Mirror Work Cushion Cover And Its Companion

Hello my favorite people!!

 Hope you all had an amazingly wonderful festive season. Diwali is over, vacations are over, I have overcome post-vacation blues, it's Monday and it's time to get back to work.

One of my cushion covers that I designed and stitched got so many compliments on Instagram. This yellow mirror work cushion cover is my personal favorite too and it was a blingy addition to my festive decor.

Blooming Calandiva in my garden tempted me to bring it indoors and then clicked the idea of giving a makeover to the pot that holds Calandiva. I thought of painting a pot in a way that complements my mirror work cushion.

So I just painted the pot in color matching to the cushion and stuck mirrors on it. Voila!! The cushion cover now has a companion. A pot that is perfectly complementing the cushion and making the arrangement in my living room so cohesive and pulled together.

Here is a closer look for you. Isn't it cool and easy-peasy color coordination idea. Fresh and lovely blooms of kalanchoe are popping beautifully against the yellow color.  

This festive season I dared to mix cool and warm colors together. And instead of shimmering brass, I opted for shiny silver this time around. It sure was a perfect and happy color scheme. 

I added greens in abundance to give a jungalow style twist to my festive decor. Fairy lights hung here and there completed my festive decor. Will share some images soon.

My "Indian Art Gallery Wall" is complete though beautification is an ongoing process and I promise to post about it soon. Till then here's a sneak peek :) 

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!!

So how did you like the companion of my mirror work cushion!!

You can check out more some easy and fun DIYs here and some of my artwork here. 

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There Is No Place Like Home

I have often blogged about how blogging has inspired me and changed my life for the better. 
Today I want to tell you, my dear readers, how my home has inspired me to do things that I have never done before. Today, I am exploring and acknowledging a part of my personality that has been pivotal in shaping my life and the work I do. 

My home inspires me to be creative.
It all started when my husband and I bought our home, a place where we weave memories together as we live and grow. I go the extra mile to decorate my home so that it showcases my personal style. Whether it's a wall or a piece of furniture, everything in my home is a reflection of my personality.

The stark and plain walls of the new house inspired me to put a stamp of my creative expression on them so that every wall in my home has a story to tell. The hand-painted mural on a wall in the foyer is an apt example of how my home inspires me to be creative.

Family pictures on the wall in our living room bring back lots of fond memories and quite often I try to steal a moment to relive those happy memories and it is a great stress buster. I like to weave memories into my home d�cor by showcasing all the souvenirs my husband and I have collected over the years. 

My home inspires me to bring best out of me.
I work from home and I am madly in love with my job. I wear many hats and working from home allows me to easily switch between my roles as the situation demands. A calming and comforting environment of my home soothes me whenever I feel exhausted after working for long hours. I step out on my balcony garden and a waft of pleasant mild floral fragrances make everything alright once again. 
My home inspires me to put my best foot forward and to do things perfectly. It inspired me to create my workspace to stay productive and focused. And I admit that my home office emanates positivity and warmth, I call it a little slice of heaven in my home.

My home inspires me to be loving.
Every house is made of bricks and mortar but home is made of love. My home inspires me to be a loving person. A daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, mother, sister, friend; no matter what role I am playing, my home inspires me to be comforting, generous, kind, caring and loving. I feel complete when my family finds peaceful respite from the hustle bustle of the city at home with me 
This very beautiful video by Asian Paints shows exactly how our home can inspire us. I would call this video an expression of my feelings.

My home inspires me to stay positive, cheerful, healthy, strong, beautiful inside and out, exuberant and to be an inspiration for others. My home inspires me to be me. There is no denying the fact that there is #NoPlaceLikeHome
Before I conclude here is a teaser of what's coming up next. 

Tour of my living room that has gone through a lovely transformation recently. Stay tuned!!

I would love to know how your home has inspired you. Do share your thoughts!!

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Buddha Decor Ideas

Gautam Buddha, a founder of Buddhism,

 the middle way that is away from the extreme self-indulgence and extreme self-mortification. With his infinite wisdom, Buddha gave to us eightfold path to gradually attain the Nibbana, ultimate peace or the final goal of our life. I find his teachings quite practical for the householders like you and me who can't go and live in the forest in search of peace and to attain enlightenment. I strongly believe that if we follow, his teachings can lead us to the place where there is no more desires, no more distractions and no more unsatisfactoriness. Such is the power of his aura that just by looking at his pleasant smiling face and half-closed eyes one can feel the tranquillity. So why not incorporate Buddha in home decor and find that ultimate peace in your own home.

There are no hard and fast rules or guidelines to create Buddha vignette or zen spots. What creates the magical effect is Buddha statue itself. Place it anywhere and you can feel the peace and positive energy emanating from it.

It's Not About The Number Of Buddha Statues: 
Trust me you don't need a number of Buddha statues to create zen spots in your home (though the more the merrier). Play with your imaginations and let that creative juices flow to create that perfect Buddha vignettes even with single Buddha statue. I have quite a few Buddha statues and try to make the most out of them. This turquoise Buddha bust in below image is a gift from my younger sister. This Buddha bust itself has so calming effect on me that nothing more is needed to create a zen spot.

Add Some Flowers:
Though to enhance the beauty of Buddha vignette I placed some fresh flowers close to Buddha. Flowers add cheerfulness and remind us that what we have today may be gone tomorrow. 

Light The Candles: 
A tealight or candle can be used to make it a heartwarming sight. A light that reminds us that the purpose of human life is to serve and to be a light to enlighten others.

The Rudraksha rosary or mala is an addition to make the Buddha vignette more serene. Rudraksha beads have the power to absorb negativity and hence make the surrounding pure and positive.  

While shooting for this article I got some really amazing views of setting sun that made the images uncontrived and even more captivating. The image below is one such perfectly shot picture when the timing, angle, exposure and everything else was just perfect. 

Mind The Colours:
Second Buddha I have is this terracotta Buddha head which I painted in gold to give it an erroneous perception of brass. Gold paired with copper never fails to create the super luxe and happy combination. I love the contrasting qualities of both the metals. Copper gives the rustic feel and gold adds the touch of elegance. Mantra to create the pulled together Buddha vignette is to colour coordinate at least two or three different decor accessories and use one or two decor accents in contrasting colour.

In below image, blue wall is setting a perfect contrasting backdrop for yellow and orange blooms placed in the copper pot which are colour coordinated with cushion. Add some greens to complete the look.

If you are using too many contrasting colours then try to create a balance by using a decor piece that has either few or all of those contrasting colours in it.

In below image, the artwork in the background is creating a colour cohesive look as it has the green of the stained glass vase, the teal of the bird cage and the fuchsia of the flowers. Balancing act you see!!

Let The Creative Juices Flow:
I am prone to get bored of the same look and feel of the decor accessories around my home. Solution to this problem is, I change the look of that object by painting it in a different colour. And that's what I did with my terracotta Buddha. I painted it white.

Sometimes absence of all the colours (well I am talking about pigments and not the light) make the purest form of colour, white!! And white creates the most peaceful Buddha vignette. Try to create all white Buddha vignette and it will leave you spellbound. 

Intoxicating Aroma Is Essential Too:
Pleasant aroma evokes the senses and affects the brain. Surround yourself with some delightful fragrances in any form like aroma candles, reed diffusers, incense sticks or fragrant flowers to be more energetic, relaxed, calm and happy throughout the day and incorporating it in Buddha vignette is even more blissful.

The addition of fragrant flowers has a relaxing effect on mind and body. It is a natural way to evoke the state of well-being. 

And here is one more Buddha that I have, a brass Buddha head that I often use to create flatlays. 

Create Flatlays:

Flatlay is a term that is doing the rounds on Instagram for a while now. It is actually a picture taken from a bird's eye view to remove a sense of depth. Choose a beautiful background for the flatlay like a beautiful textile or a painting or a patterned paper or even a tile and place the objects that look eye pleasing from the top along with Buddha head. 

Here is one more flatlay, a simple one with minimum objects. Natural light is making all the difference here. 

Change The Look And Change The Spot:

Sometimes moving some stuff around can totally shift the energy in your house. If the Buddha figure was in living room earlier then try to change the spot and move it to foyer or garden or any other place to completely change the look and feel.
The resin Buddha in below image is again a gift from my younger sister. For the first few months, I kept it in my living room and when I wanted to see some change, I shifted this Buddha to beautify my garden.

When changing the spot doesn't work anymore, it's time to change the look of the Buddha Statue. The Buddha statue below is the same resin Buddha you have seen in above picture. I transformed it and gave it a completely new look. Now it has taken the centre stage in my living room again. 

With some tealights and my handpainted pot, this Buddha is enhancing the beauty of my living room infinitely. 

It was wonderful putting together this blog for you all. I hope you liked the simple tips and Buddha vignettes that I love to create around my home quite often. Let me know your views, I am all ears
!!
If you are craving for more images of beautiful homes then click here and if your hands are itching to try some DIY projects then click here.

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DIY Painted Bamboo/Grass Placemats

As this month I am focusing on kitchen and dining spaces, here is a DIY idea to turn drab looking bamboo or grass placemats into fab ones. You can check previous posts in this series, DIY kitchen artwork here and the smart way to do the kitchen interiors here. Okay! now let's get started with today's DIY.

I had a set of six grass placemats since the time I was in Delhi. For initial few years, I didn't use them and after I started using them, I didn't like the dull look of the placemats. Every time I looked at them, it felt like as if placemats were screaming at me and requesting me to give them a makeover. I accepted their request just a few days ago. First, I figured out that the color of the placemats has to be changed and secondly I didn't like the plain look of them so something extra has to be added to the placemats. Do you want to see...have a look!

Okay! so it was clear that I will be changing the color of the placemats and adding some bling to it. For color, I chose ochre as it helps in creating a warm ambiance and to add some bling I bought beautiful golden lace so that I can use these placemats during the festive season. But before we start this DIY let's first clean the bamboo/grass placemats.

Here is how to clean bamboo placemats:

DIY Painted Bamboo/Grass Placemats:
Once the placemats are clean and dry you can start painting them in your choice of color. Acrylic colors are best to paint bamboo placemats. It is always a good idea to start painting from the edges towards the center.

Let it dry and then you can glue golden lace or any other embellishment on the edges of the bamboo placemats. You can stick the lace using fabric glue or glue gun.

After adding lace I wanted to add more bling to the placemats so using glitters I drew a paisley pattern on the border.

In the last when everything is dried and fixed properly rub a little oil (coconut oil) on the placemats for extra shine. Oil forms a protective layer and protects the placemats from the growth of molds. 

Here are some images how a little change can make a big difference.

Right now I am using the painted bamboo placemat on my coffee table as I painted only one. Once all the four placemats are ready I will use them on my dining table. Till then I am enjoying my coffee table decor.

Did you like this DIY!! Do you have something like this lying unused in a corner and screaming at you to give it a new lease of life. Oh, well then the weekend is here and you can try something like this. Below is one final shot of before and after of the bamboo placemats.

Below is a video of this DIY with some more images. Enjoy!!

Stay Tuned for some more kitchen DIY and Decor ideas!!

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DIY Kitchen Artwork

This coming month I will be focusing on Kitchen decor.
You will get to know about thrifty kitchen decor ideas, how to get the modular kitchen done without a hassle that fits your budget, some kitchen renovation ideas and ways to customise your kitchen. So first let's start with the thrifty kitchen decor idea. 

A few days ago I recycled some old serving trays and made kitchen artwork out of them. This DIY kitchen artwork is what I would like to call my first failed DIY idea. As I didn't like the outcome. It didn't turn out the way I had expected and I am planning to do something else again with the same trays.

As of now let me show you how I was itching to do something with the set of these three plastic old trays that had lost their charm over the period of time. These trays were versatile and I used them in many ways. Because of excessive use, the shine of the trays was gone and the paint was chipped. Instead of throwing them I thought to put them to some good use. The idea was to fill empty backsplash of my kitchen and add the pop of colour at the same time.

I had some beautiful cards that I liked a lot and hence used them on trays. I cut and glued the cards on each tray and painted a part of the tray in matching colours. 

There was no need to use decoupage glue as the cards were shiny and glossy already. One more hack I used here is very interesting. Instead of drilling the backsplash to hang the artwork, I used double sided adhesive tape. This way I can try different orientations effortlessly. 

I wrote "eat, drink & be merry" on the trays to make the artwork look perfect for the kitchen. Though this DIY kitchen artwork sure has added a pop of colour in my kitchen but somehow I didn't like the overall look. 

Maybe the colour combination isn't working well together. These trays will stay there for a while until I have something really nice on my mind.

Giving company to these trays here are my homegrown mustard blooms. I really like the colour and delicate look of these flowers. 

Blue, pink & yellow on orange backsplash aren't creating a cohesive look and I think this is the reason why I am not finding it to my liking. But I wouldn't mind looking at those bright colours and cheerful blooms every day while I cook for my family. 

Here is one last look at what trays were then and now after this DIY. Quirky and kitschy!!

You can watch a video of this kitchen artwork on my Instagram Feed here. 

I hope you all are having a good start to the new week. Stay glued to expect something unexpected!!

For more such Thrifty Decor Ideas click here. 

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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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