I always thought of myself as a solids kind of girl. Not solid girl (well, that too) but solids as in flat colours as opposed to busy prints. But before I knew it I found myself getting drawn to all sorts of prints, especially the quirky ones. I’ve realized they make me happy and have the power to cheer me up instantly. Not to mention they are major conversation starters. They make you stand out from the crowd and add that little something to your home, wardrobe, and life. I guess if we were on Indian Idol, you’d call that the X Factor. Thank God we aren’t though, there’s no way I’m letting Anu Malik near any of my personal belongings. He’d shout at them all, make them feel awful about their existence, and then proceed to discussions about himself. Umm, anyway, so I was saying? Ya…these are all the prints I’m loving currently!
The Crazy Cushions
When I moved into my current house, I was so damn worried it won’t have my vibe. Since it’s rented, there’s only so much I could change around the house. But I’ve found a way to add happy touches in every nook and corner. For instance, these cushions were a love at first sight kind of story. I bought them (the covers and fillers both) from a really cute, small store at Pali Naka (next to Pali Village Cafe) in Bandra (Bombay). I used to see that store every time I passed bustling Pali Market, but one day I finally went and checked it out. It has really cool cushion covers and bolsters and huge floor cushions too. If you like these, you must check it out. I deliberately went in for three different prints instead of matching them because I thought it looks funky like that. Do you agree?
Jutti Love
Okay, so I’ve been lusting after floral Juttis for a while now. I never went ahead and bought a pair because I was afraid of two things: 1) That the trend will last a hot minute and then just disappear. 2) I will not end up wearing them as much. So imagine my happiness when recently a close friend got married, and these were the giveaways at her Mehendi. What a cool idea no? For me it was instant love, and I stared at the basket for a good ten minutes just deciding which one to go with. I really liked this particular one and recently wore it with a mint green lace top and jeans. Luckily, I was wrong about the trend because it definitely seems like it’s here to stay!
Of Vintage Boxes
This vanity box was a wedding present and a super functional one at that. I love the print – it’s so Parisian and vintage and classy all at once. You know the best part? I’ve filled it to the brim with all sorts of things like Nail Polishes and earrings and no one would even know. It looks like home decor but it’s excellent for storage. The handle is a God sent making it really easy for me to travel with it too.
The luxury of a lap tray
Okay, confession: I wasn’t sure I’d actually use, let alone get obsessed with, this item – the lap tray. None the less, when I moved into this house we were generously gifted two lap trays. [The concept is that one side is hard and solves the purpose of a tray while the other is a soft cushion you can keep on yourself] Seeing the India Circus packaging only made me super excited. I’ve been a fan of the brand for as long as I can remember so I was stoked to see what’s inside. And with both the prints, it was instant love! In fact, to date I don’t know which one I like more. But the most amazing thing is just how much I use these trays. When I’m sitting on the couch with a big mug of coffee and a bowl of chips right in my lap, I marvel at the invention that is a lap tray. It’s one of those things you never realized you needed till you actually got around to using one!
Laptop Lovin’
For a while now I’ve been needing a laptop bag and have been procrastinating buying one. Just recently Myntra had a huge sale and I got around to checking for laptop bags. I totally loved the funky print on this bag by House Of Tara. Plus, it was on discount so I revved up my meter and ‘auto’matically hit the Buy Now button. What do you think of it? Good move?
Coffeeholics Anonymous
How can we talk of funky prints and not include Chumbak, right? Don’t worry…we are getting there! Those who know me know there’s nothing more important to me in this world than my coffee! So naturally, when the boy and I moved…instead of looking at buying important things…like furniture, for instance, I was like “OOOOOOHH, you know what we *really* need? Nice new coffee mugs!” And I absolutely adore these ones because they have our initials on them. Also, it worked out perfectly because S is all girly with pinks and purples while K is more boyish with browns and such. Or wait, am I just imagining things? I could be.
Bagging the Owl Trend
Okay, okay…I know The Owl Trend is a bit overdone but then, this bag isn’t new. I bought it at some point in 2014 and it’s been with me on all my travels ever since. Besides, did you know those are cats? Yeah, I’m not sure about that either. But the good folks over at Chumbak definitely think so. This is actually a laptop bag but I tend to use it as a general backpack and still love it even though it’s a bit tattered from all the travels. Luckily, the colours are so bright and happy, that you tend to not notice that at all; no?
The Blue Blanket Theory
In case you didn’t know, I recently had a lovely holiday in Udaipur (Click here to read all about it). This trip wasn’t about shopping at all and surprisingly I was happy to skip on that too. Luckily though, as part of one of our sightseeing tours we walked into the official Rajasthan Tourism museum (or some such government recognized body) which also sells things made locally. I’m in love with all things Rajasthani anyway and couldn’t resist picking up this quilt. Not only am I in love with it’s cool blue tones (which faded by the way because I’m an idiot and tried to wash it) but I also love the fact that it’s made in the forest area in Udaipur with cotton and bamboo fibres. It is said that these kinds of blankets keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I’m yet to test that theory. But just as I’ve been loving quirky prints I’m also starting to fall for ethnic ones, right from the one on this blanket to phulkari to leheriya to batik. Let’s see where this obsession goes, perhaps straight onto the blog if it doesn’t die down soon. Well, that’s my guess anyway. 🙂
Let me know what you thought of my Print-ess Diaries! 😀 (Mighty pleased with myself because of that silly pun!) If you like it, perhaps, I’ll do more posts like that. If you thought it sucked, that’s fair enough too. I’m no designer, there is no technical basis to liking these prints. They just make my heart happy, and as you already know, I find no reason to deny my heart the simple pleasures of life. 🙂 Until next time, stay quirky!
