil' Sarah ... big girl Aimee and lil one Sofiee ... completely refuse doggy chow ... yuk! to all that crap! I want the stuff on that tray ... Yep! and Sofiee almost volunteering to bring it down ... :):)

I have been trying to put my next article together and this was the photoshoot to go with it ... sharing a few sneaky peaks ... but once the article is in print ... will pull out all the pictures to share with all of you ...

... while I was dead on my feet and wondering if sun God! will favour the timing of my shoot ... the rest of the household decides to go have fun at my expence ... catch my evening maid Mumtaz ... cleaning the windows and both of them taking a dig at my work ... Ahha! this can't be work ... thanks to the camera and the tripod.... makes me look a wee bit professional ... ;)

... just had to share some snap shots of what had me away from my blogging this past few days ... more soon. While I hit the sack ... dead on my feet ... brain dead ... and it is really funny at this point of the day to think after all this ... ( and I am sure all mom's who work out of home know what I am talking about ) ... if mom hangs around the house she couldn't be working ... :):)
Guess I wouldn't have it any other wayeither...:) Hope my peek-a-boo pic.'s got you interested ... ;):)

Tray Gardens ... catch my column in Page7 seven ...

2011-02-28T23:16:00.000+05:30

I started this blog ... thinking more the pictures...lesser I'll need to talk ... I do admit I love to talk ... and I can get carried away ... but I am experiencing its another thing to be writting for a magazine ... :)
Rack your head honey, come up with those pages ... phew!
Never the one to miss trying out something new ... I have agreed to pen down my thoughts for Jaya... editor over at Page 7 Seven and MediaVoice Mag ... based out of Chennai.If you manage to get your hands on one of the issue ... catch up with my banter ... yeppy yeah! more of Rajee ... ;);)
My column in the Feb. issue was about tabletap ... well ! ahem ... I like the sound of ... the Tray Gardens ... really one hell of a fav. and absolutely fun ... thingy to try ...

... I was over at a friends place sometime back and I have to admit I loved her version ... with big river rock and seasonal flower pots ... right off the nurseries ... you'd have been immediately drawn to that corner too ... :)
Would love to hear all your thoughts ... may be you are already hunting for a tray ... a platter ... so what is it going to be for you ... sand or stones ... ;)
I really love sharing my thoughts here ... and hope you enjoyed this one as well ...
Will update you about the March issue which just hits the stands ... Ah! didn't I say more of Rajee banter ... share with me your thoughts and stay tuned for tons of my banter ... ;)

Slowly but surely ... on his road to recovery ... a lil' bitty about ... Doginder

2011-02-28T10:08:00.000+05:30

an old pic ... Prerna introducing Doginder and Aimee to Bamboo shoots ... :)

We can't thank you all enough for all the prayers ... in moments of despair ... hope and prayers ... keep you chugging along...don't let you give up ... and we know that there were soooo many being sent up for our lil' boy ...

Many of you wanted to know how Chotu Singh is doing ... so I thought I'd update you of his current recovery status. Shuttling between home and hospital everyday for his doses of steroids and physio,Chotu is yet to support himself on his hind legs. Due to nerve compression he has lost the control over them ... I don't want to use the P word to state his condition ... because somehow I feel more comfortable saying he is working towards getting up and about on his legs again ... I don't know why but ... I guess its about denying and dealing with the issue ... keeps the optimism going ... ??? ... my way I guess ...

His family is working sooooo hard. It is a labour of love ... loads of labour and tons of love ... :) ... to keep those beautiful eyes twinkling and cheerful ...

His buddy Aimee is just soooo excited to go and see him everyday ... keeps his spirits high and gets him excited enough ( for sometime) to chew his fav. chewy bone ... Ah! and some bit of Pigeon chasing by Aimee also gets him to sit up ... Sofiee, his naughty buddy will have to wait a while because we want to be carefull about not hurting his backbone at the moment and Sofiee the baby that she is ... can get all excited and jumpy ... :)

It is the most amazing feeling to go and see him everyday ... thankful for all the prayers that have made sure he is with us ... his beautiful eyes slowly trying to follow Prerna's every movement ... and his blissful look when he knows Jaspreet ( Prerna's brother ) is home ...

Its a patient wait ... and we are all praying that he is able to get back onto his legs and give some more morning joggers a run for their ... ;) ... you know what ... but that's another story ...

Loads more prayers ... tons of love ... all headed your way... Chotu ... GET WELL SOON ...

The magic of gold ... ;)

2011-02-25T22:31:00.000+05:30

One of my fav. craft projects is a can of gold spray paint ... and exploring the next thing that'll look ...WOW ! all sprayed up ... :) ... seriously ... I've tried ... bug infested dry leaves of almond trees ... you can see I used those for a tablescape here ... dried flowers ... fruits ... and I have to say ... they do look nicey ... :)

... so when the good folks from Hindustan Times called up for that photoshoot and interview I mentioned in an earlier post ... I was a lil' hesitant ... honestly haven't had much going with the home projects ...

...and so to get the house ready for some good shots ... I got cracking with accents ... and ofcourse the old fav. can of gold spray popped out of the store ... :)

...this whole gold thingy with gold spray paint started quite by accident ... as a new bride ... and no budget for a home do-up ... I once used a spray painted river rock as a paper weight on all my magazines on the coffee table ... thanks to that windy apartment ... this idea has stayed with me ...

... only this time I used small pebbles I had collected from the beaches of Porbandar (Gujrat) last year ...

... oh! this big one I stole from Sarah ... Hey! nothing like a smart talking mum eh!... ;) ... uhuh ! no harm done ... my lil' girl is really happy with her gold stone (I did return it to her after this shoot ) ... what did you think ... :)

... the paint may be the same ... but the texture of the stone or the thingy you are spraying ... is a defining factor ... when it comes to the final look ...

... the cool ... magic working ... can of spray paint ... you'd actually get a whole range of brands ... the stationer's keep brands like the can you see in this picture ... but your hardware guy will have a whole diff.brand range ... and ofcourse more shades of gold than you'd be comfortable to decide between... :)

... some old ... shell plates came in handy to display my collection ... this time ...

... hope you got some idea brewing in your mind ... may be silver is the color for you ... oh! have you been thinking of covering some old piece of furniture with spray paint ... wow go for it ... of if not than hang on ... I'm sure I'll be doing some more goofy things around the place ... I'll sure give you that final push of confidence ... ;)

And I'll look forward to hearing from you incase you kind of likey some ideas here ... I sure hope you do ... :)

Please,say a lil' prayer for Doginder ...

2011-02-22T12:43:00.004+05:30

This is my Styling and Design blog ... but the special bond that I share with each one of you ... makes me feel like sharing a lil' more of my life here ... more often than I imagine I should ... in hapiness and in sorrow.

I really have no design thought in my mind as we worry over Doginder ... my dear friends baby ... and the star of our home as well. Aimee,Sofiee and Doginder are an inseparable ... three some ... all the while fighting and completely inseparable ... but today Doginder lies in the hospital fighting for his life ... having been run over by a careless driver ( who was in everyway wrong by the traffic book ... including his inhumane ... I DON"T CARE atitude ... while he drove away) ...and all this ,while Doginder was playing in the doggy area and was running with joy towards his mum.
Do keep a distraught mother in your thoughts and we all pray for our lil' CHOTU SINGH (Doginder's nick name) to come back home to us ...
Please ,do say a lil' prayer for him.

Incase you'd love to drop his mum a line ... find her at ... http://wild-word.blogspot.com/ ... sorry Prerna ... I take this liberty ... but this is to let you know how much we love your boy ... and how much he means in our lives ...

Absolutely Beautiful Things ... and A Great Good Morning !!!

2011-02-21T08:34:00.000+05:30

We all have our fav. morning blogs ... I love Anna Spiro's http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/ ...

... her shop displays ... the colors ... are my good morning magic ... she really does know how to work with colors ...

... and her lamps ... those colorful shades ... the painted furniture pieces... and my fav. oriental accents ... Oh! well I have to see her blog every time she posts ... happy and cheerful ... :) Good mornings are made of this ...:)

From the style files ... rooms in cream ... :)

2011-02-18T11:39:00.000+05:30

When I have nothing better to do ... nowhere else I'd rather be ... I love to flip through the images I save ... just lovely room ... inspiring ... points I'd like to remember ... and these are some of my fav. ones ...

Pheobe Howard

... another of my fav. and what I love about this room ... the walls don't make the room ordinary at all ... infact makes for a great frame for all the textures the designer has added to the room ...even the gold dining chairs don't appear to bold ... love ... love ... love this picture ...

NZ House and Garden

... creams ... beighes ... are known as designer fav. colors ... you seldom go wrong with them ... but it basically has to work with what the room calls for ... the way you accesorise a room is what makes the color work or turn it into a disaster ... or just that case of ... ooops! something isn't quite happening here ...

Hope you enjoyed a peek-a-boo into what's catching my fancy today ... :)

Now Retailing ... the spring cheer ... :)

2011-02-17T12:31:00.000+05:30

In case you were not sure about these gorgeous textiles now on sale exclusively at Rajee Sood ... heres a better sneak peek at them ...

... for all queries about pricing please e-mail me at rajeesood[at]gmail[dot]com ... and hope the spring is working its magic on you too ... :)

Happy and cheerful fabrics ... :)

2011-02-16T12:38:00.000+05:30

Its spring ... its spring ... never mind that rains have us soaking wet here in Gurgaon ... but thats just till thursday ... ;) ... we are all set for all the lovely sunshine and beautiful flowers all over ... and as for indoors ... bright cheerful fabrics ...

... in the market I am enjoying these beautiful pieces ... many would assume looking at the running stitch on the textile that these come from Bengal ... nopes! these are from the west ... I mean Gujrat ... ;) ...

... its quite amazing to discover that many regions in India have such stitches in their traditional embroidery work ... with loads of different names in every region ...

... these particular design come in some lovely spring -summer shades ... I got the reds and raspberry's ... but there are whites with same floral prints ... lilac/ purple ... black ... mustard ... a few shades of pink ... and I am pretty sure a few more shades I yet have to discover and fantasise about ... but these beautiful cottons are a must to check out this season.Bring in some cheer ... spring ... spring ... its spring ...

If you can't find these locally and want some help ... e-mail me @ rajeesood [at]gmail[dot]com ... would be glad to help you find out more about these happy textiles ... and you can sure be looking at some happy bedcovers ... cushion covers and for those crafty you, out there ... chop them up and what do you get ... ;) ... so get all creative and spring -summer ready ... what do you say ... :)

A Photo Shoot and a wake up call ...

2011-02-09T17:22:00.000+05:30

Past two days have been crazy ... I had an appointment for an interview and a photoshoot at home ... it was a very reluctant, yes ... because somewhere in the maze of all things we get involved in... in settling in, I let go off a lot of doing up in the house ... it was a wake up call and a great one ...

... I felt completely guilty and pathetic at the same time ... quite like the same feeling when you bake a cake and it collapses on you in the middle of the baking ... ;)

... God! I have a new home ... I have to attend to making it look all gorgeous and the works ... aaah! ... phew! ... o.k I haven't ... bet atleast some of you may share my sentiments ... :)

... its ironic ... but I actually love having guests and friends over ... keeps sloppy people like me in the check ... ;)

... it was a lot of last minute huffing and puffing ... and truck loads of flowers ;)... and the plants ...

... I really love the moment I carried the plants in ... they fit right in ...and yep! I do a load of heavy dutywork around the place ... an ex-tomboy ... there you see, that 's why ladies have big cars and not because it makes them feel powerful on the road ... ;) ...o.k so that bit is actually fun tooo ... :)

... I was beginning to get concerned about the proportion of the space ... some how all the furniture looked dwarfed in this house ... the ol' trick with oversized plants ...worked just fine ... and am I glad ... got a great deal on those palms and ... suddenly the room feels a lot more snug and comfy ...

... everthing said and done about design ... but the look is just not complete if you don't add those small details ... they are the last straw literally ... styling ... its almost as if you need those props to complete the look. In our homes ... its the lil' things that compliment the space ... and the more they have to do with you ... the more it feels home ...

... as somebody said and all design schools and pundits always preach ... success of any design is all in the details ... yep! ... it is ...

Does this post make you ... contemplative ... as my situation was ... do you love a wake up call ... I really need one everynow and then ... do share your thoughts ... would love to know what you feel ... :):)