Happy Weekend Folks!

Its fall! Mornings are crisp and cool, just the way I like them. Fall is arguably the best season of the year in this part of the world. In all the parts of the American continent that we have lived in so far, spring has to be the biggest let-down ever! There's always the promise of warmer winds and budding life, but it seems to drag on forever (at least a lot longer than I have patience for!!)--it usually ends up being "mud season" with all that accumulated snow turning into thick sticky mud! Not fun. But fall....the trees are alive with color! The air is fresh. Crisp. The bugs that plague my summer evenings are gone. and then there's the clothes........scarves and cuddly sweaters, tights and boots...... :) Everything's just right! the festivals are around the corner and there's something familiar in the air.......I can't place it, but there's always a pull, a yearning that I feel at this time of the year...it makes me feel so alive and puts an extra spring in my step... Do you feel the same way?

My woolen shawl/ scarf (its neither here nor there, but I love it to death!). My lapis +silver necklace.

Another view...I love this scarf, it goes with everything and boy! does it liven up neutrals!! :) (I might do a feature on the company that makes these scarves...let me know if you're interested! ;) )

I also thought I'd share with you my view (or part of it anyways!) as I blog! (I found a few new treasures this past week while thrifting and I can't get enough of their prettiness!) I'm sharing one at the moment, the rest will follow later...........

To the right of my computer screen.

I'm a desktop person.

 Hubby's a laptop kinda guy.

I'm a PC.

He's a Mac. :)

You know what they say about opposites, right?  ;)

Let me walk you through my stuff....the little shoe is made in Turkey (courtesy Pier1). I needed someplace to dump place my jewelry from the day. I love my trinkets, but have this need to divest myself of them the moment I get home (and seeing that I rush to my computer the moment I'm home, it makes sense to have a landing pad for them on my table, right?). The glass bowl with the cast iron hummingbird cover is my newly thrifted treasure. For the princely sum of $0.99, it now houses my clutter paper clips and such. The Kashmiri papier-mâché box holds thumbtacks and other pointy stuff. My eclectic pen(cil) collection is all courtesy the cute little guy--he leaves little gifts for his mama whenever he feels the need to (somewhere in that glass mug is a butterfly shaped eraser, which he didn't really need because it was pink. ) The plant and planter you've been acquainted with earlier. :) (I now know the proper name for the mug--stein. Thanks Tallulah!).

Closeup of my hummingbird cover! :) I love it! (and for the price, I love it even more!! Score!!)

My cup o' joe. Bru, made the Indian way, with loads of milk and sugar! Computer screen as I work on this post--that's real time for ya! :)

What's your view like right now? :)

A Celebrity Home with an Indian Influence....

So, I'm not a person who's very into celebrity lifestyles, but I just had to share this home (Cher's, in L.A.) with you....I kinda like the neutral palette that she (or her interior decorator) chose; very often, I find that the inevitable interpretation of "Indian" is a riot of supersaturated jewel tones adorning everything from the walls to the floors!! Seriously, do we really know any "Indian" who lives like that?  :). No wonder people get tired of OTT indian-inspired decor so soon---it would have me screaming out the door before you could say "fuchsia"!!!

So anyway, I chanced upon this feature on her home in the July issue of Architectural Digest, and I though of sharing it with you...I love many things in this home, the use of natural linens, the oh-so-gorgeous pillows and bedding, the lovely carved wood furniture...take a look and tell me what you think! Of course  this is a "decorated home" and so it looks a little show-case-y, but I'm sure you can look beyond that and admire the tastefully done up decor. :)

So that figurine you see in pink is actually terracotta (it didn't show up as pink in the magazine!)

I love that ottaman-seat thing! I think I've seen something similar in Kamini's library. I want!

(On another note: what is this new trend of spreading animal carcasses on the floor? totally grosses me out!)

Palatial bedroom, totally OTT, but then I love those bed-linens!!  :)

Her gorgeous balcony, replete with a charpai and a view! Apparently, her boudoir is one large, seamless space, very "loft" like! That's one fancy "room", don't you think? :)

I love the almost raw-silk like look of those cushions! This winter, when I'm cooped up inside, I may finally take some scissors and hack into my old raw-silk kurta--it was destroyed by some mysterious party food spill! I think there's enough material to make one gorgeous cushion!!!

What do you think? Seen anything you liked above?

Home feature here. Pictures via.

"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.

Monday with flowers!

I love my greens, both on the plate and in my home!! I've always loved having life blooming and budding and sprouting all over my home--you've probably seen plenty of pictures of my favorite plants by now, this week I thought I'd introduce you to some of the more transient guests we've hosted over the past few months!!

This here is our "just add ice" orchid, who bloomed all the way from February into May. He's currently taking a breather and I'm trying to coax some buds out of him....... :)

My gorgeous sunflowers! I HAVE to make another trip to the farmers' market and soon!!

Roses in the bedroom--these were part of a huge bunch of "grocer roses". I pulled out these vibrant orange ones to lend their sweet fragrance to our bedroom.

Flowers and plants in my front yard/entry. The marigolds and red salvia have proven to be the most enduring of the flowering plants I put in this year....they're still going strong after the petunias and snap-dragons died out on me!!! (Salvia will continue to bloom as long as you pinch off the spent floral shoot!)-- they will definitely be making a comeback next year!! I'm waiting for the season to turn completely and will be bringing in some fall color with mums and pumpkins later this month!! I had planted a huge container of all varieties of coleus, which I will be bringing in this winter--this is the first time I've tried this and I hope they survive...they are the most radiant plants I have!!

I'm a beginner when it comes to gardening, especially here in the U.S.-- all the gardening I picked up was through watching my mom tending to her garden, in a wholly different environment! Here, we've moved so often that I've never really had time tried to apply the lessons I learn in one zone*..... but I'm trying, and I'll get there......

*The U.S. is divided into eleven gardening zones; (we've moved from a zone 2, to 4, and now to 6--{we're gradually inching our way south!!})

How is Monday treating you? Here in the U.S. we have a long weekend, which means Monday is off!! To P&P readers elsewhere in the world, have a great beginning to the work week! I'll be linking this post up to the Keybunch's "say it with flowers" party! Also, don't forget to check back tomorrow for another fabulous home-tour!!

Home Tour: Laura's Eclectic Casa in Texas

Laura's home is perfect. It's cozy. Eclectic without being OTT. Lived-in and Livable. Full of verdant, green, life (and some not-so-green life as well- she has a cat and a beautiful fishtank!). Best part--it's a DIY dream come true! I'm always in awe of people who think nothing of picking up their tools and taking on projects no matter how daunting they seem!! People like Laura who will get up there and finish a laundry room redo in five and a half hours! (I haven't been able to hang up a picture in five and a half months! booo!!). Laura with her quicksilver wit! Laura, whose posts are so much fun to read they often have me choking back laughter. (If you don't believe me check out her blog...and scroll down to the "comments" header! LOL! I wish I'd thought of that! :) --to be serious, I've only once been heckled by anyone on this blog---my readers are the most awesome bunch of folks! Yay to you!). Back to Laura you guys...

Now mostly, I have to do my homework when I write my posts, I need to dig down deep, draw out that one special thing that attracted me to the blog/website/human behind it all...then I need to work on the write -up. At times it writes itself, at times it is e.x.c.r.u.t.i.a.t..i.n.g.l.y. slow. Guess how fast my fingers are flying across the keyboard right now?

So, On to the pictures!

The Entry! Love that scarf, the mirror (and look closely at the picture beyond---it's a Thai-style Buddha depiction!)

 Laura says about her entry:

"I have a very long, narrow hallway, so there's not much room for furniture there. The shelf belonged to my boyfriend's mother when she was young, the mirror and grass mats on top of the shelf are both from World Market, and the poster is one I printed from the internet and framed. We don't wear shoes in the house - hence all the shoes on the shelf (which, aside from being a "landing pad", is why it's there in the first place, for our shoes and our guests' shoes)."

Living room media shelves and portion of the hall. I love the way she's hung the art! Also note: the sculpture on a pedestal, and the tabla-like drum front and center!

Of the hallway, Laura says: 

"The hallway with the white line around it isn't finished, either - I was planning to do the space above the line a blue color, kind of reminiscent of the blue domes and arches you find in Morrocco and Tunisia, but I haven't exactly the right blue yet (one that will coordinate with the turquoises in the living room, but not be too pale or too bright), so it'll stay gray until I figure that out."

Her gorgeous living room fireplace! Notice how her home is filled with plants?

Another perspective.

Also within her living room, the "meditation corner". The epitome of DIY.....

That's a wooden pallet, folks! How cozy it looks.....

Her home office and art...where she blogs from!

Laura is an artist by profession (maybe there will be a follow-up post!) and all the art has been done by her!!

Her dining room, which she has since worked on and improved...read more details here.

Her gorgeous bed, decked out in its summer colors!

The bedroom in winter!

On another wall in the bedroom, the vanity!

I love how she's displayed all her jewelry--its like art!

Her gorgeous Buddha corner in the bedroom entryway!

Want more? Check out her blog.....she gives a blow-by-blow account for each of her DIYs. She's still working on her home and is probably up to some fantastic project even as I write this...be sure to check out her blog because she's got tons of neat ideas!

I hope I gave you plenty of eye candy to last the long weekend! I'll leave you with one last pretty corner from her gorgeous home..

As Laura would say: "Peace y'all!"

Laura, thank you so much for all the wonderful inspiration and gorgeous home tour!! Can't wait to see your next project! :)

All Images copyrighted to Laura.

Paisley Friday!

via.

Friday? Long weekend? Woo Hoo!! I have loads of plans this weekend...they may involve some much needed R&R (my feet are killing me!) they may involve some scrumptious food and oh yes, we'll be raking it in big time this weekend!! ( the fall leaves that is! hee! gotcha!!!)--seriously, though the temperatures have only just dipped to bearable levels, the trees know it! The mulberry tree in our backyard (no, not a bush-what is it with that song?) has been shedding like crazy, and since I use that space for a lot of my DIY spray-your-way-to-glory projects, I need it to stay clean for just a little bit longer! Also my lovelies, don't fret, because later today we have to take that home tour in Texas (thought I'd forgotten dintcha'?), so put on your sensible shoes (or kitten heels, whatever works for you!) and get ready to OOH and AAH!! Yup, its that good! ;)

Till then........

Entryways: the sequel

As the festive season draws closer, many of us are busy decking our doors. Here in the west, fall-inspired wreaths are beginning to show up on doors all around me....what a beautiful way to usher in autumn! Elsewhere around the world, my blogger friends have been busy adding that special touch to their doorways and entries as well. Today, we'll be visiting two blogger homes for inspiration... :) When I ventured into the world of blogging, little did I know that I would be making friends along the way. I envisioned it as a solitary activity, where I penned down my thoughts for an anonymous faceless sea of 0s &1s, a plasma. Now, three months into blogging, I realize all that it has come to mean to me....I don't write for the great intangible; I write for my friends. When I read blog entries out there, I have this conversation going on in my head. As a result, most posts are (in my mind) dedicated to one or the other of these fantastic, talented, supportive, thoughtful, thought-provoking, unique personalities out there. Real people. I may not have a face, I may not be able to touch, but I know you're there, sitting in front of the screen, reading, and that tea you're drinking-- it probably tastes as good in your time zone as it does in mine. I read of your successes and I smile. I read of your pain and I shed a quiet tear. Your instantaneous, impromptu  email brings a wide smile to my face. You've worked your way into my heart.

This post is dedicated to my many new friends.....here's to the camaraderie girls! back to my lovely contributors for this post, today--both these ladies have by now earned a very special place in my heart.... so in no particular order, lets step in to their worlds shall we?

Lets start at the gate:

That's right, Patty's gate...giving you a clue to the colorful vibrant, bubbly personality that lives within. She shares her home in Dubai with her husband and two vivacious daughters.

The gate opens into a cute lawn with an adorable birdbath. Don't forget to put something out there for our little feathered friends...winters can be so harsh for them.

Close-up of the bird-bath. This was a very clever DIY effort on Patty's part...she had this tree stump and found the bird-bath basin in an outdoor store. She got it home and it fit perfectly! I'm sure the neighborhood birdies must be extra chipper now!!

Won't you climb those steps? I love how inviting it all is...... :)

Some close-ups of the gorgeousness..........

Her Sri-Lankan terracotta chimes. (note to hubby: let's get our fishy chimes up, shall we?--sorry for the personal note you guys, but my hubby is my go-to man for all things related to a drill and hammer+he's the tall one!!)

Sri-Lankan brass bell. DROOL!

If you've been following us desi design bloggers for  a while, you probably know that Patty is nevvver done decorating....she is a constant source of inspiration and fresh ideas. When you're done reading this post, click on over to her blog and make sure you follow, so you never miss a post.............

What can I tell you about Pree....all I can say is, I wait for her posts every day, to see what she's been up to. At times it's food, at times it's decor, sometimes it's art; her posts always promise to entertain, she has stories aplenty to share. Pree lives in Toronto with her husband. Her personality has all I'm drawn to in real life, a strong, independent woman, with a fantastic sense of humor. Her blog is about food, but also about so much more. Her taste (as you will see from the photographs that follow), is impeccable.....

That picture wall! Several of the paintings up there are by her. Don't miss that stool over by the door. Pree, did you cart that all the way from India?

What a difference a plant makes!

From a different angle. Pree's rendering of Frida.

Leaves you wanting for more, doesn't it? You're in luck-- you can find her home tour here and here. When you're done with the home tours, go over to Pree's blog and revel in the (many more!!) corners of her beautiful home, and in the the stories she weaves........

Update: If you have any photographs of your entryways that you'd like to share, send them along and we'll all drool over them together!! You can find my e-mail under the "contact me" heading in the column on the right. What are you waiting for? Get snapping and get in touch!!

Indian-design junkies, rejoice: Pool Magazine is here!!

So I just came across "Pool Magazine", based out of Pune, India!! I'm still flipping through the pages, but for all those design junkies out there, this is an excellent read! Love the layout and it screams professionalism. From what I could discern in the past ten minutes of frantic page turning, they cover several aspects of design and fashion....click on over, and if you're looking for me, I'm probably online, poring over the deets!! The fabulous Prutha is featured in the third issue, go check it out, and go check out her blog! Thanks for the heads-up Prutha!!

image.

Pool Issue 3.

Pool issue 3.

Even their adverts are cool! :) I'm so hooked.

PS: My post for today may be delayed, due to irresponsible dilly-dallying....come back later tonight for my post on entryways....now excuse me folks as I  prop my feet up on a stool and contort my neck around to absorb.



PPS: So, I'm not sure how the desi design blogs missed this magazine (or was it just me?) oh well, I'm spreadin' the word....

Pool Blog.
Magazine.

all images from the magazine/blog. regular copyrights apply, to original authors.