House Beautiful: my own home - II

My last move with in the previous city was into this one bedroom house. I made some amazing friends for life while living in this complex. And also spent the initial days of my pregnancy here before we moved back to India. This home was where most of my furniture came in. I religiously scouted thrift stores and craigslist to find vintage mid century pieces of my choice, So here we go.

Welcome home...

The front door and entryway. 
We had a shoes and jackets closet on the left and a Jack and jill bathroom on the right.

Living and dining room all in one :)

we bought a mid century piece initially and then brought home a Drexel's Declaration dining set designed by Kipp Stewart and Stuart Macdougall. Thats the dining area with the accent wall and a peek into our tiny kitchen.

A peek into the kitchen...The cabinets were very neat and very clean line..the way I like :)

a few more pictures of my kitchen on my food blog's kitchen tour post >> Kitchen Tour 

And back to the living area- a glance at how our furniture collection evolved. I picked up some lovely lamps and accessories from the 50-60s and tried to remain true to the vintage vibe with an addition of our Crosley radio :). Though we let go a lot over time, my husband and I have fond memories of all the lovely pieces we had. 

view of our dining area from the living area.

Mantle decked up with my set of Maparachi dolls and a frame of the embroidered elephant and a few other curios :)

The mantle decked up for Diwali, our festival of lights

clicked from while on the rocking chair. Oh yes I have a thing for rocking chairs :). Read more about the rockers I owned over time > Here and Here 

A few tablescapes :) with our priced possessions

My love for plants and greens indoors :)

The bedroom

 I miss this apartment and the group of friends we had memorable times with :).

Friday Finds: Aranmula Kannadi ~ Kerala's best kept secret :)

Anpu has been a constant source of inspiration for me. This lady is a bundle of talent - an excellent cook, keeps a perfect home, an avid gardener, an amazing painter and most of all, a great human being. She juggles all this while being a busy IT professional. 

Her home has an amazing collection of antiques, her artwork and DIYs. I had previously featured her antique air blower she picked from her travel to the middle east. This time, she spoke about her Aranmula kannadi and I had to share it on the blog :)

Her beautiful Aranmula Kannadi was a gift from her friend.These mirrors are unique handmade metal alloy mirror, made in Aranmula, a village in Kerala, India. Kannadi means mirror in malayalam. 

(one from her collection - Mysore painting)

Its interesting to note that unlike normal 'silvered' glass mirrors, these Aranmula Kannadi is a metal-alloy mirror, it is a front surface reflection mirror, and has no secondary reflections typically seen in the mirrors we normally use..In the Aranmula mirror there is no gap or distortion between the mirror and the object, while in the normal mirror there is a gap.

Amazing isnt it? :) 

Pics courtesy: Anpu :)

Store Profile: Anu's Shop

Another lady after my heart - Anu, of My Dream Canvas. She has been over at the Design Enthusiast with her lovely post on Diwali decor at her place and I had posted about all the giveaways she organized on her blog. This time around, she is here to talk about her new love, an online store  - THE SHOP :). I love her eye for detail and all the amazing things she has at home :). It is wonderful when such talented women get into sourcing stuff for your home too! isn't it :). 

I invited Anu to talk about the store, her love for decor and everything beautiful. :)...Over to Anu a.k.a Anuradha 

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I created My Dream Canvas a few years ago with lifestyle and photography as the two main ingredients for my blog. Over the years my interest in Interior Styling has grown and my home home has emerged as a canvas to showcase my thoughts and passion. Last year a thought began growing in my head.......a desire to start my own "little boutique". The idea behind it is really very simple. I enjoy collecting things that are both unique and  beautiful and I want to share it with others. 

At the moment I am primarily sourcing from India but over time my plan is to include products from different parts of the world.  I want my online boutique to be a little gift shop that makes people happy. Each and every product that I source is something that I have personally found inspiring. It gives me great pleasure to see  The Shop at My Dream Canvas  be a part of someone's home! I am a dreamer at heart, therefore I really don't have a business plan in my head :-). For now, I am enjoying the journey and curating a collection that's from my heart!

I am a very happy customer too :)..She was very prompt with the shipping and took care to schedule it as per my convenience. 

Thank you Anu, for coming over at The DE..wishing you the best and looking forward to many more beautiful things to be showcased in THE SHOP :). 

All you lovely folks hop over and own an amazing decor item for your lovely home. 

The online Store : THE SHOP

For updates about the store and products in stock:  My Dream Canvas on Facebook 

She accepts paypal and currently ships within the US :)

House Beautiful ~ At home with Shweta Sharma

I came across Shweta's blog - Hastkala and her lovely home pics and requested her for a sneak peek. Her home is a neat and classy place with love and personality oozing from every corner. 


She won me over when she said " I believe in recycling, reusing and recreating the best out of waste. I believe in living a life which is healthy for me and healthier for the planet." People who know me would know why I was impressed by this talented lady who is not only an artist but also a wonderful photographer :). You must see her clicks to see what I mean. 

Now, a peek into her space -

Shweta say "I have never designed or decorated any home before I got married and moved into mine. It is so daunting to have a place of your own and then to make it comfy and cozy as a home should be. I must say it didn't come to me in one day. It took me months to understand  that a creative mind blooms in a creative home/space."

 A green and welcoming entryway. Ganapati ji with candle and plants are the first thing you spot when you enter her home. I couldnt help admiring the lovely iron and glass table with leaves and tiny birds; and neatly lined terracota pots

A close up

She says" Ganapati ji with candle and plants are the first thing you spot when you enter my home. This year I'd planted so many tulsi plants that the extra ones are sitting at the entrance greeting everyone"

I feel that every home evolves with time. Patience and thought behind everything we buy matters. That way our home reflects our personality rather than looking like a popular store's catalogue.

Love her Ganesha collection

Shweta adds "It is very simple and a little complicated like me :) It is colourful, cheerful and cozy. My style is very eclectic. I love Indian arts and handicrafts . They remind me of India, where my heart resides."

I am drooling ~ a very charming workspace :)

All the artwork has been done by her 

She has a lovely Ganesha collection 

A serene bedroom 

It is feels good to see all the personal touches given to a rental apartment given all the space and color constraints 
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Thank you, Shweta, for letting us peek into your lovely home

Pictures: shweta @ Hastkala
PS: do check out her blog and her artwork

First Giveaway on My Blog :): via Indyakaleidoscope

Hey Guys, Announcing The First ever Personal Giveaway on The Design Enthusiast....

Home tours, sneak peeks and Design and Decor ideas on various blogs, flickr etc are a major source of inspiration for me. I have always wanted to ask people about their decor sources, what, where and how they shop for such amazing things in their homes?  Wouldnt it be great if these talented bloggers and photographers manage to source amazing decor items and open up their own online stores for you! Amazing isn't it :-).

IndyaKaleidoscope: Blog, Store

Let me introduce you Preethi Prabhu's store on Indyakaleidoscope. If you are a regular on the decor blog circuit, you would be familiar with her super cool blog, and must have visited her wonderful store already. If not, I highly recommend that you do and see her exclusive picks - handcrafted and handmade by Artist across India, for your home. 

And now, the Giveaway: The First ever on The Design Enthusiast

Preethi celebrated the second anniversary of her blog - Indyakaleidoscope and has decided to organize a Giveaway via The Design Enthusiast. (sweet)

Here is what you could win

Isn't he the cutest!!! Who wouldnt want to have him at home :-)

All you need to do

• Leave me comment here on the Design Enthusiast to participate in the Giveaway
• Visit her store and the blog via here ; Indyakaleidoscope and tell me here on the Design Enthusiast: what draws you to her blog and her store. 
• Everyone is allowed a maximum of two comments on this post (here). (you can leave as many comments as you like on her blog though)
• And one very important thing, this Giveaway is open to readers in India and to all those who can provide an Indian Shipping address (sorry about that guys)
• The Contest is open until 16th Sept 2011. A winner will be announced on 17th Sept 2011..Do participate and inform your friends about the giveaway!!

Before I wrap up, I need to mention that this is the first ever giveaway on the Design Enthusiast!!

 All thanks to Preethi :-)


Images: Preethi Prabhu 

Artist Showcase ~ Aarti Verma

I love to feature wonderfully creative people who are passionate about Art in any form. This time around, I am glad to be writing about Aarti Verma, the very talented lady behind the Mumbai based independent fashion label 'Art meets fashion' 


Art meets Fashion, an 8 month old label, deals exclusively with hand painted and handcrafted stuff, particularly fashion accessories. Aarti Verma has an art teacher diploma from Sir jj school of Arts and also a crash course in fashion designing. After working as an Art and craft teacher for a year, Aarti pursued her passion and combined her love for Art and Fashion, and thats how Art meets Fashion came into existence. 

Aarti describes AmF as "a very quirky and Artsy label, every piece is handpainted and handcrafted with love..." This very creative lady makes Handpainted tote bags, Hand painted cushions, Hand painted tunics/kurtis and very pretty jewelery.  

I ll let the pictures do the talking, and you will know what I mean :)

Handmade totes

madhubani inspired

 

Beautiful Pillows

Hand painted Kurti

Hand made Jewelery

Want to see more...just hop over to her blog and see all the handmade beauties she has for sale...Wishing Aarti the very best with her venture - Art meets Fashion.