A New Look for Our Fireplace

Happy September, friends!

I know I've said it 1,000 times before how much I miss the fireplace in our old home (especially during the holidays) ... because we had an 18 foot vaulted ceiling in our great room, that allowed our mantel to be nice and tall!  **sniff sniff**

I knew I wanted something similar in our new great room, but on a smaller scale since our ceilings are only 9 feet tall in here.  Well, after getting a $700 estimate, we decided to try it DIY-style.  And, thanks to Cristina's awesome tutorial at her wonderful blog, Remodelando la Casa, we were able to get it done ourselves (for less than $100, to boot)!

So, here's our fireplace a few weeks ago:

And, here it is now!  YAY!

I consider it a "mini me" version of our old fireplace!  

BEFORE:

AFTER!  We might try our hand at adding a bit of molding inside, but, for now, we're thrilled!

It's amazing what a little MDF and molding can do!  

Now, to decorate it for FALL!

And, speaking of blank slates ... do you love trays as much as I do?!  When I spotted this fabulous oversized beauty at Home Goods the other day, I knew I had to grab it.  I love the size, texture and handles ... now, to add a big ol' seasonal vignette to it!

Are any of you getting your "Fall on?"  

I hope so and can't wait to be inspired by all of you!

Thanks for stopping by,

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This CUTENESS is why I haven't been blogging!

This

Cuteness

Is

Why

I

Haven't

Been

Blogging!

This is my 4 month old granddaughter, Isla (Eye-La) Rose. Our first granddaughter and we have been having so much fun with her. My daughter asked me to make a sun-suit for her 4 month professional pictures. She found a pattern on Etsy and picked out the fabric.


 I have been sewing for 49 years...since I was 8, but have not made a baby

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Do's and Don'ts of Decorating

Buying house is the biggest investment we make in our life. If interiors are done by professionals then you need not to bother about any decorating mistake but when it comes to decorate by your own then it's very difficult to know what will going to work and we are all bound to make decorating mistakes.

Here are some tips on do's and don'ts of decorating:

Do's:

• Keep your home always clutter free, tidy, airy and fresh.

• Set your budget and stick to it. Else you may end up spending a lot.
• Choose colors either in bold or in lighter tones and keep overall color theme similar. This adds the personality to home and cheers up the space.
• Choose furniture very carefully as its the biggest piece that will take up place in room and will going to last long. So choose nice lines, shape and color that is comfortable and functional as well.
• Arrange seating closely, for it allows intimate conversation and lot of free space for traffic to flow.
• Mix and match. Be it furniture, art piece or accessories but keep in mind that they all look well blended. 

• Bringing in some green plants can make space look lively, try placing some fresh flowers also to add color and to lift up your spirit.
• Display your art collection in an artistic manner. Simply just putting it up on wall is boring, try making a wall collage or cluster of pictures on wall for touch of whimsy in your decor.
• Lighting plays an important role in overall appearance of any space. Put some nice looking lamps, wall sconces and chandelier to add warmth and luxury to your decor.
• Candles, flowers, pebbles and aromatherapy certainly lift up the spirit and look pleasing too.

Don'ts

• Don't over do while decorating. Too much can always spoil the things.
• Wall in whites are not a good idea as it appears monotonous. Paint at least one wall to create a focal point.

• Don't put all things like furniture, carpet, art and accessories in symmetrically. Lot of symmetry can make room appear static. 
• Don't choose over sized sofa. It can take up lot of space and make space look smaller.
• Don't hang a small artwork above a big sofa. Always consider scale. Bigger is better go for it.

• Don't leave corners blank. As it grab attention and makes your decor incomplete. Try placing some nice floor lamp, chest or planter to bring charm.
• Don't toss too much pillows/cushions on couch. 
• Don't just blindly follow every trend. Choose things that you love.
• Don't spend lot of money in things that will be outdated in few years

Just keep in mind these few tips and you will never fail to decorate your home in a stylish way. Happy Decorating!!

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Oodees: Reviving Lost Charm Of Channapatna Toy Industry

Dear readers, hope your week is going well!
I had promised to feature an astounding online store that is reviving lost charm of Channapatna toy industry and here I am with the post . Now sit back, relax and let's get lost in the world of beautiful, colourful and handcrafted wooden toys and home decor accessories. I am sure this post will bring back lots of your childhood memories. If you have missed reading my previous post then spare few minutes to know more about Channapatna toys (click here). 

The brand I am gushing over so much is Oodees.in, a brand name of company Jufaro Craft Private Limited that operates from Bangalore, India. Vijay Pathi, the founder of Oodees shares with 3D how he is striving hard and working strenuously to resuscitate an age old craft of making wooden toys in India which was on the verge of dying out. When I received the mail from Vijay Pathi I was completely awestruck by the beauty of the products that Oodees.in offers. Now let me share how the happiness arrived at my home carefully packed in beautiful packaging.  

Oodees.in Products:
I spent many hours gazing at and admiring the beauty of the Oodees products online and then I chose and ordered few of them. I waited impatiently for my shipment and much to my amazement it arrived within two days time. I was spellbound by the beautiful packaging of all the products, they were very carefully and neatly packed. All the product details were mentioned artistically on every packet and every product is given some unique and cute name. Do you want to see, let's have a look.....

I give packaging and quality of the products two thumbs up. The best thing about using Oodees products are:

• The design of Oodees toys are carefully researched and these toys help in development of child. Toys are perfect for child at every age.
• This 200 year old lacware craft has been given a new lease of life. Wooden toys and home decor products are handcrafted by women artisans. 
• Products are eco-friendly, non toxic and completely safe for kids. Colours used in staining the wood are all natural colours.
• Products are extremely beautiful, vibrant, designer and durable.

Now let me show you how the Oodees products are enhancing beauty of every corner of my home. 
These lustrous candle stands named Oyster are adding charm to my space. Their shape and colour is so eye pleasing that they immediately get all the attention. This extra ordinary decor piece is certainly a conversation starter.  

Oodees Candle Stands

I went bit unconventional and placed my handmade glass bowl candles instead of plain white pillar candles. And the result was extremely pleasing. I love how the warmth exuded by candles are making candle stands all the more lustrous and eye pleasing. 

Channapatna Wooden Candle Stand

Xanto, the Oodees wooden coasters are perfect addition not only to my coffee table but in my kitchen too. They are colourful, beautifully designed and one of a kind home accessory. Look at those hypnotizing eyes of Xanto! 

Oodees Wooden Coasters 

When coasters are not being used, they are just stacked and make a very beautiful toy. These wooden coasters in vibrant colours are certainly adding splash of colour in my kitchen. My owlie Paul is there to give company to the coasters. 

Channapatna Wooden Coasters 

My plain and minimalist kitchen got a face-lift after I added few Oodees home decor products here. Would you believe if I say a vase can be a fridge magnet or a fridge magnet can come in the form of vase. Yes Oodees did it. Alexa, an extra ordinary piece of decor, a bud vase is a must in every home. It can be stuck on any iron surface like refrigerator, chimney, almirah or any other iron surface. Here's how I am using it. The shape, the colour and the beauty of the vase is absolutely delightful. 

Oodees Fridge Magnet Vase

It's quite impossible for me if I don't get anything for my home office. It's my favourite place in my home. So here is miss Zara, a brush/pen holder to add cheer to my desk. She is so cute, she is so functional, I am more than happy to have Zara on my desk....a big grin on face. 

What If You Buy Oodees Products:

• You will be doing your bit to save our planet if you buy environment friendly 100% natural Oodees products. 
• You are bringing happiness to your kids and your home in true sense. As these products are non-toxic and completely safe for your little one even if they put the toy in their mouth, unlike plastic toys that are hazardous to health.  
• You are buying a product that is 'Made in India" and made by women artisans who make a living by creating these beautiful products and hence it adds to India's economic prosperity. 

So if you are planning to gift your loved ones a gadget (that make young minds numb) or soulless toys from some other countries, then ditch the idea and gift them these most beautiful, handcrafted, durable and designer products. Hope you like the idea. Share this post to spread the message among your friends and family and contribute in growth and prosperity of India.
Want to buy Oodees products, click here.

Have a beautiful weekend ahead!!

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Channapatna: Toy Town Of India

Last few months have just flown by in flurry of activities, I wanted to blog and talk to my readers but I couldn't. There were various activities that kept me occupied and engaged. All this while I received so many mails and messages from my dear readers, friends, not to mention clients and founders of some amazing startups. 

One such mail from founder of a wonderful startup brought back so many childhood memories and I was hit hard by nostalgia. My mind was totally taken up with reminiscence. The beautiful pictures of glossy and vibrant wooden toys attached with the mail reminded me of my grandfather who would take all his grand children to the fair and he would buy us shiny wooden toys in vivid colours. I still remember the dancing doll I had chosen. I didn't know the origin and history of those toys at that time but today I do. I know I had played with the most beautiful, lustrous, charming and eco-friendly Channapatna toys. 

Channapatna Wooden Toys

If you don't know about Channapatna then you are at right place as today I'll be talking about this famous toy town of India. Channapatna is a small city near Bangaluru in Karnataka. Lustrous lacquered wooden toys are indigenous to Channapatna. There is no other city in India that produces such kind of wooden toys and lacquer wares and credit goes to Tipu Sultan, a ruler of the 'kingdom of Mysore' in 1782 who invited artisans and craftsman from Persia to get local people trained in making wooden toys and fostered the artistic talent. Hence the genesis of this wooden toy industry began around two centuries ago.

Channapatna Wooden Coasters

Initially the ivory wood was used in making the wooden toys but over time artisans started using cedar, rubber, teak & sandal wood too. Desired shape is given to wood on 'Lathe', a machine that rotates the wood on its axis and wood can be cut, sand, drill and is given perfect symmetrical shape. Dried cactus leaves are then used to sand the shaped wood. Further process involves applying natural colours which are vegetable dyes, applying wax for sheen and luster and then detailing is done using permanent marker. Earlier the products were toys only but then artisans diversified and started making range of products like home decor products, kitchen and utility products. Decades ago due to lack of marketing Channapatna toy industry started diminishing. But now this wooden toy manufacturing industry is being revived again and it has started flourishing. I am so delighted to share the fact that now kids these days can also play with these beauties that are eco friendly and safe for them unlike harmful plastic toys that are being used increasingly.

Channapatna Lacquered wooden toys

In my next post I'll be showcasing an online store that is not only supporting artisans of Channapatna, reviving this age old craft of manufacturing wooden toys and lacquer ware that is on the verge of dying out but also creating well designed, safe and eco- friendly toys for kids.

So stay tuned to know more about this online store. Here I would like my readers to take pledge and say NO to plastic, stop using plastic toys and food containers, they are harmful for all of us. Instead use Channapatna wooden toys and that way you are not only helping artisans make their living but also bringing real joy in your kids life by giving them these timeless and most importantly safe toys.
Stay Tuned!!

P.S. All images are clicked by Disha and subject to copyright.

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New Fabric and Prints in the Sunroom ...

Greetings!

Thanks a bunch for your kind words about the new look in our front sitting room!  As I mentioned in that post, I somewhat "stole" a few items from our sunroom to complete the sitting room.  Sooo, of course that meant I had to do a bit of tweaking in our little sunroom.

BEFORE: See my favorite fabric on the windows?  Well, since it's now in the sitting room, I couldn't leave my windows bare in here, now could I?

AFTER:  Having an open floor plan, I decided to try the same Berta Rupta fabric (IKEA) that is in our neighboring great room.  It helps to "pull" those two rooms together.

And, since I moved the silver-framed coastal prints to the front sitting room, too, that made way for these cute shoreline bird prints (Home Goods) to fly in here! 

I like how the dark frame gives them a bit of prominence.

Annnd, while I was at it, I brought in some shells ...

and added them to this oversized shell bowl from Target.  Our little coastal sunroom is now complete!

It's hard to believe that in a few short weeks, the shells will be replaced with leaves!  Yes, I've had enough of our 90+ temps and am ready for FALL!  Are you ready for Fall, too?

Thanks so much for visiting!

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How I Solved Problems with My Curtain/Windows

The Dilemma:

First, since a man built this house, he didn't realize the issues with putting a window directly in the corner against a wall.

Plus, with it being a window seat, there is no head room for curtains to be installed inside the recessed area!

And, there are two identical windows on opposing walls in this living room.

After much thought, I custom ordered cellular blinds that I

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