Rooms I heart & a contest

There is something so stunning about this room. Its so simple yet exquisite. 

All that white, the colourful rug and that pallet couch. Beautifully recycled and the striped cushions do it complete justice.

And since we are looking at this lovely example of creative restoring, let me share with you the Go Green contest that is on at GoodHomes.

Ronitaa Italia-Dhanu, the Editor of GoodHomes magazine has shared a video of a Green Christmas on their facebook page and the contest revolves around the concept of Going Green. The contest is on till the 16th December. Do send in your entries.

Video & Contest link - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2750331567541

Participate here : http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=287941917914342

Image: here

I heart them

There are gift wraps and there are GIFT WRAPS.  I am SO loving these.  You have to see them to believe. And ofcourse spend a little time observing the detailing of each one. I can't get over all the gorgeousness. With Christmas & New Years' just around the corner, do give these a try. I know I will. So inspiring.

 Elegant and subtle. The use of multiple layers, lace, flowers and some shimmer. Ooo...

Stunning! Such a creative use of leaves and flowers. So awesome. So Fab.

What do you think? Sigh!

Image :  here & here

Greens on my desk

Remember I mentioned in one of my first posts for the month. Two of my lovely readers had written in asking specific questions. Time to answer them. 

K had asked me for some ideas to bring in a little green to her workspace. You know how it is...a small cubicle. A big room with so many small cubicles. So many of us working inside a big room with so many small cubicles in it! Ha ha...I was just making sure you got it right :)  And No greens. 

Plants have this thing about them. Just looking at them makes you feel all rejuvenated. Calm. Ready to make all those reports & ppts :)

Some very simple ideas to make your office space green & those colleagues,well... greener:)

 Your favorite stem in a bulb

Or in a test tube?

How about putting to those coffee mugs to some good use?

Or dressing up those cookie tins? Woollen coats please? 

One for the pens & one for the plants.

Or get your boss to gift you one of these really pretty & off centered miniplanter. Cute.

 She/he won't gift you one? Just make one then. I did :) These ones. Like them?

Hope you liked it K. How do you get a little bit of green inside your office space? Do share. 

Images : Long due post so I seem to have lost the sources. Please bear. The last one is a picture of a vase I made.

Clutter, Clutter Everywhere!

Sleepless nights is how I would describe the last few nights. Reason: A crazy amount of clutter in the house. 

We have been married for five years and have been parents for more than a year now and the only not-so-nice fallout has been a home bursting to its seams with stuff that 

• I don't want but has somehow managed to find its way to our home (Read: Gifts we hate...cheap casseroles,multi-colored show pieces, ugly bedspreads, etc. Brand new multiple units of the same toys, brand new electronics & other stuff that we don't require)
• I like but have not used even once in the last two years (Read: I can't part with them, come on I have emotions attached to those...plus I might just need it thirty years later!) 
• And stuff that has lived its good days, served us well and should leave our home right away ( Read: Old clothes, broken electronics, et al).

And this is when I make it a point to De-clutter every few months. Imagine the situation If I hadn't been doing that all along. So the rest of the month is going to be dedicated to De-cluttering. Donate/Recycle/  Repair/ Dispose is on my big to-do list this month.  

How do you deal with De-cluttering? I am going room to room and picking up stuff I don't need/want in the house and dumping them at a common place. If I can recycle I keep it. Though I have decided to become a little strict this time...If I can't come up with an idea to recycle it immediately then I am not going to keep it.I have millions of things at home because I think I will be restoring them or converting them into lamps, wall art, etc some day :)

I like the idea of asking the household help to pick what she needs, donating the rest to orphanages and selling some stuff that no one seems to find any use of. 

Wish me luck and patience! Share your De-cluttering tips with all of us, right here.

Images: here

Go Green : Day seven

Day seven. Final day of the Go Green Series. I had so much fun doing this. So many ideas for recycling & restoring. Today on the last day I'd like to share some pretty images that I came across while putting this series together for you! 

The cutest carry bag ever!

Oh how I heart those butterflies made out of the numerous mailers we get each day. And that lovely trash can! What have I just used the words lovely & trash can in one sentence..well! Plants do that to me!

Let's all pledge to Go Green with clever ideas like this bulb terrarium. Isn't that earthy flower vase a dream?

And finally this picture. That really really moved me. Isn't necessity the mother of all inventions? This man here was forced to recycle bottles into slippers because of his circumstances but all of us may have a thing or two to learn from him.

Images : Go Green, Slippers, Recycle, Bulb, Butterfly, Bin, Vase & Bag  

Go Green : Day six

Oh..it been a really crazy morning. Tons of work & lots of confusion & an otherwise very happy child who wants ONLY her mom's lap today. Trust all of this to happen on the same day.

The only thing that can bring a smile to my face right now is some dark chocolate dessert ( which I have ordered) & some retail therapy. Since I can't go out right now I will settle for some virtual " Green" Retail therapy. On Day Six of the Green post-ival let me take you to some green stores. Wear your seatbelts now and lets SHOP GREEN.

Lets start with Peopletree. An absolute favorite. I love the way the whole store is like one little maze. And you never know what you may find inside once you enter it. Lovely Clothes, pretty stationery, to die for jewellery, books, art et al. All under one roof. The lady behind it, Gurpreet is so warm & wonderful. I had the pleasure of meeting her some years back and visiting her really cute secret office! A lovely staircase from within the store takes you to her workplace. When in Delhi, do stop by here for some gorgeous green shopping.

This is what they have to say, " Here, rich and meditative arts traditions collide with shiny plastic instant cheapness. Ochre and madder jostle with fluorescent pink. Some things die, and sometimes we weep. Sometimes we pick up the pieces and join them in new ways.Browse through these inventive and irreverent examples of urban-folk, industrial-pop design. We create alternatives to globalised monopolies and branded "hipness", working with the exciting cross-currents of the contemporary South Asian milieu."

Now that I have had my fill, something for the baby. Earthen tree. A US based chain of stores but with their heart in India. They retail these really sweet GREEN wooden toys. Manufactured by craftspersons in India. They have a lovely range of pull toys, baby toys & rattles stackers, games, musical & educational toys. A MUST for every baby right. I love the idea of exposing my child to the kind of toys I once played. And we picked up so many from the Dastkar fair this year. Also the fact that is toy is handmade, colorful & safe.

They say, " Our aim is simple. Our natural wooden toys are not just that. They are works of art, made from eco friendly materials to create safe toys that have a great story to tell. We believe in keeping our costumers informed and knowledgeable, while making these toys fun and educational for children.We tell you all about our safe, lead free toy story because we take pride in it."

psst : I also came across this amazing store called doyouspeakgreen. They are into eco-friendly apparel. And whats wonderful is that not only you can buy stuff online but also 10% of their sale proceeds go towards Bombay Environnmental Conservation. Also don't forget to read an old post on another Green Store : Motherearth, right here. Rem, how I went crazy shopping there! Happy Shopping! Images : Earthentree, peopletree, motherearth & doyouspeakgreen

Go Green : Day five

So did you enjoy going through the DIY ideas in yesterday's post? The paintbrush idea was loved by so many of you. Thanks for all the lovely comments and the emails you sent me about the series. I promise to put together many more series like this in the future as well.

Alright! Lets get back to DIY for the time being. Six more ideas for you. Please click on the links right at the below for sources.

License plates bookends. A perfect way to use those old plates and make them into something so useful...right?

Ok..lets be honest how many of you are sitting with many many empty jars and don't know what to do with them..other than using it for storing some more stuff :)  I thought this idea was really neat. Perfect for a kitchen actually! I would have used modge podge to stick some colorful fabric on the holder though. 

What a clever way to use old cassettes & not in use CDs. Completely in love with the concept. Use them to store many more..ahh! 

Old cans = New wine holder. Like it? I think this will also make for a pretty centerpiece if one stuffs it with flowers & trinklets. Imagine!

The coolest collage ever. It sure will be a lot of fun putting this "Exhaust fan collage" together.

So what is your style: Eco chic (day four) or Eco Cool (day five)? If you have missed my earlier posts of the Go Green series, click here.To read more about the Go Green workshop click here and here.

Images & Sources : Bookends , CD Holder, CD Holder 2, Jar Lamp, Wine bottle holder & Exhaust Collage

Go Green : Day four

Today's post is full of DIY Ideas! Read on and promise yourself not to throw away stuff without thinking. everything. Instead convert it into art for your rooms, planters for your herbs and so much more. And all this without compromising on the look. Lets all go Eco Chic!

Isn't this wall art so pretty? You know what is it made with? Toilet paper rolls!! What a brilliant idea and a lovely execution. Find the instructions to make it here. The only extra detail I would have loved...mm...perhaps some paint on them!

I came across this at Realsimple. How cool is this? I see readers with kids nodding...oh yes how fast they grow? What a fun way to use kiddie crocs!!

This one is truly Eco chic. A driftwood rack! Won't it make any entryway divine! Click here for instructions.

Alright! My absolute fav. LURVE LURVE LURVE this one. Truly breathtaking! What does one do with those tons of used paint brushes. Make it a part of your home decor...what else? Infact its a good way to find a home for your new brushes as well. I found it here.

The last DIY idea for today. Felted rocks. Lovely aren't they. Collect some rocks while on a walk and convert them into a centerpiece. Instructions here.

See you tomorrow with some more DIY tips!


Images : Wall art, Crocs plants, Driftwood rack, Paintbrush vase & Felted rocks

Go Green : Day three

Hello lovelies. The weather today is just awesome! I am sitting outside enjoying the breeze and trying to finish my work so that I can go down for a stroll. Let me share some brilliant GREEN ideas with you. I can't stop smiling when I look at them.

What? You are saying whats the point of having this regular bookshelf featured here today. Scroll down for an answer.

This shelf is made out of old issues of National Geographic Mag! Yes you heard me right! Unbelievable..huh? Can you see the mags in the picture above? Its conceptualized and created by the Sean Miller. Now you know what one can do with all those hundreds of issues of old mags.

I am SO smitten by this cool bag. Its made out of licence plates. You sure are going to be the talk of the town whenever you step out with this one. These bags are by a South African design company called Platies. Do check out more of their cool products. 

The color fan that I am! Ok you can call me color crazy...I am drooling non-stop ever since I came across this. This jewellery designed by Maria Cristina Belluci is so GORGEOUS. She uses pencil colors...I love the color combinations, the light brown of the pencil against the colored leads. See more of her work here. Ofcourse this is something that we may not be able to pull off but it sure is very inspiring. Watch out this space for tons & tons of DIY Green ideas in tomorrow's post.

If you have missed my earlier posts of the Go Green series, click here.

To read more about the Go Green workshop click here and here.

Images : Nat Geo Shelf, License Bag, Colored pencil jewellery

Go Green : Day two

Day two of the Go Green week. So did you try recycling this weekend? Did you find any new uses for your old things? Lets move from the very complicated designer stuff that we saw on Day one to simple yet very creative ideas which all of us can try out at home. Though I must warn you right at the beginning they are very whimsical!

The first two awesome ideas are from the very talented Jo-Annie.

Mmm...a suitcase or a lamp? I am so LOVING this. What fun...I can see myself trying this for sure. All those old suitcases are ready to get a new life!

A lovely plant in a gas burner.Why throw when you can recreate magic? 

This one takes the cake! A letter box..ummm..no a Microwave.  The postman will thank you for making his day...always!

Also, I couldn't resist sharing some old posts on some awesome recycled designs. Click here, here & here.

See you tom!

Images : Jo Annie & Micro