Share the LoVe!

Be My Valentine! This photo card was sent free for purchasing onlineWELCOME, in individual photo framed letters taken of architectural elements from buildings, for a client. I dug this out of my 'stuff' and finally framed it. Wrapped with red and white cord and a key to my heart!




I left my Christmas tree up with my hand painted vintage jello molds to enjoy longer by placing red heart

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Decor Ideas For Living Room

Your home reflects your personality and living room plays a key role in reflecting your lifestyle. There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. Here are few tips that can transform your living room into a comfortable, functional & pleasing abode.

The first thing before decorating a living room is to know about how many purposes the room will going to serve like TV room, drawing room , family room or may be all these. Then choose the stuff according to its purpose. 

Next you should place all the furniture in a way that it should look uncluttered, spacious and most importantly functional. If you are living in a small apartment then multipurpose and small furniture is always a best option to give your living room a spacious look. Sofa is the main furniture and plays an important role in overall look of the place. Choose it wisely according to the space available, theme of the living room and color of the walls. It should be comfortable and gorgeous as well to beautify the space. Put some throw pillows to perk up the place and to add some color. Center table comes next and can be very appealing if accessorized properly. Don't over accessorize it.

Image Credit: Click Here

An indoor plant in eye catching planter or a vase filled with some fresh flowers, few candles or may be some pebbles or shells all kept in a tray and some good books these are the accessories that work well with any kind of theme.

Image Credit: Click Here

Wall color should be light for your room to look spacious and bright. Though you can create a focal point by painting one wall in dark color with texture on it or stenciled wall or a wallpaper according to your room's theme can do wonder. Putting up a collage of family pictures that oftentimes called picture gallery wall is always a best choice to give your room a personal touch. You can choose a big canvas painting also to give your place a traditional feel. A big mirror or collection of mirrors displayed on wall not only looks pleasing but also makes your room look bigger and brighter.

Image Credit: Click Here

Curtains, rugs and carpets create a complete look of any living room. All these furnishings should be color coordinated and blend well with rest of the decor.
Lighting plays an important role in creating a warm ambiance. Where chandelier can make your room look classy and traditional, spotlights and floor lamps give it a contemporary look. Table lamps placed on either side of the sofa looks pleasing and create warm and welcoming feel.

Image Credit: Click Here

Just keep these few things in mind and you can surely transform your place in no time.In case you missed reading post about Foyer Decorating then click here to read.
Happy Decorating!!

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Talavera Pottery, Puebla | Mexico.

While planning our trip to Mexico, Puebla was a destination that had to be part of our itinerary as this is where the famous Talavera Mexican Pottery originated.

As we walked the streets of Puebla, it was evident that Talavera was used extensively in the exteriors of heritage buildings. The creamy White background and the Indigo blue are characteristic Talavera but other colours are also widely used.

The wall of heritage building with Talavera and brick. What a stunning contrast!

Vintage Talavera Tiles…

The street numbers and names in Talavera.

Beautiful patterns and designs adorned the outer walls...

The exteriors of building with Talavera tiles used in various styles…

The Mexican post office...

So we headed to Uriarte Talavera to find out more about the history and the process of making these tiles.

Uriarte Talavera was founded in 1824 by Dimas Uriarte. It is the largest exporter of Talavera in Latin America and also a place which attracts skilled artisans from the region.

The entrance of Uriarte Talavera…

Talavera is a type of Majolica pottery that was brought to Mexico by the Spanish. Puebla soon became a hub for the production of these tiles because of the availability of fine natural clay in the region and the demand for these in the building of cathedrals and monasteries.

Talavera pottery reached it's golden period in the mid 17th Century but has struggled since the Mexican war of Independence in the 19th Century with fewer workshops. 

Efforts by collectors and artists has revived the tradition and now Puebla has a a extensive collection of Talavera pottery.

A huge Christmas tree with Talavera ornaments:-)

Further efforts have been made to preserve and promote the craft with the introduction of new decorative designs and the passage of the Denominación de Origen de la Talavera law to protect authentic, Talavera pieces made with the original, 16th century methods.

Uriarte Talavera is part of the Certification Board and is working with the Talavera Regulating Council AC. 

Tile work at the Uriarte Talavera…

The Virgin of Guadalupe tiles...

A display of the various stages of the Talavera Pottery….

All pieces are hand-thrown on a potter's wheel. The glazes contain tin and lead, as they have since colonial times.  There are only six permitted colors: blue, yellow, black, green, orange and mauve, and these colors must be made from natural pigments. The painted designs have a blurred appearance as they fuse slightly into the glaze. The base, the part that touches the table, is not glazed but exposes the terra cotta underneath. 

An inscription is required on the bottom that contains the following information: the logo of the manufacturer, the initials of the artist and the location of the manufacturer in Puebla.

Click here to see a video clip about the process of making Talavera Pottery.

The various designs available…

Talavera Tableware...

Galeria  Talavera Armando… Another beautiful store.

A wide variety of designs...

Hope you enjoyed the post as much as I loved re-living our memorable trip to Puebla. 

Have a great day, while I sip my Talavera mug of Ginger Tea on this cold Minnesotan winter afternoon!

( Images by Arch and are copyrighted. References Uriarte Talavera, Wikipedia)

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My Winter Putz Houses!

German verb putzen, which means "to clean" or "to decorate." Mass-produced cardboard Christmas villages became popular in the US during the early and mid-20th century, while porcelain versions became popular in the later part of the century.





These two above, I hand cut and made...a lot of work, but then I won a Silhouette and found them on their site...
Now my machine cuts them out and I

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Foodpanda: Search For Good Food Ends Here!!

Hallo ! Guten Tag my lovely readers. I have got for you something new and very very interesting.

Introducing Foodpanda a fuss free online food ordering website. Yes you heard it right, now you can order your food online and it will be delivered to you no matter where you are, in office or at home. 

Sometimes it happens that you just feel lazy to cook or in no mood to cook or else you are working late in the office or may be forgot your lunchbox at home. Foodpanda came to the rescue now no worries your food is just a click away.

About Foodpanda

foodpanda together with its affiliated brand hellofood is the leading group of online food ordering platforms active in 28 countries. It helps restaurants to increase sales through online and mobile platforms and provides them with constantly evolving technology and analytics.

For consumers, foodpanda offers an online marketplace with widest gastronomic range, including e.g. salads, pizza, pasta, burger and sushi. Consumers choose their favorite meal on the platform or via app; foodpanda processes the order to the restaurant that delivers to the doorstep.

Let me fist introduce you to the team of Foodpanda then I will tell you how it works. This is what they have to say about themselves "We are a small team of problem solvers, designers, thinkers and tinkers, working around the clock to make foodpanda the most powerful online tool for food delivery in the universe. We believe that ordering food should be easy, fast and definitely fun! We wanted something simpler, so we made it." and yes they did it!!

Where they are??....well they are everywhere Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Africa & Europe. To know more about places where they offer their services you can check out their website foodpanda.com.

Now how it works. It's fuss free..believe me. There are just four steps and after that you will be savoring the food that you just ordered. 

1) The very first step is to choose the city or enter the pin code and then select a restaurant from an extensive list available there.

2) After you have chosen your favorite restaurant its time to browse the menu and select your favorite food items.

3) Now if you are done with your menu lets place an order, enter your delivery address and make payment. 

4) This is it. You will get an SMS confirming your food order and estimated delivery time. Steaming hot food will be delivered conveniently to your home/office. 

They have different categories to chooseyour food from like 'Top Brands', 'Cuisines'. You can get some deals also. 

What else could you ask for. Technology has done it all. Worldwide cuisine is available to order online. They have their mobile app also. Gourmets what you are waiting for, go and give it a try, order now and I know you will love it. 

Hope you enjoyed this post!! 

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DIY: How To Paint Plastic Container

I have recycled so many plastic food containers and turned them into beautiful and useful planters and brush/pen holders. All my readers liked them so much that they wanted me to share the tutorial on how to paint a plastic food container. So sharing it today!!

Supplies: 

Plastic container (That you want to recycle)

Acrylic Colors

Paint Brush

Rag

Varnish

Steps:

1). The very first step is to wash and clean the container. It should be free from dust, oil or grease.

I cut the edge of container in pattern. Have a look....

2). Next apply either water based primer or white acrylic color on the container. Do not worry if the paint doesn't spread evenly on the container's surface as you will going to give a second coat of primer. Let it dry for atleast 30-40 mins. Give another coat of primer and then again let it dry for 30 mins.

3). Now paint the container in your choice of color. Remember do not mix excess of water or else color wouldn't spread properly.

Giving a second coat of color is always a good idea. As it gives a good finish.

4). Now its turn to make pattern or motifs of your choice. You can use acrylic/pearl/shimmer or enamel paint. I used pearl colors and this time it's my take on 'Gond Art'. I truly loved painting it. Its simple and beautiful...just lines and dots and it is done.

Painting these two fishes took one hour. Painstaking isn't it.......!! I was so meticulously filling the lines and dots in the fishes that I even held my breath so my hand wouldn't move or shake (and I usually do that :)))

5). Now that you are done with art on the pot let it dry for 2-3 hrs and then apply protective coat of varnish.
It will give shine to the pot and protect it as well. Here is my complete pot with Gond Art on it. How do you find it.

It's adorning my dining table and looks fabulous there.

A closer look. Lots of fishes there :)))

Stay tuned for more fun and interesting posts.


Linking it to Make It PrettyMonday

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A New Year and a glimpse...

Wishing readers of Rang Decor a very Happy New Year, 2014. A little late but nevertheless full of happiness and colours to fill your lives!

We had a beautiful winter break in sunny and warm Mexico. We visited Puebla, Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende. It was a wonderful experience to walk the streets soaking in the history, culture and colours of this beautiful country which in many ways reminded me of home, India.

So much to share with all of you, while I get my posts ready, here is a glimpse of our home here in Minnesota. We live in a house built in the 1960's. It still reflects our Indian roots and deep love for the art and crafts of India but will also take on global influences as result of our present residence and travels. Loads of interesting projects are planned for it and will be sharing the progress as we go ahead.

Wishing all of you loads of beauty in your lives!

Have a great weekend!

( Image by Arch and is copyrighted)

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