Tuesday, February 12, 2013

PC Home Summer 2013 Preview

Last week I attended the President’s Choice Outdoor Living Summer preview.  The PC brand and Joe Fresh fall under the Loblaws umbrella.  The summer preview was all about colour, enjoying the summer and having fun.  Bring it on!
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I think I’ll replace my sad looking, weathered wood bench at the front of my house with this navy one. So affordable at $99 (without the cushion) and weather resistant as well.
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They have everything you need for a picnic cook out.  The table folds up and is easy to carry and the picnic bench condiment holder is adorable and practical.
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I can’t wait to get my hands on the striped baskets. They have quite a variety of baskets which are very affordable – in the $5-9 range.
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They had a variety of cushions (above and below) ranging in price from $7 to $14 – you couldn’t even make them for that!
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We were all intrigued by the 3 tiered acrylic beverage dispenser (above) and had ideas about what we would place in each tier. The plates and dishes are made from dishwasher-safe bamboo.
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The ceramic and glass carafe and cups were so unique and I love the substantial size of the tray.
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And last but not least, how adorable is this little guy?  He’s a solar powered lantern. Gnomes never looked so good!  (all photos taken by me with my phone)
Look for these products in your local Loblaws/Superstore in the coming weeks.
(Please note that I was not compensated in any way for writing this. I was invited to attend the preview and I did so because I love the brand and wanted to share. I do all my grocery shopping at our local SuperStore as they have a decent organic and gluten free section and my gym is also located just above the store!  My daughter and I have a number of Joe Fresh pieces in our wardrobe – so affordable.  So, I can work out, grocery shop and pick up a sweater all in one go!)

Embracing Global Decor





Sharing some blog love today... (in time for Valentine's day)... and showing you my new find *smiles*... Here is where I spend a few hours in a day...





Aalayam...meaning “a place of residence” in Sanskrit, is a blog with a concoction of ideas and inspiration. Co-authored by Deepa & Supriya, who are not only passionate about living the good life, but love design, decor, travel, photography, good food... and so much more.. So hop on to Aalayam Inspiration... and don't forget to follow... and show some love.. *smiles*












Over to the ladies at Aalayam....






Hello! When Patricia invited us to do a guest post for Colours Dekor, Supriya and I wanted to work on something that the Colours Dekor readers would enjoy. We wanted the pictures to be colorful and visually inspiring. A write-up on our personal design diction seemed appropriate. Supriya and I definitely have a lot in common with regard to design preferences and I guess that's what drove us into a collaboration. If you already a reader of Aalayam  then you know that we both love incorporating world-wide design elements in our homes. Our styles can best be described by the umbrella term "Global design /universal appeal".








Deepa's home - coffee table







My home is a merry melange of elements from all over the world  anchored by Indian elements for a truly global flavor.  Treasures such as Tanjore paintings from the art emporiums of  Chennai, persian rugs with ornate patterns, and fenton hobnail glassware from American antique malls  work harmoniously  in my home lending an exotic appeal. My home boasts of global charm and combines unorthodox decor accessories, lots of color and a heavy dose of drama without compromising on user-friendliness. Here's a few corner's from my home that highlights my fondness for world decor.







Deepa's home -  Living Room






Deepa's home - Bookcase






Supriya's home incorporates global design elements that are not necessarily conformist! The palettes range from ornate Indian furniture with vibrant textural softscaping to irreverent Bohemian chotchkies combined with quirky antique chic! This decor scheme blends form and function, and works like a charm for moving stuff around based on mood and occasion. The featured snapshots of her living space epitomize her style philosophy "let the room speak for you!". 









Supriya's home  - Chess board






Supriya's home  - seating area






Supriya's home  - blue wall/reading nook







Do you like ornamenting your home with global finds? Do you like  celebrating world cultures through global knick knacks?  If so, take a look at this great article on TLC  - "Decorating with world flair" 


Thank you Patricia for the privilege ! Hope we have inspired you to create your own global palette.

Visit us at Aalayam for more from the world of design and decor.


Cheers!


Deepa and Supriya







The Fifth Wall

Hey hey! I’m back today with one of my FAVORITE changes to make to a room. OK, the actual process is not my favorite (it stinks) but the result is one I’m hooked on. It’s of course, your “fifth wall” – the ceiling. I was painting ceilings way before blogging – I’ve just always loved the look. I think it stems for my love of a pop of color next to bright white trim. I feel like if I’m going to

Monday, February 11, 2013

Changes in the master

Hello and good morning and Monday to you! Hope you had a lovely weekend! The sun is just starting to peek out here and we have progress happening in basement bathroom as I write. We may have a potty down there by the end of the week! WHOO. HOO! :) Today I’m sharing a a few changes I made to the master bedroom. I started these projects last weekend and finished up a few little things yesterday.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Weekly Story ~ wk 2


So am back on the topic of gardens again...



With a few emails from people asking... some asking... I dont have garden pics to link in... Well then.. Go on and link some old pics... even better... just link anything on your blog... *smiles*...



A few more emails asking me 'so what happens to us?'... 'we have no garden'...



*sigh*.. How I wish I could find some pics of my little balcony to show you how a cozy pretty garden can be maintained even in a little balcony... Nonetheless... joining us today on Colours Dekor is Surabhi Mehrotra... sharing pics of her balcony... *smiles*...








Surabhi shares her story on how she transformed her empty balcony to one with an over dose of pots... to now one transformed into a beautiful and colourful little piece of sunshine.. 









Quick tips for balcony spaces... before we move to Surabhi's story... 





1. Organise differnt sizes and shapes of pots, with a variety of flowers and plants.


2. For small balconies... use creepers to fill up wall space. You can also use hanging plants, money plants, etc... that fall downwards and can be hung of the ceiling.


3. Colouring a wall with a single colour... example yellow or lime green... or even attempting a painting like some simple birds, flowers, stars or even a 'warli' or 'madhubani'... gives the space character.


4. Use lots of garden accents, like gnomes, chimes, bells, bird feeders, stones, pebbles, etc.









Over to Surabhi... 





Just that my hubby & I both love plants a lot and find gardening de-stressing. Initially we kept bringing pots and then realized that very little free space was left in the balcony and it was difficult to keep balcony clean and neat. So we decided to go vertical!! Donated loads of roses to neighbors and painted our dull boring wall to bright sunny yellow as we had flowers in purple, magenta shades. 










As a person also I love bright colours. Dull colours make me sad, so when inside our home we have a sober combo, I thought why not experiment with a bright colour in the balcony. So hubby and I drilled, put up fence and potted creepers… took care of them for a few months… that is now fruitful and our mornings starts with a colourful happy note. 











One thing for sure… I learnt that beside regular care, you need to talk to the plants, put them together in group so they dont feel lonely and if possible play some music. 








Next on our agenda is to add some bird feeder, bird house and a bird bath and some lights. 










Surabhi is an HR & textile professional, took a break and now has a small venture… 

called "Surabhi Ka Pitara"











I totally love how the yellow wall looks... simply impressive!!



So if you've got such a gorgeous balcony ... go on... link in.. or email me on coloursdekor@gmail.com








Join The Weekly Story linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..




  1. Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – 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. Original photographs only... 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.

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  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 coloursdekor@gmail.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!!





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Colours Dekor 















Saturday, February 9, 2013

The Saturday 6

I find myself having random little thoughts throughout the week about things I want to share with you.  So, I've decided to put them in a weekly Saturday round up called:
TheSaturday6
It might include pretty pictures, projects I’ve seen on other blogs, something funny I’ve read or pictures of our life in action. . . .   Here are the six things I’m sharing this week:

 #1
 dressing room+ chevron rug via A Cup of Mail blog
This dressing room might make you consider giving up your guest room. . .


  #2
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Christina made some expensive-looking hardware for her boys’ built-in bunk beds (which are pretty amazing) with some inexpensive plumbing parts and brass spray paint.


 #3
HofF
The latest issue of House of Fifty is out, and Janell did a great job, once again, of putting together a beautiful, colorful magazine.  (I didn’t realize how much I would love reading design magazines on my iPad, but I’m hooked . . . )  Thanks to Courtney, who included my quote in her article on beating the winter blues.  I said something about organizing all of our closets.  (Yeah, I need to get on that. . .)



#4

The one-room challenge has started up again.  Twenty design bloggers each choose a room to completely redo in a six-week period, posting weekly updates each Wednesday.  I’m looking forward to following their progress since I’ve had to pass on participating the last two times.  Linda (who coordinates the challenge) promised to ask me again when my kids are in college :) 


#5
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I saw these colorful, little abstracts when I was in Slate Interiors (in Charlotte) last week.  I love them in a grouping with simple mats and frames.  And, I was reminded that I still believe there’s a painter inside of me waiting to come out.  But first, she has laundry to fold, diapers to change, and a kitchen to clean up. . .


#6
bedroom with green curtains by Edyta & Co.
One of my readers sent me pictures of this bedroom she recently completed.  Edyta is a designer in Chicago, and proves that putting a little color in the right spots can be stunning.  Raise your hand if you now want green drapes.


I hope all of my friends who are snowed in up North are staying warm this weekend.  If it’s any consolation, my poor Carolina kids are insanely jealous.



PS—Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for my blog this week.  I didn’t advance to the next round in my category, but 17th out of a gazillion isn’t bad :)  You can vote for your favorite out of the top six here

Friday, February 8, 2013

HomeSense Spring/Summer 2013 Preview

It’s a snow day where I am (near Toronto, Ontario) – schools closed, hubby working from home, roads treacherous.

So, how about a burst of colour on this blustery day courtesy of the HomeSense Spring/Summer 2013 Preview I was invited to this week.  These products should be rolling into stores over the next few weeks and some are in store already.

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I think Jonathan Adler would approve of this “happy chic” vibe, don’t you? Colourful sofas, pillows, side tables, lamps and area rugs could add just the right amount of “happy” to your space.

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Photography, block print art and interesting pieces with texture mean there is no reason to have bare walls.

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The horse photographs are on acrylic and can we just talk about that rocking chair for a minute – seriously love it!

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This vignette has a cottage and vintage vibe but is paired with some modern pieces like the bench.  My favourite piece is the petite chair which would look great in a girl’s room or even as an office chair. The rug looks and feels like wool but it is actually jute. I’m predicting those will be snapped up in no time.

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I had to keep being reminded that everything on display was HomeSense – the bookcases, lighting, mirrors. Adore the blue-grey paint colour of the bookcases and the textiles on the bed.

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The outdoor collections were very impressive. Everything pictured above (except the chandelier and the mirror) are for the outdoors. New to HomeSense this year is outdoor lighting (seen on the right).

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The greens, blues and yellows are so fresh. Love how they created art from the melamine plates and trays.

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I had no idea that HomeSense sold barbeques as well as everything else you need for backyard entertaining.

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Colourful bird feeders for the nature lover (we got to take one home!)

So what do you think? Fun, colourful, affordable and stylish, right? I see a few things I will be stalking my local HomeSense for. What caught your eye?