Christmas in the Park

Christmas in the Park at San jose, CA was a place with beautifully decorated christmas trees. It was a breath taking experience with amazing cartoon characters for kids and unique christmas conceptual trees. The best part is, different design schools got an opportunity to decorate the park with their creative skills. My design school chose the cartoon movie "Monsters, Inc" , scroll down to see the characters we painted and crafted from wood along with the unique cristmas tree.

Cooking Cap with spoons...

Did you see this, its a starbucks (well-known coffee chain) sponsored tree, so you see all coffee cups hanging on the tree.

Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus



Here you go, this is done by us all the characters of the movie (Boo, Sulley, Mike etc.,)where skillfully carved and painted. This was an amazing experience. You guys should watch the movie.

Hey did you see this, this character is called "Boo" which was done by me :)

Enjoy!! and do leave comments ....

Terrarium Gardens

The other day I was reading about terrariums and thought this could be a beautiful and greener way to bring more life to a room.

Terrariums can be created with the most everyday of objects. A glass jar on top of an inexpensive vase.

Everyday containers such as carafers and vases can make ideal terrariums. These showcase a miniature guzmania bromeliad; maidenhair fern and selaginella; and a mix of selaginellas, button fern, and variegated dizygotheca.

Create a terarium in 3 simple steps:

1. Choose a container large enough to hold the plants you wish to enclose.

2. Now, set the base. After washing the container, lay a half inch of acquarium gravel for drainage. Sprinkle with fine charcoal, then top with a light, moist, peat-beased packaged potting soil.

3. Select plants that stay small, grow slowly, have shallow roots , and love high humidity and low sunlight.

Cliff off any leaves that touch the glass to prevent rotting.

House Styles

Hi Folks ,
Iam back again, this time I wanted to give an overview of different styles of houses found in USA. Iam not writting about all the different styles but a couple of my favourite house styles and their interiors as well.
Hope you'll enjoy !!

This house stlye is Mediterranean. These homes have slightly sloping roof. Arches with columns. They have arched Palladian windows. Red clay tile roof. White stucco exteriors. Small balconies or wrought iron balustrades.



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This kind of house style is Modern. There is an honest revelation of buiding materials with a pedominance of horizontal lines and asymmetrical balances. Open planning, large areas of glass and a minimum of decoration are typical features.




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Monterey houses are a result of many mixed influences. Long second floor balcony with onamental railing of wood or iron. These are cool for hot weathers, but second floor balcony darkens first floor. Usually 2 stories in height.


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Victorian houses have mansard roof or wide, heavy, overhanging cornice. They have Projections, turrets, bay windows,ornamanents and trim without unity, harmony or purpose. They have high ceiling and large rooms.

Art Collection

I sometimes see homes only with furniture in it , I believe books and art are also important elements to bring life to a room. Else it would look like a furniture showroom. Here are some of the interesting art collections that I found and wanted to share with you... (click on the image to enlarge)


In the living room are Roy Lichtenstein’s Reflections: Spray II, left, and Thin Edge by Ralph Humphrey.

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Terra-cotta-colored walls offer a rich backdrop for the salon’s art and furnishings.

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This a purposeful balance of antique and contemporary style in the area of the master bedroom, The poster is a Tobias Stranovius’s 18th-century Peacock and Peahen.

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Damien Hirst’s 1997 acrylic Caesium Carbide 89 is the focal point of another part of the living room.



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Yes, 1963, by Joe Tilson hangs above a 19th-century butcher’s table in the entrance hall

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Over the living room’s fireplace is a 1960 Franz Kline oil. Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1984-85 GE Tobacco Section is at left.

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Stone standing figures are displayed in the living room along with a 1935 painting by Fernand Léger.

Winchester Mystery House

We had a field trip the other day as part of the Interior design curriculum. We visited the 'Winchester Mystery House' which is in San Jose,CA. It was a Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many unexplained oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House.

Sarah Winchester built a home in 1844 that is an architectural marvel. Unlike most homes of its era, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.

Chandelier

Living Room

Ball Room

Hand painted window panes

A psychic in Boston told Sarah that the spirits of all the people and animals of those who had been injured by the Winchester rifles would seek to avenge their deaths. The only way to appease the spirits, said the psychic, was to build them a house. As long as the house was being built, the spirits would not haunt Sarah. For 38 years, until Sarah's death in 1922, carpenters worked 24 hours a day, 365 days a year building the strange monument to the spirit world. At the time of Sarah's death there were 160 rooms (in various stages of completion) in the house. However, it is estimated that over 600 rooms were built and then torn down over the 38 years.

These stairs that lead to the ceiling are just one of the many bizarre features that Mrs. Winchester designed and had built.

Well, I had a wonderful time checking out the mysteries all around ... thank god I havn't come across ghosts though ;) some people say its haunted !!

Flower creativity !!

Well, the other day I collected some stuff available in my home to make a beautiful piece on the table. Its easy and affordable. Here's how i did it :-

I got a glass vase, first put some small stones (they can be of any color) in it and place a red color hibiscus flower . Then pore water into it upto the brim. A small candle (or diya) on top of the water will bring out the beautiful colors from the vase.

People who celebrate Diwali, can put few more small diya's around the vase to make it bright.

Hope you enjoyed it !!

Hollywood Movie theme Centerpieces

This was one of the interesting projects we did last month for a Retirement party. The retiree was a movie freak, she loves to watch movies so her employees planned on giving her a hollywood movie themed retirement party.

Well, I enjoyed decorating for this event totally, since we had to come up with several different creative ideas on movies to put the centerpieces together.

So, I have attached the centerpiece photos for different movies like 'Pirates of the Carrabian', 'The Mummy', 'The Forest Gump', 'Geisha' etc.,

Remember -My posts and designs are always meant to inspire others to decorate!! Hope you enjoyed...

Do send me the comments !!

PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN

THE MUMMY

SANTA CLAUSE 2

CASABLANCA

GEISHA

OCEANS 11

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA