After the storm

I had a very relaxing Sunday after a long time. Slept in, had a delicious Tandoori Chicken with Butter Sauce for lunch, a fun outing with Rishi, caught up on my blog reading followed by a brief study session. Nothing much achieved, but should we always achieve something everyday???
 

The world of blogging offers a wonderful sanctuary to me. I was going through a very tough time in my life when I started reading blogs. My very first ones were Karla's Closet and The Clothes Horse. Everyday after coming home I would rush to my almost defunct laptop eagerly anticipating a glimpse of the magical world that these girls had to offer. A few minutes each day, that's all kept me going......

 

  

  

 

I would not say I am in a much better condition now, but I am stronger and now that I blog myself it is more of a sanctuary than ever before. Many people might think dressing up in pretty clothes when you have nowhere to go and taking photos of yourself is vein. Maybe it is but those few minutes before the camera gives me the chance to be somebody else and take a tiny break from reality. How can this be wrong??

Wearing: Mandee Sweater Dress, Alloy Turtleneck, Swarovski Ring, Emu Boots, Ardene Necklace and Ardene Tights

Love

Trishna

Borrowed from a dryad

I have been obsessed with wood nymphs or dryads lately, dreaming about them, doodling them all over my notes and such, that is when this outfit came to my mind. I wish it was fall so that I would have a nice backdrop of leaves in fiery red and gold, but it is not even spring yet..................sigh.....

 

 

   

 

 

But as I was taking those photos I saw two squirrels freshly out of their homes, playing away; so I guess spring can't be that far now. Have you seen the early signs of spring yet???

Wearing: Shulami Dress, Urban Behaviour Turtleneck, Hue Tights, Vintage Boots, Danier Metal Belt and Vintage Accessories

Love
Trishna

Dare to inspire: Evelyn De Morgan

Last night I was doing my usual night owlish scouring of the web when I suddenly came across........ this painting.

A little more searching and I discovered Evelyn De Morgan, a Pre-Raphaelite artist; whose work is identified by the poetic, symbolic figures bearing a deep spiritual significance.

George Frederick Watts said of Evelyn De Morgan, "I look upon her as the first woman artist of the day- if not of all time."

She painted a lot of angelic figures which surprisingly resemble some things a bit more modern...... no???

Just kidding.....

"Art is eternal, but life is short...""I will make up for it now, I have not a moment to lose" - Evelyn De Morgan
(Victoria's Secret photo courtesy- cbs.com)

Trishna

In the memory of the martyrs

As I was rolling over in bed today morning my eyes fell on the date in the calender. It was 21st February, the language martyrs day in my country as well as International Mother Language Day.

I am really proud to be a Bangladeshi, the only country in the world where people shed blood for the right to speak in their mother tongue in 1952. It was this language movement that started the revolution which eventually earned independence for our country in 1971. No matter where a Bengali is in this world, on 21st February we can't help but wonder at the huge sacrifice that was made just so we could speak the language we do.

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 and has been observed worldwide every year since then.

With that thought in mind I decided to wear Bengali clothes in the colors that we usually wear on this day, red-symbolizing the blood shed by the martyrs, black-mourning their demise with touches of white.

 

 

 

 

This dress is very very old and has a lot of history. The top is made out of my mom's old scarf and printed and embroidered by me. The scarf and the bottoms are made out of a torn, old, silk saree of mom's and beaded by me. This was one of the first dresses (called salwar kameez in Bangla) that I designed and custom made and I only wear it on special days.

The bangles (called Churee in Bangla: Ch as in chair-u as in oooo-ee as in eel) were acquired on my last trip to Bangladesh and makes awesome tunes (tung-tang-tung) when jingled.

Wearing: Dress - Custom designed from vintage fabric, Scarf and Bottom - Custom made from vintage fabric, Bangles - Street vendor in Bangladesh

Did you know this little history behind International Mother Language Day???

Love

Trishna

I heart Etsy: Dreamy Vintage

It's time for me to feature another wonderful artist I have discovered on Etsy, Didem from "Dreamy Vintage". Didem lives in California, enjoys the sun, her family, crafting her unique pieces and has a passion for looking at things from a strange angle just like me. :) I came across her beautiful store while looking for some vintage inspired jewelery during my beginner Etsy days. One look at her collection and I was in love, ended up buying multiple pieces for myself and my aunt.

To me her pieces have a ladylike, romantic appeal with just the right amount of whimsy for it to stand apart in a crowd. I thought that her pieced captured my essence quite a lot specially this Coco Necklace. I have gotten numerous comments and compliments alike every time I wear it.

I also got my first charms bracelet from here and am on my way of personalizing it with more. I am planning to pass it onto my daughter one day.

Her shop constantly keeps getting updated with more gorgeous collections than before and keeps my ever expanding wish list from getting too thin. Just look at these beauties from her recent collection, do you not want some right now..........

 

 

Do visit her Etsy shop: Dreamy Vintage
Follow her on her beautiful blog: http://dreamyvintage.blogspot.com/

Oh and I forgot to mention the beautiful packaging she does, it's really like your birthday all over again when you get a package from her. Looking forward for more from you Didem. Thanks for letting me feature you.

Love

Trishna

I feel ........circles

Today I did not know what to wear, in fact the whole day was spent in a similar pattern of indecisiveness, about what to eat, where to go, what to do next and so forth. Everything was done in a spur of the moment way which goes against the very nature of me. But........ honestly at the end of the day when I am looking back and reminiscing, I kinda liked it.......this no sense of purpose...it made me do somethings I would not do on a regular day.

Like having a Paneer Dosa for the first time in my life alone in a South Indian restaurant.

Trying to score some unique goodies in the children's section of a store.

Trying out silly hats and giving goofy smiles for the camera.

Or just giving goofy smiles in general.
Have you ever spent a day like this??

Trishna

Wearing: Anthropologie Dress, Suzy Shier Belt, Alloy Turtleneck, Aerosol Boots, Vintage Coat

Cupid day with King Tut

Good evening everyone,

Happy belated Valentines day. Yesterday I was busy having too much fun out and about in town to be able to post. But since I am in Canada and today is Family Day holiday I am privileged to be able to spend a quality day at home, cooking, catching up on my blog reading and cuddling with Rishi. :)

This year I really wanted the gift to my boy to mean a lot more than yet another bottle of perfume, so I bought him tickets to the King Tutankhamen exhibit going on in the Art Gallery of Ontario. He was beyond ecstatic, however my biggest gift to him was going with him to the exhibit because for some reason I really do not like the way mummies look. Things you have to do for love. sighhh......

 

 

 

 

This year was also iconic in more ways than one, each year I make a huge deal out of V day buying new clothes, new accessories, going for a ridiculously lavish meal which we often do not enjoy that much after wards.  This year it was very low key. I dressed really comfortable in a vintage men's sweater worn as a dress, accessorized with the silver bracelets my boy got me from back home and had dinner at a relatively unknown neighborhood steak house. I was comfortable in my warm clothes instead of heels and a skimpy dress, felt good supporting the neighborhood business and surprisingly we did not enjoy any less.

 

Back home we enjoyed the movie "My name is Khan" by the legendary Indian actor Shahrukh Khan, which was about a Muslim man suffering from Asperger's Syndrome and his journey to prove to the people and president of America that he is not a terrorist. It was a very touching tale and brought a few tears to my eyes.

So that was my valentine's day. How was yours??

P.S: My boy and I got our names written in hieroglyphic. I am so excited to frame and hang them up and I learnt how to write in hieroglyphic too!!! YaY.

Wearing: Vintage Men's Sweater, Suzy Shier Belt, Aerosol Boots, Hue Tights and Gifted Pashmina

I heart Etsy: Sora Designs

I actually do not remember how I stumbled upon Etsy; but it was love at first sight. Everyday Etsy started taking up large chunks of my non-study (and sometimes study) time and discovering uniquely beautiful handmade pieces became an obsession of mine. I would be honest here, not all stores in Etsy have the greatest wares in them. To me it's like a deep ocean, mysterious and full of jewels, if you believe and keep trying, you will come across some lost king's treasure. OK, time to be non poetic and back to the post........

Last December, as I was searching for some unique accessories I came across "Sora Designs" on Etsy.(Some of my pieces are featured in the collage above) It is run by Yueh-Wen Chang (Wen) who  used to make jewelery for her family and friends while in grad school as a creative outlet and put her stuff up on Etsy sort of on a whim. But after a few days when the first item sold and then another, her innocent hobby turned into a creative passion and after one year in 2009 she actually left her job as a researcher in a government agency to pursue "Sora Designs" full time.

The meaning of "Sora" in Japanese is "Sky" and it is because Wen believes "Possibilities are as open as the sky". She likes to use vintage, environmentally friendly and recycled materials to use pieces so stunning that you'll want to keep them as heirlooms for generations to come. (Most favorite possession till date, the King Owlie Ring, below)

You can check out her blog: www.soradesigns.blogspot.com
As well as her Etsy store: Sora Designs

As you can see I have quite a collection of Wen's pieces, each one more unique than the others and every time I wear them I get asked at least 3-4 times where I got them from. (yes, I have a tally, LOL) So, I thought to finally share with the world my secret treasure island.  Also all items come in a pretty ribbon tied gift box.(Love pretty packaging, Wen) Below are some of her pieces from her recent collection that have a firm place in my ever expanding wishlist. (Especially the Bejeweled Bee Necklace! Hint, hint, my boy, anniversary is coming!)

Do you have a unique artist you know of, wanna share??
Happy weekend everyone.Much Love.

Trishna