Playing Hostess

We had our first house party this weekend for my cousin and aunt who’d come from Bangalore. So all my ‘specials’ came out as we spruced up the new house!

Ikat cushion covers to complement the new sofas

Pastel colored table spread with traditional Bengal embroidery work

Some dressing up the walls

Removing clutter from shelves to make them look presentable
(That is my coffee set in the kitchen)

Adding some greens indoors

And of course, some yummilicious food…. peppered with lots of good-hearted banter.

Finally the house felt like a home! :)

Garden Gossip

I have been trying to add to my meagre garden in the new house, though this is hardly the right time to do so. With temperatures hovering around 45 degrees Celsius for more than a week, everything is scorching and dry. Hot winds in the afternoon only make it worse for the poor plants to survive in this furnace.

Anyhow, the clay pots I bought for the griha-pravesh now serve as planters on my stairway window sill. Thankfully these plants are still coping better since they remain in the shade.

This new succulent I planted in a hanging pot is struggling – some days it looks bright and fresh, on other days it seems all withered. I have removed it from its perch and placed it in a shady corner; hope that helps it pull through.

On an afternoon of sudden, unexpected showers I planted 4 seeds of a flowering creeper that my cousin shared with me. To my absolute joy, all four of them sprung up, nodding their little heads despite the heat. But unfortunately they are now shriveling up; each day I seem to lose a sapling and it feels awful. :(

The one thing that still brings a smile – the Butterscotch Birdhouse, one of my creations, has finally found its place adding some color and cheer to my garden, and giving my palm tree company!

Using My Painted Bottle-vases

Just realized looking through my last post that I hadn’t really shared with you the pictures of my bottle-vases in action. So here goes….

This one sits on the washbasin countertop of the kiddy bathroom, holding paper flowers. Fits in with the butterflies and dragonflies that flit across it!

And the smaller one is used to hold the fresh flowers that my babies get me from their walks around the house.

Will give a garden update in my next post. Till then, enjoy the mid-week madness!

Vacation Vagaries

I’ve had a busy fortnight; hope that explains my sudden disappearance.


The kids decided they had to do some summer vacation stay-overs. So off my five year old son went to his paternal uncles’ place. And two days later my three year old got dropped off at grandma’s. That left a very paranoid mommy at home!


There I was on tenterhooks, swinging between worry and happiness. Worried at how my munchkins would manage on their own. After all this was the first time they were staying alone, without each other for sibling support. But I was happy that they were learning to strike out on their own, make individual choices and lead independent lives.




But mommy missed her munchkins so much that she painted them a surprise. So their bathroom got a Froggy with a red umbrella, sitting pretty on lotus leaves while giant mushrooms peeked from the sides! :) Yes, all this on a glass jam bottle that I turned into a toothbrush holder. For more details, read here.




This new holder complements the glass bottle-vase so well. And they both enliven the washbasin area, just as it should be in kiddy space.

The Yellow Pansy

Remember the contest win I had written about way back in September last year; you can refresh your memories here and here.

The winning photo of the yellow pansy

Well, true to her promise, Debbie from Reflections of Debbie sent across a colored pencil drawing of my pansy photograph. And this drawing holds pride of place in my dining area now.

Debbie's drawing of the yellow pansy

I had originally planned to frame both the photograph and the drawing together but unfortunately, I couldn’t work around their size mismatch. So for now, Debbie’s breathtakingly beautiful rendition of my pansy hangs in all its glory right above the dining table.

The 'conversation piece' of my dining space

Puppet Passion

Meet Mr. and Ms. Puppet. They arrived last month, and have since been family.

They are currently staying in our living room, spreading joy and cheer with their bright faces and colorful attire.

And of course, the kids love them. After all, where can you find friends who brighten up your day, and listen to all your stories without a whimper of protest! :)

I’m so glad we got this pair of traditional Rajasthani puppets for the home. I absolutely love how they give the plain white walls such a festive look.

Wanna invite them over to jazz up your home? :)

Hand-Towel Basket

Felt too lazy to go out and buy a towel hanger to hold the hand towel in the master bathroom.

Picked out an old, discarded fruit basket.

Threw in a couple of interesting things- like a pine cone I picked up in California, and a scented candle decorated with dried flowers.

Added the hand towel, and hey presto! My towel basket was complete. :)

Good that the arrangement matches my master bath color scheme- beige and brown.

Like the idea? Let me know....