I love DIY projects! I love looking at them, marveling and the creativity of the people who make these gorgeous treasures. I’ve been hoarding DIY ideas ever since I can remember. But this year, I want to actually sally forth and do them myself! Here are a few of my favorites
These darling teacup candles are a lovely way to save an old cup that you don’t want to use anymore.
While the coffee brews…get to know a bit about Naina Madan.
When you land on her blog, you’re greeted by bright, happy colors and a lovely header done with cool fonts and a really cute graphic of a girl on a bike.
Naina shares little slices from her life in a chatty, relatable tone. Even if you don’t generally like reading personal blogs, you’ll be drawn in by her writing style.Continue reading
Upholstery is a real challenge for home makers but don’t worry, just as all the other challenges you have faced it you will be winning it too. Very often home makers have to face spills stains on the carpets, clothes and other stuffs. Here are few tips, which can give you a respite from the problems of the stained clothes or Furnitures that have often poised a threat to your peace.
Considerations that Need Attention
There are certain kinds of dirt, dirt or stains that may be handled by home treatments as well and not just by professionals. But before starting your treatment you must consider the following aspectsContinue reading
The festival of lights is here! It’s my favorite – a day when the house is adorned with flowers, colorful rangolis decorate the entrance, diyas are lit all over. A day for family and loved ones. A night of twinkling lights, of visiting friends and neighbors and relatives, and yes, of those infuriating fireworks that go on until all hours of the night!
I typically spend the first half of the day making a rangoli outside the door with flower petals, while the husband hangs garlands of marigold and Ashoka leaves at the entrance, in the balcony and on some of the doors. After relaxing in the afternoon, it’s time for pooja (prayers) in the evening, then we spend a quiet evening listening to music, drinking wine, talking. Bliss!
This year, my mother will be in town for Diwali, so we’ll go over to a cousin’s house after the pooja. That should be fun!
The window display at The Wishing Chair, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi
Here’s wishing all of you a very, very happy and prosperous Diwali. Be safe. Be happy!
If you’d like some more information on the festival of Diwali, take a look at these articles:
It’s the festival of lights! (An older post that gives some details on Diwali)
Light that lamp (A brief look at how and why Diwali is celebrated by different religions, from thehindu.com)
Cover of And Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
This week’s frame is one of my own photographs – in fact, one of my first experiments in manual focusing!
If you have any artwork or photography to share, please leave a comment, a link back to your blog and your e-mail address, and I’ll feature it on an upcoming Friday Frame!
Yes, you read that heading right! I recently had a chance to play around with the new Nokia E7, and some of its features compared to the iPhone really blew me! I still heart my iPhone, but if something’s good, it’s good, right?
First off, the E7 is a pretty refined phone, with a form factor that’s quite similar to the N8. Being the latest in Nokia’s impressive array of Communicator series phones (come on, admit it – there was a time you loved that phone!), the materials and build quality are excellent. But I’m sure you can find many hardware and software reviews online – what I’m going to focus on are the three features that I loved on this phone.
Image by Nokia RSA via Flickr
The first is the tilt-out display and physical keyboard. Though it takes a while to figure out how to slide open the phone, once you get a hang of it, the hinge mechanism feels really solid. No matter how much you fidget with it, you’re unlikely to spoil it. The angle between the phone and keyboard is perfect for typing, as well as for watching videos. The keypad is laid out like a standard computer keyboard with a separate numerical pad, making messaging and emailing a breeze.
But choose your location carefully. Flick it open in a crowded coffee shop and you’re sure to get some attention, as I found out when I decided to type up a blog post on the phone. It’s not easy to get work done when you have people looking over at your table and nudging each other, or coming over and quizzing you about the phone, wanting to try it out hands-on! But then, that really isn’t a cause for complaint, is it?
So, what makes it any different from an iPhone? Though the virtual keypad on the iPhone is easy to use, there are times when you mis-type spellings and sometimes the auto correct is quite annoying. Using the E7’s keypad is similar to trying on the laptop, and the pleasure derived from that is surely unbeatable.
What sets this phone apart from the BlackBerry and other QWERTY phones on the market – screen size, baby! The E7 boasts a 4” AMOLED screen with vivid colors, which makes viewing web pages, videos and camera images a pleasure. But that’s another feature and another post.
Stay tuned!
This week’s frame is from the archives of my photoblog, Shutterbug.
If you have any artwork or photography to share, please leave a comment, a link back to your blog and your e-mail address, and I’ll feature it on an upcoming Friday Frame!
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Image by Aitor Escauriaza via Flickr. Click on image to view Aitor's photostream
If you have any artwork or photography to share, please leave a comment, a link back to your blog and your e-mail address, and I’ll feature it on an upcoming Friday Frame!