Material Girl

We are living in a material world, my friends.  So when I was making out my lists of "must buys" for my India trip, material was at the top of the list.  I've bought some beautiful silks before, but I was looking for textiles with patterns.  Unfortunately, while I was in Surat - the textile capital of India - I did not get a chance to visit the factory there, but it is definitely on my list the next time I go to Gujarat.  However, just walking into a sari matching store is a treat for the eyes.

Most people don't know that when you buy a sari in India, that there is quite a bit of legwork involved.  First, you buy the sari.  The fabric for the blouse is usually attached to the sari so the store will cut the blouse off for you and keep the sari to add the "fall."  The fall is a length of fabric that usually matches the sari in color that is sewn onto the bottom inside edge of a sari.  It adds weight to the sari to help the sari fall well once it is draped around you.  When you buy saris here in the states, they usually have this already stitched on them.  In India, they typically do not.

So, you have to get the fabric for your blouse cut from the sari - which may take a few minutes or you may have to wait for a couple of days to pick up.  Next, you take your blouse to a sari matching store, like store pictured here.  This is for the lining for your blouse.  The man above was actually getting something matched when I snapped the pic. 

You may also purchase a ready made petticoat here (the third step) at the sari matching store, or you can buy the fabric for your petticoat here to have one stitched.  Pictured above are all the ready made petticoats that this store was selling.  A petticoat is a long flared draw-string skirt that is worn under your sari to give it shape and to act as a slip for thinner saris.  The sari is tucked into this petticoat at the waist and the remainder of the sari is draped and pleated around you and then over your shoulder. 

The fourth step is dropping off your blouse, the lining and or the petticoat fabric to a tailor to have a blouse stitched.  It may take up to 2 weeks to get your blouse back, depending on how busy your tailor is and how accurately it was made.  Often times you have to go back several times to get it to fit just right, but typically if it's just a blouse, the adjustments are minor and don't take as long.

The final step is going back to the store to pick up your sari with the fall stitched in. So basically, it is not just like walking into Nordstrom and picking out a dress.  However, the process is fun for me because I get to stare at all these lovely fabrics and colors.

 

Look how amazing these fabrics and colors are!  This was a vendor that had a small stall in a market. I've seen some of these fabrics here selling for up to $25 a yard.  There?  About $4-5 dollars. 

I got some gold blouses stitched for my friends at the stall above.  Just his little store had 5 different gold fabrics to choose from.  I kind of died and went to heaven.  Yes, my friends, I am definitely a material girl....

Lost in E-notion

I've always said that India is like Vegas.  Every time you go, it's a different experience.  My most recent trip was all about shopping.  For three weeks.  Dream.Come.True.  It was Mr. Bean's dream come true, too.  Three weeks of shopping with someone else's money.  It was a win-win. 

Ever since I met my friend Julie's life back in 2003, I demanded offered to go to India with her to shop for her wedding.  Because of that, if it had been up to me, I would have married her off a long time ago just so that I could have done this trip a lot sooner.  But, it was definitely worth the wait.  Having been to India before, I was somewhat prepared with what to expect.  If you've ever shopped in India, you know that it is also a roller coaster of emotions.  You leave here thinking you know exactly what you want but once you get there, you are flooded with options and opinions. Or you can't find what you want. Or you find something so amazing, you forget what you wanted in the first place. Or you just simply run out of time.  But, if you know me, you know that I love a good roller coaster.  Well, actually I don't.  I scream my head off on the real ones. Let's pretend my roller coaster statement makes sense and I'll move on.

The worst part about India, for me, is that I could spend my life savings there and never think twice about it.  But that's also the best part.

 

The moment I stumbled upon this gem - a stall filled with trims and notions for sari's - I wept a little.  It was so beautiful to see. This is definitely one of the top 10 craft wonders of the world. 

 

Each one of those spools is 9 meters of trim.  Those shelves are about a foot deep, too.  Do you see my dilemma here?  Having my craft room look like this store? Or saving for a rainy day and all that crap?  I don't know.  Too hard to decide.

This is also where I curse airlines and their 50 lb per luggage rule.  And now most airlines are only allowing one check-in.  The torture!!!  I could have bought that entire stall and still went looking for more. 

The colors and patterns were amazing.  I would just sit and stare and imagine all these lovelies in my craft room.  This guy clearly did not share my enthusiasm. 

Now, my friends, I've got to confess something.  And I'm not proud of it.  But I've made my bed and now I must lie in it.  The thing is, seeing all these trims and notions actually overwhelmed me to the point of not buying much.  Seriously.  If you've been in my situation before you know exactly what I mean.  My biggest issue was that the majority of the shops I stopped at were wholesalers, so I had to buy in bulk or 9 meter increments.  I knew I didn't have much room in my luggage to actually bring everything I wanted back.  And since I couldn't buy in small quantities or in one or two meter increments, I just left it there.  And now looking at these pictures I can pick out at least 10 that I should have told myself I can't live without.  I hope I can still maintain my street cred as a craft hoarder.

So, I had a bunch of other pics to post for you today, but I somehow deleted them.  So, I'll leave you hanging on the edge of your seats - humor me here - and I'll post some more pics on Monday.  Until then, I've got a long weekend ahead of me!  By the way, the title of this post is a play off this song.  That was one of my jams back in the day. Awwww yeah.....

Sleepy in Seattle

Last week was a nice break in an otherwise hectic month.  Mr. Bean and I took off for some good TLC with Seattle and all that it offers.  Namely, my BIL (I like to call him my Billy or Billy Bean), my good friend Sarah, and some cousins.  Unfortunately, I was not feeling well most of the trip so I basically slept a lot while Mr. Bean and Billy Bean went skiing, but I can't complain.  There is nothing better than waking up to the sights and sounds of Seattle even if you aren't feeling too hot.  I still got to get in some shopping and sight seeing and some good eating and even took in a concert, so it basically solidified my desires to pack up the Beans and head west.  Pacific northwest, preferably.  Here's some snaps of my trip.

A special shout out to my Billy and Sarah for always showing us what we are missing out on.  I can't wait to go back.... 

Weekend Crashers

Wow, it seems like it's been so long since we've spoken!  I have been busy decorating the house and making my Christmas cards and enjoying the weather.  Mr. Bean and I have been drinking lots of hot chocolate and apple cider and listening to Christmas carols as much as we can. I've been recording whatever lame movies Lifetime offers and lovin' every one of them.  I love this time of year.

To start off our first weekend in December, Mr. Bean thought he'd get all fit on me and and run in a half marathon out of town.  So we took a road trip up to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the weekend.  Luckily, we have some pretty amazing friends that allowed us to crash their weekend.  It was an action packed weekend, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights.

Our first stop was Fort Worth, Texas to visit my friends, Christina and Nehme.  I haven't seen them in over four years.  They built a new location since the last time I visited, so for four years, I've watched their progress and been there in spirit since the beginning, but it was time to experience Chadra Mezza & Grill for myself.  And I wasn't disappointed.  The.Food.Was.Amazing.  They are well known in the Fort Worth area for their food and have received numerous Reader's Choice and People's Choice awards, so I had pretty high expectations.  Especially since I've eaten there before and remembered Nehme's lamb melting in my mouth.  But, I was not prepared for the awesomeness I had on my plate.  I wish I had taken pictures.  If I had had a second or two between shoving my fork in my mouth and chewing I probably would have, but trust me when I say there was no time.  

Mr. Bean left me in Fort Worth that night to have some girl time with Christina, so Saturday Christina gave me a tour of her 'hood.  Fort Worth has some really awesome old school Tex-Mex restaurants.  And by 'old school' I mean home-style, home cooked, better-than-Grandma's cooking.  We stopped at Benito's on Magnolia Avenue.  I couldn't help myself.  I had to take some pictures.

By the way, I am working on figuring out how to size my pictures properly.  I am just now getting the hang of the ratios.  Just click on the picture if you want to see it larger. 

  

We stopped by an old home supply store that I was too busy rummaging through to take pictures.  Then we stopped by to bug Nehme at Rahr & Sons Brewery. 

Nehme claims he was working, but after about 2 minutes there I knew why he was really there.  There was live music and awesome food (provided by Chadra and served by Nehme, of course) and lots and lots of beer.  It was such an awesome atmosphere.  Fort Worth is one of those big cities that will forever be a small town.

It was time to say goodbye to Fort Worth after that.  Christina drove me over to Dallas to meet with Mr. Bean and crew.  While we waited though, we stopped by the Dallas Farmer's Market and checked out all the pretty pansies while we looked over our shoulder for Ahmed Hassan to come crash our yard.  No sign of him, but I did make a list of everything I needed wanted for my yard in case he makes an appearance near me. 

In Dallas, it was just laid back good times.  We stayed with Mr. Bean's good friends.  They are pretty awesome people.  The kind that don't make you feel like you really did crash their weekend.  We ate dim sum, played the XBox Kinect, and I got a tour of the most fabulous craft room I've ever seen in my life.  It was like an Archiver's was open all night just for me. And this, my friends, is where I found myself in the presence of the most beautiful piece of machinery I've ever seen in my life.  A 1903 Golding Pearl letterpress machine.  And.It.Was.Amazing.  I had one of those moments where my jaw literally hit the floor when the machine was unveiled.  All I could say was 'O.M.G.'.  I call her 'Pearl'. 

I won't pretend to know anything about this particular machine, but what I do know is I was in the presence of greatness.  Pearl, can I just say you are impressive?  Check out her heart shaped pedal.  Be still my heart.  Apparently that is a pretty rare pedal.  Pearl, you had me at 1903, but that heart shaped pedal won me over.

After that, nothing could really compare.  My weekend had pretty much peaked.  But, I can say I was left a little speechless once again when we stopped by a house in our friends' neighborhood.  The Christmas lights were insane.  Mr. B doesn't know it yet, but I am fully expecting something like this in our yard next year.  He can't say it's impossible now.  ;)  

After all of that, Mr. B still had to run the race, so Sunday we all got up early to cheer Mr. Bean on.  He did really well on the race.  I am so proud of him.  He is now inspired to sign up for some more, so next time, maybe I'll join him.  We'll see.  I'd kind of retired my racing shoes, but it's hard to just sit and watch all those racers run by you and not be inspired by their sheer determination.  Pretty amazing.

Thanks to everyone who allowed us to crash their weekend!!  For me, Christmas time is about family and friends, so it was a perfect way to kick off the Christmas holidays!

I promise to post what I've been working on next time.  Until then!

Bienvenidos a Miami

I took a quick trip to Miami sans Mr. Bean to help celebrate my friend's 30th birthday.  It was hard work but somebody's gotta do it, right?  I went there feeling 21 again and left feeling....well, really old.  I had a blast getting to know some of my friend's best friends and am really glad I got to see first hand why she loves them so much.  It was a pretty awesome group of people.  I hope to see them again soon.

Here's a few quick snaps I took.  I took an actual camera, but never actually had it on me so most of the pics were via my iPhone. 

As you can see, I focused quite a bit on the Cuban fare. I am not typically a big pork eater outside of curries, but I have to say, a good Cuban sandwich can convert almost anyone.  I had to have some yuca and plantains in the mix and the rest of the pics are in and around our hotel and glimpses into our evenings. 
  
I will be back on a regular schedule beginning this week.  I've just about got my voice back (a result of the 'feeling like I was 21 again') and am almost rested enough that I am feeling back to my old lady self again.  I have neglected my craft room, but I should have a decent post for you after this weekend.  Adios!