Blog's New Look and New Listings on ETSY

I had been thinking about writing to you about the new look of my blog. But I got caught up in everyday work and also the flowers that I need to finish before I leave for my vacation. I am sure , by now, most of you have seen the new look .... so how do you like it? Good, Bad, Ugly?

Today, I listed two new items on ETSY (its been some time since I did that!). Both have Dahlias in them...

This one has one dark pink, one light pink and one white dahlia, with some lilac in it. The one pictured below has one light pink dahlia and two ranunculus flowers, with a few tuberoses.

Yes, both are predominantly pink and both have Dahlias, but they are different in their own way. I had been thinking of making these flowers for a long time. But, both of them need a lot of petals. I had so many wedding orders on my hands already... and didn't find time for these darling flowers for a long time :). Now that I am not taking last minute orders before I leave for my vacation, I found some time to work on these. I hope you like them.
I am also working on a custom order, of a very different kind :). One for my mom.... :) (Of course I am not charging her for it... LOL!) She wants a lot of bright colored flowers from me :) ... hopefully I can come up with something really wonderful for her! :)

See ya soon.... Will be back soon with more real wedding photos... :).

Photos from Real Weddings

Everytime I work with a bride, I find that they all have unique personalities and unique styles. Some are more easygoing and some are more reserved, some know exactly what they want and some look to me for ideas. Only one thing remains constant - the fun I have, working with them on their wedding flowers :).Kerry was only the second bride that I worked with :). She wanted a white and blue bouquet, which would be tropical, but not overly so. We agreed on a gardenia and stephanotis bouquet, with a blue ribbon. And guess which part was the most difficult? Finding the ribbon :). I also did her hair flower and the groom's bout. I had written a post on Kerry's bouquet earlier, here. But a couple of days back, she sent me pictures from her wedding. I was overjoyed! :) I hadn't seen a picture of hers before this, but tell me... isn't this one of the cutest couples you've ever seen? It might sound cliched, but they look like they are made for each other.

Speaking of 'Made for Each Other', here are some more photos that I wish to share with you. These photos are from Akiyo. This couple too, looks so much in love... I love the smiles on their faces.... I did the 'White and Green Elegance' themed bouquet for her. Also, I did the groom's bout and a couple of other bouts and corsages.

Courtesy: Carnival Weddings

Now, Akiyo - like many of my clients - is a fellow Etsian (Or is it Etsy-an?). I feel lucky to be working with such creative ladies! Akiyo's shop is called MyDearDarling. I guarantee that you'll fall in love with the little penguins that she makes (I've already bought one for my niece and am waiting for her to start her customized ones again, so I'll order more)! They are super cute!! She also has a blog and a website, both of which are well-maintained and full of fun stuff. I really mean it.... You just HAVE to check her creations!

Courtesy: Carnival Weddings

That is all for today.... I hope to be back soon with more photos, from more projects, before I leave for my vacation.

Some time off :)

I am a person who 'needs' to travel... even if it is from one end of San Juan to the other :). But this time, we did something more exciting. We went to Vermont to see fall colors. And now, we are thinking of buying property there.... LOL! If only we had the money :).
Here are some pictures from our trip:
This is way before we hit the peak fall color areas.... this is in MA.

The covered bridges reminded me of 'Brides of Madison County' :). Near Big Falls, VT

We just kept clicking.... It was as if we wanted to take home every single leaf with us :). They are all a little different from each other :).

I had only seen these pictures in books and magazines .... in real life, with the icy wind blowing ... it is all the more beautiful. This is near Island Pond, VT

Another picture postcard scenery. And just by this brook, there is a house.... Wish it was ours! :) Again, this is near Island Pond, VT



One of the many lakes on our way from NH to VT. In the light of the setting sun, the reflection of the trees in the lake looked magical. I wish we could stop and take more pictures of this scenery... this particular one was taken when we were driving at 65miles per hour.... but still, we think, we did pretty well.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures....

I will be away on vacation from the end of November until the beginning of 2010. Time to go to India and see my baby niece for the first time, who's coming from Melbourne, Australia. Here's how she looks now.... so cute and I can't help saying, so pretty! :)
People from her Daycare say that she is very chatty with her friends :). She 'talks' all the time :). I really can't wait to cuddle her.


By the way, the red dress she is wearing in this pic, was sewn by me :).

Lots have been happening on the work front too, please stay tuned for some real wedding photographs tomorrow. And yes, if you still haven't had a chance to take a look at my website, please do so now (there are still hitches, but I am working on those): www.keepsakeblossoms.com

The look's changed :)

I have been working on a new business identity for quite some time now... and though I like my pinks and reds :), I decided to go in for a simpler look. So here's my new logo, inspired by the photos of the bouquet that my friend Amanda took for me for the magazine photo shoot. I like the simplicity of it, and the vibrancy.

My website is also up now. It has a much better collection of photos, thanks to all the brides and the photographers for sharing them with me. You'll soon see the look being replicated on my blog and other places.... I also have to work on a couple more pages on my website, that show up as 'under construction' right now.


Please take a look at my new website and send me your feedback. I am not an expert on websites, so there are still hitches. There are some that I know, and I am working on. But there might be others, that have missed my eyes. Please know that I am counting on you!
Thank you all for your support..... I couldn't have come this far, without your help.

Cover photo on 'Veils and Vows'

I had been dying to share this with you.... and its finally here :). Please go through the pages 9, 18, 28, 29, 30, 44 of the 'Veils and Vows' magazine.


This is all thanks to my friend, Amanda, of Amanda Fales Photography. I am sure most of you have been to her website and experienced her mindblowing talent. Those of you who haven't, are seriously missing something. Veils and Vows - an Indiana based Wedding periodical, did this Big Dream Makeover for a lucky bride-to-be. Amanda, who works for the magazine asked me if I would make a fall colored bouquet for the Makeover. Of course, I said yes! :). The bouquet has orange roses, white peonies, monkeytail ferns, stephanotis and some berries and foliage. I loved the photos so much, that my new website pretty much revolves around them :). This is my first magazine mention and I am super excited :).
Betty and I were away the whole day, shopping and sight-seeing..... when I logged on to my facebook, after I came back home, I found that the magazine had been published :). I was happy as it is, and then I even saw the ad that was put in there for me :). That was a big surprise!So, do let me know how you like the feature, the photos and my flowers .... :).

P.S.: All photos are courtesy Amanda Fales Photography

Disney Tiki House themed Tropical Flower Bouquet

I am pretty sleepy :), but I realized that I hadn't posted for quite some time. So, here's some eye candy, although, it still needs a wrap. What wrap do you think would look good on this? Do send in your comments.....My DECO Clay friend Betty Phillips is here with us, to spend 10 days in beautiful Puerto Rico. So, along with flower making, we are also going to give her a tour of the Isla del Encanto - the Enchanted Island. Today, we went out for dinner to Frida's - a great Mexican restaurant and I had grilled chicken with Mango Salsa.... I never thought it could taste that great! And of course, we had Guacamole :) - the absolute best I have ever had.
Tomorrow, we will probably drive to El Yunque, the rainforest here.... it's beautiful! Anyway, I have to sign off now, but do let me know how you like this bouquet. It has red and yellow hibiscus (Yellow Hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower), Plumeria, Green Cymbidiums, Yellow smaller orchids, green roses, tuberose and tuberose buds - that's a lot of flowers there :). This bride is getting married on the beautiful island of Oahu (my Oahu .... how I miss it!). Lucky girl! :) I am going to put up more pictures of this bouquet, once the wrap is on. Okay, really have to sign off now.... I am dozing off.... Buenos Noches ....

Red Rose Vintage Glam Bouquet

So here is the other red rose bouquet that I was talking about and was really excited about. The wedding colors are red, black and ivory and I have tried to incorporate all the three colors here.
There are red roses, pearl loops and ostrich feathers, surrounding the flowers. The bouquet handle is wrapped in an ivory ribbon first and then is overlaid with vintage - looking lace (which took some effort to find) and finally secured with ivory pearl pins :).
This is one bouquet that I didn't have to think much about... because the moment the bride explained her wedding look to me, I just knew that it had to be this design.... I think it looks quite glam. Let me know what you think.

What I have been up to

The last week was quite eventful.... I drove on the streets of San Juan :). For those who are thinking why I am so excited, its because I just got my driver's licence, a few weeks back.

Also, we saw the film, "Inglourious Basterds", not once, but twice :). Loved it! I shut my eyes during the gory scenes, but the film is brilliant. I must mention that I didn't particularly like Brad Pitt, but I am a fan now :). But, the actor who plays the evil guy - Christoph Waltz, beats Pitt hands down. He is marvellous in the movie. Go check out the film and if you are like me, just shut your eyes close, when you think a gory scene is around the corner :).

Also, there is this book that I have been reading for the past two weeks: The Lost - A search for 6 of 6 million, by Daniel Mendelsohn. It is very emotionally draining, although it is not the first Holocaust-based book that I am reading (I started when I was 13 or 14, with
'The Diary of Anne Frank'). I always wondered why I have always felt a deep connection with the victims of the Holocaust. I think I have found my answer today, thanks to Daniel Mendelsohn. Like him, I want to know more about my ancestors, who had to leave behind the land of their birth and start afresh. Like him, I lost at least one member of my family in a similar scenario. And I have no idea if there were more, whom I don't know of. And I often think of them..... I often think what my grandparents and their families.... witnessed during the years of madness, that preceded and followed India's freedom from British rule. The stories I have heard, and the things I have seen myself, several decades later, only make me want to go back and find out more. Huh! Hate is such a powerful emotion.... so destructive! Anyway.... this paragraph was about 'The Lost'..... a book I highly recommend! The only thing is, the author digresses a lot and writes in long winded sentences - both of which make the content difficult to grasp. But once you learn to work around that, there is a lot you will learn from the book - about the author's lost family, the world at that time and I think, even yourself.

Real Wedding Photos - Cake Topper

Mariette commissioned me to do her cake topper. I still remember myself sipping on a Java Chip Frappuccino at the Starbucks near Walmart, in Honolulu, when my Blackberry beeped with her message :). She wanted purplish roses, Sahara roses, lilacs and other flowers that she already had in her bouquet - for her cake topper.
In the course of time Mariette told me that she was having her wedding at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan. The description she gave me of the place, made me want to go there rightaway. It seems like a dream place to get married at.
Mariette sent me these photos, without me having to even request for them. I am so happy to be sharing these with you. The cake was designed by Mariette's daughter. Didn't she do a wonderful job of it?
Another cool thing that I just got to know was.... Grand Hotel was rated as one of the 40 best places to stay in, by the Sky Magazine published by Delta Airlines. So, is the gorgeous Prestonfield in Edinburgh, Scotland where Nella got married. :).

Blogging from the Sky :)

Hello! I am on my way to Phoenix for a few weeks. Am carrying all the stuff I need to make my flowers with me :). I hate flying and I figured the internet would keep my mind off it :). So, here I am....
Oh! Turbulence again! :(. We are flying over Florida now, and then, once I reach Atlanta, there's a layover of 3 hours! Anyone has any interesting ideas to kill 3 hours at the ATL airport? Let me know :).
A little bit of an eye-candy for you bothering to read my incoherent nonsense today :).

This a centerpiece I made for my friend Eve for her wedding in late June. It has roses and peonies (I love those flowers!) and is about 16 inches in diameter. I didn't get time to write a post on Eve's wedding, but, I shall do that soon. Till then, stay in touch and let me know how you like this photo.

Red Bouquets

Red seems the color of the season :). I have already made two all-red bouquets and the third one is on the verge of completion.
The first one is a very traditional, simple all-red, all-rose bouquet, finished off with dark green leaves at the bottom. I love the simplicity and elegance of it. I know red roses are cliched, but I LOVE red roses. And I hadn't ever made a red rose bouquet and I was dying to! And now, I am making another one :). But that one's going to be very different, although the flowers are exactly the same. Can't wait to finish it!


Then, there is this all-red anemone bouquet. I never knew this would turn out so pretty! :). I wish I knew how to take better pictures, because these bouquets definitely deserved better pictures. I hope the brides send me some photos from their wedding so I can share them with you. This bouquet traveled all the way to Ireland and made it there in good shape. Not that I had any doubt it would... LOL, but sometimes even I am surprised by how strong these delicate-looking flowers are. This anemone bouquet was mailed with a matching bout.
Donna contacted me to make a bouquet for her, with about 45 days to go for her wedding. Not that I had time on my hands, but I love taking up last moment challenges :). The initial idea was to go for a wildflower bouquet. I had almost completed the bouquet when she saw an anemone bouquet and couldn't get it off her mind. She asked me if I could make that for her instead. It was very difficult to say yes, especially because I had almost made all the flowers for the wildflower bouquet. But, truth be told, even I was smitten by the anemone bouquet :) and HAD to do it. And then, I figured, I can always use the wild flowers for an arrangement or something :). That is how this bouquet was born :). Oh! And I figured out this cool way of making the petals! So, this bouquet was rewarding in a lot of different ways.

Dagney and Michael's Wedding

I am sorry for the long absence. A lot had been going on in our lives...... that's taken care of now (hopefully) and I am ready to start posting again.This is one wedding that I have been thinking of writing about for quite sometime now. It fascinated me! I haven't contributed much to Dagney and Michael's wedding, just the hair piece (My Gardenia and stephanotis hair comb). But the theme, the coordination, the photography and the person.... Dagney, are the real reason behind this post.Dagney contacted me when we were going through a very bad phase. Sarang's project was hanging in balance. We didn't know whether we were moving to Puerto Rico/Arizona, or staying in Hawaii. Also, it was an exciting time.... my niece was born. Either way, it was a confusing, chaotic phase for us and I missed out on the email Dagney sent to me via my website. However, she found me again through ETSY and ordered the comb off my store. By the time I got her order, we knew we were moving. She was very understanding about it and shared her own story of moving away from HI. Dagney is one of the nicest people that I ever worked with!Dagney Pitts and Michael Stone got married in this AMAZING ceremony, in which everything symbolized the background that they came from. The wedding was in Trumbull, CT and the reception was in a hangar in Oxford, CT. There is a lot more written, much more beautifully in the photographers' blog here. Do check Robert and Kathleen's beautiful work here. Not that they need any endorsement from me! :) This particular wedding that they shot has been featured in Style Me Pretty.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Now that I am BACK :), you can expect to see a lot many pictures soon..... keep reading :).

Update on my niece :)

My niece Purvi is 2 and a half months old now :). And I think she looks like an angel. Here's a photo of hers that I wanted to share with you.

A special Gardenia Comb

I have always wanted to make a gardenia comb with both pearls and crystals :). Finally, I did! Usually, I list this comb as a customized item. But this one is special and is available on my ETSY store as of now.
I have been guilty of not listing any new items on ETSY for the longest time :), but hopefully - beginning with this comb, I shall start again.This comb is 5 inches in length, is studded with pearls and Swarovski rhinestones and has 3 gardenias in full bloom (the other ones have one half-open and two full-bloom gardenias) and lots more stephanotises than the regular comb. It also has these cute rhinestone branches giving it more movement and character. In short, I absolutely love it!
Let me know what you think about this comb..... I would love to hear from you, as always....

Real Wedding Pictures - Ivory Roses with Peacock Feathers Bouquet

Hi Readers! I am sure a lot of you remember the bouquet with ivory roses and peacock feathers, that I made a couple of months back. It has become my most popular searched item and has made my blog readership go up by at least 20%.
Sondra, the lovely bride for whom I designed and created the bouquet sent me some very pretty pics from her wedding. So I wanted to share them with you.
I don't remember if I mentioned this, but Sondra came to me about 3 weeks before her wedding. But I loved her idea of a peacock themed bouquet so much that I just HAD to create this for her! Sometimes the urge to create something unusual and special just gets the better of me :). Also, I love working under pressure. I thought and thought about how I could design a bouquet with peacock feathers that would look elegant, rather than something overly flashy. I then studied the peacock feather closely and that gave me ideas. I used teal and golden brown Swarovski crystals to mimic the main colors of a peacock feather, so that the ivory didn't look like it didn't belong with the feathers. I also worked on the wrap and was able to find ribbons that I totally loved (Thanks Creations by You!). The most time-taking part was not making the flowers, but working with the peacock feathers. It can get very tricky, since they are very silky and slip easily.Sondra's wedding took place on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The background added to the bouquet's beauty, I'd say. See how well the turquoise water compliments the colors in the bouquet! The size of the bouquet, as you can see, is petite. But that doesn't take away from its elegance.... rather, it adds to it. Don't you agree? I just love love love this bouquet and would love to hear your thoughts about it too.... and the pictures :).

One more thing that made Sondra very special to me were the words she wrote to me. They were so touching! That's what I work for.... words like that make me feel so honored to be part of such a special day in a couple's life.

One year ETSY Anniversary

Hi there! We are still in the middle of our move :).... yes, still.... we have found an apartment, but will be moving in only on Saturday the 16th of May.
I just realized a few hours back that I just completed one year on ETSY. And what a year it has been. From my first sale to Melanie to my latest custom creation. There are lots of people I wish to thank.... I also need to thank Melanie for being the first person to trust me with a custom order :). I also want to thank Nella, for trusting a newbie like me, with her big day. Without you all, I wouldn't have been here .... truly! I wish to thank all my ETSY friends who have stood by me through thick and thin. Sarah, Julia, Chloe, Jennie, Sally, Somdutta, Jessie, Yasmin, Mary, Kristine, Schar.... thank you :).

A big thank you to the photographers who photographed my work so beautifully and gifted me something I couldn't myself create to my satisfaction - Amanda of Amanda Fales Photography, Cheryl of Image Pixie, John of John Caroll Photography, Tim of Timecut Photography, Amy and Todd of Studio 12, DB Images, Gregory of Gregory Paul Photography, my friend Eve who is a terrific photographer (and a model too!.... her modelling has sold dozens of my combs) and Sarang (my busy husband who takes terrific photos whenever he has time).
I also want to thank all my clients for allowing me to be a part of your special days. I want to thank all those who follow my blog and write me sweet comments.
This post would be incomplete without my thanking my dear friends Chenli, Cherrie, Betty, Eve and Max (Max does for me what I can't do for myself - promote my creations....) for supporting me always!

In this post I have included two collages. The first is a mix of projects I have done on ETSY, for ETSY clients. The second is a variety of combs I have done....After the first one, every single one in the picture has been a custom order :). There are some more that I have done, but I couldn't fit them all ....
This year, I have been featured on several blogs. Also, I have found myself on Storque as also the ETSY Wedding Guide and the ETSY Handmade Registry :). Some of my brides have also blogged about me. All of these have propelled my sales - more than anything I expected.
My academy (DECO Clay Craft Academy) and my teacher - Yukiko Miyai , have given me a new career and ETSY has given me an avenue to showcase and sell my work. And my husband Sarang. There is nothing I can say or do, that can express what I really feel about all of you........ THANK YOU!
I hope you will stay with me - supporting, encouraging and challenging me, as you have been doing all these months.

See where I found myself this time :)

It has been crazily busy of late, with me getting adjusted to a new place and hunting for an apartment. So today, just as I was wishing for some pleasant news, my Seattle bride sent me a photo of her bridal bouquet to savor :). I shall write more on that in a later post.
But here's what I want to share with you today. I was getting bombarded on my Blackberry with ETSY convos. I couldn't figure out why! It had never happened to me before.... So, I asked some of the ladies who wrote to me, where they found me. Their unanimous answer,"ETSY finds - Weddings"... WOW! I have waited for this so long. Its been great to have been featured on ETSY finds.... I can't stop jumping with joy... LOL!

Its been a crazy crazy time :) and wedding order teaser

We are moving.... for all those who don't know, Sarang and I have already moved out of Hawaii and into Arizona. I'll talk about the next part of our move later.... but suffice to know its been a crazy time for us. We decided that we needed to move immediately - in like 10 days! Not only did we have to pack and wrap up things in Honolulu, I also needed to finish a HUGE wedding order. I also wanted to finish as much as possible of the 10 centerpieces I am doing for our friends' wedding.

In between, I have also tried to squeeze in samples, hair combs, single gardenia hair pieces and cake toppers! I wish I could photograph them all.... but I really could not. But here are a few pictures of the Seattle wedding that I did bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres for.
The Hydrangea bouquet is for the Maid of Honor. The hydrangea has light green centers. This was suggested by my dear friend and fellow DECO Clay Instructor and fanatic :) - Chenli. Thank you Chenli.... your suggestion made a world of difference. Its always awesome to connect with DECO instructors like you.... its an absolute honor!

Along with the above two bouquets, there were another 6.... I have a flight to catch, so I shall run now and post the remaining pictures as soon as possible.... Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures and let me know what you think.
I have to make a special mention of the bride here. Without her, these arrangements wouldn't have looked so spectacular. She had the vision of going the non-traditional way. Instead of having a white bouquet herself, she preferred to have her bridesmaids and MOH have white bouquets - each will hold a bouquet different kind of bouquet. The MOH as I mentioned earlier, will hold the hydrangea, another bridesmaid will hold a Peony bouquet, another a Gerbera Daisy bouquet, and so on...... It was very exciting to work on! Rarely do you have the chance to work on something like this. The bride herself opted for a summer-fall happy combination of colors and flowers. Her bouquet has Dahlias, Ranunculus (this is a new technique that we learnt at the DECO Clay Craft Academy and looks very real, I think, unlike the one that looked pretty, but looked like a ball! Thank you Yukiko!), two kinds of orchids, Callas, Freesias and Poppies. Most of the hues are orange-y, but the smaller orchids and bright yellow freesias give it a more cheery splash of yellow. I have also inserted very little green, so it actually works as a highlight and not as a filler.
I think this post is getting a little disjointed :) and that's because I have so much to do in so little time. But this post is for all those who have been waiting to read and see what I have recently done :). So many people have written in specially to ask why I haven't posted and everytime I speak to my friends (again, very talented fellow DECO Clay instructors) - Betty and Cherrie - they tell me that they want to see pictures :). I hope these pictures make you happy :). Please excuse me for the bad quality of the photos.... these were just hurriedly taken shots :(.

Okay, bye now.... see ya soon....
PS: My Seattle bride is getting married TODAY :). Please wish her a very happy wedded life.....

Finished another Wedding Order :)

Everytime I complete a Wedding Order, there is a relief of having finished things well and on time. But more than that, there is an excitement of what the bride will say once she sees the flowers herself :). Seeing them in photos is one thing. Seeing them in reality is quite another :). And I always wait eagerly for their comments....every little word of appreciation gives me a BIG (no... HUGE) smile :).Anyway... these flowers are for the bride that I made the Pink Peony and Rose Bouquet that I had blogged about earlier. Once she received the Bridal Bouquet, she ordered two bridesmaids' bouquets, 3 Bouts and a Peony Hair Flower.The Bridesmaids' Flowers match with the Bridal Bouquet, but they don't have the peonies. They have roses in different hues of pink, along with pearl-studded stephanotis flowers. Also, I haven't added any green to these bouquets. Even the wrap is a little different from the bridal bouquet. Despite all these differences, these two bouquets tie in beautifully with the Bridal Bouquet.
I always wanted to do a 'PINK' wedding and this bride of mine made my wish come true :). Not just that, she also referred a friend to me :). So, now, I'll probably be doing her flowers as well. I am excited and absolutely grateful for every little business that comes my way. Thank you very much for supporting and encouraging me!! It means the world to me :). Thank You!