Classic Jewelries

While jewelry may evolve over time, there is nothing like a piece of bling to put a spring in  a bride to be step . These pieces below are versatile and timeless, so you can be sure you’ll always look chic. The key thing to keep in mind while investing in a classic piece is to make sure it goes with a fair number of your outfits and your personal style. Whether your wardrobe is filled with traditional silks or modern Georgette and chiffon, there’s something for everyone!

Solitaires:

Solitaires exude a classic vibe like nothing else! If you can’t afford a couple of big rocks, zircon & diamante are great (cheaper) alternatives! You may want to read this Solitaire buying guide before purchasing your set.

Jhumkas:

Whether you are heading out to a dinner wearing an anarkali, or attending your friends mehendi- A pretty pair of dangling jhumkas goes with just about everything! Plus, you can get them with literally any embellishment of your choice – pearls, kundan, diamante, pure gold, you name it!

Chandbalis:

If there had to be an ‘earring of the year’ awards- chandbalis are probably the first thing that pop into your head! You can find a mind-boggling variety of these, so it’s easy to get carried away and panic! We recommend that you stick to investing in them in either a neutral color or with red/pink or green embellishments, as these colors go with almost all Indian wear! Another thing to keep in mind is to buy these with a different embellishment than your lovely Jhumkas – so if you’re Jhumkas are pearl, get these in kundan and so on. This way, you can have a little of everything!

Cocktail Rings:

You might think a cocktail ring is a bit of a waste, but believe us it will be the ONE thing you will use the most of. Don’t feel like carrying the weight of a gazillion bangles or one huge kada (okay, we made you buy that, guilty as charged) all evening? Say hello to the saver of bare hands – the cocktail ring! Cocktail rings are basically oversized rings and again, available everywhere! Buy something classic or go fashion-forward with something edgy yet traditional.

Chunky Gold Kada or cuff:

When you’re keeping everything else minimal, a chunky bangle or kada can elevate your look and keep you from looking “under-dressed” at a festive event. Also, once you have on one of these, it really eliminates the need for rings, matching bangles and the works! Make sure you get a pair of these that can go with all of your outfits – edgily cut kundan ones or pure gold ones are what we’ll bet on!

Locate your lost phone with Android Device Manager

Have you ever lost your phone in between the couch cushions or forgot it in a restaurant? Or maybe searching for your phone before you rush out the door is part of your morning routine? Let the new Android Device Manager help you out! It's one of a few simple features you can use to keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure. 

Locate and ring your misplaced device 

If you ended up dropping your phone between those couch cushions, Android Device Manager lets you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it, even if it's been silenced. And in the event that your phone or tablet is out of earshot (say, at that restaurant you left it at last night), you can locate it on a map in real time.

You can also remotely add a screen lock to your device through the Android Device Manager. Whether you’re on a phone or a tablet, a screen lock is an important security step to protect the information stored on your device, in case it accidentally gets into the wrong hands. Being able to do this through the Android Device Manager means that even after you lose your phone, you’ll still be able to add a lock (or change an existing lock) to your device. 

Protecting your personal information and data

While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can’t be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device.

Availability and getting started 

This service is now available on devices running Android 2.2 or above; to use it, you also will need to be signed into your Google Account. There will also be an Android app's to allow you to easily find and manage your devices. Stay tuned!

Newborn Photography Safety Tips to Ensure a Comfortable Baby Photo Session

Newborn photography is a huge responsibility: Parents are trusting you with their new, tiny baby. Yes, you want to capture incredible and amazing images that they will treasure for a lifetime, but you also want to be sure that you’re shooting with the safety and comfort of the baby in mind.

Practicalities and planning for newborn photography

Most newborn photography sessions take place when the baby is between 5 and 10 days old. At this stage, newborns are super sleepy, making them easier to work with, and they are still fairly flexible and moldable. As they get a little bit older, newborns gain more control over their limbs and bodies and get much more proficient at wiggling out of whatever cute little pose you were attempting.

Scheduling newborn sessions involves a willing flexibility on your part. Best case scenario: Talk with the parents-to-be beforehand about the timing and expectations of your shoot. That way, once the baby arrives, the parents will already know what to expect and how to contact you for final scheduling.

What to do the morning of a newborn session

Plan for a sleeping baby. Most newborn photographs rely on an exhausted, sleeping baby who is willing to submit to whatever poses, outfit changes and interactions you have in store. Advise the parents to try to keep the baby awake for the two hours leading up to your session. (Reassure them that this is likely to be a futile endeavor but still to try.)

Then, aim to feed the baby as full as possible about 15-20 minutes before you plan to start shooting. This will help induce a baby coma of peaceful sleeping. If you know that arriving, organizing your supplies and setting up might take those 15-20 minutes, you might want to recommend the parents wait until your arrival to feed the baby.

Plan for a warm baby. You want the baby to be as comfortable as possible — and that means cranking the heat. Ask the parents to turn the thermostat up to 80-84 degrees F or use a space heater in the room. You could also try using an electric blanket to pre-heat the blankets or backdrop the baby will be lying on, but you never want to place an active electric blanket on or near the baby.

Safety while photographing newborns

Newborns are delicate and fragile, and you always want to use the utmost care when moving and posing an infant. Always wash or sanitize your hands before any newborn session. (It goes without saying that you must reschedule a newborn shoot if you think you might be getting sick.) Ask parents’ permission before touching or moving the baby, or ask for their assistance in posing. Be prepared to work slowly to get the pose or look that you want.

A curled up, sleeping baby will often stay that way when reassured with a steady hand and a firm hold. Wait a few beats for the baby to settle before withdrawing your hand and taking the photographs. Swaddling  is another great way to immobilize a baby for certain shots.

Even sleepy babies may fight the urge and try keeping an eye open. Gently use the back of your knuckle to massage down the baby’s nose. This usually causes the infant’s eyes to close and give you that peaceful, sleeping look. It may only last a moment, however, so consider asking a parent to help so that you can capture the shot the minute their hand is out of the way.

Newborn babies cannot support their own heads. Any photograph you have seen with a baby’s head lifted or propped up on its hands, or balancing on a prop was done as a composite. The photographer took two or more shots with a parent supporting the baby’s head (one shot holding from above and one from below) and removed those hands digitally during post-processing. This style of shot can only be done safely with an adult carefully supporting the baby during the entire process. Unless you have a lot of experience compositing separate images, do not attempt this type of shot.

Plan ahead for the types of shots that both you and the new parents want. Spend a little time plotting out which shots work well with various backgrounds or when to risk upsetting the baby with an outfit change. A little forethought and a big dose of safety will go a long way towards a successful newborn photography session.

Raksha Bandan Gifts – Expressing Love To Siblings

Hindus are known for the various festivals and celebrations to commemorate and remember many events of life. Raksha Bandan is one such event. The main objective of this festival is to celebrate the love and affection between brothers and sisters. In today’s highly materialistic world, where commercial interests overshadow everything else, there is no doubt that Raksha Bandan is a wonderful way to rebuild and strengthen the bonds of love between brothers and sisters. In fact it would be pertinent to mention here that this festival is celebrated even by Jains and Sikhs.

Though the actual event is very small and symbolic, the significance behind it is very big. The festival is all about the sister tying a wrist band on her brother’s hand and praying to god for a long and healthy life of her male siblings. In return the brothers also express their love to their sisters. This is done by presenting some nice Raksha Bandan gifts to their sisters. In fact there is a big surge in demand for various types of gifts during this day. The internet without any doubt is the best place where one can get the best of gifts. They are available across price ranges and covering various tastes and personal requirements. 

The Simple Secret to Extending Your Camera's Life

If you are like me and your favorite place to take your camera is outside into nature, you will soon find that your camera has collected some of nature’s dirt and dust on the outside — and inside. Every once in a while, it’s helpful to give it a good cleaning to make sure that everything operates properly and that your images are free from dirt spots.

A simple camera cleaning might feel like a chore, but it’s a quick process that can extend the life of your camera and keep your pictures looking sharp.

Check for particles

If it’s been a while since I last cleaned my camera and I’m about to go out on a project, I check for any problem areas. The easiest way is to photograph a clean white wall or a clean white piece of paper. Use the automatic mode so the camera exposes evenly and your photo looks kind of gray. Import the file to your computer and view it at full size. Look for dots, smudges and stringy-looking marks. Some of these may be on the lens, but some may be on the sensor. If you see anything mucking up your image, it’s time for a cleaning.

Lens

We’ll start by cleaning the camera lens — it’s the easiest part. Take off both the front and end caps. Use a soft lens cleaning brush to lightly remove any big particles or sand. You want these gone to avoid scratching the lens on the next step.

Then, use lens cleaning solution and lens tissue to wipe the glass clean. Lens tissue is non-abrasive and will keep from scratching the glass. Another option? I have found that it’s quicker to use Zeiss lens cleaning wipes and then immediately wipe the lens with a dry lens tissue to remove any residue or smudging.

Sensor

Depending on where and how often you change lenses, you may also need to clean the sensor. This part is more sensitive, so if you are not confident in your hands, you may want to send this off to a professional.

To do it yourself, all you need is a one-use sensor swab and sensor cleaning solution. Make sure the swab is the right size for your sensor. I like to put two drops of solution on either side of the swab, right in the middle so it soaks down to the tip without pooling up or dripping on the sensor.

If your swab is exactly the size of your sensor (which is ideal), in one fluid motion, wipe the sensor from one side to the other. This should be enough to clean any junk off, but if not, check for particles again and re-swab.

Body

It’s nice to clean off the body every once in a while, too, if only to keep dust from creeping onto the lens or sensor. For this, you can use cotton swabs and a cloth slightly dampened with water or rubbing alcohol. The cloth allows you to clean the flat parts of the camera and the grip. The cotton swabs let you access hard-to-reach spaces like the diopter and some of the knobs and switches.

Air cleaning

There are some cleaning systems that use air to get dust and dirt off the camera. I would recommend those small, rubber blower pumps to remove particles that could potentially scratch something. I would not recommend using pressurized air canisters. These sometimes have additional chemicals that could potentially damage your equipment.

25 Nikon DSLR Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Camera Click here 

Time to Upgrade Your Smartphone Camera Click here

How to make Bengali Rasgulla

Ingredients:

• 1 liter whole milk
• ½ cup curd / whisked yogurt (you can use lemon juice or vinegar too, but with yogurt they smell and taste perfect)
• 1 liter ice cold water or 1 cup of ice cubes
• 1½ cups sugar (you could increase by another half to quarter cup, if you have a sweet tooth)
• 2¼ cups water
• ¼ tsp. cardamom powder
• Few saffron stands (optional) for garnishing
• ½ tsp. rose water (optional)

Procedure:

Rinse a heavy bottom utensil to boil milk. By rinsing, you can prevent the milk from being burnt beneath.

Bring the milk to a boil, if you are using cold milk from refrigerator, heat up on a low flame else it can give a weird smell.

When the milk is rapidly boiling about to spill over, pour the curd and stir in. The entire milk gets curdled well within 2 to 3 mins. Off the heat and let it rest for 2 mins. If the milk doesn’t curdle well, add some more yogurt while the milk is still boiling.

Pour ice cold water or add ice cubes to stop the cheese from further cooking. This way it stays soft. Use a cheese or muslin cloth and drain it.

Rinse the chenna under running water, this is actually not needed if you use yogurt for curdling. It is rinsed to remove the smell of lemon or vinegar.

Knot the cloth and hang it for 45 mins to drain excess water in the chenna. Squeeze off the excess water to reduce the hanging time. Make sure there is no water in left in the chenna before you proceed to make the balls.

Knead the chenna or paneer for 3 to 4 mins to get a smooth dough and make small balls out of these. Do not make them too big, they will puff up and double in size when you boil them in sugar syrup. Mix sugar and water in a pan and bring it to a boil.

Add cardamom powder, rose water to the sugar syrup. When the syrup is boiling, add the balls one after the other carefully.

Cover and cook for around 10 mins on a medium high flame. Every 3 mins , open the lid and just stir the syrup gently. If the flame is too high, rasgulla may break or they double in size first and then shrink back. We do not want them to shrink or either break, so adjust the flame to medium high.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

How to Clean Vintage Furniture

Valuable antique or vintage furniture will have a layer of grime on its surface from years of exposure to dust, dirt and smolders. Collectors and buyers of good antique furniture look for this layer of grime, which is referred to as the antique’s “patina.” If you are looking to sell the piece, it is best not to try to clean it yourself without first consulting a professional historic restorer.

Step 1

Remove the old wax from your antique furniture first because a cleaner of any kind will not penetrate a surface that has a build-up of old wax. There are varieties of name-brand cleaners and/or strippers that you can purchase at a hardware store to do this. Or you can use paint thinner at home in a well-ventilated room, wearing protective gloves and a face mask.

Step 2

Pour a small amount of the paint thinner into a glass bowl, and then with a superfine pad of steelwool, gently rub in slow circular motions across the surface of the antique, being careful not to rub so hard that you scratch the wood. Eventually the old wax build-up will loosen and begin to re-liquefy and you can then gently rub it off with a soft cloth. Continue this step until you’re sure there is no more old wax on the surface.

Step 3

Mix a little mild dish-washing liquid in warm water. Now, using a soft cloth, gently wipe away the residue of the old wax and the cleaner from one small area of the antique at a time. Do not soak the wood, nor let water pool on its surface. Continue to wipe off the entire surface with your damp cloth until you are sure the wax build-up and residue is gone.

Step 4

Reapply a wax to your newly cleaned antique after you complete the touch-ups. The new wax will protect the new clean surface, unlike oily furniture spray polish, which may provide a shine but do nothing to protect the furniture.

Important Tip: When using any harsh chemicals like paint thinner, do it in a well-ventilated room, wearing protective gloves and a face mask. Check our guide to buy antique furniture online.