Christmas Cheer

Warmest wishes for a lovely Christmas folks !!

 

 

 The light of  two dozen candles arranged at varying heights glow through a silk blind from atop a table arranged in the middle of the room.

 

 

 

 The floral pattern visible through soft gold twinkling lights.

 

 

Antique, wooden candle stands arranged randomly

 

 

Reflections on the polished granite

 

The arrangement reflects into a door and life sized mirror at another end of the room.

 

All pictures were taken at the Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur .

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..

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 !