Home and Decorating: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

In the Spotlight ~ Enchanting Entrances

In the spotlight for July ~ Enchanting Entrances!! ....

The first thing one sees when coming to your home is the 'entrance'... the front door, the walkway, or the glimpse as soon as you open the door. According to feng shui, the main entrance of a home is not just the means to enter your home, but the doorway that protects the home and the people that reside in there from unwelcome and destructive forces.

Here is a picture of my entrance way... and what you see as soon as I open the main gate for you.. I'll do another post with more pictures of the entrance way as well...

I cant seem to click pictures without Bumble being in them... *smiles*... I carried the 'Tulsi' pot all the way from India, during my last trip... Yes!! Im a bit mental like that..

... and I got new pots as well.... *smiles*...

So what will you be linking in?? This category can be interpreted in a lot of different ways... entrance to gardens, front walkways, courtyards, corridors, driveways, backyards, front yards, front door, outdoor, terrace... you be creative now!! Come on... link in quick!! I'm waiting... *smiles*

Please grab the below button for your post... so I have more people joining in...

Over the next few weeks... I'll show you ways to enhance your entrance way ... and am hoping you'll enjoy & like my attempt... *smiles*

Buddha Scapes ~ Round up

Thank you to all of you who made Buddha Scapes possible... Thank you for inviting us into your homes or taking us on amazing tours... *hugs* for supporting all my little Colours Dekor dreams... Thank you!! *smiles*

The first entry this month was Komali's ... ~ Buddha Mantel

Followed by Ash, who took us on a tour of her gorgeous home...

Sharmistha's ~ my little lotus Buddha was a gorgeous ... gorgeous post!!

Could I ask for more?? Oorvi ~ peace, love, compassion

The above stunning image from All things beautiful....

Rama... not only supports me.... but continues to inspire... with Buddha & glimpses of Sikkim

Serene Spaces by Rema... who is another bundle of talent... *sigh*

Here is a new blog for you... Life & Times in Bangalore...

A gorgeous entry by Sudha ~ The Design Enthusiast ...

I simply cant get enough of this orange wall.. and now with frames.. its stunning... Hop on to All things beautiful...

Finally a stunning Buddha Scape at A Home makers Diary...

Do visit Thailand via Mindful Meandering ... *sigh* such a gorgeous post!!

You've got to visit this shop via Cherishing Spaces... I'll go shopping here for sure!!

Hope you enjoyed this series... as much as I did... *sigh*... I'll end with a quote from My experiments with Arts & Design

Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha said,

"However many holy words you read, however many you speak,

what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?"

Lucketts Part Two

One of my favorite things to see at Lucketts had nothing to do with what there was to buy. It was the wonderful outbuildings (not outhouses) on the grounds.

(photo borrowed from Casey who also loved the vendors sheds at Lucketts)

Most were filled to the brim with delightful items for sale by vendors.

I loved gazing at the architecture of each building. Many were made from old doors and windows,

and most had a touch or two of beautiful moudings.

I think I may have mentioned before that my dream home would be on a few acres with no neighbors in sight. And have about five different outbuildings including a big ol' barn that would be used for family gatherings instead of animals (even though when my boys get together it tends to sound like a bunch of animals.) I don't think that dream will be coming true anytime soon so in the meantime I'll just drool over these. . .

and maybe figure out how I can build at least one outbuilding in my backyard.
Isn't this a perfect spot for outdoor eating?

Or, since I already have similar pillars, maybe I could build something like this. . .

A girl can dream, right?

Now. . . And Then: Kirsten of 6th Street Design School

Blogger: Kirsten of 6th Street Design School

Now:

and Then:

What makes me cringe when I look back:

It is so funny because back when we lived in this apartment I thought that I was a good designer. I had just started design school and I thought I knew it all. Wow. I was so stuck on the "utah style of decorating". Fake plants, dark furniture, red and tan accents. What really makes me cringe is how "typical" my home looked. It had absolutely nothing unique or special about it.

What I love most about my house now:

My home now is completely me! I have finally found my style and it is wonderful. My home is colorful, fun and unique.

The biggest influence on my evolving style has been:

I have to say blogs, work experience and my design degree have been the biggest influence on my style. Blogs opened my eyes to a whole different world of design. I started to see how people were taking risks in their homes. I remember the first blog post I ever saw about white kitchen cabinets and I thought it was crazy! No one in Utah had white cabinets. Everyone had dark wood in their homes. I think it's natural for people's styles to evolve so my advice would be, don't buy furniture for a few years after you get married. Buy used and save the new furniture for after you have a better defined style. My bed and futon were big purchases that now I regret. Give yourself time to evolve and be patient with your home. It will all come together eventually!

Thanks, Kirsten! I think this post makes us all feel better :) See more of her home & design ideas here.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Contest, Giveaways & shopping

I've been dreaming of making a mood board .. And this is surely my one opportunity.. Hop on to Cherishing Spaces... and be part of this contest...

And if you've made a moodboard email vasudha.dilip@hotmail.com

Oh.. Congrats Shanthi on your 50th post... Now hop on to Home Shanthi Home... and be part of her give away... Sorry.. this is late.. You've got only two days to go! so hurry now!! :-)

Now.. for one more news... Have you ventured into Style Radha ~ an online store by The Key Bunch... Go on and shop... they've got some awesome stuff..

Month in Review and No-Spend July

Anyone else wondering where HALF the year went?? Can you believe it’s almost July? That’s nuts! I mean, I’ll be thinking about fall in just two weeks months! ;) Since the end of the month is here, yet again I’m recapping the last 30 days of projects just in case you missed one of them! I’m adding a little somethin’ from now on too – if I haven’t answered a question you have about one of the June

Lots of Pink with a Little Green: A Little Girl's Bedroom

Today, I'm sharing pictures of my friend Katie's four-year-old daughter's room. Although she says that it's not quite complete, I insisted that it was "blog-worthy" last time I was at her house. (Besides, I know you love to see real people's spaces as much as I do!)

This is how the room started:

Her first purchase was this cute Pottery Barn bedding, but she wanted the room to have a little punch.

And, after 1 1/2 years worth of tweaks and changes:

The whole room was done on a pretty tight budget. The headboards, desk and mirror were all second-hand finds that just needed some fresh paint. She ordered the pom-pom pillows from Pottery Barn Teen and we had them monogrammed in a clean, simple font.

She stenciled the entire wall behind the beds, using a template she found online. (You can find a similar one here.)

She put her little girl's first birthday dress on display wrapping the back of an old frame with fabric and painting the frame. The lamps were a HomeGoods purchase (we added the ribbon trim to match the green desk).

Since the room wasn't wired for overhead lighting, she bought a pack of these inexpensive Lilly Pulitzer pom-poms and hung one from the ceiling.

Thanks to Katie and her sweet girl for letting me share her 99% finished space!

...home tour continues~Anu

Hey everyone... I am continuing with the tour of my home and will share some glimpses of my favorite areas.... click on the image to see a larger picture

Lets start with the Puja place...My puja place is a small area in the kitchen, and consists of tiny silver idols some going back to 120 years arranged on a Chinese altar... The idols belong to my very much loved family and friends. When I moved to Atlanta, I asked for 1 idol from each of my folks...and the idols travelled from their puja place to mine,...with their blessings and wishes.