ChitraKarma Designs

Orchids

2009-06-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

Corners of my home. My Orchid has 27 flowers and it looks so fantastic. I just cannot keep my eyes off it.

Tuscan gardens

2009-04-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

A house needs to connect with the natural surroundings to feel truly at home. Its about bringing home the nature. The Tuscan Gardens are well-known for bringing style and nature at your doorstep. I would love to share with you some tips to create Sun gardens.

Natural colours: The summer garden mixes well with the neighbouring landscape. The main colours used in Tuscan decorating are terra cotta, browns, deep reds, oranges, yellows, and greens to create a warm and bright ambience.

Small Water features : Small scale water features are great to attract birds to your garden . Water lilies can give an elegant touch to the garden.

Shade : The best way to enjoy the sun is from a shaded location. Umbrellas and canopy, garden trellis are some options you can choose to cover your sitting area.

Drought resistant plants : Plant which need less or moderate water are perfect for these landscapes. Ornamental grass reflects natural light luminously.

Empty terracotta containers: Use vases, urns and terracotta pots to decorate the garden.

Lastly a swing seating under a huge tree is very inviting in warm climates.

(Image coutesy :corbis, lifeinitaly, ukwaterfeatures,accentsofsalado,romartgranite)

Summer Decor Inspirations

2009-04-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Thinking about how to arrange and decorate the outdoor sitting area for the Summer. Here are some inspirations and tips.

The green coloured rattan baskets and earthen pots and plants easily transform the simple arrangement into a special corner.

Big and small sized lanterns / candleholders create a lovely ambience. I love the border design on the chairs.

Green cushions and folding table and chairs are such a lovely match.

Spring and Summer Decorations

2009-03-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

I am dreaming about summer ! Its is there somewhere will be here in couple of months ! Till then let’s plan for the warm sunny and summery days ahead!

More about summery interiors coming soon......

images courtesy :Swissinterio

Reflections

2009-03-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

for

Skywatch # 1

2009-03-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

Spring! Der Frühling ist da ! First entry for Skywatch.

Playing with Shadows

2009-03-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

We were blessed by sunlight and clear sunny hours after almost 2 weeks. Sometimes we tend to ignore things which are always around us like Sunlight and shadows. Take it for granted .These few sunny hours made me feel how beautiful and lovely natural light is and the shadows it create are so magical.

No artifical source of light can beat the magnificient Sun's power and its beauty. I am waiting eargerly for the Spring .

Alas soon the sky was covered by clouds and the sun hid behind.
Have a lovely weekend !

The Spirit of Japan

2009-03-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

The charm of Japanese decor is in the captivating simplicity, the beauty and the use of natural materials and aesthetic designs.

The simple, clear and sensuous interior designing style creates a stress free and peaceful atmosphere for our hectic lives.

The Japanese interior style is characterised by purism. Simple, clean, and elegant - the Japanese decor style focuses on harmony with nature, soothing tones, and straight lines.

Balance in the universe is the essence of everything Japanese and this truly expressed in decorating of interior spaces.

The Japanese decor style can be adopted easily by adding exotic accessories such as lacquer bowls, trays, large bamboo lanterns and simple, elegant vases along with Bonsai trees and furniture .

(images from Pfister,haikudesigns)

Designer Cakes inspired by India

2009-03-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Today my sweet tooth urged me to look for lovely cakes. These are no ordinary cakes. These designer cakes are so chic, elegant and delightful to the eye .

This mehndi cake with beautiful intricate patterns of the mehndi/henna on it is made by Nicole of The Artist's eye cakes. She creates exquisite and exotic work of art in the form of cakes.

Wonderful vibrant and bright cake is from Debbie Caracciolo -Smith . Her cakes are labour of love and talent and delight the eye and please the palate.

Inspired by Indian motifs and jewel this chocolate blackout cake is a just one of the wonderful cakes by Margaret Braun. The creation of her cakes is a combination of art , skills of a talented and devoted craftsperson and passion . Her cakes have a regal appeal to it.

Inspired by Indian wedding gown, this cake is just one of the wonderful designer cakes by idreamofcake. What an apt name! The cake gallery has a collection of cakes which are an exquisite work of art.

If you think this is beautiful then check out these two blogs by talented and amazing sugarcraft artists Swati and Soni .

(Images from artistseyecake, brides, aisledash, byreconly)

Creating an ambience

2009-03-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Once in a while I put off all the lights in the house and relax in the twinkling light of the candles and the soothing aroma of the cinnamon , apple and lemon . The power of a flame has been uniting the human mind and body for centuries. The candle's flame symbolizes the human spirit and can help trigger enlightenment and add a sense of well being to any environment.

They readily surrender their surroundings to an instant mood lift and create a positive ambiance. It is amazing how different and amazing all the things around the house look in the candle light.

I have aromatic candles in almost every corner of the house. Creates an perfect ambience and mood for every occasion in the house.

A peom in Silk

2009-02-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

A Paithani saree is known for ages for its intricate weave of pure silk which is used in the weaving of the body and pure gold and silver zari which is used in the pallu(end of the saree) and the border. A art which flourished in 200B.C is now a tradition and is passed on generation to generation. Paithani ( पैठणी) is a variety of saree named after the Paithan region in Maharashtra state(capital : Mumbai) where they are woven by hand.

The Paithani silk sarees are one of the richest gold brocade sarees with stunning gold patterns woven in them.It has an ornamental zari border and pallu and buttis (little designs) of tara (star), mor (peacock), popat (parrot), kuyri (mango), rui phool (flower), paisa (coin), pankha (fan), kalas pakli (petal), kamal (lotus), chandrakor (moon), narli (coconut) and so on.

Many of these innovative motifs and designs are found on the border and pallu in different sizes and patterns. Paithani saree is characterized by borders of an oblique square design and a pallu with a peacock design. Among other varieties, single colored and kaleidoscope-colored designs are also popular.

On an average a Paithani saree has 200 to 350 gm of jari, 700 gm of silk (including wastage) and a completed saree weighs between 800 and 900 gm. It takes from 2 months to 2 years to weave this piece of art.

Paithani designs are also very popular. Here is a British Air flight with a Paithani border .

Images courtesy: Madhuri Dixit on the top(my favorite Indian actress) is from indiatimes. com. The Paithani photos are from Paithani.com .Click links to see more of photos .

Sneak Peak of my home

2009-02-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

A sneak peak of my home. I am redecorating my home. On the right wall I am making Warli Art made using vinyl stickers .

Wall Art - Vinyl Decorations

2009-02-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

I am renovating my house decor. The plain old white walls are like haunting me and staring at me as I am not doing anything about them :) Yah really I have nightmares that the walls are bare and I have to do something about it. That’s when I sat down looking for some ideas and alternatives to decorate or cover the walls. This is just part one of the wall art series.

Vinyl wall Art or wall letterings or decorative stickers is a cool and easy way to give the walls a refreshing new look. It can be a inspiring quote or motivating words, meaningful words, designs and art , frames .. The choice is never ending. Vinyl wall Art is a online store that has a lovely range from cute and adorable to designer chic. Here are few of the ones I found interesting.

Adorable bird house

A quail sits on the table

A gorgeous tree motif lightens up the space.

Belvedere Designs has a great collection of Vinyl letterings and wall embellishments. The entryway quotes or wall letters look as if hand written and add a charm to the house.

Hello how are you and welcome messages on the wall makes the entryway so interesting .

What a lovely way to divide the empty space

Ikea also has vinyl wall stickers . The motifs are intricate and very lovely patterns. See them here and here .

A really lazy shot of the swiss Ikea catlog.

(Images from Vinylwallart , Belvedere Designs )

Waiting for...

2009-02-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

Waiting for Spring and summer !

India through my lens

2009-02-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

The view from a Auto Rickshaw - a common mode of transport in India. It takes you places where you can otherwise reach only by foot, they take you to the destination on time and sometimes it is like sitting in Roller coaster ride.

A Mithai shop where I eat lot of yummy sweets and dishes. Indian sweets or Mithai is mainly made of dry fruits, milk and milk products and Khoya ( it is like Ricotta cheese) .

A swiss cow which I took for my parents as a gift sits comfortably on the couch :)

A typical Indian truck. They are the most delightful in a long journey. I say that because trucks in India are well (if not heavily) decorated and are very colourful. They have a public message or a funny quote written on the behind.

A beautiful day in Switzerland

2009-02-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

It was beautiful today . Clear sunny day with freezing temperatures. We had a lovely breakfast and went for a drive in the small villages and alpine regions nearby. It was so much fun. Hope you all had a lovely valentine’s day !

We were pleasantly surprised by the Snow ‘Swiss roll’ :) on the car. Nature is wonderful isn't it !

I want to share with you the beautiful picture of Switzerland. I took these pictures while we drove in areas around Zürich.

You can also see more of snowy Switzerland on flickr or here.

Moroccan Interiors !

2009-02-13T02:35:00.000-08:00

Stunning vibrant colours on the wall

A beautiful celing and the glowing walls and the white bed makes such a lovely constrast .

This is the beautiful Moroccon decor. Today on the breakfast I picked up a old issue of Travellers magazine. The cover page says The Lure of Spain & Morocco. I always loved the Moroccan decor but never checked it out seriously. So there I sat with the laptop and my friend GOOGLE took me to lovely sites.

Moroccan interiors are exotic, elegant, and mysterious with vibrant colours. The decor includes intricately designed wood and mosaic products and lot of warmth and summery feel to it. Gorgeous lanterns are a feature of Moroccan Interiors .

A charming tea set

I would love to have a corner like that in my home.

The Luxurious and Lush Fabrics , Canopies ,lanterns , Mirrors , Tiles & Floors and Strong vibrant colours are all the features of a Moroccan Decor.

After all this I want to make a trip to Morocco and to the bazaars in Marrakesh .

* (All the pictures are courtesy : Darinteriors , Talisman trading and the magnificient Figueroa Hotel .)

Some like it hot !

2009-02-12T06:24:00.001-08:00

Valentine’s day is knocking on the door. Its is always nice to have festivals and celebrations and special days. Whenever I gift my BH something cute , he likes it only because I gave it to him . So this time I just searched a bit and found a lovely card on etsy from this lovely shop. It has secret coded message which only a brainy secret agent can solve .:)

Here are some Swiss products as gift ideas if your man thinks like mine does.

This Vintage box contains fire lighters made from natural products. Perfect for fireplace and BBQs and is environmentally safe. Avialable here.

The heat able soles keep the feet warm for approximately six hours. Perfect for skiers and those into winter sports. Product from newrocksport.

No burning fingers while igniting the fireplace with this 36 cm long Swiss lighter from here.

Its easier for men ,isn't it? They have ample of choices from flowers to watches, purses to chocolates . :))

The Art of Handblock printing

2009-02-11T05:09:00.000-08:00

The art of block printing is a age old process and is still in fashion.. And till today block printing of fabric by hand is practised by artisans.

The main tools used are the wooden block, Fabric and dyes. The design is carved on teak wood and has a handle on the top. Then the block in dipped into the specific dye and then printed on to the fabric. The designs can be single coloured and also multiple 4 or 5 colours can be used in a design.

I found a video online which will you better idea about the process. The voice quality is not good but here it goes.

Also found some very tempting and exotic designs. The first one is from Saffron Marigold - a Calfornia and Pune based online boutique . The striking collection offered here is a truly exquisite and exotic . Just take a look at the beautiful Bedspreads and Linens which are handcrafted and handblock printed .

Love the aromatic feel created in the picture with the essence stick.

Simple and elegant Black and White hand block print creates a warm and summery feel.

Also they offer table linens in the block printed designs. These are simply beautiful .

The website has a wonderful line which I just cannot forget. " The products found on Saffron Marigold are said to have a sound karma. " :)

Indus Decor also offers hand block printed products which are very gorgeous.

The calming blue with white with the unique design is so relaxing .

A vibrant and colourful collection of handblock printed bedspreads and cushion covers.

Inspired by these stunning designs I went ahead and bought some wooden blocks on my trip to India. I dont have any super ambitious plans with them . But I think the woodenblocks look supercute with the colour on it rather than without ! So I have put them to use . I am using them to block print the curtains in my house !

(Except for the top and bottom pictures which taken by me the rest of the pictures are courtesy Saffronmarigold and IndusDecor.)

Doors to the heart

2009-02-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

It’s been a long time since I posted here. I want share with you today something in my house that never goes unnoticed - door knobs. It sounds crazy, but I love to decorate the door knobs and handles .It increases the curiosity and the excitement of what is inside while opening the door.

This is the door to my living room. All my doors and the wall are super white and that’s also one of the reason I wanted to add colour and of course some Indian charm to them. My mum gave me this very ethnic magazine holder which she had bought from a all India handloom & handicraft exhibition.

A silk tassel adds charm to the door handles of one of the rooms and a bandhani( Tie and Dye)scarf adds colour to another room.

Some of my old bangles on one door make nice sound whenever the door is opened and closed. Scary looking Air freshener makes an interesting piece . Some old Rakhi strings on the Kitchen door and some Indian puppets on door handles of a cupboard.

Mario Miranda

2009-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Mario Miranda is one of the most famous cartoonist of India. I grew up drooling over the cartoons by Mario. I still do.I am always amazed the way he draws all the characters with wonderful expressions which are natural but at the same time so funny. He depicts the life in Goa and rest of India so realistically and hilariously. His illustrations, sketches and cartoons are an inspiration for me. One day I would love to draw like him.

For the last 20 years the celebrated cartoonist has captured lively scenes from the villages and towns of Goa with trademark insight. The overloaded village bus packed with baskets of fish... buxom beauties... suited sahibs. Mario started doing cartoons for Current and The Illustrated Weekly magazines to earn pocket money.

Till today he has solo exhibitions in 22 different countries and has been honoured the highest awards for his work. Besides cartooning, Mario's murals are present on various buildings in Goa and other parts of India. He has published several books, including “Laugh it Off”, “Goa with Love”, and “Germany in Wintertime”.

His cartoons are a spontaneous reaction to what is happening around. He sees humour in almost any situation. Mario says I enjoy seeing things because of the humour I find in situations and I like to express it and share it with my reader.

You can see more of his works and also read his biography here.

Table decorations for Christmas

2008-12-18T10:05:00.001-08:00

Some wonderful, quick and easy table decoration ideas from local store Coop magazine .

How To: Take same and small sized empty flower pots. If your pots have a hole on the bottom, don’t forget to fix a thick card to close it. Now depending on the time you have either paint them or wrap with yellow/golden coloured paper. Fill the base pot with pebbles and/or something heavy stuff so it won't move. Keep a white plate over it.

Take another pot fill it with small pebbles. Fill it 3/4th with pebbles. Now put inside a netted or nice cloth. Place a candle medium sized in the centre. Fill the surrounding space with ornaments. Tie a pretty ribbon to one ornament.

You can place either starters or deserts on the plate and also can make more layers on it .

Corners of my house

2008-12-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

It’s been a long time since I posted pictures of my house. There is so much on my mind that I am simply forgetting tasks. I really need to meditate to keep myself on track. Many times we seem to remember and think about so many not so important things in life. And just one day realize that we had forgotten or ignored something that was always near us.

I read somewhere that we know others more than we know ourselves. This is because we humans have a tendency to think what others are doing or what others will think about us. So to find the true potential in ourselves we should think about how I should improve myself and better myself. Take two moments in a day and sit and think where am I going or what I want to achieve today.

Coming back to the corners of my house, I have lots of them. I cannot stand empty corners in the house. So there is something or the other kept there to distract the attention from them. I like this particular corner. This one has lot of stuff from all my travels. Behind the Buddha statue and on the wall are two wooden coasters I got from Malaysia. They are so pretty that I do not feel like using them as table coasters. The flower garland is from India.

Fernando Botero

2008-12-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Fernando Botero is a Colombian neo figurative artist . His paintings combine the Renaissance and Baroque painting techniques and Latin American colonial art to the modern trends of the 20th century thus create a figurative painting style that is universal in its appeal.

His work includes still-life and landscapes but Botero tends to primarily focus on situational portraiture. His paintings and sculptures are known for their exaggerated proportions, intimate situations and the corpulence of the human figures and animal figures. It reflects the artist's constant search to give volume presence and reality.

According to Fernando Botero “One always paints what is best known, and it is rooted in childhood and adolescence.” His paintings show a large influence of his childhood in Columbia. Botero’s work resonates with the beauty, passion, violence and pain that define the essence of Colombia. His paintings reflect the small town Colombian life--middle-class family groups, heads of state, prelates, Madonna’s, military men, prostitutes and opulent still life’s with exotic fruit. He paints often social commentaries on Colombian contemporary life with political overtones that may seem simply humorous at first glance.

I have always admired his work . I happen to pass by everyday by the gallery which is exhibiting his paintings . I always wait and stare at his paintings. The first impression about the paintings is definitely the humour part but then slowly you see the beauty and the message in the theme. and lastly there is a bit of violence and sarcasms in it like the dead fox in the first painting and then the stick in the boys hand and the dog wearing clothes so on.

Wedding Invitation

2008-11-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite wedding Invitation cards, I love to collect Invitation cards . In Hindu weddings , red and gold are considered as auspicious.So most of the wedding cards are either red or white and have a embossed or engraved image of god Ganesh on it and the letters in gold or red.