Pretty Canisters!

My neighbor is a pharmaceutical sales person.


She has a bunch of plastic canisters that she can no longer give to her clients...


And she didn't know what to do with them so she gave me several.




Here is what they looked like as my neighbor gave them to me...



All I did was create an individual look for each one out of scrapbooking paper and supplies that I had on hand.

Canister #1 was

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Fun Kansas Finds!

We took a trip to Kansas to visit my son and two of my sisters. I thought I would share with you some of the fun pieces that we purchased on our trip. I fell in love with this blue bird platter and for only $1, I had to have it.




Sorry for the glare, I couldn't get a good photo and forgot to take a picture when I had it all apart cleaning it.

This old picture of twins stole my heart and I

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Rooms In Mango Yellow

I always heart rooms in mango yellow. Take a look........

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

Image Source:  Click Here

Image Source: Click Here

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Monday Blues: Here's A Thought For You

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China Garden Flower Tutorial!

I have seen some whimsical garden flowers made out of various dishes and fun glass items.




It's easy and simple to do.






Here's how...



Gather old dishes of various shapes and sizes...


You will also need an old silver spoon for the back of each flower. I flattened it out using a hammer since it will be glued to the back of the plate. A great place to get this stuff is

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Homemade Rain Chain

Do you ever come across cheap, old silver spoons at thrift stores and garage sales and wonder what you can do with them? In the past I have made hooks out of them like these...
Well, I came across a bag of spoons for $2 at a garage sale and thought I would make a homemade rain chain out of them. Here is a short tutorial on how I did it.



Collect old spoons and some wire.
Drill a small hole in

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INDeco Hotels Swamimalai, 1896 Tanjore Village.

I had posted about this serene place near Kumbakonam, Tamilnadu way back in 2007 when I had just started the blog, it was called Sterling Swamimalai. 

Since then it has evolved into a even more beautiful heritage resort and has been rechristened INDeco Hotels, Swamimalai, 1896 Tanjore Village.

INDeco Hotels Swamimalai, 1896 Tanjore Village is a heritage resort which consists of a painstakingly restored main village home built in the late 1896 and many other heritage structures which have been restored to create an ambience of a Tanjore Village.

 Terracotta figurines and idols compliment the heritage space with pops of burnt red.

Painted prayers~ Kolams adorn the brick paths and entrances to the rooms. 

My daughter learning to make little kolams on a little chalkboard...

Kolams are drawn every morning after a generous sprinkling of water on the paths.

The swimming pool has been designed like the village temple tank with niches for earthen lamps that I imagine would create magic on special days and festivals...

White-washed terra-cotta 'yalis' guard the dining hall which is tucked amidst thick banana plantation.

Beautifully designed entrances to various rooms in the resort.

Few walls are painted red and white reminiscent of South Indian temples with beautiful sculptures of Gods & Goddesses.

The trees in the resorts have faces! The Cannonball tree (Nagalingam) seem to come alive with a terra-cotta face and floral hairdo. So delightful!

The Cannonball flower has such a mesmerizing fragrance.

 The terra-cotta Gods are omnipresent:-) 

The resort has been conceived and designed by Steve Borgia. It also houses the Steve Borgia Indian Heritage Museum where you can see a beautiful collection of antiques and collectables. 

Lovely geometrical patterns created by Mr. Sun.

A huge Lord Shiva face in the museum open courtyard.

 The sun-bathed courtyard in the 1896 village home.

 A peacock enjoys the morning sunlight...

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the stunning South Indian village style, heritage resort. So next time you are on a South Temple trip in Tanjore District, do check out INDeco Hotels Swamimalai, 1896 Tanjore Village.

Have a great day with a stainless steel tumbler of the famous frothy Kumbakonam Degree Coffee:-)

(Images by Arch)

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