The sun has got its hat on, hip hip hooray!

Its here for a good time, not a long time- make the most of the lovely weather. So, when the temperatures soared quiveringly close to 30C this week (positively tropical for the UK!), there is only one thing that becomes a must-do- A picnic!

We didn’t have to hop in the car or get into the busy tubes and put ourselves in search of a shady spot. Our picnic spot is found right down here where we live- in our community garden. Having found our quiet little spot I emptied the hastily stuffed cute little picnic basket, pulling out blankets and bedsheets and our trusty camera. We laid out our spread and made ourselves at home a few stairs away from home in the long grass.

This picnic plan was impromptu. Hence, a hodge podge of picnic foods…didn’t have enough time to think through the menu carefully.

I made this cute mini raisin cupcakes which is terribly easy to make. If you want to know the recipe, just drop me a line at the comment section. There were also homemade sandwiches- Tuna-cucumber for him and Egg & cress for me.

A few other nibbly bits, chocolates, croutons, cucumbers and hummus to dip.

A bowl of fresh, juicy seasonal fruits- apricots, peaches, raspberries and blackberries to quench our thirst.

All washed down with a glass of chilled Chilean wine, very unlike of me to drink alcohol but its to honour the Vineyards visit in Santiago – Cousino Macul.

We stretched out under the waving and whispering trees, snoozing and chit-chatting.

Him with his eyes closed after a hectic day’s work, while I buried myself in the beauty of nature, watching and trying to capture every aeroplanes flying over us, Heathrow not being very far from us.

Why not squeeze a little picnic in the gorgeous parks in London or in your home garden into this weekend’s agenda?

Love at first sight? Wrong or right? Did the emotions take flight? Certainly not in our case when the eyes met during the under-graduate students’ fresher’s party at the University of Delhi (India) back in 1999.

With dreams of embarking on new educational adventures in a new city, options were certainly kept open to float the boat in the waters of the heartland. However, when we came across each other, we can safely recall that the initial impression was not that of dismay or discard by any means – but rather that of a passive acceptance of being impressed followed by a quiet sense of curiosity to follow up on each other afterwards. It goes without saying that we put our best foot forward while introducing ourselves to the peers and we certainly exploited all the oblique angles in our visual repertoire to check each other out without being overtly exposed like rabbits caught in headlights which led us to be crowned as Mr. & Miss Fresher of the event, who knew then we will be Mr. & Ms to each other forever.

So the introductory meet and greet between us remained confined to that day only – just like the short and crisp introduction above – nothing spilled over, no promise of the impossible was made, no signs were given, no numbers were exchanged. Only the names were known and which course we had chosen to follow – in the university that is. Since then we moved on along our own courses life busy with studies, new friends and new experiences.

Once we came across each other later at events at common friends’ place or at the hostel events, the flame of curiosity got rekindled. A friendship ensued which kept on getting fueled with burst of laughter, endless conversations and banter. Only when the reckless and carefree souls decided to hit the road to become voyagers is when the feelings got truly unlocked and unleashed.

A maiden voyage, just the two of us, from Delhi to Jaisalmer via Jaipur and return in 2000. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happened between us in this roadtrip to Rajasthan (India), stayed with us until now and will remain so until the last day of our lives. Since we found ourselves in unknown locations very early in our courtship, we realised that inspite of differences in faith and subsequent lack of family approvals, we shared a deeper sense of attraction, love, respect and values between us.

It is this feeling that flipped through the pages of last 18 years of togetherness. We got married in March 2008 and still have been hunting experiences and memories hand in hand.

Happy Valentine’s day to you all reading and watching! Stay in love!

I know that I proclaim my love-hate relationship with IKEA furnitures. ‘Love-hate’ because my lack of ability to assemble something from the scratch by reading those encrypted instruction manual. But how can one not appreciate the universal fact that there are just so many ways to make an IKEA furniture your own. You’ve seen tons of hacks of the IKEA furnitures and why not! Gosh they are so popular for being on budget, and I feel like the Ikea VITTSJO series is having a moment. From gold to marble to wood accents, the possibilities are endless.

We’ve been living in our new home for close to ten months now and oh boy! decorating a new space is quite the task. Honestly, we are believer of ‘invest in making memories, not in goods/ materialistic things’, having said that I also believe that you need to make the space you live in a reflection of your personality, and that can be quite effectively done without much opulence. For our small office/home office, I kept the theme which is no theme to you at all but I call it ”minimalistic” like the rest of the space of our home. Since I spend hours in my home office – I’m in there until 2am many nights so I wanted it to be comfortable, functional, yet fun & elegant. So when I finally managed to work on this room, I just wanted a minimalist shelf on which I could not only store some key accessories, books on fashion & beauty, pot plants (I can’t do without a touch of greenery) and decorative pieces but also something that gives the room a airy feel to it. Remember, it is the second (single) bedroom which we turned into a home office. Now when your room is small or does not receive much natural light (thanks to English weather and its continuous rain), it may create a claustrophobic feel or depressing appearance. Since I can’t change the size of the room or reconfigure the windows, but I could take decorating steps to give a light and airy atmosphere by adding light colors (white/ivory wallpaper), natural elements (pot plants) and a few pieces of furniture to create a relaxed look that is open for creative thinking, writing, content creating.

I didn’t find the exact shelf I wanted, so I created one by refashioning an iconic (one of the best selling) IKEA shelf. To know it all, keep scrolling down.

What We Need & How Much It Costs?

1 IKEA VITTSJÖ = £65.00

2 Rustoleum Metallic Spray in Gold Finish = £9.49 each

1 Self-adhesive Film Marble Grey = £5.13

3/4 bin bags (Go to your nearest supermarket) = £0.10

Before I start sharing the steps of this DIY and the do’s and don’t’s when attempting to create one at home, it is essential to know our main ingredient a little more in details. This IKEA VITTSJÖ shelving unit is made from tempered glass and metal, which are durable materials that creates an open, airy feel to your space. It can be enough storage for a limited space or can create a platform for a larger storage solution or simply be a decorative piece of furniture which could then be enhanced with different fashion and homeware accessories. It has adjustable feet for stability on uneven floors or carpets. You can select the look you like best because the top and bottom panels have one black-brown and one black side. This is a piece, perfect from all the sides on its own, still you can give it a makeover  to match your aesthetics or to coordinate with other furnitures of your home. Spray painting, adding shelves, changing glass for wood, covering the wooden shelves with self-adhesive paper – VITTSJÖ will transform exactly how you want it!

Here’s the drill…

Step 1: buy the IKEA Vittsjo shelving system. Assemble it with the help of the instruction manual, don’t add the shelves yet.  When it comes to assembling IKEA or other furnitures, I am absolutely disable about it. That part of IQ I’m not born with, I have just come to this conclusion in life. So, the only time I took any help from anyone on this project (from conceptualising to finish line) is to assemble the  main body. Thanks to the Beautographer.

Step 2: Take the shelving unit outdoor or in an open space where you won’t damage anything around with the colour you are going to spray. Spread some bin bags on the floor or grass, keep the shelving unit standing on it, shake can vigorously for 1 minute after mixing ball begins to rattle (continue to shake regularly during use) and spray paint gold all over holding 30cm from surface. Spray in a steady back and forth motion, slightly overlapping with each stroke.

Tips no. 1: It doesn’t have to be a super sunny day to do this DIY but make sure the temperature outside is over 10 degree C. On the other hand, avoid maximum humidity, so if the temperature outside is over 32 degree C, avoid doing it in such condition. Avoid water contact to the spray painted until its dried completely.

Tips no. 2: For best results while spraying keep the can the same distance from the surface and keep the can in motion.

Tips no. 3: Apply several light coats a few minutes apart.

Tips 4: Wear gloves (if you care about your manicure) and a suitable protective face mask to avoid dust inhalation.

Dry & Recoating:  Great news! It touch dries in 20 minutes. Hard dries in 24 hours. Spray the second coat after 1 hour or to get the best result after 24 hours ( I did that).

Step 3: Cover the bottom and top shelves with self-adhesive film (though this isn’t even a necessity). I LOVE the combination of gold tone with marble finish. If you do too, my advise is to do it one side only because the other side is not visible when the entire shelving unit is put together.

Tips: Alternatively, you can use mirror shelves (get it cut to size from your nearest hardware store). Although I don’t recommend it if you plan to keep heavy vase or decorative pieces on the top and bottom shelves. Having the wooden one makes it safer and stronger. Self-adhesive  films like this one I used are easily cleaned with wet wipes or dry clothes.

Step 4: Style your new glistening gold gorgeous shelves. Voila!

I know there are a million IKEA DIY’s so I’d love to see (in the comments below), if you’ve stumbled across any good ones lately.

Happy Friday Loves!

On our 8th anniversary last year, we shared with you in a post here 8 pivotal events which helped us shape the itinerary of our marriage. On the eve of the 9th anniversary this year, we want to share with you nine such tips or principles that helped us float on cloud nine all these years together.

Cloud#1 – Have common goals
While it is true that opposites attract and every individual should have their own goals to pursue in life, but when you in a partnership like marriage, it is important to have common goals to unite, motivate and drive the two individuals towards obtaining those common goals as a team.

We can readily confirm that in our case, one such common goal was to travel. We started our friendship and led the eventual phases of the courtship through various travelogues. Starting with Jaisalmer (India) way back in 2000, so far we have travelled together to more than 40 countries in the world and still counting. We realised very early that once you hit the road with a person in unknown destinations, you figure out very quickly how compatible you will be with that person back in the home ground. The realities in real life are different than those found during travel, but the conversations held during those travels set the foundations of how to deal with realities in real life.

Cloud#2 – Maintain individuality
All is fine and dandy that two hearts become one soul in marriage. What we miss often is the fact that marriage should be a synergy between two individuals so that 1+1 becomes 3 because the individuals need to remain strong and clear on their own self first before holding hands of the other person to accompany in this pursuit of love.

For example, we never believed in changing surnames after marriage and we decided to carry on with our own spiritual or religious beliefs or the lack of it. Once we identified what exactly would be the glue to hold us together, it was easy for us to discard ornamental attachments such as surnames and faith on age old religious beliefs.

Cloud#3 – Have the humour
Life threw it curveballs one after another, still is and will do in future. The ability to laugh at ourselves and on the face of difficulties is a must have ingredient to a long lasting relationship. There is a fine line between fooling around and seeing the lighter side of things, similarly there is a difference between being a joker and having a good sense of humour.

Cloud#4 – Allocate responsibilities
We identified what our natural skills and interests were and we allocated the responsibility for getting things done accordingly. For example, Tanusree is no less than a multi-handed dexterous goddess who can effortlessly play with fire in the kitchen and dish out many culinary delights simultaneously. Whereas, Shehzaad has gladly accepted the role of the sous-chef to take care of the basic cutting and cleaning in the kitchen. Whereas Shehzaad is a novice photography enthusiast, Tanusree has excelled in terms of photographic direction, styling, editing, scheduling and posting of all things related to this blog. While Tanusree is still taking baby steps to overcome the learner’s block, Shehzaad happily takes care of driving during road trips and also is a cycling enthusiast.

Cloud#5 – Maintain one to one
This is a key tip to bear in mind that marriage should ideally be a union between two grown up adults and not necessarily between two families, their nosy relatives, curious friends or followers. While there is an undeniable need to have the inner circle of family and friends to fall back on, it is always a wise idea to keep the challenges and conflicts between the two partners within themselves. Everyone else can only see part of the picture, can hear part of the story and will try to help or cause more damage knowingly or unknowingly. We always found out that having no intermediary between us helped us resolve issues in our own unique way. There are still areas where we need to work on and we can do that in our own time and terms.

Cloud#6 – Embrace variety
Variety is the essence of life and we always opted to try out new food, new locations, new clothes, new people, new skills, new perspectives. It was this quest not to get stale is what continuously and subconsciously drove us towards variety all around us. For example, we gladly celebrate the diversity in the UK by taking part in all major festivities. Be it Christmas, Puja or Eid – as long as there is a reason to feast and festival – we are there.

Cloud#7 – Collect and revisit memories
It doesn’t have to be confined towards having holidays and travels, memories can be made even over a meal or while doing the dishes. We never limited ourselves to set routines because that would have led to set experiences only. We experimented with our looks, our food, our decisions and some paid off while others did not. As for travelling is concerned specifically, we take photos of every detail possible and make sure we go through them later to revive the same sensations as the first time. Infact this blog is that conduit which allows us to refresh and replay our memories when we share them with you, while we go through the photos to be selected and when we write them down for you to consume.

Cloud#8 – Constructive conflict
No it was not always rosy. Being individualistic comes with its own baggage of increased risk of conflicts. We had and still have our fair share of fights, some are long and some are short. The key principle we try to maintain is not to hit under the belt i.e. focus on the expected behaviour of the other person or focus on how the other person may have felt due to the result of another person. It is always best to keep the ‘person’ outside of the conflict and keep the conflict focused on ‘behaviour’ and ‘feelings’ only. No matter how hard a person’s ego may be, feelings are supposed to be tender and vulnerable towards each other. Also, constructive conflict means no name-calling, no swearing and not bringing mention of anyone who is not present or has any role to play in the problem.

Cloud#9 – Have patience
The final tip to continue to float on cloud nine is to have patience. The sun is not always shining up there and there are always no rainbows but plenty of rain. Grey skies do appear and so do the silver linings. The deciding factor sits on how much patience we could have to wait for the ill time to pass and for the shiny rays to take over. We realised that we need to have patience both in good time and bad, and be careful before making promises during good times in a happy heart and before making decisions during bad times in an angry heart.

We thank our readers, followers, stalkers, well-wishers and ill-wishers for being there. I am sure each of us have tips to share and stories to tell such as above. We are glad to be able to share these nine drops of wisdom from our cloud nine, we now to wish enjoy some fine wine and classic dine to enter into the 10th cloud up there.

What Were We Wearing?

On Shehzaad: Hugo Boss Suit/ Charles Tyrwhitt Shirt/Asos Bow Tie/ Aldo Shoes

On Tanusree: Asos Dress/ Dune London Shoes/ Lovetobag Clutch/Necklace & Ring from Kanika Jewellers, Kolkata, India

”There are lots of movie stars and celebrities, but there will be only one Diana” – Elizabeth Emanuel, Fashion Designer

Once upon a time, there was a princess who didn’t know she was already one before she got married into the Royal Family of Great Britain and started to live in the Kensington Palace and later Buckingham Palace. Soon after everyone inside and outside the palace realised that this Princess was not the traditional blue-blooded one who inherited royal designations because of her ancestry but also because of her connection with the common people, because of her style, grace, charm, personality, humanity and beauty. Princess Diana – the real Princess that ever was.

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of her tragic demise, so the Kensington Palace arranged an exhibition named ‘Diana- Her Fashion Story’, sponsored by Estée Lauder, to showcase the best of the wardrobes worn by the People’s Princess during her eventful life cut short so prematurely. It is a ticketed event that has started from 1 March 2017 and will continue until 28 February 2018 and you can buy the ticket online. Book in advance, the queue is real long, don’t say later I didn’t warn you!

I stepped out on a  glorious sunny day in London, and the walk towards the Kensington Palace was full of excitement, full of life around – people enjoying the sunshine, children playing, birds flying – all things lively, bright and vivid – so much synonymous to the personality of the Princess herself.

The exhibition was found to be neatly organised, with clear directions, brief descriptions and quotes related to the magnificent array of fashion statements made by Diana. The grandeur and the sumptuous, aristocratic interior of the Kensington Palace matched well with the gorgeous display of the clothes worn by the Princess.

The entire tour of the exhibition was routed in a way so that you get the chance to see the state apartments of the Kings & Queens from as early as 16th & 17th centuries. Since Kensington Palace has been a public Palace and private home for more than 300 years, its time we get an insight of the life of the royals from that era. After the visit to the apartments are completed, you then have to queue up for the actual Diana exhibition- I could see the hope, excitement and love people have for Princess Diana while being in the queue. Awestruck!

The exhibition showcasing some of Diana’s most iconic looks- from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life- an extraordinary collection of garments, including the iconic velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the princess danced with John Travolta.

As one the most photographed women in the history, Princess Diana had her wardrobe planned meticulously. From the moment her engagement to the Prince of Wales was announced in February 1981 there was a huge demand for news about her. Her image on the cover of any magazine could increase circulation by 40% and her fashion choices influenced popular tastes. The exhibition graced some of her popular magazine shoots as a cover girl- from Vogue to Harper Bazar, from Vanity Fair to Telegraph, you name it and she was on it!

Diana learned the unwritten rules of Royal dressing, selecting appropriate dresses for different events as she herself explained in 1985, “you would be amazed what one has to worry about from obvious things like the wind… and you’ve got to put your arm up to get some flowers so you can’t have something to revealing and you can’t have hems too short.” State visits wardrobe, evening gowns, wardrobe for her social works and charity events, casual dresses for shopping trips to London’s Bond Street  – Diana’s sense of fashion reflected her relentless attention to elegance, comfort confidence and appropriateness. Yes, comfort too! Diana once asked Bill Pashley (one of her many designers) to produce two versions of the iconic tweed suit that she wore on her honeymoon. She favoured larger one as extra shoulder and allowed her to take part in country activities, such as shooting. The tweed fabric was in keeping with tradition and English country dress.

Diana’s fashion choices became increasingly sophisticated through the 1980s as she learned what would work for public engagements and press photographs. The princess carefully selected her look to honour host nations on official visits. Catherine Walker, one of her go-to designers once created an embellished dress with Falcons, the national bird of Saudi Arabia, when the princess visited there. The high neckline and long sleeves of the dress also respected local customs.

The organisers saved the best for the last, there is a slide show in the last hall of the exhibition in which you see her photographed in various charity events and her involvement in many humanitarian causes. She would deliberately take off her gloves to shake hands with HIV patients, unlike any royals. Certainly I could not walk in her shoes to see how the world was through her eyes, but atleast I could get to see what she wore when she faced the eventful episodes of the world in her lifetime.

There is no doubt in saying that she was surely ahead of her time in terms of putting her best fashion-foot forward.

Planning a trip in Portugal or already arrived in Portugal? No doubt you are on course to voraciously devour as many exciting memories and experiences as you can while you unravel the pretty Porto, the lovely Lisbon, sensational Sintra and the amazing Algarve region down south. While in Portugal, along with capturing the beautiful memories in your camera, do capture one or may be a few more pieces of authentic straw basket bags unique to the Portuguese craftsmanship.

Where to shop?

If you are still planning the trip in the comfort of your home or want to arrive in Portugal with one of straw bags, you can always opt to buy online and in store here, here, here and here. In my case, I got my hands around some lovely piece of straw and basket bags from some of these brands, however during my memorable exploration of Porto – the 2nd largest city in Portugal and when in Algarve region down south.

Coincidentally, I bumped into a random woman who was carrying one of these basket bags. I could not but stop her on her way to pass on a compliment about her bag and I asked her where she got it from. Word of mouth and word of mouse both are equally powerful. Not only one could get these bags in Porto in a shop called Claudia Castanheira in the Rua de 31 de Janeiro but also these are found in the handicraft and souvenir shops around The Cube near the Ribeira – the main promenade along the river Douro. I bagged another piece later in Albufeira in Algarve region from a shop called Indigo Bazaar at Estr. de Santa Eulália 11, right next to the hotel where we stayed in at Muthu Oura Praia Hotel.

Why shop these bags?

These straw basket bags had been around for a while in the vogue vision of the fashionistas and it seems this trend will only become even more popular. These bags are all hand-made by rural artisans in Portugal, some doing the same trade for generations. Not all the designs are same, which indicates that the bag you may get yourself could be the only piece with a certain design and there may not be another one – how special does that make you feel? The raw material of the bag is sourced entirely from the natural resources in Portugal and you will be amazed with the quality of the finished product. The bags are strong, sturdy with a fine finishing radiating an artisan’s personal touch all over it!

A word on price

Price range in the shops in Porto are in the range of 15 euros to 35 euros depending on the design and size. When you buy them from the country of its origin, it is guaranteed that you got a good deal as I discovered a designer from Portugal selling them through Instagram shop at 69-79 euros per bag. Unbelievable, right!? So, naturally at the local cost only, you have the chance to jump into the bag-wagon of your Portuguese escapade like I did by getting not only 1 or 2 but 3 in total. It is perfectly fine when you will brag about this bag in your next status update on Instagram or Facebook.

My Picks

No. 1 Handmade straw shopping basket with brown leather handles and crochet & lace details.

Price: 25 Euro

Where to shop? Claudia Castanheira in the Rua de 31 de Janeiro, Porto, Portugal

No. 2 Handmade woven raffia tote with leather hold-on

Price: 15 Euro

Where to shop?Indigo Bazaar at Estr. de Santa Eulália 11, Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

No. 3 Hand-woven reed with willow handle

Price: 16.50 Euro.

Where to shop? A handicraft and souvenir shop (can’t remember the name) around The Cube near the Ribeira – the main promenade along the river Douro in Porto, Portugal

As they say that the later half of the year seems to go faster. Even before you realise it’s Christmas round the corner and the time is right to look for your Christmas Jumpers to don this year. To be celebrated on Friday the 15th of December this year, the Christmas Jumpers day looks like … Continue Reading

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So we have had a great time with the colleagues during the Office Christmas Party and last weekend, we also went out with a bunch of girlfriends for brunch. Like a well planned choreography neatly done before a dance performance for Strictly Come Dancing, this series of blogposts on Holiday Season Lookbook also plans ahead … Continue Reading

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No matter what’s on the menu, a Christmas table deserves a special touch. Add sparkle to your table settings with a festive centre-piece, crisp table cloth, fancy tableware and accent ideas. Set the scene for a Christmas day lunch/dinner to remember with these 5 festive Christmas table decoration rules. Focus on Centre pieces & flower … Continue Reading

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How we’ve dealt with fights, breakups, first loves, and stalking exes. Valentine’s Day is here and it’s the perfect day to realise that a special day for love is not really required. Nevertheless, we admit that there was a time when we used to take lengthy preparations to make the most of this day, to … Continue Reading

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“I alone cannot change the world but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples” On International Women’s Day, I want to share 5 principles or #liferules I live by, and my strong message to all womenkind, Stop Saying You’re Not A Feminist, You’re ruining it for the rest of us. … Continue Reading

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​When you spend 18 years of your life knowing someone as the closest person and especially when you pass 10 years of that 18 years in the communion of marriage with the same person, you do seem to acquire the wisdom to comprehend a few values in terms of binary i.e. 1 and 0. We’ve … Continue Reading

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It was our 10th Wedding Anniversary on the 13th of March this year. One of the rare occasions where we found ourselves in London because we usually always travel abroad to celebrate this milestone. We certainly had a memorable photoshoot done and some wisdom to share with you on secrets of long marriages so feel … Continue Reading

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Mercurial and enigmatic summer in London means that it doesn’t let you pick a time when to have an ideal picnic. So the moment the weatherman announced an unbroken period of a gorgeous golden sunshine all throughout the UK, we knew immediately that the moment has arrived to pack our food, grab the picnic basket … Continue Reading

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Mark some dates in the calendar for some dates with yourself. Once in a while, there is nothing like going solo to discover oneself in the midst of a teeming crowd. On a recent sunny weekend in London, I opted for a couple of solo dates. Like a queen bee flying from flower to flower … Continue Reading

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A few days ago, London saw the launch of two of London’s most Instagram-worthy events- Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea in Bloom. The first showcases some of the worlds finest gardeners’ handiwork, the latter sees some of your favourite stores completely transformed into floral works of art. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Chelsea in … Continue Reading

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