Festive styling with iTokri

I had the good opportunity to collaborate with a brand like iTokri, India's best handpicked artisanal product shop.

iTokri  crafts Initiative is involved in designing, production and sourcing authentic handicrafts products from across the country. It is an in-house platform developed by iTokri team for artisans to showcase their products. Each item is hand-picked and sourced.

The inclusivity of women, and the consciousness of keeping things environmental friendly while engaging in various crafts enables iTokri to impact the lives of 500 plus artisans and around 10,000 individuals.
Have a look at how I styled my living room with cushions from iTokri, this festive season.

I have styled with Shibori, applique cut work and kasauti embroidery cushions from their wide range of collection 

Applique cut work cushions:

An exclusive brand of authentic handmade products from desert regions of Barmer, Jodhpur, Pipad, Bikaner and some parts of Kutch.  The product range includes home decor products, clothing range and other accessories with hand-block printing, applique work, hand embroidery and handloom weaving of the region.

Kasuti embroidered cushion covers:

Intricate and artfully done kasuti hand embroidered khun fabric cushion cover. The name Kasuti is derived from the words Kai (meaning hand) and Suti (meaning cotton), indicating an activity that is done using cotton and hands. Kasuti is a the most intricate traditional form of embroidery practiced in the state of Karnataka, India.

Shibori cushions:

Shibori tie-dye cotton cushion cover are hand dyed using the shibori tie and dye technique, in which the fabric is tied using clamps or stitches in the required design and the pattern is dyed.

The living room gets a dose of freshness with these cushions from iTokri. Do tell me, how you liked my styling. Also, check out iTokri for all your handicraft requirement and much more.

2nd post on Srilanka...of Handicrafts & Souvenirs

Srilanka is famous for various handicraft products and there are pockets where in you can actually experience the process of its making. One such is the Ambalangoda mask factory.

Ambalangoda is a coastal town renowned for wooden masks and puppets, one of the specialties of Srilanka. Ambalangoda houses a mask museum where in you can catch a glimpse into the tradition of arts and crafts .These masks are hand carved with intricate designs and painted in vibrant shades.

orange, yellow black...the colours make for a pretty picture

Due to time constraint we could not visit the museum but all around Srilanka you can spot these masks.Most of the images are from the Government run handicraft shop Laksala. which is another must visit for the shopper in you.

An eye catching piece 

The Govt. Emporium

Variety of masks

Next that tops my list is the variety of Bamboo and Reed products that they have on offer.When we were driving to Kandy we  had a stretch of shops selling these amazing products. Ofcourse wanted to buy so many things but had to satisfy myself with a few of them that are proudly displayed in my home. Have a peek.

A bamboo bull

My daughter...copy cat!

The little one...equally enjoying

aren't these lovely?

Lovely sight

loved the colour combo

makes for a pretty sight

Batik products comes next in the list, though I found them a bit on the expensive side. In almost all the hotels we stayed, had a good collection of these. Apart from framing options you can find them used extensively in shirts, skirts and sarong( Srilanka's most worn garment)

heart warming

A procession in progress

Srilanka as you may be aware is also popular for Ceylon Tea and spices. Cinnamon being the most shopped for. A pot pourri arrangement of cinnmaon sticks giving out a light aroma was much appreciated in one of the hotels we stayed. At the same time I realized that too much of the aroma is also capable of bringing about a headache so the trick lies in controlling the same.


To be in Srilanka and not hear the famous Noritake and Dankotuwa Porcelain is impossible.

Also last in my list is the Ratnapura gem factory.Sighting a beauty can be, by no means, be harmful. Even if you are in no mood to buy, have a look. Rubies and Sapphires are well known in this region. As far as we were concerned, a gentleman, owner of  an antique shop in Gall was courteous and gave us a good history of the mining and the collection found there.

Just like the wooden masks, other wooden artifacts are also equally famous.Some more pics for eye candy. Here you go...

A fisher man

loved the age old look....

peacocks and horses...what more to ask for

I loved sharing this post with all of you. It was good to go down the memory lane and relive the days spent there. Hope you liked reading it too!.

Srilanka Ayubowan ! ( Srilankan greeting meaning May you live long! )

This summer of 2014 we visited Srilanka. A land of Buddha, rich cultural heritage,vast beaches, amazing flora and fauna, colonial styled houses, Ceylon tea and much more...

Though we spent 6 days,7 nights, we have covered only the south west of Srilanka. I will try to squeeze in as much as possible in this post. As we stepped out of our aircraft inside the Srilankan airport, we were welcomed by the calm and serene idol of Lord Buddha and this was followed by many other Buddha idols we found en route our travel, in this beautiful country.

Our first stop over was at Kandy. We visited  the famous Sacred Tooth Relic Temple of Buddha also referred to as the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Sinhala). It is located in the palace complex of the former king of Kandy. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Brillant artwork inside the temple.The ceilings and the walls none is spared!

We had a beautiful sunset view of the temple.The temple premises was lined with flower stalls and the lotuses made for a visual treat.

In Kandy we housed in The Cinnamon Citadel. Let me also share some amazing interiors of the hotel.

The cushions make for a pretty sight!

A perfect way to idle away time

The background is covered with handmade mats

Art behind doors of our room

The lobby was decorated with  brass artifacts

The pinnawala elephant orphanage is very close from kandy and was a day trip. kids had fun feeding milk to little elephants.And the momma... that's me, had double fun, what with lines of shop selling colourful wares.

Look at the baby elephant

Elephants bathing , unmindful of the tourists watching them!

Now some pics for the shopaholics ....Elephant dung is used to make paper products. This is really like producing a treasure trove from wastes.

How happy I am!

A treat for the shopper in you!

Our next halt was at Taj Bentota and Taj manages a private beach. Looking back we had a wonderful time on the beach as a family. A much needed break for all of us.

Gaze on all the snaps below and take a virtual tour of Bentota with me. Let me begin with the Taj Interiors.

The Taj property set amidst lush greenary

Kids had a wonderful time running around the vast property

Magnificent setting

Huge chandelier drops

Gorgeous wood work  and the panelling on the ceiling

The entrance to the hotel

Having a gala time!

Srilanka is a place for all. The adults can relax and take it easy. For the kids, it has beaches, zoo, elephant camp ( the kids are always in awe of these beasts), water sports, coral reefs, turtle hatchery etc.

We also visited Hikkaduwa which is a famous place for sighting coral reefs. It is also a popular international destination for board surfing. That day was a high tide day and it felt as if our little boat was somersaulting on the waves. A bit scary it was but was worth while. even managed to get a small coral reef from one of the boatsman who gifted it to my son.

Hikkaduwa is supposed to house 70 varieties of multi coloured coral.

The turtle hatchery is another major attraction.The Green turtle,Oliver Ridley,Star turtles are a few of them.It is a part of turtle conservation,thus saving them from extinction.

Patterned!

I know this post is getting longer and longer and it is a image heavy post. I think I  will do a second post to do complete justice.
So watch this space for more. The next post will focus on various handicraft of Srilanka, Laksala the government Emporium, Gemstones of Ratnapura,Galle fort, Ambalangoda mask factory and antique shops. Stay tuned folks .Will be back soon.