Swiss Fondue Table

Switzerland is popular for its Fondue.. Here you can get chocolate fondue , cheese fondue, Fondue Bourguignonne (meat fondue).. Living here it is quite natural that we have a fondue set...This table decor is for a swiss fondue party for four... The color theme is Blue and White..

Swiss table decor are usually quite simple.. So I decided to keep the focus only on the Fondue pot and thats why it is the centerpiece..:) No actually I didn't want to keep anything more than necessary around because of the heat from the small burner (gel alcohol burner)under the earthen pot..




This earthen fondue set is from local swiss store .. The long forks are used to dip bread into the cheese or oil(in case of meat fondue) which is kept warm by the heat underneath the pot...

I really liked the design and color on the earthen pot when I bought it..It gives a country cottage feel...The plates on both sides are for bread pieces ... The cheese cutting board is from Amsterdam..




The Swiss cow holds toothpicks which are used to pick olives etc ... These beach flip flop candle I found at a local store are perfect for the blue and white combination of the table decor...I looked in my cupboard for napkins which would suit this color theme..Luckily I found these blue and white floral napkins...

The little red fondue pots were a great find.. They have the swiss flag design .. It adds spark to my blue and white table decor with a hint of red..

The blue plates came with the set .. The white ones are from Corelle from US.. 
With cheese fondue white wine is a perfect combination.. Wine helps digest cheese and so a must :)


I placed a champagne filled chocolate from Lindt on each plate..A perfect start to the evening!!


This swiss table decor is in celebration of the wonderful 4 years that we have spent in Zurich, Switzerland..living in the alps near the beautiful blue lake overlooking the snow capped mountains.. !!!




I am linking to Table Top Tuesday,Tablescape Thursday and Show and Tell Frriday!!

Happy Cactus Monday

I spotted these very beautiful succulents in a restaurant in Budapest, Hungary. I think these are succulents-  Aloe vera ... These plants were arranged in a beautiful way in square vase on a square tray as a table decor or centerpiece..

Plants add a lot of natural beauty to outdoor as well as indoor tables..I just love it!!

Visit Teri for more cactus lovelies..

Merci beaucoup !!!!

 This weekend , I crossed 50 followers on Blogger and on Google reader respectively !! 

My little project got featured on the beautiful French blog: La Miette bricole..!!! Do check out this fantastic blog!

I am ecstatic for the achievements of my 2months old blog!!!

 Your encouragement  inspires me to continue to create more creative projects!!!

To each one of you I want say 

Merci beaucoup..Danke schön...Dhanyavad .. Thank you very much!!!

Austria

It was a glorious and extremely beautiful day when we went to Wien(Vienna), Austria. The blue sky with only few floating clouds made a marvelous backdrop to our photographs..

              There is so much to see in the magnificent city.. It has remarkable and very well restored historical monuments, buildings, statues... 

  

I love the beautiful sculptures adorned on the top or the dome of the stunning historical buildings ...The details, features and expressions of these around 200 year old statues always amaze me.. They have lived through so many years and seen worse during world wars and glorious days before and later the wars....

Have a happy weekend !!!!

Take a look at beautiful skies all around the world at Skywatch Friday..

How to make Hurricane lamp with glass bottles..

Do you have lots of glass bottles/jars which you want to either throw away or waiting to be recycled.... why throw/recycle when you can up cycle!!!! Lets make glass candle holder today.. It is perfect solution for outdoor candles for outdoor parties on windy autumn evenings...for creating a centerpiece.. for making a dark room/corner interesting!!!!


Before I start the tutorial I want to thank Craftgossip.com for featuring my watermelon ship.. Thank you very much!!!!


Let's start with today's tutorial ...It requires very simple ..easy to find at home stuff..

A pretty tissue paper with patterns big enough to be easily cut ... An empty glass bottle...Scissors ..Glue..and a cord..( I used the cord that comes with toy packaging)

Then cut the border or flowers on the tissue paper.. 

               Cut the paper as per the circumference of the bottle and then glue it to bottle...

Turn and twist the cord to make a knot ..

Tie the cord around the bottle's neck and make a very tight knot and pull it across to check if it is tight enough to hold the bottle..

Put either a battery charged candle or wax one or scented candle..

Viola!!! Your hurricane lamp is ready!! 

Hang it anywhere on tree branches for a summer outdoor entertaining or place it outside on your stairs .. or hang it on the bathroom towel hook like I have done..or place on the center table for a romantic ambiance..

It is perfect for festivals like Diwali or Christmas ...

Try it out its very easy to make and practical plus decorative to use..Do read the warning and remember them while using wax candles ...

Warning: Do not keep candles unattended. Glass becomes hot after keeping the candle burning in it for long time.

Linking to LifeasLori,
 
Met Monday
!!!!!!

Creative Food

Some of my old and new favorite things in white... The above is from my tin collection.. I love to collect tins .. This one is a Swiss Chocolate box with Scherenschnitte(Swiss art of paper cutting) patterns on it..

Table top photography of my lunch... dumplings:)

Hello Kitty cupcakes I baked ....Decorated with marzipan..

I had not seen Hello Kitty since a long time(shame I know..Hahhhaaa) and thats why the kitty in the center has different type of whiskers..

I am posting a tutorial tomorrow !!!!!

Ode to summer themed table decor

The summer is slowly moving out giving way to the autumn season to enter...With a few sunny and warm days we have mostly dark and windy days... The transition is beautiful..


The theme of this table decor is Ode to Summer.. warm weather..beaches..sands..greenery ..travelling and light clothing.. Oh yes I am enjoying everything..!!! Every weather has its own beauty and summer is the king of seasons..


For this theme I reused and redesigned some items from earlier projects...This table setting is for two people.. romantic evening dinner...

So lets see which  items you recognize...I am sure you remember the pretty flowers from my earlier table decor.. yes these are the same one..!!! Surprised ..!! Well.. I dried the flowers.. now they will be with me for few years at least..:) I am so glad that the color and look of the flowers haven't changed..




I attached a heart shaped ornament to the wine glass.. something to enhance the romantic mood..

The crochet doilies are from Hong Kong...make very pretty coasters..

I tied the napkin with a string with a bunch of dried flowers and placed the silverware on  a side plate....later to be used for bread..





This is the centerpiece... The tins are the ones I had upcycled in a earlier project... I found a new use for them. I reused glass jars and kept with flowers in it...Placed these glass jars in the tin containers.. 
Though I would I have loved to change the paper on the tins to meld better with the theme..Alas I didn't have much time..So I just covered it up with a pretty ribbon(reused from earlier theme:))

The salad spoons placed on the either side are from the recent visit to Budapest, Hungary. Budapest has so many beautiful folk art and handicraft shops and items.. It is hard to choose. Though I must say the prices are very high .. These spoons are quite a bargain.. just 5 Forint.. The handles have hand painted wooden Hungarian couple in  traditional costumes..





Placed some more flowers in the spoon..





Turn on romantic music and dim the lights...!!!!


Joining the party at Tabletop Tuesday, Tablescape Thursday, Tranformation Thursday 
and Strut your stuff Thursday !!!!

Sky watching on ZüriSee

It was a beautiful sunny warm today after long dull week.. felt so fresh..

The water looks even more stunning on a sunny day...

Isn't it beautiful.. I love it!!! Have a nice weekend !!

Enjoy more beautiful sky pictures here: Skywatch!!

Chinese themed table decor

Its so dark and cold since morning.. I did the table decor in the afternoon after lunch  for the evening dinner. The weather didn't behave as per the  forecast and no sunlight today.. I like to take pictures with  bright natural light.. I think natural sunlight makes tremendous and dramatic change to the photos.. Everything looks stunning even the mundane things..:)



Anyways...Lets talk about todays decor...This table decor is for two people ..me and hubby of course..

 The theme is Chinese.. Even if it is a Takeaway dinner I think table arrangement and decor can transfer you to entirely new place..




I used the  white and dark colors with minimalism ...I avoided lot of patterns ... The small bowl is for different sauces.. We both fancy eating with chopsticks .. One can enjoy Chinese better with them ..:)) The table mats are made of rattan.. A wonderful bargain I got in a store in US..

 Chinese dinner would not be complete without Jasmine tea .. So the first thing I put on the table was the tea pot and small cups..

I used a small towel as napkin and tied a string around it... 

Placed flowers from the garden in the bowl... arranged Origami boats around for fun..

I arranged three white pillar candles with sea shells in a rattan tray as the center piece.. I also placed several fragant candles around the table.. perfect for ambiance..

Now if you are wondering if  I cooked chinese at home or got a takeaway is a secret..hahaahhaa!!


Linking to Table Top Tuesday ; White Wednesday, Tablescape Thusday !!

Cactus Monday

Its so cold outside here ..I am wondering if the fall has arrived early ..Hope not!!

I saw this beautiful table decor at a restaurant in Vienna ..totally fell in love with it..I have noticed that cactus seem to be a popular indoor decor plant in restaurant/ hotels Germany and Austria....

There was another restaurant where they have arranged all types of cactus in different jars in the lounge.. I must say when the weather outside is so cold , the cactus indoors gives a impression and good feeling of the warm and sunny weather which will come soon... 

At least thats what I feel when I look at cactus in cold countries..

Happy Cactus Monday..jump over to Teri's so see more beautiful cactus..

Indian independence party idea: How to make a Sweet Flag Tutorial

Today is India's Independence day.. After almost 200 years of British rule, India got its Independence on 15th August 1947... In India it is celebrated like a major festival .. firecrackers, sweets, songs, music, colors, flowers, flag hoisting, remembering the freedom fighters, events and lot of fun activities... A very very  happy, patriotic and proud day!!!

So to celebrate this wonderful day I have made a Sweet Indian Flag! It is a fruit tart and decorated it with the tricolors .. It is super easy... I took pictures while making it just for you guys!!!!!  I made a video of the tutorial..



 I brought a ready made cake tart.. made thick vanilla custard using Brown&Polsen powder..For the saffron part on the flag I used Orange flesh honeydew ... Whipped cream with few drops of vanilla essence and sugar as per needed..
I let the custard cool down to room temperature.. Then I filled the tart with custard... Arranged grapes in rows..and the other end with honeydew scoops..Piped cream in the center...Arranged a lime slice for 'Chakra' on the flag ... Thats it!!! Done!!

It's that easy.. Do try it and the same way you can make your nation's flag too!!!

Linking to BNOTP!!!

I am back!!!

I am back and am working on some fantastic projects... Will start sharing these projects regularly from tomorrow..!!!

Have a nice weekend!!!!