|| Shubh Deepavali ||

Yet another Diwali passes by. You know Diwali is around the corner when the air gets a festive tinge. Women in households are busy looking up new recipes for sweet concoctions, shopping for new clothes, rangoli powder, making and painting new diyas - it's ALL happening!

As every year, my inlaws visit us during this time of the year and the children literally bask in the warmth of having their grandparents around. This year MIL and I made cashewnut barfi and wheat-cocoa laddoos alongside the traditional thenkuzhal and ribbon pokodam. 

And of course my gorgeous shiny rangoli this year, a design put together using traditional motifs :) We also got together with a friend after a really long time and spent the evening embracing some old memories and enjoying some warm laughter together. A forgotten story, a shared laugh - that was our Diwali this year!

How was yours? Do share, I'm waiting to hear your stories! :) Better still, write a post and let me know, I'll hop over to read!! :)

From our home to yours.... here's a glimpse of our Diwali this year :)

A mehndi design that I came up with to decorate my palm and feet this year :)

....And some home decoration to add to the festive spirit :)

Peacock lampshade - with full detailing!

Ok, it's official, I love peacocks! I had created a really beautiful peacock themed lampshade long ago in 2011, for our bedroom. The sketch was easy to do but it was tough to find time to fill in the colours into this beautiful little art project.

Here are some of the images:

I painted it and did another post on Colours Dekor, here are some images:

I finally decided it would look much better with a black border and I completed it today. Better late than never! Here are some beautiful photos for you to enjoy! I love it and am sure you will too!

Peacocks are my other obsession apart from paisleys and flowers. Enjoy!!

New curtains, new look!

When we moved into this house in 2008, we had very few options to furnish the house and we had to do it soon as we also had a 1.5 year old toddler hanging around us whenever we went out shopping :-) So we had picked up some really nice curtains but a little on the heavier side fabric wise. 

As the years passed we realized that it was getting more and more difficult to maintain them so we decided to get rid of it and switch to a natural material like cotton. And what better than Fab India? We had gone on a week long trip to India in the month of February and my sister bought these for me from Fab India in Bangalore. 

They are in really pleasing colours and the best part is they are suited for the desert climate that we exist in Abu Dhabi. Dense enough not to let the heat through but light enough so that the room looks cool and airy. I'm in love with them!! 

'

I am all for cottons! I love the light texture and feel of it. Though it is difficult to maintain the look, it is worth every effort. I know I will have to get them drycleaned instead of machine washing them to ensure they look just the same over the years.

w.A.L.L A.r.T

Peacocks and butterflies - two of my favourites when it comes to design and home decor! I handpainted the peacock design on a wall in the living room and I also created the butterflies effect for the corridor.

I love a lot of bright colours all around me - be it home decor or even in the clothes I wear! Hey, I feel the peacock design looks like an ancient Rajasthani tribal pattern, doesn't it?

The blues and greens together combine into a vibrant wedding of design - it is hardly any surprise then, that the peacock is one of the most colourful birds in the animal world. 

Butterflies dance around in the corridor walls of our home. I did a little melange of leaves, flowers and butterflies to give a real feel. 

Then again, sometimes I feel this is a lot of effort for a rental home which we will eventually leave some day. But my love for art and creating decor won't let me sit still - so I guess I will keep creating and we will enjoy it as long as we can! :D