She's Ready for Her Closeup!

Happy Friday Eve!

 

One of the many fabulous things that I learned at the Southern Bloggers Conference this past weekend was that sometimes less is more when it comes to our words.

 

And, to let the eye rest with clean space in between your thoughts.

 

Sooo, that's what I'm going to attempt to do with this post.  But, you know what less words means, right?  MORE pictures!

 

I'm excited to share with you our revamped kitchen!  Come on in!

 

Welcome to our white and bright kitchen!  I can't tell you how much we love it!  Our walls are now BM Manchester Tan.  I painted the bottom cabinets (originally maple stained) to match the upper cabinets (that I painted white awhile back) ...

we (meaning my husband and neighbor) added beadboard to the backsplash ...

new cup pulls were added to the drawers ...

 

and, we *finally* added support to our butcher block top island (which we should've done a year ago ... oops), by adding new farmhouse legs (which I painted and distressed to match the Chateaux Grey island)!

With our kitchen not getting any direct light, I can't tell you what a difference it has made in how "happy" this room now feels:

Pretty white platters (from Home Goods) serve as simple, yet beautiful, *art* on the wall:

And, white pitchers turn into a fun and functional place for utensils:

 

Of course, Fall embellishments have been added here and there:

 

 

 

 

 

And, this year, instead of using a Christmas tree, I decided to do a different take on our Fall family tree by adding branches (some of them lit) to a fleur-de-lis vase ...

 

 

and then clipping family photos and saying to the branches.  I love having it on the island so that our family is part of the "heart of our home" this time of year.

 

 

 

I'll be back soon to share other details and pics of what our kitchen looked like before it got its new look!

 

So, tell me ... do you prefer less words and more pictures or more words and less pictures?  :)

 

And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

 

I'm joining:

 

Savvy Southern Style/WUW

2805/Potpourri Friday

At the Picket Fence/Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage/Feathered Nest Friday

Kristen's Creations/Share Your Creations

 

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They're Baaaack!

I woke up this morning realizing that I haven't bored you all lately with pics of just a few more of the crazy mesh wreaths that I've had the privilege of creating for others lately (*gasp*)!  So, here you go ... try not to doze off! 

"Go, Team, Go!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Randomness:

 

 

 

 

Truly flattered that these wreaths are now gracing the doors of two local schools:

 

 

"Happy Fall/Halloween!"  Okay, okay ... I'm sheepishly a bit proud of the "BOO" wreath that I designed last year because it managed to find its way onto Pinterest and, because of that, several folks contacted me to have a little "BOO" on their doors this year, too.  What fun!

 

For the "BOO" wreath making a repeat appearance on *our* front door this year, I added striped ribbon instead for a little change:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, I had to splash some Fall on our front door, too!

 

 

Are you still with me?  All kidding aside, I'm beyond flattered and excited that folks across the country have trusted me to create a little fun for their doors!  I didn't expect this to turn into a little gig for me, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can ... hopefully, creating a website making it easier to share them all in one place for easier viewing and ordering! 

Can't wait to start on Christmas orders!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Becca

 

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Indian Art: Pattachitra (Odisha Art)

Pattachitra is an age old  traditional painting of Odisha, India. Paintings depict Hindu mythology and are inspired by Lord Jagannath. It is one of the oldest art form of Odisha. Pattachitra is a Sanskrit name, patta -cloth and chitra- painting. Thus its a painting on silk or cotton cloth filled with rich color that portrays Hindu mythology.

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                                                       Pattachitra
Origin: It is said that these paintings were substitute for worship on days when the temple doors were shut for the 'ritual bath' of the deity. This form of art still survives in places like Puri, Raghurajpur and Sonepur in Odisha. Artists also called 'Chitrakars' who mastered this art are Mohapatra and Maharna

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Style: The style is mix of folk and traditional elements. Mainly depicting stories of Lord Jagannath. Paintings have very intricate designs and lines are bold and sharp. Background on which figures are painted is always filled with floral motifs. Mainly red, yellow, black & white colors are used for filling in. Borders mainly in red is an essential part of every painting. Colors used are all natural.

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Process: Painting is done on canvas. Canvas is prepared by applying glue (dried and powdered Tamarind seeds and chalk powder) then it is dried in sun. Canvas is then rubbed with the khaddar stone to make it smooth and then rubbed with chikna stone to make it shine. Then the motif or figure is drawn on canvas directly with the brush by chitrakars who have mastered this art. Then natural colors obtained from vegetables and various stones are filled in. Brushes used are very fine and made of mouse hairs. Final coat of lacquer is applied to protect it from weather and to make it last long.

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Hope you enjoyed reading about Pattachitra. Want to say something leave your comment, love to hear from you :)

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The Channapatna Swirl: Varnam.

Rang Decor has seen Karthik Vaidyanathan share his creative space with it's readers, start his new venture Varnam~ Colors for your home and now he is back with his full fledged exhibition showcasing traditional crafts of Channapatna that are made relevant in today's times and have a strong utilitarian value in our everyday life.

'Gubbi Series' Paper weights.

The 'Channapatnaiks' bottle stoppers.

'Kuruvi Series' Paper Roll Dispenser.

Karthik states, "It was over two years ago, on a road trip to Mysore, when I had stopped by at a little toy-shop along the streets of this little town called Channapatna. I came away fascinated. Little did I know then, that I would be so closely linked with this beautiful craft form in the coming years."

Kuruvi Series' Wall Hooks.

'Four Little Chefs' Napkin and Card Holder.

'Three Little Piggies on a bus' hanger.

Salt & Pepper Shakers.

Varnam, his own social enterprise has been working with a group of talented crafts-women (for over a year now) to try and revisit this craft that was traditionally known for making toys. 

Do drop by and see these vibrant Channapatna beauties at 

The Channapatna Swirl~ Re-imagining the Channapatna Craft.

at Showcase @ No.1 Shanthi Road, Bangalore.

on October 19th to 21st, 2012

11 am to 8 pm and the grand opening on 18th October at 6.30 pm.

You can also join Varnam's Event page on Facebook.

(Images by Varnam)

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Coolest Sconce EVER!

Do you want to hear about the






Coolest Sconce Ever? 



 I happened on an absolutely huge garage sale from years of accumulation and living. In fact, it was more like a flea market! I found three of these in varying degrees of disrepair...




This was the only one that was completely there with the face plate and all the crystals. At first, I did not intend to keep any of these sconces

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