Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Christmas Craft Ideas

Christmas is just around the corner and I am all set to make lots of Christmas craft with my son, who has got a long Christmas vacation. Keeping him busy all the time is the biggest challenge I face during his vacations. So most of the time I involve him in creative activities. Here I am sharing some of those activities to keep your kids busy during holiday season.

Christmas Crafts


Here I am sharing some of the Christmas crafts that we made together and some inspirations from different sources. First is easy way to make a small Christmas tree with your little ones, watch this video:


One more Christmas tree and wreath DIY that we did few years ago. Click the link below:



One more Christmas tree that we made I think last year ans it is very easy to make and looks lovely. Click the link below for the tutorial.

Christmas Tree DIY

Christmas means holidays and lots of guest visiting you. So here is an idea to make your home guest ready. 

Holiday Decor Ideas


Now lets have a look of whole bunch of ideas and inspirations I found on internet. Click the link below        



Hope you will enjoy making these crafts as much as I did. Have a wonderful holiday season!!
Linking this to #HuesnShadesXmasDIY 



Monday, 15 December 2014

Our 2014 Christmas Kitchen ...

Greetings, friends!

You know those books that don't have any words ... where you make up your own story as you go along?

Well, let's just pretend that this post is one of those books ... I'm going to inundate you with pictures (lots and LOTS) of our Christmas kitchen and sunroom and let you fill in the story as you take a peek!
































And, there you have it ... our holiday kitchen and sunroom.  I just hope that the remaining days until Christmas go by slowly!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Joining:
The Nester for her Christmas Tour of Homes party.

post signature

Sunday, 14 December 2014

Quick Way To Beautify A Garden!!

How was your weekend dear friends, mine was super hectic with lots of work assignments in hand and son's studies, I didn't even realized and it's Monday again. I did so many things in past few months, some DIY projects, paintings and few more exciting things. I added some elements in my balcony garden last month and post about it was lying in draft since then. My husband is a great support, because of him I was able to meet all the deadlines and got time to publish this post. 
Sharing some tips and images of my garden with you. A corner in my garden was looking a little dull and I wanted to cheer it up without spending much time.
First have a look how it was before. Since long time the arrangement had been like this and I got bored of looking at it. I wanted to rearrange and add something.

Small Balcony Garden

This is what I did..

Small Balcony Garden

I am quite happy with the look (at least for a few months). Now if you want to create this look in your garden, follow these easy and simple steps:

Gardening

1. Take a clay/plastic plate. Plate because you will place Buddha on it.
2. Put soil and manure in the plate.
3. Sow seeds or if you have saplings you can plant them (I did both). Plant only on one side of the plate, as on the other side you will place Buddha. 
4. Place Buddha figure on the plate. Club together pots of the same size and place the plate on the center (where you see the void).
5. You can place small colourful pots on the edges of two adjoining pots, like I did. I placed orange watering can and coconut planter too. 
6. Arrange the pots in a way that all the taller plants should be on the back side and smaller ones and creepers should be in front.  

Here is closer look of the corner....
Small Balcony Garden

Plants I planted in the plate are very lovely. They are almost in five shades. I don't know the name of this plant, if anyone of you are aware what this plant is called, please tell me the name.  

Small Balcony Garden

I always wanted a Zen corner in my garden, so that I can spend my evenings there doing some creative work or writing a blog post. Now I love looking at this corner, it's serene!! Sometimes I place different flowers on Buddha figure I enjoy peaceful moments that I spend there :)

Small Balcony Garden Decorating Ideas

Take a tour of some beautiful gardens and read more about gardening (Click here).
Hope you liked this quick and easy way to beautify a garden. Stay tuned for more such ideas!!



A Nordic Christmas | American Swedish Institute | Minneapolis.

The delightful holiday season is in full swing here in Minnesota.
Twinkling lights outline homes, there are shiny angels and festive wreaths on doors, as you pass homes you catch a glimpse of the festive atmosphere with families sitting cosy near fireplaces and the bright christmas trees.

Weekends leading to Christmas are filled with holiday markets and events.
We decided to visit Winter Wonderland: A Nordic Christmas at American Swedish Institute and the
Julmarnad last weekend.
Minnesota has a large Scandinavian population and I have always admired their design style characterised by simplicity, minimalism and functionality.

It was a bright sunny day with a thin blanket of snow.

The exterior of American Swedish Institute.

 A snowflake welcome:-)


The Institute was bustling with festive fervour as people walked around trying to pick up one of a kind Swedish holiday gifts.
The aroma of Glogg permeated the high hallway. With the snowflake sticker stuck firmly to our jackets we made our way into rooms filled with wonderful handcrafted and unique gift items.








Loved the simplicity of the tree.

With Christmas music filling the building we wandered into rooms of the Turnblad Mansion with winter light filtering in through stain glass paintings and lace curtains.



You bet we were entering the Winter Wonderland!
During the holiday season the rooms of the Turnblad Mansion are decorated in the different styles of Scandinavian countries.


I was completely distracted by these massive chandeliers and had to click them before concentrating on other elements in the rooms;-)


Each room had a table which displayed a holiday table setting depicting  each of the Scandinavian countries and their quintessential style.

 A bright yellow and black pattern table setting from Finland.

 Vibrant red and white combination with elements of nature from Denmark.

 Loads of glass and black elements in Swedish table-setting.

 A traditional Norwegian Christmas table-setting.

To experience the traditions of the Scandinavian countries all in one place in Minnesota was a very enriching and lovely experience. A lovely holiday tradition.


We came home with a Swedish Dala Horse and these miniature vintage mitten ornaments by Steller Handcrafted Goods.

Hope you liked A Nordic Christmas in Minnesota:-)

Stay tuned another Christmas post coming up soon!

( Images by Arch and are copyrighted. Please do not use without permission)