Easter weekend

Why would Easter fall on the last day of the financial year?? Why!!??

*sigh*... This is such a busy time for me at work... And the kids are home for two weeks... which means... they are sooooooooooooooooooo demanding... 

Anyway, I haven't had time to be creative... so showing you some old posts

Easter Jars from last year... we gave away little chocolate eggs & sugar coated almonds in these to the girls and their friends.. 

and the year before I was even more adventurous and had an Easter tablescape for the kids... *smiles*

This was a super fab project from last year... quick and easy... Easter tealights... 

Hope you are having a blessed Friday.... Have a lovely weekend.... 

Pops of Colour

True to its name.... 'Pops of Color'... is a lovely, colourful FB page... full of everyday inspirations for life... and home decor / garden ideas ...

a little about pops of color

Pops of Color brings with it the color of life ..

I am an engineer by profession with a passion to travel and interest in collectibles. I love capturing beautiful color that I might have come across either in my day to day life or through my travelling .

Through Pops Of Color ,you can find some home decor/garden decor ideas along with few pictures that I have from my travel memories.

 

So hop over to Pop of Color.. and don't forget to like her page... 

The Weekly Story ~ wk 8

Hello my lovelies... Its Monday again.. 

Did you see this on The Key Bunch last week?? I got a little feature and was super thrilled.... 

I've always been fascinated with creative lighting.... something that's different from the normal... 

I love the idea of having a 'railway station' sign at home.. and that when 'Madhushala' came about... *smiles*.. At first I attempted doing this with an acrylic board and painting it myself with a light at the back... But that failed so miserably... 

This is obviously done by a professional acrylic sign board maker... 

Here is the area in totality... Most of my guests are rather amused... *smiles* Tell me.. if you like it... 

Hope to see you this week... at The Weekly Story linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..

1. Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
2. Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
3. Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
4. Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
5. Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
6. Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on coloursdekor@gmail.com

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

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Artist intro ~ Devika

Devika Keskar is an architect turned full time artist living and working in California. You can see more of her work on her Etsy store. She specializes in art work, prints, cards, coasters.. etc.. 

Below are images of some of her work.... 

Over to Devika...

I dream in color!

I have been fascinated with color from an early age and have always surrounded myself with it.

An education and career in the architecture and interior design industry   gave me a deeper understanding of color and the positive effects a good color palette can have on the inhabitants of any space. 

A few years back I started painting with acrylics and ventured into mixed media art.  My paintings are explorations of various media and textures and show my unrestrained obsession with color.  I paint whatever catches my fancy, sometimes a color scheme will compel me to start a painting and at other times an image from nature will.

Being born and raised in India, I have the advantage of having soaked in its rich and multi-colored culture and that very often comes through in my creations most of which are vividly colored and rich in texture.  I very often start a painting with just a color palette in mind and let my creative energy take charge of the canvas.

I have participated in several group shows, art fairs and bazaars in and around the San Francisco bay area as I really enjoy connecting with people and relating the stories behind my creations to those that are curious and I love listening to theirs in turn.

Are you as impressed as I was?? Visit her Etsy Store...and see a portfolio of her work on Devika Keskar .. and then leave me a comment... so I know you were here and you appreciated her work.. *smiles*

Artist ~ Widad

Take you today to Bangalore… to a Widad’s home studio…

Introduce yourself Widad… 

I am Widad Mogral, am something of a wide eyed country girl from Kerala. I am currently living in Bangalore, where I make Jewellery from my home studio. I have always been passionate about crafts, its a bit of an addiction really! I started making jewellery soon after my son was born. I started out stringing beads, but soon the art of wire wrapping jewellery caught my attention. 

 

What is wire wrapped jewellery?

Wire wrapped jewellery is made from metal wires of different thicknesses. The wires are twisted, hammered and woven together to make earrings, bracelets, pendants etc. Almost no heat is used in the process. I use, silver, copper and brass wires in my jewellery. 

brass coil drops

rose quartz flower

carnelian web

silver wire key

tri coloured spiral

Where can we find your work?

I do sell my jewellery, you can contact me on rumaancrafts@yahoo.com. The pictures of my work can be viewed on my FB page Rumaan crafts

The Weekly Story ~ wk 7

so what have you been upto this weekend??

Showing off today.. wall decals for staircases *smiles*..

After a lot of discussion on what should be done with this wall... sometime last year.. I finally decided we were would put wall decals up... Shopping at Home Center when they were on sale, I found these and simply couldn't resist. 

I picked two packs, one circles and one squares.. .and my brother randomly placed these on the wall....  

Discussions from photo frames.. to holiday photos... to painting this wall... But decals is definitely an awesome idea.. 

Benefits of using wall decals :

- They are unique.

-They are easy to apply and can be installed by just about anyone.

- These can be applied in any surface.

-Make this a fun activity by asking your kids to help out… 

- Unlike painting, if you are unhappy, these can be easily changed, moved around or simply removed. Hence you can choose to redecorate more often.

- its simply peel and stick…. And peel and remove… 

- They are inexpensive and can be used as a very creative home décor element. 

- Definitely makes any home look stunning.. 

- Although a lot of people by the same decals… chances are each person will use them differently, hence making them even more unique. 

- These are reusable… Hence can be removed from one wall and used on to another. 

- This makes your décor possibilities endless… You can make your own creative, unique style.

... and here is how we've mixed two sets of colours and two shapes. 

This is how it ends... *smiles*.. Half way... 

... and someone who visited me recently... called my home... 'aesthetic and quirky'... ooooohhhh... What a lovely compliment... I was on top of the world.... *smiles*.. 

Hope to see you this week... at The Weekly Story linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..

1. Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
2. Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
3. Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
4. Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
5. Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
6. Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on coloursdekor@gmail.com

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

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Artists intro ~ Rekha Mohandas

Introducing to you in Dubai is Rekha Mohandas, a Dubai based artist...


Rekha is a graduated in Mass Communication and holds a MBA in HR.

Way back in 2003, having had a comfortable and a good job  in Bengalooru, I had never ever dreamt of giving it up, but since my husband moved to Kuwait on a new job, I was left with no choice. And hence I had this tremendous guilt of having quit such a great job but could not take up a new job since I had a baby. Thats when I thought that maybe my hobby can come to my rescue and I learnt Tanjore painting and Kerala Mural painting from Bangalore. Since 2005, I have been teaching ladies and taking up orders for both Tanjore and Mural paintings. Its been 8 years now and I am thoroughly enjoying decorating people's homes!! Each painting takes about a month to complete. I have had exhibitions at various places in Dubai and back home in India, the latest being at Trivandrum on the 29th and 30th of March 2013. I also dabble around with oil on canvas.

I am now looking out for a full time career since my children have also grown up but I will still devote time and effort to this hobby which gave me so much confidence and appreciation all these years!!

Tanjore painting(mother and son Krishna)

 a little about Tanjore paintings..

Tanjore painting  is a major form of classical South Indian painting from the town of Thanjavur (anglicized as Tanjore) in Tamil Nadu, India. The art form dates back to about 1600 AD, a period when the Nayakas of Thanjavur encouraged art—chiefly, classical dance and music—as well as literature, both in Telugu and Tamil. Tanjore paintings are known for their surface richness, vivid colors, compact composition and especially the glittering gold foils used to give the paintings their rich look . Essentially serving as devotional icons, the subjects of most paintings are Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints. Tanjore paintings are panel paintings done on solid wood planks,  In modern times, these paintings have become souvenirs of festive occasions in South India, pieces to decorate walls, and collectors' items for art lovers.

Oil painting (Kathakali)

Mural painting (Krishna, Radha and few ladies around)

some information about Mural paintings...

Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting mythology and legends, which are drawn on the walls of temples and churches in South India, principally in Kerala. Ancient temples, churches and palaces in Kerala, South India, display an abounding tradition of mural paintings mostly dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries CE when this form of art enjoyed Royal patronage.

for more, please contact Rekha on rekhabhilash@gmail.com

Green Thumb ~ Neethu

I'm so thrilled to show you this gorgeous balcony... To all those who questioned or email me saying... I have a small balcony... this is just a perfect answer!!

Having something like this in Dubai is a rather difficult task... more like a full time passion...

Showing off Neethu's work of art...

And here is what Neethu has to say... 

I really don't know what to say about my Garden except that most of my plants either bear flower or fruit or they are herbs. When they thrive it means they are responding to my care and it makes me so happy...it has also taught me to be patient, as sometimes due to various reasons when they wilt, I don't give up on them, of course some of them die in the course of time but I prune them and water them and voila there is a sign of life.. My Garden has taught me to never give up and that everything takes time and that patience and care/love is key...

I love how everything is so well arranged... 

Arrangement is the key to a balcony looking stunning... and if you have small spaces... go vertical... 

Now thats a true inspiraiton... 

I'll leave you here.... with images of her gorgeous garden / balcony... 

 

So tell me what you think?? Go on and inspire Neethu to share some more tips... *smiles*

Feb DIY roundup

Just incase you missed any of these stunning DIYs... There are people who impress me with every single post... Hop on to their blogs... leave a comment and inspire them... 

The first one... is a tote bag at Fifi's blog

Chalkboard Kitchen Door at Cherish Dream Live

Quilled card at Craft Island

from the best ever DIY blog... a DIY photo stand... at Woodooz

Khadija is super talented and always impresses me... DIY Glitter Eyeglasses at Creative Khadija

DIY IKEA mirror at I learn I read I write

Warli painted vas at Crazy for colours

and here is someone I truly admire... Artsy Craftsy Mom with a warli post box makeover...

Would you thikn of a road trip box... at Boulevard de l'antique

I'm sooooooooooooo pleased you all joined the Weekly Story... truly impressed with your work and all the others who link in... *smiles*... 

Once again... 'thank you'...