Tray of treasures

Hello luvs! How are you? Sorry for the no-show yesterday--I had full intentions of blogging, but things just kept turning up. In the end I was mentally exhausted, couldn't really put any intelligible thoughts to paper (blogger? we need to come up with an updated lexicon, some of the phrases we express ourselves with may soon be obsolete, don't you think?). Have you ever had one of those days where your brain is buzzing with ideas and you try to do too many things at one time? *Fzzzt* yeah, that's what happened! :) Not that I'm complaining. I live for days like that, where you're using every ounce of that grey matter. Left brain/right brain who cares how you get there. As long as you do. :)

So back to my pet peeve, the weather. I think I'm growing gills, I seem to be living under (rain) water all the time. Seriously, will this rain ever stop? Bas, aur nahin!(translated: enough, already!) All I wanted to do today was get outside and take a walk, maybe come back with a few "found" treasures, let the sun (in my imagination) and the breeze (30 kmph, really?) soothe my worries away........sigh. Not happening. So I comforted myself by cooking up a storm (ha. ha.) and prettifying my environs (and making a few other changes to my blog layout). I've recently updated my tumblr account and I intend to add all those zillions of pictures-that-tempt to it, loads of eye candy with little to no text (where I post when I have NO desire to talk!). :D I've also recently paid some attention to my almost-defunct flickr account, which had turned into a toxic wasteland of pictures that didn't quite make the cut. I've weeded out a lot of the duplicates,/crappy shots but sometimes I suffer from an acute inability to make a decision. Should it go or should it stay? (Good thing I don't work in any field where snap judgments are required, LOL!). I think it looks good now, but I'd like your opinion too. You can find my flickr photostream here and my tumblr inspiration folder here. Or look into the right sidebar for the links---------->

A little sample of what you might find on flickr:

 My tray of treasures on Flickr


And a little sample of what you might find on tumblr:

 

  Original source: Etsy (Isn't it the most gorgeous necklace ever!) Available here.

In other news, I'd like to give a shout out to fellow blogger Priya, of the blog Once Upon a Tea Time--she has come up with the ingenious (and very commendable!) idea of offering free advertising to fair trade organizations that support artisans. What a wonderful way to promote (and preserve) indigenous crafts! If you belong to or represent a company that engages in fair practices, please contact Priya. If you're a craft/handmade aficionado, please do your bit and help spread the word! Read her post on it here for more information.

That's all for now folks, hope you have a good rest of the day/evening. I leave you with the genius of Indian Ocean: music to rock the rain in! (I love the dug-duggi right in the end.) Oh, and just because I can't resist, here's another. Enjoy!

The Colors of Her Life: Preethi's Vibrant Apartment in Bangalore

Hello lovely readers, hope you're enjoying your Sunday--well, it's going to get a LOT better, because we're off to the garden city to catch up with the lovely Preethi at her gorgeous apartment. Preethi describes herself as an interior decorator trapped in the body of an IT professional (sound familiar to anyone out there? :) ) An avid collector, she says:

"My home is like a Kaleidoscope of everything Indian and you can see a piece of my heart in every corner. I have papier mache from Kashmir, woven baskets from Manipur, sandstone sculpture from Orissa, Madhubani from Bihar, Dhokra, sandalwood boxes, chanpatna toys.." 

 

Her love for Indian crafts is all too evident in her fascinating blog,  Indya Kaleidoscope, where, in addition to handicrafts, she  also chronicles her love of Indian history and architecture. Over time (she's been collecting since she was in college!) her collection has only grown. She says:

"Family and friends have only added more to the collection. Some people may call it clutter, but hey!! I love my clutter :) From the discolored Laxmi frame to the crack in my grandfather's teak chest, I love them all :)" 

A kathakali mask looks on............

Preethi has very kindly invited us into her space, where I'm sure you'll catch a glimpse of her personality reflected in each painstakingly put together corner--welcome to Preethi's world of colors.........

These adorable dolls greet you at the entryway! She had the bamboo demi-lune console made to order from a local artisan....

  

I'd love to sink into those chairs! What about you?  :) The cushions and those colors are calling my name....... :)

Some more vignettes from around her home......

A certain blogger with a telephone fetish must be salivating over this picture here! :) You're welcome!

Love the glaze on these teacups!

In addition to handicrafts from all over India, she also collects sculptures of her favorite deity, lord Ganesha-- she  says:

"Its interesting to see the number of ways the elephant God is manipulated by man :)."

 Preethi also admits to being fascinated by paintings with doorways...(she has four already!). Here's a picture of one hung over her charming little "baithak" area...Hot pink, vivid yellow, this lady's not shy about using color, and she does it with such élan!

(Some of you may recall seeing this  glimpse into Preethi's lovely home here) Her vibrant home is not just resplendent with colors and crafts; she is extremely eco-conscious as well-- you have to check out this post by her--I love her new composter! Her Flickr stream has a lovely set titled "Earth Hour 2010"---perfect inspiration for next year!!! I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea here, which I'm totally stealing for myself when I manage to make that trip to India. On a personal note,  I have to tell you that this lady with an eye for decorating also possesses a warm personality which totally corroborates the warmth and love you can see scattered around her home.....

I leave you with one small vignette, you really must check out the rest of her work at her flickr site....

I hope you enjoyed the home tour!! Preethi blogs  here and you can view her entire Flickr photostream here for more inspiration (seriously, there were just too many gorgeous pictures to squeeze in one post!). All pictures courtesy of and copyrighted to Preethi Prabhu.

PS: I'm linking back to the sneak peek as well. picture courtesy of Preethi Prabhu.

Rich, Warm and Vibrant: Natalie's home in London.

I have always maintained that artist homes are the most inspiring places to explore. Throw in a hint of India and I'm head-over-heels!! You've already met the artist, now she's graciously invited us in to her charming home! Drool on my lovelies, there's cozy corners and pretty vignettes and art. Oh the art. And the color.....

The entryway that had me at hello. Yup, I'll come in, very happily!

A corner in her bedroom.

A corner of her living room. Stacks of art above an unused fireplace.

New acquisitions: throw pillows and kilim from Turkey! I love how the colors play off of each other. Love the shade of the couch--it looks like they were meant to be together!

More art, lending warmth and color to the sideboard.

This gorgeous bookshelf with the adorable elephant bookend resides in her living room. I like how pretty books look when arranged by color!

This is her home-office. How adorable is that sunny yellow? LOVE this space!

The dining space.

Her eat-in kitchen. Painted a glorious shade of earthy red! I've heard it called Georgia clay, this shade of red, and I love the feeling it evokes (the name and the color!)

Another view of the kitchen.

I love the contrast of stark white against warm red! And the little hints of blue just complete it, don't you think?

The inspiration behind the still life with lentils. I love how pretty they look in those glass jars, all lined up. Who knew dal could be so gorgeous!

Her designs for tea towels. They're going to be gorgeous, and will make for perfect christmas gifts!

An unused fireplace. What a perfect place to store blank canvases! I love how sculptural they look!

I'm going to leave you with one last gem:

A still life composition with her grandmother's china. Sigh.

Natalie, thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful, warm, inviting home. I can only imagine how cozy it must feel to enter your house after facing the notorious London weather!!! We loved getting to know you and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!!

All images copyright of Natalie Singh. You can find her at: blog, website, etsy, firm, flickr.

Hello.

How are you my loves? I'm in one of my "moods" today! You might as well get used to them...I know this blog was conceived as a "design blog", but at times I find it hard to separate my personal life (more specifically my state of mind) from the design aspects.... I hope you won't mind if I let myself peep through from time to time? So anyway, I'm working on a post that appears to have stirred a lot of emotion within (I might be a little late in posting on the studio tour I was talking of---but rest assured, I will post it once I figure out how I want to handle it)...and there have been several posts on the blogosphere that seem to be nudging me (I think I've said this before, but don't you think you only see what you want to?). I've been thinking of putting in links to some posts that really grab me (not all are design related), mainly as a compilation of posts that made me think, or laugh, or drool (drool-worthy design and recipes). Do you think I should? Would you be interested?

"Moody Monsoon" on Flickr.

Plus there are a few things I might have forgotten to mention in my earlier posts: I wanted to give a big shout out to Akshatha for taking the leap and opening her own etsy store. Good for you and best of luck, girl! In case you missed the post on her home tour, you can find it here. And you can find Akshatha's gorgeous blog here!

Crewel worked wristlet @ Akshatha's etsy store. 

Also wanted to share some music with you.....Have you heard of Susheela Raman? (She's the one who sang "yeh mera deewanapan" in the movie "Namesake"---her voice is fantastic, though her accent was rather thick in the song don't you think?) Anyway, her voice grows on you, it's sultry and there's a raw emotion that you can feel underneath...that is why I love her songs! Hubby gets full credit to introducing her to me...he got her CD from Amazon a couple of years back and I think we've worn it out by now....we love playing music in the car especially on our long drives. One plus point to all this immersion in music is that the little guy in the back can now sing along with artists like Kailash Kher, Shubha Mudgal and Paul Simon. Yes, be prepared for a peppering of music posts as well. What is life without a little sweetness and spice? Anyway, back to the lady with the liquid silk voice.... Here's our favorite:

Did you click to listen? did you like it?

I'll be back later. Till then, be good!! Loads of love,
Gagan

"Make Life Pretty": Lara Rossignol's inspired abode in Atlanta.

That picture and inscription pretty much sum up Lara Rossignol's perspective on life; author of the gorgeously inspiring blog "Piewacket", Lara's love for beauty is very evident from her lovely warm home and her work as a professional photographer. Lara's interests include:  collecting, decorating, fashion, travel, billiards, reading, cooking, gardening, animals, writing and movies. You'll find this and so much more on her lovely blog. She's also an avid "bento" fan!! Lara's colorful, warm home reflects her taste for vintage design, she confesses to being a "hunter". In her words...

"I love whimsy. I love color. I love vintage design. And at heart, I am a hunter. I love finding some discarded treasure, whether it be at a flea market, estate sale or eBay. I live for a good bargain and have a keen sense of knowing the value of things. I'm not above mixing old with new, like my retro-inspired couch by Crate & Barrel. It fits perfectly with all my actual vintage furniture. To me, great design is about having a good eye for those special pieces and then knowing how to put it all together."

Case in point. The lovely lady in the portrait is Lara's grandmother. I love everything in this picture, every little bit adds up but is so much greater in its entirety.

Vignette on the other end of the mantle.

A view of the living room. Another sweet vignette.

The gorgeous living room that won Domino's Readers' Choice Award in 2008. I love how she has used color and how it falls seamlessly into place! (click on the photographs to embiggen!)

Her enviable ceramic teapot collection. Remember, she is a pro at the art of antiquing!!! What an eye for the gorgeous and what an eye for putting it together!

Her beautiful sunny bedroom.

That's drama! Her pretty bedroom window, decked out in the colors of the rainbow! Imagine the sunlight streaming in through those multi-hued vases; what a way to wake up every morning!

On her dresser. I could spend hours just browsing the many layers of interest, here!

Another tabletop in the bedroom. Ooh-so-pretty! I love how nonchalantly the sepia-toned photographs cohabit with her jewelry! drooool!

A view of her sweet porch! I can just imagine how lovely it must be to sit there in the summer, with a good book and an iced lemonade.........The little table and plantstand got some DIY love.

I'm so inspired by her lovely vignettes--I love the way she clubs together her collections to create those charming stories! Go check out her fabulous flickr photostream --its chock-full of eye-candy! Lara also has an exquisite etsy store in case you'd love to get a piece of that pie (sorry for the pun--couldn't resist it!).

Lara, thank you for the incredibly inspiring home-tour!

All pictures courtesy of and copyrighted to: Lara Rossignol. Please contact her in case you wish to use her pictures. You can reach Lara at: blog; flickr; store; website.

Home Tour: Yolanda's Oasis in California

Here it is folks, the home-tour I was alluding to yesterday! I would like you to welcome Yolanda Odom, (or Yolie as she likes to be called) to the center stage at P&P central. Yolie is a mixed-media artist (as will be very evident from the pictures that follow, a subject that deserves another post altogether!!!); she is an avid gardener and dog-lover to boot. Today, she shares with us some pictures of her magical garden and home...

That's a very happy plant out there!!!

Talk about curb appeal!!

Sweet peas and prayer flags!!

I wonder where the monkey is going...that's a lot of suitcases for a little guy like that!! But seriously, isn't that stack of vintage suitcases to die for??

Entryway (with a cute doggie-leash holder!). And another very happy plant!

You know I love terrariums, right? I'm so drooling over her lovely collection!!!

Bookcase with some more doggie-love.

Inside her studio...

Pottery collection

The "lair"-- her beautiful outdoor space for relaxing and yoga!

Another perspective of the lair....

Magical bench, with flowering vines....(I would so love to have one of these when I grow up.. :) )

Peace prevails..........

 Yolie blogs here and here. Go check out her photostream at flickr for more magic.....

Yolie, thank you so much for sharing your magical oasis with us. As always, all images are copyrighted to the original author, in this case, to Yolie.