My musings and an etsy find

Hello everyone! How have you been?

Are you busy gearing up for the holidays? I know... I am. My to do list has a ton of things....a bit more than I can handle.

As one moves from one stage of life to the next, chores and to dos just keep adding to your daily routine....kids activities and school, personal  as well as professional commitments, household responsibilities.....an ever growing task list. My son is 4 and my daughter is just a little over one year old. Life was super busy when I had just one kid....and now there are two. I think we are capable of more than what we give ourselves credit for.......
With two kids, my life is whirlwind of activities. I try to squeeze in so many things in a day, and it makes me stress out. At such times, I tell myself to take a deep breath, and only focus on one thing a few things at a time. 
As my friends (already on to the next stage;)) tell me, it only gets busier.....aaahhhh.....how will I do it all? Well, we will see....I think I'll be more capable by then:) What say??

Well, well.... For now, I wanted to share with you these gorgeous Moroccan lanterns available on etsy in all possible colors and designs. The beautifully done henna like patterns are very attractive and I can't stop browsing through the entire collection. These would be wonderful as part of your holiday decor. Available at LIT decor on Etsy

All Images: LIT decor on Etsy

My Diwali in pictures

Diwali is all done,

and  now I wait for the next one!

I have no more words to say....

Only my Diwali in pictures, for you today!!   

PS: The mason jars coated with glitter is the quick DIY I mentioned in my previous post:)

Images: All mine and subject to copyright.

It's Diwali time.....

Here's wishing a  very happy and prosperous Dhanteras to all my lovely readers!

I'm all done with Halloween. Now it's time for the big celebration, that is Diwali. Traditionally, Dhanteras marks the beginning of the five day long festivities for Diwali. So today, I'm ready to spruce up my home and bring in some Diwali cheer:)

I'm sharing some vignettes that I've put up at home...... 

I made these candle holders a couple of years back....read more about them here. They become a part of my Diwali decor every year. 

Back in India, come Diwali we would always go out and get the colorful paper lanterns called Kandeel. We would pick out a big one for our porch. It's one of those many childhood memories that I have of Diwali celebration at home.I do miss that here......

My orange lantern from Z gallery is what I'm using to decorate my home here:)

I did a quick Diwali DIY as my table centerpiece and I wanted to share it with you all, but....it's still not dry for me to light it up and take pictures. I will try and take pictures tonight, so I can post them tomorrow. 

Until then......Have a safe, warm, and Happy Diwali!!!

Diwali Glow and Glamour

Diwali is right around the corner.....

and I have reds, pinks, and gold on my mind as I think about dressing up my home this festive season. 

Finally, there is a nip in the air, and the weather is becoming cooler. The lit up diyas give a golden glow to my home and add warmth:) 

   Sharing some glimpses of my home from last year...... 

I love this time of the year.,...there's shopping to do....planning for a Diwali get together.....decorating for the festivities.... and to add to the mix, there's also the excitement of Halloween, especially for the kids!

I'm also busy preparing my Indian outfit and jewelry for the special occasion.....this is one day when I go all out Indian and want to wear something that is traditional as well as glamorous.  How about you?

PS: If you haven't already, do check out my etsy store shopAraish for some lovely jewelry that may add some glamour to your Diwali outfit:)

Images: All mine. My home. Please do not use without permission.

My surprise....introducing ShopAraish

Hello everyone and wish you all a very Happy Dussehra!

On this auspicious day, I am so excited to introduce you all to my very own etsy store shopAraish.

It has taken me a very long time to make this a reality and I'm seeking a lot of encouragement and good wishes from all of you here. 

'Araish' denotes beauty and decoration; and that is what shopAraish is all about- all things to beautify yourself, and to decorate your home. 

To begin with, shopAraish brings to you a few exclusive pieces of hand made jewelry, mainly earrings.  All products at shopAraish are India-inspired. They are either handmade or designed by me or both. 

This is my first step towards bringing to you a whole range of India-inspired products for you and your home. I am working on a lot of them and they will soon be in stock at the store:)

Please take a few minutes to visit the store here 

Here are a few items from shopAraish.

Have a good week!

Fall is here...

First off, a big thank you for all the comments and compliments on my last post on my Living room. I haven't been able to respond to many of you and I'd like to thank each one of you for taking the time to come here and leaving me a note:)

It's a beautiful, crisp sunny morning in my neck of the woods with just a hint of cool. It makes me feel that Fall is here.....

Here in Florida, there isn't much that reminds you of fall- it stays quite warm till the end of October and there is no change of colors of the leaves (which I truly miss). 
But.....there is the countdown to Halloween and there are pumpkins and Halloween/fall decoration outside people's homes. 

I've put up a fall vignette at my home to bring in the mood.

I love this time of the year. The festive season is around the corner and I'm eagerly awaiting Diwali. Lots of eye candy coming your way...so stay tuned:)

And....don't forget about the surprise that is yet to come...........

My Living Room

A few weeks back I had promised you a peek into my living room. It took me a while to get this post together, but finally, here I am. Some more exciting new things have kept me really busy (more on that soon...)

Without any more delay, here you go.....

I love warm tones, and that's why the orange wall in my living room is my most favorite. It was also the first thing that I did in my living room- painted the wall and added the motifs (read more about it here). 

The ethnic influence and my love for all things Indian are more that evident in my living room and all over my home. 

The vintage tapestry on the wall was bought from Rajasthan, India; and hung on a bamboo.   

The coffee table always has a few of my favorite things on display....along with some books.  

Over the years, I have grown my mask collection enough to display it on one of the walls. The masks are mostly from my travels. 

The Kantha poufs, the Suzani pillows, the block printed floor pillows, custom made coffee table, the Moroccan hanging lamp, the rug....all of these are my prized possessions. 

  Looking at this room come together makes me very happy. 

I hope you liked it too!

Coming soon....a surprise to share:) 

Watch this space!!!

All images: My Home. Taken by me and subject to copyright. Please do not use without permission. 

While I'm working on something interesting to share......

Here's a picture of a room that I pinned on my Pinterest board today. The colors are my favorite, I love the rug, the pillows, the table, the succulents...just about everything about it. 

What do you think?

My own living room has gone through a lot of changes in the past year and I'm working on sharing some pictures of it with you. There's still a lot to be done, but I think its in a good shape now. 

I like looking at it and I hope you will too.....:)

Stay tuned!

My Dear Blog.....I missed you!

A comment on my last post made me really think.......

Most often, there are two reasons why people stop blogging, one that they go through a phase where they don't know what to write about; and second, they are too busy with their lives to find the time to give to their blog. For me it was both, in the beginning, the first one and then the second.

Now....I feel like I have all the reasons to rediscover my blog.

An update from my personal life- which I'd like to share- because I consider my blog as also my journal. Last year I had a baby girl. My bundle of joy is now 8 months old :)....and keeping me really really busy;)

My coffee table

I have truly missed being here all this time, and I hope to back soon....real soon this time:). Stay tuned!

Picture: taken by me at home