Rainbow pencil....

rainbow pencils

I recently bought these pencils and had to share them with you guys!Such a cool idea!

Duncan Shotton is a young British designer based in Tokyo.

Made from recycled paper, rainbow pencils lets you create beautiful paper rainbows when you sharpen them.

Rainbow Pencils function like regular wooden pencils, and are the same size and weight, but they're not made from wood, they're made from lots of layers of recycled waste paper. This means the shavings / sharpenings look like rainbows.

Making Rainbows
You don’t need a special sharpener to make rainbows, but a sharp, good quality one will help you make better ones. To improve your rainbows, you can try sharpening from the other end of the pencil, using a better sharpener or applying a more constant force when turning the pencil. Trying to make the perfect rainbow is all part of the fun!

Does that sound like fun or what!!!

Design speaks: 5 creative ways to use wallpaper

I had never really worked with wallpaper before-ever. For awhile, I thought it was just for old people, but that’s definitely not the case anymore.There are so many modern wallpapers out there.
I use them for customers walls all the time but I’m still too intimidated to try wallpapering a whole wall myself. That being said, I think I’d like to try dipping my toe into wallpapering--but maybe on a smaller scale. So I’ve pulled together 5 creative ways to use wallpaper! All of these projects seem pretty managable.

1) Create a stunning headboard
For a complex headboard like this intricate patterns would work best.

2)Beautify a drawer or side of a drawer
Use wallpaper in a subtle manner...line the inside or just the sides of a dresser drawer.

3)Upgrade plain old glass vases

Normal paper is too thin..wallpaper just does it..its the right thickness--waterproof for planters & vases.

4) Table topper
Make over a hand-me-down side table with decoupage. Paint the table with two coats of metallic paint and a coat of metallic glaze for extra shimmer. Let dry. Cut a scrap of wallpaper to fit the top. Coat the table with decoupage glue, position the paper, and cover it with several layers of decoupage glue. (Allow each coat to dry before applying the next.) Finish the top with a spray sealant.

 

5)Makeover: A small wall or an entire room...try using bold patterns to spruce up your space.

Wallpapers now come in textured finishes tone on tone or bold modern patterns.

Adding wallpaper gives an instant character to a home.Am loving Philip Jeffries and Thibaut right now!Have any queries on where to source these pretty products...Let us know and we can always direct you...

Hanging beds

Are you hosting outdoor parties this season?
I absolutely love open porches and am hooked on to the idea of hanging beds.
I have always known swings but hanging beds-a step further!

We are in the process of building one ourselves but till i can show you the finished version-
here is some inspiration!!

 Reusing palette...hmmm  easiest to pull off!

 

Its almost summer-love the airiness that this look provides...

Since we have started building one for ourselves-this is what am going for...Am already drooling visualizing!!! with what mine will look like with all our fabrics

8 Beautiful Hanging Porch Beds

July 23, 2009 by Amy Locurto · 55 Comments

62K+

I absolutely love porches and am totally hooked on hanging beds!

Check out this inspiration and I hope to have a hanging bed of my own to show you someday.

- See more at: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/07/hanging-porch-beds/#sthash.eMvtn9Zo.dpuf

8 Beautiful Hanging Porch Beds

July 23, 2009 by Amy Locurto · 55 Comments

62K+

I absolutely love porches and am totally hooked on hanging beds!

Check out this inspiration and I hope to have a hanging bed of my own to show you someday.

- See more at: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/07/hanging-porch-beds/#sthash.eMvtn9Zo.dpuf

8 Beautiful Hanging Porch Beds

July 23, 2009 by Amy Locurto · 55 Comments

62K+

I absolutely love porches and am totally hooked on hanging beds!

Check out this inspiration and I hope to have a hanging bed of my own to show you someday.

- See more at: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/07/hanging-porch-beds/#sthash.eMvtn9Zo.dpuf

Check out the link below for DIY instructions:
http://ana-white.com/2010/08/easiest-hanging-daybed.html

Let me know which one is your favorite???

Happy Easter!

If you are looking for ideas for last minute easter decor think about all that you have in your home!

I love to use fresh flowers, beautifully decorated eggs, sparkling crystal and lovely china patterns in my Easter decor...Am loving the pinks and purples cause those are the flowers i have growing outside right now..

Here's a few of my favorite 'grown-up' Easter decorating ideas, courtesy of all those crazy-talented people on Pinterest.

 

 

So tell me....how are you decorating your home this Easter??

Pattern Play: DIY

This week at our studio we were all ramped up with patterns.
We kept trying to print different patterns to come up with new designs.
I had to share this with you guys..

me: lets try block printing ourselves(as we have new wooden blocks coming in)
kiddo: lets do that...and goes and brings his lego block to print from!!!

 Moral of the story--we can print from any no# of household items.

These linen towels only look as though they were silk-screened; their designs were really made by manipulating the following household items.
1. Overlapping triangular toy blocks.
2. Triangular toy blocks.
3. The bottom of a mini tart tin, the rim of a drinking glass, and a button attached to a wooden block.
4. Rubber band wrapped around wooden block.
5. Bottoms of hexagonal and circular jars and buttons glued to wooden blocks.
6. Rope glued to a wooden plank.
7. Straw star.
8. Bottom of a plastic berry basket.
9. House numbers screwed to a scrap of wood.
10. Toy-animal block.
11. Potato masher.
12. Buttons glued to a scrap of wood.
13. Woven wooden-bead trivet.
14. Tart tin and button.
15. Bottle stopper.
16. Buttons.

Pattern Play: Scarves

We have been away for a while now....preparing...thinking...rethinking...

But finally we are back-with new products..new ideas...and new events this season..

Our first blog this season begins with a photo shoot for the season..

Its finally Spring time here in Florida!Time for the outdoors..... Here;s a glimpse of what we are upto....

There is this stunning tree that we had in mind for quite a while now for a photo shoot-so as soon as our products came in we were on our way..a camera in one hand and all our scarves in the other!

  

 Setting up...you can see some of  the colors that have come in for our scarves...from blacks and reds to the spring oranges and pinks.

 Our little helper!

Our first shot for the season..what do you say?

 

 

The Tree offers its own lines and patterns for our new prints..

 

And then finally the colors of spring ..the pinks..rusty reds..oranges...tangerines....Which colors do you like the best???

If you like any particular color, shoot us a line--helps us figure out what you guys like!!

Fabric stories... Ikat and more!

Who says Mondays have to be dull and depressing?

I LOVE how fabrics can change the look of a space. I also love how a fabric can tell a story from the pattern of weaves to a craft process and a story of generations of artisans working together to create beautiful designs.

Sarita Handa is passionate about fabrics and it shows in the creations her company offers. From pastels to stark colors that can brighten your day and your room.

GO ahead! Be inspired...

Visit the Sarita Handa collection here. 

HAPPY July 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Enjoy the long weekend.. Hopefully this set will make your 4th of July just a bit more festive! This downloadable PDF includes sparkler cards, matchbook wrappers and straw tags. Simply print, cut, tape and voila – instant party!
Check out twig and thistle for the templates!

Dishoom!Preserving memories.

I came across this blog and loved the concept of what Dishoom is doing.
Preserving memories! 

Catch a memory and bake it onto a plate...

Dishoom is a Bombay Cafe in London. They have captured lots of wonderful stories from the original Cafes of Bombay and now are plating them up and sharing them in their cafes in London.


Here's what they have to say:

From the moment we arrive, we accumulate our own layers of stories and experiences, remembered events and remembered emotions. Together, they become our own personal narratives.

But for something so integral, so basic to who we are, memory feels so fleetingly ethereal. The fragrance of a little sponge cake (perhaps Madeleine, perhaps Mawa), the rich salty taste of butter melting on a bun dipped in hot chai, the sounds of a particular street, the soft touch of a companion’s hand, the wistful sweetness of a moment. The utterly unique moment is here, and then it’s gone. And the only trace left behind of its existence is an imperfect imprint on our minds.

How can we preserve this memory? How can we capture a feeling or a sensation, a poignant moment, before it fades like the morning mist?

But sooner or later, for all the love that people have for them, the Irani Cafés may all be gone. Faded away, unnoticed, in the rush.

In our own small way, we thought we could contribute to the capture of memory. We already pay homage to the Irani Cafés through design and food, but we thought we could go further and document and preserve actual recollections. We gathered stories from those who know and love the Irani Cafés – guests at Dishoom, the owners of the remaining cafés, others in Bombay and London.

We then literally baked these stories onto eighty of our plates (at 850C).

New Rule

You can check the stories behind each plate on their blog @ www.platewallah.dishoom.com

Kuddos Dishoom team! Keep sharing...

DIY: Papier Mache Easter Eggs

I came across this unbelievably cute papier mache easter egg DIY on Pinterest and followed through the links to only land on Megans's adorable blog called Not Martha. Megan has put together tons of DIY tutorials of some really useful, cute and fun things. I totally recommend checking it out. 

It would have been really hard to pick and chose one of those DIY's to share with you all but fortunately Easter's just around the corner so well that was easy. Sharing below a series of self explanatory images to hand make some adorable easter eggs for your weekend's Easter party :) 

Step 1: What you'll need.



Step 2: What to do with those materials



Step 3: Inflate the water balloons



Step 4: Apply starch on balloon and layer with white tissue



Step 5: Apply the colored squares while the balloon is still wet

Step 6: Hang dry overnight

Step 7: Next day, deflate the balloon using a pin prick and remove it from the cast. 

Step 8: Woohoooo! It's finally candy stuffing time!

Step 9: Slit the papier mache egg on either side of the opening and stuff with candy carefully. Don't worry we'll seal the slits with left over squares of the colored paper but before that insert a string loop in the egg to make it easy to pull it open. 

Step 1o: Tadaaa! 

You can view the entire tutorial in detail on Megan's blog here. If you end up making these, do share the images with us - we'd love to hear from ya! 

Happy crafting and Happy Easter!