Author Archives: Serena van Grondelle
Indigo dye
Indigo is a trend at the moment! Everywhere there is Indigo (block prints). whether a bedspread or blouse, dress etc. Indigo could be described as a deep blue with influences between cornflower, violet and blue. An organic compound, Indigo is important as it is a rare colour. I have been travelling to India the last […]
Continue readingCotton is the perfect material for a summer dress
I have always loved wearing cotton and my first trip to India reinforced this. Cotton is a fibre that is versatile, cool to wear and washes well. It has been spun since ancient times. It is used for ready to wear fashion, homewares, curtains and furnishings. Europe fell in love with cotton after an English woman […]
Continue readingSerena’s Shed
It finally happened! Serena’s Shed is open for business! (well actually it has been open for a few months but I’m only just finding the time to write about it now) The opening night was a great success, with a larger than expected number of people popping in for a glass of wine and some nibbles – […]
Continue readingI love Paisley
On my travels through India in search of textiles I came across Paisley everywhere in some form or another. It’s on the motifs, all throughout their architecture, and so many textual designs have a form of paisley through them! Back in the 1870s, when the west discovered the humble but very practical (and let’s not forget […]
Continue readingNice place to stay when visiting Delhi
When in Delhi, one of the places I like to stay at is Amarya Haveli, a small boutique Bed and Breakfast in an upmarket enclave called Hauz Khaz. Amarya is part of a small chain of Bed and Breakfast owned by a French couple and you can see where east meets west and it works […]
Continue readingRelaxing in Pushkar
After a few long days of shopping in Jaipur, we decided to go to Pushkar City which is known for its temples and huge lake. It is said that the lake was formed when Lord Shiva cried so much and for so long, that the tears created the Holy Pond. Pushkar is also known for […]
Continue readingI Love Poppy (Lipstick Queen)
Living in the sticks is all well and good but sometimes a girl just needs a fix of the city and has the genetic urge to shop, particularly in the extremely girly sections of a big department store, the likes of David Jones and Myers. So off to Chadstone I went in search of that […]
Continue readingHow to transform the look of a city with some bamboo, polystyrene and calico!
On my last trip to India I was lucky enough to be around for Diwali – a five day hindu festival also known as “festival of lights”. Whilst the lights at night were spectacular (if you thought the lights of New York City were bright, you MUST visit Jaipur during Diwali as it’s unbelievable), the […]
Continue readingDon’t worry about the travel iron!
While staying at Amarya Haveli, I decided to go for an early morning walk through Hauz Khaz and came across two men ironing a shirt for a man while he waited. In the more affluent areas of Delhi you can walk out into the street and have your ironing done for the day. What made […]
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