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 !!

Beach themed table arrangement

Its peak of summer with temperatures soaring high...Its perfect time for a beach party..!!! I am so excited .. this theme was on my mind for so long.. I wanted to capture and bring indoors, the beauty of summer, sand and fun !!

So I started looking for stuff to decorate the table according to the theme..Most of the times we have all the things required to create a theme ..its just the matter of finding them and a little creativity..

I found some beautiful pebbles which I had collected from our walks.. sea shells , candles and these very pretty balls are made from wood chips..

These candles are strawberry scented ... very mild and yummy scent....

Once again I used my never used cotton dupatta (scarf), starched , folded , ironed  and  it became a perfect runner.. This one has beautiful golden border and design on the both sides..

The centerpiece is a beautiful boat I picked up recently.. I made origami boats to place on the soup dishes and marzipan flip-flops...

I must say making origami boats was so much fun.. I felt like a kid..:) After the guest are gone I will float them in water ..hehehe

Oh then I remembered that yesterday after dinner when my creative senses were on a high , I had carved a watermelon into a ship... 

Took this picture yesterday evening(actually night).. I couldn't control my excitement and had to take a picture then and there..

So now this becomes the centerpiece and the appetizer/starter too..

I had carved a peacock last time..




Its  lot of fun and its easy to carve.. . I will post a tutorial some time..

Frangipani Decor

It will be a week now that we moved into a serviced apartment. It is pretty neat.. I really like the design and decor of this apartment..and the view of the Hong Kong harbour is  breathtaking!! I will give a tour of this place before we move into our own pad.. 

There are two parks near by .. one is Pacific place garden(small garden) and other is the Hong Kong park.. So baby and I go for walks and strolls there.. There are lots of frangipani trees here and I love to collect them.. 

 Frangipani or Plumeria flowers are very delicate and perfect for summer decor. They don't last for long although..Enjoy them while they last..their amazing aroma and the tropical feel to it.. The best way to decorate them is to float them in a bowl of water or dip them in water in shallow bowl/vase  like I did. I put them in this shallow bowl..actually it is a ashtray but we both don't smoke so we don't need it and I think it makes a pretty good vase!!!!

After bringing them home put them in water right away or in the refrigerator or put them in a wet cloth napkin and fold it from all sides. They will last longer if it is cooler in the house..so if you are doing a decor piece with frangipani flowers for the evening then it is better to put the Aircon on.  

So you can see that the number of flowers in my little vase are increasing after each day's walk:) Now it is overflowing.. 

So I kept some in other vases..Soon I think all the empty vases and pots will be filled with flowers picked from strolls:) Such small things also help me personalize this temporary accommodation and helps us to make it feel at-home!!!!!


Have a lovely weekend!!!


Linking to these lovely parties Show and Tell Friday, Home sweet Home, Show and Tell Saturday!!!!

Pink Summer Table

A Spring-Summer themed table setting.. My mind has been bursting with ideas..Spring ..summer ..flowers...beach..vacation..sailing!!! That's the main theme of this  table  setting!!

The huge silk pink flowers are the centerpiece!! The silk table runner is a recent buy from Penang,Malaysia. I have placed a small glass filled sea shells on the plate.

Pink is the dominant color in this setting! The color scheme fell into place after I choose the centerpiece!!!  I have placed a wooden ship on one side and pink carnations in a watering jug in the other side..tied a raffia around it!! I used it earlier Spring table decor with roses..See here!!

Top views..

I have also placed two french hens on the sides ..I have a small collection of French hens..There was a time when I was totally crazy for them.. Thats all I would think of buying any where I went..When we lived in Switzerland I had seen a adorable clay French hen in a pretty house in her garden in Basel. I looked everywhere in but couldn't find anything like that .. so settled for small ones from some places in Europe:))

The yellow with polka dots is candle (a swiss hen):) which I will never burn in this life:)) ... the other one is wooden candle holder (a German hen:)

Tea party table decor

Welcome to a tea party!!! This was on a cold dark wet day in Kilchberg, Zurich.. Early arrival of fall as you can imagine was the unwanted party crasher..hehehehe.. Anyway that should not stop people from partying .. actually I would say that is the occasion for partying .. get together with friends..chit chat .. play cards or something!!  This table setting is for 6.

In small terracotta pots I kept different flavors of tea.. I have had a collection of teas( green , masala, cardamom, ginger, English breakfast....etc ...) .....in different packaging(tea bags..loose tea .. instant tea)



On one side I placed some flowers candles.. I love to collect pretty candles..and if I like a pattern I buy them so many as if there is going to be shortage of candles in this world..:)) I painted the small bowl with ceramic colors a year back..I am glad it has retained its color and gloss even after regular usage...:)



The small tea set is a souvenir from buckingham palace.I placed a handmade ribbon around the center to create harmony and continuity in decoration pieces with star aniseed in between. This tip will help in making all your table vignettes look like a part of one centerpiece  - no matter how apart they are from each other!!



To leave ample space in between for small plates, glasses, cards etc I used cork coasters as an alternative for  charger  plates ..I covered it with hand made crocheted doilies.. Looked much prettier than the picture..all the whites are reflecting light in this picture!!



The centerpiece is a 3 tier serving stand which I made with plates from a local store .. On the center of the top plate is a pretty blue berry candle in a small bucket!! I baked muffins that day.. The aroma of cakes can wade off blues easily..




I have made a tutorial of how I made the serving stand ..Its pretty neat , easy, sturdy and with a mystery edible glue ..I can use the plates again!! Check it out here.

Creative ideas..imagination .. and (some obsessions like candle collection etc) can turn your table decor instantly into a refreshing decor which will turn all the weather blues away..!!! A clutter free and well decorated table can lead happiness and stress free life at home;)


For more beautiful decor visit Tabletop Tuesday and Tablescape Thursday!!

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 !!!!

Table Top Deco

I usually change the house decor according to seasons.. This table deco has been my favorite for long.. I haven't changed it for quite some time now..

It  gives a very warm, fresh and very ethnic touch to the living room....With the climate becoming chilly again I think it is time to change it..;)

Linking to TabletopTuesday,Patricia,Style sisters

Tea Party Table decor

It is getting wet and cold again.. What better than sipping nice hot tea and chat with friends watching the rain fall... Luckily when I was taking the pictures sun peeped from the clouds... Bright sunlight makes such a big difference to how your pictures and decor will look..!!!



Many lovely ladies had asked me last Thursday about my plates and table accessories ....So here it goes.. Most of the things I have collected during my travels.. I found this floral table runner at a local shop..I though it would be a pretty backdrop for a tea party.... The tea set is from India .. The plates are from US..(Studio Nova)...Crystal stand is a gift (also from US) ... The Bowl is a souvenir from Buckingham palace..



The wooden tulip is from Amsterdam's Tulip Garden and this pretty piece I bought recently from a sale here in Zürich is from Villeroy& Boch...



...I placed a large doily as a table mat...I used red tissue paper to add some bright color to the table...rolled it in a napkin ring with the spoon...



 I took the picture before I placed the sandwiches and cupcakes... This was a last minute idea... I am happy how it turned out..I wish I had some flowers ..They could have added such charm to the table..hmmm...

I did the tutorial for the Watermelon ship I had carved last time...Check out on Sunday to see how easy it is to carve a watermelon.. !!!!

Table decor for two

Summer brings out beautiful colors of nature ... beautiful fragrant flowers with vivid and vibrant colors ... I see them everywhere...So I though what better way to celebrate the beautiful summery days but to do a table decor with flowers from the garden....

This is a table decor for two( me and hubby) ... I recycled glass bottles to hold colorful flowers and wrapped a ribbon around the bottles to create a uniformed look... candles (yes the tall ones are battery operated:)) to create this simple but charming look..

I baked cupcakes and whipped some cream...It's fun to start with sweet dessert isn't it!!



I have made a tutorial for upcycling glass bottles...will share it with you on Sunday..Its is so easy and fun !!