Weekend Wrap Up - Wk 42

Hello my loves!! What are you guys upto?? I'm still away.. and will be back this week.. *smiles* with lots of stories... with lots of pictures.. *smiles*

I've been waiting to show you this... You must know by now... that I make a huge fuss about nearly every little thing that is a part of my home!! *sigh*.. One weekend.. I found this tissue box... It isn't expensive at all... but the colour and the peacock, simply stole my heart...

Hope you are joining in the Weekend Wrap up this week... ... ...

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

Enchanting Entrances ~ Tanu

Hello my lovelies!!.... Can't believe its the last day of the month already... *sigh*... I was meant going to do a round up of Enchanting Entrances... till I saw these stunning photos that I simply have to share....

You've seen Tanu's gorgeous hand painted Garden wall.... now see her post for Enchanting Entrances. Tanu blogs at Fly High with some absolutely stunning photography!!

Welcome! Please Enter...

Please leave your shoes

and mind outside :)
Have a taste of togetherness...

This is our reading space, tea-sipping, relaxing space...

Can you notice the leaves painted on the wall, near my Buddha's painting...

Here is a close up of the flower vase that you see in the above pic (to the left)

The view from the window is of trees dancing in the wind...

I am in love with the red coloured earth :)

The pictures on the walls were shot by me in Scotland

I have one more stunning entry to share with you .... which will now flow into next month...

Will do a round up post soon.... Till then, go on and check out some Enchanting Entrances!!

Pillowcase Giveaway from Bedside Manor

When my sponsor, Bedside Manor, offered to let me try their Charmeuse pillow case, I was intrigued.  I wouldn’t consider any of our bedding around here “luxurious”, so this was a special treat.  It’s 100% premium silk and is said to “prevent wrinkles" and “keep your hairstyle fresh.”   A pillowcase that can make me look better and save me time?  Excellent!


Here’s the little package I received in the mail: 







It’s all ready to go, if you want to give it as a gift.  (Would be perfect for personal showers, birthdays, Mother’s Day, etc. . . )  It also comes in white, cream, pink, sage and blue.


So, I know what you’re really wondering.  Did it work?  Well, I think the only reasonable way to review this pillowcase is to you show you before and after pictures of myself.

Before Bed. . .

The next morning. . .

 



Okay, maybe it won’t turn you into Megan Fox, but here are a few benefits to sleeping on the  Charmeuse pillow case (from their web site) now that I’ve got your attention: 



• 18 amino acids & high copper content restore hair luster and can even reduce fine facial lines
• Smoothes hair’s cuticle layer, adds body & shine
• Diminishes frizz & keeps curls smooth
• Ends tedious & damaging daily styling
• Reduces hair loss & breakage, you won’t find as much hair on your pillow
• Promotes a more restful & regenerative night's sleep

Giveaway details

Want to try one?  Bedside Manor is giving one lucky winner a Charmeuse case of their own.  (A $75 value)


To Enter. . . take a moment to browse Bedside Manor online and leave a comment telling me your favorite item from their shop.  For an additional entry, “like” Bedside Manor on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know.
I’ll announce the winner (chosen randomly) on my Facebook page on Wednessday, August 3rd.

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To find out more about Bedside Manor, you can follow them on Twitter or sign up on their web site to receive emails.

Bandhavgarh National Park

I simply had to share what I stumbled upon !!

As I am eternally planning a holiday… every single day of my life, today I came across this –

Bandhavgarh National Park (Please click to view their website)


Bandhavgarh National Park is spread at vindhya hills in Madhya Pradesh. It consists of a core area of 105 sq km and a buffer area of approximately 400 sq km of topography varies between steep ridges, undulating, forest and open meadows. Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. The density of the Tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. So to spot a tiger… you’ve got to go to Bandhavgarh.

Places to see around Bandhavgarh... Forts & Other places

And this is definitely where one should stay.... Click picture for link

I'm off to plan my vacation...

This is surely where I can going for my summer vacation !! If any of you have been, please give me your honest suggestions on torresp27@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance!!

Arrangment Perspective

I love having a formal living room, but the room has it's share of challenges. The ceilings are high.It's long and large, measuring 13 1/2 feet by 21 feet, but is has only one solid wall. The other walls contain large windows or door openings, with one that opens into the dining area.Because of the quirks of the room I kept my furniture in the exact same spot for a few years. Then one day, as I stood high upon a ladder painting, I viewed my near empty room from a different angle and perspective. I wondered why I had allowed myself to get trapped in a furniture arrangement rut?!?
Of course there were a few pieces that couldn't be moved because of size or practicality, but others could find a new home. Just because the room is odd doesn't mean the furniture placement has to be stuck in a rut.
Because of my ladder-top awakening I've never kept the furniture in the same spot since. These are some different arrangements I've had over the years.Sometimes it takes looking at a room from a new perspective to see how it can be rearranged. You can get on a ladder (like I did), empty the room out to start fresh, try an on-line room design site, or ask a trusted friend where they would place your furniture. You might even try switching furniture pieces from other rooms.

Are you in a furniture arrangement rut
or do you like to move things around?
***Don't forget to enter the Scentsy giveaway***

The Great American Quilt

 

Designer Tobi Fairley devoted the entire month of July on her blog to topics centered around all-American design.  I’m honored that she asked me to be a part, and blogged about ways to include quilts in modern decor. 

 

You can read the full post here.

 

Sarah Richardson

 

Besides the quilt, check out the brass bed in this photo.  How many times would you have passed it up at a thrift store?  Yet, bright bedding gives it fresh life. . .

 

 

 

 

Check back tomorrow for a fun giveaway from my sponsor, Bedside Manor.  You can enter for a chance to win a pillowcase that works miracles :)

 

 

 

Goings On

Hello there!! Hope you are having a great week! It’s the last one of July – can you even believe it? I’m actually writing from our deck tonight. It’s been so dang hot it’s been unbearable even at night, but it’s quite lovely this evening. And now that it’s nice out, what am I doing? Not working on anything on our HUGE, ongoing list of outdoor projects, but blogging. Figures. :) Anyhoo, first

Edit Profile

I had to edit my profile this week.
It now reads that I am a happy Nonnie to
THREE beautiful granddaughters!

I was privileged to be in the room as Granddaughter #3 was born last week on July 22nd. What a thrill to welcome another girl into our family.This means, for the first time in more than twenty years,
our family has an even amount of males and females.
Hooray!!!
My sweet daughter-in-law tells me that I deserve to have a lot of girl grandbabies to make up for years of living with an abundance of boys. I couldn't agree more!

Jen’s Old and New Series

I’m so thrilled that Jen, one of my blog besties and cute as a button, asked me to participate in her blog series:

What a brilliant idea for a series!

She has asked some bloggers to write about an old and new item in their home.  Since, I just had a couple of pieces delivered from Paint it Like New, I thought it would be fitting to share them.  So, they are really “old to new” items!

Here’s a sneak peek but in Jen’s post this dresser is shown with glass knobs by Anthro and here it has coral ones.  Which would you keep?  I pulled the coral colour from her headboard fabric.  They both look fantastic in person but the glass ones looked washed out in the photo.

You can read the post here.  I’m sure you have all heard of Jen’s blog, Rambling Renovators but if you haven’t, be sure to check out the room transformations in her gorgeous home.   One of my faves is her bedroom and I adore the wall panelling.  One of my clients is doing something very similar as we speak – same lights and all!  What an inspiration you are Jen!

Jen is kind of a rock star as she appeared on the House Proud segment of the Nate Berkus Show.  How cool is that?

Thanks Jen for having me over and I hope you are having a wonderful time out west with your family!

...a peep into my closet

...have you had your mom yell at you for keeping a messy room or an untidy closet? Mine did! and quite often!!...and when I wouldn't pay much attention to her yelling...she would happily dump the entire closet on the floor. Imagine entering your room to find your clothes, perfume bottles, earrings, your special possessions lying on the floor! I would get furious and be in tears but to no avail! My amma would just say..."This is my home, and until you are here, you will do as i say" !! I would equate my amma to Lalita Pawar for being so mean...!
Today, when we have made our own homes, I am so thankful for my amma for being so strict and being the disciplinarian. If my amma taught me loads of good stuff, my aunts taught us how to fold the sheets, the pillow cases and towels and sarees and.....:-) It had to be done a particular way... No arguments there....I am sure my aunts are smiling when they read this and today...I often thank these wounderful ladies for all their teachings...*smile*.
Now a quick peep into some of my closet spaces...
The kitchen pantry...
The Linen closet...
The 'Godrej' version for the precious Sarees and Chudidars... from office depot

Crockery space...

Trunk used to store comforters...

Most of my FB friends have seen this...my earrings 'store' from early last year...

What does your closet look like? Tell us,... Adios!

candles and candles..

I simply love candles.... and how they make the any space look gorgeous...

Lots of tea lights in glass holders... some with water... some with pebbles... on a mirror top....

The mirror is what makes it look even more gorgeous... Isn't it???

Do you love candles as much as I do??

Now. . . And Then: Lauren of Pure Style Home

 

 

Blogger:  Lauren of Pure Style Home

 

 

 

Now:

photo by Helen Norman

 

And Then. . .

 

 

 

What makes me cringe when I look back:

Oh boy… this photo makes me both smile & cringe. Ok, more like laugh. It’s a picture of my first apartment in college when I was 19. (JMU!) The apartment came furnished with a sofa, a LR chair, a dining room set, a coffee table and vertical blinds. (eeek!) It’s been almost 10 years and the cringing really comes into play when I look at the dinky size of the artwork and my attempt at hiding the sofa with a tapestry and the plastic pots. But I have to say, I’m still proud of that curtain rod. I cut down a piece of bamboo from the woods near my house and drove with my windows down for two hours to college with that thing hanging out of my car diagonally. I could only afford 1 set of curtain rings so the whole thing only had 6 rings on it and one of the first things I did on move-in day in was get out my drill & install the curtains.

 

 

What I love most about my home now:

The thing I love most about my home now is its connection to the outdoors. We have lots of windows and it’s really light & airy-feeling. I love to just sit in my living room at the end of a day with all of the windows open.  Have to be honest, though, that this rarely happens in real life ;)

When looking at the two different photos, I can see that I still had a thing for nature –even back then I was a plant lover & killer- and I can see that I was attempting for an easy-breezy casual vibe. The accessories & fabrics I used were mostly borrowed so they reflected other people’s travels & history (mainly my grandparents’) & not mine, so I think that the details in my home now more accurately portray me & my family.

 

 

The biggest influence on my evolving style has been:

The biggest influence on my evolving style has been the blog world and the shelter magazines. There is so much inspiration online & I’m constantly amazed by all of the creative ideas & beautiful things design bloggers & designers who blog come up with. There seems to be so much charm & personality in what many bloggers show & create and they’re so open to sharing their ideas & helping others. I also look to shelter magazines for really polished & completed designs. I often flip through them when working on projects to study small details like the distance of a rug from the walls or maybe the styling of a mantle or whatever little thing it is I’m looking for. I’ve realized that I have an innate tug of war going on between more layered, almost cluttered English-feeling rooms and open & light & more minimal spaces. One pretty spread in a magazine can pull me to the other side in a heartbeat, so I’m not sure if - in the future- my style will go one way or the other or stay in between.

 

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Awww, yes!  Aren’t college apartments the best?  I only wish I had pictures of mine to show you . . . Thanks, Lauren—this was most enjoyable :)  To see more of her amazing work, visit Pure Style Home here.