Friday 30 November 2012

Joke's On Me!

This year, I wanted to keep our Christmas mantel simple.  Ha Ha ... *who* am I kidding?!
 
Meet our new buddy, "Buck."  He's the reason my thoughts of simplicity went right out the Christmas window!  He's a Virgo ... likes long walks through the snow covered forest ... annnd, if you stare at him long enough, you'll swear that he has winked at you!  The moment I spotted him at "New River Pottery" (an a-MAZING Christmas shop in Wilmington, NC), I knew I just had to have him as our holiday mantel guest of honor.

And, to properly welcome him to the family, I saw it only fitting to splash a few lights and ornaments to the wreath that came with him.  From there ... it only got worse!  Ornaments began to hang themselves from the top of the mantel:


A big, lush garland arrived on the scene ... only for me to add lots of ornaments, glittery garland and snowflakes:


Prelit topiary trees made their way to the mantel, too, but not before I placed them in cream urns I had on hand, along with *more* ornaments:


And, hmmmm ... where did Santa 1 and Santa 2 come from?  I must've purchased them while in one of my *Christmas comas* at HomeGoods!


And, after all of that I had to "believe" that I was done!


Needless to say ... somehow this ALLL came together to create this:


Not exactly *simple,* but we'll take it ...


And, while I know our sled would much rather be used to fly us down a snowy hill (that does NOT exist here in Myrtle Beach), I gave it no choice but to be dressed with winter greenery and faux skates and placed by the fireplace:


So much for a simple Christmas mantel, right?  I s'pose the only missing now is a warm fire ... next time!


So, please tell me ... do you always start out with one decorating plan and end up doing the exact opposite?
 
I'm joining up with:

Savvy Southern Style/Vignettes and Mantel Party
The Lettered Cottage/Christmas Mantel Party
52 Mantels/Christmas Link Party
Becca










Wednesday 28 November 2012

Abandoned Tables Made New Again!




I have been beating the weather clock, so to speak! Colder weather is upon us here in Illinois and I have been trying to get any larger pieces of furniture painted, out in the new hobby garage, since it is not heated.

I received four oak tables that needed an update. A sofa table, an oval coffee table and two matching side end tables. They were dirty, abandoned and crying out for some love...

Sunday 25 November 2012

Meet Lacey!









See why I call this bookcase 'Lacey'? 

It has really pretty cut-outs that make it look that way to me.

The bookcase came to my door looking like this...






 I loved the lines of this piece and knew what I was going to do with it. But first, I need to remind you about this previous bookcase...


See the before where someone had painted it and it was pink on the inside. I found out

Friday 23 November 2012

Movie Time!

Raise your hand if you're still full from yesterday!  I hope all of you enjoyed a Happy Thanksgiving!
 
I wanted to share one of my favorite trees that I just finished decorating for a client.  It's in a room (the "study") where a sweet family likes to unwind, play video games and watch movies.
 
They'd never put a Christmas tree in this room ... that is, until crazy me arrived on the scene three years ago and suggested a movie-themed tree to add a bit of whimsy to this space:
 
 
I tuck their son's favorite movies in here and there (and, this year, I added this fun movie scene prop) ...


The movie reel I also added this year is a great companion to the movie reel tape spilling out of the tree.  Who wants a handful of Mike and Ikes?


 
I just *had* to add this popcorn "bucket" this year, as well ...
 
 
Naturally, "Elf" is the perfect topper (I'm hopefully going to add sprouts of popcorn, as well):
 
 
I appreciate that my clients were so open to my suggestion, and truly hope that they'll enjoy the tree again this holiday season!

 
So, what about you ... do *you* like creating "themed" trees?

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Thursday 22 November 2012

Why I like shopping at Jabong

There are hundred and thousand of  merits of internet but the biggest one is online shopping. I prefer online shopping because you can easily avoid crowd while you shop and during festivals and special occasions, the crowd can really give you a bad headache, forcing you to make hurried purchases often times and you have a hard time to find parking space also.

One of my favorite online shopping destination is Jabong. Why????   Let me take you on a virtual tour of shopping online on Jabong with me. Lets start......
Following things I found the best on this portal.

1. Well Designed:
The very first thing that is striking about this site is that the entire website is well designed and you need not to struggle to search something specific. Home page has a big search button (highlighted in red) right after company's name. There is information about new arrivals and Jabong street market on top of the left panel.



2. Hassle Free:
I liked the way they have categorized all the products in three main categories....Men, Women & kids.  Under each category there are sub categories like shoes, clothing, bags and lot more. Hover your mouse on sub category and there will be a systematic list of  products like I hovered mouse on 'Home & Furniture' and  list of Furniture, Home Accessories, home Furnishing & Brands appeared. Choose your product from right here no need to open page after page. See it's hassle free.



3. Vast Collection:
After clicking on 'Wall and Table Decor' from the list under 'Home Accessories' I landed directly on the page shown below. Can you see I found 900 Items. There were so many good possible choices available that it was difficult for me to make a decision. I am sure you will be spoiled for choice. Name the brand and it is available Also one can get the latest trends from around the world without spending any extra money on airfare. 





4. Time Saving:
The best part was that I could narrow my search by clicking on the options given on left panel. Shop according to your budget click on price range given on left panel. No need to scroll down a long page of products those are not of your interest or are heavy on your pocket. 



 Simply choose your product, brand, color and price range from the left panel to narrow your search and save your valuable time. There is one more option to save your time is 'Quick View' to see the product description and its price quickly.



5. Product Display:
The next thing that amazed me on this site is the product display. As soon as I clicked 'Quick View' a pop-up window appeared with all the details about product. Everything about product was given here like brand, price, availability, size, payment options and most importantly pictures with different views and all the dimensions.


This is the another view of product with dimensions. 



6. Multiple and Secured Payment Options
Now when I was fully satisfied with the description and images of product I chose the next button I clicked was 'BUY' and they have various mode of payment.  Pay through :
Credit Card/ Debit card
Net banking and 
Most popular in India COD (Cash On Delivery) 
You need not worry about your confidential information as their payment gateway is secured by RapidSSL and Norton  powered by VeriSign.
So no worries go ahead and pay without thinking twice.


Place your order just in few clicks. Then you'll be ask to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of your information only needs to be entered once. Enter shipping address and then pay. That's not all you will receive some discounts or offers also while checking out. You will receive an e-mail conformation after transaction is complete. 



7. Good Delivery Services
After putting your order you will receive your order within 5 working days through reliable courier services with proper packing.
It was my wonderful experience with Jabong from start to finish.

Now my request to all the bloggers and shoppers 'Go on shop on Jabong and speak your mind'.



This post is a part of Jabong Bloggers Contest. A pioneer in online shopping in India, Jabong.com promises to fulfill all your style based needs through its wide range of lifestyle products for men, women & kids.








Wednesday 21 November 2012

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Another MacKenzie-Childs look!


If you are a Courtly Check MacKenzie-Childs lover, then you are really going to like this!

Initially, I painted this tiny lamp...


 


I painted it to resemble one of MacKenzie-Childs' pieces.  Then one day, the on and off switch broke and after fixing it, It broke again.


I have been making these cloches from old wood rounds and the glass cheese cloches that you see everywhere...(I made

Sunday 18 November 2012

Almost Time!

Is Thanksgiving really only *4* days away?!  Do you have your elastic waistband pants ready to go?  I sure do!

I'm also ready to start sharing Christmas decor ... like our dining room buffet, which is *almost* done:

 
I've also enjoyed decorating Christmas trees for a few clients ...
 
 
 
 
look forward to decorating for a special family this week, too!
 
Annnnd, I'm truly appreciative of the Christmas wreath orders that I've been getting ... love making them and will be sending several orders out this week!
 
 
Soooo, are you all ready to start sharing your holiday decor?  I can't wait to see all that you've done!
 
Thanks so much for stopping by,

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Friday 16 November 2012

Festive Glow This Year

Sharing with all my wonderful blog readers and friends festive joy and happiness in and around my home this Diwali. As 67% of my audiences are from other countries I have provided links to some words to make them understand the meaning and significance of the words I used.
 Lets enter  my haven...............


Rangoli made in haste but making entrance to my home cheerful and inviting.


My l'il sister also tried her hand and I must say she'd done a good job.


Placed diya(earthen lamp) at night on rangoli.


My hubby taught me to make Mango leaves Toran (decorative door hanging) without using any needle the way people do in South India  and I love to adorn entrance with these leaves on each festival.


Festive glow inside..........


and outside..............



Some goodies for loved ones..........








Some  lovely corners........



Filled with colors and festive glow


Lit diyas up and placed them everywhere around the home.




Floating candles and petals spreading festive magic.


These earthen pots I made specially for Diwali and ambiance they created was heart warming.




Warm glow and beauty, a perfect combination to uplift festive spirit.






Marigold adding beauty to decor.........








A very Happy Diwali to all of you :)

Last but not the least, all these images are mine and are subject to copyright. Copying or reusing them without my permission is illegal.