Happy Vijayadashmi

Design Decor & Disha wishes all the design, decor, gardening, art & craft enthusiasts a very Happy Vijayadashmi!!

This is the day that symbolizes the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. And that's what we all should strive for. 

Dussehra vignette in my home is displaying the same emotion. 

Now let's talk about what will come next on my blog. Next, we have a blog on Diwali decor inspirations and ideas. And after that a blog on Diwali craft idea and Diwali DIY. 

Colourful paper baskets you see here in below and above image are made by my son and he is so glad that I am actually using them in decor. These paper baskets can be used in many ways, put flowers inside or place a tealight, fill them with nuts or chocolates and gift them to kids.

  

Hope you all are having a wonderful time celebrating the festival with family and friends. 

Happy Dussera once again dear readers!!

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Getting Your Home Ready Post-Festivities

The festival season has ended and the aftermath of the festivities can be a real bad sight for sore eyes. Once the festival season is over your home becomes even more cluttered and messy than what it was before festivals. Don't you agree?

During festive seasons, your home speaks for your personality and you dress it up for the festive ambiance & make it look divine. But this divine place soon transforms into a cluttered space once the guests leave. The home which was once shining and sparkling is now grime and greasy. Post festivities all you want is to take some rest and revive yourself but the clutter and mess all around the house make you sick. The faster you will clean, the sooner you will be done. So here are some quick and easy tips to speed up your post festivities cleaning:

• The first thing is, don't be hard on yourself. If can't do all of it at once, don't worry! Do it as you go.
• You can't do it all alone, you shouldn't. Give some work to your husband and kids too. A nice way to teach your kids about cleanliness and how family members should cooperate each other.
• Clean up the clutter by sorting the things and putting them in different bins or bags. You can arrange them or put them in a place later when you have some extra time in hands. This will clear up the surface and now you can dust and mop easily.

• Keep all your cleaning supplies in a convenient area in a caddy for a quick access.
• Using vacuum cleaner instead of a broom will speed up the cleaning process and you can get rid of all the dirt and grime quickly. Start from the top and work your way towards the bottom. 
• This post-festive ambiance is the most unpleasant part of such occasions as the leftover utensils, stains & dirty sink invites the creepy crawling cockroaches. To save from the cockroaches created havoc not only in the kitchen but all around the house, make it a point to always keep LAL HIT handy for such post-festive cleaning. #SayNoToFoodPoisoning

• Use cleaning agents that are easy to work with and are multi-purpose too like hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, vinegar etc.
• It is always a better idea to clean up the clutter or mess as soon as it happens.

All these are small tricks and tips that can save you a lot of time. Hope you find this helpful.

Stay tuned to check out a beautiful and collected home of a multi talented personality!!

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Get Home Ready For Festivities

The festival season has begun. 

The first day of Chaitra month or Gudi Padwa marks the beginning of the new year according to lunar Hindu calendar, also known as Ugadi, Yugadi, Navreh, Cheti Chand and Samvatsar Padvo in other states. Each festival in India is primarily associated either with the transition of seasons or harvesting of crops and every celebration begins with house cleaning and decorating. How busy people may be but they take the time out to do all the cleaning before the commencement of the festivities. Why not! a clean home is a pivotal part of all the festivities.

Now that Chaitra Navratri is just around the corner let's talk about some house cleaning and decorating. During this festive season let your surroundings speak about your personality. Here are some tips and tricks to get the home ready for festivals:

Declutter:

Decluttering the place can make your home look spacious, clean, organized and full of positive energy. It is said that the things that are no longer in use and are broken or in a bad shape create a negative energy in and around the house. I agree with this statement wholeheartedly as hoarded junk not only takes up all the space but also make your home look cluttered and unorganized and this, in turn, affects your stress level.

Get rid of the clutter and make free space to move around easily. Once decluttered your space now needs some serious cleaning. So put on the gloves and let's make your space shine and sparkle. 

Clean:

Cleanliness is godliness. I love to see every nook and corner of my home shining and sparkling. No cobwebs, no dust, no spots and stains, no stinky smell in washrooms/toilets, no grease on the cabinet doors and chimney and no cockroaches in the kitchen that's how a home must be kept.

Cleaning the kitchen may seem the daunting task but I would suggest always start from the kitchen and from the right side of the stove and then go clockwise around the kitchen. Clean the stove and chimney in the last. This will ensure that you wouldn't be spreading dirt, grime and grease everywhere. 

Kitchen sink contains even more bacteria than a toilet seat and I always make sure that I disinfect, clean with mild soap, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar and buff my stainless steel sink after each dish wash. For buffing take a few drops of mineral oil on a soft cloth and wipe the sink and tape to make them sparkle. This prevents the growth of mold and calcium buildup.  

Now clean all the cabinet doors and handles using mild soap on a sponge and wipe them clean with a damp cloth. In the same way, you can clean all your kitchen appliances. Clean the stove and chimney in the last using detergent and scrubber.

Take special care of bathrooms. It's better to wipe the floor, walls, faucet and shower after each shower to prevent the water stains and calcium buildup. If you can't do it everyday then try to do it once in a week. You can rub few drops of lemon oil on glass shower doors once or twice in a month to make it look clean and shiny all the time. Wash the shower curtains once in a month to remove mold and mildews. To clean the toilet bowl put a teaspoon full of a drink that contains citric acid (drinks that have tangy taste) in the bowl and leave it for few minutes and then flush .
For all the other rooms, start from the ceiling and work your way down. Remove all the cobwebs, clean fans and light fixtures using a damp cloth (make sure you have turned off the power), clean all the windows and doors, dust all the furniture, clean the glass surfaces using a microfiber cloth and in the last mop the floor. There you have it, a neat, clean and sparkling my kind of home. 

Decorate:

After decluttering and cleaning the home, dress it up beautifully. Change the curtains, cushions and rug to give a completely new look to your home. If you wish to use old ones then give a nice wash and then use them.
Create a festive ambiance by placing some metal or wood figurines and surround them with fresh flowers, tealights/votives and candles to make the place look divine.

Add greenery by bringing in some indoor plants and place them in a place where they sit most comfortably. Add festive cheer by drawing rangoli at the entrance and placing an uruli full of flowers floating in it. Put on the soft lights to create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

I think I have shared all the important tips here and hope you will be creating the most beautiful, clean and welcoming home for the festivities. In case, you haven't checked my Insta account yet here is a link for you (Click Here) to get a daily dose of all things beautiful!!
Happy Decorating!!

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Happy Holi!!

Holi, the most colorful and joyous festival in India. It is celebrated on the full-moon day in the month of Falgun ( mid-March in Gregorian calendar). This fun and frolic festival is celebrated  with great enthusiasm and gaiety. The festivities usher in spring in India. 

Holi is just not a festival of colors but also a festival that celebrates love. You would be amazed to know that in Braj (UP) Holi is celebrated for 16 days to commemorate the divine love of Radha Krishna. The sixteenth day is celebrated as Rangpanchami. 

Keeping the colors and divine love of Radha Krishna in mind here is my Holi vignette. With lots of Holi preparation and very little time in my hand, this is what I could do to.

Spring season itself is so gay that this simple and easy Holi decor is just enough to add the cheer in my home. Gloomy and dull winter days are gone and Holi marks the beginning of bright and sunny days. 

Vibrant colors of Gulal and Abeer set the perfect tone for Holi. 

I prefer dry colors as it not only save lots of water but also minimizes the hassle of scrubbing the skin hard to remove the color and don't ask about allergies and harmful effects of chemicals used in those colors.

And this is my humble request to you all to play Holi with dry colors and save precious water. So that we don't face water scarcity in summers. 

Dear readers, forgive all those who had hurt you, be an ice-breaker, play colors with people from all the walks of life, tickle your taste buds with all the delicacies and enjoy the every moment of this beautiful festival. 

Stay tuned as I'm going to introduce you to an inspiring woman entrepreneur and next will be a tour to very very gorgeous and never seen before home :)

Wish You All A Very Happy, Colorful and Joyous Holi!!

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Ganesha: The remover of obstacles

Vakratunda mahakaya suryakoti samaprabha,

nirvighnam kurumein deva sarva karyeshu sarwada!!

Wishing all my readers a very happy Ganesha Chaturthi. Sharing a Ganesha sketch with an abundance sentiment attached to it. My humble attempt at making Ganesha sketch when I was in school.

Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is an Indian festival that is celebrated with great devotion. Ganesha is the herald of auspicious beginnings and this festival marks the beginning of the festive season in India. Ganesh Chaturthi is observed in the month of Bhadra (Hindi month) on shukla chaturthi tithi (Hindi date) which is the fourth day of waxing moon and it lasts for ten days. According to Puranas, on this very day, Parvati, mother of Ganesha created him. The last day is celebrated as Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of waxing moon).

 In Maharashtra (the state I am living in), it is the grandest festival and is celebrated in most elaborated way. Clay Ganesha idol is installed in every home and in pandal/mandals in different localities with the chanting of mantras and hymns. The statue is then worshiped every morning and evening for ten days. People offer sweets especially Modak, fruits and flowers to the idol.  It's a celebration that connects people with each other. People gather at one place and they participate in all the activities with great enthusiasm. On the last day of the celebration, the idol is immersed in a river. During this period of time, one can feel a lot of positive energy in environment.

This is how the festival is celebrated but in its true sense it has a great significance and every part of Ganesha idol itself is a treasure trove of symbols that depict so many good qualities. My father told me about all these qualities when I was kid and everything is still so clear in memory. He told me that when we look at Ganesha idol we should actually take on those qualities that the idol represents.

Summarizing below what Ganesha idol symbolizes:

Elephant head

Its huge size symbolizes that we should think big and use our brain's potential to the fullest. It represents knowledge and wisdom. Elephant can not be stopped by hurdles or obstacles, we should also be like that, remove obstacles and step ahead. 

Tiny eyes, small mouth and big ears

Though the eyes are tiny but they represent great vision, concentration and teach us to see beyond our vision. Small mouth to talk less and big ears to listen more.

Trunk & a tusk

Symbolizes that like trunk we should be adaptable and efficient, big or small whatever task we are given we should do it efficiently. Trunk denotes that retain the good things and throw away bad. Broken tusk symbolizes the sacrifice.

Huge belly

It represents generosity. One should digest all the good and bad and should keep all the secrets. Accept whatever comes in your way and digest it. 

Raised hand

Represents protection and blessings. One should not fear and always remember that God is with us. 

One leg folded and another on the floor

Denotes that one should enjoy all the worldly pleasure but remain detached from worldly desire.

With this, I am signing off and wishing all my lovely and very very dear readers a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi. 

May Ganesha remove all the obstacles and you step ahead effortlessly in the journey of life!!

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