Art you can use: Cushions by Radhika Prathipati

Radhika Prathipati is a very talented artist and a dear friend. Whenever I need wall art for a design project I go to her.

She works with different media including oil, watercolor, and pen and ink. She also has sketched a lot of very interesting and very vibrant faces with color pencils which are my favorite.


Radhika has also recently custom made a painting for a wedding favor for one of my projects. In case you have an interesting project or you need something special for an occasion, she can custom design or create a painting for your requirement.


She recently got some of her artwork printed on cushions and they are beautiful. Here are some of them which i shot with my phone camera. If you'd like to buy them, please send me an email to ambicasrimal@gmail.com. All cushions are priced at Rs. 750 and are 12 inches by 12 inches in size.

PS: She helped me design the lehenga i had got made for my friend's wedding. She is the one whose sense of color and design i like and trust the most.  

Decor tip: Decorating a corner table

In one corner of my home this is what you can find. And it didn't cost me a bomb.

So here's the breakdown if you'd like to know:

• I got one wall of the living room painted when i moved in. It is the quickest and cheapest decorating advice in my book. Paint the walls... Of course the yellow i chose is not my favorite shade from the color wheel and i think i was dazed when i picked up the shade... but somehow it doesn't feel all that ghastly anymore.
• The coffee table is at least a decade old and imported from Dubai. Ikea Lack it is!! Costed about Rs. 500 or less. 
• The green A was lying at Sunny Side and was useless there. So i asked the boys if i could take it home. Score!! 
• The blue bottle was a bottle of vodka from Uzbekistan. Now it is home to a money plant. The grey vase is from Ikea too and was a gift from one of my clients whose house i did the interiors for. 
• The papier mache hen may have costed about Rs 300. It used to hold remotes... but now i don't have any so it's currently empty. I need to find a better use for it. 
• The teeny tiny auto... a friend got that from Sri Lanka. 
• The blocks... i picked up from Jodhpur and i think they costed about Rs 1000 or 1500 in all. 

Free Decor Advice (after all, it is about inexpensive ways to decorate your home!)

You don't need to buy expensive things to do up your home... whatever your style type is. Keep your eyes open and look for interesting objects and not necessarily in the decor section of a lifestyle store. You can find interesting artefacts on the street, outside a temple, on the beach, pretty much anywhere.

The key is to group objects together... of different heights, materials and colors. Most decorative objects look sad when they stand alone... but when you add at least one other element, things start to look more interesting.

Think photo frames, mirrors, books, shells, blocks, toys, beads, plants... you can decorate your home on a shoestring budget. 

Loving today: Maati Designs

Rs 1399
Maati Designs table lamp
Will look good anywhere!

{Buy on FabFurnish}

Loving today: The big board chalkboard

The big board - girl chalkboard is so freaking adorable. It would make a pretty cool housewarming gift, don't you think?
Rs 750
Things by Studio Eksaat

The photos on the wall

Aru reminded me that i hadn't posted the 'better' picture from the 'Print It' challenge. I totally forgot! The photos moved from one wall in the guest room to the green wall in my bedroom to this wall in the guest room. It was very painful with all the measuring to stick this but i think it was worth the effort. I used glue stick to put this up and so far it's stayed put.

PS: I know you'd hardly call this a better picture. lol.

Loving today: Kuheli Wall Clock

India Circus Kuheli Colorful Fish Wall Clock

Rs 1199

FabFurnish

Swing-in

This picture is so perfect, it has me sighing. It has this beautiful dreamy-floaty feel. Despite the mismatched colors in the decor (which i love) and the big bold piece of art work behind, the red doors, the bright rug and the bold dress the girl is wearing. Am totally loving it.

{Found this in a very gorgeous blog. You must see the rest of the pictures of swings inside homes and then the rest of the posts too.}

PS: There is a CD stuck in my computer and i can't make it come out. My challenge is hence pending. 

Loving today: Vintage Art Tin Boxes

Though these babies can be used in the kitchen to store dry snacks, tea, coffee or sugar, i'd love to use them for baubles.

Set of 2 Vintage Green Tin Boxes
Zansaar
Rs. 795 for the set

Loving today: Floral cushion covers

Love the floral print and the bright colors of these covers.

Swayam @ Jabong
Rs. 358 for a set of 2
(16 in. square)

Loving today: Painted Sideboard

Love this Rangilo Rajasthan painted sideboard. If i brought it i'd use it as a TV table and use the cupboard below to store my CDs  and DVDs.

PepperFry
Rs. 14995
Currently available at a 20% discount.
Buy it here
Another one i like.

Plants in a bottle - II

Remember i shared recently my plants in glass bottles ... i forgot to share with you one of my favs then... this one's a plant in a boot. The yellow does add a lovely pop of color to my home :)

XOXO
Ambica

Plants in a glass bottle

My balcony looks like this right now. Just right now because these bottles will all go to different parts of the house as the sun is too strong right now. But the day the weather changes,  i will display them so in my balcony.

{Breakdown}

The blue bottle is my favorite, a vodka bottle from Uzbekistan.  The transparent one is a vase that i purchased for less than a 100 bucks more than 5 years ago. The green is a wine bottle that i added mod podged with crochet doilies. Then there is the test tube in an iron holder. The beer bottle needs no explaining :)

The plants are all gifts from my mother.

The bricks, i got from a construction site i visit frequently.

The iron mice - they are bookends and a gift from N. But i like them in my balcony more.

The little white bottle has shells around it and a candle inside. But strong winds blow the candle off. I should get a hurricane lamp maybe!

The balcony is very pleasant in the evening with plenty of breeze. There are two mudas and a little coffe table there as well. But tit's still a WIP... I'd like to add a lamp, a little carved wooden shelf that i am painting, some wall art, a wind chime and also paint the said coffee table... so you will probably get to see more projects in the coming days :)

I want a crate

Wooden crates are so 'in'; I can see it all over the net. But I can't see it anywhere around me. And I need two.

I want one to use as my night stand. It would be just perfect to hold my books and chargers and the night lamp.

I want another for my dining area, a BIG one.  I still don't know what i'd do with it :)

But i can't seem to find even one. The local fruit vendor had one, but it was in really bad shape... any suggestions?

{photo}

Art Prints by Crude Area

There are some lovely art prints for sale at FabFurnish.com; if you are looking at something fun for your home or for a gift for your parents or a cute couple you know.


London Art Print by Crude Area
FabFurnish.com
Rs. 1750
Buy it here

New York Art Print by Crude Area
FabFurnish.com
Rs. 1750
Buy it here

Love Art Print by Crude Area
FabFurnish.com
Rs. 2000
Buy it here

The perfect divan

I love divans. Always have been. I think they are better than sofas or couches or any other living room furniture.

They are so versatile - you can change the sheet and the cushions and your room has a new look instantly. And when you have guests over, you can use the extra bed. And they are comfortable too.

The only downside - divans work best when placed against a wall.

{Featured here}
Quetzel Chill Diwan
Rs. 12995
Zansaar.com

I want this.

{Buy}

Give your home a summer makeover with a blue and white theme

This aqua looks so fresh, calm and peaceful.  And right now, living close to the beach is inspring me to help someone create this space for themself.

I have seen a similar color scheme of turquoise / cerulean blue at a friend's house as well and i can promise you it would look just as nice or even nicer without a view of the snow covered countryside outside your window!

The  calm blue interiors would be a perfect getaway from the sunny outdoors.

{Getting the look for your living room}

Furniture 
This look will work wonderfully well if you have natural colored cane furniture. Cover the cushions with aqua colored plain or self patterned fabric. Layer with small white cushions.

Curtains
Your curtains can be a similar bright tone of blue or blue and white. It's important to keep the tones similar... a navy blue or any other blue will not give you the look you want.

Rug
A natural jute rug or dhurrie will work best. Look for it in the state-owned handloom / decor stores like Cauvery, Mrignayanee, LePakshi or Gurjari. Alternatively, a cane chattai can also be used.

Accessories
This look calls for a lot of glass and texture. Add shells in a glass jar on the coffee table. Get some greens in to your home with green leafy plants in pots or glass vases. Bring in mason jars or empty jam bottles. You can add candles, surround it with shells or colored stones. You can also accessorize with inexpensive terracotta knick-knacks; make sure you buy the natural colored ones. Add an jute / cane baskets to keep your magazines and newspapers.

Wall Art
The wall can be accessorized with Madhubani line drawing paintings or simple black and white prints. Look for beach themed family portraits in the album to add to side tables. A framed map on the wall would also go well.

Pop of color
If like me, you have a penchant for that surprise pop of color, then i'd recommend ochre, coral or sea green.

Color inspiration

(image sources and resources - centsationalgirl, brightnest, newportbeach, bhg, pinterest, pinterest, pinterest, other, ballarddesigns and design -seeds one and two)

Weekly Challenge #6 - My little garden - Done

I wanted to frost. But something came up and travel plans upset my frosting dream!

I have had to postpone that for next week or week after that. To make up,  i planted a few herbs for this week's challenge.

(Again, one of those things i wanted to do since some time.)

I have planted these seeds in really tiny pots - coriander, fenugreek and green chilis.

Keeping my fingers crossed coz i am not very good at this.

The fourth pot is empty... any suggestions on what i can plant there?

I am also looking for a nice wooden box, an old drawer or a wooden tray to keep my pots in. Hopefully i should find something soon.

PS: The pigeons are still here but i dont know if there is an egg in the  nest there... i have barricaded the ledge with some bricks to avoid a disaster like before. 

White, black and orange inspiration

This is possibly the first room picture i have seen where the rug on the wall looks so gorgeous. And the little bits of rust and orange up the room from ordinary to special.

Simple decor but looks so beautiful. Just goes to show that a space doesn't need too many elements for it too look great!

Notice the bedside table / shelf. It is exactly what i want and i have been trying to source a fruit crate to refurbish but haven't had any luck so far...

I have lost the link to the page hence i am unable to post the credits but the space is too gorgeous to not share.

Bare wall

I want to do a rope and clothespin thing on one of the walls in my bedroom.

Do you think it's too cliched or should i really not care a damn and just go ahead and do it? Any other suggestions?

Basically, i want to put up pictures, postcards, notes and be able to change it easily. I am thinking maybe i could use simple white cotton lace instead of a jute thread to keep things pretty and do maybe 2-3 lines of it, much like a tiered necklace.

What do you think?

{pic from}

Made my bed and i have to lie on it...

I have always loved floor beds and low beds. Back when i was in high school, i had my parents throw my bed away and piled about 4 mattresses on the floor to make a floor bed that i totally loved.

When i was shifting homes recently, i ditched my bed again and moved the mattress to the floor. I love it. Despite three problems that i have with it.

1. It's a single mattress only and i'd like the bed to be slightly plumper. This one's easily solved so i will order a cotton mattress. Soon.

2. I have a dressing table that i can't discard because i need it. For the mirror and the storage it provides. But it's tall and really cannot be altered. What do you suggest i do? I can buy another, but most tables are tall and i definitely want a full length mirror. Yes, i am pretty vain that ways!

3. I dont have a bedside table. Again, everything i have found / seen is too tall. I need one so i can keep a bedside lamp, my chargers, and a bottle of water. Any suggestions? A DIY where i could convert something else into a bedside table? Please help!!!

{Pic from}
{If you like floor beds and want to look at some dreamy bedrooms, head to Apt. Therapy}

PS: Isn't this floor bed so gorgeous? Love the use of wooden pallets or crates or whatever they are called but in apna desh, this would become a dust-infested nightmare in a few weeks or maybe less!