Hola readers!! Today's post on my blog is guest post written by Sravani. More about her at the end of this post. She is sharing some wonderful tips on .. What are the best places to place a mirror at home?
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest them of all.” This mirror on the wall is not a mere object of reflection. It plays such an important role in Cinderella's life that it can be considered to be one of the main characters in the story. The same is with our homes. This seemingly unassuming object finds a place in almost every room of our house and quietly performs a range of functions. Performing its main function of showing a person what he looks like, the mirror has an undisputed place in bathrooms, above wash basins and at dressing/make-up corners of the house. Inside the bedroom and guestrooms, mirrors should be placed so as not to invade the privacy of a person. “Vaastu Shastra suggests that the mirror should not reflect the bed. Similarly, it should not be placed in front of the study table.” Narrow passageways or rooms will appear to be more spacious if mirrors are placed lengthwise to give an appearance of increased space.
Mirrors can be used intelligently to show or reflect beautiful views. A mirror may be placed opposite to a window that opens to a beautiful view. Similarly, mirrors can be used to reflect sunlight inside the house while taking care to prevent the glare. Mirrors reflecting the dining table are believed to symbolize food abundance by reflecting food on the table. Whichever room that they are placed, mirrors should not distract or disturb normal activities and privacy. E.g. Mirror reflecting the sofa set would catch the attention of the person sitting on the coach and distract him during the conversation.
One of the most ingenious uses of mirrors I have seen is the one in Shiva temples. The sanctum sanctorum where the Shiva ling is placed is almost always at a lower level which has to be reached by going down a staircase. So a huge mirror is placed behind the Shivalingam in such a manner that the lingam is visible from the main podium of the temple which is at a higher level. This principal can be used to view a lower hall from an upper hall or balcony in big houses and duplex flats. Mirrors can be strategically placed to view an unseen spot to help secure the home. Typically, mirrors are placed to show the visitor standing outside the door to people inside the house. This is exactly what CCTV cameras do. Apart from showing peoples images and good views, the scientific properties of the mirror come handy for home décor. Multiple reflection and refraction can be used to create brilliant, starry items to increase the “wow” rating of your home. This includes chandeliers, lamp holders adorned with mirrors, clocks and wall pieces made of glass and mirrors. Remember the glass and mirror works of Rajasthani and Moghul style?
So, go ahead and employ this mirror to create a splendid image of the home of your dreams.
Author’s BIO: This article was written by Sravani Padmanabhuni from Bonito Designs. Bonito designs are the buddy growing Interior designers in Bangalore. You can check out their projects in moving motion on You Tube. To have a glance of their entire projects check out portfolio.
I have an attraction to old mirrors and this round one is currently one of my favorites!
Remembering back when I was just a young 20 year old and an old oak secretary was given to me and my hubby. It was the kind with the glass door display cabinet on one side and the drawers with slant opening desk and a mirror above. Well that old mirror was all messed up and I didn't appreciate it and had
then you are at right place. Let me introduce you to this term that is only an year old.
GOSF is Great Online Shopping Festival started by Google India in 2012 to benefit customers following the immense popularity of the Monday sale and Black Friday initiated by the giant shopping portals in the US.
Last year customers were immensely benefited with huge discounts while shopping online on 12 December’12. It’s a crazy shopping festival bursting with great offers, deals and discounts.
The good news is, this time the Great Online Shopping Festival is likely to happen again for 3 days (11th, 12th, 13thof Dec) in India.
I am so happy to let all my readers know that Jabong is also participating in GOSF India. So don’t forget to check Jabong.com GOSF during this time. Assuring the most lucrative discounts and deals this time than ever before.
Today I am sharing some of my artwork that I totally love. Some of these I had done long ago
and some I did recently, some are still with me and some are sold.
Jewelry below is paper jewelry. Beads are made out of colorful magazine pages. Butterfly pendant is quilling work. Not sold but has been gifted to dear ones.
This is the first time I made heena on candles though I've made it on hands many a times. Surprisingly it turned out very well and praised by all and sundry. They are with me and adorning my coffee table.
I love to do newspaper craft. These newspaper coasters turned out unexpectedly beautiful and liked by one and all. They are sold and I got few more orders.
Last year I made lot of tea light candles. To beautify them a little more I made pistachio shell lotus around them. It is with me and it also gets attention of every guest.
Well that's not all, I love everything that I have made till date. You can see My Artwork & DIY projects here.
Tell me, among all these which one is your favorite and why :)
STEELCASE BRINGS REVOLUTIONARY GESTURE TO INDIAN WORKPLACES
Inspired By Steelcase Global Study On New Postures Driven By Mobile Technology Company’s flagship Gesture Seating to Address Pain Caused by New, Unsupported Postures.
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 22, 2013
Steelcase, the global leader in office furniture industry, unveiled Gesture world’s first ergonomic office chair designed to support one’s interactions with today’s technologies. Gesture was inspired by studying movements of the human body and created for the ways people work today. India is part of Steelcase’s global launch of Gesture.
“We love our technology – it’s become a ubiquitous extension of ourselves,” states James Ludwig, Vice President of Global Design for Steelcase. “The user interface is intuitive and responds to various gestures. But what about gesture recognition for the human body? The way technology impacts our bodies as we work has been largely ignored.” Steelcase recently conducted a global study in 11 countries including emerging markets like China observing over 2000 people in a wide range of environments and postures. The study reveals how new technologies and new workplace behaviors have led to nine new postures -- not supported by current office chairs -- which frequently cause pain and long-term injuries, disrupting concentration and creativity. Gesture is designed in response to Steelcase’s global research about changing postures in the workplace. “Tablets were introduced just three years ago. But many people are using chairs that were designed well before these new devices became pervasive at work. Back then, chairs were created to help people hold one pose in front of a computer all day. Now we know that people need to move and change positions regularly, especially as they engage with new technologies. We observed people in pain -- they need a sitting experience designed for the ways we work today,” continued Ludwig.
Gesture
Gesture: A Revolution in Sitting Experience for Workplaces Steelcase researchers studied how the physiology of work has changed, how the human body interacts with new technologies and how it transitions as people shift from one device to another. Researchers noted a more extreme range of human sizes around the world, which impacts postures. The company also studied the changing sociology of work and how people rapidly shift between individual, focused tasks and creative collaboration. Each new activity caused people to change postures. Based on this research, Steelcase designed Gesture’s three key interfaces – the core interface, upper limb interface and seat interface -- to support new postures driven by new technology and more casual behaviors in the workplace. For example: Gesture encourages motion rather than forcing the body to hold a single posture. The upper limb interface allows people to draw closer to a work surface to avoid hunching over a screen and easily move close to the body to support texting postures. Unlike conventional chairs, Gesture’s core interface hugs the lower back when people recline to scroll on a tablet screen. The seat interface adjusts rapidly to help users avoid perching on the edge of their chair. Gesture embraces a broad range of body sizes and easily adapts to meet the needs of each individual user, which is critical in an increasingly global business environment that has to support diverse workers than ever before. Gesture is a system of interconnected parts – inspired by the human body – designed to support every movement. “Today’s workers are driven by their vision – small technologies have a gravitational force to pull the body down,” explained Carol Stuart Buttle, CPE, Principal at Stuart-Buttle Ergonomics. “If the chair doesn’t move with the user, people slouch to make up for it, or flop on the desk to overcompensate for what is uncomfortable. Workers today are moving from bad posture, to bad posture, to bad posture. Gesture helps you be where you need to be – it helps workers find support in smarter ways so they can use their devices in safer ways.”
9 Tech Driven Postures which inspired Gesture As part of its global posture study, Steelcase identified nine new postures based entirely on the result of new technologies. For example: The Draw Technology (small and mobile) allows people to pull back from their desks while they use it. They recline, signaling they’re contemplating or absorbing information and draw the device closer to their body to maintain an optimal focal length. The Multi-Device This posture is representative of how people adapt to multitasking on multiple-devices. One hand holding a phone to the ear, the other tasking on a laptop. The result is a forward lean that is a symbol of concentration and an orientation to the smaller screen of a laptop The Text Smartphones are small compared to other forms of technology and, therefore, require unique postures. Workers bring arms in close as keying and gesturing are performed The Cocoon People recline, bring up their feet onto the seat, and draw their smartphone or tablet close, resting on their thighs. The result is a cocoon – small mobile technology allows people to remain productive in this posture The Swipe This posture results when the device is used on a work surface in “surfing mode”, in which people operate the device with one hand, typically with swiping gestures. Because it’s on a work surface, a person must keep their head a certain distance above the tablet in order to see it, and position their head to look down at it. The Smart Lean This posture is the result of mobile devices that create the desire for people to temporarily “pull away” from others without leaving a meeting or collaborative environment. This is typically a temporary posture and used for glancing at incoming texts or e-mails. The Trance This posture was observed when people were focused on the screen and either mousing or using a touchpad to navigate on the screen for extended periods of time. This is a long duration posture. The Take It In In this posture, people recline to view content on the large display and/or sit back to contemplate. This posture is about “taking in” information rather than generating it. The Strunch The “strunch” (stretched-out hunch) is a very common posture with laptops. As people become fatigued, they gradually push their laptop further from the edge of the work surface, resting their weight on the surface. This causes them to reach forward to work. Since the back and neck cannot sustain the reach and hunch posture for a long time, the person begins to prop themselves up with their non- tasking arm.
Steelcase has established 3 WorkLife Centres in India – the company’s flagship showrooms in New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Steelcase will be soon inaugurating its 4th Worklife Centre in Mumbai. Earlier in April 2013, the company started its first manufacturing facility in India spread across 50,000 square feet at Chakkan, Pune. To try Gesture or learn more about the Steelcase Global Posture Study and Gesture please contact: Allan Guan +852 9272 6861 allan.guan@steelcase.com
Gesture will be available in early 2014.
About Steelcase Inc. For 100 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the world's leading organizations – wherever work happens. Steelcase and our family of brands – including Steelcase®, Coalesse®, Designtex®, Details®, Nurture®, PolyVision® and Turnstone® – offer a comprehensive portfolio of furnishings, products and services designed to unlock human promise and support social, economic and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including approximately 650 dealers. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading and publicly traded company with fiscal 2013 revenue of $2.9 billion.
P.S All the images are provided by Steelcase and subject to copyright.
After years of infertility since the birth of my son, Charlie, 9 years prior
My son
23 years ago, a beautiful and strong survivor came into this world, 5 weeks early and dead! She was given CPR and breathed her first breath. She struggled with the first weeks of her life and I named her a name that other women had, that were strong women. I just knew she was a fighter
I'm honored to have been chosen to be featured as part of Hometalk's "In the Bloglight" series!
If you aren't familiar with Hometalk, you simply must check it out, as it's an amazing online community, where folks from all over the world *gather* to ask for and share ideas about all things home and garden.
As part of the "Bloglight" series, Miriam (Hometalk's Director of Community Development extraordinaire) asked me a few questions:
How did you first get into blogging?
I joined the world of blogging back in December of 2009 when our home was part of our local Women's Club "Christmas Tour of Homes." I started my blog as a way for me to share pics of our holiday home with our out-of-state family and friends who weren't able to visit for the event. Little did I know that folks other than my family and friends would actually take the time to read, comment and follow my blog! That's when I decided to write a second, third and fourth post … and, well, as they say, the rest is blogging history!
How did you decide on the name of my blog?
As much as I love to decorate and redecorate our home (along with others), it's never boring or quick … always an adventure … thus, "Adventures in Decorating" was born!
Is blogging something you do on the side, or is it a full-time job for you?
For now, blogging is something that I do on the side … for fun. That might change in the new year, but, for now, it remains a great outlet for me to share my addiction to decorating!
What was the first project you ever shared?
The first post I ever shared was of our Christmas home where reds, golds and greens, along with chocolate metallic walls, dominated our humble abode.
And, if you follow my blog, you've been there along the way when those dark walls disappeared; walnut furniture was introduced to chalk paint; and camel covered wingback chairs were then dressed in white slipcovers … hard to believe this is the same room!
What is your most popular project on Hometalk to date?
Hmmmm … that would be our Fall mantel from 2012. I'm still in shock that, since posting it to Hometalk, it has since been *pinned* over 40,000 times … crazy!
Do you stick to a strict posting schedule?
Admittedly, I don't. And, I truly admire those who post multiple times a week, especially since I *usually* only post only once a week! I always say that I'm going to start posting more, but, try not to put too much pressure on myself to do so … maybe that's part of the problem! :)
How has blogging changed you?
Blogging has changed me in that it has given me a bit more confidence when it comes to my mad decorating skills … like taking a paint brush, covered in Chateaux Grey chalk paint, to our then-maple stained cabinets:
It has encouraged me to take decorating "risks" and to step out of my OCD-box. And, best of all, blogging has also brought many amazing people into my life whom I'm happy to call "great friends!" If you are considering starting a blog, I hope that you go for it … you won't regret it!
* * *
Thanks again, Miriam, and the great folks at Hometalk, for featuring little ol' me as part of your "In the Bloglight" series. And, thank YOU for taking the time to visit!
In Indian culture guests are always considered as God. Therefore you should follow the principles of vastu for guest room also. It ensures the happy, peaceful and short stay of the guests at home.
Best location for guest room is Northwest direction this corner represents air element that is considered as the most unstable and movable element. Guest bedroom in this direction will ensure short and happy stay of guests at home. Other option is South or Southeast direction. Avoid Southwest direction for guest as it is reserved for master bedroom. Guest will dominate or interfere if the guest bedroom is in Southwest direction. Color of the walls can be white, cream, soft pink or light blue.
South or West is the right direction of placing a bed in guest room. Place the bed South-North so that guests should sleep with head towards South and legs towards North. There should not be any beam just above the bed. Always keep bed little far from the wall for proper air circulation. Avoid pacing bed directly in front of bathroom's door. Windows in East and North direction is right option though it can be in West also but avoid South. All the electric and electronic items should be in the Southeast direction, as it represents fire element. South and West direction is ideal for cabinets and cupboards.
With a little care in the relative positioning and arrangement of the rooms one could expect to live a peaceful, happy & prosperous life. Read about Master Bedroom Vastu here
As the soft morning sun rays peep into my living room I am pleasantly reminded that winters have arrived.
Everyone wants to escape from chilling winter weather outside and this is the right time of the year
to create cozy, warm and inviting interiors. How can you achieve that look for your living room...oh let me share some very easy ideas here to welcome winters.
The key is to create cozy living room by adding some warm colors, plump cushions, woolen throws, thick rugs, soft warm lights and may be a woolen blanket to snuggle up with piping hot tea/coffee.
Give a coat of rich color to a wall to make your living room warm and cozy instantly. Colors like yellow, terracotta, gold, purple, orange and red can do wonders. Add rich colors with accessories, furnishings and furniture too.
Lay soft carpets and woolen, knitted, crochet or thick floor rugs to cover up cold floor. Rugs not only give warm and cozy feel but it looks elegant and add element to your decor too. Choose one in right color and texture. It enhances relaxing feel of room.
Plump cushions & pillows scattered or lined up on sofa with matching fur or woolen throw feel as good as bear hug in frosty winter weather. Floor pillows and ottomans in warm fabric create a perfect cozy living room for winters.
Soft lighting is better way to add warmth and create perfect ambiance for winter. Dim and mood lights are more appealing than brighter ones and give wintry charm. Candles centerpiece and fall flower & leaves decoration not only beautifies the surrounding but glow of candles bring calming, warm and inviting effect also.
Now some more things that you can do to make your living room comfortable and relaxing for winters. Line curtains with thermal lining or simply swap them for heavy ones. Create cozy reading nook to add a touch of winter. An arm chair placed near book case with some floor cushions scattered around make winters more enjoyable and your home interiors more inviting and cozy.
[This post is a part of the Fab Blogger contest by FabFurnish.com, the one stop destination to buy trendy sofa sets and living room decor essentials online.]
When I saw this piece at a garage sale, I loved the lines of the legs and the double lights. I hated the brass table part. But I had a vision for this.
But wait, be patient with me because I must start at the real beginning.
Posts in 'Indian Art' series on my blog is my endeavor to bring back the lost charm of various ancient Indian art forms and to let more and more people know about rich culture and heritage of India.
Tanjore or Thanjavur is an age old art form of South India and got its name from 'Thanjavur' a place in Tamil Nadu where this art form originated and it was the capital of Chola Empire. Origin of this art form dates back to 1600AD.
Tanjore originated during the reign of 'Nayaks' 'Marathas' and 'Cholas'. Marathas encouraged the art form and it flourished during 16th to 17th century.
Style:
These paintings are very ancient and miniature type of paintings. Paintings mainly consist of a main figure usually deity, figure appears prominent in paintings with well rounded body and cherubic face. Main figure is enclosed in a meticulously crafted enclosure in form of arch or curtain. Paintings are bright and vibrant.
Most striking feature of the paintings are that they are decorated using 22/24 carat gold foil, semi precious stones, cut glasses and pearls to give it a rich look.
Process: There are several steps involve in making Tanjore painting.
1. Canvas Preparation: Canvas is prepared by pasting a clean cotton/muslin cloth (that is dipped in glue+water solution) on plywood. Let it dry. Now apply a coat of chalk powder paste (Chalk powder + Water + Glue) on canvas and let it dry for a day. Now rub canvas with emery paper to make canvas surface smooth. 2. Choose and then trace the design on canvas using carbon paper. 3. Muck work or embossing: Muck or paste of chalk powder + Arabic gum + glue is then applied on the desired area of the painting using round brush. Let it dry 4. Gem setting or decorating: Now stick stones, gems and pearls on the design and let it dry for a day. Apply one more layer of embossing paste to make painting more beautiful. use ball pen to make design on embossed areas. Then comes the most important step of the painting, pasting of gold foil on the embossed design. Apply glue on the embossed area and paste gold foil carefully on it and press gently with your thumb, cut the extra part of foil using cutter. Now remove gold foil that is pasted over stones, gems and pearls. You can use any needle like sharp object to remove foil that is over the stones.
5. Last step is painting the remaining area of the painting, like body of the main figure and the background. Body is painted mainly in white color with tint of pink or blue. Slight shading is done on main figure. Background is painted in bright colors like red, green or blue. Once the painting is complete it is then framed.
I found Tanjore paintings breathtakingly beautiful and process of making these paintings make them even more special. This framed art in any place never fails to add charm and beauty. Hope you enjoyed reading about this art. Read more about different ancient Indian Art forms here.
Thanks so much to my sweet friend, Laura, from Top This Top That for including me in a fun "Better Late than Never" Fall gathering!
Will you be hosting Thanksgiving this year? While I'll be cooking a few staple holiday goodies for the upcoming day of thanks, we won't be dining in our breakfast area.
BUT, if we had, I hope that our guests would've felt welcomed by my simple vignette using my favorite chicken wire basket (from Pottery Barn) in the middle of our table, filled with colors and elements of the season,
along with a book of thanks reminding us what Fall is all about.
Over on our dry bar (which, by the way, I STILL love in its shade of Annie Sloane's "Chateaux Grey"), I would've gladly moved our Fall pieces out of the way to make room for all things carbs!
Yes, this glass cloche filled with tiny pumpkins nestled in between corks and pinecones, could easily have been "scooched" on over to make room for the loaded mashed potatoes!
Mr. Roo (and his surrounding Fall picks and oversized acorns) would gladly have made room for the turkey!
And, um, WHO wants to even *see* a scale on Thanksgiving, right? Pumpkin and apple pies would be much easier on the eyes!
Another reason why it's probably a good thing that we're not eating our Thanksgiving meal at this table is because, well, it doesn't quite look like this anymore.
That's right, it's now filled with all things Christmas! Stay tuned ...
Oh, and before I go … IF, by chance, you have a double pedestal antique table that you'll be seating guests at in a few weeks, make sure you check your legs (to the table, that is) to make sure that one of them isn't loose or cracked. I'd hate for you to be greeted by this lovely scene that I experienced in our dining room last week … oops! Thank goodness, I somehow managed to laugh and not cry! LOL!
Thanks so much for visiting our Fall breakfast area! Be sure and pop on over and visit these incredibly talented ladies who are sharing their Fall spaces, too!
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