A Glance of My Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of a home….yes I do believe in this.

To me no matter how big or small your kitchen is, it should be functional, well organized, clean and of course beautiful. A kitchen reflects the personality of the lady in the house. As planets revolve around the sun in the solar system, all family activities revolve around the kitchen at home. It’s a place where traditional family desserts are cooked, daily basic meals are prepared, new dishes are invented and mid night cravings are satisfied. For me it is a place where not only tasty food is prepared, but also my passion for cooking is moulded.
A transferable job structure has allowed us to stay in different houses and explore new cities in these years. So rented house is the only option and every landlord in the world has one cardinal rule-don't mess with the house. A positive side of this is, there are so many ways to turn a house into home without much changes and this applies to the kitchen too. 

As days pass by my intimacy with my kitchen grows. While the stove burns and the refrigerator murmurs, the water tap over the sink gurgles with the rush of water and the cutlery creaks now and then the place easily gets animated. I fancy that there are invisible entities around me with their mysterious smell, sound and sense.

It was a modular kitchen before we moved in and as it's a rented place, we were not permitted to think about any structural changes.

There was a small free space on the wall, where I fixed a chalk board and just below that Mr. Hubby fixed a glass rack to keep some regular use coffee mugs. Don't know exactly why I am so much in love with this chalkboard...as I have made it or it beautifies my kitchen or it reflect my emotions time to time or it is a conversation starter or due to all reasons *smiles*. Other items in the frame below in the corner are some of my DIYs. 

Other side of the kitchen counter...

I love to keep both the sides of the kitchen counter clean and clutter free. Otherwise it reduces my working pace and as I have to rush for office I have to finish cooking breakfast and lunch by 8 am.

Here I display few nick nacks, the tea sets are my childhood treasures...I keep on changing the display items here, as they refreshes the look of the space. 

Some travel souvenirs..some freeze magnets...some baskets on the wall...completes this corner *smiles*

Hope you will like my kitchen tour...

If you wish your beautiful home to be featured at When Creative Juices Flow, then please inbox me. I would love to do that. 

Love your home and enjoy living *cheers*

The LOVE Day...

Love is something magical and deep, which can’t be defined or definition may vary from person to person. I believe that we don’t need one particular day to celebrate love and this eternal feeling should be celebrated for 365 days a year. Love everyone and give others some reason to love you in return. If there is a special occasion to spend with your loved ones, then I love to go ahead and do all it takes to make it special and make that person feel special. Actually I am little selfish in this respect, as this makes me feel more loved, more pampered and more special in return. Some precious moment captured through the lens now, become great memories whenever you look back.

Sharing some glimpse of the love day at my place till now and also some gloomy days which got converted into some special days, to be cherished for ever. 

Enjoy this day...enjoy each day...as life comes once... *smile*

This Sunday afternoon well spent in making a strawberry cheese cake..

My DIY work always comes into action (Tin can candle holders)

Not much..but candles, flowers and soft toys...does all the conversation..

A simple table setup for two *smiles*

Shortcuts are most welcome when you don't have time, but want to do something special...

Celebration without food is incomplete...

Below pics are of a special valentines day, when my cousin had visited with his newly wed wife and we had a blast together *smiles*

"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own..." 

-Robert A.Heinlein

This Diwali....

Hello friends...

Hope you all had a great Diwali...I too had a great Diwali this year, as this time finally me and my in-laws got a chance to celebrate Diwali together. But still this time the festival of light remained a low key affair at my place. I was awfully busy till the big day and couldn't do as much as planned. I had two Diwali DIY posts and could only share one with you all. Sorry for another one, which is still lying as a draft. 

As I am already late, I don't want to become more late and here are some Diwali snippets from my home...

Sorry for the picture quality friends, first of all I am a novice photographer and this time in a hotchpotch the pictures are not as they should be.   

Entrance of my home...on the three days of Diwali...

This clay doll holding diyas is my favourite one and is with me from last few years..my heart never lets me bid adieu to this. So each year I give some touch up and use it.  

For Diwali decoration terracotta products are first preferred at my place and this is the time when we get maximum variety of these. 

 My handmade urli with some artificial lotus. 

 Indoor decoration was not much this time. 

Diwali is incomplete without some mouth watering delicacies..so they were made abundantly and my MIL is a big sport to me in preparing these. 

This was all about this Diwali *smiles*
Soon will take you all for my kitchen tour ............

Ganesh Chaturthi 2016

Warm wishes of Ganesh Chaturthi to my wonderful readers!!
May this festive season bring to you prosperity, happiness, health, success and contentment. Ganesh Chaturthi is the second most anticipated festival at my place, first being Diwali. Ganesha - the remover of obstacles, the patron of education, the God of intellect and wisdom, is worshiped in many homes through out the year. But this time of the year many states in India and many Indians across the globe welcome Ganesha to their home with grand fervor to celebrate the birthday of the elephant headed God.

Each festival and occasion calls for a celebration and make your creative juices flow. Last year few days before Ganesh Chaturthi I had made a M-seal Ganesha and for this year celebration I was planning to make an Eco friendly Ganesha. But as it is said man proposes and God disposes, God had some awesome plan for me this time. We have recently shifted to Mumbai and I am celebrating this auspicious occasion at a place, where each and every nook and corner of the city is glowing with the aura of the elephant headed God. Presently busy in arranging my home and have no time for DIY. But I'll not disappoint you all. For me presence of lord Ganesha spreads positivity and I have few corners of my Noida home shimmering with positivity for you all. 

Ganesha brings prosperity and initiate new beginnings. 

Vighna Harta - the remover of obstacles.

Lambodara- the one who have big stomach. It stands for vast capacity for amalgamation and incorporation of thoughts and ideas. 

Mangal Murti - The one who bestows peace or purity and endows auspiciousness. 

Vidyapati - The master of Vidya or Knowledge. 

I hope Ganapati-the master of all will bring in peace and harmony in our life and will fulfill our dreams and wishes. 

"Ganpatti Bappa Moriya"

Living the Living Room

Welcome to our home….

I have already invited you to our home, by showcasing the entrance, foyer and balcony garden. Today it's the turn of our living room...

When we are at home, the living room is a place where majority time of the day is spent. Our living room goes through two phases daily. The first one is, organizing the cushions, dusting & cleaning everything, keeping things at proper place and bla bla bla (Man in the house complains that I have a phobia of keeping things organized and systematic). Second is, when the sofas are occupied by us, cushions on the floor, TV in full volume, feet propped on the coffee table and few snacks jar just around for some munching.

Living room, also formally called as drawing room and somewhere that formal setup entered our living room unintentionally. This place of our home is blessed with sufficient space and sunshine. In fact so much natural light that sometimes even with all the curtains down, it's difficult to get a good snap from this angle during day time. 

Above and below, same day, same setting, but with two different lightings. One thing you can see is, I love to keep things always simple and clutter free. 

We love deep rich wood tones, normally and for reasons as well. When we moved to this place, the 1st thing we purchased was the sofa. We went for a dark brown one, considering the high level of dust, thought it will be easy to maintain a darker shade (though my heart was longing for a white sofa then). Then after this whatever furniture entered into our home was in brown shade, to maintain uniformity.

On the coffee table I always prefer to display some vignettes, but limit them to a tray. Because living room is our favorite place to have dinner just in front of the TV. So with one lift & one move of the tray, coffee table can turn into a dinner table.

Though generally I don’t or unable to do major changes in arrangements of my living room, but I keep on changing and displaying different items on the side table and coffee table on weekly basis.

I love to decorate our home with my handmade and DIY items. Other than this have a soft corner for handicrafts. So these items are dominantly found among the decor accessories. 

Hope you loved a tour of our living room *smiles*, will try to showcase you other rooms of our home in near future...

An Affair with Hand Fan

Hi there....
You may find it funny and crazy, but yes hand fan makes me nostalgic. 

Summer brings so many memories of childhood. The long summer vacations and the trip to village where my grandparents lived are the first thing that comes to mind. I feel those days were not that fiery hot as they are now. There were so many long power cuts, but it never bothered us (me, my brother and my cousins). Many nights passed without electricity and without fan discussing some horror stories. When there were long power cuts and electric fans gave up, something that came to rescue were hand fans. Some days I can remember whole night Maa used to blow the hand fan so that we can fall asleep peacefully. Nothing can compensate a mother’s love. Sometimes I feel lucky to be born in 80’s. As kids we have experienced the transition phase from fan to air coolers and then air conditioners and in between the hand fans had shown their faces too *smiles*.

Now the traditional hand fans have started to become extinct species. In the era of inverter or generator there is no need of these hand fans and they are losing their functionality. It is even sometime tough to find these in market. I have many memories associated with hand fans, so they find a special place in my home, as home décor accessories. Few hand fans in my home in different avatars are here...

A fold able hand fan. It's a travel souvenir from Sikkim. Now foyer of my home looks like this, do you know how it was looking earlier??? In the picture you can see my handmade tribal bottles also. 

A peacock feather hand fan, also a travel souvenir. Opps can't remember from where!!! *smile* The small vase with a dangler, holding peacock feathers is hand made. 

A white metal antique look hand fan, along with some other white metal elements.

A traditional bamboo hand fan of Odisha and with that few hand made paper baskets…

A small fold able hand fan…
As this post is about hand fans, here I am saying SAYONARA and see you in next post. 

Entryway/Foyer of My Home

A home that has a foyer or an entryway, there is something special about it. I am lucky that my home have small entryway. But I am so sorry, almost before a year I have made a post on entrance of my home and it took me so long to travel the distance from entrance to entryway. All entryways says "Welcome...come on in" and to me it is equally a special space like other rooms/spaces of home. 

While decorating the foyer of my home few things that I considered are:

First Lighting: Foyer of my home doesn't have access to direct sunlight. So lighting was the most important element. This requirement was fulfilled by few ceiling lights and a mosaic lamp. You can use hanging lamps, floor lamps, table lamp/side table lamp according to your need and convenience. 

Second Storage: To me in apartment style home all spaces should be utilized functionally. This objective can be fulfilled by console tables with drawers or a dresser or umbrella stand or coat stands or large baskets. This is also according to your need and demand of the space. I personally don't like, but I have a shoe rack at my foyer. As there was no other better place where it can be kept.

Third Rug: Rugs or rug runners are must at entryway to keep your living room clean. It also enhances the look of the floor.

Fourth decorating the wall: Though I have not added a mirror at my foyer, but it was first on the list. I was thinking of adding a huge size mirror, as reflection of the space makes it look double of the original size. Wall can be decorated by using wall papers or having a family photo collage or wall decals or some painting. I have few tribal paintings from Odisha at the entryway.

Fifth some personal touch: If you want to make a space lively personal touch is must. Family photos, travel souvenirs, handicrafts and of course some handmade items can bring in the magic. My hand painted bottles are the center of attraction here.

Sixth few plants: If you are a plant lover, obviously you will love to have some greens here.

The most important thing is whatever you have at your foyer it should be well organised and clutter free. This is usually a small space so it shouldn't be over crowded. I don't have any key stand at this place, so sometimes a small ceramic spice drawer holds keys. Sometimes I use few golden grass baskets to hold keys. 

Few more items, an antique look bell and two hanging tea light holders at entryway. 

So how does your entryway or foyer look like...
I hope the tips I have shared will help you to beautify your foyer.