Friday, January 24, 2014

Grow Your Blog Party 2014

Before we move onto today's post, make sure you make yourself a cuppa and get comfortable .........Today, I'm joining the "Grow Your Blog Party " hosted by Vicki of 2 Bags Full. It's an opportunity to meet hundreds of bloggers from across the globe. So as I introduce my blog and myself, this is your chance to get to know us better.
Take a seat and get to know us - my blog and me 
But before I go on to tell you'll what drove me to start my blog, I'd like to explain how I zeroed in on the name - "The East Coast Desi"(TECD). Since I live in Virginia (USA), the East Coast  part of it is quite self explanatory. As for "Desi" it's a term used to describe a person of Indian descent who lives abroad. But more than that I've used the word to describe my love for all things Indian.

While growing up, my home back in India was infused with traditional ethnic Indian charm. This aspect has had a strong influence on my design style. With my move to the US, I longed to create a balanced decor style that would reflect my Indian roots and the global influences we had come to absorb through our experiences from living abroad.Trying to recreate that for ourselves (that's my husband, 6 year old son and me) was not an easy task. But the end result has been exactly what we wanted.

We started off with the bare bones of a house and I believe that with good design we've been able to breathe life into it. And adding the soul, is my family along with those few personal statement pieces. And by key personal statement pieces I mean : heirloom pieces, decor that talks about stories of where we're from and where we've been, all while screaming our personal style.

Every friend, family or acquaintance that has come through the doors of the TECD casa, has wanted to patiently absorb all the stories that the home has ever wanted to share ..........and as they wanted to know more about where I sourced my pieces from and requested that I help them design their spaces too, I realized people were looking for inspiration to decorate their space in a globally chic style and I could share what I knew.

Then one summer morning, a little vignette I created by gathering a few sprays of wild Chicory flowers, made me attain decorating Nirvana (if you may term it that way). There was something about the image that I had captured on my camera that wanted me to share it.....and so TECD was born. I was able to recognize that blogging was a great way to combine the two things I love doing : decorating + photography. 
This was the image that made me take that big leap into the blogging world.

And now there is no looking back.........I enjoy the sense of control that my blog gives me. I'm the stylist, photographer, writer, editor.....you name it. It propels me to live my creative best. It has been a link in connecting me with so many wonderful and talented people, be it the artists I feature or my blogger buddies. Not to mention the heart-beat of my blog - my READERS . This seems to be the platform to share common interests primarily relating to global decor. Its a place to inspire and be inspired........I've enjoyed the journey so far and if I'm able to motivate even a handful of people or virtually assist them in creating a place called home.......then all the sleepless hours spent in writing the posts or days when I skip my lunch to shoot pictures (cause the lighting was just right), is well worth the effort...................

Hope to see you'll around as I whip up more posts in the days to come and share the plethora of inspiration around us that is waiting to be explored.
                                                                                                     ~ Sruthi   
Images:Clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission.
Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.

53 comments:

  1. Way to go Sruthi!! Love your home, your style and wish you all the best.

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    1. Thank you Anu..... this coming from you means a lot to me:)

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    1. Thank you Paresh.........you always have the nicest things to say:)

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  3. i was in love with your blog..the first time i was there..!!!

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    1. I appreciate all the support that you've shown to TECD Shaz.........thank you again!!!

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  4. I'm a newbie from Grow Your Blog Party 2014, looking forward to following your blog. I too appreciate Indian style and in particular the vibrant colours. You have some lovely photos and I looked forward to being inspired!
    Have a fun weekend of lots of new followers and lovely comments
    Wren x (Little Wandering Wren)

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    1. Hello and welcome to TECD...........very happy that you stopped by and liked what you saw. Will definitely keep in touch:)

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  5. You have a lovely blog Sruthi and pictures you click are so magical that I can keep looking at them for hours :)

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    1. Disha that's so very nice of you to appreciate my work.........Looking through those lenses is something that I enjoy and am always waiting for a chance to put my shutter skills to work. Thank you for stopping by Disha:)

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  6. As I've said before, you have a lovely blog and may the love for blogging and photography continue forever :) I love seeing your pics !

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    1. Reshma that's wonderful coming from you cause I just love the way you take pictures too. Thank you and hope to stay connected :)

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  7. Hi, I'm Linda from craftygardener.ca and I'm visiting from the Grow Your Blog event. It has been nice browsing through your blog.

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    1. Thank you for visiting me Linda. I appreciate the effort that Vicki, you and other blogger buddies have put into the making of this event !!!

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  8. Hopping over from GYB party. Love your colorful blog. Look forward to seeing more of your posts! Hope you will find time to visit mine www.littleputtylittlepaint.blogspot.com

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  9. Visiting from the GYB party. You have a beautiful blog, I'll be checking it out in depth later!!

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  10. Hi Popping in from GYB. I'll be back to explore properly soon. Eleanor x

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  11. HI there !

    This is Deb visiting from the GYB blog hop. Your blog is so beautiful! I look forward to exploring it more! i hope you'll stop by and visit! Hugs! deb

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    1. thank you Deb.....did visit you and the appreciation is mutual.

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  12. Happy Blog Party Day, Sruthi...I am one of Vicki's reader/helpers, which brought me to your post - I would have eventually made it over here on my own, but she gave me the opportunity to get here that much quicker...and I will thank her for that. BEAUTIFUL blog - I know I'm going to be spending some fun time reading here! I have already found the post under this one, regarding the heirloom Indian jewelry - SOOOOO special!!! Off to read some more blogs, but will be back later, for more reading here! Happy Saturday - Tanya

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    1. Thank you Tanya.....appreciate the effort you'll are putting into this event. I'm so glad you stopped by and took some time to explore. Hope to see you around more often.

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  13. Hi, I've also come over from Grow Your Blog. You have a lovely blog here and your pictures are beautiful. I've signed up to follow you so I'll be back :))

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    1. Glad you stopped by Ellie.....since we share the same interest- photography, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other pretty often:)

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  14. What a delight to find my way here via the GYB party. Pure gorgeousness.

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  15. Simply awesome , well written ,simple and amazingly put together.All the very best .

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    1. Very nice to see you here Chetna. Thank you for stopping by.

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  16. Hi Sruthi, visiting from GYB party.. Your photography skill is amazing! Such captivating pictures.. Happy to know you.. Following you. Cheers:)

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    1. Hello Anitha, glad ur here. Hope to hear from u often:)

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  17. Wow, lovely photos! You need lunch, though too!

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  18. Oh. Your blog is so interesting.
    I found you through Grow Your Blog. I will be visiting again lots I am sure.
    Congratulations on a really great blog. Best wishes. Marianna

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    1. Appreciate you stopping by Marianna. Good luck with your wonderful blog.

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  19. I love it!. Your inspiration, your talent and your taste. You are a true beauty, inside and out. Thank you for visiting my blog which helped me find yours. I will be back, your soul intrigues me. Enjoy your journey.

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    1. Those are kind words Judith. I'd love to see you here often.

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  20. Sruthi I have loved visiting, very interesting blog with some many venues to explore. Wishing you a lovely evening! Carole xox

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  21. Hi Sruthi! Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Your blog is so beautiful and I will definitely start following. I especially love the picture you took that made you want to start blogging. You are very talented. I look forward to seeing more decor pics from you. Have a great evening!
    Jennifer
    www.karmas-journey.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Jennifer, it's a pleasure meeting you.....the appreciation is mutual. Love your blog. Thank you for stopping by.

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  22. Visiting from GYB. Beautiful blog. I too love home design so enjoyed all the lovely pictures.

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    1. Thank you Carol, glad we share the love for home design. Will be keeping in touch.

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  23. Lovely Sruthi. I love an eclectic style and have many Indian pieces as it is very easy to source here. Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. That's wonderful Tammy.....you've got to share your sources with me.....thank you for stopping by.

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  24. Hey Sruthi, You have a lovely blog! And your photography is stunning, bright clean colors, that is a true talent. It has been lovely meeting you.

    Hugs
    Caroline

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    1. Hello Caroline, thank you for your kind words. Your one talented lady yourself. Will keep in touch.

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  25. Dear Sruthi, your blog is a gem! Each photo seems a work of art. Your photography speaks to my soul. I'll be back often to visit... xoxo Silke

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  26. I have already clicked the RSS feed to your blog. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent. I have really enjoyed reading your blog. Happy hopping!

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  27. Lovely images.

    Thanks for sharing your blog. I still working through that crazy list of blogs. Please visit my embroidery blog if it strikes your fancy.

    aprilsongstress

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  28. What a lovely blog. Very nice to meet you along the blog party route. Wonderful inspiration here for a very snowy day! Party on! Aloha

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  29. I like all things creative n thrifty and I found you from the GYB party.

    I don’t have a lot of blog time in for I just started blogging when I joined the blog party it was my New Year resolution. 600 entries and I am Reading my 397 blog and more to go. Whew a lot of good read and great giveaways too. My site http://overboardcreations.blogspot.com/and contact info is ovr_brd@yahoo.com I believe inspiration comes from all facets of life even knowing the great people out there with wisdom and knowledge the do's and don'ts and even the wonders of life from a personal point of view. And loving the crafting networks.

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  30. What a lovely blog Sruthi. I'm visiting from GYB and looking forward to following you for the beautiful and inspiring photos.
    Love and best
    RedSetter
    Craft blog http://gonebeading.blogspot.co.uk/
    Cat blog http://pepsimaxaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

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Thank you for visiting The East Coast Desi. I'd love to hear from you.