Travel Keepsake Kits : The Perfect Summer DIY

I am really not great at DIY projects thought I would love to be :) However, this fantastic DIY that I found on Martha Stewart's website is just my kind of thing!  I am totally motivated to try this out myself.



I love the concept of these travel keepsake kits. After every vacation I think of printing a few photographs and preserving them in an album or scrapbook. However, it never happens!! I never get around to sorting the images......I guess I take too many pictures :) These wooden keepsake boxes seem to be the perfect way to store photographs, ticket stubs, maps, and mementos. What an absolutely brilliant, stylish yet practical way to store your memoirs.



To know more about how to make your own fun keepsake boxes click here. You will find details on where you can buy the box, the paint and the stencils!! I think this would be a fun project for the summer!

Images: via

For The Love of Vintage Fabrics Part 2

Today, I am sharing my first contribution on the Vintage Fabrics series MDC. My aim here was for you to share your love for vintage textiles with me on My Dream Canvas. The fabric need not be ancient, it need not be expensive but it should be meaningful to you. You can read more about the series in my earlier post here!



I am happy to share a beautifully styled vignette by Reshma of Love and Care.
She sent me these lovely images of a corner in her home. She has used a sari which belonged to her Grandmother as a curtain. Her Grandmother wore it often and gave it to Reshma some years ago. For Reshma the sari fluttering in the breeze brings back cherished memories.



I really believe that this is such a lovely way to preserve a memory or a cherished gift. I hope you are inspired to share your story with me :) Thank you Reshma for sharing your home and your story with the readers at My Dream Canvas.

 

 

 

Images: Copyright Reshma Sharma at Love and Care.

The Perfect Accessories To Create Your Haven!

The room that I have been talking about for a while is finally ready :) There are a few other things that need to be done but for now I have my little haven! This room is actually an extension of my bedroom. However, it is more like a room in itself. For years this room was given the step treatment :) Finally it is getting its due.



I cleared out all the mess from this room. I need to get a nicer study table, but  for now I am using my old one. It is not fancy but it will have to do for now. I  wanted to do up this room without spending any money. It is amazing what you can find in your own house when you start looking. I highly recommend it. It is more cost effective and prevents you from rushing out to the nearest store to buy more things that you may not need. Everything in this room has been decorated with things that I already owned.



This room follows no trend but follows my heart. I have decorated this room with some of the most precious things in my life.  Things like a picture of my Grandmother taken by my Grandfather many...... many years ago! My Grandfather had his own darkroom in his house and developed this print himself. My maternal Grandmother (Nani) and I were room mates for many years in my parents home. She was more of a friend and a confidante than a Grandmother and a very big part of childhood. My Nani was an incredible woman and I miss her everyday!



My big red Suzani hangs on the back wall of the room. The Suzani reflects my love for vintage fabrics and my passion for travel. So does the globe which I bought at a flea market in Georgia.



Here are some pictures of the room after the makeover.........

The magnets on the board below are from the different countries I visited. They used to be on my fridge. However my little one likes to play with them and she managed to break quite a few. I have managed to salvage a few and now they hang on the wall in this room.

The postcards below are part a beautiful childhood memory. Postcards that my Dad sent me almost everyday for a year when I was five :) The postcards on the back have cute drawings and a few lines that he wrote to me. My mom and I were in India and he was living abroad for a year. I have kept them all these years and now some of them have gone up on the wall in this room.

I can never resist pretty tea light holders and vintage maps. This is what I have on the center table in the room. The maps are under the glass table top. I have quite a few of them!!

I hope you have enjoyed the virtual tour of my little haven. I believe that decorating need not be stressful. It should ideally be simple and joyful. I hope I have inspired you to create your little haven!  Remember, it is not about the amount of money that needs to be invested into a room or about following the latest design trend.  It is quite simply about who you are! Look within you to figure out what makes you happy. Spend time at home digging out the things that mean the most to you. These are the perfect accessories you need to create you own little haven :)





Images: My Dream Canvas and subject to copyright





Joining the Open House at No Minimalist Here.



Joining the party at Somewhat Simple.

Joining Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage.

Joining Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.

Part 1 of the Vintage Fabric Series

As you know we have a new series on My Dream Canvas that I am very excited about. It is called "For the Love of Vintage Fabrics". Click here to read more about it.



I am here to give you a peek into the vintage fabrics in my home.

My mother and I came up with a simple idea to preserve the old saris and fabrics lying around at home. The green fabric is a border of an old sari. The sari was torn in a lot of places but the border was intact. By framing it, I can now either hang it on a wall or use it as a tray. A candle or two...... or a few flowers in a bowl with the tray as a base and I have a new centerpiece for a table. I like looking at it...... and I feel happy that I am preserving a memory :)

Here is another sari border that belonged to my Grandmother. If you look closely it seem to be coming apart. However, this did not stop me from transferring the border onto a new sari. I wore it at my brother's wedding last year! These borders are rare and hard to find these days. I want to do my best to preserve them as long as I can.



I know that according to my own rules I need to create a vignette using this fabric. I have to admit that I am not there yet :) I am working on it and I plan to share it with you soon.

I hope you are inspired to join my new series. Find the vintage textiles and fabrics in your home, create a vignette, click a picture and send it to me. I am looking forward to hearing from you :)



Images: Mine and Subject to copyright.

Joining Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style!



 

Joining the Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.

Some Floral Inspiration

These images are colorful and they make me think of spring! Happy fabrics, colorful hues, floral wallpaper, a touch of whimsy.........here's some floral magic to brighten your day!




I am usually not much into floral motifs and yet these images cannot help but make me smile :) Pick your favorite image and let me know?

Images: via

A Colorful Apartment In Milan

I am always attracted to homes with their own unique personalities. Homes that look different and tell the story about the people who live in it. This colorful apartment in Milan caught my eye today! This the home of The home of Ida Corti, daughter of the Italian designer Lisa Corti.




 Ida created the painting that frames the floor in her bedroom in colorful hues of pink and yellow. Click here to view more pictures of this home! While my design sensibilities may not match in totality with every home I feature on MDC,  I generally admire some element or the other of the homes I showcase! It gives me immense pleasure to find homes from around the world and bring it to you :)

What did you think of this vibrant home? I  would love to hear your thoughts??



I love the bed....

A close up of the painting on the floor......

 

 

Images: via

Gearing Up For Spring

It is officially the first day of Spring. I really did not feel it as it was cold and windy.....however I know its coming :)



Are you getting ready to welcome Spring in your home? I do make a few changes here and there! Its always fun to move things around. What I really need to do is paint my house. While I would love to paint my entire house, I shall have to make do with adding a fresh coat of paint here and there!

Sigh! I wish I had a magic wand that I could wave around and paint my entire home :) Without the heartache and cost that is!!!



The first step to welcome spring......some fresh flowers around the house!

Sharing these lovely words with you today!

Hope you are having a good week! Make sure you sign up for my Giveaway!!!

 

 

Image 1 : Mine, Image 2 : via

A Gorgeous Bedroom

I have been a fan of the Marion House Book for a while now. When I saw Emma's bedroom on her blog recently I had to share it with you. Her love for linens and pillows is something I can totally relate to :) Kantha bedspread, Moroccan and Kilim pillows, linen from Uruguay......books and plants.....what's not to love about this gorgeous bedroom!





I hope you enjoyed my Monday morning inspiration?
Have a great week and don't forget to enter my special Giveaway :)

Images : via

Spot My Design Crush

There is something in the room featured here that has caught my eye! Can anyone guess what it is? It is my design crush for today :)  I have fallen for the very innovative center table in this room. These modular blocks that look like crates look amazing in my opinion! I love the way it has been used to display books/magazines and other knick-knacks.




What do you think? Also, do drop me a line if you were right in guessing what I had fallen for :)

 

 

 

 

Images: via

A Suzani and A Motorbike :)

I spotted this apartment while browsing my favorite magazine Nuevo Estillo. A pretty Suzani throw and a motorbike in the same space! That would catch my attention and of many others I am sure :) This very chic apartment is located in Madrid. A rehabilitation project that aims to create a balance between history and modernity!





Click here to visit the entire apartment!
I would love to hear what you feel about this room??

Images:  via