Tuesday 13 March 2012

I'm on Etsy!



This blog is a changin'. All the time. I feel like it's always on the verge; some sort of an edge. The rim of a curb. And that at any time it's going to cross over, walk into a little shop on the other side of the road, and get itself a new wardrobe.

When I started the blog, it was about the food I cooked. Then, in crept the photographs I took. The poetry I read. The furniture I filled my home with. Things I sewed. Places I travelled to.

Now, it'll have to accommodate a plan.

When I finished university, and started working in advertising, it consumed my days. And then, consumed the decade that followed. A decade of writing print campaigns and commercials. The first thrills of driving past billboards with headlines I'd written. Working till dawn on pitches. Long hours of brainstorming - which can be part of a real job. I loved what I did, most of the time. But did I see myself doing that, just that and nothing else, for the rest of my life?

Nah.

I wanted a little shop.

At some point. Maybe years later. A shop filled with beautiful things for the home. Things that I had designed, and created, and crafted copy for. It would have a homey little cafe tucked into one corner. With mismatched teacups. Woven rugs on the floor. And Nina Simone in the background. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted that shop. Even when I was in school, while most of my friends hunched around Linda Goodman's Love Signs, I would be behind a stack of old, foreign design magazines. Bought from the second-hand book shops in Golpark, in South Calcutta. I had a scrapbook filled with cut-outs of country kitchens, Tuscan tiles and patchwork cushions. Instead of Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

So. What now, you ask. Is there a shop? No, there's no shop with rugs on the floor. That's still as far-fetched as it was when I was a teenager with a crush on an Anglepoise lamp.

But, I've been making things, on the side. Pieces of art for the home. Handmade, hand-stitched. Appliquéd, inked.







It started on a whim, as most things do with me. And then, as I sat there every day, surrounded by fabrics and buttons and wallpapers and what have you, it began to gather force.





Peppercorns in my Pocket is going to be a little handmade business.

There. It's out. I'm committed. For now, it's is going to be a range of art for the home. And who knows, some day it might become a bag, a cushion cover, a throw.

























There's nothing like making something by hand - touching textures, putting them together, creating something from scratch. There's a whiff of that far-fetched shop. There's also a lot of calm in this sitting and making. A lot of satisfaction when a piece is done. And in knowing that the work doesn't compromise my time with Chotto-ma. There's also a loud whoop whoop when a piece is sold. (Thanks Sarah, for buying the first!)

I am absolutely, completely loving it.






Peppercorns in my Pocket is now on Etsy. Yes, a different kind of 'shop'. But, it does have lots of mismatched teacups. If you're in Etsy, come and say 'Hi'.




Wish me luck.







 



34 comments:

  1. Wish you lots and lots and lots of Luck. You are as creative with these pieces as you are with your hands. Will post the link on my FB page too to get the word out

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  2. BTW where is the link to the store ?

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    1. thanks sandeepa! a shout-out is just the thing i need!
      the link is in the sentence that says 'Peppercorns in my pocket is now on Etsy'. Click, and it should take you there. will need to make an etsy button for the blog.

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  3. Pia, if you aren't on Pinterest yet, you need to be. So many women there, repinning gorgeous stuff......and buying.

    Good luck! Your pieces are lovely.

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    1. Aliza, thanks for the tip, and your comment on the work! I've been meaning to get onto Pinterest, but haven't gotten around to it. I must.

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  4. Congratulations! Your works are just beautiful. Wishing you all the best in this next chapter...

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  5. And you are absolutely and completely talented! Lovely lovely stuff! Wishing you the very best of luck! :)

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    1. Thanks Emma, your comment means a lot. So, so thrilled you like the stuff :)

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  6. Pia, I always loved your blog and now I love your work, they are so beautiful and creative. All the best for your business!

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    1. Sanchita, thank you, thank you :) This encouragement means a ton!

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  7. Congratulations Faf!!! It's BRILLIANT!! Fabulous pieces...I want to buy all but how do i...

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    1. zanks! and let me see what we can do about it, huli :)

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  8. Your work and the way the pics are styled is just gorgeous. Wishing you all the best. Will do my bit to get word around. And yes, you should get on board Pinterest ASAP.

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    1. thanks, glad you like them! and i need all the help i can get to spread the word - so thanks for that too! pinterest is next on the list :)

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  9. Pia you amaze me with everything you do... the beautiful writing, the wonderful cooking, being a mom and wife, and now these gorgeous pieces of home-art!
    They are absolutely adorable... whimsical and with an appeal that is beyond 'cute'. Wishing you the very best of luck!

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    1. swati, you just made my day with such a lovely comment! a big thank you :) i'm smiling, and smiling.

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  10. In bocca al lupo, we'd say in Italian. I hope this journey brings you to the little shop of your dreams.

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    1. grazie! you couldn't have said it better :)

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  11. Amazing talent. This is the first time I visited your blog and completed going through all the posts...:) catchy .... All the best

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  12. welcome to the blog, kaushiki! thanks for leaving such a lovely comment :)

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  13. AMAZING, Pia!!! It is clear that each piece was made with love. Lots of it. You are inspiring me. Truly, you are. Best of luck to you! I've never been on Etsy ... will check it out now.

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    1. thanks grace! very happy you like them!
      i'm sure you'll love etsy, but be warned, it's said to be quite addictive! :)

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  14. Just caught up and want to wish you lots of luck and success. Your art is beautiful, personal, charming... just the things I've come to enjoy about your blog.

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    1. Kavey - I couldn't have asked for nicer words to decribe my work. Thank you.

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  15. I missed this post of yours!! How could I!!

    I am so so happy that you are able to turn this dream of yours into reality. All of this looks so beautiful. You are so talented Pia. My best wishes to you always!

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    1. The comment section is always a little empty without your voice, anita :) i'm glad you found your way in - thanks for the wishes and words. they are, as always, very appreciated.

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  16. these are absolutely precious! I am collecting ideas for a nursery for a hopefully-soon-adoptive-baby, and I absolutely want one of these for it. congratulations on opening your Etsy shop!

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  17. hi nishta :) thank you! and congratulations to you and jill - a baby, what wonderful news! i'm sure you'll have a great time decorating the nursery - it's one of the most exciting projects to embark on - the start of many good things.

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  18. It is absolutely cute! whatever you're doing Pia..
    Wish you loads of luck and success all the way in your new endeavor..

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    1. thanks for the lovely wishes, radhika!

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  19. these. are. absolutely. precious. WANT :)

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  20. i. love. that. you. WANT.
    i'd be very happy to have my art live with you :)

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