Feeling Crafty | Insanely Awesome DIYS

So we have been feeling pretty crafty within the last week. Perhaps it’s because its almost Spring. The creative juices have been flowing through us and we have taken to scrolling through arts and DIY (Do it Yourself) blogs for inspiration on how we can turn our homes and lives into a paradise using only beeswax, mason jars, clothes hangers and essential oils ( and we take our hats off to all of the immensely talented people on Pinterest).

What’s great about sitting down and creating something, whether it’s for yourself, for a friend, or for your home, is that it is not only fun and therapeutic, it’s also incredibly eco-friendly and thrifty. Why spend x number of dollars on a luxury candle or art-piece when you can create your own? Often our houses are treasure troves for craft materials. Elastic bands, paper clips, old clothes, old-makeup containers, and chipped mugs can be transformed into fully-functional masterpieces with ease. Out of the DIYs we have found this week, here are a few of our favorites.

1. Hand-made Perfume

2. Body-Chains

3. Rose Petal Body Scrub

4. “Reasons Why I Like You”  Deck of Cards

5. Drawer Bulletin Board

6. Book Page Pendant

7. Bottle Cap Pictures

 

Are there any craft ideas that you think we should include? Email us at info@indiverve.com and we will include them with full credit to you!

xoxo,

Indiverve

Indiverve Holiday Recipes | Vegetarian Comfort Food

There can be no question that holiday meals typically, if not always, center around meat. Turkey, ham, roast chicken – animal foods are the stars of these foodie festivities. But what if you are vegetarian or vegan? While there are tons of recipes out there for vegetarian/vegan holiday meals, appetizers, and desserts it can be a challenge finding recipes that will appeal to everyone, including one’s carnivorous friends. In the spirit of this, we have poured through our favorite vegetarian recipes and have come up with some fantastic drink, appetizer, meal and dessert recipes for you to enjoy. The theme? European Comfort Food.

Fave Drink (Vegan and Non-Alcoholic): Pear Tree

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Dan Becker

Holiday drinks are often over the top sweet. Sugary egg-nog, syrupy apple ciders and decadent hot chocolates can leave one feeling exhausted and bloated before the feasting festivities even begin. The festively named “Pear Tree” (from the Christmas classic “The 12 Days of Christmas) is light and refreshing with lemon-lime juice, pear juice, simple syrup, and lots of ice and mint. It can be made with or without alcohol and is just as delicious either way. The juicy pear flavor balances out the tartness of the lemon and lime and leads us into our next recipe….

Fave Appetizer: Gluten-Free Parsnip-Pear Soup 

There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup on an icy cold winter day. This thick and creamy soup made with protein-rich almond butter and coconut oil, fragrant pears, hearty parsnips, leeks and rich spices (cayenne, cracked black pepper and nutmeg) is not only delicious, but utterly comforting. It’s like the food equivalent of that oh-so-warm, hand-knit blanket your grandmother made you when you were small. Always wonderful, and more delicious the next day after the spices have mingled and developed.

Fave Main-Course: Sweet Potato and Edamame Shepherds Pie

With thick layers of baked, buttery mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables and gravy (vegetarian in this case), Shepherd’s pie is pretty much the creme de la creme of all comfort food. Nutritious edamame, sweet potatoes and succulent mushrooms make this decadent meal just as delicious as its meatier counterparts.

Fave Dessert: Vegan German Chocolate Cake

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/998741/vegan-german-chocolate-cake

Chocolate cake is a dessert loved by virtually all. A known aphrodisiac and endorphin booster, there is no dessert cozier than chocolate cake to share with those close to you this time of year. This vegan version of a German Chocolate cake is rich and yet light as air. Garnish with kumquats and chocolate cigars like the recipe says for a cake that is sure to impress (we feel cultured just looking at these cakes, let alone eating them!).

We hope you have fun trying at least one of these recipes! Enjoy and happy holidays xox

Indiverve

Globe-Friendly Gift Giving | Five Fabulous DIY Gifts

Tis the season of gift-giving  and as many will agree with, it can be a challenge! Finding the right gift for those in your life is not always an easy task! That is why we have rounded up five of our favorite do-it-yourself gift ideas, everything from bubble bath and home-made truffles to tea. Not only is it infinitely easier on your wallet to make your gifts this year but is only incredibly environmentally friendly and somehow more personal than buying a gift. Whether for your colleague or best friend, those on your list are sure to love your home-made gift! We wish you happy, healthy, eco-friendly holidays!

Home-made Travel Photo-Albums

A fun and personal gift that will have your loved one reflecting on good memories of your relationship. It doesn’t have to be travel theme of course, but if your loved one went somewhere fantastic recently, why not document it for him or her?

Find Here: http://www.polkadotchair.com/2013/06/diy-photo-album.html/

Holiday Scented Home-made Sugar Scrubs

With yummy flavor ideas like pumpkin pie, chai, and vanilla peppermint, the sky is really the limit in terms of how creative you can get with these. Cranberry-orange or maple cinnamon? Perfect for the beauty buff on your list.

Find Here: http://lipstickandberries.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/holiday-diy-body-scrubs/

Decadent, Home-Made Holiday Truffles

Truffles are the perfect, gender/emotionally neutral, but still incredibly thoughtful and sweet (pun-intended) gift. Truffles are ideal gifts for people that you don’t know all that well or aren’t that close to but still want to acknowledge during the holiday season. They take a bit of time and effort to make and can be personalized with your own flavor ideas which make them thoughtful. A delicious and sophisticated gift for the question marks and/or foodies on your list.

Find Here: http://www.shugarysweets.com/2012/12/easiest-ever-holiday-truffles-and-nambe-giveaway

All-Natural Bubble Bath

A good book, good music, frothy bubble bath and (optional) glass of wine or cup of tea in hand is the epitome of bliss. In the spirit of this, a good-bubble bath is a fool proof gift. To make it even more fool-proof, this home-made bubble bath is simply made, ultra-gentle and naturally scented. Package it pretty with a nice jar, ribbon and wooden tag and your bubbly creation will look even more luxe than if you got it from a swanky spa.

Find Here: http://flytothewall.blogspot.ca/2012/12/holiday-gift-diy-3-how-to-make-your-own.html

Hand-Made Flavored Teas

Forget pricey tea-bars – you can make your own gourmet teas for nothing and in no time. Simply buy tea of your choice in bulk (oolong, black, green, white, rooibis – it’s your choice) and get creative with different ingredients. Dried fruits, nuts, herbs, (edible) essential oils and flavorings, peels, can all make delicious mix-ins. Mix your tea-granny friend a blend that suits their personality and tastes and get creative with the packaging. Mm. Delicious.

Find Here: http://sugarforthebrain.com/2012/01/11/diy-tea/

Happy Holidays!

xoxo

Indiverve

A Snapshot of 2012

At Indiverve Retail Company, we’re looking forward to 2013 and all the challenges it will bring. There’s so many goals we hope to accomplish within our small team. We’re getting ready to launch our new, updated website which will have a fresh and interesting look and feel to it. We also hope to get to know more bloggers who are involved not only in fashion but also food, charities, music, and travel in Vancouver as well as everywhere around the world!

We hope everyone has a happy and prosperous year filled with exciting new experiences and never ending growth. We hope to achieve all of our resolutions- both personal and professional- no matter how big or small. Here’s to 2013, a new and exciting year for all. We think it’ll be filled with nothing but awesomeness!

Now, a snapshot of our past year of blogging featuring some of our very favourite and most popular posts.

We’re glad you enjoyed our Indian style recipes and hope you learned something new!

 

Celebs like Nicole Richie and Rachel Bilson inspired our love of boho chic style all year long.

 

Scarves, one of staple items, received a lot of views. We featured a post on the different ways you can wear them, which was popular for 2012.

Two scarves worn as a tube top and a skirt

                                     Fusion music from musicians like Avial and Prem Joshua kept us inspired all year long.

                       

                    Of course, launching our e-store was a big deal for us as we had worked hard on it for months!

                                                                                   

                                                        Our post on cocktail rings was one of our most loved.

 

We enjoyed posting about our unique styles of little black dresses and will definitely keep ’em coming in the future.

 

We adore inspirational quotes on anything from fashion to inner beauty and helping others. We’ll keep posting them for you to stay inspired all year long.

This blog has helped us share our ideas, inspirations, our love of fusion fashion, and our ultimate goal of helping you discover some of the wonderful things that India has to offer. 

Cheers from all of us at Indiverve Retail Company Inc!

 

 

Mango Champagne

Well Halloween is officially over so that means its time to start thinking about the Christmas holiday season! We know, we know, perhaps its a little early to be mentioning the word “Christmas” and “holiday season” but lets face it people, time flies and before you know it the festivities and all the fun, stress, and everything in between will creep up quickly!

On the bright side, there’s usually a lot of fun get togethers that will take place among family, friends and work colleagues. One can never be too prepared so for all the cocktail drinkers out there, we present an Indian inspired and ultra delicious Mango Champagne recipe we came across recently. Another idea is to use this mango lassi recipe and spike it with your favourite alcohol. We recommend a spicy rum. We hope to blog about many more drinks in the next couple of months leading up to Christmas and the New Year.

Enjoy in moderation!

Ingredients

• 1 can mango nectar (12 oz.)
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 2 whole cloves
• 10- 12 black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  
• 1 bottle Champagne
  

Preparation

1. Bring the nectar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and add all of the spices. Let the mixture cool, then strain and refrigerate.
3. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the spicy mango mixture into a Champagne flute and top with chilled Champagne.

*Champagne can be replaced with sparkling wine

 

 

 

Poha- A Healthy Breakfast or Nutritious Snack

Poha, which is made from flattened rice, is a recipe originating from western India. Its easy to cook and its a very nutritious dish. Its normally eaten for breakfast but can also be eaten as a snack at anytime. Poha can be found in any Indian grocery store in your city. We like to eat it with a splash of lemon or lime and with coconut chutney or plain, thick yogurt. Poha goes very nicely with a hot cup of chai!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups poha (flattened rice)
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 green or red chilies, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large potato, quartered and sliced very thin
• A handful of peanuts
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• Juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon
• Salt, to taste
• Chopped coriander (cilantro)

Preparation:

• Wash poha under running water and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan on medium flame and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chilies. Fry till the spluttering stops and then add the onion. Fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
• Add the peanuts and potatoes and stir frequently. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the poha completely to remove all water and add it to the mixture. Add the turmeric powder and stir well, blending all ingredients.
• Cook for one minute. Turn off the heat.
• Pour lemon or lime juice over the poha and mix well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander (we decided to throw the coriander in with the mixture) and serve hot.

                                                                                Chopped onions and coriander (cilantro).

                                                                                            Frying the first few ingredients.

                                                              Adding the peanuts, tumeric, salt and the other ingredients

                                                                             The end result: quick to cook and delicious poha!

The weather’s starting to cool off. Its time to keep warm with a nice cup of chai beside you!

indiverve retail company inc.

Chai or Masala chai as it is sometimes called, is not only delicious but its also nutritious. Ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon are all added for an amazingly smooth taste.  Most chai contains about one third the amount of caffeine of one cup of coffee. Chai is not made in any one particular way but it is always made up of these four ingredients: black tea, milk, sweetener, and spices. You can also add cloves and pepper to your chai if you prefer. The following recipe is just one variation of traditional masala chai. It makes about two cups. Enjoy!

1. In a medium-sized pot, add 2 and a half cups of water and bring to a boil

2. Add 2 tea bags of any black tea

3. Peel and add 1-2 pods of cardamom, including the peels, for extra flavour

4. Add 1 teaspoon ginger, dried, or half an inch, fresh

5…

View original post 101 more words

An Ancient Secret for Glowing Skin

An ancient beauty secret or “nuschka” is revealed in this all-natural recipe for glowing skin.

Before there were make-up artists, spas, or beauty parlors, women in India came up with home made beauty recipes to exfoliate, soften and brighten their face and body, especially for special occasions such as marriage. These all- natural recipes enhanced their natural beauty and improved their skin tone instantly. These beauty secrets are becoming more sought after as women around the world are straying from using harsh and artificial chemicals on their skin. This recipe is gentle enough to use on a daily basis and will result in a beautiful and vibrant glow.

Chick pea flour (besan) is a soft yellow coloured powder available at most Indian grocery stores. Mixed most commonly with milk, water, yogurt or almond oil it helps to hydrate, soften, and cleanse the skin within a few minutes.

For clean and vibrant skin with an instant glow, follow this simple recipe:

•Take 3 tbsp. of besan in a bowl

•Add ½ tbsp. of turmeric powder (haldi)

*Turmeric acts as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and instant skin cleanser. It can leave a yellowish tinge on your skin so use just a little bit for this recipe.

• Now mix the two powders. You can choose between water, milk, plain yogurt, rose water or almond oil. Use an adequate amount of any one of these to make a thick paste. Choose one ingredient for the desired effect:
-Water- hydrates the skin
-Milk or plain yogurt- softens and gives the skin a vibrant glow
-Almond oil- nourishes dry skin, but can leave an oily residue so use just a small amount

• Mix the contents well to form a paste thick enough to apply it on your face without it falling off. If the mixture becomes too thin, add more besan to make it more consistent.

• The mixture can be applied on the face, neck or all over the body. Let it dry for approximately 20 minutes then wash it off with luke warm water.

* A few women may be allergic to besan or other ingredients in the mixture. Just to be on the safe side, apply a small amount on the skin and check for any allergies once it dries. Allergic reactions, however, are not very common with this ancient “nuschka”.

Don’t forget to relax, light a candle, and listen to some comforting music. We suggest “Dakini” by Prem Joshua or something similar for an Indian style spa- like experience!

Iced Chai Tea for a Spicy Summer

For a new twist on masala chai tea, try it cold to help beat the heat this summer. Similar to the comforting hot version, How to Make an Authentic Cup of Masala Chai Tea blogged about in the winter, this spicy cold version is delicious and easy to make. Adding milk or cream is optional and tastes fantastic if you like that smooth and creamy flavour.

• 2 bags black tea
• 2 3/4 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 1 slices ginger (skin can be left on)
• 1 clove
• 1 cardamom pod, broken in pieces
• milk or cream, to taste (optional)

In a large pot, steep tea in 4 cups (1 L) boiling water for 4 minutes. Discard bags. Reduce heat to medium-low and add sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom and let boil for 4 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Strain and add milk or cream, if desired. Add ice. (Recipe makes approximately 4 servings). Enjoy!

a delicious and refreshing treat perfect for the hot summer months

                                                                    

Samosas for a Rainy Day

Samosas are fried or baked pastry filled with spiced potatoes, lentils, peas, ground lamb or chicken. Most versions are triangular in shape and often eaten with chutney. They are a popular appetizer or snack in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, and in some parts of Africa.

Making samosas at home is easier than you think. It takes time and patience but what you end up with will be spectacular. This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make. Be sure to give yourself lots of time. Frying them slowly and on medium heat will give you best results. These samosas are vegetarian. Try them along with a cup of chai!

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup all- purpose flour
water to knead dough
2 tbsp oil
a pinch of salt
1/4th tsp. ajwain seed (optional)

 Stuffing:
3-4 potatoes, boiled, peeled & mashed
1/2 cup green peas
1-2 green chilies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ginger, chopped or powered
1 tbsp coriander
few chopped cashews
few raisins
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt, to taste
red chili powder, to taste

Directions

Crust:

• Mix all the ingredients (salt, oil, ajwain) except water.
• Add a little water at a time.
• Pat and knead well  into a soft dough.
• Cover the dough and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Stuffing :

• In a bowl, add mashed potatoes and all dry spices (salt, chili powder, and garam masala) green chilles and ginger. Mix well.
• Stir in green peas, cashews and raisins.
• Add coriander and keep aside.

Samosas:

• Make small rolls of dough into 4″ diameter circles.
• Cut dough into two parts in the form of a semi-circle.
• Now take one semi- circle and fold it like a cone. Use water as needed.
• Place small amount of filling in the cone and seal the it using a drop of water.
• Heat oil in a pot and deep fry till golden brown. Fry on medium heat.
• Scoop samosa out of oil and place on paper towel.
• Enjoy with or without chutney sauce.

Potato based filling with spices, peas, raisins and cashews.

Try to make the samosa in a cone shape, as pictured above.

Fry the samosas on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Delicious home made samosas!