Laxmi

Laxmi limited edition fine art print
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Wishing all dear readers a very very happy Diwali! 

I had just one more Diwali post to go, only s
ometimes, one needs to tune out the blog and the Internet, power off the camera and be in the moment ! The post shall be uploaded soon .. You have a great day of festivities and family.!

1,2,3 Tablescapes, By Pavitra Rajaram

Its that time of the year again. In Mumbai, raucous sound of drums and trussed pandals have heralded the arrival of the Gods a while back.  The noise and gaiety of it all will last well past November.  An invitation to a decor workshop at this juncture may or may not mean too many things  given that so much is available online and offline.. ( Thanks to pinterest,  the world always looks like it's drowning  in picture perfect celebrations any way). Only this one was organized at the flagship store of Goodearth,  in Mumbai, and was going to be a ticket to hear designer and stylist

Pavitra Rajaram.   The time just had to be made!

T he well attended afternoon organized by Essars Learning initiative, Avid Learning had over 55 participants jostling for  pearls of decor wisdom Pavitra generously and very entertainingly  doled  during the course of the three hour workshop.  Turned out even those three were not enough and she had to breeze through her very thoughtfully researched and well put together presentation in order to complete it in time.

What goes into making mood boards, why make them? Colours, what shades? decor trends, table-scapes, entertaining at home an endless list of delicious conundrums.

 Engorged with information and thankful for the tea, participants were treated to three delightful table-scapes laid out with the approaching festive season in mind. Without further ado here are a few pictures from the afternoon.

Watching Pavitra and her team at work was like watching master juggler/ magicians at work as they  put together three entirely different looks together in a matter of minutes.   Although it is hard doing justice to their work with mere pictures, you will do well to open this link  here in another window before you go on with the rest of the post ..! :)

Have a good time table setting good folks, and do come back for lots more to come from  girlabouthome's Diwali post list. Watch this space !!

More from Diwali around the house

Diwali enthusiasm is  running  riot around the household. 

This is among the very few occasions in the year I am focused completely on the house, spring cleaning, painting and changing things around.

Posting a few pictures of the little things  done so far this year.. The little notes on the images should tell all that needs telling..

I like to create contrasting pools of colours and textures around the house, achieved by mixing and matching different materials.

Wood, metals, silks, cottons, weaves, embroidery and clay-  used in varying proportions and combinations without any particular  method. Only I do tend to unify the overall look with one predominant element: for example colour.

In the meanwhile, painting of diyas, chowkis and old furniture is underway- Just because we are not painting walls, does not mean no painting this year! I have my kids to thank for active and enthusiastic participation in all  the painting and housekeeping,  there is no where on earth I can do this without their love and enthusiasm !

I have a few more things to share on the subject, but that comes later.. Until then, Happy decorating!!

All that glitters...

More from around the home.  Taken on Dussehra, these images  capture what sets the tone for the festive season for me.   Since I cannot be bothered with too many elaborate arrangements, simple elements handy around the house and kitchen are put to work.

Rich opulent and glittery.. Metals like  brass, copper and  bronze add sheen.

Pooja platters, kitchen implements, flowers, leaves, kumkum,  rice, camphor and incense create the ambience..

Traditional artifacts lend a ethnic, rustic vibe to spaces.

Finally the season is incomplete without lights - candles and diya's infuse homes with precious glow adding to the rich Diwali feel..

More festive ideas later.. until then hope you enjoyed these..

Festive Decor tips at Good Earth

With Diwali just a few weeks away, decor workshops are on offer by the dozen. I decided  to check one out at the popular Good Earth store at Raghuvanshi mills, Mumbai.

Conducted by stylists to the celebrities Kanika Bawa and the Extra Mile cafe, the workshop used delectable accessories and materials readily available at the store itself.   Sharing a few pictures ideas to help  add that extra something to Diwali sparkle this year!

Most of the materials are available at the store, so to recreate any of them, one simply has to head to Good Earth..

 However, many of the elements used in styling table top arrangements are readily available around the house..

Appropriate arrangements befitting the occasion can be created using traditional flowers and leaves such as- mogra's, marigold, tube roses, roses, betel leaves, mango leaves etc.

Diwali is the festival of lights, glitter and sparkle,  a good time to introduce shine and bling to the house using an array of materials- brass, silver, sequins, beads, textiles etc..



While addressing the sense of sight and taste with sparkling clean houses, and delicious food,  it is a great occasion to make the house smell good using natural materials such as fragrant flowers, organic dhoops and incense.




Will be back with more for the festive season, Have a Happy Ashtimi every one !!

Diwali

The festival of lights just went past. Hope you guys had a good one!

Happy  Diwali and a Happy New Year folks !

Diwali

Colour and lots of hand made fun this diwali

Quick post about Diwali prep at home. This year, we have tried to reuse things we have at home,  add more colour and have loads of fun  in anticipation of the day!

The kids having a go at painting the diyas, which are soaked, washed and primed with offwhite paint first.

For many years now, I have refused to throw my used earthen diyas away. Just so long as they  are not chipped and cracked, we wash dry and repaint them using bio-safe acrylics giving them a new lease of life.

This year, we are making story- stools to prop the Diyas on too. All manner of old chowkis and peedhas,  have been sanded down and painted in vibrant colours. Some featuring motifs and scenes from my kids favourite traditional Indian stories.

Painted and finished..together with a bunch of yellow and orange foot stools  to house them on.

The stools make bright little spots- ideal to brighten up the house for Diwali. These will get used in the house easily later, as tiny study desks,  table top accents, to store books and ofcourse just normal stools to sit on. 

Since they  can be painted over easily, the activity allows for maximum fun..something my kids too have had a liberal hand in. Unabashedly playing with paint, leaving the finer details from me to tweak later  ;).

The Bull from heaven.

The stool pictured above is based on a lively  Buddhist story chosen by my son.

 A word about the illustration: I  have based the drawing in good part on a drawing by illustrator Linda Edwards, from a children's book called ~Stories from India~ published by Usborne. 

Hope to comeback with yet another Diwali post, provided I can make the time to tend to the blog while so much is going on around.

Have a good one folks !

Mentioned!

Festive table decor.. and I am thinking warm fall colours, orange, amber, gold and rust... pair it with jewel turquoise and gold, sparkling wine glasses and silver, glowing tealights, flowers.. all things that encapsulate the richness of a festival.

The post is a digression, since I meant to post a story from Goan homes as promised ... but then the paper wallah delivered this:

And I Had to take a minute to say Thank You India Today for featuring Girlabouthome in their design supplement!!

A very first for me.. and such a privilege to be spoken of in the same breath as women I admire so much!! Super thrilled !!!

Here's to Bhavna Bhatnagar of An Indian Summer, Sandeep Sandhu of Designwali and Priya Iyer of Once Upon A Tea Time.

A quick peek inside the mag... For a more readable version, do check out Priya's blog at here.

:)