In the Spotlight ~ Buddha Scapes

In the spot light for June is ‘Buddha Scapes’ ~

Do not dwell in the past,

do not dream of the future,

concentrate the mind on the present moment.

~ Buddha

The word Buddha literally means ‘the awakened one’ – someone who has complete knowledge and can see the universe as it really is!! Buddhism to me is a discipline and is a small part of my heart.

One of the teachings is that ‘everything is linked’ and ‘the law of cause & effect’. This I think is where the idea of ‘karma’ comes in, what we give, is what we shall receive and vice versa. Our thoughts & actions determine the kind of life we can have.

I try every single day, to make a small difference to someone’s life, to do something good, to have complete control on my emotions and a bigger control over the words that come out of my mouth.

And this is where ‘Buddha’ plays an important role in my home. I love the serenity and calm on his face… The above are my outdoor corners of tranquil..

Now I’m taking you back indoors.. to show you how I’ve tried bringing in the lotus theme to ‘Buddha corners’…

This is my new find.. ‘my Buddha – light & fountain corner’… The Jhoola (swing) was the first piece of furniture my hubby & I purchased… so its ‘my special’ corner… And now with the Buddha and the sound of the fountain… its my favourite place for some calm in the evenings… *sigh*

So are you joining in for the June ‘In the Spotlight’ series… of ‘Buddha Scapes’… Show off the ‘Buddha’ corners of your home…. or share a ‘zen’ book, share some quotes or spiritual guidance… or simply tell me what ‘Buddha Scapes’ means to you… Go on and link in… *smiles*

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In the White Room With Black Curtains. . .

    
       

(Don't you just love when your blog post topic matches up perfectly with song lyrics?!)

While I'm often using curtains to lighten and brighten spaces, lately I'm really drawn to the drama black curtain panels can add to a space.  To pull off this look, I think it really comes down to contrast.  I love the crispness of these "white rooms with black curtains":

 

image source

Elle Decor

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This is an interesting look of mixing panels.  Not sure I'm completely sold.  What do you think?

 

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And, if the idea of black curtains freaks you out a little but you still want to add some contrast, this is one of my favorite tricks.  (We recently did something similar in my online client Camille's living room).

How do you feel about black curtains?  Glam or too goth?

Congrats to the winners of the Habitation pillow giveaway:

 

   

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AND. . . .

 

 

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Getting from good to great photos

Hello and happy Memorial Day! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend! We got a lot done outside, went to the pool, got a nap in, played in the sprinkler, the Pup got lots of rolling-around-in-the-grass time, and we generally had a beautiful weekend. :) First up, I need to announce the winner of the Heal My Sole giveaway! The lucky gal is Teresa at teresacline2001(at)yahoo(dot)com – Teresa be

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!

Wedding Photos

In my last post I showed how I made the centerpieces for the wedding open house I decorated.

It was a pleasure to work with this young couple you see in the photos. I am not a "professional" wedding designer/planner but I do find enjoyment in helping newlyweds make their celebration special. They were looking for something unique and I think that's the look we were able to achieve. Their colors were bright pink, yellow, and turquoise.

The couple loved parts of the backdrop from another wedding I had done but they weren't happy with the center/door area.

So I came up with an idea they did love.

I gave my outdoor patio furniture pieces a fresh coat of turquoise paint and found some coordinating fabric to hang in place of the door. I added in some lighting and brightly painted pink windows. The backdrop took on a whole new look.

They were thrilled with the result. And their happiness was mine!

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

Happy Memorial Day

    

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

(All images via Flickr)
   

Guest Post: Hodge:podge blog

I’m thrilled to be part of Barbara’s series, “So Canadian, eh?”

Please head on over to her lovely blog to read my interview and let me know what you think.  While you’re there, make sure you check out all of her amazing DIY projects. She’s my idol!



If you have landed here from Barbara’s blog, feel free to look around and thanks for visiting.

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...

Yet Another Paper Wreath Tutorial

If you do a search for paper wreath tutorials you will likely find a bazillion. There are folded paper wreaths and rolled paper wreaths just to name a few. I'm sure there is already at least one crunched paper wreath tutorial, yet I will add another just in case you haven't had the time or inclination to search. Paper wreaths are so popular because they are relatively inexpensive. However they are time, paper, and hot glue stick consuming. Each of the wreaths I made as centerpieces for the wedding reception took about an hour.

I started by using a simple wreath from the dollar store.

In order to camouflage the wreath, as well as make it easier for the crunched paper to stick,

I first covered it with strips of sheet music.

This was when I received 75% of my hot glue burns so be very careful with this step!

Next I cut pages from a music book into fourths.

My wreaths were covered completely on all sides so each took an entire music book that was about the thickness of a magazine.

Using one piece of quartered paper, I placed a dowel (a pencil would also work) into the center of the paper and then crunched the paper around the dowel.

Making sure to first flatten out the crunched end a bit for more surface area, I then applied hot glue.

Next I used the dowel to place the crunched paper onto the wreath.

I continued. . . and continued. . . and continued until the wreath was covered.

***I will now impart what little unique knowledge I gained from this procedure***

If the paper is thin it will adhere much faster than if it is thick and stiff. The stiffer the paper the longer the wait time for the glue to hold. And while you may think that the paper is stuck you will soon find out that the little stinkin' stiff paper will try to hightail it right off the wreath just as you are placing the next piece causing you to grab said piece and possibly cause additional finger burnage.

After the wreath was complete I lightly sprayed each with the desired color of spray paint. To give them more color and interest I added in pieces of crunched colored tissue paper.

To make them hang I hot glued on some evenly placed ribbons and glued the ribbons onto a large dowel that had been glued into a piece of 2x4. The dowel was topped with a finial painted to match the wreath and ribbons. I then adhered photos of the newlyweds onto the ribbon.

The centerpieces resembled little maypoles which was very appropriate since it was a May wedding.