Refresh Studio

The day I set my eyes on one of the lamps made by Rabi of Refresh Studio, I knew I had to meet him and see more of his creations...

My first reaction was "Is that lamp base made of stone?" then looking at it closely I realised it was as light as a feather. It was Paper Mache!

Rabi makes eco-friendly, paper mache lamps, artistic vases, containers, boxes out of old newspapers.

For his lampshades he uses dried pressed flowers, leaves and ferns that add such delicate beauty to the lamps.

Love this vase!

A collection of vases in various shapes.

Another lovely creation by Rabi.

Details on the lampshade.

Rabi spends a lot of time creating each of these lovely products, since paper mache takes a while to dry after being moulded.

He does take custom orders and can be reached at rabfrank@yahoo.co.in

( Images by Arch)

Cruising through the gentle backwaters...

This post comes 6 months too late, but this was such a magical part of our summer vacations in the backwaters of Alleppey this year, I just had to share it with all of you:-)

Our Kerala trip consisted of experiencing the backwaters as well as exploring the lanes of Fort Kochi, I have already shared our trip to Fort Cochin here & here...

Lake Palace Resort in Alleppey was where we stayed since it's located right on back waters.

For the 3 days that we stayed there we took 3 different boats to explore the backwaters.

Riceboats or Kettuvallams are traditional boats that were used in the olden days to transport rice and spices, today they can be hired for the whole day to cruise along the various canals of the backwaters.

The pace at which the boat cruises along is so lovely I recall dozing off every now and then between reading a paragraph of my book.

The riceboat then drops anchor at Lake Vembanad at noon, where the seasoned chefs in the boat's kitchen whip up hot lunch that can be savored at a leisurely pace while watching the other boats and marine birds...

Another day we took a smaller boat that takes you into the narrower canals where one can experience the daily life of people living on the banks of the backwaters.

Stopping now and then to sip some fresh tender coconut water and taking in the beauty of the place.

The last day we took a public transport boat which was lovely too with it's beautiful windows:-)

What a beautiful, serene journey it was...hope all of you visit the backwaters of Kerala at least once in your lives:-)

My Guest Post at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

Hello Everyone. My first guest post ever is up at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

I am sharing some simple ideas with all the readers, so do drop by and lets also congratulate Priya on the 1st blog anniversary of Once Upon A Tea Time...Design stories.