Flashback Of Year 2015 | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

What a wonderful year it has been, I learnt so many new things, I did so many things for the first time, I made a lot of wonderful friends, I went to and explored so many new places not as a tourist but as a traveller and got to know about different cultures & traditions and most importantly on blogging front I have become more polished and confident. All thanks to wonderful people around me (family, friends & my wonderful readers) who always made me feel positive and motivated me to achieve goals. 

Big thank you to each one of you!!

Before I reveal what I have in my bag for new year here is a quick recap of the year 2015--

JAN 2015: I started my year with gratitude because it enriches one's life. It gives you immense pleasure when your are grateful for everything that you have in your life. Read my post on Gratitude here.

I love playing with electronic devices and thanks to my wonderful clients who give me the opportunity to do what I love the most. I got a new mobile device to review on my blog and I shot a video for the first time and stepped into the world of Vlogging(video blogging). You can check out that video here. 

FEB 2015:  I tried to create a balance between blogging and vlogging hence I created few more video tutorials on how to make newspaper coasters, check out here. I know you will love this DIY. 

I love it when my friends and readers want to be a guest blogger on my blog. Read one such wonderful guest blog by a sweet and lovely friend Vandana who shared some tips on "How to accessorise your home". Readers just loved this post and its view count is more than a thousand views now. 

MAR 2015:  See I told you I am surrounded with such lovely people who bring the best out of me. My clients are no exception. One of my clients gave me the opportunity to create a space in my home exclusively for me and my work, a space that reflects my personality, My home office, check it out here. I hope you will get some tips to create your own workspace. 

I love DIY projects and gardening too. When I mix both these passions results are always heartwarming. I made tiny cute Owl Planters, check out the tutorial here. You all know how much I love Indian art forms and when you get a bigger canvas to paint the art form you love then it doubles the joy. check out My first commissioned Warli art here. 

APR 2015:    

Blogging has been a reason to so many good things that happened in my life. One such good thing is to get the opportunity to interact with like-minded people and feature them on my blog. Read about one such talented artist here. You will love what you'll see there.

The month on my blog doesn't end without any DIY. I found a rock in my garden and gave it a new life, check out the transformation here. 

MAY 2015: 
I love decorating my home and keep rotating the decor accessories. You can check out some happy corners of my home here

. 

I enjoyed some quality time with family on a vacation and brought something for you from Hyderabad, read here. Saying it again that I love decorating my home and keep changing its decor as the season changes. Few tips on decorating home for summers, click here to read. I often receive requests from some of my readers who are artists and crafters about how they can start and promote their business hence a special post on how to earn money online. 

JUNE2015:

Come summers and my home fills with the warm glow of the sun. Clicked some sunkissed corners of my home, see them here. 

A multi-talented artist shared her beautiful journey with us, check out here. Sometimes I just love to share simple but useful tips on decorating a specific room in a home and why to ignore bathroom it needs equal attention too, get the tips here. Not only my home's decor I keep changing the decor of my garden too. One such garden makeover you can see here.

JULY 2015:
July is always a special month for so many reasons. It's a month of celebrations so I don't get much time to blog in this month. Then too I managed to post two lovely posts, tips to keep your home safe and one more talented artist showcased her beautiful work check out here.

AUG 2015:
What colourful month it was. I dedicated this month to spread awareness about Channapatna Toy industry. First I blogged about Channapatna-toy town of India and then I received vibrant wooden goodies to enhance the decor of my home.

Time for some tips again, dos and don'ts of decorating read here. 

SEP 2015:

As I skipped posting DIY last month so it was essential to post it this month. Check out the tutorial on DIY blooming dry branch here. 

I love online shopping and do it quite often. It doubles the joy when shopping is for home sweet home. Check out the post on new age furnishing shopping here. I learnt a very beautiful Indian art form Pattachitra and I am very happy that I learnt it.

OCT 2015:

I made my first Pattachitra leaf bookmark, click here to check out the images what my friends and I made. 

October is the month of festivities and we all want our home festive ready, check out some tips on how to make your home festival ready. Diwali is the biggest and brightest festival in our country so I shared some very easy and useful tips to decorated your home for Diwali. This post attracted a lot of eyeballs. 

NOV 2015:

This month was dedicated to Diwali cheer. I shared Diwali craft ideas, Diwali gifting ideas and photo flashback of Diwali moments. 

DEC 2015:

This month was full of events and activities. I went to Dastkari craft bazaar for the first time and liked it a lot. Check out some colourful images of this event here. 

I got some wonderful opportunities and my client challenged me to do something new and hence I gave home decorating a new twist. Bringing in the look a particular city can be a difficult task but I managed to do it and the result was awesome. Read more about it here. 

I joined hands with some NGOs and supported some social cause, blogged about one such social cause here. 

I am blessed that get to work with so many wonderful people and I would like to thank all my clients who believed in me and they have given me the opportunity to bring the best out of me. 

Check out an informative post on how to style a sofa here. 

It was Christmas time and my son and I baked and decorated some Christmas cookies for the first time. Check out the complete post here. 

So this was the flashback of the year 2015 and before this year ends let me take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you who has made my life, even more, wonderful and meaningful. 

A BIG THANK YOU

&

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

See you all in the new year with new dreams and some new beginnings. You all have a wonderful year ahead :)

Eggless Christmas Cookies | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

Ho ho ho!! I am completely in a holiday mood.
This time, I had already decided that I wouldn't let my brat spoil all the fun and keep me on my toes all the time. So what did I do to keep him occupied? Well, I baked Christmas cookies and decorated them too. I planned to play head chef and allowed my boy to be my sous chef. Though the roles got reversed as we proceeded further. But it was super fun altogether spending fun times with my little one and watch him decorate the cookies on his own. 

I had baked cookies earlier but never decorated them, that too with minimum resources available so it was exciting for me too. Don't ask about the boy, he was excited to the core. This is my first batch of the cookies. Next batch will get little better since I have bought all the supplies. Now if you are inspired to bake and decorate your Christmas cookies too then let's get started.

Once the dough is rolled out you can now cut out the cookies in various fun sizes and shapes using cookie cutters. I didn't have the cookie cutter so I planned to cut out the cookies using small bowls, but my brat didn't allow me to do so. He rolled out all the cookies in amoeba shape (now that is also a fun shape) and I had to bake them in the oven. This is how I baked the cookies.

• Grease the cookie tray and place the cookies on it leaving 1/2" space between each cookie. 
• Place the cookie tray in preheated oven at 350 F or 175 C for 8-10 mins. 
• Take out the tray once cookies are done. Leave cookies on the tray for 5 mins and then transfer them on a cooling rack. 

Cookies are now ready. You can store them as it is in a cookie tin or if you wish to decorate them then proceed...
I made eggless icing in two ways

• Eggless royal icing
• Sugar glaze

Both worked excellent for me. Here's the recipe

Method: 

• In icing sugar add milk drop by drop, keep mixing it properly. 
• Check the consistency of icing it should be similar to toothpaste's consistency if you are using it for outlines and for piping. 
• For flooding, you can add more milk to make it thin. 

I made the piping bags as we make cones for heena. If you have piping bags then just fill them with icing and start decorating cookies. Here comes the most fun part of baking cookies at home, decorating them with my little one. How creative he is and how amazingly he decorated the cookies. Don't you believe that.....check out then!!

I told you, he has done a great job!! Check out that smiley cookie :p

Reindeer and poinsettia ones are decorated by me. I found it little hard to outline the cookies as it was the first time that I was decorating the cookies, but I am sure I will do better next time.

I am off to one more wonderful vacation with my family. I wish all my readers a 

Merry Christmas 

and a

 Happy New Year

You all have a fabulous year ahead!!

How To Style A Sofa | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

Winter is creeping up on us fast and I am all set to give my home a punch of warm hues. 

What could be a better place to start with other than a sofa in living room or I should say cushions more precisely. Cushions can instantly add the cheer and warmth to the decor and they are totally transformative. Careful selection of right hues for winters can completely change the look and feel of home. So in association with 'House This' a brand that curates the most fashionable products for home and is now available on Jabong, I bring to you this post on styling a sofa with cushions to beat the winter doldrums. 

In case, you missed my earlier post on how I used 'House This' duvet cover to give my home a holiday makeover then click here to read it.

***Before I start giving you tips on styling a sofa, it's a warning and a request to all you lovely readers, please don't give much attention to my ugly sofa keep your eyes only on beautiful, colorful cushions only. I'll be giving my ugly sofa a facelift very soon!!***

Sofa styling is all about cushions/throw pillows. Now let's start styling a sofa with cushion covers. I picked all my cushions from 'House This' and below is an image that I created especially for my readers. You can 'Pin' this image for future reference. Hover you mouse over the image, you will see a 'Pin' button, click it and you are done!!

Now let's explore all the points one by one.
1. Always start from the outside and use a bigger set of matching cushions of size 22" or 24" I will prefer solid over patterned here as these cushions will set a perfect background for patterned ones.  Though you can choose patterned cushions also as I did and it works well too. My first set of 'House This' cushions is 100% cotton in ochre color with all over pattern in yellow. The color sets a perfect mood for winters.
2. Layer the second set of matching cushions of size 16" and here I'll prefer patterned ones to create a perfect balance. Try to co-ordinate the colors of patterned and solid cushions for a cohesive look. My second set of 'House This' cushions here is again 100% cotton in orange color with yellow delft pattern. I chose warm hues to bring some warmth in my home and to avoid winter blues.
3. Now place an accent pillow in the middle and try to blend its color well with end pillows and the surrounding accessories for pulled together look. This cushion can be of any size ranging from 12" to 16" and any shape like lumber pillow, bolster, round pillow or square one. I chose 'House This' Suzani printed cushion in red to add a pop of color. I paired it with matching accessories on the coffee table for a cohesive look.

2-2-1 ratio is the most visually appealing. Keep the number of cushions odd for an appealing arrangement of cushions. Accessorize coffee table to complement the color scheme of cushions. 

Here in the below image, I not only changed the accent pillow but also the arrangement of cushions and coffee table accessories. This blossom printed white and pink 'House This' cushion is to tone down the warm hues a bit.  

'Mix and match' is the perfect formula to style a sofa with cushions. Mix lots of colors and patterns and try to match them. Turquoise being my favorite color, it has to be there on my sofa no matter whether I am decorating for winters and this color falls in the category of cool colors. I mixed it with suzani and delft patterns and matched its color with Buddha and throw to tie things together. 

Mix and match I said and that's what I did here. Mixed the colors and patterns and matched them with other accessories like delft pattern on cushions are blending well with the patterns on throw and elephant kept on coffee table books is complementing elephant cushion. 

My turquoise 'House This' cushion has darbaar buti on it with silver outlines, I paired it with gray darbaar elephant and white blossom cushions. Turquoise Buddha and silver diya are complementing each other. 

Turquoise and orange is the color combination that works best without any fail. So amidst a lot of ochres and yellows I used turquoise as an accent color.

Well, to give company to my beautiful cushions I stained few glass bottles in warm hues and clubbed them together on the coffee table for a perfect cohesive look. Things look good and eye pleasing if they are beautifully color coordinated. 

House This is my go-to online destination when it comes to buying home furnishings. I will show you more in coming days. Till then you check out what 'House this' is offering right now on Jabong. 

Coming up next is something about 'Christmas'. Yay!! finally, I am in a holiday mood. Stay tuned!!

Turn Trash Into Treasure And Save Our Environment | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

Dear readers!! 

This post is very important, it's not about design, decor, gardening or Indian art 

instead, it is about saving our environment and how you and I can contribute to make it possible.

 I would love you to share this post as much as you can to spread the awareness in society. After Diwali cleaning at my home, my husband and I were shocked to see the waste (cloth, paper, plastic and e-waste) we were hoarding till date. We were racking our brains as to where and how to dispose this waste. That's when one of my team members from Swaccha Pune group told me about a foundation that deals with waste management. As they say "One man's trash is another man's treasure, today I am introducing to you an organisation which is working hard to provide holistic solutions to the environmental problems and turning trash into treasure. 

Poornam EcoVision Foundation

is committed to the betterment of society and environment. It deals with awareness, consultancy services, research and development, waste management, renewable energy and environmental management. 

So one fine day we packed all the waste and headed towards Planet R, which is a unit of Poornam Ecovision Foundation in Pune. Now let's take a look of what did I see there and how this organisation works. At Planet R outlet entrance I saw this brilliant idea of using old and broken helmets as planters.
Meet the brain behind Planet R, Dr Rajesh S. Manerikar, consultant - solid waste management. Meeting him and talking about environmental problems and their solutions was an amazing experience. He enlightened us about how PEF works. 

Activities: 
Disposal of used/old clothes, toys, E-waste from households is a major problem we face. PEF is working primarily in the area of waste management and at the same time provides opportunities to underprivileged women to earn money. It also focuses on awareness, training and consultancy. 

Collection of waste:
Poornam, in collaboration with an NGO, Janadhar established �waste collection points� at various places in Pune City, where citizens give/donate their household dry recyclable waste such as used clothes, glass, e-waste, nylon, leather. This waste is then either recycled/upcycled to some value added marketable products or directed to the authorized reprocessing chain for further processing. Recycling helps in reducing environmental pollution, reduces the waste finding its way in dumping yards and conserves the natural resources. Apart from environmental benefits of recycling it generates employment. Wastes requiring a special type of handling like e-waste are handed over to the authorized handling facilities.
Channelization Of Waste:

Collected clothes and E-Waste are then sorted into categories like-
Reusable - To donate to needy
Recyclable - To create upcycled products like bags, quilt, mats etc.
Planet R: Theme based outlet of recycled finished products. �Planet R� has an exclusive collection of decorative, gift articles, designer bags made from recycled cloths, handmade paper and utility items such as door mats, carpets, table mats etc.  made from recycled cloths, decorative and ecofriendly alternatives to, day to day needs, from  recycled agricultural waste, decorative and jewelry from paper mache.

Here is what I saw at Planet R!

Upcycled plates which are now adorning wall as a decor piece, small bowls and forks made of coconut shells (I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this beautiful upcycled stuff).

Old sarees and dupattas turned into vibrant and stylish folders. 

Beautiful bags made out of old and used clothes.

Old saree is now an elegant quilt.

Colourful and extremely useful rugs and mats made out of old clothes and cloth scraps. 

The most used packing material, Thermacol can be turned into these adorable educational toys after a chemical treatment. 

Sling bags and handbags in every size and shape are made out of old and worn out clothes.

I was amazed to see the entire process of managing waste and then turning it into something very useful. Here is what Planet R accepts in case you plan to donate your household waste. You will get a discount coupon for donating waste that you can redeem at Planet R, where you can buy upcycled products. 

In the last financial year, 2014-2015 PEF has collected 7000 Kgs of clothes and 8000 Kgs of E-waste from different residential colonies and institutions. 

If this blog has piqued your interest and you are living in Pune and wish to donate your household waste then you can drop by at Planet R outlet or write to them and they will be happy to make a collection point at your residential colony or society. 

1098/1 Saphalya Bungalow, 1st Floor

Opp. Pune People's Co-operative Bank,

Near Telephone Exchange, Model Colony

Shivaji Nagar, Pune

You can write to them at poornam.ecovision@gmail.com

I too love recycling and upcycling, you can check out some of the stuff that I had made earlier here. 

Dear readers! I hope you will do your bit to save our environment. Whether you are in Pune or in other cities I request you to reuse, recycle, upcycle as much as you can and associate with such kind of organisations to help and promote them. Spread the words by sharing this post. Thanks!!

Coming up next is blog about 'How To Style Sofa', Stay Tuned!!

Bring In The Look Of Your Favourite City | Luxury Home Decoration 2019

We all have a special place in our hearts for the city where either we were born,
brought up, got the education or just had been there and instantly fell in love with its beauty.
Cities in India have diverse and rich cultural heritage. You just name the city and your mind can easily associate it with the culture, heritage, places and stuff it is famous for. If we hear the word  Kashmir, our mind quickly associates the name with the most beautiful snow clad mountains, house boats on mirror-calm Dal lake, apples, saffron, pashmina shawls and women clad in beautiful traditional attires. 

Why am I talking about Indian cities today? Well, I have a fun thing here. I have always wanted to visit the oldest and the most revered city Varanasi but never got a chance. So I planned to bring in the look of this beautiful city in my home. Are you excited? well, I am super excited to show you how I achieved the look.

Varanasi or Banaras, earlier known as Kashi, situated on the banks of river Ganges is the spiritual capital of India. The city is rich in cultural heritage and is said to be the world's oldest continually inhabited city. This city has something mystical about it and I always feel drawn towards it. That was the reason I planned to bring in the look of Banaras in my decor. In my mind, I had a clear sketch of the elements that will find a way in my Banaras inspired decor.
Banaras is famous for its beautiful and world renowned ghats, boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats early in the morning, splendid Aartis with life-sized brass diyas in the evening, flickering lights of tiny floating diyas on leaf bowls across the Ganges, Sadhus (Monks) performing rituals at the bank of river Ganga and sanctified atmosphere enhanced by sonorous temple bells. All these elements together define Banaras. 
Bringing all these elements together for my Banaras inspired decor seemed quite impossible. But then Tangerine's Indie Tadka collection came to the rescue. Tangerine has launched its new collection of bed linen, cushions and home accessories called Indie Tadka that features thirteen beautiful cities of India and has infused the soul of the cities in their collection very well. Banaras being one of them I quickly picked up the collection and began styling my space.

Be it colour, texture or motif, Tangerine has captured the real essence of Banaras in an elegant way. Ethnic prints and bright colours of the collection invoke the feeling of being at the ghat of Banaras.

 

The collection is carefully curated, keeping every minute detail in mind. Shams, pillows, cushions and neck pillow blend well with bed linen and duvet.

A bit quirky and kitschy but these cushions are certainly a show stealer. Pillows and cushions reflecting the life on ghats of Banaras in a way I described above. Boatman rowing boat on a sunkissed Ganges river, crowded ghats with unending spiritual grace and some famous slang words in Banaras, all this beautifully captured on the cushions.

"Bade aaye lath Governer"

"Ki haal chaal ba guru"

"Ram Ram bhaiyajee"......are some slang words printed on cushions that depict the life in Banaras very well!!

Though there was nothing left for me to achieve Banaras inspired look as Tangerine's Indie Tadka collection has already done that for me, I did try to introduce some elements that are associated with Banaras like Buddha and copper kalash to complete the look. 

Quality wise I will give 10/10 to Tangerine Indie Tadka collection. The collection is known for its stitch quality and colour fastness.

There is a lot more for you to explore about Tangerine. Click the links below and check out their entire collection.

Tangerine Website

Tangerine Facebook Page 

Recently I had been to Goa and instantly fell in love with this laid back and beautiful city. I have been sharing my experience on my Instagram, check out here.
Do you want to know what's coming up next? Well, it is about recycling, upcycling and saving our environment. Stay tuned to know how almost everything can be recycled/upcycled!!