As Christmas is approaching I have to share some of the new Christmas stuff I got on my last shopping trip to Mumbai. I have some cool ribbons, dupioni silk in Christmas colors an SUPERB silk brocades!!!! I am adding a few pics, but check them out for yourself. My favorite of today is this silk brocade in green en red with small trees on it. Enjoy!

My India is great !

A good friend of mine - we met when I was living in Mumbai - used to have an extreme hate-love relationship with India. She loved big parts of it, but hated an equally big part. She was for example totally crazy about the yoga, but hated the cramped Mumbai traffic. She craved the food, but could not handle it too well. She loved the individual persons, but hated the crowds.

One never knew if on one particular day the she had a good or a bad India day. It all depended on the most current experience. The extremities of her reactions never changed during her years in Mumbai. Her approach to India used to make us - the friends - smile in silence. Although I initially had many of the reactions my friend had, after some time, as I learned to understand India better, life in Mumbai became more predictable.

But my friend took India on head first, and even though she hurt herself many times while doing so, she never closed her heart. I truly believe that the only way to "get" it is to open your heart and leave your baggage at home. This is not easy, but once you do it there is no way back.

It has been three years that she left India. And while I was preparing for my fabric shopping trip to Mumbai last month I came across a shopping bag that she gifted me when she left.

The text on it says it all, really.

Indeed my India is great, and I am sure hers is too.