Thursday 5 December 2013

"Home for the Holidays" Tour!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!


Thanks so much for taking a peek at our Christmas nutcracker mantel (seen HERE)!  And, now, I'm excited to be part of the "Home for the Holidays" Tour where 29 other bloggers and I are "virtually" sharing parts of our holiday homes!  AND, there's even an incredible giveaway, too (details below).


What can I say?  I.LOVE.CHRISTMAS. … everything about it … the traditions, smells, anticipation and, of course, the decorating!  And, since I have just a tad more sparkle to spread around, I'm sharing sneaks and peeks today so, crank up Bing Crosby and come on in!

One of the first rooms you'll see when you walk through the front door is our sitting room.  This year, I traded red, white and silver for green, brown, silver and gold:



Peeking on into the dining room, you'll spy lots of red ...


mixed in with silver, white and black (a "new" Christmas color for me)!


Of course, it would't be complete without a little bit of mercury, now would it?


One thing that will never change is my love for all things candy, gingerbread and whimsy in our Christmas kitchen … 


… and, to ensure that I don't even *attempt* to bake (and burn) holiday cookies, I've covered our flour with a few ornaments: 


Our breakfast area got a little bit of a new holiday look this year, as I decided to give it its own theme with fruit,


and, even added a new tree full of tiny wine bottles, corks, cheese and grapes … loved throwing a bit of deep purple in there, too!


And, over in our great room, pretty much anything goes on the tree, including a crazy topper!


You'll also spy nutcrackers standing guard by the fireplace,


carolers serenading you with traditional holiday songs,


and, most importantly, a reminder of the true reason for the season.


Out on our screened porch, I added a few pops of holiday color,


annnnd, I'm just about done with my husband's NY Yankee's tree in his "man cave."  


Thanks so much for stopping by … I hope you'll join me in the coming days when I share lots more of our holiday home!  

Now, it's time to continue our virtual "Home for the Holidays" tour with links below:



AND, don't forget to enter the incredible giveaway, featuring, not only an amazing $200 gift card from One Kings Lane, but several other prizes, as well!!




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Our Christmas Mantel and "Deck the Halls" Tour

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Greetings, friends!  

I'm happy to be part of a "Deck the Halls" tour where 11 other bloggers and I will be "virtually" sharing more of our Christmas homes today and tomorrow.

Admittedly, one of my most favorite things to decorate for the season is our mantel.  And, after thinking and thinking … annnnnd thinking how to dress it up this year, I decided to bring back a few of our nutcrackers from Christmas' past!



Glittery nutcrackers are my favorite … I especially love when the sunlight hits them in the late afternoon, casting "bling" all over the room.



And, while I started out with a simple, leafy garland, I soon realized I wasn't kidding anybody but myself and simply had to have more … sooooo, lots of mesh, glitter ribbon, snowflakes and ornaments made their way up there.


I layered a plain wreath from Michael's over our mirror and then dressed it up a bit by adding leftover ornaments and a strand of lights.  And, after searching for something to add to the middle of our mantel, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened a box to find our forgotten "Christmas" sign.  (Don't you just love forgotten purchases?!)  Thank you, HomeGoods!


"Pencily" trees (from Michael's) also got a bit of bling with tinier ornaments:


Our handsome nutcrackers stand guard by the fire,


making sure that no one takes off with the presents!


I love the ambiance of the lights … especially in the evening.  


Thanks so much for visiting our Christmas mantel!  Be sure and visit these amazingly talented ladies who will, undoubtedly, dazzle you with their beautiful Christmas creativity! 










The Beautiful Home


Eclectically Vintage


French Country Cottage


Housepitality Designs


On Sutton Place


Stone Gable




Linking up with:

HomeGoods/Holiday Home Linky Party
Savvy Southern Style/WUW
Thrifty Decor Chick/Christmas Party

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Tuesday 3 December 2013

Christmas In The Livingroom

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This year I realized something...







 I have been OVER-DOING Christmas! 

 



Way to much Christmas decor


 Crammed in ALL areas to a claustrophobic proportion.



It looked like someone had thrown-up Christmas!



I decided, it had to stop!



So from now on



I am going to do a lighter touch


Of Christmas decor in my home.



I asked myself, WHY?
Why am I doing so much Christmas

Thursday 28 November 2013

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Lets Talk About Mirror

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Hola readers!! Today's post on my blog is guest post written by Sravani. More about her at the end of this post. She is sharing some wonderful tips on ..
What are the best places to place a mirror at home?

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest them of all.” This mirror on the wall is not a mere object of reflection. It plays such an important role in Cinderella's life that it can be considered to be one of the main characters in the story. The same is with our homes.
This seemingly unassuming object finds a place in almost every room of our house and quietly performs a range of functions. Performing its main function of showing a person what he looks like, the mirror has an undisputed place in bathrooms, above wash basins and at dressing/make-up corners of the house. Inside the bedroom and guestrooms, mirrors should be placed so as not to invade the privacy of a person. “Vaastu Shastra suggests that the mirror should not reflect the bed. Similarly, it should not be placed in front of the study table.”
Narrow passageways or rooms will appear to be more spacious if mirrors are placed lengthwise to give an appearance of increased space.

Image Credit
Mirrors can be used intelligently to show or reflect beautiful views. A mirror may be placed opposite to a window that opens to a beautiful view. Similarly, mirrors can be used to reflect sunlight inside the house while taking care to prevent the glare. Mirrors reflecting the dining table are believed to symbolize food abundance by reflecting food on the table. Whichever room that they are placed, mirrors should not distract or disturb normal activities and privacy. E.g. Mirror reflecting the sofa set would catch the attention of the person sitting on the coach and distract him during the conversation.

Image: Mine
One of the most ingenious uses of mirrors I have seen is the one in Shiva temples. The sanctum sanctorum where the Shiva ling is placed is almost always at a lower level which has to be reached by going down a staircase. So a huge mirror is placed behind the Shivalingam in such a manner that the lingam is visible from the main podium of the temple which is at a higher level. This principal can be used to view a lower hall from an upper hall or balcony in big houses and duplex flats. Mirrors can be strategically placed to view an unseen spot to help secure the home. Typically, mirrors are placed to show the visitor standing outside the door to people inside the house. This is exactly what CCTV cameras do.
Apart from showing peoples images and good views, the scientific properties of the mirror come handy for home décor. Multiple reflection and refraction can be used to create brilliant, starry items to increase the “wow” rating of your home. This includes chandeliers, lamp holders adorned with mirrors, clocks and wall pieces made of glass and mirrors. Remember the glass and mirror works of Rajasthani and Moghul style?

So, go ahead and employ this mirror to create a splendid image of the home of your dreams.


Author’s BIO:
This article was written by Sravani Padmanabhuni from Bonito Designs. Bonito designs are the buddy growing Interior designers in Bangalore. You can check out their projects in moving motion on You Tube. To have a glance of their entire projects check out portfolio.




Wednesday 27 November 2013

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Round Mirror Love

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I have an attraction to old mirrors and this round one is currently one of my favorites!

Remembering back when I was just a young 20 year old and an old oak secretary was given to me and my hubby. It was the kind with the glass door display cabinet on one side and the drawers with slant opening desk and a mirror above. Well that old mirror was all messed up and I didn't appreciate it and had
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Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF 2013)

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Have you ever heard of Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF).......No
 then you are at right place. Let me introduce you to this term that is only an year old. 

GOSF is Great Online Shopping Festival  started by Google India in 2012 to benefit customers following the immense popularity of the Monday sale and Black Friday initiated by the giant shopping portals in the US. 

Last year customers were immensely benefited with huge discounts while shopping online on 12 December’12. It’s a crazy shopping festival bursting with great offers, deals and discounts.
The good news is, this time the Great Online Shopping Festival is likely to happen again for 3 days (11th, 12th, 13thof Dec) in India.
I am so happy to let all my readers know that Jabong is also participating in GOSF India. So don’t forget to check Jabong.com GOSF during this time. Assuring the most lucrative discounts and deals this time than ever before. 
Happy Shopping!!



Tuesday 26 November 2013

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My Artwork That I Love

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Today I am sharing some of my artwork that I totally love. Some of these I had done long ago
and some I did recently, some are still with me and some are sold. 
Jewelry below is paper jewelry. Beads are made out of colorful magazine pages. Butterfly pendant is quilling work. Not sold but has been gifted to dear ones.

Quilled Jewelry

Quilled Jewelry

This is the first time I made heena on candles though I've made it on hands many a times. Surprisingly it turned out very well and praised by all and sundry. They are with me and adorning my coffee table.

Aroma Candles

I love to do newspaper craft. These newspaper coasters turned out unexpectedly beautiful and liked by one and all. They are sold and I got few more orders.

Paper Craft


Paper Craft

Last year I made lot of tea light candles. To beautify them a little more I made pistachio shell lotus around them. It is with me and it also gets attention of every guest. 
Pistachio Shell craft

Well that's not all, I love everything that I have made till date. You can see My Artwork & DIY projects here.
Tell me, among all these which one is your favorite and why :)