Remember flowers from the backyard?

Hybrid Roses, Hydrangeas, Plumeria,  etc are the must haves for any flower lover’s garden today.

About 15 years back, not many of us knew the names of these exotic variety of flowers. There were another host of flowers then, which were synonymous with daily life.

Come, let us take a walk together looking out for the much loved flowers that have been growing in our gardens…, from as long as we can remember

“Kanakambaram” flowers..Commonly known as Priyadarsha in hindi. These flowers do not have a fragrance, but their bright colours made them the top contender for decorating long slender hairstyles.

In terms of frgarance, nothing can beat the “malli” or Jasmine flower pandals… Many houses have jasmine flower shrubs next to the fence or the boundary wall… the long slender stems crawl up a supporting pandal or wall, and are soon covered with dew drop like flowers. Their fragrance during the night is heavenly

“Arali” or Nerium flowers are the next… they come in pale pink or pure white colors. Long leaves and tall shrubs are characteristic of these flowers. They are widely used for pooja and temple worships.

“Shenbagam” or Golden Champa (Michelia Champaca) flowers… Their fragrance is striking and is even known to attract snakes (though not sure if snakes have noses or can smell.. I guess it is another old grandmothers tale). Yellow champa trees are more common than the rarely found white champa.

There are many more to this list. Evenings were spent in hand picking these flowers, stringing them together, and then storing them away wrapped in a damp cloth. As kids we used to look forward to decorating long plated hair styles with these stringed flower garlands

Lets hope these flowers continue to be grown in our backyards, to bring joy and dreams.

Indya Kaleidoscope

The toughest time of the year is during my sister’s birthday. Scouting around for a gift that she would like is easier saud than done. This year, I came across a Facebook post about Indya Kaleidoscope’s store at the Durga pooja celebrations in Bangalore. I decided to drop in, more out of curiosity to see how their products look like in real.

It was a small pretty store filled with interesting handcrafted goodies. Every product had a twist to its design, making it interesting and appealing in simplicity.  No wonder that it made my gift scouting easier! These are the products I bought, and how pretty they look at home:

Cotton clutch – professional looking, ethnic and pretty. They also have beautiful silk clutches. Due to my aversion to silk, I went in for the cotton ones.

Lantern diya – working miniature version of the antique oil lamps… it works perfect with oil and a cotton wick. Amazing to see how a miniature design of the rural antique oil lamp has been revamped into a classic beauty.

Idly ganesha – small, cute…  They also have a wide range of Bonda ganeshas, Balaji ganesha etc.

My sister was very happy with the clutch. Said she had long been searching for one that looked ethnic, yet professional till she got my gift. My mom has already hinted that she would love one of the lanterns for her birthday… so much for surprise gifts

More of their products that are in my Favourites list:

Buddha – a small, exquisitely carved Buddha. This was available at the fair, and was one of the most serene buddhas I have come across.

Tea light stand – An adaptation of the chai holder as a candle stand.

The Indya Kaleidoscope website has become one of my favourite haunts now. If you are interested in products that are posted here, but are not yet available at the online store, please email to indyakaleidoscope@gmail.com.

*** This post is written purely out of my own interest. No part of this blog is ever used for paid advertising or for receiving any monetary benefits.

Creative hamper

There are days when everything looks fresh and inspires the start of many new ideas. When the mind is relaxed, these new ideas lead to creative projects, like…

A cushion cover that I stitched from white mull fabric. Then, painted a picture of wet leaves and a fallen nerium flower.

A bunch of pretty and cheerful nylon flowers (stocking flowers), and a perfume bottle recycled into a vase.

A cup for holding my chillies I dried, cleaned and painted over a broken coconut for this. Seems to be a better option than the fancy plastic bowls.

Cyclones, rains and a relaxed mind… and these projects. This has been a creative and fulfilling month. Waiting for the next string of ideas