Outfit Post and Review: Sareez.com

Hey Everyone, how has life been?
I can't believe that the first month of the year is over already.

My new year did start on a good note, when Sareez.com sent me this gorgeous chanderi silk saree in teal colour.
And while I was just waiting for an opportunity to flaunt it, my parents planned an impromptu trip to my native place in Sindhudurg.
Retail Therapy + Travel, now who doesn't like that.

Coming back to Sareez.com, it is your one stop destination to buy all things ethnic.
From sarees, salwar kameez, lehengas, accessories and more, you can find some of the best deals on these ethnic stuff on Sareez.com

My order was received within the stipulated time, and the saree turned out to be exactly the way it was shown in the pictures on the website.
The quality of my chanderi silk saree is top notch and came with a matching stitched blouse and petticoat. Now that's taking customer service to another level.

I loved my overall experience of shopping with Sareez.com and would recommend that you try it at least once.

Now, moving on to the outfit post...
When I received the saree, I was so tempted to get some embroidery done on it, but then I decided to keep it the way it is, as the fabric, the fall and the colour make the saree stand out in itself.

So I decided to drape this saree on a day trip to my native place.
The perfect backdrop to shoot the perfect saree pics.
Scroll sown to see the pictures and let me know what you think.

Saree: Sareez.com

Ring: Thrifted
Bangles: Borrowed from Mom

Superstitions and more...

Are you superstitious?
Do you follow any ritual without knowing the reason and logic behind it?

Well, I do. and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I find Indian culture really interesting and sometimes funny too. Our culture, though rich somehow upholds some superstitions too.

I am not the kind of person who follows all such superstitions blindly, but if I see there's no harm in following it, I do it. Just for the heck of it or just for fun.

Let me list down a few superstitions I believe/follow. You can have a hearty laugh later.

1) If my left palm gets itchy on some day, I believe I will have a financial gain on that day. And feel happy about it. And if my right palm gets itchy, which ideally means I will lose something, I simply ignore it and move on with my life.

2) If I spill salt on the ground or the kitchen platform while cooking I never use a broom to clean it.
Salt in Indian culture is synonymous to the Goddess of Wealth, Laxmi, and hence the best way to clean spilled salt is by pouring some water and cleaning with with a cloth. It doesn't harm anyone, or involve any great efforts, so I follow it blindly.

3) Gifting knives or handkerchiefs to anyone spoils your relationship with the person in the long term. But if you have to, make sure you give them a penny or rupee. This seems to preserve your relationship with the person....SOMEHOW! I have know idea how, but I follow it. :)

4) Wearing black on Saturdays. Well, I wear black almost on all days of the week, so wearing it on a Saturday is no big deal either. But it is believed that Saturday or Shanivaar (in Hindi) is a day dedicated to the worship of Lord Shani. And since Black happens to be Lord Shani's favourite colour (Lord Shani has always been depicted wearing black in our religious scriptures), wearing black on Saturdays pleases him and saves you from all bad omen.

Moving on to the outfit, I wore this outfit almost 2 years ago when we took a short drive along the Pacific Coast Highway and then went ahead on our second trip to the Universal Studios in the same year.

Outfit Details:

Sweater, Necklace: Romwe

Denim: Shoppers Stop

Boots: Walmart
Cap: Ross

It's Our Third Blog Anniversary

Three years ago on this day, So-Saree was born. Though the ideation and vision for So-Saree began much earlier than that.
Every Year on this day, I do something special.
On our First Anniversary, I announced a month long blogathon.
On our Second Anniversary, I pledged my eyes and announced a giveaway.
But for our Third Anniversary, I didn't do anything special.

I spent the entire day doing regular stuff, and now as the day draws to an end, I decided to pen down this post.
My blog has given me much more than I have asked for.
Recognition, creative outlet, friends and above all, a lot of happiness.
But according to me, the most important thing that So-Saree gave me were priceless learnings.

Learnings which will stay with me all my life and will definitely shape up my decisions, character and life. On our Third Anniversary, let me take the opportunity to list 3 Learnings that my blog journey has taught me.

Do what YOU LIKE.
My blog is all about what I like. Some may like it and some may not. And it's perfectly okay, if you have less views, likes and recognition than bloggers who started after you.
You started your blog for your self and it is very important that you like it than anyone else in this world.

It's not a NUMBER GAME.
It's not about the numbers..!
Even when you were in school, you were judged by the ranks and marks you scored.
But when you grow up, you realise that these numbers were hardly an indication of your intelligence or your worth.
Similarly it doesn't really matter, even if you have one sincere reader/follower on your blog, rather than thousands of followers on your social media and blog, who never interact with you.

Stay GROUNDED.
In the last 3 years, I have attended quite a few blogger events and interacted with a lot of bloggers.
What I have seen and learnt from my experience is that the most successful bloggers are the most humble ones. They never take their blog popularity seriously and they blog because they enjoy it and it makes them happy.

That's it for today.
Hope for your continued support even in the days to come.
And you deserve a standing ovation, if you have read the entire post.

Haldi Kum Kum with Sugar Candy Jewellery

Hey Everyone...
Wish you all a very happy Makar Sankranti.


If you have read my previous posts on Makar Sankranti and Haldi Kum Kum, you will get a  fair idea about this festival.
But there was one thing that I missed to write in those posts, and hence I am back again with a cultural post on Haldi Kum Kum.

Maharashtrian women typically start doing Makar Sankrant Puja once they get married, though no one would stop you if you wish to start doing it before that.

The first Makar Sankranti Puja post your marriage is special like any other festival during the first year of your marriage. And hence the first Haldi Kum Kum that the newly married women host, is special too.
For the their very first Haldi Kum Kum ceremony, the newly married women, wear a black saree along with jewellery made from sugar candies. Isn't that cool??

I don't know how, but I completely forgot about this tradition during my first year of hosting the Haldi Kum Kum Ceremony. And since I don't like to keep any regrets in life, I decided I would do it in my fifth year. Better late than never.
So last year I hosted my 5th Haldi Kum Kum Ceremony and did it the way I wanted it.

I was busy or say just plain lazy to post it last year, so I am posting it now, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Since it was my Fifth Year, the giveaway item was a brass Diya.
Scroll down to see the pictures from the event.


                              

 
The saree is an old silk saree bought almost 8 years ago and I inherited it (read: forcibly acquired) from my sister. The embroidery is done by a computerised machine.

 

Flaunting some arm candies...literally. ;)

 

                                  

                        
The jewellery I am wearing is all made from sugar candies.
I had so much fun wearing it.

Hope you like this post and apologies for the blurry pics. 

Plaids and More...

Plaids have been in  trend for quite some time now.  But the reason why I love plaids is not because they are approved by fashionistas across the globe.

But because they are so effortless, versatile and chic.

Throw it on your shorts and ganji, knot it on your jumpsuit or tuck in it your pants or skirts.

The end result is always perfect.

I wore the below outfit for a lunch date with husband. Ideally the pictures were to be taken before lunch, but ended taken after lunch. As a result I had to hold my breath and suck my tummy in for some decent pictures.

Things I do for my blog...! (eye roll)

Outfit Details:
Shirt: Target
Skirt: Here and Here
Bag: Myntra
Flats: Zovi
Glares: Kohl's

So-Saree Highlights 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE...!!!
So-Saree Highlights has become an annual ritual and I really enjoy drafting this post, as I get an opportunity to live the entire year through one post. So without much ado, lets begin.

January 2015:
January 2015 started with So-Saree's Second Anniversary celebrations.
This month had a mix of outfits posts, nail art post, a recipe post and a women-centric post.
The month ended with the announcement of the Blogoversary giveaway.
My favorite post was Feeling Retro where I wore this floral saree with a chunky pearl necklace.

February 2015:
This month was dominated by outfit posts. My favourite post was when I wore my favourite Bandhani saree at the Swami Narayan Temple at Chino Hills, California. Only a saree could do justice to this beautiful location.

March 2015:
This was the busiest month on So-Saree with around 20 posts going live in this month alone.
My favourite was the PPD segment that I did with my fellow blogger friends to raise awareness about this topic.


Read the posts here:
The PPD Story by Kalyani
The PPD Story By Shilpi

April 2015:
This month saw a lot of collaborations.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all my sponsors for a fruitful journey.

Jewellery Courtesy: Confusion Acccessories

May 2015:
The highlight of this month was a post that I wrote about my Mom - #EveryWomenIsALeader

June 2015:
This month I had the opportunity to review Vintage Desi. Though it started off as a collaboration, I think it might turn out to be a relationship for a lifetime. The jewellery pieces at Vintage Desi are one of a kind and of extremely good quality. You should check them out, if you haven't yet.

July 2015:
So-Shaadi Series made a comeback on So-Saree on popular demand and it was one of the most popular segment of all times.
The post that enjoyed most popularity was Sindhi Wedding Rituals.

August 2015:
The So-Shaadi series continued in the month of August as well. My Best Friends Wedding is a post with the maximum number of views this year. So you should check it out right now.

September 2015:
I finally kick started the long due So-Saree in America Series in this month.
I just hope I am able to finish it off at least this year.

I also want to point out that this month I reached  600 followers on Twitter and my 600th follower was none other than Rashmi Uday Singh. She started following me, after I posted the Super Salad Recipe on my blog. Have you checked it out yet?

October 2015:
My friend Paras did a 3 post feature about the numerous Ganesh Pandals in and around #Mumbai .

Check out the posts here:
Ganeshotsav 2015 Part 1
Ganeshotsav 2015 Part 2
Ganeshotsav 2015 Part 3

November 2015:
This month too was dominated by fashion posts thanks to my lovely sponsors Dresslink and CNDirect.

December 2015:
The last month of the year was equally interesting. Because I did a Beauty post, a Travel Post, a Fashion Post, reviewed the services of JCB Salon and covered an elite event by Wella. I couldn't have had a better conclusion to the year. What say?

Link

Thank You once again for being a part of So-Saree's journey. I hope the coming year is going to be even more interesting and fulfilling than the past year.