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

Blog finds ~ What's Ur Home Story

I'm thrilled to have found 'What's Ur Home Story'... The blog is close to my heart and so many times when I read the posts, I feel as though... its me talking... so much in common!! I'm sure you'll love it too... go on and check 'What's Ur Home Story'... 

I am Vidya, a chemical engineer by training, a financial
analyst by profession, an artist by craft, and a decorator by passion. I obsess
over a great piece of home decor, art, and tastefully decorated homes.

 Whats Ur Home story started out as a way for me to
document everything décor related that I did at home; I’m sure my friends were
getting tired of all the FB updates.  As we have a new home, we have a
serious case of the “too new to change” syndrome. Everything I do can be easily
implemented in rentals, apartments, townhomes, or anywhere you do not want to
get into structural remodels.

I believe that structural features alone don’t define
character (yes they do help); it is more about the story the house has to tell,
about your family. In our home we tend to mix our Transitional style with our
Indian roots.

Our family of 4 fills it with the things we love, that
remind us of our culture and heritage, kids’ art work, trip
souvenirs…..everything thing that is close to our hearts. I strongly believe
that by falling back on something you love and the things that make you who you
are, you can add layers of character to your home.
 Whats Ur Home story is the story of how we are making our
house a home one chapter at a time.

I sure hope you'll pop into What's Ur Home Story.... and inspire one more blogger!! go on!!

Blog find ~ Warli-Soul

You know how much I love Warli art... Don't you? I've been dreaming of doing a small Warli wall... at home.. and that's when my heart found 'Warli Soul'...

I'd like to introduce you to Aparna who blogs at Warli Soul. She is a software techie turned home maker turned mommy turned artists who loves making modernized warli paintings...

A few pics for you to enjoy...



I totally love peacocks too...

Another gorgeous Warli... with warli borders... wow!!

Do you like this??

So now... hop on to Warli Soul.. and don't forget to like her page... and leave a few comments.. Its always inspiring and motivating...

Blog find ~ ourlens360degrees

I'd like to introduce you to Lakshmi & Krishna ... and their amazing blog 'our lens 360 degrees'.. The blog is about their yeas together, their passion for food, travel, photography and random interests. And they share these moments via their blog... So hop on and visit them...



Here are a few posts... that stole my heart.. *smiles*

Dandelion Wall Art... What do you think?

Oh.. and this recipe.... ~ Stuffed Capsicum...

A road trip to Milky Frozen Falls... Wow!!

Randomness.... Sunrise over the Atlantic..



Hop on to their blog... and simply fall in love with all their posts... *smiles*

Cocka-doodle-doo

Easter is coming... Despite being imaginary, the Easter Bunny usually gets all the attention this time of the year... I suspect it has something to do with the Easter eggs....



So I am taking a short-cut today and directly to the Rooster and the Hen and of course the chickens... I saw these in a hotel shop in Phoenix and just adored them..

What do you think... don't they look better than Easter bunny any day? And if you are in the mood to see some cute projects with animals, check out my crafts blog.



Until next time,

Shilpa

My very own Cozy Corner

Hi all,

Long time...

It's been crazy at work and at home. Kids are growing up, work has been hectic. And to add to everything, my laptop died and the loss of data, especially a ton of pictures made me realize the importance of regular backups...

But amidst all this insanity, I can still manage to get a sense of calm and relaxation when I sit down in my Cozy corner with a can of coke and a book... not that I can a lot of time for books nowadays. But even working in this corner somehow seems better than working anywhere else in the house.

When when the weather is warm and we don't need a fireplace (read most of the time), I just sit in this area and watch the pictures of the kids on the fireplace mantle and wonder how fast the kids are growing.

This is also the place I like to sit when friends get together and have tea. In short, this is MY COZY CORNER!

What do you think about it?

Until next time,

Shilpa Vir

A day thru' my Window - Shanthi

Huh!!!! We are still in the middle of the winter - I can’t complain though – after all the fun time in India and Hawaii. But ACTUALLY lived long enough (20 yrs) in Norway that I enjoy and look forward to the 4 SEASONS and the play of colors around me – else life could get too monotonous J . OK does that sound surreal! – Hey!!! then look at a day through my window. Oops !!! my camera was shivering at -9 degrees J.




I woke up to this beautiful romance with Chaand following me thru’ all my windows.

While all this is going on in the west , the eastern sky was busy putting up its first colors.

And on is a neighbors smoking pipe

A train meandering its way

All that rises has to set and so here we are again with the play of colors at the dusk. ( hmmmm…. Pity !!! was too busy to capture the sun set )

So folks do you agree that life in our part of the world is not that bad either J . Have a nice weekend !!!

Suchitra's Easy Crafts

I’m most excited when I stumble upon talented people.. and trust me… there are so many out there!!! Suchitra is one such bundle of talent. When I saw her blog…. All I could say was ‘WOW’… from using waste to make pretty crafts, to crochet, from simple dolls to tajore paintings… She also makes artificial jewellery and baby clothes… She really does it all!! You’ve got to check out her blog.. to believe what else she can do… She blogs at Easy Crafts… which I believe is a great way to introduce arts & crafts to the next generation…



Here is what she has to say –

I am a housewife and am a craft lover. I have been trying out various types of craft since I was studying. However after my education and marriage I had lot of time and encouragement from my family to improve my skills. I started my crafts blog Easycrafts (http://easycrafts.blogspot.com) in 2006 November and the food blog Simple Indian food (http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com) came almost a year later. The Microwave cooking blog (http://easyindianfood.blogspot.com) is dedicated to cooking Indian food using the microwave. With help from my husband we started blogs for Personal finance (http://ideasmoney.blogspot.com) and Temples of India (http://temples-india.blogspot.com).

So much talent... yet such a simple, humble and gorgeous personality.. Thank you Suchitra... for sharing all that you know with us... So we can learn and grow!! and pass some knowledge to our younger ones..

Have you checked out her blog yet?? NO!!! Easy Crafts is where you need to go!!

Do you have a talent that can be showcased here?? Email me on torresp27@hotmail.com

From here and there

Hi there,



My name is Shilpa and I blog over at Reya and Rithik and The Crafts Corner. I came across this beautiful blog about 3 months back and instantly fell in love it it. And I knew right away that I wanted to contrute to this blog...



Thanks to Patricia for allowing me to be a part of the Colours Dekor team. I am so excited!



Initially I wanted to contribute in a specific category of posts like "Reduce, reuse, recycle" or "DIY" or "Outdoor spaces". But, even after thinking for almost a month, I have not been able to narrow down on just one topic to contribute. So I have decided to call my category "From here and there"... Clever, don't you think... gives me a free pass to post in any category I want.



I look forward to interacting with you all and I hope you like what I bring to you from here and there...



Signing off,

Shilpa Vir

Co-blogger find (June 10)

Hope you enjoy seeing new blogs… as much as I enjoy featuring them and introducing them…!! This month I’m featuring four more blogs that I stumbled upon…. This is my attempt to share more than just home décor… blogs that have so much more to offer and such abundant talent….


Bookend Diaries is a book blog sharing reviews of existing and new books, and discussions with readers … It’s a book worms corner.


An Amazing Photo Blog…

Tara Dillard’s marvellous blog on landscape design and home & garden décor. A whole new perspective to home interiors.

Turmeric & Spice is an awesome blog of photos, recipes and snippets from everyday life…


Email me on torresp27@hotmail.com if you come across an amazing blog .... Go on now.. and check out these blogs ... and inspire them!!