Diwali Decor: 25 Ways to Light Up Your Home

The first thing my mum does, when Diwali is just around the corner, is buy our big, fat Diwali lanterns. Over the years we've also made a few at home. One was always hung in the balcony of our apartment. A few modest clay diyas lined the windows and precisely two were kept right outside the main entrance. These little lights and a colourful large rangoli meant Diwali was here.

Now my parents live in a row house, which means many more windows and balconies. So there are three big, fat lanterns, string lights and hand painted diyas. My sister loves to do up the traditional diyas with glitter and colours. She's super at it, maybe I'll dupe her into doing a tutorial this time!

So my point is, today, none of us can get away with the simple stuff we grew up with. Too much pressure, I say. As we amp up the celebration of the festival of lights, I thought of doing a quick round-up of excellent ideas to bring in the light all through the festive season.

I've pinned 25 lovely, DIY inspirations. Some of them can be assembled in 5 minutes flat while others can keep you busy all through this weekend. From the ever versatile tea lights to bare, naked bulbs, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Head over to my Pinterest board Diwali Lights Decor to take your pick.

What do you do to light up your home for the festival?

Infectious Creativity: Art from Ben Geiger

Whenever am sapped for inspiration, I head to Society6. It's a deep, deep well brimming over with fantastic art. Just looking at the beautiful photographs, illustrations and collages opens up my mind to newer ideas and perspectives. I really love the fact that it's a celebration of so many different styles of work.

Once such blissful journey brought me to Ben Geiger's profile. His works are not just illustrations, photographs and collages but magical little glimpses of the world around us. I am hooked. And am not the only one, as the few hundred 'loves' of his work show. I've picked out some beautiful creations for you to see here, because I simply couldn't resist sharing them with you lovely people.

Now am waiting to see what this artist produces next. You can find more of his work here.

Food Photography: Great Tips from a Pro put to Use

Over the past month, I have been obsessing over the decision to buy a DSLR that I've had my eye on for a while. It's the Nikon D5100. Every few days I trundle over to the Nikon India website and wonder what is the one thing that will push me to place the order for one. And a couple of lenses while am at, I mean why not, right? Okay, the lens I start with will actually be the kit lens, but no harm in a little daydreaming...

It's not that I cannot afford to buy the camera, I have been saving up money for one. But something is just holding me back from making the commitment. Somebody (my rational voice) is whispering in my ears, what if am just another one of the many untalented enthusiasts toting a fancy piece of equipment? I have looked at some perfect, yet uninspiring stills clicked with high-end cameras and been really, really worried that I may be on the same path myself.

As always, common sense dawned upon me a little later, and I realised that I just had to believe I could get to a place where I could be good at photography. I may be far away from that benchmark yet, but I would never get there unless I tried. I have decided to take baby steps, instead of rushing head-on (which I was running away from doing anyway).

Now, I have decided to learn as much as I can both theoretically and practically. Am going to stick with my point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot for the time being. Am going to explore the several buttons, knobs and settings to see what all this little miracle can pull off. At the same time, I have begun to read up, watch videos, look at great photography and dig for pearls of wisdom from the pros.

A few days back I came across this excellent collection of tips from Penny De Los Santos on the National Geographic website - an eternal fount of inspiration. Head over here now if you'd like to learn a few interesting details about how you can bring a plate of food to life. I simply love how every picture tells a story and gives you a glimpse into a new culture. Penny has shared her inspirations and how she feels about her work giving impetus to my desire to fiddle around.

This evening, I baked a batch of banana muffins using a recipe by Kanan from her blog Spice up the Curry. My friend Bhakti who blogs at Lifestylerr.com, recommended this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I was waiting to give them a go. The only change I made to the original recipe is that used the natural sweetness of the bananas and didn't add any sugar to sweeten up the batter. My muffins came out just like freshly baked muffins should...fluffy, fragrant and divine!

Have I told you how, whenever I cook something new, I have to click pictures of it before I even try it? It is a just-in-case measure. If the dish turns out great and share-worthy, I want to share it with all of you. Must spread the love. Always.

So armed with my newly learned theory about great food photography, I got going and clicked until the sun went down. Here are the results for you to see. And judge. I'd love to know what you think.

Book Hunt Find: Home by Stafford Cliff

Have you ambled into a book shop without any particular title in mind? Just given in to the bookworm instinct, prepared to pour over book covers and blurbs, to discover a gem quite by chance? That's exactly what happened to me a few moons ago on a trip to a mall in Delhi. They (Landmark) were having some sort of a sale, and books were piled almost from the floor to the ceiling. What joy!

I pottered about and found this simply brilliant book - Home: 50 Taste-makers Describe What it is, Where it is, What it Means by Stafford Cliff. I loved the cover, the title and a quick flip through revealed that this was worth having on my bookshelf. However, it has never made it to the bookshelf since I brought it home. I love having it within easy reach just so I can flip through the pages, stare into beautifully captured homes, get lost in childhoods and the different interpretations of a home.

It's one of those books, that teach us so much about personal style, photography and the meaning of spaces we create. A home is so much more than a place to park your stuff. As my world-view evolves, I see my need for a place to call home change.

There are so many things that endear this book to me. As the taste-makers talk about their homes or special places they reveal so much about who they are, how they think and sometimes, it completely changes the way you have perceived them earlier. That is an exciting promise, don't you think?

Kenzo Takada's home in Paris

The photography is a different trip altogether. Some pictures add visual elements to enhance a narrative while some spin a new tale all by themselves. Designing is always subjective, but the sheer personality it imbibes from owners or designers is enchanting. Just looking at the pictures gives you so many ideas to transform your home into a reflection of its occupants.

Beautiful kitchens, the bottom one is Donna Hay's. So very her, isn't it?

A busy living room wall, with great character

What I have learnt, from this book so far:

1. Things that endure through the years, the many abodes and phases of your life are the ones that serve some purpose with an element of delight to the eye. So I'd suggest you don't buy things unless you see yourself living with them for a long, long time
2. On the other hand, it's perfectly okay to include a few things that aren't functional, but have an emotional connection for you. So that recipe your grandma gave you, can be printed onto parchment paper and framed to inspire wholesome meals in your kitchen 
3. Experiment, blend, get inspired by the trends and the design rules of your era, but leave some room to add your personal touches. A bottle filled with sands from all the beaches you enjoy may not come for a heavy price tag, but is a delightful reminder of fun times
4. Bring in the light, let it dance around. Most beautiful rooms become even better when you throw in a good mix of light, natural or arranged
5. Find a place for things that you love doing, make time to personalise it. Enjoy the after-effects. Donna Hay's kitchen, Paul Smith's office, Kenzo Takda's pool in his living room all inspire to carve out spaces where happiness is easy to find

I'd definitely recommend this fat little book of treasures, in case you like the stuff I've been raving about in this post.

If you have any thing to add to this list (whether inspired by this book or elsewhere), I'd love to hear about it. Share with us, your go-to inspirations for building a home that you love.

Being Brave: I will NOT be Helpless

To truly understand what this post is, you need to first watch the video at No Country For Women (http://nocountryforwomen.com/)

As I watched this video, I had several reactions - anger, frustration, repulsion, gut wrenching pain and a complete sense of helplessness. I found myself asking, what should we do? How can we change this? Will this ever change?


I was tempted to give into the powerless feeling that was sweeping over me. It is the bane of my generation, this feeling that we can't do much to change anything. We carve our lives with ambition, hard work and success, insulating ourselves from things that we have no power over. Most days the insulation works, keeping us away from the realities that surround us. On some days like this one, something manages to slice through that insulation and hit us at our soft spot.


But the answers I was seeking, were yet to come to me. Conversations with friends and sharing the link on Facebook wasn't going to cut it this time around. This wasn't one of those Social Media activations that make a dent in the shape of the problem. Something had to be done in real life, in our everyday, in our homes, offices and on the streets.


Then my friend Mou shared this video about the History of Wooing Women made by cdza and also this article written by Sarah Hepola. The comments section is particularly illuminating. All this was symptomatic of where our very 'global' culture has moved.


Today I read my friend Sonal's post about this. And she has given me the answer. The first thing to do is to stop being helpless. There is no way we can allow ourselves to shrug our shoulders, draw the dupattas/jackets/stoles closer and promise ourselves that we wouldn't be in such situations. Because every woman I know has been in this situation where men have behaved in a way that disrespected womankind.


I have been there too, and am guilty of doing nothing more but looking away in disgust. And thinking later, if only I had said something. But pacifying my conscience by thinking that there was no way they would have heard you anyway. Sometimes I've been so angry, that I haven't been able to say or do anything.


Only once have I physically reacted by slapping the first face I saw when a mob tried to grope me on a local train. I was 19 and my mom was travelling with me. The courage of the young and the fact that my mom can smack the daylights out of anyone probably made me actually take action. We travelled the rest of our journey with a imaginary body bubble that no one dared to cross.


From personal experience, I have seen that there are two things that hold us back - Fear and a feeling of Helplessness. Which is why, we must be brave, there is no other way. By pledging that I will Not be Helpless, I am making a choice, to think, speak up and do something. 


If you're a woman, I urge you to do the same, irrespective of where you live. Take control and do something, anything. Don't risk your lives, but don't be passive. Sonal's action points are a good place to start. Write about it, talk about it and, most importantly, when faced with a situation that calls for you to be brave, be.


If you're a man who believes that women have be disrespected long enough, help spread the message too.


Feel free to use the graphic above, if you'd like to use it somewhere to spread the message. No attribution needed.


P.S.: You may wonder, what a post like this is doing on a blog about travel, design and spreading cheer. But this blog is all about sharing with you everything that inspires me. All creative pieces shared above urged me to voice my thoughts to you. And I also believe that life just shouldn't be compartmentalized like that!

Infectious Creativity: A-Z of Unusual Words

I stumbled upon The Project Twins thanks to a couple of friends on Facebook. James and Michael Fitzgerald, the artists who run The Project Twins - a graphic design and illustration studio in Ireland - have a wicked imagination. Their A-Z of Unusual Words project is described thus: Bold graphics and visual wit are used to interpret and represent a collection of strange, unusual and lost words.

The one on top is a illustration of Acersecomic - a person whose hair has never been cut. The one below is my favourite, Tarantism - a disorder characterised by an uncontrollable urge to dance. I definitely connect with that one!

You'd love their entire collection of illustrations on this one - fun, quirky, solemn, dark - the whole gamut. Go check this out and also the other projects this talented duo has been creating here.

And on that note, have a groovy weekend!

Quote Crush of the Week

This quirky quote has been hand painted by the very talented Katie Gavenda as a give-away on her delightful blog Blueberry English. You can find more work by her on at her Etsy shop here.

This Time That Year: A Summer in Paris

The year was 2007. Three young students from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) were headed to Paris to represent India at the L'Oreal Brandstorm marketing contest. I was one of the three, we were up against teams from 36 other countries. This was the second time L'Oreal India was even participating in the global finals. We worked hard for six months leading up to this fabulous moment. We didn't place amongst the top winners of the contest, but we sure came away with precious moments and memories.

It was my first trip out of the country. And that too to Paris, in June. The most glorious time of the year to be there. I was so kicked on so many levels. I was there to represent my country, to make new friends, to show what a good brand management student I was and to experience a culture I had only read about in books. I was on a high, as were my team mates.

For the first time, I understood what it meant when people said diversity. Up until now, the only diversity I'd experienced was that of the geography of states and languages within India. Here, 37 countries brought people of all colours, hues and tones. Of different races, languages and cultures. Though the conclave lasted only three days, the memories are burnt in my mind's eye forever.

I made a lot of friends, some of whom I've managed to stay in touch with. Some others have faded away as part of a refreshing experience. My mind was not ready to absorb everything I saw, heard and smelled in those 9 days in Paris. After the conclave got done, we moved out of the trendy hotel the company had put us up at to a hostel on the outskirts of the main city. Clichy was far from all the important sights, and it gave us the chance to explore the Paris metro. It was lovely to hear the recorded names of stations in French, which sounded nothing like what they looked!

We took in all the tourist destinations, spent a good hour browsing through the Shakespeare Book Co.'s collection and wandered through Montmartre's alleys. This was where artists like Salvadore Dali, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh worked. I was delighted to simply walk down the same cobble-stoned roads as these artists must have ages ago, gazing upon the beautiful city that may have inspired their work. I almost wished I could have a tiny little flat and live here forever.

We had some wine on a side-walk cafe beside the Seine, walked along the river by day and cruised on it at night. The air was filled with art, music, French and style. We toured the Louvre, I ran to catch a glimpse of Van Gogh's work at a museum dedicated to him. Unfortunately, it was closed, but just outside, I met local artists and saw the work of the master replicated beautifully by them. I almost walked away with a oil on canvas, but alas, my meager budget allowed me only art prints of the originals. Sigh!

Apart from enjoying the atmosphere of the romantic capital of the world, Paris was a crash course in different kinds of personal style. Things that were on the ramps were on the streets in Mumbai too. But I had yet to see such clever mixing of colours and textures. I was a student, I couldn't afford much, but I did come away with two beautiful and surprising pullovers.Those and a couple of berets is all I bought to keep the spirit of personal style alive for me. Even if I wear them at home, they make me happy!

My one regret is that I didn't possess enough skill or capability to make the most of my borrowed camera. A cousin had lent me his point-and-shoot and now I have thumbnail sized memories to look at whenever am nostalgic.

I created this collage above by using some clever filters and effects in Coreldraw. It is a beautiful reminder of a wonderful time only four summers ago. I've made another version of the same photograph, and if you'd like to check it, you can head over to my store on Society6.com.


N and I plan to return to the city someday, together. He's done a trip with family a year after I was there, we didn't even know each other. I can almost see us walking along the quaint sidewalks and soaking in the Paris air. Of course, he will drag me to music shops. But I will tug at his arm as we cross Valentino. Who knows, we may just be able to buy me something gorgeous in Valentino Red. One can dream.

Cupcake Gluttony: Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon filling

A friend sent me a link to drop-dead gorgeous cupcakes (30 of them!) and thankfully the pictures were accompanied by recipes. The baker-writer has done a fabulous job, even though she claims to have never baked before, her cupcakes look like they belong in a cupcake shop. Her generous effort of cataloging 30 of the best recipes from friends and family is truly commendable. You must stop by here, even if to only indulge in visual gluttony of Ming's creations.

I really wanted to try out a recipe, and from the long list, I picked Cupcake 23: Vanilla cupcakes with Lemon filling (there was no way I was gonna manage the meringue frosting) based on the access to ingredients and my desire to try my hand at whisking a lemon curd. Do you follow all those heart-wrenchingly lovable Masterchef Australia series? If you don't, you must look them up. In India they are running the Junior Masterchef series, and it makes me feel quite ashamed, really. Am blown away by the sheer talent, technique and palate of the competing kids. Even though I can't taste a single thing, I can tell how delicious those whip-ups are!

Lucy, who is a third generation cake queen and all of 11 years old, was whisking together a lemony yellow lemon curd the other day. And I thought, I must try this someday. Then, along comes Cupcake 23 and I have the chance to get my wish granted. I grabbed it with both hands, put pen to paper and jotted down the recipe in my lil recipe book (thank you Hammie for the Daydreams Nightdreams notebook. It is rapidly filling up at both ends).

Here's a snapshot of what I attempted. If you read on, you'll pat my back for the delicate choice of words.

When I tried my first batch, I wanted to cry. Mine came out too short to even peek above the cupcake wrappers! But they tasted divine. So I decided to give them another go (in any case, the 8 I made vanished before you could say Jack Sparrow and my craving wasn't done yet).

No, I have no amazing story to tell of how I conquered a batch of cupcakes. The second time was only slightly better looking, however, I came nowhere close to the creation above. I bemoaned my ambitious spirit, wondering why I didn't settle for some bun-butter-sugar (which is my go-to treat in times of sugary cravings) instead. At least that looks neat and edible.

But when they taste so good, who cares about how rustic they look, right? My story does have a happy ending after all. The cupcakes came out soft and fluffy, sweet and tangy, and we all lived happily ever after. Not the cupcakes, those were gone and the crumbs were dusted.

I urge you to give one of them a go too. They look deceptively difficult, but with a bit of patience, am sure you'll manage a super yummy set.

P.S. You'll thank me someday for sharing the link with you.
P.P.S. Try to send me some, when you try any of them. I have no favourites, or let's say, they all agree very well with me!

Infectious Creativity: Pinterest Delights

If you're new to Pinterest, then let me shine the spotlight on this wonderful social sharing platform. It has tons of inspiration in the form of pictures and videos, all put up by people like you and me. You can create your own moodboards and go nuts (like I have done).

In all fairness, there is a bit of trend spotting on the agenda for about 20 of my Pinterest boards. Some of us at work thought, ooh, how do we make all this pinning of beautiful stuff legit. Bam. Our Signbanking boards were born.

But getting back to my original point, this is the place to go completely loony about everything your eyes desire. If you're a closet hoarder, you can come out to the world here. After all, you're only spreading some joy. It's easy to sign up using your Facebook profile,Twitter handle or email id. Be sure to add the 'pinmarklet' button to your browser, so you can pin all the lovable things you see from any page online.

There is some gorgeous edible art that I have been pinning onto my Tuck Box board and thought it would be wonderful to give you a peek at it. Just looking at these creations makes me pine for delicious treats.

1. Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese Mousse from The New York Times via Chloé Douglas
2. Mr. Egg from a bit of pilli pilli via Anne Louise
3. Van Gogh Cupcakes from Kate's Cupkery via Akanksha Khatri
4. Dragonfly Cupcakes from Disney family.com via Brenda McGuire

If you'd like to see the rest of the drool worthy stuff I've been pinning, just head over to my Pinterest profile.

Colour Crush of the Week: Flying Home

Find this adorable art print here.

Easy to make Flowers: Poppies

I saw these lovely flowers on Ez's blog Creature Comforts a while back and was dying to try them out. When I finally went to Mumbai in March, my sister and I picked up some satin to try our hand at all the enticing flowers we've been pinning onto our DIY boards. I'd seen the tutorial for these ones and tried them out.

Now that am back home, I made a fresh batch of two! The little one was a great accessory for my bright red saree. It made me feel like a retro film star, mostly because of my hairstyle really. The big poppy has been made for a special little girl. I just need to figure out how to get it to her now.

Go check out Ez's super easy tutorial. She's even added videos, just watch them even if you aren't making the flowers right away. You never know when you'll be in the mood for poppies too. These make excellent gift toppers, hair accessories or brooches.

I've made much flatter versions of the original design, with only three whorls, which I think look good as hair accessories. If you add your own little twist, be sure to share it with us.

Colour Crush of the Week: Inspired by Nature

Picture by Ktsarna via The Stylish Type via jessica colaluca on Pinterest

Infectious Creativity: Illustrated Bites

In a sea of beautifully styled food blogs with glamorous pictures of vittles, here comes a delightful blog with illustrated recipes and cooking tips. Heather Diane is an artist who has combined two loves - image making and food. A wonderful idea, isn't it?

Head on over to her blog Illustrated Bites to dive into a world where your imagination will get a high and your stomach will rumble with desire.

Colour Crush of the Week

Find image here.

Infectious Creativity: The Third & The Seventh

Directed by Alex Roman
CG | Modelling - Texturing - Illumination - Rendering by Alex Roman
Postproduction & Editing by  Alex Roman
Music | Sequenced, Orchestrated & Mixed by Alex Roman (Sonar & EWQLSO Gold Pro XP); Sound Design by Alex Roman


The Third & The Seventh is one of those films that inspire me every single time I watch them. In this one, each shot is pure perfection. Every angle is pure genius. Tread with caution, not all of us are equipped to handle such beauty - the gorgeousness of it all will steal your breath, it will sting, you will feel a dull ache in your heart, and then you 'll just surrender to the power of the artist's craft. The interplay of light with natural and man-made is surreal.

These are my picks of stills from the film.

You can find more inspiration on the website The Third & The Seventh.
All images are by Alex Roman.

Of What should be on your bucketlist

Hello, welcome to a brand new week ahead!


This weekend, I finally got the time to do some housekeeping on the blog. You may have noticed the refreshed, summery look. But I'd like to bring to your attention the newly added disclaimer and privacy policy. Do take the time to give them a read. You can find them at the bottom of the right-most column.

Quote discovered from goodreads.com via indu h on Pinterest

On a completely unrelated note, there's no other inspiration like a dream to look forward to at the beginning of a work week, eh? (Of course, if you're already living your dream, then you're probably grinning from ear to ear.) I stumbled onto a fun blog with the most random quizzes. Surprisingly this one - What should be on your Bucketlist - told me exactly what I wanted to know! 


Try a spin at What should be on your Bucketlist. Have a lovely Monday and stop by tomorrow for free printable goodies!

Olympic Non-Events 2012

Image by Jo Klima of August Empress

These are an absolute delight, aren't they? I came across these illustrations poking fun at the Olympic events icons on this beautiful blog at August Empress.  

The Non-Olympic icons can be found and followed on Tumblr here. Rory, the creator of the witty unofficial Olympic non-events programme, is taking suggestions. If you have any ideas, send your entry to rory@hat-trickdesign.co.uk. 

The Olympic torch has been lit, and is now touring Greece for the next few days. Ooh, what fun! July promises to be full of excitement. It will be raining here in India then, but the Games will be a great way to brighten up the days. 

My favourite events, Gymnastics and Swimming, are lasting through the entire season. Whoohoo. I can barely sit still as I type this...the four year wait is about to be over. 

What are your favourite events at the Olympics?

Blogger Challenge: Things I'm Afraid To Tell You

{Image by Ez of Creature Comforts}


Hello, hope you had a good weekend.


Today I want to share something with you...a cause that some of my favourite bloggers have taken up. The world wide web abounds with designer blogs on style, food, photography, DIY, crafting and all things beautiful. Recently, that part of the blogosphere has further upped my awe for what they do. I salute the way all these lovely bloggers have rallied around and chosen to embrace transparency in their lives. They are all for giving more than just a peek at the person behind the blog. In doing so, they have yet again inspired fledgling bloggers like me to express what we think and feel beyond providing just eye candy.


It’s true that all of us have enough craziness in our lives, and trundle along to these beautifully curated blogs to take a break from that. But if at some point all these highly desirable things leave us dissatisfied, well then the purpose is lost. Most blogs are out there to make their readers feel good, inspire them to create and urge us to be nifty, resourceful, positive. These bloggers would be crushed to know that they have been cause for any dissatisfaction.


Do take a look to see what am talking about, and let me know what you think. This is where it all began: Jess of Makeunder My Life wrote this post which inspired Ez of Creature Comforts to write this. 


To bare all and admit that we are human takes a lot of gumption, no one likes feeling vulnerable. Am afraid to tell a lot of things about me. Focusing on pretty can keep the uglies of my life away. But then I realise that am telling only half the story. Hell, let's be really honest, that's just barely 10 percent of the story!


But in keeping with the spirit of sharing, am going to try to actually hit the publish button at the end of this post. <Deep breath> Here is my full-disclosure about some things I haven't shared before:


When I look at these beautiful things on Pinterest and the blogs that I follow, I feel like I fall short on many levels. Firstly, we here in India, do not have access to all these wonderful papers, ribbons, colours, crafting materials, cupcakes, furniture, thrift stores, cookie jars, silhouette cutters, dandy candy, I could go on....basically, all the dainty, cozy, contemporary and neat things that people in more developed places can find easily. I can't even remember the number of times I've craved for a Mason jar! So I feel pretty deprived, even though am blessed in so many ways. Thankfully, this blog helps me focus on the things I do have instead of the ones I wish I did.


Secondly, I feel inadequate in matching up to these wonderful designers, illustrators, photographers and writers. It’s one thing to be inspired and set a high benchmark, but it’s quite a different thing to wonder if you are a bumbling idiot after all (am grateful for the support of gracious readers like you, who give me the courage to carry on, and to even fail). 


Then there is that gnawing feeling of just not being able to blog that often. The big problem is getting good enough content in place to share with all you wonderful people who spare precious time to read Sunny Nomad. I would hate for you to read something and think, well there go 10 minutes of my life that I will never get back.


Am not the most disciplined person around. Even after years of trying, I have not been able to become an early morning person. I’m unable to wake up at a set time unless I have to be somewhere. So I wake up most mornings feeling lousy about having shut off that 6:30 am alarm. Consequently, I have been unable to keep up a regular exercise routine. Couple that with a genuine love for food, and am perpetually struggling to get out of the lethargy zone and into the active one.


I miss Mumbai more than I admit for fear of giving in to the desire of going back. It’s where I have spent most of my life, and even though I resist being typecast as a Mumbaikar, at the end of the day, most of my experiences of dealing with life come from the codes of that city. I dream about going back someday.


There have been two other blogs before this, but most posts on those were so deeply personal that I never published them. I fancied myself a writer, but was too afraid to get personal about my work. That's something am slowing (and painfully) having to accept. Good stories are about real people. 


I don't think I will ever come close to being as awesome as my mom is at balancing work with family, the home and social work. Sometimes I wonder where she gets the energy to do all of it.


Be that as it may, I do think that on the whole, I do a darn good job of being a sunny nomad - am just too optimistic to get bogged down by something for too long. So when I read the tough shares across the blogs, I admire the courage of these women and take up the challenge myself. My problems may be fiddlesticks compared to someone else's, but stepping out of my comfort zone has made me feel more adventurous. It's not just accepting that we are all human, but accepting that it's okay to let others see we're human.


May I recommend that you take up this challenge? Let the veil drop either on your blog or in the comments below.

Fun Fashion

Every girl I know can relate to this one. Whenever I need to head out of the house, even if it's just to the mall, I have to ask anyone who's around, "What do I wear?"

But I think, someone (an exasperated boyfriend or husband?), somewhere was thinking, "What should I do so I never have to answer that."

And thanks to this thoughtful person, we now have a nifty lil gadget. I found it on Madewell and it's so fun, I had a complete blast for 10 minutes. What's even better, it gives you ideas for smart casual looks that you can easily put together. So, spin it, find a look you like, go fish in your cupboard and step out in style!

Now you can get on to the next question directly, "How do I look?"

Try The Style Spinner here.