Diwali in 2013!

....the festivities have caught on...and how can our home be left behind? Apart from spring cleaning, I have been sprucing up our balconies....the focus being just outside as we spend a lot of time with Baby A there, mostly ensuring nothing is broken or thrown out of the balcony! :P

Notice how everything is placed at a certain height....so she cannot reach! ( as of now, atleast!)

I had a "Eureka" moment, we have a lovely light fixture that we have had for years now but it recently went kaput! They have these lovely glass cylindrical outer cover - I retained them and converted them into flower vases... aha! 

The Buddha reigns supreme in every part of our home, the little garden in the balcony is no exception! 

Our cozy balcony near the bedroom makes for a nice little private space where I can sit and work, play with baby A or have a nice cup of chai peacefully, while watching the kids play...or enjoy some peace and quiet...which has become pretty rare nowadays!

We had a lovely Diwali with Baby A, and it felt like we relived our childhood - our enthusiasm and happiness at her curiosity, excitement and joy was refreshing and made all the effort worthwhile!

My neighborly artist and the little dancing people!

Many years back, I chanced upon The Mad Momma's blog (thank you mad momma!) where she had decorated her corridor with warli art and thought it was a brilliant idea to enliven a dull space like the corridor which is often ignored or left bare...we lived in a rented apartment then, and I didn't want to do that in someone else's home (technically!)

Incidentally, Warli art form is very popular folk painting among tribals in Maharashtra and is usually depicted only in white! (Since, my walls are already white, we decided to go with black!)

So I waited for sometime until we got our own home...alas, just as we started settling in....we moved to Paris! So finally the time has come and we are back home. But with Baby Girl and settling back in, I hardly found time! ( This post has been lying in my draft for a long time now!)

As luck would have it, my 12- year old neighbor R is fantastic and has an artistic bent of mind and comes up with very creative ideas and projects. I asked her if she would like to paint my wall with the little dancing people a.k.a warli art! 

She readily agreed and managed to complete it in a couple of days....its gorgeous and is a center of attention, especially for Baby Girl...she gets up from her nap and stares at the little people with awe! I am grateful for those 5 minutes of rest... :P

Its a strip on the corridor leading to the rooms....and apart from the art, has a collage of various paintings and memorabilia from our travels across Europe and its a nice walk down memory lane...

and that wall feels so complete now! I admire the people as I walk across looking for Baby Girl, numerous times through the day...:-)

Returning to our Home!

When we decided to return to India, that too, to our own home in Pune....there were constant plans running in my mind about what I want to do...when we get back! With baby girl around, the execution is much slower....but i did get to work! 
I got these gorgeous wall decals in Paris and stored it away to put it up when we get back to our own home....a sense of permanence prevails only in my own home, so I waited with bated breath for the "execution"....and it was definitely worth the wait!

its simply gorgeous and definitely makes my simple walls stand out in our master bedroom! 

They are an easy and effective way to renovate and of course, not too expensive compared to painting it all over again! 

The wall decals are a big plus for us coz Baby Girl loves to stare at all the patterns and colours...so I decided to add one more to the T.V. room....so that we can distract her while she eats...

I have always wanted to add some greens and plants into the decor, but with Baby Girl around, its not a practical option right now coz everything goes into her mouth! So I chose this decal from www.shopo.in and it was pretty easy! 

I had pretty specific things to do, on my mind - when we got back....so I was online shopping for stuff and to be fair, it has all worked out much cheaper and is a great success too! One of them are these storage cabinets with a vintage look and ceramic drawers - they are super cute and very kitschy!

I have stored all my pretty fragrances and put it up in the living room alcove and it has turned the otherwise ignored corner into a lovely turn! :-) I bought three of them at a very reasonable price on www.pepperfry.com ( this is NOT a sponsored post! - just sharing the website for fellow readers if it helps!)

We have lots of things to store away, but alas there is no storage - i bought this lovely chest of drawers that proudly displays all our memories and memoirs! All our mundane stuff is neatly concealed too - win-win? This is from www.pepperfry.com too! 

I bought a table runner in bright colours and added all our pictures from our travels and my favorite Buddha! :-) Its a calm and peaceful alcove with happy memories and loved ones! :-)

Baby Girl, as you all know was born in Paris. S and I, wanted something that is a reminder of the city and something we could show her when she grows up. We do plan to take her there when she is older. So I was eyeing this piece on www.maisonsdumonde.com while in Paris, and got it shipped to India. 

It is like a window with a view of the Eiffel Tower, exactly where our apartment was - in close proximity and with a great view! It makes for an amazing theme in the living room! 

Boy, am I glad we bought this! Baby Girl stares at it and pulls at the window pane - yes it is an actual window pane without a window, of course!

Our guest room is filled with glass paintings and long stitch projects done by yours-truly over the years....

The one with the mama panda and baby panda is so apt and meaningful now that I am blessed with Baby Girl! :-) 

The murals in wood that I mentioned here are a prime focus in the living room!

...my favorite purple pouf and the kitschy mirror! 

I have rearranged our terrace a little bit - here and there! 

...Our new decor is eclectic and kitschy now, Like? :-)