Happy Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish you all a very happy weekend!!!!!!

:- show & tell Friday

Picture walls

I am totally amazed by these beautiful walls.. The super-sized 18th- and 19th-century portraits of Baroness de Rothschild, Madame de Pompadour, and other nobles on the walls of England’s Glemham Hall make the walls look so charming..

Here are some more pictures in the exhibition..

Notice how they have tried to meld the pictures and the interiors of the room .. in way that it seems like the picture is bursting into the present..

The story continues from the super sized portraits into real life...

All these pictures are courtesy Wmagazine.

White Breakfast table decor

I was waiting for the sun to shine for whole last week.. Thankfully on Sunday it cleared up and it was bright and sunny ...I had this white breakfast table idea in my mind for long..Finally executed it!!! 

I brought this tea set recently.. the bowl is painted by me..I painted it a few years back..It is still as good as new!! I  placed the fruits around the plate to add color to otherwise white dominant table and also placing it there means they will be eaten ..

otherwise we always forget to finish the fruits till the day of its expiry:)

The flower arrangement I made is simple ..the long fern adds some drama/fun to it..As you know Singapore is a small island ..so most of the fruits and vegetables and meat are imported from other countries.. I found these extra big  american strawberries at a shop..(I usually buy Korean ones.) These were very juicy and yummy..

Joining Tablescape Thursday, Open house party, Show and tell Friday, Home sweet Home!!

Indian style table decorations

I came across Benfield photography yesterday while surfing for some Indian decor inspiration. It is a gorgeous site where the absolutely talented photographers showcase the weddings covered by them. I was flabbergasted by the beautiful wedding pictures taken by them. They have not only caught the emotions and expressions of the people well but also have a keen eye for the details in the decor which is painstakingly put together which is often ignored by some wedding photographers . These pictures are of the beautiful table decor from a multi-day Indian wedding ceremony in NYC.

 I just loved the beautiful metal vase with the striking flower arrangements.. Did you notice the gorgeous table cloth.. the candles create such a romantic mood..

These gorgeous metal centerpieces are the highlight of the wedding.. These tables are decorated with pretty lanterns , tall vases with exquisite flower bouquets which add color, soften the look of metal centerpiece and provide symmetry or rhythm to the arrangement!!! 

         Gorgeous tall centerpiece with flowers and dazzling metal balls..I love the one on the right..tall glass vase filled with grapes and lemon slices... looks so refreshing ....with a round bouquet at the top and shorter ones with floating candles ..

You can see more photos of the wedding and the decorations here on Benfield photography!!! 

Fabric covers for jam/pickle jars

I remember my mum's homemade pickle and jam jars with a cloth covers on it .. all neatly organized in a row on the rack..Now we have plastic and air tight containers which don't need the cloth covers as such...and plus people like me are too lazy to make jams and pickles at home..hmmm..Thats another topic which I need to focus some other day:) But for now I want to make at least my jars to look like my mums jars..So I made fabric covers for them!!

Let's see how to make them..

You need any scarp of fabric( cotton would be nice) , scissors, thread , some beads to decorate and a string .. You can recycle any piece of fabric in your home if you want. Place the bottle on the  fabric and cut it according to its shape a inch or two large than its size..

Tuck the border in with the help of pins and sew it along the shape.Sew some beads all around..

Place it over the lid and tie it around with the help of string ..

This is how it will look like after its done..!!

Linking to Metamorphosis Monday !!

Peacock painting..Work in Progress

I have been working on a painting for a while now. It is huge- 5 feet tall. A few months back I had talked on this blog about the huge canvases I have brought from Zürich with me. It is one of them. A picture of Indian peacock just struck my imagination. I started painting on it a month or more back. 


I am using a blunt knife to paint this one ..with multiple strokes...coats..texture !!! Most of its body is done.. good so far.. but I got stuck in the feathers.. I think thats the most beautiful part and it has to look dimensional ..not like a flat print/painting..or something plastic..you know what I mean..


Got stressed and left the painting half way..To combat this I made a practice painting on a smaller canvas..

I painted it with several coats of greens, blues and golden color.. love the hint of gold when the light falls on it..It looks pretty hanging with other paintings in a  block...

It is now available in my Etsy shop!! Check it out here!!

How to jazz up the candle stands..

I am a big fan of small things which add ambience and theme to the room ...really amazes me how little changes in the decor will bring that extra umph!!!!! Some days back I showed you a blue and white summer table decor  in which I used candle stands which I had jazzed up with flowers.. Today I will share a quick tutorial to get that look!!!

I highly recommend using Limonium ..also known as Purple statice (wiki) flowers for 2 reasons. First they are available everywhere- in cold countries as well as the warmer and tropical countries. Second is that these flowers can be dried easily and the most important thing is that even after drying their color looks as good as the fresh ones.

Do you remember the table decor I did last year in Zürich. See here and here!!! I used Limonium for the centerpiece arrangement!! 

I loved the natural beauty there and wanted to bring some part of it with me..So I dried these flowers and brought them with me to Singapore. They sit on my center table in the living room right now!!

How to dry them? Its very simple.. Just remove the water from pot/vase you are keeping the Limonium in..Cut off few cms from the end stems.. Let them dry naturally!! 

So coming back to how to jazz up the candle stands... You need scissors, a few stems of Limonium and a string - either a twine/raffia/ ribbon.

Cut off the long stem of Limonium and make a tiny bunch of them. Use the string to bunch them together. Now tie this bunch to the neck of the candle stand. 

As per the occasion you can choose to use the type of the string.  For example: use a lovely white ribbon for wedding or anniversary. For a cozy casual look use raffia .. for fun party look use bakers twine.. 

You won't believe how much the type of the string and the color of the candles can make a difference to the look and feel of your table!!!

Hope you all have a great start to your week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Joining party at Metamorphosis Monday, Table top Tuesday and 








 

A stroll through old and charming Singapore

Most people are acquainted with the ultra modern and chic look of Singapore. But today I will take you on a stroll in the quaint and colorful part of Singapore. We ventured out in these lanes in search of a parking lot.. It was quite a discovery for us..I love this place!!!

The old row houses painted with pastel - warm, fresh and bright colors!!! Oh my my!!

 Every house has a unique charm, details to the doors and absolutely beautiful lanterns hung high on the ceilings in the veranda!!! The window shutters to each house are so beautiful !!!!!

This beautiful elephant outside one of the house in that lane caught my fancy...

   

Another lovely house I passed by had this old style red mail box..

The bougainvillea outside one of the houses are so welcoming...

There is gorgeous temple in that area which has beautifully carved and ornate building ..

                 The statues, sculptures, walls and the ceiling all are decorated with intricate details..

There are also lot of Cafes, Confectioneries and local food courts in that area where one can sit and enjoy the charming surroundings..

 This area is off Mountbatten road- Marshall road and Ceylon road.

Have a  lovely weekend!!!!!