Tunics

Today has been another busy day in India. We ran around town, had appointments with pashmina vendors, visited a slum, enjoyed a traditional Indian lunch and finished off the day upstairs with our delightful neighbors. In the midst of all the excitement I neglected to capture the majority of the day. Instead, I have decided to share photos from one of my very favorite shops in New Delhi- a local tunic store!

I am a HUGE fan of tunics and had talked this store up to Cassie. So, as soon as we had a break in our busy social schedule we all hopped in the car and headed over to take a look.

I spotted this LOVELY pink tunic as soon as I walked in and just had to try it on. This particular shade of pink is a new addition to the designer's collection is I fell in love with it.
I also fell in love with the above black tunic. Third time is a charm, right?!

You can customize any tunic to fit your specific tastes. After flipping through the silk book you can than choose your style, embroidery color and motifs.

If that is still not enough you are even able to bring in your own motif! For instance, mother made a ginger jar tunic done to match a pair of Stubbs and Wooten shoes!

The hand work in India is nothing short of stunning. You are surrounded by beautiful things everywhere you look!

On another note, today we popped into the famous boot maker at Connaught Place while in the area. As soon as we walked in I spotted (and fell in love with) this wonderful pair of boots (on the left):
As luck would have it they were the ONLY boots in the store in my size as you have to custom order your boots. These were made for a polo player and did not end up working out so they are now for sale for a very small fraction of the original price. After trying this on and getting Cassie and mother's opinions I decided to sleep on it and that is where you come in. I need you opinion dear readers- to buy, or not to buy?

India is such an amazing country! I feel so blessed to have been able to visit so many times over the past 18 months. It has been and adventure and a learning experience. I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to live the life I do. In fact, we are all SO lucky- the fact you are sitting here reading this little blog means you have access to a computer. We are more blessed than we know. Never forget to count your blessings and give thanks at the end of everyday!

Jewels

India is known for their jewelry (Tiffany has loads made here) so on Monday we were off to some of the best jewelry stores in town! Above is a photo of one of the top shopping areas in New Delhi- it is home to many of the top jewelers in the country.
One of the best things about India is that you can arrive with any idea in your head and have that idea made into a reality.

So, mother, Cassie and I had loads of fun holding HUGE gemstones and putting our creativity to work.

The end result is sure to be beyond fabulous!!

The Taj

Yesterday, we were up VERY early and off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This was my second time to visit the Taj and it was just as amazing as the first.
Since we made the drive from New Delhi in one day (it is a mini miracle we made it alive- more to come on that later) we did not arrive until 9:30am. For my long time readers you know how lucky mother and I were last summer to be the first people into the Taj and to get VIP style photos with no people in the background- I will be forever thankful that mother forced me out of bed at 4:30am because that was a once in a lifetime experience!

Anyhow, even with the later arrival the Taj Mahal was still as beautiful as ever. It truly is a sight to be seen and photos do not do it justice. You can literally just sit and gaze and never tire of its' beauty. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, you MUST!

The marble inlay both inside and out are incredibly stunning. Can you believe the Taj Mahal was built 400 years ago? It is an architectural feat!

We cut our tour short due to the heat and headed back to the Oberoi to a well deserved lunch. We enjoyed lunch while gazing out to the monument built to love!

Fun Fact: the four spires at the Taj were built to lean slightly outward. This way, in the event that there is ever an earthquake they will not hit the monument, but rather fall away from it. Amazing engineering!

Another amazing day spent in incredible India!

India: Day Two

It has been a BUSY few days in India. We have been taking full advantage of waking up early and packing as much as possible into each of our treasured days here... as a dear friends says "you only live once," right?!

Saturday morning we headed down to the fabric district in New Delhi. Mother and I have a small obsession with fabric so we had to bring Cassie along for the ride. We also had the dress maker coming later in the evening and needed to pick out fabric for all our designs. The dress maker is amazing and can do just about anything for you- I cannot wait to post photos of everything when he drops it off later next week!
We also popped into a trim store while in the fabric district and I could not resist a photo of the grosgrain. Unlike just about everything else here, grosgrain is actually very expensive.

More fabric shopping at an outdoor market. It was SO hot by 11am so excuse the "fresh" look on all our faces!
While in our last fabric store I spotted a Twilight Sari. I was tempted to buy it for several die hard fan friends, but settled for a photo instead. How unique is this though?!

Before my trip a friend had asked me is McDonald's had a different menu in India. While running errands yesterday we decided to pop in and find out for ourselves. The menu here is full of many specialty Indian items- are you up for the McAloo Tikki, a Maharaja Burger or the Paneer Salsa Wrap?! My taste buds were not in need of any food so I opted to just take a photo.

Today has been another BUSY and H-O-T day in India. We got up before the sunrise and headed to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and are already back home. More information to follow, but enjoy a small preview of Cassie and I at the Oberoi before heading to the monument of love! Have a wonderful Sunday, it is now time for bed in New Delhi!

Delhi Time

After a very long, but thankfully uneventful flight, Cassie and I arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening. After settling in it was off to bed because we had a HUGE day ahead of us on Friday!
Mother had invited 50 friends over for a meet and greet party so we were up early (6am thanks to the time change) and kick started our day my wrapping the door in Lilly paper. I had brought loads of Lilly gator items per mother's request since everything needed to coordinate.
Mother sprinkled pink roses all the way down our stairs to welcome our guests. They smelled SO wonderful and looked beautiful too!

Mother also set up little fruit arrangements with matching Lilly pinwheels on each landing- no detail was overlooked, that is for sure.

Of course there was loads and loads of delicious food!

Our favorite red velvet cupcakes (except since there is no free trade you cannot get red food coloring in India so they were not red...). Mother gave the baker at the Oberoi our family's favorite red velvet recipe. My great grandmother convinced the chef at the Waldorf to give her the recipe many years ago and it has been present at family events ever since. The frosting is unlike any frosting you have ever tasted- it is DELICIOUS!

Mother and I posing with one of the spreads! Like mother, like daughter.

After the party we all ran out to the purse makers shop, then we took Cassie to our beloved Soma before heading to the British High Commission for tea. We were given a private tour of the residence after tea and even saw where Prince Charles will be staying in a few short weeks. This was such a treat!!

We finally ended the day at a friends flat in the West End. They were having a send off for a boy that will be going boarding school and the theme was TOGA! Cassie and I were asked to be the toga contest judges and had such fun scooping everyone out in the intense humidity.

Busy, but FUN days here in India!

Today, we are off to the fabric district shortly and then have hair and nail appointments this afternoon and will end the day with a traditional Indian meal!

INDIA!

“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is INDIA.”

Ghandi

Cassie and I are hoping landing in India (yes, this is a scheduled post). We left Dallas at 1:30pm yesterday and then took a direct flight to Delhi from Chicago. We are scheduled to land at 8:00pm on Thursday which is 6:30am EST. Many more updates from this wonderful country in the days to come!

Party Time!!

Just a quick recap on this evening's party and a HUGE thank you to Melissa for sending me all these photos. I have not had time to upload mine (including one with fellow Dallas bloggers that I finally got to meet!), but will do so once I land on the other side of the world.

Tonight's party at Elaine Turner was SUCH a TREAT! The girls were as nice as can be and had the most darling in store party set up I have ever seen!
Elaine Turner has the best accessories around their stores. I would happily move right on in!

Favors, cake balls, Jackie and suede? This was my kind of soiree!The group that stayed until the very end- we were just having too much fun! We had also been busy trying shoes on... I left with the gold Paige flats.

Lilly ladies!

Thank you to all who attended tonight's party and thank you to the MARVELOUS Elaine Turner ladies. What a wonderful evening and such a perfect send off!

Party Time!

This is one BUSY week! As you already know I was baking up a storm all weekend. Then, last night it was time to package the favors and do laundry. This evening I have several appointments and will finally pack for the BIG trip to INDIA. Finally, I am hosting a party at my beloved Elaine Turner!!

As I have mentioned before I just adore all Elaine Turner's fun products and have been looking forward to this party for some time. I love that the brand's logo is a crown and that they have lots of pink and gold....such a classic combo! In preparation for this fun event (did I mention all guests get a 20% discount?!) I have been scooping out the store as well as the Elaine Turner site...and these are a few of my FAVORITE things!

Tammy in Cheetah Patent

I am all about a good animal print!
Paige in Gold Glitter
These are a steal for $98! As you know, I just LOVE glitter, so I feel like these were made for me!

Liz in Magenta Suede Snakeskin
While the Liz raffia is perfect for summer, I need something for Fall. Pink and gold?? I think so!

Mini Wallet in Patent Leather
I LOVE my mini wallet that I have. I use it for all my gift cards so that I never misplace them!

Clutch Wallet in Tulip Patent

I think the name of this pink says it all!

Sierra Cobalt Suede Snakeskin Clutch

The bamboo is like the icing on this clutch!

Treats!

I have spent my weekend making treats galore.I made five dozen cake balls (red velvet and rainbow chip) and then 51 sugar cookies for an upcoming party.Now if Tuesday could hurry up and arrive so I can indulge and enjoy them!

25.5

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

It is hard to believe it has been SIX months since my birthday party at Tory Burch and SIX months since I turned 25. I guess the saying "time flies when you are having fun" is most certainly true!
Today is my 25 and a half birthday. Now, before you all start judging I want you to know I do NOT celebrate my half birthday. Earlier this week it simply dawned on me that my half birthday was in August, and not only August, but later in the week...what an ideal time for this to dawn on me! When I started thinking about the past six months I was just thankful. I feel like I have packed so much into a short amount of time and each day tends to be even better than the day before. Now of course I have made MANY mistakes daily, said not-so-nice things, been extra negative and experienced lows, but overall I look back and smile. I feel so lucky to still have a wonderful job, caring family and great friends. It is so easy to take things for granted when they become "normal," but I really am SO incredibly blessed.

Another huge blessing is this blog. Just this afternoon I mentioned to someone that when I started my little blog two years ago I never once thought it would become such a big part of my life. I never set out to meet people, let alone meet friends when blogging. I simply wanting to share my favorite things and some fun memories with my family, friends and the occasional 'lurker.' However, now, not a day goes by that I do not pay a visit this site or talk to a blog friend. In the past six months I have been featured in The New York Times, been connected to numerous old friends and been asked to host an in store party all because of the little blog that could. It amazes me how many marvelous opportunities I have been given through blogging and yet again I feel so very lucky! God has continued to bless me in more ways than I ever dreamed.

Only time shall tell what God has planned for the last six months of my 25th year. No matter the circumstances and the ups and downs I know I am truly blessed! Thank you to all those that love and support me day in and day out- you make the world go round!