A Cup of Chai…{A photo book about the many cups of chai in my life.}

Today seems to be the day when my 'to-do' list is negligible and I don't see any herculean tasks in the horizon that need my immediate attention.

So I put the kettle on and open the lid of my favourite new tea blend.

The aromatic infusion of citrus, cardamom, lemongrass refresh my senses to a state of immense happiness.

…and I sit down with my freshly brewed cup of tea to tell you all my lovely Rang Decor readers, the story of how 'A Cup of Chai…' A Tea Table book came into being.

I started pursuing my passion for photography in 2006 on flickr, an online platform and community for photographers to share their work and get inspired. Over a period of time I realised I delighted in capturing the steam emanating from my cup of chai, or the compositions and the mood associated with tea time. Soon I had a set full of chai photographs! Do take a quick look here~

Caustics and pattern play...

Morning chai in Jaisalmer…

Chai in our terrace...

Chai and sunflowers from the farmers market…

A Cup of Chai… A photoblog about the many cups of chai in my life came into being in 2008 as a space to share photographs dedicated to my love of tea. 

Soon it became a platform for tea-lovers around the world to come together to interact about their love for chai!

Better Photography Magazine one of India's leading photography magazine ran an article about my work. This was an interesting turning point since my passion for tea and photography was recognised and covered as a unique personal project.

I wanted to capture the moments of having tea in the most spontaneous manner possible. I believe that spontaneity is the key to personal projects. So while a daily ritual of a cup of tea may seem monotonous, with spontaneity and creativity you can break the monotony. For me, creative compositions are important as they can bring the mundane to life.

Being a graphic designer, I am instinctively drawn to unique and creative patterns, frames and compositions in whatever I come across in everyday life, even when I shoot my everyday cups of tea. So whenever there is an occasion for a cup of chai, I ensure that my camera is always nearby. You never know when an interesting composition may come up.

While I continue to shoot my daily vignettes of chai everyday, I share it on Instagram, Facebook and  also on 'A Cup of Chai...' photoblog dedicated to tea. This has resulted in a beautiful confluence of photography and tea, two things that I am so passionate about.

The most natural culmination of a project like this is a book that has the finest collection of photographs that celebrates the eternal cup of tea. A Tea Table book, very unique in it's concept and a great memoir to gift and pass on to chai-lovers, tea-drinkers and fine art photography admirers.

I took the leap and self-published the photo book on Blurb.com in March, 2015.

Glimpses into the book, it also has our family Masala Chai recipe:-)

You can purchase 'A Cup of Chai…' on blurb.com. Click here to order now http://blur.by/1KBfizN

I am also working on looking for publishers in India, to make it a cost effective option.

If you have suggestions on which publisher would be a great fit for 'A Cup of Chai…' do let me know in the comment section. It would be greatly appreciated!

Hope you liked reading about my 'A Cup if Chai… with your cup of tea in your hands;-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

(Images by Archana Srinivas and are copyrighted)

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Some Happy Corners Of My Home

I am in holiday mood and hence blogging has taken back seat. But I miss my lovely readers a lot so decided that I'll post sporadically just to keep in touch with you all.

Here I am sharing some happy corners of my home. Take a look and let pictures do all the talking!!

A peek into my living room.

Hand carved wooden coasters. I just love them. 

Figurines with happy Gazania blooms.

My hand painted bucket that is serving as a planter. It has Salvia growing in it.

I am making myself a bunch of tulip flowers as I don't get them here where I live. Yes the same one that you have seen in first image. If you too want to make some then stay tuned. Tutorial coming soon!!

P.S All images are mine and subject to copyright. Please seek permission before using them.

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Once Upon a….

Sounds like a line from a long forgotten fairy tale?
Today Rang Decor brings to you one such narrative where dreams become reality when one decides to go that extra mile.

Once Upon A Tea Time…a blog by Priya Iyer tells a story, a visual story of creative individuals, bohemian art and global design all painted against the backdrop of floral tea cups, pattern play of hand block print, Suzani textiles and of vibrant dreams.

Priya Iyer is a research biologist and public health professional by training but she loves sharing her great love of global design and eclectic decor on her blog where the readers are invited to a virtual tea party with delightful imagery of decorative cups of tea and where creative conversations are initiated.

Having grown up in Middle East and spent the last 18 years in the United States, she says that her style is more global, bordering on Bohemian-style and her love for block print patterns and textiles can't be denied.

To commemorate 5 years of blogging in 2013, Priya decided to start a digital publication- A magazine. She even decided to try publishing it on a monthly basis. 

She says, "With every issue I wanted to tell stories, introduce amazing people with boundless creativity and share them with my readers. For the whole of last year, we published on Issuu and our magazines were available for free."

A glimpse into her studio…

Here are some visuals of Once Upon A Tea Time... magazine evolving with each issue.

Priya describes the Once Upon A Tea Time… magazine as a space where the readers can dive deeper into the stories behind a great product or read about the creative journeys undertaken by an artist.

 …all this over cups of tea.

The Anniversary Issue…

Publishing a magazine demands dedication and hard work. From the editorial team to the wonderful people that OUATT magazine collaborates with to publish every issue. What Priya learnt is that she really wanted to put together the curated platform and to make their  efforts sustainable and to grow, they needed to transition into a paid publication. 

Once Upon A Tea Time…Magazine can now be subscribed to or bought on Joomag.com

The April, 2015 Issue was the first paid issue and with the May, 2015 Issue Priya plans to bring a lot more to the table.

A new Audio feature to make it more interactive!

Talking about the new feature she says, "Growing up, the two things that inspired me most were books and the radio, and the two are still my favorite things to do in my down time. (I even tried out for a radio presenter job back when I was 17 but they thought I was too young.) Bringing the magazine to the point where it integrates both has been a cherished goal and with our May issue, we are there. I can talk to you and so do some of our contributors, and it promises to be inspiring and reflect the best traditions of storytelling."

Click here to hear what Priya has to say about the Audio feature in the magazine. 


OUATT Magazine shares few exclusive visuals for Rang Decor readers from their Mother's Day celebration ideas in their May 2015 Issue.

It's wonderful to see Once Upon A Tea Time... spread it's wings from a blog to a magazine to a paid interactive publication.
Dreams do come true and hope you enjoyed this beautiful story as much I did with my big mug of tea.

Rang Decor wishes Once Upon A Tea Time…magazine and Priya Iyer loads of success in her future endeavours…!

(Images by OUATT and are copyrighted)

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The Perfect Place for A Barn Door!

Hubby mentioned that he wanted hot and cold water in the garage and that's all it took for me to get my mind racing on what all I would do to give him what he wanted and me what I wanted.


Here you can get a feel for the way our four car garages set...The door in the middle, leads to the mudroom.


There is a breezeway between the two garages.



If you are like me, you love all the barn

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Shades of Spring Open House Party ...

Greetings, friends!

I'm happy to be joining several of my blogging friends today for our "Shades of Spring" open house!

And, as my "shade of Spring," I'm sharing our little sunroom. 

Set right off of the kitchen, this cozy spot has seen its fair share of decorating in the 10 months we've lived here ...

Its current "identity crisis" involved trading out all of the furniture in there for white slipcovered wing chairs (that used to be in the great room), and the duck egg accent chest (Kirkland's), along with cowhide rug (IKEA), that used to be in our sitting room.

Now that I had my staple pieces placed, it was time to add a bit of Spring!  That's when I grabbed a glass demi-john I had on hand and filled it with my favorite "go to" Spring floral branches from Michael's.

Wine corks always make a fun "filler" ...

Wine, anyone?  How about a faux grape?

Thankfully, our curtains (from Fabric Showcase in Myrtle Beach) play nicely with any season!

Maybe this "shade of Spring" blanket will invite you to curl up on a sunny afternoon and enjoy a good read that I have resting on a chalk painted stool (that is standing in as a "makeshift" side table).

A woven demi-john from TJMaxx was sitting in our storage room long enough ... soooo out it came, too!

And, as always, nothing says Spring like a cute faux plant from IKEA, now does it?

As I don't have any art on the walls (yet), pretty white plates help to fill the space for now.

And, there it is ... our little sunroom with a few shades of Spring.  Next, it will be time to add in coastal accents for the warm Summer months!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

Please be sure and visit these fabulous ladies ... their talent is sure to inspire you!

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