Kamis, 20 Maret 2014

Styling our Spring Mantel

Happy first day of SPRING!

Thank you ALL so very much for your thoughtful comments about our recent photo shoot with Gridley + Graves!  

Because Anne and Gary wanted a more "neutral" decor for the shoot, I wasn't able to splash bunnies and eggs around until after they left.  And, since I get quite a few emails asking about the method to my madness when it comes to decorating our mantel and other vignettes, I thought I'd drag you guys along for the ride as I dress our fireplace for Spring.

Sooo, here's where I start ... with one big ol' boring, blank slate:


Admittedly, when I'm styling, I like to start in the middle first.  That's when I dug out this iron piece from under my son's bed!  After blowing off the dust, I decided to paint the dark wood frame AS Duck Egg Blue and paint the interior iron pieces AS Pure White to fit in better with the lighter look I'm going for!  I then added our poor, "beat up" egg wreath (from HomeGoods) for a fun and seasonal centerpiece:


Next, I like to balance my focal point with "neighbors" (usually, twins)!  Ha.  Yes, those who know me best understand how sickeningly symmetrical I am.  My feng shui just feels better this way ...


Now, it's time to add a centerpiece to sit on the mantel ... that's when this cute, little bunny family hopped on over.  And, since my OCD tendencies for odd numbers is always present, I decided to prop Father Bunny on a yellow stand to tie in with the pretty yellow flowers:


Next, it's time to fill in a bit of the "dead space" on either side of the bunnies ... that's where my silver candlesticks (from IKEA and HomeGoods) come into play ... twins, again (surprise, surprise)!  


Hmmmm ... our bunnies need a few eggs scattered around!


Almost done!  We're just missing one, last, whimsical element.  

THERE we go ... that's a little better (thanks to our cute "SPRING" banner from Target, which is making a return appearance for the 3rd year).


If our mantel could sing right now, I think it just might be belting out my favorite song "HAPPY," by Pharrell!






And, there ya' have it ... from sad to SPRING!


Our little ol' fireplace is a bit happier now that it's dressed for the season, although, admittedly, I need to add a pop of yellow on the hearth to make it "just right!"  Come back soon!


Thanks so much for stopping by ... 

Becca

Sabtu, 15 Maret 2014

A Decorating Dream Come True ...

As a crazy girl, with a true passion for decorating, admittedly, my dream has always been to have our home featured in a national publication.

So, imagine my shock when, last Fall, the very kind and amazingly talented Anne Gridley, from Gridley + Graves Photographers, contacted me and asked if she and her husband, Gary, could come to our home to take pictures for ... wait for it ... a national publication!

I was thrilled ... to say the least!  After the holidays and nasty Winter weather, this past Thursday, they trekked down to SC from PA and knocked on our door.

They brought their fancy equipment ...


lots of "fresh" props ...



and, took lots and LOTS of pictures!


It was awesome to watch them style the shots and analyze, right then and there on their computer, what needed to be adjusted for the next frame!


They also brought lots of great stories, which I loved hearing!  They couldn't have been nicer or more professional.

And, while I'm not sure when or which publication our home will be a featured, I'm honored and excited just to have had the experience of having Anne and Gary in our home! 

So, keep up your blogging because, you never know, they may be knocking on your door next!

As always, thanks for stopping by,
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Kamis, 13 Maret 2014

UKIMYA WETU.....

 Homez deco tumekua kimya kwa muda...ni kwa kua tunaumwa mimi na mtoto....ila namshukuru Mungu tunaendelea vizuri....na Mungunakipenda jumatatu tunaendelea kama kawaida humu kwenye blog yetu......

Asanteni kwa uvumilivu wenu....

Tunawapenda wote...

Selasa, 11 Maret 2014

Simply Spring Gathering ...

That's right, friends ... even though it still feels like Winter lots of places,  according to our mantel, the warmer temps have arrived ... the bunnies are hopping ... the *faux* florals are blooming ... annnnnd, the fake eggs are out in full force!  


And, because I'm joining some of my blogging buddies and sharing Spring inspiration, I just know that our combined forces will chase Winter away once and for all!


Yes, certainly our Spring touches will grab Mother Nature's attention and encourage her to move the season along!


I mean, after all ... pretty, faux plants from IKEA should help scare the cold temps away, right?!


And, this sweet "bunny in a basket" ornament and faux flowers from Michael's should make old man winter go into hiding! 


And, naturally, these seasonal pastel malted milk balls will entice Spring to come closer, right?!


Look ... even our little bunnies have had enough by showing that they "shalt" not "hear, see or speak" of winter ANY more!


If that still doesn't send the cold away, hopefully, our egg wreath (from Home Goods) will help to do the trick!


If not, our banner (from Target) announcing SPRING will certainly let Mother Nature know that enough is enough!


I say that you join forces with us by pulling out your eggs, bunnies, florals and anything SPRING to help make winter disappear(!) ... whaddaya think?  No way will it want to stick around if we all ban together.  I'll be eagerly waiting to see all that you do!

Until then, I'll just stare at our mantel a bit longer and see what happens!  LOL


Be sure and take a peek at the others (links below picture):

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

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Senin, 03 Maret 2014

Our Refreshed Dining Room

Happy March !!

It's sunny and beautiful 70 degrees today here in South Carolina ... could Spring truly be on the horizon?

I'm continuing to add touches of the new season around our home, with our dining room being the latest "stop."

Because I love adding blue to my color palette in our other main rooms, I thought it'd be fun to add it to our dining room, as well, to mix with the yellow that I tend to keep bringing back in here:


Candlesticks that were once bronze, turned grey are now enjoying a layer of AS Duck Egg on the buffet!  I then took away bulky matching lamps and opted for a taller, skinnier lamp on one side ...


and, balanced it on the other side with a beautiful demi john filled with faux branches:


I spread the love of blue over to our shelves, as well ... these vibrant plates from TJ Maxx work easily with just about any other colors!


The tiny pops of "gold-ish" yellow in the plates work well with our "frenchy" yellow plates from Home Goods:


And, you know I'm a fan of "faux" because of my lack of a green thumb ... these "pretties" from Michael's help add a lovely touch of Spring to our table.


These jeweled napkin rings remind me of the big ol' jewelry I love to wear ... when I spotted them at Pier One, I knew that they'd be a fun addition to our table, as well!


Thanks so much for stopping by our refreshed dining room ...


Come back soon, as I'm sure bunnies and birds will be popping in, too!


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Minggu, 02 Maret 2014

TODAY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. ......3/3......MY STAR IS PIECES. ...


Kwanza kabisa napenda kumshukuru Mungu wangu muweza wa yote kwa kunipa pumzi mpaka siku hii ya leo.....na pia kuweza kunifikisha hapa nilipo....katika kazi zangu...matunzo ya familia yangu....wafanyakazi wangu pia....etc

Pili napenda kuwashukuru wadau wangu wote wateja wangu wote..kwa support yenu mnayonipa.......

Katika siku yangu hii nimetimiza miaka kadhaa...na nimejaliwa kua na mtoto 1..wa kiume Jaydan...mwenye miaka 3...yeye birthday yake ilikua tarehe 8/2...ana afya njema na ameanza shule sasa...

Naomba Mungu wangu uendelee kunibariki na kunipa pumzi...na katika kazi zangu pia unipe wepesi....na nawaombea wateja wangu. Wadau wangu na wengineo wote...afya njema....na uwabariki kazi ya mikono yao pia....Amen....

Nawapenda wote....
Note:  no party...ni kazi kwa kwenda mbele....chamuhimu ni kuombamema..kwa Mungu wetu.....

Pls....don't mind my hair....I'm not a fashionista.....hahahaha.......just kidding. ...

Sabtu, 01 Maret 2014

Let's go on a pilgrimage. A Chai Pilgrimage.

I got to know about Jenny Kostecki-Shaw and Patrick Shaw (a.k.a. The Masala Chai Wallah) way back in 2008 when I had a series on my 'A Cup of Chai…' blog called Tea with friends and they had sent me a photograph of their chai.

I became aware that they were in the process of compiling a book on their many tea adventures in India and being a Chai-lover and a design enthusiast I kept updated on their blog, website and subsequently their Facebook page.
In August 2013, they used Kickstarter.com to fund for their beautiful book Chai Pilgrimage which they have self-published.
It was but obvious that I ordered my copy of the long-awaited book as soon as it was available for purchase!

So today I am going to share about this delightful piece of art and it's creators!

Jenny is a freelance illustrator and national award-winning children’s book author and illustrator.



Patrick teaches Ayurveda, Ayurvedic cooking and Ayurvedic herbology at the University of New Mexico in Taos and has been making homemade masala chai for over 20 years. Their daughter, Tulsi, has boundless patience with her publishing parents even though she doesn’t like chai.

 In their own words they tell you how this idea took shape and resulted in a book…

'We LOVE chai! The aroma of simmering spices fills our home each morning as the sun rises over the mountains. We also love India—her people, spiritual traditions, music, food and art have become woven into our lives. 
One morning while sipping chai, we had this crazy idea to fly to the chai motherland of India, spend four months steeping ourselves in chai culture and collaborate on a book. So we did! 
Chai Pilgrimage is our way of sharing our adventure and discoveries with you! It is our experience brought to life in a full-color art and photo filled travel journal, where we use chai as our compass to discover the people, places, spices, traditions and gods of an ancient culture. 
We also wish to share everything we’ve learned about brewing up a deliciously healthy cup of homemade masala chai with beautifully illustrated recipes and chai wallah tips on the art of chai making. 
We hope it offers a soul-nourishing vision of human connectedness and an opportunity to sip chai on the other side of the world!'

I have been so taken in with Chai Pilgrimage book, I have been devouring the visuals, the heartwarming narratives and beautiful illustration techniques.






Jenny has used various mediums to illustrate the book. Here is a video that shows us how she uses these techniques.
She also shares this frame from her studio:-)

Reading the book has been 'soul-nourishing' indeed. Especially for me sitting in sub-zero temperatures in Minnesota:-)

The book has so many interesting Chai recipes, I tried the Elaichi Chai yesterday…


Today I plan to try the 'Chai Guru Chai' taught by Patrick's friend and teacher Hamid Drake.

So do drop by their website Chai Pilgrimage  and their Facebook Page to read more about their book or order this beautiful, visual book. A great gift for yourself or to anyone who loves chai, spices and India! 

Go on a virtual pilgrimage. A Chai Pilgrimage!

( Images from Chai Pilgrimage.com and styling by Arch. Copyrighted Materials)