July Month in Review!

Hello there! I’m baaaack with another month in review! Can you even believe how fast this month has gone? Nuts! To start out July, I showed you the progress I had made on my kitchen redo (with help from American Express!): And see? I said I hoped to get the kitchen done in July, and looky there…NOTHIN’ else has been done. It’s the kiss of DIY death to say it out loud. :) (Well, I did work on

Blinds or curtains??

To be honest, I never believed in blinds. My cousin introduced me to Blinds in Dubai…. Here are a few pictures of my home…

I think bedrooms tend to benefit from the use of blinds. Blinds are truly effective at blocking outside light. No matter when you need to sleep, drawing the blinds will instantly make the room dark enough for a good nap.

Saying that, you get black out, transparent and translucent blinds these days. I like light coming straight into my room… all day long!!

The décor in the space some times decides the choice between blinds or curtains. In my kids room, the old butterfly blinds or the new flower blinds just look perfect.

In my kitchen, blinds provide the airy feeling.

I simply love this print, in my mom & dads room. My quick pictures do not do much justice to it…. I am amazed by the different prints, patterns & colours blinds provide. In Dubai – Serial also make custom made blinds – print of your choice.

I think that older homes with high ceilings, are antique and period furniture would do much better with heavy drapers.


I’m missing you all and your lovely blogs and inspirations posts. Time is not on my side these days, hence I haven’t checked your blogs. I’m going to be horribly busy till about the first week of August.. and only quick posts on blogger till then… I’ll check all the old posts of my favourite blogs soon… Soon !! I promise!…

From before to after: It takes time

First of all, the winner of the Saffron Marigold giveaway is Betsy from Not Your Ordinary Betsy…congrats!! Betsy, email archana (at) saffronmarigold (dot) com to get your free item! You all know how much I LOVE before and after pictures. Hence the idea for the Before and After Party I have monthly. I could look at before and after pics of a space all. day. long. I love trying to find all of the

Seasonal Decorating

When I think about decorating for the seasons naturally what comes to mind are the jewel tones of fall, the reds and greens of Christmas, and the pastels of spring and Easter. But as I looked around my home I've noticed that the greens of summer have infiltrated my home in the form of faux plants and moss balls, with a few florals thrown in for good measure.

Is your home sporting the greens of the season?

Sanvi's room

I love to see real homes. A little bit of clutter and lots and lots of love… The thought behind painting a kids room… the love… that reflects on those walls… mesmerises me!!

I’ve showcased the work of Nirja Desai before…. She blogs at I like kalaa… She helped a friend with baby Sanvi’s room. The mother wanted a nature theme…. So hence the tree…

The Monkey & Elmo were the Sanvi’s dads idea…

Don’t you think baby Sanvi would just love to grow up in this room.

Isn't the tree simply simply beautiful..

Do you have a room as beautiful as this one?? I'd love to see it... email me at torresp27@hotmail.com

The dining room update

Heya peeps! I hope you had a great weekend! I finally finished up a project that was months in the making…really it was years. ;) Before we built our house, we had been living in a two bedroom apartment for three years or so, and a small apartment translated to VERY little furniture in our new, large house. I lived with the bare dining room as long as I could after we moved in, and one day I

Just Another Mantle Monday

Using many of the same elements from my 4th of July mantle,

I redecorated for a feeling of
a sophisticated summer.

ABC wall ..

I’m amazed by the artsy – craftsy blogs… There are such inspiring people out there. One such person is Shilpa and she blogs at The Crafts Corner.

Here is a wall she put together for her daughter. This is an inspiration from torn up flash cards that she was going to throw away. Read the instructions.

And guess what... It was her first attempt!! Well done Shilpa!

For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s a sticker or a painting… The sheer fact that someone dared to do something with their walls amazes me.. Do you have a wall to show off about?? E-mail me at torresp27@hotmail.com I’d love to see it.. and more importantly show it off here.

This blog wouldn’t have an identity without all YOU inspiring people!! So ‘Thank You’ & ‘a big hug’. I'm just in one of those emotional moods... missing all my dear ones who are far away in other lands... :-)

CSN Giveaway

I have 100 followers!  Yay me!  Seeing your smiling faces in my sidebar makes me happy and to make your smile a little brighter, the folks over at CSN (featuring le creuset cookware) have kindly offered a $60 gift card as a giveaway.  (If you aren’t a follower yet, maybe this will entice you to become one!)

I think most blog readers have heard of CSN as they do a stand-up job of marketing their company to bloggers and graciously providing gift certificates for giveaways. 

On a side note, did you happen to see the home of CSN’s CEO and founder in the July 2010 issue of Better Homes and Garden?  You can see some images of the family-friendly home decorated in red, white and blue here.  

  The  Jonathan Adler Meurice Pendant, Saarinen dining table by Knoll and the Mademoiselle Chair with Missoni Fabric by Kartell are all available through the CSN network of 200 online sites.  Pretty impressive!.

They offer a full range of products.  Everything from accessories like these pillows from Thomas Paul and Dwell Studio:

To area rugs like these jaunty ones from Dash and Albert:

To art work like this map, one of over 300 on the CSN site.  Room Remix did a wonderful post on decorating with maps here.

Or lighting like this attractive Jonathan Adler ceiling mount:

Do check out their sites to access a diverse range of products at various price points.

To enter:

1.  Become a follower and leave a comment to let me know.  If you are already a follower, simply leave a comment!

For additional entries you can do any of the following:

2. Post about this giveaway on your sidebar.

3. Subscribe to my blog via email (see sidebar). 

4.  Tweet about the giveaway.

Please leave a comment for each entry as I am using random.org to pick a winner.

The contest is open to readers in the US and Canada and will close on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at midnight.  Good luck!

(I’m still confused about the different ways to read a blog:  become a follower, google reader and subscribe via email.  Are these all different people?  Even though I have 100 followers, there about 400 of you that follow, use google reader or subscribe via email.  Thank you for reading!!)

(Oh, and I’m on holidays this week, so posting will be minimal, or rather, non-existent.)

Entrance way..

Remember I told you guys last week, that I made a few sketches… This is what I expect my porch to look like…



This is what it looks like now...



Remember my lamp… from my old home?? Here is a pic for you… That’s what is meant to go in the front of my home..

Remember my mail box?? That goes up here ….

My make shift bird bath… I’m still hunting for a proper one.. Then the trunk will be cut off completely and a proper bird bath will stand in my garden.

Then I have a bell that I carried from my Sri Lanka trip…

All in all… I think it will look pretty… what do you think?

Now for a few flowers at the entrance of my home.... … This one is rather burnt… the direct sunlight is too strong.. I’m hoping by September, she will feel better…

My Pink Saturday flowers..

And when you go back.... this is what it looks like...

I’m linking in to FJI and Sunday Showcase. You must go and check Funky Junk Interiors, there is loads & loads of inspirations there… and the DIYs are simply amazing… Any more ideas for me?? Comment or email at torresp27@hotmail.com I love hearing your views…

New Lighting at Pottery Barn

Here’s a sneak peek at Pottery Barn’s new lighting collections available this Fall.

 

The square top on the tripod base spins to adjust the height of the lamp. 

The weatherproof iron mimics the look of copper on this outdoor fixture.

These task table lamps have such charm and vintage appeal.   There are floor versions as well.

Love the beaded detail on this bronze double sconce.

Love the fresh colour and the height (28.5”) of these ceramic table lamps.

This oversized burlap pendant would be perfect in a dining room with a rustic feel.

 

This would look great in a dining room, living room or bedroom.  The bronze finish keeps it from looking too girly glam.

Proceed With Caution

My husband loves his nightstand but it has only
a teeny tiny drawer for storage. I tried to solve the storage problem with a collection of boxes
that I painted and numbered. But they ended up looking too big and clunky for the space.
So I went to Plan B.

I had this great, vintage basket that was a thrift store find.
It was nice, but not all that masculine. A nice coat of gray spray paint helped, but it still needed a little more.
Since my husband did service in Germany in his youth I asked him to pick a German word that he thought would be appropriate for the basket. I printed off the word in a font that resembled one found on old shipping crates.
Then I cut out the letters to make a stencil. Next I sprayed the paper with adhesive and placed it on top of a piece of scrap wood that I had already painted the same gray as the basket.I spray painted the stencil and when the paint was dry I aged the sign with a little sanding and a light top coat of stain. Then I attached it to the basket with wire.I love that the basket now looks like it came from an old ship, complete with the German word for CAUTION. It fits perfectly under the nightstand and is a great storage solution for hubby's odds and ends.