Now available to buy - Country Floral Roses!

These gorgeous country floral roses are now available to buy from miHi!

If you are looking for some orginal, pretty wedding favours, a gift, or wanting some floral magic for your hair this summer then take a look at our new selection!

Colour on a rainy day...

The traffic in London was solid this morning as my husband (who was driving) and I sat in the cosy nest of our car with the rain pelting down hard against our windscreen. Late, warm and concealed from our dingy and soulless commuter surroundings.  One daring blast of the horn, signalled the impatience of another driver..  Women in neat black suits and trainers walking swiftly, a man with a newspaper shielding his head from the rain, all disappeared from my mind and instead I saw brightly coloured saris being scooped up out of puddles, an ocean of dirty water flooding down the road and I heard the strangely comforting sound of friendly horns, faded Bollywood music drifting out of rickshaws and the Delhi rain pelting...

In my mind I was back in Delhi, where I had lived for 4 years as apart of the New Generation Community and where the idea and vision for miHi was birthed.

I smiled as I compared the rainy London scene to Delhi and as I thought nostalgically about the colour and the life that the city seemed to embody.  No matter if you were walking in the monsoon rains, sitting in a slum drinking chai or slouched in the hairdressers, the scene around you would always been one of pockets of vibrant, outrageous colour.  Clashing colours worn together in London may seem awkward like a stranger striking up an in depth conversation with you on a silent tube.  Yet in Delhi, the colours, hang together seamlessly like a rhythmic tune   A mix of aromatic spices, an army of salwar kameezs in the blistering heat, a row of enchanting bangles - colours displayed excitedly in every shape and form.  While I was living in Delhi I was working with some women who had suffered much and whose lives were made up of broken relationships and much pain. The colour and surroundings in Delhi were a constant reminder of hope and opportunity, even amongst dusty and hard situations.

 
A lot of the miHi love's collection is inspired by the colours of India.  Our products are made in Delhi and carry a message of joy and hope!  All our handmade roses are named after different cities all around India, so enjoying choosing between an Ooty Olive Green or Pushka Plum rose!

 If you are looking to add some colour to your wardrobe during these bleak April showers, then why not browse through our miHi love's range!

While the rain continues to pour in London...relentlessly, I enjoy wearing my vibrant Rajasthani earrings and roses, which remind me fondly of my time in Delhi and the life lessons she taught me.

Delhi, A Date and Decorations...

A guest wearing the wedding favours: a green organza rose and small Rajasthani earrings

You can not really imagine life after THE date.  For months and many magical weeks (magical in the sense that they seemed to contain some hidden power that meant they take an eternally long time to pass and then overnight vanish right before your eyes!) you are planning and deciding things that will happen on one date.  All of a sudden you have a myriad of decisions and things to organise in preparation for the big day - your wedding day!

For me the date was July 16th last year...

From the momentous moment you hear yourself saying 'I do', you can finally allow your imagination, that has been sealed under lock and key, to be allowed full reign and freedom to imagine what your life will look like together.  Just as your fiancee is wiping the sweat off his brow, trying to stand up  quickly having been on one knee, his mind is already ticking over which restaurant you go to to celebrate and wondering will there be space...

My mind was elsewhere...

I was living in Delhi at the time (we got engaged in the Garden of 5 Senses)  working within the New Generation Trust Community.  miHi loves was born out of a desire to work with the marginalised in the community in South Delhi and create a business that makes beautiful gifts and decorations.  All profits from miHi loves goes towards supporting the fantastic work on the New Generation Trust - you can read more about the work that they do on the 'about us' page of this blog.

My fiancee was based in London during the engagement, and so much of our engagement was long distance, interspersed with a couple of short trips home where lots of wedding planning took place!

We had decided to get married on the Isle of Wight, a place that we had both spent many summers growing up and where my fiancee's grandparents still have a house (the Old Orchard), which is nestled on the top of the hill, next to a little orchard.

It was so much fun planning a wedding and we were both so excited to bring our family and friends together to celebrate.  Just like the moment after our engagement when our minds were focused on different things, I foolishly assumed that all the ideas and thoughts I had had, surrounding how our ideal wedding would be, would be exactly what was in my fiancee's head.  It was not!

A tea party, a wedding on the beach at dawn, a sit-down dinner at a hotel, we rattled through so many options, until we finally both agreed on an exotic English country garden themed wedding at Ed's grandparents' house, The Old Orchard.  It was very much a country garden setting with burst of Indian colour and life!  Having spent four years out in Delhi, it meant so much to me to be surrounded by gorgeous hints of India.  Friends travelled from Delhi to be there for the wedding, which made it all the more special.

We planned to have the wedding service in the afternoon, followed by a drinks reception at the Old Orchard and then later dinner and dancing in the marquee, placed over the orchard, with a large tree in the centre!

The Marquee - bespoke sari bunting made by a lady from the community in Delhi

I wanted to use miHi loves products for my wedding day so decided to order bunting and wedding favours.  From the picture of the marquee above you can see the colourful bunting that was made specially for our wedding.  Meandering through a Saturday market in Delhi,  one day during my engagement, I saw some gorgeous saris.  These stunning saris, 10 in totally, were made into the bunting for my wedding by a lady who is from the local community in Delhi.  I was absolutely thrilled with the bunting and it made the marquee look so stunning and colourful.

Each of the female guests received an organza rose hair clip and some Rajasthani earrings.  What about the guys, I hear you cry!  I could not think of a wedding favour they would like,  so if you have ideas please contact me on sarahebowring@gmail.com and miHi loves will launch a more masculine range!

It was so special being able to give a small gift to our guests, that they could wear during the wedding and take home with them too.  I loved knowing that each rose had been handmade by Bindu, a woman who lives in a slum in South Delhi.  Normally Bindu, much like other people who live in the slum, sort through the rubbish - a much needed job in the city and one that offers a great service for its inhabitants.  Needless to say, the job is degrading and physically very demanding.  Making roses, offered Bindu some additional income and job security.  miHi loves wants to help people like Bindu through giving them employment opportunities and access to better education and resources, through helping fund the New Generation Trust projects.

Green Organza rose made by Bindu and Rajasthani Earrings

Our wedding day was all that we had dreamt that it would be and more!  We really wanted to have some unique touches to our wedding and we are thrilled to have had miHi loves decorations and favours. To be so a part of the process, in being able to use the colours and fabrics of our choice and to know directly how buying from miHi loves supports individuals in the community in Delhi made a real difference.

If you would like to use miHi loves decorations and favours at an up-and-coming event or wedding, please do get in contact with us.

Handmade in Delhi...

I watch Bindu twist and sew the ribbon, in the February sunlight in Delhi... Within a few minutes, what was a clip, a piece of ribbon and feather had now been transformed into a beautiful rose hair clip. Bindu lives in a slum in South Delhi and is one of the people who miHi employs to make the products that can be viewed on this blog.

The rose hairclips is how the miHi journey began... We wanted to provide women in the Atulya Home (set up to look after women from abusive situations) with an opportunity to earn a decent income and learn a new skill.

The roses have been very popular with our customers in the few years that we have been producing them. They are now selling in India, UK, Australia, USA and Sweden!

The roses are just the beginning of the journey. As you can see from the different photos on this blog - miHi is now making an array of ethical gifts, decorations and wedding favours.

We will regularly update this blog with new products and miHi news which will aim to inspire and give you some great ideas for ethical decorations and gifts.

Thanks for joining us on the miHi journey...