living in decor

DIY:Plant pot holder

2011-03-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I just came up with this idea to make a plant pot holder.. they are made with unused or broken photo frames.. mine were small frames from ikea.

Here I used:

some frames
glue or double sided tape
a plant pot to fit in

That's it

If you have frames of different sizes .. just make sure the smallest frame you are using is big enough for the pot to fit in.

you could also use broken frames.. since you are gluing or taping each frame to one another it does not matter.

Just stuck the frames to each other randomly.. and painted is .... thats as easy as it gets!!

PRINT-A-PORTER:Unique place for vintage posters

2011-03-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

I came across this amazing Australian based online store PRINT-A-PORTER for vintage posters. They have a unique colourful collection of vintage posters from 50's to 80's .They just made me crazy.

They also get it framed for you....I am sure it will make anyone fall in love with them!You could shop for them here

DIY: decoupage tin box!

2011-03-05T23:42:00.001-08:00

Hello! it feels great to be back writing agian on a Sunday. I just thought why not begin the re-writing phase with a tutorial. It is a simple decoupage project which gives a trendy mappy look to a tin can box... to store knick knacks... so here we go..

You will need:

tin can box
modge podge(I used white glue,but modge podge is better )
old map sheets
scissors or paper cutter
tissues
pair of hands ready to get messy and gluey:-)

We start with the lid of the box. I have used detailed pictures because the corners of the lid is the only tricky part here.If you simply start glueing them they give crooked folds at the corners I found this method easy to get a neat rounded corners... may be there are better ways to do it ... Firstly measure up the sides of the lid(above).

Cut 4 strips for four corners of any length and the width being the measurement taken above.

Glue the sides of the lid and start pasting the 4 strips to all four corners.

Now simple take another piece of the paper and paste and place one corner of the box on it and trace the curved corner,shown above. Cut it along the drawn curve

You can see above..I have randomly taken a strip of paper and cut it along the curve.Like in the picture above match the curved corners of the paper and box and stick it.

Once stuck.,add whole lot of glue on the paper and spread evenly(you have to do the same to the side strips as well)when you coat the paper with glue the corners blend them together with your hands so that no gap is seen.. but make sure its done before its dry .

continue pasting strips of paper till all of the lid is covered.

Once the lid is done.Put the lid back on the box and draw a line to mark the area that is used up by the lid. This area is to be left empty ,otherwise the lid will not close.

Tape up the area above the line as you don't want it to have glue all round. Now measure the area from the line to the lower edge of the box and cut a long strip or different strips and paste it on to the box and coat it all over with glue... there it is all done!

At home with:Maria

2010-10-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone..... great start to the week with a home tour... so I start my week with the well set home of Maria of Maloblogg ,in Stockholm, Sweden... I am glad that Maria shared her beautiful place with us.. and agreed to write in some lines for us about her place.. She also blogs at malointhegarden... journal of her garden.. which is so wonderful that it would take me another post to cover it .....Thanks a lot Maria!

Our house was built in the 30's and this is its beautiful stair case. The wallpaper is handprinted and in a pattern from when the house was built. From Lim och Handtryck.

Dining table by window facing the street. Table cloth made by Ikea fabric and curtain from tiogruppen

This is the dining area in living room. Carpet from Pappelina and sideboard made by husband of Ikea kitchen cupboards and oak shelves.

This picture shows the opposite side of sofa, and also you can see another string shelf.

Bedroom with another, string shelf. The wallpaper is from Ferm Living and I love the soft grey light in there.

Corner of living room with string shelf.

This is used to be the former play room ,now we use it as an work/craft room. In the spring we keep our seedlings in the window. It's a very bright room facing the back side garden.

Opposite side of work/craft room. My husband built the desk. Storage space for lap tops and drawing paper.(I must add I love those chairs)

I am glad to have this house featured.... hope you liked them ..You could see more of her pictures here.. Thanks again Maria. Hope you have a great week ahead!

On Etsy!

2010-10-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

New Work!

2010-10-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hello People! Its been a week away from blogging..... Hope its been a nice new week for all of you.. My last week was full of activities .. doing new things learning new things... and was lost in my own sweet world..... so here am.... with some snippets of what I have been doing...

Some new block prints..

A hand at batik... though I have done one batik art before... I always failed at dyeing the fabric right... so am now am so glad that am starting to get better with dyeing... so I was just hunting and hunting all about dyeing on the internet... I am so thankful to this invention of mankind called "internet"... Because anything I have learnt and know to this day is mostly from the net... so here are someof my batik work...

Just have a closer look you can see birds in them...

And finally, I got this book from the local book store PROVENCE quilts and cuisine... quilts and cuisine .. great combo to eat and sleep..:-)

Birds in colors!

2010-09-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hello people! ... I love these traditional Rajasthani bird hangings..just cant get enough of them.. they are so attractive... I bought one from the bombay store at the airport last time... just regret not having brought more... so I just wanted to do my own version of it...and here it is..though the one I bought had more of bead work, I kept it simple to start off.. I want to do more of them in different patterns.... I am sure everyone who has seen them have bought them and that most of you will definitely have it in your home... so thought of putting them on my blog design as well! though its a known fact that my blog design keeps changing..:-) laughs .. just like my home decor... change is permanent.. that applies to me a lot I guess! I get bored of blogging with the same layout...feels good and fresh with new layouts... at least a part of my engineering study helps me here ...Have a great Sunday!

It hangs over a panel I made of bamboo table mats stitched together....

At Home With: Claudia

2010-09-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome! Today am very excited to feature the home ,that is so close to nature.Claudia, who loves to dress up well and who is very creative be it her dressing or her home. She lives in Germany with her husband and son.. The house is filled with so much warmth and love...her outdoor space seems like a fairy tale to me.... that is where I long to be...

I am sure you will love it.... there is a bonus that comes along.. Claudia was kind enough to tell us about her beautiful home in her own words......

Click on images for better view

Above : This used to be the living room of our home in Princeton,NJ.

We moved with all this to Germany a year ago, except for the amazing strelizia, tropical plant that I loved so much.

One of my very personal ideas of decoration (not that I have a concept, but it happens to be so), is to include artworks or crafts of my child in the rooms. I think it adds a very cute ,familiar and warm touch , fits best with all the other things we can find here: a patchwork of objects and furnitures that tell us the stories of our life journey.

This paper owl on front right is a cute craft my son made at school.

The old sofa is from ebay Germany,has a supercute embroidered cover that I bought at a fleamarket in NYC. On the wall is the print on canvas which shows an artwork of Gustav Klimt. Actually it is either in bedroom or in living room.

Friends came over to watch a football game in the backyard in summer, it was Worldcup in South Africa and we had a great time. The table was inspired by African patterns and colors.I brought the wooden chicken with bread from Brazil, the set for salt and pepper from a trip to Namibia and the fabric on the table is something I got from a friend ( from Ikea).

My husband was traveling and my boy had summerbreak already, the weather was fantastic and we built a gypsy camp to chill out in the backyard and we too moved out with it. That was the place where we slept, ate and played games for almost a week. Of course my son loved the gypsy life... and me too!

The colorful fabrics are sarongs, in my home country, Brazil they are used mostly by the people at the beach.They aer very pretty and colorful batik(tie dye) art fabrics and they usually come from India,Thailand,Indonesia and Brazil.I used to do lamps with them and thats why I still have many in different colors and patterns.

More enamel pots , decorated the side fence of the backyard with some field flowers.

This is the canopy sofa that looks totally different from the original one, we bought. I made a new cover with an antique natural linen fabric, also for the pillows. I have also replaced the fabric on top, now there is this rich embroidered ornament, a very old piece from Kazakistan, where the nomadic people use to decorate their tents with. Some embroidered cushions are from Ikea.

Above:It was originally supposed to be an Advent wreath where you light up 4 candles on Christmas time. I placed this little clay animals that I brought from Namibia as candle holder on the wreath. Then (Christmas) I had little apples and herbs and pines twigs on it. I loved the way it turned out so much that I've decided to leave the Christmas wreath all year hanging, just re-decorating it from time to time as per the seasons. On this picture, it has flowers, herbs, physalis and the clay mules with candles.

Above: The other side of dining room that still has some winter decorations there because we all love the calendar so much... the dresser is from a flea market in New Hope (USA) a place I used to go with my family.Above is another print on canvas (Gustav Klimt).This colored wood village is a calendar I built long time ago, it has one door or window to open on each december day until Christmas.The sun above the yellow house has a little music box with crank handle, it plays "here comes the sun" the last day is the pink church with a tiny bell,all lighted.

Above: This is our dining room , this day I've decorated it with lanterns, flowers and garlands for son's birthday breakfast (I'm a drama queen, when it comes to birthdays), I also set a special table with candles, etagere with fruits, cake and our sweet flowery dishes.

The cupboard on back right corner is gipsy furniture from Romania, it has some colorful flowers painted on it. The old light blue bench is painted and decorated with flowers and insects by me and my son.

Below: The wall on left has lots of paintings bymy son.

Above: In the kitchen you will find fresh herbs, lots of old enamel pots of my beloved collection. also there are olive twigs i brought from my last trip to spain. I made the curtain is with potato stamps.

A corner in the kitchen : little doll stove, olive twigs from Spain and enamel pots.

What do you think? so much of hand made love ..... I am so happy to see her son being so creative.. hope you enjoyed the lovely home..... you can see more of stylish claudia here Thanks Claudia!

Hello Sunday!

2010-09-19T02:14:00.000-07:00

Happy sunday to everyone ..... with some apple cinnamon muffin I baked..... They came out very well......... Hope you lovely people have a great day ... and are all set for a new exciting blogging week!

My first listing on etsy!

2010-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Glad to announce my first listing on etsy... I have listed the crewel embroidered purse on etsy.... finally I did it after a long time of "should I or should I not's"...... lets see who pays for my hardwork...:-) Here is my etsy shop

Crewel Hello!

2010-09-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here to say hello with my crewel purse.. just finished this....

Its crewel embroidered through out... even on the back side... done on chenille upholstery fabric.. you can see the back and inside views here! and buy it here

Hope you have a great week!

Carry Walker

2010-09-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Its really been long, since I featured a home.. but today I come back with a bang! with the lovely home of Carry Walker, who loves to make handmade stuff.. and is setting up her new home..she was kind enough to let us into her lovely place!

I love the collection of succulents around the house... and lovely white ceramic owl... keeps me drooling! I have an attraction towards owly stuff...

Calm bedroom with a lovely quilt... and a canopy bed..

A corner in the living room.

I am an embroidery freak... and these vintage birds are a feast to my eyes..

This is her craft room... birds again... Birds have a lot to do with the beautiful stuffed art she makes .... you have to have a look at here etsy shop here... for lovely snugly and adorable stuff..

I hope you loved this home feature.... She has a great blog here where she tells about the lovely stuff she makes... Also can see more detailed images of her home here

Thanks Carry !

No fix lamp shade!

2010-09-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

This is a simple lamp shade ... the idea just occurred to me when I looked at this basket from Ikea. Unfortunately I am not able to get its name.. but these used to come as a set of three nestled baskets.. I guess any light weight and little open weave basket would do for this..

I took a lamp base .. spray painted it in turquoise color.. I ripped of the old lamp shape and hence I got its support base.. fixed it back to the lamp base..

Just kept the basket on top of the lamp shade support.

and ta- da ...... here is the lamp shade...... I like the shades of light that the basket gives when lit in the dark!

Flowers again!

2010-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Some glimpses of flowers in my balocny.. and flowers to join the blog party at The Key Bunch!

Some bougainvillea in the balcony

Little plants on my painted plate

Now for some roses! Wishing a happy anniversary month to the Key bunch team! Hope to have more lovely years of blogging from them!

simple pleasures: with floral centerpieces!

2010-09-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

While most of the world is heading off to a weekend.. we here in the middle-east start of a new week...so I begin my week with few colorful pictures of simple yet stylish floral centerpieces ! here we go...

via

A simple arrangement in a jar !

now some thing in a bowl...!

via

What an idea! where you can have so many centerpieces and still have your space on the table..!

via

Diy tin can centerpieces!

via

Finally pleasure in a bottle!

via

New block prints!

2010-08-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

New block prints to welcome the new month!

It is hand block printed with crewel embroidery !

The detail!

Larger images are on my flickr stream !

I am thinking of listing this soon on etsy... hope I can come up with my listing on etsy soon!

Hope you like them! Happy September!!

Just a little bit of color!

2010-08-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit of color on a white paper ball pendent lamp! all I did was just splashed in some color with a spray paint can!

this is the color scribble ..........

And here it goes all lit up...... just a little bit color to any corner of your house or to your kiddo's room the easy way!!

Simple pleasures: with crockery!

2010-08-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

There are little pleasures in life.... may be as small as putting a flower on the table.. yet this small thing has so much presence and beauty.. so just few pictures showing simple pleasures of life.. like to arrange crockery in the kitchen... it may not be ordered display..... just few bowls and plates in bright color can be a soothing sight... so go on and enjoy these simple pleasures!

via

hope you enjoyed these colorful and simple pleasures of life!

Simple pot decoration!

2010-08-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

When we purchased plants, all of them came with plain plastic pots... I had to do something to enhance their look.. though changing pots was an option.. I dont want to disturb the plant unless it overgrows the pot.... so just took some colorful candy sticks and pasted on to them... that was it... just cut out smaller pieces for the top and bottom sides..

Suzani inspired prints!

2010-08-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is my first two color lino print some time back! though the prints have lot of flaws in them...there is a lot of mismatch of prints... it still attracts me for the boldness and of course the effort! and it reminds me of suzani..... over I which I drool so much... hope to have a suzani stuff some day!!

Beauty of black walls!

2010-08-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Black walls! the term usually sound awkward to many people and scary to lot many! Hardly few people take up the courage to experiment with black theme for the walls... but black wall can give so much feel to a room! Black color always carries its charm....

Everything in the foreground stands out... the second photograph has minimal furniture and a simple bed ..but the main factor is the black wall that makes everything up there stylish!

Image(1):via elle decor (2)via desiretoinspire

via

just have a look at how the black wall can accentuate simple arrangement on the wall

via

I just love the way the jar and glasses stand out distinctively in the black background..

via Living etc

via

A black does go well with wood as well...

via apartment therapy

via desiretoinspire

I think a bathroom could never be more sleek than this! A black bathroom is definitely on my list... The pictures above made me realize is that any color is not just too much ... but it only depends on how it is used... every color has its beauty and so does black! The best thing about the internet is that there are so many lovely photos floating around that makes you learn new things ... and just gives so much exposure to every kind of color,style and design... so no fear with black paints anymore!!

Unfinished quilts in red!!

2010-08-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here comes the portfolio of my unfinished quilt......on the process of hand quilting.....

its made of colorful felt pieces stitched all over..... quite a pain staking task....it surely does show that it is far from finished..... with threads hanging all over.............

A lonely chair at the door holds the bright red quilt!!

Stacked!!

details of hanging threads:-)

again details of total imperfection!

Ever Stylish Daybeds!

2010-08-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Daybeds always attract my attention... just for ,they are comfortable,economic and stylish...If you are low on budget just put in a simple single bed ,cover it with a nice spread or a plain white sheet ,put in some colorful pillows...... and there you go......they get on with any decor ..... and I love them...

Via Metropolitan Home

A simple bed above with an ethnic bed spread and colorful embroidered pillows can look so authentic with little effort.... and each time you could change the look of a day bed... thats the best part!!

via The Society Inc

There so much of weight in this simple arrangement on a day bed by designer Sibella Court!

Via

Simple Indian style bed designed for the farmhouse featured in the movie marley and me.. I just love the look!!

Via Living etc

How about this? Two nicely covered mattress on one over another with lovely pillows makes the arrangement look much more stylish than any designer sofa with big price tags!! Now this makes me think you could really make a nice comfy home without big bucks but only with big ideas!!

Via

A daybed certainly fits into my idea of decor.... how about you??

Back Again!

2010-08-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

Well, am back again after a month's holiday to my home country India!!! It was a great feeling to go home and be with people you love... We had planned a trip to Jaipur before leaving to India .. the place, I for some reason always wanted to see... maybe because of the art that land is gifted with... and finally I was there...

We stayed at Barwara Kothi, the place had a history behind it.. its a colonial villa that belonged to the royal family of Barwara... It was a nice experiance.. different from the usual stay at professional hotels....

The breakfast table set for us at Barwara... loved the block printed table cloth from anokhi.

We did tour most of the forts of jaipur on day one and once we were done with the sight seeing we visited the the anokhi museum of hand block printing... I loved every bit of it...

The blocks of teak wood being carved for block printing... I was amazed by the intricacy and fineness this talented craftsman has... the image below shows the fine details of his work

Some of the blocks displayed....

Mohammed Iqbal the talented block printer... he is so fast and accurate with the printing... he finishes a piece in no time...

Thats me trying a hand at traditional wood block printing... Though I do block printing , I use lino or foam... it was great to print with large wood blocks.... I could not be as accurate as him.. he was too good!!

Jaipur is a great place to shop hand made stuff and colorful fabrics.... There was a store called Soma at the very next building to the hotel we stayed in... and I could directly see it from our room's balcony... Though I was not aware what it was.. I suggested my husband that we should check it out... and when we went there.. we surprisingly found a very nicely set up block printed textile store which had everything from bed linen to clothes..... It was a nice place to shop ...

I could not leave Jaipur without buying a block printed bed spread... and so was it

A small cushion cover from anokhi...

Black batik bed spread with hand embroidery from Jaipur and patta chitra paintings bought at a craft exhibition in my town..

Miscallaneous buys from my place...

Finally carrying on the memories of Jaipur with a book of Royalty of Jaipur and the piece of fabric I block printed along with the talented Mohammed Iqbal

Aow Dusdee

2010-06-30T03:41:00.000-07:00

Today am so excited to post the pictures of an artist's abode. Aow Dusdee is an artist living in northen Thailand working on art and jewelry... Every corner of this home speaks aloud and says it surely does belong to an artist... Have a look.. Can have a look at Aow's home here
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I think a lot of people amongst us just live by the style these days and very few people live with the things they love around them,this is one such place where favorite things are given place.... I feel it takes a lot of determination not to get smitten by in style things and just go for things you love...

Now have a look at some of Aow's enchanting outdoor space.... colors and more colors with Indian art .. being an Indian I always have an affinity to Indian colors and art!!

Aow says "this is where my art comes from"..

This is one of Aow's work for a friends shop!!

Hope you enjoyed this ethnic house as much as I did... Thanks Aow!

My new place.... coming to shape

2010-06-29T03:54:00.001-07:00

Here are the photos of my place taking shape... more photos to come...

A corner of my bedroom..

The blue room...

Michelle Edwards

2010-06-28T03:54:00.000-07:00

Today a peak into the beautiful world of Michelle... I don't think I need to say anything about how she sets her table to how she sets her home... amazing! have a look at more of her photos here.. and also her blog with great ideas here..

Thanks Michelle ..

2010-05-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Interiors

Via Budget Decorating Ideas

Featured in decorating style magazine

Indian Inspiration..

2010-05-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Textile designer Lisa Fine's home with Indian touch.... featured on lonnymag

The walls are not just any wall paper but Kutch embroidered textile..

Raina

2010-05-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today we peak into the beautiful , warm and elegant home of Raina... I love the details of this home... the way the things are put in place gives such a warm feeling... You could see more of her home here.... Thanks Raina .

Lara Cameron

2010-04-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

Great day to start with... happy to be home today with textile designer Lara Cameron, I love the beautiful hand screen printed fabric she designs. I hope you enjoy Lara's cosy home. Thanks Lara for sharing the pictures... You could see more of her home here.

Love the way the fabric is arranged on the sofa back, gives a great inspiration to make a colorful sofa back...

Hope you enjoyed peeking into this cosy home..

Lillian Day

2010-04-29T04:36:00.000-07:00

Today I feel so good to be at home with Lillian Day, form Vienna, Austria. She has such a fresh and lovely home. She also has a wonderful garden that gives her home the icing on the cake. She has wonderful pictures of her home and daily life on flickr, You could see more of her cozy home here

what a green entry!!

Love the way flowers are used in the house.. they give so much sense to the decor!!

Thanks Lillian for sharing this wonderful home.... I gained a lot of inspiration from this simple yet elegant home , I am sure lot of others will do too...

Great Home furnishings from aalamwaar!

2010-04-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

aalamwar has great home furnishings. They have these beautiful hand painted pillows, the art is called kalamkari, its an art from a village called Srikalahasti in South India, The intricate work of the artizans is commendable.... They have stores both in U.S and India.. have a look...

Are they not lovely?

They also have garments collection, with hand painted tunics,jackets...equally great!!

The In Budget crewel rugs from Kashmir

2010-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

My ebay India finds... who does not know of Kashmir crewel.. I love them.. I am sure lot many of you do too..

You could shop these rugs and much more crewel stuff here

Me.....(My Ex-apartment)

2010-04-28T01:35:00.001-07:00

You could see more pictures here

I have moved into new place, I am still setting up the place... would be posting the new place pictures soon..

I would love to receive entries of your homes..... and to be with you at home!!

Sarita Handa Quilts

2010-04-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

Sarita Handa , a factory set up in Haryana, India... produces amazing bedding, quilts and textiles...quilt designer Denyse Schmidt has also designed for Sarita Handa

The Bedding,

The Quilts

country style interiors

2010-04-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

That is such a lovely place to relax!

I am not a fan of total modern interiors, I like a mix of modern and country or traditional styles... that makes me feel like a cozy place to live in.

All Images: old house interiors

For the love of suzani..

2010-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

These beautiful suzani upholstered furniture by material recovery on etsy...... so bold and beautiful

my search for suzani is ever on... so if any of you have images to post on suzani.... please do send it to me.

If You are a lover of art, this is just the thing...

2010-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

I came across this site called artyrios long back, they have a good collection of art, but what really captured me here was the bead art by an artist called Kaamar Thiya, Have a look,

Isn't that mind blowing?

My move to blogging begins...........

2010-04-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

The first post begins with one of my favorite forms of art block printing ,

Galbraith and Paul, Create great hand printed textiles and lighting,rugs ... they have an amazing collection... the site also shows the process of how they do it... worth a look!

Here are some of the images

At Home With

2009-09-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of homes featured on living in decor... click on the images to see the full home tour!

Simple pleasures:

2009-09-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

with floral centerpieces!

with crockery!

At Home With

2008-09-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of homes featured on Living In Decor... Click on them to see the house tour..

	Maria			Claudia
	Carry Walker			Aow Dusdee
	Michelle Edwards			Raina
	Lara Cameron			Lillian Day

At Home With

2008-09-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of homes featured on Living In Decor... Click on them to see the house tour..

				Claudia
	Carry Walker			Aow Dusdee
	Michelle Edwards			Raina
	Lara Cameron			Lillian Day