A Craft You'll Love

Let's make a sweet little decoration

for Sweetheart's day!

First, gather your supplies. You will need:
Scrapbook Paper
Scissors and Glue
Ribbon
Paint
A Glitter Heart (Package purchased at WM for $1.50, but you could easily make your own)

Artist Canvas (You can find these in any craft store. These were purchased at WM, 3/$2.50 for 8x10 size. They can be also found in 7x9 sizes at the dollar store 2/$1.)Next, mark and drill two holes on one side of all three canvas panels. Then on one canvas, drill two more holes on the opposite side. If you don't own a drill, you could easily make the holes using a hammer and nail to punch through the canvas.Paint the two canvases with two holes. I used spray paint, but any craft paint will do. Or you could cover them with scrapbook paper.Cover the canvas with the four holes with scrapbook paper.
Glue on a large glitter heart.Cut two large I's and two large U's out of coordinating paper. Stagger the two pieces for a shadow effect and glue them onto the painted canvases.String ribbon through the holes in the canvases to tie all three together.And there you have a sweet, and fairly easy, Valentine's Day decoration!

I love a craft that you can personalize to your own taste!

You could connect the canvases horizontally to have a bigger area for words, instead of letters. You might choose: Be Mine, Happy Valentine's Day, Hugs & Kisses, to name a few. If you have a passion for scrapbooking, you might want to get more decorative.

If I've inspired you to make this sweet little craft,
I'd love to see yours!

Putting odd wall space to use

I have a major staircase redo in the works, but until then, I'm adding this post to Beth's party!Thank you for your encouragement about my last post! You are all so wonderful and it warmed my heart. Thanks to those who have already gotten in touch with me -- I'm so excited about working with you all!!So you may have heard me complain about our lack of beautiful stairway railings in our house. (

You've Been Framed!

I love my foyer table and mirror. I'm so proud of the way I was able to transform them. I'm happy that they look so good together. But, there has always been one little thing that has bothered me. The mirror is just not the right dimension for the table. The balance between the two is off, large table, small mirror.I've managed to create balance by placing large objects like plants and candles on each side of the mirror. Yet, it still seemed like it needed a bit more.
The other day as I sat contemplating my design dilemma, it occurred to me that the solution was right in front of my face.A little tweaking and I had my solution. I love the layers and balance, as well as the repetition of design from across the room. I even like the look of the hanging wire. It helps to tie the two frames together.

Could there be a solution to your design dilemma
right in front of you?

It's about that time

So I’ve been debating on doing two things on this blog for a long time now… my mind started spinning when I started to get really into this bloggy thing a few months ago and I’ve been mulling over it since then.Because I spend more time blogging then on my real job lately (it’s only a part time job but…seriously) and because I have dedicated so much time to this site (and have loved every second

More Green for Less Green

I love to look in popular home stores and catalogs to see what's current. I never want to have one of those homes that an archeologist can date it (or me) by the furnishings and decorations. You know what I mean. Think of that house down the street that still has country blue and mauve wallpaper adorned with geese and a old dusty dried floral arrangement. Your home design, like water, should never be stagnant. My mother taught me that "a change is as good as a rest." And making small changes in your home can really make it a more restful place.
You don't have to change everything in your house to keep up with the styles, just incorporate a current item or two.

(photo courtesy of Pottery Barn)

Recently while in a very trendy store, I noticed these "moss spheres" adorning several surfaces. You know what I did? Yes. I stopped by the dollar store on my way home and picked up a few items. The glue and thread were items I had on hand.I turned on some relaxing music and started to craft. Working in sections, I applied glue to the styrofoam ball and then stuck on the moss. It was a bit messy, but really easy. Knowing that these spheres might tempt the young men in my family (a ball is a ball to them), I took a clue from the original items and wrapped each with green thread to additionally secure the moss.I was able to make five moss spheres for substantially less than purchasing them at the popular store. Won't this arrangement look gorgeous in my fireplace or as a centerpiece for my table?

I promise to light the candles
and not leave them unattended.
I'm pretty sure that fire and smoke damage
is not a new design trend.

Candles.... light up my life !!

I have loads of candles around my house. I love lighting up my house with indirect lights like lamps and candles.

I know of a lot of people who only buy candles because they match their curtains or couches and never light them…. Talk about not exploring your creativity !!

Here are a few creative candle ideas…

This one being the easiest... Fill any pretty glass bowl with stones, pebbles, bath salt or even sand. Then add a few tealights... and the mood is created!! Try Rangoli colours or coloured pebbles for more excitement !


This one I thought was the most creative!! Turn any vegetable into a candle holder... from eggplants to peppers. The more the colours... the more the glamour!

These are paper lamps ... that can be used anywhere around your house. In this picture.. the flickering of the candles will take you upstairs to your bed.. Designer - Heather Smith

I am sure we all have a bottle of herbs or of coloured pasta or even coloured lentils. Here Designer - Susan Kinney, has changed the outlook of the little bottle, by simply placing a candle in it.... Lets try this one!!

Lark publisher Carol Taylor dreamed of a collection of kitchen items filled with candles wax, so she created this and made her dream come true...

Tealights simply embedded in fresh apples to make this extremely cheerful centerpiece!

Some time next week, look out for more posts on candles!!

I'm baaaaack!!

Well hellooooo there! First of all, thanks for your sweet thoughts about my son! He's doing GREAT -- actually improved quite a bit within 24 hours. So I felt OK leaving town with my stepdaughter, more on that later. And I am overwhelmed by your comments on the pantry. Glad I wasn't the only one who was gaga over it!Before I tell you about our trip...I have to give you a rundown of my VERY VERY

The Scale of Just This

If you've read my blog at all, you know that I enjoy thrift shopping. I love the thrill of the hunt as well as finding a good bargain! But I know, that for me, this is an addictive behavior, so I try to keep my addiction to a minimum by just this one bargain shopping outlet. I don't shop the classifieds, on-line auctions, or even garage sales. Because I limit myself, it's a bit more difficult to find that certain little treasure I may be looking for.
I've wanted a vintage kitchen scale for several months. During that time I've only seen one at the thrift store....in someone else's hands. So it was time to do a little "networking." Fortunately, I have a friend who enjoys going to estate auctions!
I asked my friend to look for just this one little item. Last week I got a phone call telling me that my treasure had been found! It needs a little cleaning, but I love it.I highly recommend networking when it comes to finding the little "just this" you're looking for. I also recommend that you keep your wish list to just this one or two items, and that you make it clear that you are willing to pay up to just this amount of money. You don't want to take advantage of your friend. You may even choose to offer your friend a finder's fee to help motivate them to search for your treasure, although for most people the thrill of the hunt is payment enough.
Next time you are on the search for just this one item to complete (or start) your collection, why don't you give networking a try.

Elephants - Not mans best friend.... but mine for sure!!!

Glorious Elephants

First of all I want to feature this Rajasthani wall!! I am so impressed by the artists.


I love elephants and am very fascinated with this majestic and royal animal. Its grandeur brings it so close to my heart.

How majesty resplendent with a huge body but an innocent and lovable look. Life comes in all sizes, the big ones obviously look more glorious and glamourous.

Here is a peek into my home!! Elephants... sure stand tall & strong as my best friend.

My cup of tea also has my favourite animal on it... My love undying!!

Can you see the regal splendour? These are my costers. I picked this up from Marble Rocks in Jabalpur!!

This coaster is from my Bangalore trip! I will have a seperate blog on coasters as well...

These Elephants are at the entrace of my house. They walk in the same direction as I do... when I walk into my home..

This elephant was a gift from Ramya from her Srilanka trip... standing gloriously on my bathroom shelf.

I fell in love with these the minute I saw them... The very second day, my younger daughter- Yvonne broke one of them. Thank God for super glue. Can you tell?? These stand beautifully on my center table.

This incence holder is from my trip to Elephanta Caves in Mumbai. Isn't this lovely?

This was a gift from my close friend Karishma, from her Bangkok trip. I treasure and value each elephant...

The below bed spread is a Christmas gift from Rose, all the way from Goa !

The one below stands tall on my so called dressing table, with the treasure box filled with my jewellery. This one is a gift from my brother, Arafat.

These are on my magnet board.... fridge Magnest from Cape Town (gift from my friend, Sonja) and one from Kenya (from my trip)!

This lovely oil burner stands on my dining table... and spreads the smell all over the house!!

More posts from my house to follow !! Do tell me what you think.... comment or write to me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Opps! There It Is!

People pay me to help them decide on just the right color for their homes, so would it surprise you to know that I'm not one of those people who obsess over which is the perfect color to paint a room or piece of furniture. In fact, the only thing I do obsess over, when it comes to paint, are the "opps" paints. It drives my husband nuts that I cannot walk into a store that sells paint without checking out those discounted little beauties of mistints. Most stores sell a gallon of mistinted paint for five dollars. I've paid as little as one dollar and as much as ten dollars a gallon, depending on the brand. I almost always buy satin finishes because I like the warm shine of satin on the walls of my home. Occasionally I'll buy a semi-gloss because the finish gives furniture a nice shine and is easy to clean. I limit my color choices to neutrals, unless I have something specific in mind.
The wall in my dining room was a mistinted venetian plaster. I layered an opps glaze on top to give it warmth.My kitchen cabinets were also painted with oops paint. I wanted a cream color and I knew that applying a poly on top would change the color a bit, so I choose not to be so particular about the exact color of cream.The kitchen wall color wasn't a mistint, but it was discounted because the paint store had a contractor decide he didn't want all of the paint that he'd originally ordered. Don't be afraid to ask the paint store employees about extra paint that they may have from cancelled orders. Sometimes these are the same colors that are being used in model homes.My family room walls are painted with two gallons of red oops paint that I mixed together. The paint on the entertainment center is also a mistint.The door coffee table is a happy oops---one of those colors that I would not have chosen unless it was super cheap, but I'm thrilled with the finished product.Remember when you learned to mix paint colors in grade school? You can do that with oops paints too! Just last month, I painted our guest room. I mixed two different colors of mistints until I got just the shade I was looking for. It's a gorgeous gray with a hint of green. I love the color so much, I wish I would have painted my master bedroom walls this color.The nice thing about oops paint is that you can paint a room for under ten dollars and if you don't like it, you haven't spent much more than you would on a fast food meal. I do reccomend that you have a color range in mind before you choose a mistint, and be open to all possibilities. For instance, you may love the color of your oops painted walls, but feel that your accessories now look out of place. Before you repaint the walls, consider changing the color of the accessories in your room (AHH! The wonders of a little spray paint). That change might be all you need to love your newly painted walls. And with freshly painted accessories, you'll feel like you had an entire room make-over for under twenty dollars.

Courtyards

During my extensive couch travel, hunting for my perfect Rajasthani holiday. I stumbled across these astounding courtyards… My soul was wandering here… and I could see myself… running around and dancing like a little child.

The walls standing tall have witnessed the bygone era. The grand architecture of the traditional Indian palaces presents a picture of majesty and royalty.

This is so quaint, so welcoming with its own old world charm!

Here is me... sitting with my feet in the water.. and sipping my tea!

Do tell me if you feel the same way as I do... write to torresp27@hotmail.com.