Pleats are in Fashion: But For How Long ?

I thought I should make use of all the endless drafts lying with me and write a last post before leaving for India. Also this is again an outfit post as I do not have any new or finished artwork to show nor are any philosophical thoughts crossing my mind, nor has anybody or anything bothered me much which can make me vent out on the blog, plus I am in the phase of getting things in order before final packing happens...I can't begin to tell you, how excited I am :) :)

Okay,  so back to this post........Umm.. I have read many many posts talking about what will be the most in things this spring like pleats, pastels, florals, dropped hems..hmn...let me think now... oh!!!  well there is this top that has been lying in my closet from past year which I have worn many a times, which is fun and flirty and somehow has all the ingredients of the "In Fashion" outfit....BUT... I bought it because I liked it and not because I wanted to follow the "trend". The point I want to make is to not be blinded by what the commercially driven fashion houses wants to slide down your throat. Buy what you like when and when you like it and not because a fashion magazine or a blogger says that you've got to have it NOW.  

Also if you can remember, we all had worn pleated skirts as kids/teenagers and then "they went out of fashion" and we started to hate them. But now they are all back and we sort of love them again, right??? Well, the thing about fashion is that it runs in cycles, i.e what goes around comes back around. Earlier these cycles used to be very long like 70's polka dots made a come back just about recently but now these polka dots will keep coming back in a short span of time, rather I would say that they will never really go anywhere, but would be reinterpreted in one way or the other. However, they will be promoted heavily as the next "in thing" all over the internet and fashion shows at regular intervals.

So pleats are in now, it will not be so in sometime later but will come back with a bang in only a couple of years. So spend wisely and hold on to the timeless pieces.

Thanks for reading.

And yes, there is an interesting swirly fun thing at the end of this post, do watch it :) :)

Interesting GIF right????? See my previous GIF here

2 Tags, 1 Award

Last time I had clubbed 2 awards and a win in the post here. 

This time around I am doing 2 tags and an Award, actually its the same tag except with different questions.

So I have been tagged by Jen and Rads

The rules are:

1. Put the rules on your blog

2. Every person tagged should tell 11 things about themselves, answer the 11 questions asked by the one that tagged you, tag 11 other people and ask them 11 different questions.

3. Let the people whom you gave tagged know you've done so

4. Don't tag anyone who's been tagged before

11 things About Me

I love telling about myself and i have done so previously here, here, and here. So if you are not bored or are new to my blog then please go ahead and click to read ALL ABOUT ME here

Now the questions asked: I think my answers have made this post another "All About Me" Post :)

Rad's 11 Questions:
What do you like about my blog, coz I know you follow it?



• I am a new follower and and I followed you because of the variety of topics that I find on your blog.

What was the last romantic-comedy you saw?

• "Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu" its an Indian Movie

Do you dig photography, or abstract art, or both? Why?



• I enjoy both but can not look at them for hours trying to find the meaning.

Do you believe in magic?



• I hope for Harry Potter kind of magic to be real in some parallel world. In my world I do not really think there is magic as such, at least not the flick of the hand kind of magic. But then technology which is all about logic has "magically" transformed our lives... what say?

Do you think Lady GaGa is crazy?

• I think she is very intelligent. She has simply crated a niche for herself by standing out from the crowd and getting noticed.

What's your favorite electronic gadget?



• I think it has to be my Laptop as it has made my life a lot easier and by brain more attentive and aware about things around

Do you think Apple products are overrated or the most perfect examples of creative engineering ever?



• I have a Macbook Pro, I am confused between buying an IPhone and Blackberry , I think IPad is a toy and I still want to buy it. So all in all I am an Apple fan but I agree to both that Apple products are overrated AND the most perfect examples of creative engineering ever

Who's your favorite author?



• I read Fiction only and I pick a book after reading the synopsis. So no author in general can make me pick his/her latest book if i am not in the mood to read what he has to offer

Your favorite blog/website, other than mine ofcourse :P

• I follow so so many blogs ranging from Fashion to Lifestyle to Food to Art to Crafts, that it is really difficult to pick one. I other words, I am not telling what I like :) :)

Pastries or Cupcakes? Why?



• None really, I lack the sweet tooth 

What are you listening to or have on your media player right now?


• "Move like Jagger"

Jen's 11 Killer Questions

What do you like most about yourself?

• What a great question to begin with :) :) :) If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know that I am artist ( by the way, you guys have only seen one of the art forms that I practice :)) , my professional qualification is that of an MBA, I can style myself very well, I can cook good food, I have pretty balanced thoughts So, I think I am good sometimes great and sometimes amazing at all the things I do :)

The best day of your life :)

• I do not think it would be fair to pick just one because all of us have many important days in our lives which have helped us, transformed us, changed the course of our lives and in all made us happier

How would you equate life ? (As in, I equated it like this : live+laugh+love or like the pic above ;)

• I think this question deserves a dedicated post. For the time being (because I do not have time to work out an equation) I think Jen I agree with you.

Who is that one person you think is the reason for what you are today? And why?

• 3 actually: My Parents for giving the perfect upbringing, great values and best opportunities and My Husband for letting me be and helping me realize all my dreams.

From where/how do you think jealousy stems from? chuck the drama and be straight & mean.;) (You can site incidents too :)

• One is jealous when one does not have what the others have. One can live with the desire to possess something but desire to possess something that a know person has makes one jealous

What makes YOU jealous of someone? (Not to worry,we're humans ; there's no such thing as I-am-never-jealous-about-anyone! :)

• Frankly speaking when I see someone wearing stuff that I can not wear because it won't fit me, thats what makes me jealous :( 

If you were given a second chance to alter your current living life ,how different would that be from what/how you are living now? And why?

• I do not want to change or alter my current life in any which way. I am in a happy place and I would want the time and fate to follow their natural course. Although I do hope and wish that the future will always be better then today.

That one celebrity/person you would want to be, given the chance.Which one would that be?

• Karisma Kapoor. She was and is my fav :)

Red or Yellow roses?

• Red of course :) not because I am an undying Romantic but because they look better then yellow ones :)

Treasure hunt :The longest route to the treasure box or the one that is shortest but dangerous?You are provided with NO map.And no instruction is given that you'd require a gun to shoot down that savage lion.

• Well if the same treasure awaits me at the end of both the routes then I would take the longest route. I would like to play to my strengths. Taking a calculative risk is always good but hoping to beat a lion with bare hands is insane and I am not INSANE :) :)

If you were awarded 1million US$ for being ALONE for two years on a strange island ,No connection with people via any means but given all the food supply and water for 5 whole years.You are completely cut off from the world .No nearby countries. You are dropped by a charted flight. Would you take up the offer? Yes/No? Why?

• I love that my husband comes home for lunch and that we have a 2 day long weekend to spend with each other. I go back to meet my parents at least  every 6 months. I video chat with my mom and sister every other day. My brother calls me every now and then to update me about the latest things in his life or to convince me to convince my parents to let him buy what he fancies at that particular time. Leaving all this for 5 years for mere 1 million US$,  NO WAYS :) :)

The Versatile Blogger Award

While writing this post I came to know that Jen has given me an award as well: The Versatile Blogger Award. This is the second time I have got this award, so the lazy me will not write another post about this award. Please check the 7 facts about me in the previous award post here. 

Tagging
I am going to be lazy and may be lame as well by keeping the tagging open. Sorry for spoiling all the fun but right now I do not have the patience to pick and choose. Remember I am going to India and hence I have a lot of packing to be done :) :)


This post was supposed to be a quick one yet I have spent 2 hours on this.
See you later :)

India, here I come :)

So I have not been posting anything on my blog and not reading any of yours :( , hence, I need to apologize on both these counts: "I am Sorry"
Random and not so random things have been keeping me busy and life is going to get even busier in light of my upcoming India trip next week. It means a month long vacation for me :) :) and it also means further lack of posts on the blog :(  also I will not be able to read or comment on your blogs on a  regular basis :( :(
I will try to post may be pictures and all but philosophy and musings and blabber will have to wait till I get back in April. May be I will schedule some posts as well.....

Leaving you with another outfit of mine. The belt worn is same that I wore in my last outfit here.

By the way I hope you guys had a good time on Valentine's Day. Mine sure was fun with the Goodies-Bag I got and the dinner and movie date :) :) We saw "The Vow", it was the perfect movie for the day. I normally like rom-coms and not the seriously romantic flicks but this one was an exception :)

Bye!!!! Will see you every now and then :)

How to Coordinate the Colors of your Outfit

Remember this post about Colors. If not then click here and know the basics about the color schemes, or may be if the theory part bores you then first read this post which is about the practical application of all the preaching earlier and then decide if you want to know your basics :)

Now I had mentioned about Analogous Color Scheme in which harmony is created by using colors next to each other on the color wheel.

Check out the color wheel above, red and violet forms an Analogous Color Scheme. Also instead of the basic hues we can also use their respective tints, tones and shades ( for explanation refer to this post) as well to create such color schemes. This is what I have done in the following outfit.

The basic hue here is the red of my dress, which I have paired with its tint, i.e the pink shirt also I have used the next color to red on the wheel, violet/purple for my footwear and black tights and belt balance out the whole look. I hope you have understood what I am trying to say here :) :)

Also another story for the outfit is that I wanted to wear my bright red net dress in a casual way and I wanted to make use of my formal shirt as well, hence I paired them together utilizing all my resources in the best possible way :) :)  

By the way this dress is my own design and I got it made at my Mom's and mine :) boutique in India. Also its a black tie on belt that I am wearing also designed by yours truly :)

A to Z About ME

Saw this on Shalini's blog which she in turn got from various other blogs who got the idea from other blogs, so I am not sure from where this idea has originated but I think it was meant to be copied :) though I have tweaked some pointers so that I can control what I tell :) :)

Here goes the A to Z of me, which makes it one more "All About ME" post :)

• Age: 28 this May
• Bed Size: King size as husband is 6 feet 3 inches tall
• Chores that you hate: Cleaning up the house every single day, daily cooking and I do these everyday because i like clean house and good food, no matter what
• Dogs: None, not a fan of having pets
• Essential start to your day: I make my bed first thing in the morning, hate the blankets and sheets lying messed up. And both me and Husband do not drink tea or coffee so an alarm and our wills our enough to get us up :)
• Favorite Color: I basically love all the colors :) :) though I sometimes favor pink :)
• Gold or Silver: Gold I guess but it always finds its way into the lockers. Though I think ones investment portfolio should have some Gold ETFs
• Height: 5 feet 3 inches, I am a good one feet shorter then my Husband, but I like my height
• Instruments that you play: Nothing
• Job Title: Artist, Entrepreneur, Blogger :) :)
• Kids: None, others' kids look lovely, thought of mine scares me
• Live: Born in Rajasthan, lived in Punjab, married in Mumbai, studied in Bangalore now in                  Sharjah (UAE)
• Music: I like a wide variety, music know no bounds, right?
• Nicknames: Parents used to called me "Bittu" now siblings, cousins, friends and husband call    me "Pui"
• Obsessive Compulsion: To keep things in ORDER
• Pet peeves: I hate to wait, I hate unasked advice especially from relatives and many many more
• Quote: "I will not exist, I will live" I often say this and I believe it :)
• Right or left Handed: Right Handed
• Siblings: A sister who is 1.5 years younger and a brother who is 9 years younger
• Travel Destinations: I will go anywhere as long as I get to travel
• Unacceptable: Being taken for granted
• Vegetable(s) you hate: Bitter gourd, pumpkin, cabbage and I am sure there are many more but can not recollect as of now
• What makes you run late: My husband, yup, believe me when I say that he takes more time in getting ready then me, and no, he is not one of those guys who stands in front of the mirror endlessly. I am simply too fast for him to catch up :) :)
• X-Rays you have had: Chest, Back and teeth and teeth and teeth ( I had braces as a kid )
• Yummy food that you make: Everything I make is YUMMY, modesty aside, I am a great cook :) and I can make a whole range of food :) :)
• Zodiac: I am a Gemini 

You can read more about me here and here.

A Favor

Thanks to all those who have already voted for and for the others please visit this link here on Facebook and click the like button on the picture to help me win the "Best Display Competition". Its a photograph on the Facebook page that you have to like and not the Facebook page itself, so do not worry about the compulsory obligation of any sorts.

Leaving you with another outfit of mine :)

A Surprise Visit

So this weekend I had another exhibition which went pretty well, but the highlight of the day was a surprise visit from Deepa of Hues n Shades. Only a few days ago I had stumbled upon her blog and found out that she is an artist, she is based out of Dubai and she sometimes exhibits at the same event at which I showcase my Art Work. Now this was too much of a co-incidence, so I got in touch with her, we exchanged a few e-mails and were following each others work via Facebook. On Friday, a woman with her little daughter and husband walks upto me and says, "Hi! Purvi, this is Deepa", for a brief second I wondered, who could this be and how she knows me and then I realized she was the same blogger I had written to a few days back.  I was so excited and happy to meet her. A part of my virtual life was standing in front of me. This was the first time I realized that what fun it could be to meet fellow bloggers. We chatted about our work, the art scene in Dubai, her exhibitions and the likes, but in all my excitement I forgot to click pictures with Deepa :( 

Anyways , Deepa it was really nice meeting you :) :) and I will remember to click us some photos, the next time we meet. 

How have your meets with fellow bloggers gone? Were you also as excited as I am ? Do let me know :)

A Favor

I need a favor from you guys. The organization with which I display my art work is running a "Best Display Competition" this month on Facebook and my Art Space is also one of the contenders. So could you please follow this link, here, and click the like button. Its a photograph on the Facebook page that you have to like and not the Facebook page itself, so do not worry about the compulsory obligation of any sorts.

But you can definitely like my Facebook page ;)

And following are the pictures of another outfit....

Marble Cake

I am not much of a dessert person, I do not really have a sweet tooth but Dear Husband loves anything sweet and he also loves anything which has been baked i.e cakes, breads and cookies. So today while I was checking out the blogs I read regularly, I came across this Eggless Marble Cake Recipe on Prathibha's Blog. Well! I had all the ingredients readily available at home and enough free time on my hand to bake a surprise for Dear Husband who comes home at lunch. So I got going and this is what I achieved:

• A perfectly beautiful looking Cake :)
• A perfectly delighted Husband :) :)
• A perfect sense of accomplishment for Me :) :) :)

So here goes the recipe and the pictures. I am sure you will drool over the pictures and believe me the cake was soft and moist and very easy to make. So go ahead and give it a shot.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour: 1 1/4  Cups

Unsalted Butter: 1/2 Cup

Powdered Sugar: 3/4 Cup

Milk: 3/4 Cup

Cocoa Powder : 2 tbsp

Condensed Milk: 3 tbsp

Baking Powder: 2 tsp

Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp

Vanilla Essence: 1 tsp

Hot Water: 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree centigrade.
2. Pour hot water onto cocoa powder, mix it well and let it come to room temperature. I suggest sifting the cocoa powder to get rid of all the lumps.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and keep aside.
4. Cream butter ( at room temperature) and sugar till light and frothy.
5. Add half of the flour mixture and half of milk to the creamed butter and sugar and mix well.
6. Now add another half of the milk and condensed milk to this mixture, mix well and then incorporate the other half of flour mixture.
7. Remove 1/3rd of the cake batter in another bowl and mix in the cocoa powder paste.
8. Mix in vanilla essence in the remaining 2/3rd of the cake mixture.
9. Grease a cake tin or a bunt pan or a loaf tin. I used a bread loaf tin.
10. Pour in the white batter in the tin.
11. Now add the cocoa mixture in small patches and run a knife or spoon through the batter in swirly pattern.
12. Put the tin in the oven and bake it for 40 minutes. 
13. Do the toothpick test to ensure the cake is done.
14. Remove the cake on a wire cooling rack.
15. Let it cool down completely before slicing it.

My Notes:

1. It took me 1 hour to bake the cake in my oven so you will have to figure out the behavior of your oven and then progress.
2. Use a very sharp knife to slice the cake as it is very moist and soft, hence prone to crumbling down when sliced.
3. I somehow ended up having more of cocoa paste batter hence my cake as less evident marble swirls, so be carefully while dividing the cake batter.

Bon Appétit

Life is Good

                                                                          Source: gatherlove.tumblr.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Its a new month and a new day. It seems like yesterday when we were all bringing in the new year and look how time has flown, all 31 days of January are gone. A lot has happened in the past 31 days. I made a bad decision and saw the not so fruitful result , learnt a valuable lesson and now when I reflect back I see that making that decision had me eliminate a "What If" situation and thats a high priority in my life.

Another decision though on the surface looks neutral, but actually enlightened me of various possibilities as far as my Art Career is concerned.

And as the month progressed two distinct opportunities presented themselves and I am working on them with my fingers crossed.  Also I have been struck with a new idea, something unique to practice and I am fully committed to take it on.

You must be wondering why am I just giving the outlines and keeping the details closeted. Well simply because things are in very nascent stage and I will write in detail as soon as I will have something concrete on them.

I am so so excited for my plans for the next couple of months and I really hope things turn out the way I am imagining :) :)

All in all Life is Good :) :) and Life is Beautiful :) :) and I intend to keep it that way.

And this is how I dress when going out for shopping. Very basic and comfortable especially the footwear because the malls in Dubai can kill you by making you walk endlessly, hence the good old flip flops :)

That is a Pedometer. It counts the number of steps you have walked. It also shows how much handwork shopping is :)