Too Many Valances

I remember when I was 8 years old, and the fourth girl that my mom had in four years (that's one girl a year for 4 years straight with three in diapers!), when my mother announced that us girls had to make all our own clothes or go naked! Plus, we didn't wear jeans yet.

She meant it! Back then, we did not buy any of our clothes so going naked would have been our only option.

I didn't

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Moment Of Creativity, Togetherness & Love

Some times my son & I just pick up brushes and colors and get lost in creating some memory. Here I have to say that he isn't a good artist it's just that we want to spend some quality time with each other. I so love that time of togetherness, creativity, fond memories and loads of love :)

I gave him brush & color for the first time when he was two year old (little late I guess) and let him do whatever he wanted....

and this is what he came up with...........

First painting by my son

 He found it very interesting. Slowly I introduced him to different types of painting....... thread painting, spray painting & many other. This one is thread painting that he did without my assistance a year ago when he was three & half year old. These paintings fascinated him a lot and he started taking more interest in learning different styles of painting. Sadly his spray painting is missing :( which I would say was far more better than all these paintings.

Thread painting done by my son

Then I gave him liberty to touch and play with my poster colors and see the result......isn't it looking like modern art done by a very polished artist (just kidding). He dipped brush in green color then blue, then black then brown and soon all my color bottles were in same color that was black with hint of blue, green and brown :(((

My son's poster color painting

One day I decided to assist him and tried to do something more creative than usually we do. I tore few colored paper into small pieces, drew outline on a page and told him to stick all those papers in mosaic pattern. He completed it nicely & it turned out as pretty as I had thought. Now this sure going to be framed and will beautify my son's room :) Proud moment for a mommy :)))))

I am keeping journal of everything he creates and just love to peek into it every now and then.
I so want to hear from you. Please share your views here...!!!



Linking it to Show And Tell Friday & PPF

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Be My Valentine Giveaway!

This year, I decided to get out my hand painted jello mold tree that I normally only display during Christmas in my kitchen.




I removed any ornaments that looked Christmasy, then added red glass heart ornaments tied with black and white check ribbon. 




Now it's officially my "Be My Valentine Tree" as part of the limited amount of Valentine decor that I have.










 
I haven't had a

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Lovin' in the Kitchen ...

Yes, folks, the tree is still up!  

Out went the Christmas elves and gingerbread men ...

and in came the hearts.  There are flowers embellished with hearts ....

hearts that say "I like you!"

one with a simple word of:

and, ones that don't say anything at all.

Of course, there are *YUM*mies to indulge on ...

because they're nice and ...

Annnnd, there's a reminder of what we all want ...

along with a big reminder of what we all need!

So, is there "lovin'" going on in your kitchen?

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing with:  

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style/WUW

Becca

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Indian Art: Warli Art (Maharashtra)

Today I am sharing about Warli art. A very popular art form of the region I am living in .....Maharashtra.

                                                                Warli Art

Warli paintings have gained global recognition for its simplicity and beauty. This is the most simplest form of art that uses geometric shapes like circles, triangles and lines.

Image Source: Click Here

Origin: It is said that Warli Art was first discovered in early 70s. While there are no records of the exact origin of this art, its roots may be traced to as early as the 10th century AD. Warli folk paintings are from Maharashtra. Warli is a name of the largest tribe lives in the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India. The word “ Warli”  means a piece of land or a field. Art is inspired by nature and depict social life of Warli tribes.

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Style: This art form unlike other Indian art forms do not depict mythological characters or images of deities, but depict social life of the Warli tribe. Warli tribes decorate their hut with Warli painting on walls. The ritual paintings are usually done inside the huts. The circle and triangle are inspiration from nature, the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees. Only square seems to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land. Central motive in each ritual Warli  painting is the square, known as the "chauk" or "chaukat", mostly of two types: Devchauk and Lagnachauk. Inside a Devchauk, you will find Palaghata, the mother goddess, that symbolizes fertility. Significantly, male gods are not usual among the Warli.

Image Source: Click Here

Process: All the objects in the art are in geometric shape of triangle, square or circle. Paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary: a circle, a triangle and a square. Representation of human and animal bodies are done by two triangles joined at the tip; the upper triangle depicts the trunk and the lower triangle the pelvis. The walls are painted of a mixture of branches, earth and cow dung, making a red ocher background for the wall paintings. Warli tribes use only white for their paintings. Their white pigment is basically a mixture of rice paste and water with gum as a binding agent. Bamboo stick chewed at one end is used as a paintbrush.
The image below is a work of tribal community in Maharashtra and shared by Dokka Srinivasu who blogs over at Heritage Of India.

Image Source: Click Here

Now sharing here is an image of wonderful transformation of a place from stark to fabulous. A very beautifully done Warli art that my friend has done on her terrace wall. You can read complete story about this transformation and can find more images on her wonderful & lovely Facebook page 'Love and Care'. Do let her know your love and care by comments and likes. Don't forget to like her page.

Image Source: Click Here

This is the simplest form of art and can be done by anyone after a little practice. I also tried my hand on this art. I did Warli art on this pot that I used for Karwachauth. Painting on this pot is depicting a happy couple and a moon on the night of Karwachauth.

Image: Mine

Hope you enjoyed reading through this post. Let me know your views in comment section below.

In case if you have missed my earlier posts on Indian Art find them below:

Indian Art: Kalamkari

Indian Art: Pattachitra

Indian Art: Gond Art

Indian Art: Dhokra Art

Indian Art: Lippan Work

Indian Art: Ikat

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Subway Tiled Back Splash...Finally!

I've been waiting patiently for

 10 1/2 years 

for a REAL back splash! 


Did I tell my hubby this?


Yes!


But then again, he loves our new back splash as much as I do.


And the wait was so worth it!


I asked my young-and-cute-handy-dandy-handyman to tile my back splash with my assistance, of course!  He called on a Thursday and said he would be here the next day. We worked on it

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Our *Wanna Be* Sanctuary

Some of you may remember when I redecorated a few rooms at my parents' house this past summer, to include their sunroom.  In this space, I replaced a wicker loveseat, two chairs (all with red cushions) and *yellow-y* walls with a relaxing 4 chair configuration dressed in blues and creams, with a few pops of coral and a big ol' boat that appears to be floating on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, which is right in their backyard.  Once I was done, my parents named their "new" room "The Sanctuary." 

Ever since then, I've wanted to create a little "Sanctuary" in our sitting room; however, it's not as big as my parents room, NOR does it overlook the ocean (bummer)!  Still, I'm determined ...

Here's what it looked like this time, last month:

And, here's what it looks like now:

Like my parents' "Sanctuary," I really want to have 4 white accent chairs in this space (possibly EKTORP Jennylund chairs from IKEA) and position them  around this perfectly-sized round ottoman I recently snagged at Home Goods:

And, while I won't be painting our walls Wythe Blue like I chose for my parents' sunroom, I've added pops of blue back in ... like with this fun, new, geometric fabric,

along with bringing back the blue accent chest that I replaced during the Christmas season:

Also, I'll re-introduce pops of coral once Spring draws near ... for now, I've kept a bit of red for Valentine's Day:

Bessie (the cowhide that *was* in our breakfast area) is now enjoying this space that is filled with lots of white, to include a sofa table that was oak stained a couple of weeks ago, but is now Annie Sloane's "Pure White,"

a pretty, white garden seat I recently scored at TJMaxx,

  

lots of white pieces in the bookcase:

and, okay, a few shells ... just because.

Here's hoping that I can find the perfect chairs to fill this space, without overwhelming it. Until then, I suppose I'll just enjoy our "Wanna Be Sanctuary." (lol)

As always, thanks for stopping by!

And, be sure and come play with us:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
From My Front Porch to Yours/Treasure Hunt Thursday

French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday

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Beautiful Gift

It  always feels so great to be at your parents home and spend quality time with them no matter how old you are or how much you have matured. With parents still you are like a kid. One such sweet experience recently I had when I visited my parents few days back. They showered all their love and care on me.

Everytime  I visit them they overload me with loads and tons of gifts. My mom knows my test well so she gave me a very beautiful set of coaster made of wood. Have a look....

I really like the way it blends with rest of the furniture in my home. Wood carved so beautifully and in a simple way. 

I have lot of coasters but I think this one is very special because of its simplicity and raw look.

Design carved on it is not intricate but looks lovely.

Reflection on glass is making it appear even more beautiful. How do you find it, leave you comments below I would love to hear from you.

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Dramatic Kitchen Make-over

I am beside myself with excitement to share with you my newly painted kitchen! I think the color change did amazing things to the look and feel if this space. Come on the journey with me.





My young-and-cute-handy-dandy-handyman and I tiled the back splash with smaller white subway tile and a black pencil trim tile to tie it to the black of the counter-tops! What a difference...


I had

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I Am Back

I am back after a short, happy & refreshing vacation. It was my youngest sister's marriage and I enjoyed it immensely.  After traveling to several places in a short span of time, rather than feeling tired I am feeling so refreshed and filled with intense energy. This vacation was kind of energy booster.

It's Monday and time to get back to work. Monday blues.......here's a thought for you....

So try to keep yourself busy, find some time for everything and everyone :)
If you have missed my earlier post 'Inspiring Eminent Bloggers' then find it here and let me know your views.

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My New Gray Dining Room

Why do I fall in love so easy? I'm talking about with decorating? Is it my calling? Or is it because it's just plain fun...and I like CHANGE! 


My sister's and I think it's because we were raised in the military and we moved around A LOT! I went to 14 different schools before I was in the 9th grade!



Back to my dining room. I am in love with the new Gray color.  It's a custom mix by

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Trumeau Chalkboard ReVamp

The definition of

 a Trumeau Mirror 




tru·meau


[troo-moh; French try-moh] plural tru·meaux [-mohz; French -moh] 





a mirror having a painted or carved panel above or below the glass in the same frame.

 




I chose this title since my chalkboard is like that definition, only not a mirror. Along with the painting of my kitchen/dining room from RED to Gray, I also have to

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Foyer Winter Mantel ~ 2013

We have four fireplace mantels in our home. One, (living room) was a wood burning that was converted into gas. One, (basement) is electric and two, (upstairs hall and foyer) are fake! Hubby and I built these last two and I have so much fun decorating them.














These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Monday
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis

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An Unexpected Valentine Mantel

Greetings, friends!

Gone is the glitter, faux snow and reindeer; however, one thing that didn't have to leave after Christmas were splashes of red ... thanks to Valentine's Day! 

After running into World Market a couple of weeks ago to grab one "little" thing, I found myself unexpectedly loading a NOT-so-little thing into my car.  That purchase then became the surprise focal point for our Valentine's Day mantel:

Of course, I *then* found my car driving on auto pilot to Michael's to find a few goodies to complement such unexpected purchase! First, I spotted simple, inexpensive red vases to add faux florals (already had on hand): 

Next, while there, I found a pack of red and pink hearts, which I would later embellish with smaller Martha Stewart adhesive hearts and hang at varying heights across the mantel:

And, what's Valentine's Day without Cupid?  These cuties were actually part of a gift bag ... I simply detached them from the bag and gave them a spot on the mantel, as well, along with a few, scattered rose petals:  

Plain, white candles were given a bit of Valentine whimsy by adding layers of decorative ribbon:

Lastly, after finding these cute, adhesive tiles, I thought it'd be fun to frame them:  

One last peek at our unexpected Valentine mantel:

Thanks for stopping by ... hope to see your unexpected additions, too!

Come play:

Savvy Southern Style/WUW
French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday
Jennifer Rizzo/Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party

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