Saturday 14 June 2014

Store Review: Iris Aroma Boutique

Fragrance is a powerful wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and 
all the years you have lived”
-Helen Keller


Sense of smell has great impact not only on our mood but emotions also. Fragrance is a chemical compound and is volatile so it is transported to the nose where all the olfactory receptors are present and then it stimulates the part of the brain that is called seat of emotions. Fragrance have physiological effect. It has effect on heart beat, blood pressure and muscle tension. It can uplift mood and can act as a good energy booster. Pleasant smell can evoke feeling of happiness, sensuality and relaxation. Different fragrances have different impact on mood.

Let me introduce you to Iris Aroma Boutique.
                                                                                 
                                                                                                                           Iris Logo

IRIS Aroma Boutique is one-of-its kind exclusive home fragrance chain in the country and their flag ship store is at Lavelle Road on Bangalore.  Iris harnesses the power of Aromacology and strives to create sensory delight in the daily lives of consumers through fragrance and form design. The IRIS Aroma Boutique has an extensive aroma collection not found elsewhere in the country. At IRIS Aroma Boutique one’s can choose from a wide array of fragrances  and fragrance dispensers and accessories  that are made in stone, ceramic, glass and wood. The dispensers  are aesthetically designed decorative pieces in a variety of textures and colours. They offer handcrafted aromatic candles, potpourri, reed diffusers, fragrant stones, pillow misters, amphora, fragrant sachets and vapourisers with tea light candles and essential oils and even garden incense sticks.  

The biggest USP of IRIS is that they create and blend perfumes( fragrances) in-house. Its Founder and Managing Director, Kiran Ranga, is a Master Fragrance Creator with a degree from the University of Plymouth in Business and Perfumery he along with the team works on developing the different fragrances and fragrant delivery systems.
Apart from the aromatic spread that one can choose the store is also designed in such a way that it complements the sweet smells that it houses.
Some of the different kinds of delivery systems that are available at IRIS Aroma Boutique are

Reed diffusers                          Aroma Candles                                  Amphora                 Flower Diffusers

Apple Cinnamon Fragrance


I got Apple Cinnamon fragrance reed diffuser from Iris. The fruity smell makes me calm and happy and cinnamon makes me feel more energetic and relaxed as well. I simply put the fragrance oil in ceramic pot and then placed reed sticks in that. Fragrance starts emanate as soon as oil rises up in the reed sticks due to capillary action and soon gentle breeze wafted the smell of apple cinnamon throughout my room.  

Reed Diffuser

First I used only four reed sticks but for stronger effect I placed all the eight. When not in use, reed sticks can be put back in the pouch that is provided in the packet and keep ceramic pot closed with given cork.
As I write this post sitting in the same room where I placed this diffuser I now strongly believe that using a right fragrance can make your mundane tasks little more enjoyable. It's fragrance is so gentle and soothing.

Apple Cinnamon Reed Diffuser

Hope over to their site and you will find list of different fragrances and their impact on your mood. Choose the one that is right for you and see the magic of fragrance not only on your mood but emotions also. 

Apple Cinnamon Reed Diffuser

Let me know which fragrance is your favorite one and how does it effect your mood. 
Stay tuned for a very easy DIY coming soon on blog........!!

P.S. This fragrance kit is provided by Ripple Fragrances free of cost but all the views expressed are purely mine.


Friday 13 June 2014

The Story of Huge Birdhouses!




My yard and gardens are always changing, even if I don't want them to because of Mother Nature.


This year we changed up some of the hardscaping...

As in BIRDHOUSES!

Let's go back a bit...





Back when my Young-And-Cute-Handy-Dandy-Handyman was here with his crew putting on new siding, one of his worker's threw a cool square pillar in the dumpster. Well, it didn't stay in the dumpster

In Nature's Lap

Hello dear readers!!! I am back after a refreshing and lovely vacation. 
How you all have been. Would you believe I purposely kept myself away from 'Internet' during this period
and that was amazing. I just enjoyed every bit of my vacation.
When I came back home from a place where mercury had hit 46 C, weather treated me very well here with short spell of shower and cool pleasant breeze. I almost feel like being in nature's lap. 
Stepping out of room on the terrace every morning and evening is just a bliss. I get to see different moods and shades of nature. Sometimes it's warm and shiny .........

Nature


Sometimes grey and dark.

Nature


and sometimes at its best.........with myriad colours in the sky.

Nature

and when I look at this beauty I just forget everything else. I am peaceful, free of stresses and calm.

Nature

Now let me take you to my other balcony/terrace. It's open to sky and looks beautiful in every season. We get ample amount of sunlight through out the year and what to say about pleasant breeze that blows gently every evening as I enjoy my cuppa there.

Garden


View from the living room. I enjoy endless rains
Garden

and my sun kissed beauties too.

Garden


It's green, it's full of colour. it's full of life and happiness!!

Garden

That's how I feel in my lovely abode. Blessed, happy and in nature's lap :)
Stay tuned to know about relation between fragrance and your mood. Next post coming soon....



Monday 9 June 2014

Believe in Tomorrow





I do 'Believe in Tomorrow'!

Though this ChalkArt was not my original ideal...







I found this idea in a magazine recently

but forgot the name of the magazine. 
The trick to getting your chalk art to look dark and good is to wet the chalk for a second under running water. When you use this wet chalk, it will look pale and kind of weird, but as it dries right before your very eyes, it

Monday 2 June 2014

Gray French Dresser





I finally found a



  QUALITY

 (complete with dovetail drawers) 







little 





French styled dresser!





It looked a bit shabby...





So I worked my magic with AS Chalk Paint in French Linen, but lightened the paint with white.





Loving how it turned out with the white accents...





Then I had a garage sale and as three women were fighting over who was going to get to buy it,

Thursday 29 May 2014

I Tried & FAILED...Sort Of!




Remember when I showed you how to use a Sharpie to decorate ceramic, then bake to set it? You can see the details of that post HERE. I made this winter banner out of a plate with this method...


 And a couple of more plates that I display in my home...





So, I decided that I wanted a kitchen spoon rest by my stove but not a regular kind...one fashioned with this method.


I came up with

Thursday 22 May 2014

Map + Deer = Wall Art


My brain is in creative mode most all the time. And I wanted to make something unusual for my grown son, who lives in Kansas and is a hunter.




First, I came across a 1965 map of Kansas. You know the kind that your parents kept in their glovebox and they could pick up at gas stations! I knew I could do something with it for his new farmhouse.


I painted a deer head silhouette on the left side