What prettiness!

Happy I am :-).... And that, too, on a Monday! The whole week lies ahead of me and today has been a good start to it. Home and hearth are two of my favourite words from a list of favourites. Anything to do about home,of decor ideas and tips, of colours, motivate me; make me feel so happy. A month ago I had visited an exhibition by the Hundred Hands. Amongst many lovely decorative items, I came across this unassuming stall belonging to a man from Saharanpur. I got talking to him as his stall was almost empty at that time. Seeing me examine the intricately carved wooden combs, he started talking about them. He pulled out a piece from among the heap and showed me how the two sides of the comb had two different patterns on the same panel! This was rather interesting! I would have loved to show you what he meant,but, unfortunately, I have framed it and hence, the other side cannot be viewed.Probably I should have bought two of this type! He rattled off stories about the queens of those days; with their long hair flowing down their back! Such stories always intrigue me. Rapunzel and her lovely lock! Stories from our history, the queens, their thick black mass of curly hair and what not! He must have known that! Well, I am joking! :-D..In between, a customer came in to his stall, a foreigner, who seemed to be a regular with his wares. The man was reluctant to let go of me so he asked me to wait for a while as he dealt with this lady. I kept toying around with the stunningly pretty combs. My intention initially was to buy a wooden comb for my son. He has been after me to buy him one or at least give him the one that I have been using for a couple of years now. He has quite a 'hair' story that literally drives us up the wall! And I mean it! So, this was my intention to buy my son a wooden comb. The man,once again, turned his attention towards me.He took a lot of interest in pulling out piece after piece from the chestnut coloured pile. Pretty, each of them was, for sure! First I chose one and then good sense prevailed over me. I decided to pick up two instead...one for the boy and the other for myself.I can tell you that the husband would have been aghast at my decision!Most often,he is! (Thank God! He wasn't there with me.) Selecting the two pieces was quite a task. Each one vied for attention but finally I decided on the two.
The two beauties came home with me that day. They remained lying for some time. I found it too difficult to part with either of them. So the son could not get his. I refused to use these as hair brush. They were, too, too, lovely to be used for the mortals' hair! And then I remembered my blogger friend Padmamanasa's post....  http://fortheloveofsunshinecorners.blogspot.in/2014/08/life-is-what-you-make-it.html....... A borrowed idea, no doubt, but the out come has been superb! Choosing the frame, the background,etc,etc, was fun and exciting. The frame shop has done a very good job with my two pretties! Would you want to see them ? I am sure you'll like them in their new avatar :-)...
The curtain is raised now and here you go! Do share your thoughts on them here on the blog. I would love to hear from you :-).....

The 'comb' story.....

I find it pretty!

A pair of them here... :-)

in all it's glory........

Such intricately done!

love,love,love.......

Gorgeous,aren't they?

At home.....when nostalgia strikes ......

Life brings tears,
smiles and memories.
The tears dry,
the smiles fade,
but the memories
last forever.
Rightfully observed by someone.......
There are times when memories of days gone by appear as a deluge and carry you back to those times. They come from just about nowhere and linger on. These days it is happening to me quite often. I bask in those moments of pleasure that will probably never come back again.; not that I repent it. But, yes, certain things of the past do bring in a smile and I cherish those moments as I keep them safely in my mind's treasure chest. While I jot this down, I remember how my mother and grandmother would sun their prized possessions, mainly the pretty brocade and embroidered saris during the September days! They would spread them out with so much fondness, out in the sun and let them soak in the sun and the breeze. And while they would do this,they would embark on their journey of memories. I always enjoyed these moments when I would get to know about those pieces, that they, so lovingly, would sun. Thinking of days gone by,today, is somewhat like sunning my memories before I store them away once again. I guess, we all do that, don't we?
Our home happened to be one of those prized possessions of mine those days. Living in the midst of compulsions, the time spent together with my loved ones,building up a home out of the brick and mortar condominium, up in the northern part of our country, wasn't something we had really wished for. Compulsion was the key word in our lives those days. And the only pleasure we derived was to build up this home, piece by piece; a home that was our comfort, our solace, our buffer from all those depressing moments we were experiencing. So, we set out making this rented place our home. Like all rented accommodation, we did have our share of difficulties. The walls were too white, the woodwork too less, the flooring too dark, the windows too long (they would require meters and meters of cloth for curtains), to name a few. But we took up the challenge and did succeed to some extent. Here are a few shots, a few pieces of that home, we had carved out for ourselves. These are memories now and what better way to store good memories! I love seeing these photographs and every time I see them I remember our good times spent there; the stories of labour, of achievements, of laughter and even failures. Life is not all about warmer days....there are those cold depressing days,too. And during those times the warmth of our nest shielded us, sent across those positive feelings that the sun is soon going to shine again.
I would love to hear your stories too. And with a cup of chai, here I am, all ready to indulge in some more nostalgia.

the sun-kissed living room....

another corner of the same sun-kissed living area........

a space frequented by family and friends....a space much used through out the day.......

and by evening......          

Homecoming......

 'A home is made of hopes and dreams

Where the story begins,

Where love resides and memories are created....'

Well, these are not exactly my words but are some of the quotes I like about the word 'home'. But I echo these sentiments whole heartedly.To me, my home is the most beautiful place to be in; a place where I can be myself, a place I love to share with the most loved people in my life. That is home to me. I strive to make it a place of my dreams,my small world,so to speak.

the empty canvas.....this was how our house looked.....

the open kitchen and dining area as it looked before......

A clean slate this was about a year and half ago when we relocated back to Bangalore from the NCR. And from then on,bit by bit, we started putting things together to give it that shape and character that we always had in mind. It has always been my endeavour to make use of the pieces I have, be it furniture or anything else, rather than buy something  for the new home. Being in and out of quite a few homes in the past, I have realised one thing that what suits one house may not suit another one. Hence the idea of buying new pieces to fit in a place does not impress me much. Then of course the sentimental quotient always plays a big role in our lives.

It's always been so much fun to play the role of an in-house architect cum interior designer in your own house. You have the liberty of doing what conjures up in your mind without much restraint. So I had a wonderful time trying out all possible things within my means; fitting in the existing pieces of furniture at different places, checking out the look and if not satisfied,trying out another spot. The blank walls,very soon started looking full with our son's art work. It looked so much home! A few pieces of paintings up on the wall does the trick, I've noticed. Together with a few knick knacks, bright cushions, colourful mats and durries and curtains and viola! The look I've wanted is there! A home full of love, comfort and cozy corners, a place that has a story to share is where we all want to live in. A very aspect in my decor sensibilities is that I love the cozy look as against the look of opulence. I always try to make the most of what I already have hence the look has never gone beyond those initial setting up stage! Our home still has that look and feel of a couple's first home :-D.....

Wicker and cane is all that we have at the moment.

Love these stringed birds!

The shadows and the patterns created by evening time......

The walls have been coloured a lighter shade of pale yellow. I guess this shade never goes wrong. But I would certainly like to experiment with some more brighter shades. After all, I love colours. Well, our home is certainly not clutter free or have clean lines. But I like it this way. Every little thing has something to say.For example, look at this chalk paint bottle... It is my message bottle. Whenever I want to share some message or a motivating quote,I write on this. The colourful kantha cushions and throw remind me of my childhood, of days I would spend in our ancestral village, of stories told by  my grandmother, of lying down under the starry sky and of all my adventures with my friends there.I have realised that our home is full of insignificant things that remind us of our childhood, of days gone by.....nostalgia....and that keeps us grounded. The home story would keep going on and on but I need to stop:-)....make myself a cup tea and put my feet up together and enjoy the peace and bliss of the Sunday evening....It's such a beautiful feeling to be home......to enjoy the 'home coming'. And then there is my green corner in the two tiny balconies. The constraint of space has not stopped me from having a tiny garden for myself. Take a look and see if you like it :-D.....
Do share your home stories with me. I would love to hear them from you.I'm sure each one of you would have wonderful anecdotes to share with me. Let the magic weaving start !

message in a bottle

And here are some pine cones I carried along with me all the way from Binsar. They remind me of times spent in the lap of the Himalayas!

And a quiet corner late in the evening...........what peace !

mementos from Jaipur....

We have paintings by our son  on the walls.....

vignettes on the centre table and these keep changing......

bliss......

a bit of comfort...the kantha throw adds to the cozy nook....

love this pretty spice holder....right now I have turned this into a jewellery holder.....

I love kantha and remember my childhood.......

My plant family.....

blocks,flowers and knick knacks add to the colourful look.......

a bit of greenery.....

succulents.......These are glimpses of my tiny balcony garden.....I have a couple of them and have housed a few plants  there.......

Let there be light

Dazzled, bejeweled, came the night of Deepavali. It comes every year and this year was no exception to its beauty. Though, for us, Bengalis, it is a celebration just for a night that we call Kali Pujo, while the rest of the country celebrates it with a much greater grandeur. Preparations start well in advance; the spring cleaning of the homes, the shopping list is made for new clothes, gifts, diyas, sweets and fireworks in some homes. I love to see and experience all these. It's a happy feeling that sets in; a mood that soaks in all these frenzied and exciting moments. Like I said earlier, we Bengalis do not celebrate this beyond a day and our celebrations centre more on the very special puja on the day of Kali Puja. We invoke Goddess Kali and worship her. I remember how in earlier times, we used to have animal sacrifice on this special day. Now of course, this gory tradition has given way to a more sober tradition of gourd sacrifice. I have seen my mother, grandmothers and other senior members of the family keeping a fast and breaking it only after the puja at midnight. That was a unique feeling, very difficult to express. The heady smell of the dhoop or incense sticks, the flickering lights from the deepas, the blood-red hibiscus garlands around Ma Kali as she stood looking resplendent in her form, those very expressive eyes of hers seemed to be taking in all, blessing the good and punishing the evil; we were so enamoured by the very presence of the idol, muttering our prayers with closed eyes and trying to be as respectful as possible! That was the story of our childhood days during Kali Puja. Now, things have changed quite a lot. We,too, have been drawn into the celebration mode, adapting to the new traditions and rituals of Diwali as we see it around us. And this,too, feels good. After all, festivities do make life happier. So off I start with my cleaning, trying to give the home a new look and dress her up in the newest of outfits in the form of new curtains, new cushion covers, rugs and mats. A bit of shopping for some new home accessories to display on the special day; not that it's needed but more for the fun and happy element that surrounds our festivals. I made a few trips to the local fancy stores selling clay diyas trying to spot some interesting pieces. During these trips, what I loved most was the excitement of the people as they very carefully chose the pieces they wanted to take home; the way they bargained with the vendors; and finally their triumphant looks when they did manage to convince the shopkeeper and get their loot at their decided price! All this exchange of conversation really intrigued me, a person too poor in these skills!  

The festive season has its own charm. I love the energy and the mood this season brings in with it. Not just our indoors,even the outdoors seem to be dressed up with lights, making the places come alive with so much beauty. There is movement everywhere and I find this extremely positive. I love to see the heaps of flowers all over the pavements in tiny makeshift stalls. The yellow marigolds and chrysanthemums and mallige ( local name for jasmine), tiny button roses in bold colours; they all make such a pretty sight! 

The best part is the different kinds of sweets we get at this time. We,at home, have become conscious eaters these days. So, we 'see' the sweets at the sweet shops but rarely indulge in them. I made our special Bengali rice payesh which people at home just devoured. After all what is a festival without sweets! The decoration at home was toned to some extent. To get away from the extreme noise created by crackers, we took off to the quieter hills, making sure to return back on the D day to light up our home. 

On a more sober note I would like to wish and pray for a more enlightened 'us'; the lights should light up not just our homes but also light up our minds, remove all darkness that maybe there in the minds and illuminate us. These are a few of the shots taken at home and some clicked at the local shops selling flowers and diyas. Wishing all of you a very happy Diwali and praying that your lives be filled with happiness,peace,prosperity and good health.

a terracotta Ganesha lamp and some of those bright yellow marigolds....they make a beautiful combination..... 

Ma Kali in her resplendent form....I could only manage this brass figurine.....

Ma as she stands in all her glory......

another arrangement with some clay diyas, Marigolds and glistening brass....

I loved this stylish Ganesha diya........and here is an arrangement with some Chrysanthemums and button roses....

Let there be light.........

Love the imperfect rustic touch to these diyas.....

Isn't this pretty? The light shines through the jaaliwork weaving magic......

Time for some 'mishti mukh' :-)....some Bengali kheer or payesh as we call it....

Shine on...........

The roadside makeshift stalls with their wares....

The choices are plenty......

Look at these! So pretty,aren't ,they?

the colourful torans.....cloth ones instead of the mango leaves......

delicate patterns.....

A terracotta cup used as a diya.......