Diwali centerpiece: Create a medley of colors and lights

Hi everyone!! Sharing with you all some Diwali centerpieces I create a few days back. We usually like to relax and sit in the living room chit chatting, watching the flickering, twinkling lights of the diya, reminiscing our memories of Diwali in our childhood, relishing the sweets and Diwali faral. 

This time now that our son is 2 so we tell him about the stories about Diwali. We have some crackers as well- sparklers and a few noise free/ less noisy crackers. 

This is probably more or less similar tradition in many families.

So the dining table is more or less not used. But don't forget to deck it. 

You can deck it up with a plate of diya or elaborately with a spread of diyas and lanterns. Create a unique arrangement, mix lanterns/ candle holders - old and new, metal and glass, Indian and Moroccan like in my case. 

Create a medley and enjoy the colors, bling and lights!

Images taken @home by me.

Creating a vignette for Diwali

Decorating your house for Diwali, the festival of light is the most satisfying, pleasurable, and happiest part of the festival. I think creating small vignettes with lights in different corners/nooks looks better than creating only one in one place. It is fun to experiment with different objects in your house. The basic principle to keep in mind is "If it is pretty you can use it to create a vignette and decorate your house".

The vignette I am sharing with you today is a very easy arrangement - colorful, bright and with bling.  The colored jars are recycled, hand-painted and home decorated which makes any project especially one for festivals so unique. Anything made with/by children makes it so precious to the family, isn't it?!! It is made with love:) 

Start by arranging the jars in symmetry - height-wise or size-wise. Try ordering them in different positions which will give you an idea as to which suits you the most. 

Find a backdrop. It need not be a tablecloth, it could be any attractive and visually appealing cloth you have.  I have used my pink shawl underneath which provides a soft and sweet backdrop (I think that about pink!). The shawl is of the perfect size to cover the round table. 

Coming back to our vignette, the easy way to create a connection is by placing something that visually connects them like I have used flowers. These are the common factor between the pieces of arrangement. Real ones will look better. Poor me ..where will I find real lotus in this desert (sigh)  Do see my tip on how to keep flowers alive and fresh outside the water for long here. 

Flowers soften the setting plus give life to the arrangement. You can never go wrong with them. A little dose of a whole bunch in the background both work when you don't want them to overpower the setting. The bead necklace was given to me by my masi- maternal aunt - when I was 5 or 7. It was that WOW feeling I had felt or rather I remember it for the first time in my life. It still makes me so happy to see it.

I am guilty of using a smartphone to take pictures. My Dlsr is lying in dust somewhere in the cupboard. That's why no matter how hard I tried I couldn't take a better picture of the vignettes at night. It looked dazzling in person even if I said that myself :)

This display can be made with clear glass tea light holders or drinking glasses of different sizes as well.  

Stay tuned for more Diwali decor ideas coming your way!!!

Use led tealights if you have young children. The light won't be as bright but it is safe. 

All pictures are taken by me@home. 

Joining party @BNOP, Home and Garden, Show &tell, Home sweet home, 

Air dry clay Betel leaf

Found these betel leaves I had made some time ago. If you don't know what is a betel leaf you can find more information here. It is used in any puja or auspicious occasion in a Hindu's life has a spiritual significance. 

These betel leaves are made of air dry clay. I made the shape and engraved the fine lines. I  painted them with acrylics. Then applied a generous coat of glossy varnish. 

Sharing at

Metamorphosis Monday, Monday Funday, Made by you  !

Indian festivals and decorations

Its that time of the year when everyone starts preparing for a long line of festivals!!!

At my place last weekend we celebrated  Ganesh chaturthi- festival of Ganesha. 
Me and my son were busy making decorations for the festival a few days in advance. 
In our daily creative activities with my 2 year old we made garlands , buntings, painting of Ganesha and such which creates the atmosphere of excitement, anticipation and frolic!! My childhood memories of any festival are associated with these three factors. I want my son to have all these memories even though outside our house it does not feel like a festival like it feels in India!!

Here the weather is getting milder and flowers are spouting everywhere in the garden. In Indian decorations , flowers play an important role. Avaneesh and I plucked and gathered flowers from the plants. I made a garland of the flowers. 

You can see a glimpse of the paper marigold and mango leaf garland my son had made.( in the pic below) I will share the tutorial soon.

These are Modak- sweet dumplings I made. I make these with ricotta cheese. Stir sugar, saffron, cinnamon and some milk together with the cheese on heat till the mixture gets a thick consistency. It might take 25-30 minutes. Let it cool and then give it the modak shape. For offering to Ganesha they have to made either  11 or 21. 

Some roses in my Moroccan glasses - fit well in the Indian theme!!

I did this floral arrangement  for the occasion. I made in a copper vessel  to give it an Indian touch. 

Its hard to find flowers like marigold and others which are traditionally used in Indian festivals.So I think using Indian style vase/ vessel made of copper or silver 

can add that "Indian" touch !!

Downstairs I decorated the side table with my 2 year old 's Ganesha painting. Most friends tell me he is a gifted artist but I am still not convinced. 

India themed table decor for summer

It was India's independence day last Friday. So I thought we should celebrate. When one lives outside his own country it becomes all the more necessary to teach children about their homeland.  I did a tri-colored tablescape for breakfast. The color theme was - Saffron, white and green which are the colors of the flag along with  Ashoka Chakra in center.

 We collected the flowers from our walk. Luckily there were flowers in the park fallen from the trees that match the theme perfectly. I believe no tablescape is complete without flowers.Flowers are the cheapest, simplest and easiest way to freshen up any table decor. I floated them in a handmade Turkish bowl. 

I was looking for natural , healthier and lighter choices for the food. 

For saffron/orange I had the choice of oranges / mandarin or Cantaloupe. I choose Cantaloupe. I love to make scoops of it. 

For green, there is grapes or kiwi. I choose grapes. For white I thought of using either marshmallow or banana. I went for bananas- much healthier and natural I thought. 

For the Chakra I used lemon slices. 

I put the fruit on skewers and made fruit salad. 

For the juice I made orange juice, lemon juice and Kush sherbet.

 Khus sherbet is sugar syrup made by using extract of Khus or Vetiver Grass is a well known Ayurvedic cooler.

My 2 year old loves baking. A day before we had made cupcakes. We had made the flags the few days back. I showed him how the flag looks like and then gave him stripes of paper to glue in that sequence.He then glued them to dowels.  I drew the wheel in the center. The bunting of tri color we had made earlier. I cut the shapes and sunny boy glued it to the ribbon. Incorporating my little boy in decoration/craft projects makes it really fun.  

I did this before sunny boy got up. He was so surprised and happy to see the display. He enjoyed eating and playing with the flags. Seeing him so excited and happy made it all worth it.

Joining party at BNOP, Home Sweet Home, Home and Garden !!

Happy diwali

Wishing each one of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali. May this year bring you lots and lots of happiness in life and fulfill all your dreams.

Natural themed table setting

Hello friends.. sharing with you today a informal table decor for two dinner evenings we had with our friends. The decor is simple Indian style with natural theme...very homely and at ease..

The cotton table runner is from FabIndia with block printed design of paisleys. I like the white, earthen brown and dull red combination. It gives a simple yet elegant look to the table.. 

The centerpiece is of sea shells from Langkawi island, Malaysia. My sister gave me this wood and rattan platter when I visited  her in USA.I have always filled my  bags to the extent of explosion when I visit USA:) 

My mother send me these banana leaf table mats...They look good for informal simple  style table decor..The cloth coasters are cotton block printed with natural dyes..

The air freshener is an expensive one from Ashleigh-Burwood,UK. I mentioned expensive because it is the most useless and overly priced air freshener I have ever bought..Unless I put my nose next to the bottle I can smell absolutely nothing..

These pictures are from the first evening I just realized that I forgot to take pictures of the second evening..I had placed starter plates and another set of bowls and soup spoons.

Linking to Tabletop Tuesday!!

Asian inspired Buddha corner

So after two weeks of arranging, sorting, throwing and all the madness that comes with moving homes and countries, I think the apartment is starting to look something like our home. There is still lot to do but still there are some nooks and corners developing which we are already falling in love.I would say the decor looks very much Asian inspired with a bit of European touch. 

This is Buddha table vignette I have created on the side table in the living room..The statue is from Switzerland..It is from a decor shop named Interio in Zurich where you will find a lot of Asian/Indian inspired stuff...When we lived there it was my favorite shop to visit any day!!  It has two stores in Zurich ..one at Bahnhofstrasse (small one) and bigger one at Dubendorf.. I suggest you visit the later one if you want to go mad shopping:))

I kept some wooden balls with frangipani flowers.. These flowers are not real.. I bought them from Singapore specifically so that I will never miss these pretty flowers even if we move back to Europe or some other cold country..The wooden bowl is from Malaysia if I am not wrong because I had totally forgotten about it and found it in our stuff now:)

The table has glass top .. I find it so difficult to take a picture of it without getting my reflection in it.. If you have any tips for this do please let me know!!!!!!!

Diwali Decorations

Hi beautiful people!!! Hope you all had a wonderful holidays and festivities..I still have a holiday hangover..Sharing with you some of the pictures of Diwali decorations in my house last week!!!

This is how my center table in the living room looked like..Floated lots of flowers in a brass urli along with some floating candles..I changed the flowers everyday..sometimes orchids..sometimes roses ..sometimes marigold and rose petals..Around it is designer Rangoli..It really looks good on glass surfaces!!

Outside the main door I made traditional Rangoli from chalk powder..I was bit lazy so I used stencil to make these patterns...

Flower garlands on the main door with mango leaves and lovely door decorations which my mom send me from India..

Few more wall hangings she sent me I have hung them from the ceiling near the Ganesha paintings..

     That's how my balcony looked like.. Fairy lights have such a magical effect..

Some more pics of the decorations in my house... 

I am updating the blog after quite some time....I have just started my third trimester .. feeling tired now but of course I have more time on my hand as I am full time home now..I have lots of baby projects in my mind.. Hope to complete them in these 2-3 months!!! will share the update on my new painting soon..Stay tuned!!!!

Check more fabulous Diwali craft and decor projects on this blog! 

Indian themed tabletop

After the end of the holiday period , getting back to the routine is a little difficult!! Plus I am trying to fulfill my new year resolutions .. cooking at home as much as possible, eating healthy, more vegetables and many more..(Don't be surprised if you see one or two recipes on this blog)....

Coming back to decor... All holiday decorations are back inside the cupboards ... I am busy giving my home a romantic look..New year should have a new look!!! So this is what my side table in the living room looks like now..

You might have seen all these items in my earlier decorations .. This is how I have put them together for this theme..

Moroccan lamps go well with Indian or a romantic theme.. 

Heres a tip...Soften the wooden furniture by hanging tassels from cupboard door handles.It  also it creates an eclectic Eastern charm and look!!!

I am joining the fantastic parties with Marty for Tabletop Tuesday and Susan's Table scape Thursday !!

Weekend Wrap

This weekend was festive and very happening one!! Lots of decorations, sweets, flowers, candles, lights, friends, festivities... In my home I did a  diwali themed decor with watermelon lantern ..then  some dazzling centerpieces with Chrysanthemums ...and some more festive centerpieces with candles which I shared with you on this blog .. Today I will share with you some more centerpieces I did on the weekend!!!

We went to the flower market and brought lots of roses, marigolds and lotus.. I floated some candles with rose petals .. filled my pumpkins with marigold!!!

This is on my living room's center table.. the yellow marigold, orange pumpkins and red rose petals and candles made such a striking centerpiece..created  festive mood for the evening...

I brought lotus first time in my life.. I have no idea how and when will these two bloom..I will definitely share the pictures if and when they bloom:) This is our dining table which you guys have seen in all my table decors..this weekend it was dazzling with floating candles in a copper vessel and some earthen diyas/ candles....

This is our puja table..In Zürich we didn't get marigold flowers or garland.. we were so happy that we could get a thick marigold and rose garland...sweets (boondi ladoo) and coconut as  offering ,  rangoli design on floors..lots of diyas, lights and candles..

In the balcony I lit a row of lights...

I took this picture today of the Diwali celebration and decorations in Singapore's Little India. The entire long road is dazzling with these decorations!!!!  

Hope you all had a great weekend!! Have a lovely week ahead!!!