Gifted Gorgeousness SAL August Update

Hello Friends...
Here is my late post for the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL ...late for good reasons.
I'm on vacation these days..right now as i write this post sitting in bed, i can see a lighthouse from my window. .pure bliss.
I am so delighted to show you what Jo , the hostess of Gifted gorgeousness sal herself , has sent me as part of our exchange.Jo carefully selected so many things which match my taste , however my favorite is the coaster.She has stitched flowers for my birth month and my intial ..i love it.

The picture above doesn't do justice to the beautifully stitched coaster..hop onto Jo's blog to get a better look.  The packet includes a mystery novel, charms, madeira threads, iron on transfer patterns, design booklet, cards and tin to keep needles and threads, perfect to carry on a vacation.
Here's what i stitched for Jo..Autumn is her favourite season.

As i wasn't able to get an appropriate magnet i tried making one..

Both the patterns above are freebies , link to which i will add in my finishes page.

I also want to show you my latest stash acquisition but may be in my next post.

Till then happy stitching.

The Alphabet Club - A is for Aarambh & Asha...

Its the first Saturday of the Month and time to post first entry for the Alphabet Club hosted by Chiara at the Grey Tail.

In June, when Chiara and Jo came up with this idea, I literally jumped on the wagon. I thought this can be a great opportunity to introduce my fellow bloggers to the rich culture of India , my home land; and Kuwait, the country I now call home. Also I can talk about my hobbies such as cross stitch, travel and food using the Alphabets of languages I know (except English): Hindi, Punjabi and Marathi. Hindi is the main language of India and is written in Devanagiri script.

So here is my choice of words :

Aarambh (आरंभ , aa-rum-bh) is a Hindi word for beginning. I chose this word as I feel life is series of beginnings. Birth, first day at school, first day of college, marriage ,moving to a new location... aren't these all small beginnings. Beginnings bring "Asha" .
Asha (आशा , aa-sha) is a Hindi word for Hope. Hope of learning new things at school and College. Hope of a beautiful/life long/secure relationship through marriage.Don't you agree Aarambh and Asha go hand in hand ?

Amritsar ( pronunciation (help·info); Punjabi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ; Punjabi pronunciation: [əmːɾɪt̪səɾ]) : One of my favourite cities in India, it is home to the Harmandir Sahib (commonly known as the Golden Temple), the spiritual and cultural center for the Sikh religion.

Image source:Wikipedia

I like being at Golden temple not because of religious reasons but the calm and peace which surrounds me whenever I'm there. The temple domes may be covered with gold sheets but its the place where people act most selflessly- cleaning shoes of visitors, mopping the floor, cooking food for strangers. The Langar (community kitchen) at the temple serves free food to millions of people from every race, religion, creed everyday.


A traditional local market for buying cloth in Amritsar. Image source:Internet

Not to forget the yummylicious street food available in Amritsar- kulche (naturally fermented flat bread), pinni (a sweet made of roasted lentils), bun tikki (Indian version of burger) and Aabu Challi (corn on the cob roasted in sand).Oh taking about these reminds me of wonderful time spent I had there during childhood.
It's also the best place to buy ethnic Indian attire Salwar kameez.


Oh yes I can also show you a cross stitch related item, I thinks this entry should qualify as the text starts with an "A" ;)

I hope I have not bored you with a long post ....I'm off to check out what other members of the club are up to