Decorating your entrance - the South Indian way

The entrance of any home holds the mirror to what and how the inside of the home may be. Do you agree?

Most of our South Indian homes are daily adorned with kolam or what otherwise is called a rangoli. This floor art is drawn with rice paste , rice flour or kolam powder.

The reason why we use rice paste or rice powder is that little insects like ants  can feed on them. Call it ancient wisdom or thoughtful thinking by our forefathers!

So now coming back to the entrance decor. Recently on the day of karthik poornima, I drew this kolam interspersed with brass diya.

These kolams have been drawn with the help of stencils and see how amazing these turn out. 

You can visit the link here to view my post on instagram and also to know more about the source of these stencils.

Coming up soon with the last post for the year. Hope you all have a peaceful December days ahead. 

"Do what you love and love what you do!"Let this be a constant reminder in our lives. 

Lamp decor

Hi there, so tomorrow is Ganesh Chaturthi and here I am with a post on decorating your lamps before placing them in your Ganesha decorations.

Do not place your lamps directly on the floor or any other surface.  Instead follow these simple and easy ways to highlight the lamps.

1st way...

Draw a kolam or a rangoli. You can always use stencils which are easily available in the markets too. Enhance the outline with flowers and then place the lamp at the centre.

2nd way...

Take a banana leaf and cut a round piece, larger in diameter than your lamp. Place this underneath the lamp and encircle it with marigolds . Greens and orange make for a interesting combination.

3rd way...

Surround your lamp With petals of different colours just like a onam pookalam. You can make this floral rangoli according to the size of the lamp. This enhances the look of the lamp.

Try these ideas and let me know. Though am doing this for Ganesha chaturthi, you can always try these ways for the festival of lights, Deepavali 🪔🪔🪔

The foyer gallery wall

We recently gave a fresh coat of paint to our home. So thought of creating a new look wherever possible. The first wall under attack was the foyer wall where I thought of putting together all the Ganesha frames. 

As we got down to the placement, felt it would be a good idea to add other interesting pieces such as brass knick knacks  and a pair of  handmade mirrors. 

These mirrors are from an artist turned entrepreneur. Ashi Rastogi has an Amazon shop called handmade buzz from where you can order the same or shop for similar handcrafted decor pieces.

Another addition on the wall is a wooden handcrafted shelf from pepperfry. I keep changing the pieces on the shelf to create freshness around home.

This gallery wall is also a testimony to the various art and craft available all across our country and my love for these.

Let me know how you like the arrangement. Will be happy to hear from you. 😊

Meanwhile, keep checking my instagram account for regular updates and to watch reels that has caught the world by storm.

Welcoming little Krishna

"Kutti kana" is how little Krishna is referred to in our homes. Janmashtami is all about welcoming Him in our homes. Yes, he is worshipped but Krishna also also has this child like image and with a 'just born baby' in the house, the air turns infectious right?

So, let me share some images from my home. Krishna feet is drawn with rice paste from the entrance to our prayer room. Prasadams like appam, cheedai ( salt and sweet fried rice balls) , His favourite butter all are kept as neivaidya.

Baby feet can be drawn in many ways

And this is how I usually draw Krishna padam

So, this is how I made the day special for us. By decorating and highlighting the presence of Krishna in every corner of my home. 

Krishnan vande jagatgurum 🙏

Care for your cushion covers

I know, I have been MIA for a loonnngg time now. But hey, the festive times are here and with that let me give you some ideas and tips on festive decor and more. Will that make up?

Okay, so today let us talk about cushion covers. The furnishing that can change the look of any room in a jiffy! But do you know how you can take the best care of these magic accessory?

Jotting down some points here for their fine upkeep and if you can add any more to the list, let me know too in the comments please.

1. Change your covers atleast every fortnight. 

2. Best is to handwash them with a mild detergent or even better shampoo. If they are too delicate go for dry cleaning but most covers can be efficiently handwashed at home.

3. The most important part here after washing is to dry them in shade. Also, don't wring them too much.

4. Iron carefully on the wrong side if the cushions have detailing like embroidery, sequin work and paint work. Always iron on a low heat setting.

5. Last but not the least, keep a sachet of fragrance inside the linen cupboard. 

If you find these useful, I shall be truly happy. More is coming your way, so stay tuned and always check my instagram account.  All the action happens there! 😊

Healthy Eats with Saffola Fittify

When you are a mom, there is no escaping the fact that you have to keep upgrading your culinary skills. For our own sake, we also need to think of healthy dishes that looks attractive, takes minimum effort and can be made quickly. 

For me, when my kids are back from school is the time, I need to be ready with something they like. So yesterday, I prepared a salad  and some toasts. Nothing new in these but there were some magic ingredients in both these items which increased the flavour and my kids had a good time having them.

Let me share how easy and quick it was to prepare these.

The salad had all essential and healthy veggies and nuts. I added boiled corn, pomegranate, cucumber, carrots, fine chopped lettuce and nuts like  sliced cashews, pistachios and roasted sesame. You can even add a handful of cooked pasta to make the salad interesting. Will be widely appreciated by the kids too! The final dressing was done using a spoonful of the magic ingredient Saffola Fittify Extra Virgin Olive oil. 

Let me tell you about certain features and benefits of Extra virgin Olive oil from Saffola

Saffola Aura Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a premium edible oil, imported from Spain. It is rich in anti oxidants and unsaturated fatty acids.  It has a rich and flavourful taste that beautifully compliments your dish. 

This oil is a recent launch by the premium group of oil manufacturers and hence one can be assured of its quality. Prices are competitive and for best deals you can always buy from  Amazon, Flipkart, Big Basket and the like. The shelf life offered is 18 months which i felt could have been better since this oil is mainly used in salads and dips, it tends to be used less. In such cases you can opt to buy the oil of a lesser capacity. 

 Overall I liked the taste and the richness it adds to the dish.

Vegan Peanut Butter, another item from Saffola Fittify is a super food. Saffola Fittify Peanut Butter is made from finest quality of peanuts and is powered with the goodness of high protein and fiber. Indulge yourself in rich & delicious taste with every scoop of peanut butter.

There are no artificial flavour, colour or preservatives added to this. They can be added to your shakes or can be consumed as energy balls. I chose to smear it generously on toasts and serve my kids a delicious healthy evening snack.

You may wonder what makes Saffola Fittify Different?

Saffola Fittify is a health and fitness brand that is nutritionist-recommended with your everyday food in healthier alternatives. It has come up with products that are made with the best ingredients. These products are infused with vitamins and minerals that make them the healthiest choice to improve your, and your family’s health and well-being.

I recommend these healthy options and would urge you to try these products and verify their goodness.

Wellness with Pure Sense

As we hustle through our every day life our health and well being sometimes takes a backseat but this year, I  have made the conscious decision to choose products wisely and one that help us relax and rejuvenate.

Our wellness should be our priority isn't it? Today, am going to talk about hair care and skin care products from Pure Sense. 

Recently, i tried Macadamia deep nourishing hair cleanser and Grapefruit revitalising hair conditioner. 

Enriched with macadamia nut oil and packed with the goodness of Vitamin  E and B5, this shampoo has a creamy texture and a very mild fragrance. It does not foam on application but leaves the hair soft after wash nonetheless. The hair cleanser is paraben and sulphate free.

 I followed the hair wash with an eco certified Grapefruit conditioner on the hair tips. Helps to give a silky touch and shine to the dull hair. The fruity fragrance really uplifts your mood. It is packed with hydrolysed rice protein that also helps controls frizzy hair.

Application friendly, you only have to pump out a coin sized amount of these hair products to cleanse and relax.

If you ever want a spa like feel at home, try Pure Sense Grapefruit shower gel. It is recommended for all types of skin. A luxuriously unique cleansing gel that cleanses your skin gently without stripping its moisture. It has a nourishing formula that pampers your skin by satiating its quench for thirst.

The next product on the pamper list is a Macadamia 3 in 1 face mask, scrub and cleanser. Multi functional, it has a slight grainy texture that is useful in scrubbing the grime away and buff away dead skin cells. Apply gently on the face, scrub and after a little while, wash it away.

Packed with Capric Triglyceride, this unique Face Mask, Scrub and Cleanser, hydrates and makes your skin supple. Loaded with Kaolin, this pure formulation gently exfoliates, cleans pores, as well as prevents breakouts.

It doesn't dry your skin. In fact leaves your skin looking bright.

I truly felt that these products from Pure Sense are the  perfect companion that inspires you to harmonise with your mind & soul. Their wellbeing spa range, self-loving skincare range, and the mood-boosting haircare range, make your every day better!