Refresh Studio

The day I set my eyes on one of the lamps made by Rabi of Refresh Studio, I knew I had to meet him and see more of his creations...

My first reaction was "Is that lamp base made of stone?" then looking at it closely I realised it was as light as a feather. It was Paper Mache!

Rabi makes eco-friendly, paper mache lamps, artistic vases, containers, boxes out of old newspapers.

For his lampshades he uses dried pressed flowers, leaves and ferns that add such delicate beauty to the lamps.

Love this vase!

A collection of vases in various shapes.

Another lovely creation by Rabi.

Details on the lampshade.

Rabi spends a lot of time creating each of these lovely products, since paper mache takes a while to dry after being moulded.

He does take custom orders and can be reached at rabfrank@yahoo.co.in

( Images by Arch)

My Guest Post at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

Hello Everyone. My first guest post ever is up at 'Once Upon A Tea Time...Design Stories'.

I am sharing some simple ideas with all the readers, so do drop by and lets also congratulate Priya on the 1st blog anniversary of Once Upon A Tea Time...Design stories.

Some more greens...

In response to my post on 'Little plants in containers...' one of Rang Decor's readers Nivedita Kari shares her collection of plants.Here are some plants on her kitchen counter that she keeps changing

It's always great to hear from readers and it's lovely when they share their ideas with us.

This pot has been painted by Nivedita.

Thanks for sharing these with us.

Events...

Rakhi Janardhan of Canvas Incorporated presents Myriad - a premier exhibition, showcasing the works of various artists from different parts of India at Alliance Francaise, Bangalore on the 14th and 15th of November, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Canvas Inc. provides a platform for students of art and upcoming artists to showcase their talent and creativity and help them with their initial foray into the world of art.

So if you are in Bangalore this weekend do drop in at:

Alliance Francaise

Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar

Bangalore-52

Little plants in containers...

It's been a while since there has been some action here on 'Rang Decor', so today let me make a start:-)

This post is in response to a query by one of Rang Decor's readers about plants in containers.

I love plants. I love plants that I can bring into my rooms and that enlivens each and every corner.

Rather than just place the plants as it is, I like to place them in little ceramic mugs/bowls or brass vessels or cane baskets. Try it and you'll see how beautiful the space becomes:-)

Here are some interesting arrangements at home.

Do share any other interesting arrangements you do with your house plants:-)

Happy decorating and have a great day!

Creating a warm fall glow.

When it comes to decorating for fall, there are three things you need for a fabulous result: different textures, layering of the textures and it's gotta smell gooooood! You can't go wrong if you incorporate all of these.

I like to take items I already have and change them up for fall. For this display, I used a tray (Southern Living at Home, I love you!) I already had:
I had the two larger candleholders, and purchased the three smaller ones for $1.50 each at Hobby Lobby. I placed them so the sizes were layered, and and filled in between with my go-to fall filler:

I got this stuff at Z Gallerie a couple years ago and it's still my favorite filler for this time of year. It's got glitz, it's got natural, it's got warm. Awesome.

I fluffed it all just so and added my candles -- the large ones were $5 from HomeGoods, the smaller were $3.50 at Hobby Lobby:

It took all of five minutes to do. I bet you have items laying around you could use too!

I wish they had scratch and sniff computers. The scent of cinnamon and apples is wafting through our house.

This is my view while I blog tonight:

Loverly. Have I mentioned yet how very much I ADORE fall? Just in case I haven't, I. ADORE. fall.

Our family room mantel has been warmed up as well. Last year I found some scrap wood, stained it and it serves as the perch for simple red and brown candles:

You'll soon realize I am a bit obsessed with these beady things. I think they are GORG. You can find them at Micheal's. (I always get them on sale, they are $7 each before the discount.) I weave them through the candles for texture:

And wrapped them around the candles in the hurricanes for more texture and layering:

Yum. I could just eat it, it's just delicious. Well, not really, but you know what I'm sayin':

Delish.

These candleholders are so fun to fill during the holidays. Funny how I can't figure out what to put in these things most of the year, but from now until early January, I'm golden:

I fill the bottom of each with leaves in different shades of orange and red:

I get my leaves by finding garland I like, then snipping off the leaves. This is much cheaper than buying packages of leaves.

I add my candles and then my "scatter" -- I love this stuff! This I found at Pier 1 years ago, and I think they still carry something similar:

Autumn-inspired ribbon is tied around and fluffed just a bit for a final touch. Sigh. Have I mentioned how much I love fall?

In the kitchen, I used another Southern Living piece and a clearanced plate from Pier 1:

I wrapped the candle with more foamy beady things (I used double stick tape on the back to secure them). Again, layering and texturing (word?):

Oh yeah, and a yummy candle. Glorious! Try taking items you already have -- add a candle and then some texture -- whether it be pumpkins, acorns, apples, leaves, whatever! (Just make sure they aren't near the flame! Yikes.)

Have I mentioned how much I love... ummm... OK, I'll shut it.

I'm off to eat a caramel apple covered in peanuts, that should shut me up. Next up this week, my dining room centerpiece!

Taking care of some business.

I so loved reading your comments about NYC! I want to come visit all of you that live there, umkay? I'll just stay at your place next time -- OK with you? I forgot to tell you all the biggest reason I love New York -- we got married there. ;) We couldn't think of a better place to do it and it was one of the best days ever, in the best city ever.

I also forgot to mention something important in my post about blogging last week -- making sure you have an e-mail attached to your Google account. SO OFTEN I want to send you back a quick e-mail when you say something funny, totally get my joke, know who says my TV lines (yesssssss!) or just say something really sweet. Often many of you will ask questions and if I can't reply back to your comment through e-mail, I feel awful.

Keep a girl from not feeling awful if you can. If you don't want your personal e-mail out there, it takes about two minutes to create a free gmail account. Problem is, I can't remember how I did this to my profile. If any of you know how to, can you leave the directions in the comments? Love you forever. Kisses.

I'm super excited about the opening of my new Etsy shop! I have been toying around with the idea with fellow Twitterers for a couple months now and I've got a nice little inventory going. I was hoping to get it up by tomorrow, but it will most likely be next Monday. It will be a mix of antique and thrift store finds. I'm so excited!!

Finally, I will be raising my consultation rates to $30 starting this Wednesday, the 16th. I hate to do that, but I really do spend a good amount of time on each one. I will still be significantly lower than any other site I've seen that offers the same service. I always want to keep it affordable for you all. I believe my past "clients" (hate that word!) will agree it's worth the money.

If you are interested in getting in on the $20 rate, feel free to pay with the button on the left of the page before Wednesday, then e-mail me your pictures. I need about five to six pics of each room, as well as any specific items. All I need to know is what you like/don't like, any questions, and budget if you have it. I like to work with what you have and try to make suggestions that are budget-friendly. :)

If you are not ready to send your pictures right now, that's OK. Just use the button to pay for the consult and then e-mail me when you are ready.

Stay tuned tonight for the start of my fall decorating extravaganza!! OK, it's not really an extravaganza, but it's making the house even more warm and cozy and I'm loving it.

My favorite place on Earth.

There is only one place I'd ever rather be than home. That place is New York City. If you've read this blog for a while, you know of my love for New York.

Today is always hard for me, every year. I know it is for everyone in this country. I have a love for this city that I can't really explain. It was love at first sight, and I fall in love more every time I'm there. It's electric, it's alive, it's beautiful, it's serene, it's amazing.

In late August of 2001, my husband took me to NYC for my first trip. I loved it like I knew I would. If I lived another life before this one, I know I was a New Yorker.

We went to the top of the Statue of Liberty, and got shots with the skyline as the background:
This is a picture of a picture because our scanner isn't working today, so excuse the quality. I still find it eerie how you can barely see the towers behind me. Less than two weeks later, those towers were gone. I treasure this picture so much!

Today I thought it appropriate to share a few of my favorite pictures of NYC with you. The first (above) was a makeshift cross created by the workers at Ground Zero.

My favorite shot of Lady Liberty (again, sorry about the quality):
A view of the city from to top of Rockefeller Center (the best views are seen from here), from my most recent trip in January:

The city is so big, you just can't fathom it until you drive up to the island and see it...breathtaking. (This view is just half of it.)

In my opinion, Times Square at night is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen:

ALIVE!

My husband took his band there the January after the attacks. We were supposed to go to Japan and cancelled that trip for obvious reasons. Instead, we thought the best place to go would be our favorite city. We thought it was important the students be there at that time.

This is just some of what we saw at Ground Zero:

Absolutely, positively heartbreaking and heart-filling at the same time.

People would stop us on the street, seeing all the students, and thank us for coming to their city. I don't care what anyone says, New Yorkers are some of the best people on Earth.

You don't think of natural beauty when you think of New York, but Central Park is hands down one of the most gorgeous places I've been:

I know it sounds cliche, but we can't forget. I know it's getting easier to, but we just can't. We need to remind ourselves every year, we need to teach our children about it. We need to keep praying, healing, loving. On a trip a few years after 9-11, this was written on one of the walls around Ground Zero, and it still makes me cry:
God Bless America.