Today’s holiday tip comes courtesy of my friend Sarah Bhat, who tells us about the lovely handpainted art for your home, found in the All About Henna shop on Etsy.  Beautiful, unique, romantic items for gifts, or just because you fall in love with them yourself.

One wonderful artist that has some lovely giftable items is my friend Surinder Marbha, with All About Henna.

If you’re unfamiliar with the tradition of henna art (also called “mehndi”), it’s commonly used to dye the skin on major occasions in India, especially weddings. As the tradition goes, a woman joining her husband’s household would not have to do any housework until her wedding mehndi faded away. (I learned too late that the sun, sand, and salt water of a honeymoon fades henna faster! Darn!)

I have loved all things henna since I discovered mehndi as a teenager, but the one problem is its impermanence. With the skin art, even a masterpiece fades away. That’s where All About Henna comes in, offering masterfully hand-painted home accents that are made to last. I personally have quite a few of Surinder’s items in my house and I am so thrilled with them.

What’s not to love? It’s romantic, a tad exotic, and most importantly, it’s gorgeous!

Some of my favorite items currently for sale are the opaque candle holders. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/allabouthenna?section_id=6708615)

Some of them scream “India” more than others. This one is a great compromise between exotic and geometric:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62764992/snowflakes-and-stars-handmade-hurricane

I have a couple of these candle holders, and they do give off the lovely warm glow shown in the photos. So if you’re looking for a gift with the personal touch of being handcrafted, I can vouch for All About Henna as a great choice!

www.etsy.comWelcome to AllAboutHenna’s shop, where we’ve taken a century’s old body-art form to create spectacular & contemporary home décor items!

 

Thanks, Sarah!