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Hi folks! Am I glad the sun is back and shining bright in Bangalore? You bet, even if only for a little while, after Nilam brought in much gloom over the past few days.  So, are you done with Diwali shopping or is it looming large on your weekend to-do list?

This Friday’s shopping list on dress your home is a bit different. I loved these two images in October’s issue of BBC Good Homes and kept wondering what you’d need if you had to create this look under a budget. Some you may have at home like colorful saris or stoles which could double up as drapes and curtains during the festive season.

I tend to use my various glassware as tea light holders with flower petals floating in them and serve ware across the house. To bring in color and cheer into your home, do you really need to spend a fortune? Nah.

It was past 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. After a long day, while we were returning home, my husband casually said, “oh, I forgot to tell you, Dastkar is happening at Ezone this year.” I was like, “what, serious?” And then, it came back in a flash. A friend had texted me that morning about a craft mela happening at a venue which is literally a stone’s throw away from home. It was enough to get me a on a high for the weekend and the tiredness of the day vanished in thin air.

Datskar, nature bazaar, happens every year around this time of the year at Palace Grounds. Dastkar and Kala Madhyam are the two events I look forward to every year but I’d somehow missed the announcement this year. Here’s a brief take on Dastkar 2012 after two visits and still eager for more.

What I liked:

The sights, the colors, the excitement of the kids to try the potter’s wheel, ladies undecided over fancy beaded jewelery, colorful birdies, kites, and a bit of every state served on a huge platter called Dastkar.

The path leading to the venue is decked up in ribbons of all colors and patterns. Nothing matches the vibrancy of a art and craft exhibition. Dastkar is the mother of all such exhibitions so the excitement doubles up.  Phew! Honestly, it’s overwhelming. But, for art aficionados like me, this is as good as it gets.

Yea..most men don’t come there by choice, but by force accompanying the ladies..sorry guys. But, could see the desperation on many of your faces to get out and the huge sigh of relief as you walked past the exit. I overheard one gentleman saying at the entrance even before entering, “ah dekh liya..ab bas yahin se chalen.” It can get exhausting and you need at least an hour to get a feel of it.

Many stalls from last year were missing this time. I spoke to quite a few artisans and felt sad for them as the venue perhaps played spoil sport. They were not getting as good a footfall as Palace Grounds does.

Ever heard of Reshma Anand? I did not until I read her profile in ET and was pleasantly surprised to learn she is the founder of a arts store called “Earthy Goods”. With a corporate background in Hindustan Unilever, Reshma started Earthy Goods in 2007 after a 4-month road trip that took her to numerous rural villages across India.

You’ve got to check out the store and I’m sure you’ll be over the moon. Head over to Earthy Goods and indulge in some retail therapy. This is the perfect time of the year to get some home accents too…and if you’re already done with your share of shopping, never mind. Indulge by seeing :)

I know I know..lanterns yet again. But, I can’t help it. I just love them. these are hand-blown and comes in such fabulous colors that you just can’t resist.

There’s a shop around the corner where my parents live. It’s a plain, white-colored, non-descript building that houses many Indian and Pakistan antique and handicraft shops. But the one on the corner stood out. Every time we passed by that route, I would longingly gaze into the shop for all its colors and variety displayed on the windowsill. Then one day, I went in and regretted why I hadn’t been here before.It’s one of a kind that you fall in love the first time and long to go again and again. Colors have that kind of a magic over me.

The store is called Pleasant Home and it’s in Adliya, Bahrain. The shop has  a wide range of lamps from Turkey, Syria and Iran. Apart from this, one can find quirky items like a old water boiler from Russia with inscriptions in Russia dating back to the 1800s, traditional Arabic incense holders, and dishware called Tajine. So, are you ready for a virtual tour as I take you through the magical world of Turkish and Syrian lamps?

On a closer look, you’ll see these lamps can either be hung from the ceiling or on walls with clamps. Very delicately done with pieces of colored mirrors.

Hope you all had a great Christmas. I’m visiting my parents at Bahrain on a 3-week vacation.   The weather is perfect: pleasant mornings, sunny afternoons cooled by a mild breeze, and chilly evenings. No matter how much you go around a place by car, there’s nothing to beat the sights, smells and sounds one experiences by foot. Don’t you agree? Every afternoon I go by myself with camera for company taking pictures of a new store, huge pots lining the streets and the colorful petunias along the medians. Despite being in the Middle-East, the festive spirit of X’mas and New Year is hard to miss in the stores.  The shelves are filled with tree decorations, stockings, bells, lights, scented candles and holders, incense holders and lanterns. So lovely and so very tempting to indulge in retail therapy… I picked a few lanterns and Arabic style incense/aroma holders.. It is fitting…