Kids' Craft - A Crown for my Prince Charming :)

My son's school was hosting a fairytale ball & I dressed him up as Prince charming for the occasion.

And what's a prince without his crown, yeah? :):) I leaped into action, and cereal box craft to the rescue as always ;-) :-D

Enjoy the images!!

And finally, our prince shows off his crown en route to school [which is why I had to click these pics in the car]

Hope all of you are having a Happy June!

Weekend Wrap Up - Wk 33

“As a ‘lotus’ flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I was born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world”

~ Buddha

Most weekends are spent dreaming of 'Buddha's' and 'lotus' ..... *sigh* Yes!! they are!!

I had a lovely weekend... what about you... ??? Thursday night we went to a friends place for dinner and karaoke night... It was lovely... Even better was the realisation that four of us have been friends for nearly 14 years now... And ofcourse... if I can sing a few retro songs... I've had a fabulous evening... *smiles* (I love... love... to sing..)

Friday we had family over.... so a little bit of chatting... running around with kids... and preparing for Saturday....

Saturdays... are pretty standard... to and fro.. two sets of 'ballet classes'... homework... school preparations... etc... etc... This weekend... was spent holiday planning... *sigh* ... and come Monday.. I'm still planning... So come link in this week... with stories of your weekend... *smiles*

1. Do a post on your blog. It has to be 'your' photograph !! (post atleast one picture... its nice to see!!) and it can really be anything you did over the weekend – 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. 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 'Weekend Wrap Up' 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 torresp27@hotmail.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 Weekend Wrap Up button!!

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~ Patricia

A Thousand Words ~ collection 2

In the spotlight for May ~ A thousand words... Thank you all for joining in... Hope you've seen all the entries... here are the final few.... *smiles*

Urmi joined in with her post 'A thousand words'

By far my favourite entry... touched all the chords of my heart.... Kamini's ~ two thousand names and counting...

and finally Deepa with Devotion on an angel

Once again, thank you to all those who linked in to 'a thousand words'... Hope you'll link in to the In the Spotlight series in June as well... *smiles*

...some more Silai work

Hey everyone, I am back, and this time with a Silai Kadai post - Silai (sewing) and Kadai (embroidery). You must have read my love for Silai Kadai here,...they are my stress busters! The monotony in doing the kadai work, numbs the brain and the end result is usually well worth the hours spent in making those dainty stiches. Now this post is specially dedicated to my friend Divya Rajan from the 'Sound Horn Please' blog and to my mom. Divya and myself usually catch up with each other every 3 - 4 weeks with those long 2 hour phone calls,...and talk about everything under the sun. During one such conversations, she happened to tell me, how she had some projects that were left incomplete from 2-3 years ago, and how she loved them, but was just not in the mood to get back and complete them. My advise to Divya, was not to worry as I had many many projects that were in various stages of progress and that go back to 4 -5 years,... and that I usually put the stuff in a bag and stored them...to be opened, when I would be in the right mood! That consoled her and we moved on to other subjects. Little that I know then, that I was in for a pleasant surprise... This weekend, while cleaning one of the closets, I found this blue theli [plastic bag] that my mom had got me last year from our Bombay home...it contained bits of silk and cotton material left behind after my kurta's were stiched. Along with the bits of material, were 2 kurta material,... that were partially sewn and embroidered...Both as I recall from 12years ago!! 12 years ago! Fite mou!! So long ago! I then spent a portion of the weekend sewing together the pieces of one of the kurta's and completed the embroidery. It is a cotton silk red Bandini material, stiched in a typical Angrakha tunic style. I plan to weari t with a black chiffon salwar and a black Bandhini dinchak dupatta...some pictures of the same... ...the Shisha or Abla embroidery... ...the completed kurta... ...dress up with the heavy tribal silver necklace... ...or with a pair of silver Moroccan earrings... So Divya...hang in there....and take your time to complete your projects. Thanks to my Amma, for keeping the kurta pieces safe... Ok, I forget to tell you this...the whole reason of searching the closet, was to pull out my Pati's (grandmom) Kanjeevaram saree. Now, this saree is about 50 years old and is my next project. It is a triple shaded [yellow, green and orange] mango colored saree,...so soft that it feels like muslin silk. The zari border is worn out, but the body is strong and I love the saree and the color so much, that I have kept it safetly for the last couple of years....I have a lovely idea in mind,...and hopefully will have it ready in a couple of weeks ....my Pati's 'Mambalam' coloured saree... ...Some silk pieces and borders that I plan to attach with the saree body... Hope you enjoyed the post...Adios until Wednesday...For my friends in the US...hope you are enjoying the Memorial day long weekend...

Mish Mash Design

I've been waiting to show you this... or rather introduce you to this young bundle of talent... *smiles*... This is my new find... I've been dreaming of a lotus themed room for God alone knows how long... so the minute I saw this... it simply had to come home... *smiles*... Tell.. me... what do you think??

Abhilasha is the creator and designer at Mish Mash Designs ~ a venture into hand painted products. Her designs are diverse, from ethnic Indian to Tribal, quirky, fun, dreamy.... and for some.. I simply dont have the words... You'll have to check it out yourself... *sigh*

Mish Mash Design offers high quality hand painted cushions covers and tote bags... The cushion covers (as you can see in my pics), can enhance the style statement of any home!! The hand painted desings are characteristically classic, yet very modern and can blend into any home!! Every single product is an unique piece of art... She also does customised designs based on request.

When I saw... the Jodha - Akbar.... cushions on Mish Mash Designs FB page, my heart skipped a beat... Don't you think it looks perfect below my Jaipur photographs?? Also.. Jodha has a lotus in her hand.. Can you see that??

Oh and ask though that wasn't enough to win my heart.. I saw the 'lotus & elephant' cushion.. Anyone who knows me a little sure knows that I totally love elephants... and since my new craze in lotus' this was simply perfect...

Words cant describe how well she paints.. Each cushion is hand painted... the design is individual, intricate, delicate, and simply outstanding... Her work sure needs a standing ovation!!

I'm linking in to these lovely blog parties!!

So go on and follow her blog 'Mish Mash Designs' or like her Facebook page or simply email her on themishmashdesign@gmail.com

The Pipal ~ Cupcake themed decor

Introducing ‘The Pipal’, an online store for ‘personalised’ and ‘customized’ kids accessories.

I’d like to tell you more about the store and the people behind this lovely store… but I’ll leave that for the second post… for now… I’m sharing with you one of my favourite themes ‘the cupcake theme’….

Can you see the personalised pillow?? Wouldn't that be a perfect gift for your little one??

The themes not only cater to teens, or kids… but to infants as well… *sigh* Wish I knew of ‘The Pipal’… when my girls were little…

I’m totally in love with those cup cake pillows & cushions…

and above all… at how easily they can be ‘customized’.. Which makes it a perfect gift for any little kids or teen you know…

All kids like something with their names on it… *smiles*

They also have little bags... that can be personalised!!

Go on and check out the collection at ‘The Pipal’… and watch out for the second post… for the story behind the store!! *smiles*

Haveli

Hello all you wonderful people... Today let me take you to a tour of "Haveli" During my last visit to India this past year, we spent a few days in Chadigarh for a wedding and then drove nack to Delhi. On the way we stopped at the "Haveli" restaurant and resting area.

Good food, good prices, good break... and clean bathrooms.

The well above is actually fake and it's more like a giant BBQ fire pit . The fake starts hanging everywhere gave the atmosphere a very relaxing feel.

The decor was an exhibition of Punjab. From the well and statues to the traditional musical instruments... it was a delight. If you are ever travelling on that route, do not miss it. You will definately love it.

Until next time,

Shilpa

A Thousand Words ~ Nirmala

Here’s sharing the bookspace of Nirmala and Krupanandh’s home in Bangalore. Nirmala has been a teacher and has always been a booklover. A kind of booklover that ensured a space in her lovely home was dedicated for a comfortable and relaxing book-time whenever she needed to. The fact that she shares this space with a puja area and a serene buddhascape only shows the love and respect she has for books and reading.

Here’s what Nirmala has to say about her love for books and the space featured herein:

“We have our little library in the landing of our home on the 2nd floor. The double height ceiling makes this an ideal place to relax as well as be in touch with what's happening downstairs. I was particular to have a place at home that would be 'my space' and since my space is all about books, this is the exactly what I got.”

“My book collection ranges from those that are 35-40 years to some of the best sellers of this day.

I still am into reading the books I used to read ever so long back and there is a trend where I keep putting back on the shelves those books that were lost or didn't last long enough. We have also bought many books back in Abu Dhabi and shuttled it back here now. I fondly remember especially how we enjoyed shopping on the ship named 'Doulous' which docked in AUH in 2005-06.....it's a ship that travels the world carrying books of every imaginable kind.”

“Another event I used to enjoy would happen every year at Cambridge School, Abu Dhabi where I taught, called 'the book week' where each class would choose a book as their theme for the week and everything in the classroom to the costumes worn by the staff and students depicted characters from the chosen book! “

“In our library area, we have also our puja area and the special Buddha (we purchased at Global Village). I feel reading is such a serene activity that only the Buddha and a puja area would go with a books. I transferred my son’s college books there so he feels the need to peep into the puja room whenever he goes up for his books especially in the morning!”

“I have also arranged the books in a slightly mixed-up manner. I take great pleasure in lingering there a few extra minutes looking for the book I want and also suddenly finding a book that I thought we didn't have.....it's a good feeling.”

“I also specially asked for a book shelf with doors since it makes cleaning.”

Will you be joining the Colours Dekor 'a thousand words' series....

~ Harshi