2015 Valentine Mantel/Heart and Home Blog Hop

Greetings, friends!  

It seems like just yesterday we were wishing each other a Merry Christmas, doesn't it?!  And, now, February has arrived!  

To celebrate the month of "love," I'm happily joining 9 amazing bloggers (as part of a "Heart & Home Blog Hop"), as they share a bit of their Valentine's Day decor.

Sooo, here's my take on a Valentine's mantel:

I started by adding simple white vases with "faux" tulips from Michaels:

And, to back up just a moment, of course, on my way out of our storage room, armed with my Valentine bin, I had to grab our "Vinter 2014" red/white pillows from IKEA (that I had in here just a few "short" weeks ago for Christmas) to spread the love from the mantel just a bit:

Michael's always has the cutest, inexpensive garlands!

Speaking of Michael's, this sweet wreath once sat on their shelves, too: 

I love how it pops against the mirror.

All you need is "love" (well, that *and* Home Goods to find cute signs such as this)!

And, there you have it ... our simple Valentine mantel.

Please be sure you visit these incredibly talented ladies as they share their take on Valentine's Day, too!

Atta Girl Says

 Chateau Chic

Far Above Rubies

French Country Cottage

From My Front Porch to Yours

Housepitality Designs

Shabbyfufu

Stone Gable

White Lace Cottage

Thanks for stopping by,

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Accessorize Your Home

I love having guests not only in my home but in my blog also. It's always a pleasure to learn something new, interesting and different from each one of them. One such guest is joining us today here on 3D. One who is very good when it comes to accessorize home. Any guesses.....well let me introduce you to one of my dear friends, a very talented, warm and pleasing personality - Vandana Choudhury. She blogs over at 'Seasons in the Sun', a blog that truly reflects her sense of aesthetics. Today she is sharing some wonderful tips on 'how to accessorize your home', so read on and get inspired. Over to Vandana -

Accessories....... I am so used to using this word for myself. Having the right accessories for my outfits, that's what comes to my mind the moment I hear this word. What an attractive word it is! But, at the same time, my home too comes to my mind. Buying something for my house is like buying hair clips, bands, watches, bags and shoes for my child! Yes, that is how I treat my home.

These days, we have a wide variety to choose from as far as accessories go. Right from ethnic to contemporary to fusion to eclectic, what not is available in the stores and the flea markets. So why not indulge our nest, shop for it at times and dress it up beautifully. I am sure, we all love to do that! And we really do not need to burden ourselves in any way to doll up our home. Here is how you can start:

Cushion Covers:

The most common accessory that comes to my mind are cushion covers. These days, the market is full of pretty ones. The ones with captions on them are such show stoppers. A couple of them causally thrown on the settee and there you have a conversation starter. Try it out yourself and share your experiences with us here :-)..... My accessory mantra is 'cushions'. I love the way they change the look of any place instantly. Floral patterns, the funky, quirky ones, the simple and plain cottons in solids, the Kalamkari prints, the more royal ones in brocades and Chanderi, the list goes on. A couple of floor cushions tossed in here and there and a comfortable seating arrangement is created.

Mats:

I love colourful mats or chatais. They certainly create a warmth in any living space. I call them the 'informal' rugs and carpets. These days they are available in attractive shades of green, blue, purple, rust and yellow. The matted cushions, table mats, runners, here again, it is a long list. The little coasters can even be used to highlight a gorgeous decor piece. The  matted shelving units and chest of drawers are eye candies. Simple and unique yet classy.

Flowers:

How can I ever forget fresh flowers as accessories for the home! Living in a city with a beautiful weather, flowers are a staple on my plateful of accessories. They light up a dull corner instantly!

Be a thrifty chick:

Did you notice that framed wooden comb. Brilliant idea...isn't it!!

The right kinds of accessories for the wall, the windows, for any part of our home ,go a long way in making our space come alive and ooze out oodles of warmth. And accessorizing depends to a large extent on one's imagination. Using recycled things in an innovative way; a wine bottle turned into a lamp base or mason jars as flower vases, pretty pieces of fabric or even handmade paper with an interesting motif can be framed as a wall art. It need not be a Jamini Roy or a M.F.Hussain on the wall. I once came across place mats on the dining table made of handmade paper that was laminated. Interesting,isn't it? :-).... loved this idea to bits!

Bored of your dupattas? Make use of them as a throw or a runner. These ideas are like our grandmothers' home remedies, useful, effective and inexpensive. 

Accessorize your garden too:

How can I forget our gardens! They,too, need accessories to dress up and why not, the number of garden boutiques in the cities, stocking some fun garden accessories come in handy at such times. A few interesting and colourful ornaments in the garden and it is all decked up. Fabulous pot holders, chimes, terracotta figurines and colourful shelves create a beautiful setting.

One can be so innovative when it comes to dressing up the garden. Painted plastic bottles and jars, painted twigs, cute little nests hanging from the twigs, wrought iron figures of birds and animals, the terracotta ones,too, go in creating a dream garden.

I have shared a few photographs from our home. I am sure each one of you must be having your boxful of ideas ready and handy when it comes to dressing up your space beautifully! Do share your tips on accessorizing here, would love to hear your opinions and suggestions on this. 
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Thank you Vandana for sharing amazing tips on accessorizing home and images of your home are like icing on the cake. I am definitely going to follow your tips and it sure will help me transform my home into a warm and pleasing abode. How about you readers. How did you find these tips, aren't they just quick and easy. Happy decorating!!
Stay tuned and I'll be coming up with loads of images of my home :)

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No Cost Decorating ~ Switcheroo!

I have put

much thought

in the ridiculous

amount of pillows

that I have to

put on and remove

every day when

I make the bed then

prepare it for sleeping!

I
HAD
to
make
a
change!



Yes, it looks lovely in it's presentation, but I needed to simplify my pillow life! I ending up doing a switcheroo!

As you can see, in the above picture of the master bedroom, I have 10 pillows on my bed

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Khazana: Curated treasures on Lyndale Ave | Minneapolis

Serendipity it was!

One weekend we were walking around, exploring the streets of Lyndale Avenue in Richfield and next minute we were entering the door to a store with a giant hot pink lotus painted on the wall.

Walking into the store we were enveloped in the fragrance of floral incense and a welcoming smile by Kelly the hostess at Khazana.

As we got talking she mentioned that she followed Rang Decor on Facebook.

Serendipity it was!

The exterior view of Khazana.

Prayer flags fluttering at the entrance.

Khazana was born out of a passion for collecting art and stories.

Here is the story of how Khazana came into being...
Anju Kataria grew up in India, but traveled extensively with her family from a young age, always collecting things from her travels.
Khazana was born on Nicollet Avenue downtown in it’s first incarnation.  For the last twenty five years, Anju and her husband Ashu have continued to add to their incredible and unique collection, preferring to work directly with artisans and support local craftspeople, both in India and locally.


Khazana literally means 'treasure' and the store is a curated collection of treasures brought here to help tell the story of the people and places they come from. Khazana has a wide array of pieces but is known for textiles, bronzes, exotic jewelry and original artwork.


Three years ago Khazana found it’s final home on Lyndale when the Kataria’s bought a space Anju had loved for twenty years.

Fun Bollywood-inspired products.

Vintage Mirrorwork Textiles.

Incenses.

Madhubani art and textiles.

Fair-trade handcrafted silver jewellery.

'In the last year we have begun to add more classes and interactive activities in an effort to expand how we can tell our story in the community, and provide a space for others to come and tell theirs. 
We plan on offering a travel component this year and are looking forward to being able to take people to the source of these incredible pieces. We have tried to create a beautiful place where people can walk in and feel as though they have stepped into a calm and inviting, and inspiring space. 
We invite you to come experience it, and we look forward to seeing you!'
~ The lovely people at Khazana

So if you find yourself in Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis or are looking for unique gifts do drop by Khazana~ A true treasure trove.
You can follow them on Facebook at Khazana.

( Images by Arch)

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Hanging Baskets In My Small Balcony Garden

I had always wanted hanging baskets in my balcony garden, but I couldn't find big wrought iron hanging baskets with coir lining here in Pune. So I bought these plastic ones. I didn't like their dull colours though, so I painted them in vibrant colours.

I planted Money plant, Jade, 9 O'clock, Purple Wandering Jew and Singapore Daisy in some baskets, that my mother had given me and sowed seeds of Virginia Stock and Nasturtium in two baskets, that my mother-in-law had given me. I was desperate like a kid, who just wanted seeds to sprout the moment they were sown. I wanted to see, how my baskets will going to look when they will be full of foliage and blooms. And slowly it happened.........

Kid in me was so happy to see some blooms and Virginia Stock sprouts, that were filling the blue basket.

And finally the day arrived when I saw 9 O'clock, Nasturtium, Singapore Daisy and Virginia Stock blooming and Money plant & Jade thriving and spreading cheer in my small garden. This was the sight I was waiting for. It was so heart warming to look at these baskets.  

Some close ups.........

And some different angles.........

And Purple wandering Jew has become the main attraction in the garden for its lovely purple leaves and the way it's covering the basket.

But now because of cold weather Nasturtium has died :( and 9 O'clock plant has stopped blooming. 

Waiting for Spring to arrive now.

Have a great weekend ahead dear all!!

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Homemade Wool Sweater Purse

It's a great project


to make if you can


Dream

and

Sew!

I took a wool sweater from the thrift store and combined it with some ticking stripe and some gray fabric and made it into a really great new purse. This is not a tutorial, but just showing you the details of the bag.




I first washed and dryed the wool sweater to 'felt' it (make it shrink) for a tighter weave. I designed this in

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DIY Lippan Work: Video Tutorial

Thank you so much dear all for appreciating my Lippan Work Wooden panels. I am overwhelmed by the response I got. So I created a video tutorial exclusively for my wonderful readers who want to try their hand on this art.

In my last post about Asus Zenfone 6 you saw how I am super impressed with ZenFone 6 and exploring its wonderful features every passing day. So this was the perfect time to test its video recording feature too. I just picked up the ZenFone 6, gathered all the supplies needed for making Lippan work wooden panels, started shooting video and without any editing published it on YouTube. It was extremely easy and quick to make a video tutorial with ZenFone 6 and the most amazing thing was publishing it on my YouTube channel right after I finished shooting it. 

I watched the video I shot, over and over again in great disbelief that how a mobile with some amazing features can save so much time. I had spent around 4-6 hrs in making video tutorials earlier and it was hassle to shoot and then edit the video.
While making video with ZenFone 6, I noticed that I can pause the video number of times whenever I want and can resume it later, it is wonderful feature specially when I am shooting DIY tutorials. Video and sound clarity is excellent.
Below is the video tutorial of Lippan work. You can check out the video and its sound quality. I found it wonderful.

Few more things that I am trying to do with ZenFone 6 is that I am creating a movie with its 'Movie Maker', using series of pictures or videos and then I can edit it.

I captured lots of pictures too, will share them in my next post with all the other good features that I am exploring in ZenFone 6

Want to see more images of my Lippan Work then click here.

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