Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a very happy, healthy, successful, cheerful and joyous 2014!!!

Image: Mine. Please do not copy.

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.

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. 

Hey......anybody there????

I know I've been gone for a long, long time. Totally disappeared on you....just V.A.N.I.S.H.E.D. 
And........that isn't good at all, I know. But......for a good reason, which I will let you in soon, I promise. For now, I'm here as I couldn't resist popping in to share some Diwali sparkle. 
If you know me.....you know how excited I get about Diwali and where ever I am, I do my best to make it very special. This year is no different. The lights outside are already up and I have been busy putting together a few vignettes for lighting up my home:) 

Here are some from last year (might have shared them on the blog before, but who doesn't like to look at pretty pictures).......will be back soon to share more pictures from this year.  

Wishing you all a very joyous, bright, and safe DIWALI!!!
May the glow of the diyas brighten your life and bring you success and prosperity!

Warm glow of Winter

I'm so sorry that I have been missing from this space for all this while...and for the lack of posts. I think the cool weather paired with tons of sunshine has kept me busy and out of the picture-:)

I'm loving the warmth of glowing candles at home on the cooler days here in Florida.

Plus, I'm enjoying the holiday 3Ps (Parties, Potlucks and Picnics) :)

Isn't this ...... the most wonderful time of the year......?

So, what have you been upto? Are you enjoying the winter in your part of the world?


Images: My home

Glimpses of my Diwali

Diwali came...and went. 

In my world, the festivities went on up until this weekend...when I had the Diwali party at home. 

Here are a few glimpses of the last few days.....

our Diwali moments:)

Now I'll wait for next Diwali;)

Linking to Weekly story, Metamorphosis Monday

All set for Diwali...?

The weekend was a very busy one....with prepping for Diwali day.... and the Diwali get together that I have planned for the coming weekend.

With Diwali falling on a Wednesday, I wanted everything to be all set over the weekend. We managed to do a lot....cleaned nooks and corners of the house, put up lights outdoors, prepared for the pooja, planned the menu for the party and then the most exciting part.....decorated the house.  

I tried out lots of different ideas....

Decorating with wine glass lamps...such a simple idea- using block printed paper to make little lamp shades for wine glasses.

Lining up a row of tea lights on a bright colored table runner...don't they look lovely....?

Using a mercury glass tea light holder...I'm seeing mercury glass everywhere these days in stores. It adds to the glamour and zing of the decor and I'm loving the look:)

I'm all set for Diwali... Are you...???

Wishing you and your family a very Happy, Prosperous and Joyous Diwali!!!

Linking to Weekly story, Metamorphosis Monday, Emreen's Itz Festival time, 
Show and tell Friday