Dress The Windows - Part II

I am in Kolkatta at the moment and this weekend the weather Gods were very kind to us here and sent their blessings in the form of soothing cold showers which i thoroughly enjoyed with my lemon tea sitting on my window sill, Feeling grateful to my windows. 

Continuing from my last post about window dressing here are some more lovely styles that you can adopt to dress your windows!

TAB CURTAINS for Wooden /sliding / metal windows.

Tab curtains are the easiest way to stitch curtains and a DIY too. As the name states it comprise of Tabs/ loops on the top part of the curtain through which the curtain rod can side through. They can be made in the form of loopes, back tabs and even tie up tabs. You can add a million way to beautify the tabs too. These curtains are best for windows where you do not open the curtains much as they are slightly more difficult to operate. 

 

Tab curtains can be made in sheer, thick, silk, cotton practically in any kind of fabrics.

 They are one of the best options for the children's room

EYELOT CURTAINS for ALL types of WINDOWS 

Eyelot pattern is the most recent of patterns in curtains which are made with a rings embedded in the curtain itself. it can be made in any fabric and any pattern and is super easy to operate. It also allows you the flexibility of the amount of gathers you want to have in the curtains. This is the most functional kind of curtains in my knowledge. 

VALENCES for DRESS up

Last but not the least if you have windows with double curtain rods and want to use one to dress the windows with a little oomph, Add a Valence ! 

These are some styles of Valences, They can be made in any design, shape, pattern and fabric. You can be creative with them. A valence does to windows what an accessory such as a clutch/ a bag or make up does to you !

Thank you for visiting the blog. Hope you enjoyed this piece. Do leave us a comment if you wish to and if you have been creative with your windows write to us on that too. we would love to hear. 

We also design and manufacture soft furnishings. IF you wish to see our collection please do log on to our facebook page. We would be happy to customize curtains for you, in your size, colour and desired fabric. 

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Dress the Windows - part I

Someone has said  " Set wide the Windows and let me drink the day "!

It is true isn't it ! Windows are to the house what our senses our to our body. We take in all that the universe has to offer through our five senses; that's what windows do to our homes, they take in whatever nature has to offer - its warmth and love and also protects us from its rage ! 

Lets dress them and show them how important they are. 

Window dressing is an essential part of our decor and should be done keeping a few things in mind. I have compiled the types of windows and the different ways in which we can dress them to add to the decor of your homes. 

BAY WINDOWS and ROMAN CURTAINS

These are windows which generally have a ledge in front of them which can be transformed into a seating / table or even storage. In such places ROMAN Curtains / Blinds work best. These are curtains which get rolled up with the pull of a string and when they are drawn they give no gathers. These curtains have to be made with thick fabrics but they fit perfectly in the window space giving one privacy and look very elegant ! These are one of my favorite type of curtains. 

Roman curtains  For a small window ledge which has a study table in front; 

For a large window ledge which has seating 

For windows where you do not want to add heave drapes and want to create a minimalist look. 

For smaller windows in the washrooms or in the passageway

FRENCH WINDOWS and SHEER CURTAINS 

If you have French windows (windows which finish at the floor level ) overlooking a balcony / terrace and privacy is not your concern then you can go ahead with SHEER or thin transparent / semi transparent curtains. These give a sense of space and lightness to your rooms. They let light pass through and if chosen of the correct material they can even let air through. 

Sheer curtains made of Organza / Tissue fabric to give a dressy feel; 

They can be made in Cotton in two different colors and can be tied together to create a dramatic effect. 

Sheers can be combined with thick curtains to make the room look spacious and also give privacy.

WOODEN WINDOWS and PLEATED CURTAINS

Some of us have the luxury of big rooms with BIG Wooden WINDOWS and European decor; PLEATED CURTAINS are best suited for such Interiors. They give the interiors the heavy look it demands along with the wanted privacy. These are generally made of thick fabrics that drape well giving lots of gathers. 

The Pleated curtains can be made by pinching the fabric into 2 / 3 pleats. They can be patterned with different kinds of fabrics; Printed or plain patch below or on top. 

Windows can be dressed with TAB curtains ; EYELOT curtains ; VALENCES and much more. I will be sharing more about Window Dressing in my next post!  Do stay tuned!

If you have done a DIY curtain do send me pictures and a description HERE and i would love to feature you on the blog! 

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The Art shop

Shifting to Pune from Bombay was a tough decision to make 9 years back. There are still times when i feel Bombay to be more like my place than here and there are times when i cant thank myself enough for shifting!

Over the years i have been on my little journey discovering and finding new places/ stores/ restaurants/ getaways of my interest and i keep discovering something new every time i step out!

One such place that i found was ' THE ART SHOP'. 

A lovely store tucked away on Baner Pashan link road. The store was started by a couple Devesh and Amisha in 2010. Devesh had always loved art and thought that some day when he retires he will open an art store! well it did happen earlier than that !

Devesh travels all over India and hand picks the pieces for his store. The store has an amalgamation of art, artifacts, ceramics, jewellery, outdoor furniture and home furnishings. 

 From Brass Buddha's to Ganesha's you are sure to find metal in all forms in the store and to match them are a range tastefully lotus printed cushions.

Tea light holders and embroidered cushions in whites and beige are my favorites at the store.

Small boxes, tableware and lamps in blue pottery of Jaipur are perfect gifts for any occasion. 

If you are an outdoor person and love to spend time in your balcony, terrace or patio, do visit them for their durable, all weather outdoor furniture. Devesh will be happy to show you the wide range of chairs, swings, loungers available and guess what they will be happy to customize the furniture to your preference.

 And to ice the cake they are introducing a section for home furnishing this weekend ! 

The Art Shop now houses beautiful curtains made in hand woven cotton which are block printed by artisans in Kolkata; They now house drapes in silk, woven jacardes, cotton and silk blends, chanderi and yes the list goes on. 

There is an array of cushions to select from - They have cotton silks, silks, embroidered, hand block printed, cottons and many more. 

Among all of this you are sure to find bed linen, bed covers, throws, table mats, table cloths and table runners.

The list can go on but i would highly recommend you to visit this lovely space and experience it yourself. 

Do visit over the weekend and  i assure you , you will find something for your lovely homes. 

The address is - 

THE ART SHOP 

Shop no 2, Regent Plaza, Baner Pashan link road, Behind Symantec, Pune. 

Let me know what you bought and what you liked !!

Baking makes me Happy !!

I keep running around like a headless chicken all day long for my work and by the end of the day all i can think of is my couch, my TV remote in my hand and a bowl full of soup

(which i can just gulp down my throat and fill my belly). 

Nevertheless when the master-chef in me wakes up from its slumber i do indulge a bit of cooking and baking ! So yesterday was one such day ! i decided to make a CARROT CAKE !

As Donna Hayes would say it it was FAST FRESH and SIMPLE !!

so here is what i used and did. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup normal olive oil 

2 table spoons walnuts - broken by hand into bits 

2 cups of grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins/sultanas

3/4 cup of coarsely ground sugar

1 tea spoon vanilla extract/essence

3 eggs 

2 1/2 cups of plain flour ( you can do some portion of almond meal if you like the cake a                                           little grainy )

1 tea spoon of baking powder

Method:

In a food processor (you can also also mix with a whisk or hand blender) whisk the oil and sugar to make a creamy paste, then add the eggs and vanilla and whisk further. Add the flour, baking powder, carrots and the raisins to the mixture. The mixture looks like a sticky dough. 

Pre heat the oven to 250 degrees and line your baking tin with baking paper( trust me this is the best thing to do, your tin comes out clean and you don't have to scrape the edges of the sticky dough), add a little butter / oil to the baking tin and pour your mixture and add the walnuts on top. Bake in the over at 250 degrees for 25 mins or till your skewers come out clean. 

Let it cool and take it our of the tin. 

                                           

I used a small tin to bake the cake and the left over mixture i used in my cupcake molds to make yummy carrot muffins !

P.S. if you are not patient with the oven you can micro the same mixture in a microwave safe container for 8 mins and get a soft yummy carrot cake !

Do share with me your recipes too !!

Multifaceted Trays

Till sometime back there was nothing exciting or even remotely interesting about TRAYS for me. In the recent past i was researching online for a project and happened to come across a few images which changed my perception of TRAYS.

For the longest time i used trays only to serve water, tea or some snacks. In this post i am sharing with you the many ways in which trays can be used to organize and beautify our existing spaces.

You can use leather tray like this one to organize your study space and with the addition of a  frame to match. it makes a statement in the room.

If you are a coffee/ tea lover these wooden trays placed in the corner of your kitchen platform can be used to keep your java handy and of course you can carry it to your living room to serve in style.

For all my friends who love their washrooms as much as any other corner of the house.Stack your towels, maybe some flowers and candles and some fragrant lotions in a smart leather tray on your counter sink and lift your washroom's spirit !

You love succelents and indoor plants ? plant them in these wooden trays medled with a few candles and they are sure to make a great center piece for your dining table !

Pretty coffee tables deserve a pretty tray in which you can place a few books, some fresh flowers and a few candles and voila your table cud'nt look better !

 You have a reading corner in your room or like to snuggle up with a book and your cuppa these lovely trays are a must for you to carry around or place them on your beds, window ledges and coffee tables. 

I hope you enjoyed the tray journey with me  ! Do share with me images about your usage of trays in your homes !!

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Do visit my facebook page here to see more trays !