9 Years And Still Counting..!

Today my blog turns 9! And I'm celebrating with my adorable little munchkins! Join us for a nibble! 

 Happy Birthday, A Rat's Nibble! 🍰

Alhamdulillah For Everything!

Grass Handwoven Bags from iTokri

In India the second half of the year is more eventful with festivals and weddings. And, gifting is something that brings us immense joy to any such occasion.

If you have been reading my blog, then you must be aware that lately I am quite obsessed with sustainable handmade products. While more online stores provide avenues to support our nation's handicraft industry and kaarigars, I have turned into a busy shopper.

I stumbled on one such platform, iTokri. It's desi name caught my interest. Well, they not only have a quirky name, but a good selection of handicraft products. iTokri is a space to celebrate collective creativity.

iTokri has a vivid and elaborate collection, that it almost felt like entering into a local flea market. It has everything from fabric to jewelry, Home & Kitchen, art works, stationeries and accessories. Their tag line ‘Ekdum Fresh’ is very suitable as their collections are colorful, creative and they also update their stocks regularly.

Few Home products were appealing to me but then, I decided to treat me with a handbag. They have a wide options to pick for your needs. There are bags made of Jute/Cotton with hand embroidery, Zari Work, Grass Hand woven and much more.

Sitalpati Grass Handwoven Sling Bags appealed to me for it was interestingly old fashioned, edgy and eco friendly. This particular bag was skillfully interlaced into beautiful patterns by the village artisans and accessorised with genuine leather to give a contemporary look. I wore this during my Eid, and it was an instant hit among my cousins and friends.

Face masks have become an inevitable accessory nowadays for both kids and adults. So don't miss to surf this section.

Rakhi Collection 2021 is also something that you would want to check out, with the approaching festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. They have a good collection of handmade Rakhi to pique your interest.

Also, I received a nice handwritten note along with a pretty earring as a compliment to my order. It was indeed a thoughtful gesture. With affordable price range and variety of options to choose from, check iTokri products if you are a handicraft lover like me. It is definitely worth buying.

iTokri brings together many innovative design and craft businesses in India who need a logistic center, thus building a bigger market. They also ship internationally making the unique Indian handicraft available to other countries as well.

I wish everyone a very happy and healthy festive season. Go checkout iTokri.com to indulge yourself in a unique handicraft shopping experience.

Website - iTokri

Coffee for Beauty : MCaffeine

I'm a tea person but recently, coffee caught my attention. There are people who can't start their day without a cup of coffee. But anyone, coffee for beauty?

I know that coffee helps to heal wounds and inflammation. But never ever has it occurred to me that coffee has that effect to strengthen, exfoliate and revitalize our hair and skin. Interesting, isn't it?

When I first learnt about a range of personal care products with base ingredients as Coffee, it stirred my curiosity.

MCaffeine - India’s first Caffeinated Personal Care brand.

MCaffeine has a wide range of Skincare and Hair care products that are carefully curated to our needs. Since I have been going organic with my skincare regime, I thought it was a good time to try coffee based personal care products.

On a first impression, the ingredients they use are all natural components. Then, the price was reasonable to me. And they also send complimentary products on every order to try out their sample products.

I was looking for natural products to add to my skin care routine - to exfoliate, to moisturize, to polish, and to nourish my skin during this summer.

I received my order in less than a week. During these restricted lockdown days, I appreciate their prompt delivery service.

In any personal care product, the first thing we try is the smell. Because, if the smell puts you off, you might not even want to try that product. So first things first, Aroma is the best. The moment I squeezed out some lotion.. the moment I mix water with the body scrub.. the moment I took the bathing bar out.. the whole room was filled with coffee aroma, like as if you were teleported to a coffee shop.

Now, I have been trying these products for a little more than a week. I can't hype much about the impact it made, but then every time I use it, my skin feels rejuvenated, and my mood lifts up with it's enticing coffee aroma.

Naked & Raw Coffee Body Scrub with Coconut is gentle on your skin. It retains the moisture to keep our skin hydrated and nourished.

This coffee-infused Naked and Raw Coffee Body Polishing Oil has an aroma of freshly grounded Arabica coffee to perk-up your senses. And when applied, my skin gets a healthy polished glow. And, no more dry skin with Naked and Rich Choco Body Lotion. It has all the skin nurturing ingredients to make our skin feel soft and supple.

India’s First Coffee Bean Shaped Bathing Bar for you! There are three flavours of bathing bars and I picked the Latte Coffee Bathing Bar. It's amazing!

Not only these, there is a separate section for Coffee Gift Sets. The products are vegan and gender neutral. The packing look just lovely and can be gifted to our loved ones on any occasion. A mood lifting premium gifting option - sure to make your gifting experience worthwhile.

And, not to mention that my little niece and nephew love the coffee scent on me. Even they want to apply some moisturizer on their hands and legs and sink into the heavenly aroma. Because - for them, it smells like yummy toffee!

So, are you a coffee lover and also like to care for your skin?  Then MCaffeine products are for you. Well, even if you're not a coffee person, it's okay.. still this is one brand you must give it a try. Definitely, you'll feel happy about it.

So, anyone.... Coffee for Beauty? Visit - MCaffeine

'Mommy, Who is Allah?' ~ Children's Book Review

Author - Zainab Jones

Illustrator - Vicky Amrullah

Publishers - Djarabi Kitab Publishing

The book is titled with one of the first few questions asked by every Muslim child to their parents. A significant question indeed, and that needs an affirming answer. And every parent tries to give their version of the answer to tell their kids who the Almighty is.

Zainab Jones has attempted to answer her son Abdulrahman Al-Husain about Allah. She calls her son, Dahumie and sings to him. It is very cute.

The question Dahumie asked about Allah was not just a question out of curiosity but a question based on what he has been seeing his mother do - Remembering Allah regularly. He is more interested in knowing about the regular habit his mother is involved in. This clearly shows us the significance of the fact that kids ask questions from what they see often and hence insists on the fact that parents have to be mindful about their activities.

Now the way she answers, starting from the Creation and calling Allah, Al-Khaliq means The Creator in Arabic, is a good way to introduce our Almighty to the little ones.

Creation is something that excites every kid as they are curious about the source of everything they see. Starting from the Sun, she transcends the power of The Almighty to every creation by affirming - “He created everything”.

Vicky Amrullah's illustrations are simple and precise, revolving around two characters in their home. 

This is the author's first children’s story book and she has done a decent job. This can be a good bedtime story for your children and you can also narrate your version of the answer to your child along with this book.

The book is available in both physical and digital versions.

Buy this Islamic Children's Book at Amazon India here.

Tokenz - For Traditional Indian Handicrafts

2020 marks a great year for many reasons, good and bad. The bright side of this Pandemic year of the 21st Century is the surge in e-commerce opportunities. Especially for our country, which is at the peak of it’s growth phase this was a golden opportunity to experiment, adapt and learn. One such eclectic idea that came through is Tokenz, a newly launched startup to uplift Indian crafts and craftsmen.

The festive season is upon us and Tokenz delivers a boundless collection of authentic desi handicrafts from remote corners of India, just about a mouse click’s reach to the urban consumers. The wide variety of products, hand-picked by the Tokenz team will amaze you and definitely fill your e-shopping basket with festival merchandise, essentials, home utilities, decorative, gifts and lot more.

I landed on this website of incredibly diverse handicraft products, to find a ethnic gift for my brother’s wedding. Gifting as a tradition is very close to most of us and every special occasion demands unique and classy gift options. And, this time, I planned to go up a notch for the jewelry gifting for his marriage by packing the jewels in a specially designed box. And the Zari Jewelry Box section in Tokenz.com proved to be a limited yet versatile place with elegant options of my choice.

Their website has a wide range of offerings like paintings, photo frames and jewelry, clutches, fragrances, skincare, and my favourite section was Jewelry Boxes. And that too jewelry boxes with Zardozi work. Interesting yet limited collection that you don't want to miss.

Zari, as an art, finds its origin from ancient Persia where artisans used silver and gold fine thread to skillfully weave on any surface. The art, however, flourished during the Mughal era when Zari work was used on different accessories along with fashionable outfits. Zari jewelry boxes make the most royal chest to store your precious jewelry.

At Tokenz, there were only a few dozen boxes and every box is a show's topper on its own. And I chose two complementing boxes to add to my collection.

I personally love zari work. I have a collection of zari sarees, dupattas, and even purses and clutches. Surprisingly, this is the first time I came across such beautiful jewelry boxes.

These zari jewelry boxes are creatively designed with a royal look. The intricate Zardozi work on the boxes make them more elegant and posh. The finishing is perfect and that's what makes it more classy.

These zari work jewelry boxes are exquisite, and apt to keep your valuables. It also makes a gorgeous gift to your loved ones. And you know, when I first gave them to my mom, it became a good addition to our home decor as well.

At Tokenz, the products are traditional, affordable and memorable.

With festivals lined up in the coming months, I would recommend all the handicraft enthusiasts to visit Tokenz.com and I’m sure that you will end up buying one of the best handicraft items for your collection. And a special mention to the “Make in India” initiative which gets a Tokenz.com boost of indigenous craftsmanship.

Website : Tokenz