Tuesday 10 January 2012

23 days to a New Garage!



The new brick was wet, so it appears darker than the house, but it is the same brick.

We decided that we needed a hobby garage (One bay for me to do my furniture projects in and one bay for hubby to have some kind of hobby car in.) and asked our builder friend (who is totally awesome) to build it for us. We also thought we would get a big fat 'NO' from him because he usually only builds large

Sunday 8 January 2012

Winter Whites

Around my house...


Silver tray, white berry wreath, mica flakes, wire bed spring, nest, glass bird, chicken wire cloche


NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It

Saturday 7 January 2012

Spread'n the LOVE!

Christmas(?) ... what Christmas?!  That was *ages* ago!  LOL.  And, now that it's over, it's time to spread the l-o-v-e around our humble abode! 

I've never been one to decorate for Valentine's, BUT, this year, I just wasn't ready to take down the tree from our kitchen island.  Soooo, I replaced our elves and gingerbread men with inexpensive hearts of different colors and textures, red and white striped mesh and ribbon filled with glittery hearts: 


Aren't these felt hearts from Target the cutest?  You'd never know that they're Christmas ornaments, would you?  A sweet friend I met through Facebook suggested I take a peek at them.  They're perfect (especially at 50% off)!


Love all the glitter:


A vintage "love" note is a great filler and down below is one of a few ornaments Jax made (from Michael's):


Of course, I couldn't stop there ... so, I added inexpensive heart bowls (from Wal-Mart) filled with good ol' Brach's *rot-your-teeth-out* candy hearts:


Annnnd, up on our shelves (a la Becca), I left the red and white polka dot bowl from Christmas and then decided to mimick it by adding a canister full of Valentine gumballs (from Cracker Barrel), as well as miniature red and white Christmas balls to a clear wine glass:


Down below, I added a French lamp (that I had on our screened porch) to this little vignette:


And, since the lampshade says "patisseries," it was only fitting that I place a sweet *faux* treat under the cloche:


Over to the left ... I brought back a white tray and then added a red striped napkin and placed our scale on top of that ... shiny red apples took the place of our sweet treats from Christmas.


And, well, I was happy to bring back my "summer" cookbooks ... yes, folks, I'm ready for warm weather!


Self-adhesive hearts (with my chicken scratch) add a bit of color and whimsy to our glass canisters:


Too bad *these* treats AREN'T fake!  Ugh.


This candle was lonely until I paired it with leftover hearts ... what an inexpensive way to add a bit of fun ... I *know* you have a lonely candle somewhere, too, just waiting for a bit of company!


Of course, I couldn't forget the soffit:


I love our little tree all lit up ... hmmmm, a St. Patty's tree might just be next!  LOL


Have a fabulous weekend ... thanks so much for stopping by!

I'm joining:

A Stroll Thru Life/Tabletop Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Coastal Charm/Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
No Minimalist Here/Open House Party
Dear Lillie/Valentine's Party




Friday 6 January 2012

Check Mark!

who knew that my hutch would be so much fun to decorate and I change it a lot. Here is its look for winter with my new Royal Stafford checked plates and Fitz and Floyd snowman plates!



I hand painted the pitcher at a local pottery place. And the checked spoon is a bookmark that I made from an old flattened spoon, hand painted and bowed.


So that's another check mark off my list for 2012!

NOTE

Wednesday 4 January 2012

My NIGHT Winter 2012 Mantel

You've gotten to view and dissect my Winter 2012 Mantel HERE. Now you get to see what I view every evening. Enjoy...



All the candles lit!



With just the center timer lights on.
A winter wonderland!
NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri

Monday 2 January 2012

The House of MG, Ahmedabad.

Our journey to the colourful state of Gujarat began with Ahmedabad. Having read so much about the architecture, the heritage and the people we chose a place which would be a gateway to all these.

The House of MG in short for The House of Mangaldas Giridhardas is a heritage mansion built in 1924 and belonged to the wealthy textile businessman. It has been converted to a beautiful hotel which still retains it's old world charm.

It is located in the Old City of Ahmedabad just walking distance from the 'Teen Darwaza' the oldest gateway of the city established by Sultan Ahmed Shah.
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Antique photographic shrine of Sri & Srimati Mangaldas.

The whiff of subtle floral incense sticks along with the stream of winter sunlight welcomed us into this heritage mansion and I at once knew our stay here would be a memorable one.
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Floating rose petals spreading their fragrance in the open courtyard.

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Geometrical patterned tiles lead us into the heart of the mansion and the past seemed to come alive with the corridor walls forming a canvas of vintage portraits of the Mangaldas family.

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Portrait of Champagauri.

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On catching the glimpse of the antique swing against the terracotta walls a soft squeal escaped my mouth which triggered a giggle from my daughter.

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Managed to photograph this stunning piece of furniture without capturing my reflection and followed the patterned path wondering at what else the mansion was going to unravel.

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Wooden staircase leading to the various rooms.

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Entrance to one of the fourteen luxurious rooms in the mansion.

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The central courtyard with smooth ceramic mosaic work.

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Outside our room
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The walls are peppered with black & white photographs of the Malgaldas family.

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Inside our room.

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We had a traditional Gujarati swing in the room!

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Loved the lighting idea, it's a yellow tube light fitted on a wooden plank with holes. The effect is that of spotlights!

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Tastefully done up corners of the room.

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The lobby area has a small idol of Lord Krishna seated on a swing and the oil lamps illuminate the space as the sun sets on the old city of Ahmedabad.

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A family portrait of the Mangaldas family then and now...

The air fills up with the heady fragrance of incense inside while there is hauntingly beautiful 'Adhan' call for prayer from the Sidi Saiyed Jali Mosque opposite the House of MG.

This post is probably the longest one on Rang Decor till date and really hope all of you like it as much as I have loved sharing it with all of you:-)

You can see the slideshow of photographs of The House of MG here.

( Images by Arch)

My Winter 2012 Mantel

As promised, here is a picture overload of My Winter 2012 Mantel.



First, I need you to know that it is challenging to decorate my mantel because it is over 8 1/2 feet long and is  5 1/2 feet high. The height makes it difficult because, one is viewing the mantel in an upward fashion vs. straight on. The sheer size of the mantel makes it hard to decorate because I have to fill the space with