Wednesday 30 March 2016

Rainbow themed birthday

For Pookie’s first birthday, the celebration was at a courage home where kids with disabilities live with their foster mothers. Mamta wanted it to be a special experience for the kids as well as for Pookie as she grows up. Here is featuring her Rainbow themed birthday party


The invitation to match with the theme... and the beautiful cake below... 


A table filled with goodness... 






I love how the decor is simple... yet all the elements of a good party are included. .


If you have a birthday party that I can feature here... do write in to me on coloursdekor@gmail.com

Monday 28 March 2016

how to organise a party

Hello everyone, I often get asked ‘how to organise a birthday party’ or ‘can you create an invite for me’.. You wont believe, if I tell you that I have actually created invitations for people I absolutely don’t know.. But its fun. This is what got me looking for online invitations, and I came across Paperless Post – this is a company that provides online as well as paper invitations / cards. 

So here’s a few quick tips on how to organise a fantastic & memorable birthday party. 

Theme :
Pick a theme with the help of your little one. Though it may seem unnecessary, having a theme will most certainly help you base your décor ideas, and what type of décor to buy, food to prepare & what games & activities to plan. Character parties are popular, Elsa, Dora, faries, pirates, cowboys, etc. 
Sit with your little one & discuss this, you’ll be amazed at their creativity. 



Invitations:
Always get invitations that match your theme. 

Paperless post, seems to be an amazing resource of creative invitations. There are impressive designs & selecting something from here just makes it so much simply. Choose an online invitation that reflects the style & theme of your party. 

I love personalised invites and found these perfect for my little girls.. 


And if yours is a milestone celebration, here are a few I loved..



Food
Colour coordinated food or Theme based food is always a fantastic idea  – for example if you are having a bee themed party – tea sandwiches, deviled eggs, yellow peppers, pineapple, and even some honey mustard. Cut the food in hexagon shapes to mimic the honeycomb shape.



Dessert :
Theme based cakes, cupcakes & cakepops are simply amazing. If you are based in Dubai, you must try cakes & cupcakes from Moon Face. So for your bee themed party, you’d have honey, lemon & chocolate cake, cupcakes or tarts, add in some oreos too. 



Beverages :
I simply love having a little juice bar at kids parties. They are always super excited to see more than one colour or type of juice. Lemonade & iced tea are new favourites. 
If you are having a tea party, try putting up a little tea section with ‘brew your own tea’, with different flavours of tea. 




Décor:
If this is a home party, always find inexpensive & DIY ways to decorate. Lanterns, tissue poms, printed banners, newspaper decorations, or even painted paper decorations. Don’t forget to add a little bit of the theme to it. 
Some elements to add to your décor – balloons, yard signs, buntings, banners, tableware, center-pieces, place cards. 


Activities & Entertainment:
This should ideally be age specific. There’s loads of games based on theme & age. Some party favourites are always – musical chairs, piñata, four corners & dancing. Newer ideas are writing a message for the birthday girl, or simply an art & craft activity. 



Favors :
Themed based favors are always a big hit. And ofcourse which child doesn’t wait to see whats In his take away pack. As the girls are growing bigger, mason jars filled with candy or hot chocolate seems to be the new favourites.

The next few posts will be featuring a few birthday parties... if you've organised a party - babyshower, wedding, bachelorette, birthday, do share it with us on coloursdekor@gmail.com

Friday 25 March 2016

Happy Easter

Hope you all have a blessed Good Friday & a lovely Easter ...


While removing my lovely painted eggs... one of them broke.. So I got super upset... and put all the decor away *sobs*




Happy Spring... to every one..

Aren't the colours of these flowers so lovely... 



Hope everyone has a lovely time... 

Wednesday 23 March 2016

Sneak peek - Durgas home

I can't wait to see more of Durga's beautiful home in Colombo *smiles*... 

Durga feels a home should project our personal style and passion.

and that is exactly what got me chatting with Durga... 





I bet you can't wait to see more either *grins*

Monday 21 March 2016

Moroccan Inspired Bathrooms

I simply had to share this, as soon as I saw it.. I couldn't resist. Theres 48 Moroccan inspired bathrooms in this post *sigh*

These are probably the first six I saw... You'll be as amazed as me.. *smiles*








Go on and look for yourself.. if you don't believe me.. 

Friday 18 March 2016

Restroom decor

We love bathrooms, and who doesn't? It is one of the most important parts of your home and with just a few décor elements can be transformed into the most peaceful and pretty area in your home. 
If you're wondering how to decorate a bathroom, you'll love these design ideas. 

Image source
Give your bathroom additional character, buy painting one wall in a bold colours & adding some bright accents.
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 Or give your bathroom a theme, like mine is expected to follow the indian theme...

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This toilet tank is covered in a flower print and the entire bathroom has a lovely bird motif. On top of the tank are few magazines with two owl bookends.


Image Source 
I heart a gallery wall in the bathroom... something for you to look at and spend a few hours .. 
Images, souvenirs & memories ... 


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This one is truly my favourite..

If you have a bathroom to talk about, go on and send me your image at coloursdekor@gmail.com

Wednesday 16 March 2016

Knit n Purl Ocean

Meeting Reena Bino of Knit n Purl Ocean, Goa, has truly been inspiring.. Shes a working woman, wife & mom, and yet finds the time to fulfil her passions… Here’s what she says…

Knitting is my biggest stress buster. My day is not complete without knitting.” I also engage myself in aluminum embossing and glass painting in my leisure hours.
Knit N Purl Ocean is a one-woman show and its me who create, does the packaging and also dispatches the products.

What is Knit n Purl Ocean?
The knitted products on Knit n Purl Ocean has an exquisite range of knitted and lace products for life style and home decor. All the doilies on Knit n Purl Ocean are hand knitted with set of four/five or eight double pointed needles, the doilies are then blocked to get the desired effect.


Tell us a little about our creative process?
I write my own patterns to suit customised orders. I put in a lot of effort in creating every single piece, which consumes lot of time, patience and energy. The Yarn is personally selected by me, the Doilies are mostly knit in White and Beige colour, unless a customer specifies a particular colour to match the furniture. Coasters and appliques are done in different colours. The final knit product is of much superior quality and it’s something one can treasure for its lifetime, something that brings a smile on everyone’s face.
 

What products can we find at Knit n Purl Ocean?
My current product portfolio includes -

  •    Small doilies in round, square and oval shape.
  •    Doilies as wedding gifts and for trousseau
  •    table mats, table runners
  •    center pieces for glass and wooden furniture
  •    dining table & dressing table set
  •    customised knitted set for the living room
  •    Knitted baskets & knitted coasters.
  •    Knitted wall décor
  •    Knitted applique for cushions and curtains



Reena, tell us a little about yourself…
Am a working woman, wife and mother to a 10 year old son. I learnt the finer nuances of knitting from my mother at the age of eight, “It was a memorable moment when I knitted my first doily, handling all the five needles together and it was perfect!,” and than it has been a continuous journey thereafter of trying to self-learn more difficult patterns, different types of knitting stitches and experimenting to create new patterns.

As a young girl I always loved making cards, paintings, frames crafting artificial flowers for any special occasion. I was quite active in the Crafts class and it is through this interest in arts that I learnt various forms of craft like flower making, candle making, clay modelling, glass painting, aluminum embossing and fabric painting.

I am waiting for the right leap in my venture so that I can take up this passion full time. Currently, I am working for a Pharma Company alongside pursuing my venture in Goa.

My venture has a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and I have my website which will be updated with latest products very soon. Buyers can place their orders by logging on to my FB page and get them delivered.


What keeps you going? And wearing so many hats must be difficult!  
Multitasking, patience, determination and the will to succeed in life, and all this is not possible without the support from family. “My family is the biggest motivation,”  my mother inculcated one quality in me – Never give up on your dreams. Time management is one of the biggest skills I have inherited from my mother.
It also helps to have a husband who is extremely supportive and appreciates my work.





Anything you’d like to say to sum up our brief chat… 
Always have positive attitude, big  dreams and a big vision. Believe in the phrase that “Whatever happens, happens for a reason”. Just believe in your dreams, believe in God and follow your heart. Patience, determination and being passionate towards your work are important. I always wanted to be an Artisan, a passionate learner and a professional in whatever I do. So always dream BIG. “I am a big admirer of all women who excel in life, who keep dreaming and strive to make their dreams come true,”  

http://www.facebook.com/knitnpurlocean 
http://www.knitnpurlocean.com

Monday 14 March 2016

Safal Arts

My love for Warli... and anything arty, makes my chat with Safal even more interesting. I'm amazed at how shes kept up the good work & is also teaching and conducting workshops, ensuring that the art passes on and remains alive. I truly enjoyed getting to know Safal....



Tell us a little about yourself 
Currently living in USA,originally from Mumbai. I am self-motivated artist. By education I am an Engineer but an artist by heart.
Since childhood I have been attracted towards art and craft. I love to decorate my house with handmade stuffs then it could be paintings or craft. The simplicity and the elegance of warli style impressed me so I learnt this art as a hobby. Warli looks very simple however it requires patience and dedication.
After moving to USA my hobby turned into my passion, I started decorating my house with my paintings and handmade stuffs.



What apart from warli, what other mediums & colours do you use?
Apart from traditional warli art, I love to give modern look to it  by adding  colors and patterns on various mediums. Although I work on many mediums like paper, fabric, wood, clay, ceramic, glass, metal; colors are always acrylic as it's fun medium to work with and easy. Apart from paintings; I am more interested in making home decor stuffs. It gives me more inspiration to paint by looking at my art increasing beauty of corners of home. I also do DIY craft projects which includes felt craft, recycled art. Among all my artworks hand painted spoons and coasters are my favorite because they are much appreciated :P...


Do you teach art as well? 
Teaching art and conducting workshops for kids gives me immense satisfaction and inspiration to explore new subjects.



What about exhibitions?
With lot of encouragement from my husband, family and friends I started participating in art exhibition in USA. By getting shortlisted among professional artists in art galleries in USA, I am getting wonderful exposure to showcase my talent. This gives me happiness that I am introducing people here this beautiful tribal art of India which is not even that much well known in India too. For my success my husband has main role in my life, without his support I could not take my hobby into professional level. In future apart from warli I would love to try other folk arts too.










Where can we find you?
To see my more artworks, you can visit my
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SafalArtStudio
Blog page: http://safalarts.blogspot.com
Instagram: Safalarts