Colours Dekor

Travel Taiwan ~ Taipei City

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000+04:00

Taiwan is known as the city of butterflies and orchids. It has more than 300 species of butterflies and about 30 different types of fruits. You do know that Taiwan is an island.. don’t you?? The island supposedly looks like a sweet potato!! But in that little island, its got main land, mountains, lakes and some stunning beaches… Saying that, today, we tour Taipei City…

The second day in Taiwan, we ventured off to the ‘Museum of Contemporary Art’, which was walking distance from out hotel. popularly known as MOCA, the museum was showcasing some fashion related art… which really is not my expertise…

On our way, we stumbled upon the ‘Taipei Metro Mall’… and were simply speechless..

It’s a city underground… there is a Metro Mall connected to another Metro Mall to another Metro mall… and it simply goes on!! More than half the city is underground… the metros and stations run above the ground and underneath… are these breathtaking shops… *sigh*

I couldn’t believe myself… I nearly walked half the city… or more… from one mall to the other, from a shopping mall to a book mall.. You surely need more than a day to check the shops and buy some souvenirs… The shopping is incredibly cheap and they are still willing to bargain more….. Yes!! Indeed… I got a lot of junk.. *smiles*. The metro malls are open all day and close by 10pm.

From here, we ventured into the night market, that opens at 7pm and closes at 2am… There are a few night markets in Taipei. We visited the Shilin Night Market at Jaintain Station. If you’ve been to a night market in Bangkok, its quite the same.. I wasn’t super impressed..

Oh.. another thing to be careful of… is that not many people speak English, hence its always worthwhile to carry a map or the address of your hotel in Mandarin. *smiles*… No! No!! I didn’t get lost.. I’m very good with roads and am always willing to head to the unknown.. *smiles*

My Home, My Haven ~ home tour Vandana

2012-01-26T07:35:00.000+04:00

"A house is made

of walls & beams,

A home is made,

of love & dreams"

~ unknown

The above words are so apt for Vandana's beautiful home, filled with lots of love, amazing colours, stunning beauty, with truck loads of passion, added in a few dreams, and a little clutter ... I'm sure you agree with me!!

Now a little about the 'architect and designer' of this home ~ Vandana *smiles*

I am Vandana, a primary school teacher by profession. I have always enjoyed doing up my 'home' and making it a place my family would love to come back to after the day's work. I love colours and exuberance around me. I've never shied away from making use of bold striking colours in my living space.

Recently, we moved house and city. After living in Mysore and Bangalore for over 15 years, relocating to Delhi was not easy. I miss my city, my own place that I decorated with so much love. The rented place we live in now, has not been able to take the place of my colourful home in Bangalore. So here I am trying to make the most of my available resources to turn this pad into a cozy home.....

I am sharing some photographs of my living room and one of the balconies. I have always loved greenery and have tried to have a small balcony garden. This is just the beginning....in days to come I plan to have a proper garden.....

My decor style is very simple, ethnic and youthful. I believe in low budget decor. The cane furniture blend all these elements so well! The bright colours in my home really make me happy and cheerful...rust, orange, blue, green. yellow...... these are some of my favourite colours.... There's no colour coordination anywhere in my place.... It's a mix of all these colours....

I'm totally in love with all the colours in this home, the bold blend of colours has my heart. The fusion of types of furniture, colours of furniture, use of canes and the pretty colourful mat ... makes me want to visit Vandana's home... and makes me wonder what her home in Bangalore or Mysore looked like... if this one is sooooooooooooooo beautiful....

This home definitely has a lot of character and reflects the vibrant personality that lives in there...

So... go on and post a comment and let me & Vandana know what you think... *smiles*... A little word of encouragement goes a long way...

And if you'd like to show case your gorgeous home... email me on torresp27@hotmail.com

Simple table centre piece

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000+04:00

The winter months in Dubai means making most of any outdoor space available. Its our seasons for BBQs, beach parties, picnics, long drives, etc....

This simply means, its my opportunity to set up an outdoor table... *smiles*.. And would you think I'd let this opportunity go for anything in the world... *grins*

Here is an extremely simple centre piece idea, that any of you can try. Be it outdoors or indoors... A few leaves from the garden (you could use stems, leaves, or even flowers)... put it under an inverted wine / cocktail glass... and top it up with a candle... and voilà.. What do you think?

Do ignore the rest of my garden.. *smiles*.. I'll be doing 'project garden makeover' next month!!

Now.. what do you think?? If you've got any such interesting ideas... email me on torresp27@hotmail.com

The Weekly Story ~ 64

2012-01-23T08:08:00.000+04:00

Its Monday!! Yay!! I'm running a bit late this morning... *smiles*.. But that's ok... isn't it?? I had a fabulous - chilled out - relaxed - feet up kind of weekend... Absolutely did nothing!! Drove off to Al Ain, which is about 3 hours away from Dubai and it was lovely to get away from home...

We stayed in Al Ain for two nights and only drove back on Saturday... We also went up Jebel Hafeet mountains to see the glorious sun set... It was a truly beautiful weekend...

And then... getting back to work on Sunday... *sigh*.. Isn't that soooooooooo tuff!!

Now... I'm sharing with you a few of my Christmas gifts.. The festive season was so mental with my gran being ill, etc, etc... that I didn't even get an opportunity to look at these gifts properly.. so as I opened them again, I see Santa has been very generous to me this year... Here is a little fridge magnet with a message for me... *smiles*... This Santa obviously has a little problem with me cleaning the house all the time...

These two Santas obviously know how mental I am about elephants and peacocks... *smiles*

This gorgeous peacock pendant below has given me an idea... Can't wait to show you... what I've got in mind... *smiles*..

And to truly bring a smile to my face.... is this key hanger... Isn't that gorgeous?? This Santa knows me too well... I haven't put it up as yet... so more pictures to follow...

One Santa knew I had my eyes on this for a long, long time... *smiles*.. I know you can still see the packaging... coz I haven't really unwrapped my gifts as yet... That will happen in the weeks to come.. and all these will have a special place in my heart and in my home!!

Thank you... to all my little Santas...

I know this is already a long post... but I simply had to share two posts from last week!!

I'm surely going to try these cup cakes from Flavours!! Watch out... for next week.. Sims & I are having 'mom-daughter' time... making these.. She loved the recipe, so its a definite hit!!

Oh.. and I've always hopped on to Lisa's Room with a View for ideas and inspiration... This particular idea... simply stole my heart... So pop in.. and have a look...

Remember.. its always nice to leave a comment... and even better if you follow them... Go on and spread the love... *smiles*..

and while you are here... join the party this week... I'm not going to bore you with the rules... if you don't remember... have a look at last weeks party... *smiles*

And finally... Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

Travel Taiwan ~ Sun Moon Lake (part 2)

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000+04:00

Did you read my post last week about the Sun Moon Lake… Now we are the Wenwu Temple!! The temple area is the home of two temples. One is the ‘Benefit Temple’ of Jihyueh Village and another is the ‘Dragon Phoenix’ Temple of Shuishe Village. The Gods of these two temples protect territory and people and are worshiped by the local people.

Here you will see loads of petitions written on golden lamps… and some on paper too.. I wrote a petition too.. Mine I guess was the only one in English!! *smiles*…

In early days, the only way to enter the temple from the lake, was through steep steps. There are 365 steps leading to the Wenwu Temple. These are called… ‘365 steps to heaven’… Each step has an inscription that I couldn’t read, with a date on it…

The construction style of this temple follows the Northern Dynasty with three halls ~ the front hall, the middle hall and the back hall. The temple has a spectacular main entrance and a grand temple courtyard.

After spending a few hours at the Wenwu Temple, we ventured into the Wenwu Temple Hiking Trail to the Bamboo Rock Garden. From here a bus ride back to the Shuishe Dam and Shuishe Peir. We stopped for coffee as the sun was setting, and I clicked nearly a million pictures of the stunning sun set.

Sorry… my lovelies… we don’t really get to see such gorgeous skies in Dubai.. so my heart felt like an 8 year old child again… and I simply couldn’t stop clicking… *smiles*

I sure hope you enjoyed this tour with me to the ‘Sun Moon Lake’… By far a refreshing and rejuvenating day! *smiles*

Blog find ~ Warli-Soul

2012-01-19T07:30:00.000+04:00

You know how much I love Warli art... Don't you? I've been dreaming of doing a small Warli wall... at home.. and that's when my heart found 'Warli Soul'...

I'd like to introduce you to Aparna who blogs at Warli Soul. She is a software techie turned home maker turned mommy turned artists who loves making modernized warli paintings...

A few pics for you to enjoy...

I totally love peacocks too...

Another gorgeous Warli... with warli borders... wow!!

Do you like this??

So now... hop on to Warli Soul.. and don't forget to like her page... and leave a few comments.. Its always inspiring and motivating...

Store Review ~ Kadambaby.com

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000+04:00

www.kadambaby.com is an online store exclusively for infants and kids.

Started by Shuchi (NIFT alumni and mother of a one year old) and hubby PR, kadambaby.com is their first step towards creating a space just for infant and kids!

After having worked for about six years in the apparel and home furnishings industry in India and US, Shuchi decided to take a step ahead and start something on her own.

The joy of designing and creating one's own products is just unmatchable. All the products at kadambaby are made with lot of love and care for the little ones. The excitement in a kid's eyes on seeing a nice product pays for all the hardwork that goes in its making.

Here are a few pics... enjoy!!

Go on and visit kadambaby.com to have a look at their entire range of products.

You will also find them on shopo.in ... soon!!

Go on and like them on facebook... and don't forget to take part in their first give away ~ finger puppets.. and a few more items on their blog!!

Go on and leave a few comments... and inspire.. Shuchi!!

The Weekly Story ~ wk 63

2012-01-16T07:35:00.000+04:00

Hello my lovelies... How have you been?? I've had a rather stressful beginning to the new year.. *sigh*.. I'm hoping the weeks ahead get calmer... For this week, I truly had no inspiration or motivation to click pics or make any pretties... Rather, we spent Friday afternoon at the park .... BBQing, laughing, and just about doing nothing.. Was a lovely day!!

Here is a table beauty from last month ... Its the most simple thing to do... a glass, a candle, a few stones, and a flower in it... and isn't it pretty??

Candles always bring a cheer to my life... *smiles*..

So.. I sure hope you are joining in this week... for 'The Weekly Story' linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week.. and I promise to pop in and say 'hello' ...

Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

Travel Taiwan ~ Sun Moon Lake

2012-01-13T07:34:00.000+04:00

I’ll start 2012 travel diaries, talking about my travel in the last year… I simply love to travel, be it a family holiday or on my own. I don’t particularly enjoy business travel, but travelling for pleasure… *sigh* is always such a pleasure!!

I didn't really have the time to edit these pictures... so I hope you'll enjoy what you see!!

In Nov last year, life took me to Taiwan… a place that was surely beyond my expectations!! Well the first day in Taipei, we decided to venture out into the wild….. ~ Sun Moon Lake!! If you are in search for serenity, this is the place to be!! Sun Moon Lake is the largest and most beautiful (rather stunning), alpine lake in Taiwan. My words wont do justice to the beauty of this lake with mist laden water and the constant changes of thick, dispersing clouds and fog surely create the ambience for a fairytale. The beauty is only enchanted by season and time of day. The air is fresh and the landscape is beyond elegance. Definitely a painting… You will remain stunned!!

To get to Sun Moon Lake, take the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Railway) from Taipei main station to Taichung. This is about a 50 minute journey. Well here is what I did wrong. We went to spend a day at the Sun Moon Lake.. Surely you must visit for two days… I’ll tell you why.. soon.. At the Taichung station, make sure you buy a travel pass as desired to the Sun Moon Lake (this can include, a free bus ride, a boat ride, entrance to parks, etc)… Taichung station to Sun Moon Lake is another hours journey. Well don’t forget to get off the bus (half way) at Taomikeng, walk about three minutes to the Paper church where you can surely enjoy some tea.

Now if you thought the Sun Moon Lake was simply about scenic beauty and stunning alpines… you were sooooo wrong!! At Sun Moon Lake, there is a theme park, a few temples, a pagoda, churches, shopping areas, nature walks, hiking trains, bike ways, peacock park, butterfly gardens, dense forests inhabited by enchanting birds and animals, and cable cars… and a lot more!!

We got off the bus, and went to Shuishe Pier to take our boat to Ita Tho Pier. Here you can visit the Ita Tho Shopping street, the butterfly park and the lakeside trail. Walking up the lake side trail, we headed off to the Sun Moon Lake Cable Cars… This is surely an experience like no other. The lake is simply breathtaking.

Now.. here is why I think you should stay at the Sun Moon Lake… At the end of the Cable Cars is the Aboriginal Cultural Village. This is a theme park, museum and cultural village all in one. To cover the cultural village by foot from one end to the other, you require a minimum of 5 hours… that’s not even enjoying any of the rides. So we had to give this a miss!!

We headed back on the cable cars, back to Ita Tho. Here we took a bus ride to the Peacock park and then the Wenwu Temple. And more about the Sun Moon Lake in my next post….stay tuned!! *smiles*

Food Art ~ Blondies

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000+04:00

Aisha shares one more recepie from her treasures... Check out her pics on flickr and let me know if you'd like to see more... *smiles*

Blondies (White Chocolate Brownies)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup soft brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

- You will need a 9x13inch baking tin, buttered and lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350°F/gas mark 4.

1) Add butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl and beat until it is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2) Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and beat again till you get a smooth, satiny mixture.
3) Sift flour, baking powder and salt in the egg mixture and mix with a big spoon until well combined. (the dough is more like cookie dough rather than regular brownie mixture)
4) Stir in the white chocolate chips.
5) Spread the dough into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25- 30 minutes. (no more than 30 minutes)
6) Remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin before taking it out and cutting to pieces.

The Weekly Story ~ wk 62

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000+04:00

Hello my lovelies.... So how was the first week of the year... Are you still recovering from all the partying, dinner... and missing friends and family who've gone back....

I've got a lot to show you this month... some of these pending from last year... a table decor (I think I did in November)... a lovely home tour.... I'm taking you to Taiwan with me... And.. above all... I'm going to share my Christmas presents... (only coz I think they are too cute)... and I got goodies from The Rajee Sood Home... Can't wait to share all this with you!! *smiles*

Today, I'll share with you a few pictures from New Year... Its strange how families work... It truly is... As I was really not in the mood for a grandNew Year celebration... One of my cousins decided, she was going to deck the house... and put up candles and other stuff... At 20 something... its not perfect... Plus you have to remember that she is no decor enthusiast at all... But coz she made this effort for me... I'm touched!! *smiles*

And I like these two stars so much... that I'm going to leave them in the garden the whole year... What do you think?

Another one of my cousin... thought the dinning table needed to look pretty for New Year... He got the bottom class (from our archives)... himself.. and then put these candles up... I helped him add a few petals.. and I am soooooooooooooo thankful... for having a totally mental family support me *smiles*

Another of my cousins... (another 20 something)... called his friends over!! Every half an hour I had a new friend knocking at the door... They ended the night, by playing... 'beer ping pong'... only... the beer was replaced by 'vodka'... Gosh.. these young kids can really drink!! They played... they danced... they sang... they made merry!! And made my New Year fabulous!! So... thank you my loves!! Thank you!!

So all of last year... we spoke about 'pink and lotus'', tell me... what colour would you like to focus on this year?? *smiles*

Come join in. 'The Weekly Story' linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week.. and I promise to pop in and say 'hello' ...

Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

Blog find ~ ourlens360degrees

2012-01-06T23:00:00.000+04:00

I'd like to introduce you to Lakshmi & Krishna ... and their amazing blog 'our lens 360 degrees'.. The blog is about their yeas together, their passion for food, travel, photography and random interests. And they share these moments via their blog... So hop on and visit them...

Here are a few posts... that stole my heart.. *smiles*

Dandelion Wall Art... What do you think?

Oh.. and this recipe.... ~ Stuffed Capsicum...

A road trip to Milky Frozen Falls... Wow!!

Randomness.... Sunrise over the Atlantic..

Hop on to their blog... and simply fall in love with all their posts... *smiles*

My Home, My Haven ~ home tour Sabina

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000+04:00

When I saw images of this home… I simply fell in love with it.. And for those of you who know me… you’ll know why!! Yes! The shades of orange.. my favourite colour… has my heart fluttering… *smiles*

This is the home of Mrs. Shahana Mustafa, who is a retired arts and crafts teacher. She still occasionally does some classes at the Art Centre in Jumeirah, and a few exhibitions with ARTE group. Her passion lies in sewing and all kinds of handwork, like knitting, crochet, beadwork embroidery etc. She likes to work with bits and pieces of unused fabrics lying around at home.

Now a little about Sabina ~

“I'm an art director at an advertising agency and a new mother, who is currently learning the art of juggling a baby and a career that I'm quite passionate about. My love for design and the arts comes from my mom. Although I'm more inclined towards art and design and less towards craft and handwork.”

“I started to do up my parents house just before I got married and just managed to complete the living room. Since it was for my parents, I wanted an ethnic, yet contemporary style for the living room. As with all living spaces it's constant work in progress.”

My mom has a penchant for collecting knick knacks and decorative items, so she has quite a collection of tea sets, crystal ware, brassware, vases etc collected lovingly over the past 30 years or so...

These cushion covers are made of out Sabina’s old cloth bags that she wasn’t using…. Sabina’s mom also takes orders to design and do bead work on the cushions... like the maroon one below.

Now, leave your comments for Sabina, so she knows what a fabulous job she has done...

And if you've got a home, you'd like to share, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com... Would love to have a sneak peak... *smiles*

In the Spotlight ~ ‘The Gratitude Series’

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000+04:00

Happy New Year my lovelies… I thought I’ll start the year with ‘The Gratitude Series’… and am surely hoping you’ll join in…

Source Karenika

I have a lot in life to be thankful for.. that’s not to say.. I don’t have my fair share of problems!! But when I count my blessings, their magnitude makes the bag of problems seem measly!!

First of all… ‘Thank you’ to all you lovely readers who visit me here in blog land. When I started this blog in Jan 2009, it was a way to document the décor happenings in my home. Today I’m thankful to some awesome friends I’ve made via blogger, to some amazing readers who trust me with the queries and emails, who share their homes and their lives with me. I’m truly touched and honoured. So thank you… for making every minute I spend on blogger worth while.

I’m thankful for amazing family & friends who understands my OCD (Obsessive Cleaning Disorder), and who often give me the opportunity to fulfil my little décor dreams *smiles*… Who appreciate my little doings along the way, and often give me celebrity status *grins*

I’m so grateful that God made peacocks, and lotus’, roses, and daffodils, sunshines and twinkling stars that look like fairy lights. The list here is endless…, so I’ll only mention the gift of colour… that makes everything so beautiful. Oh.. and how did He manage to give us the miracle of the mountains, the seas, the valleys, the hills, the green patches, the deserts *sigh*.. another endless list!!

Two days in the emergency section and nearly spending two weeks next to my Gran in hospital. I’m thankful that we found my Gran on 23^rd Dec in hospital and that she is recovering.. Thankful for this opportunity and for the realisation that the difference between life & death is less than a second… I’ve been procrastinating for two or three years now… and finally realised that I must – must fulfil my dream project in 2012. I’m totally running out of time!! And am thankful for the bunch of friends who’ve agreed to hold my hand.

I truly have a lot more to be thankful for.. And I’m sure you do too… So go on.. do a little ‘Gratitude’ post.. and join in this series, open till 1st February, 2011

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000+04:00

Merry Christmas ... my lovelies...!! This is my last post this year.. I'm signing off for the winter holidays... Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and an even happier New Year.. Hope the New Year, brings... love, laughter, a bundle of dreams and a truck load of good luck...

I leave you... with a few images of my Christmas tree... Hope you like the pink and silver theme!! It matches with the ongoing lotus theme in my home....

So... see you in 2012!!

~ Love ~ Patricia!!

Pink Christmas

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000+04:00

Sharing with you today... are some pink pretties on my Christmas tree... *smiles*

I believe in miracles, I believe in pink...

I believe that tomorrows another day,

I believe in angels, fairies, hugs and wings...

I believe in making a happier today!!

I believe in love, I believe in true friends ...

I believe in love, faith, hope and truth...

I believe I have the power to change, the power to be good..

I believe in Santa Clause, I believe in miracles....

*smiles*

The Weekly Story ~ wk 61

2011-12-19T07:35:00.000+04:00

It was my little Sims 9th birthday last week... but they were busy... so the celebrations happened this Friday!! Yes! I had a busy Friday *smiles*

Sims took her friends for a spa party... with manis - pedis, hairdo, hair spray, tattoos, glitters, lipsticks and a lot more....

This was a lovely party... coz my cousin & I got to do our nails as well... *smiles*

This is how the place looked... lovely!! Isn't it?

And in the spirit of Christmas, I'm leaving you with the promo for my new favourite Christmas song by Eka ... 'Feel it in the air'

Come join in. 'The Weekly Story' linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..

Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

And if you are linking up a Christmas post...

hop on to 'Santa Stories' as well!!

Lapland Holiday

2011-12-18T07:35:00.000+04:00

An excellent way to celebrate Christmas - a visit to Lap land. Most of these holidays are from the UK and need to be booked in advance. Here are two links -

http://www.laplandexperience.com/tours.php

http://www.laplandwildernesstours.com/

Stay in a log cabin

http://www.lapland-log-cabins.com/company.htm

and visit santa

http://www.santa-holidays.com/

Or do some winter sport.

Finnair only have flights from Dubai in the winter months starting Nov to Jan. They currently have a special offer on for airfare starting from AED 2000.

So dont wait any longer... go spend Christmas with Santa...

And write to me on torresp27@hotmail.com and share the experience.

Vienna - Music & Art

2011-12-17T07:35:00.000+04:00

I instantly fell in love with – Wien (Vienna)!! This is the most beautiful city in the world. Indeed rich in culture, heritage and rightly called the cultural capital of Europe. Vienna is a unique blend of the historic and the modern. Vienna has a wealth of architecture. The arches, alleys, doors and window are phenomenal. The citys life line is a mixture of music and art. Both Beethoven & Mozart have lived and performed here. What I loved the most about Vienna is its walkways & alleys, each building rich in architecture. The streets were filled with cafes and most of all.... people relaxing and enjoying themselves in these little road side cafes.

The city is well connected with trains from the airport to the city and internally. Like any other European city, the public transport sytem is comemdable. We stayed at the Hilton, Vienna which is right opposite the main garden. On the first day, we walked around Vienna and this is what we saw.

We also got on to the hop on and hop off bus to see the city as best as we could as time was a constraint. The main attractions in Vienna being – State Opera, The Albertina, The Heros square – Mozart Memorial, City Hall, The Roman Ruins and most importantly the St. Stephans Cathedral. There is lots more to see, however these are just a few I could remember.

The City park on its own is where you can spend more than an entire day… just people watching, bird watching and enjoying the music and art in the heart of Vienna. And yes.. don’t forget to have an ice-cream.

Walk around the city... and enjoy its cafes. The people are warm and welcoming... I believe that everyone in Vienna is either a musician or an artist of some sort. If you live in Vienna, you've got to be rich in culture and heritage - you've got to be an artist.

I hope to come back to this lovely city someday.. and spend a few years of my life in music. *sigh*

a pink Christmas

2011-12-15T16:58:00.000+04:00

And ... I've been waiting to share, the shades of my pink Christmas... I love pink!! I'm a pink person... are you??

As you enter... the little reindeer greets you!!

My every year Santa... Christmas simply is incomplete without Santa.. This was a gift from my aunt a few years ago.. and is truly treasured!!

And now.. for a few pictures of my centre table.. What do you think of my pink beauties?

Is it an overdose of pink for you?? *smiles*

I'm linking in to a few blog parties!!

A perfect Christmas tree ~ Home Centre

2011-12-14T07:35:00.000+04:00

Home Centre brings Christmas cheer with an extensive collection of interiors and home-ware, as well as festive decor and attractive gift options.

Talking to Colours Dekor today, is Ann Hayward, Senior Visual Merchandising Manager of Home Centre ~

1. What makes a great Christmas tree?

A well decorated tree should essentially have a good set of lights, symmetrically aligned selection of gorgeous baubles and an eye-catching tree topper. Avoid hanging all your ornaments on the tips of the branches. Ensure that there are decorations placed closer to the trunk of your tree to add depth and interest.

Also important, is for the tree to be of a reasonably good size and height with relation to the space that your house offers. One needs to ensure that there is ample room for all the tree’s four sides when put up for display at home. Home Centre stocks trees of various sizes to suit every home as part of its extensive Christmas collection and even offers half trees for innovative space solutions.

Choosing the right ‘Christmas tree topper’ shaped as angels and stars, which many a times is the highlight of the tree, is a very important decision to make. Traditionally, these invaluable trinkets are passed on from generation to generation as a family heirloom. If you do not have any, make sure you buy one from your nearest Home Centre outlet.

Beautifully packaged Christmas presents, under the tree, add that finishing touch to enhance the decorating scheme!

2. What are some of the best colour schemes when decorating a tree?

Classic colours, such as greens, reds and gold, tend to stay popular all year long. For a modern/contemporary home, it would be best to use a colour palette featuring silver and white with accents of red to give a fresh but fun look for Christmas.

But as a rule of thumb, when decorating the Christmas tree, choose any one colour and combine it with a neutral and a metallic. You can introduce the warm and joyous ambience of Christmas into your home with the most stylish, yet traditional colours in decor items available at Home Centre.

3. What are some popular ornaments that go onto a Christmas tree?

Glass ornamental baubles add a sense of sophistication to the tree, which are available in several festive designs and colours at Home Centre. Choose a theme for the tree decorations to coordinate with the room's decor. For instance, if you intend to place the tree in the kitchen, decorating it with small pots, pans and even herbs tied with red ribbons could add a festive touch to the space.

To introduce some fun for children into the tradition of decorating Christmas trees; candies, popcorn or even small soft toys can be put up on the tree - tied with colourful ribbons.

Another interesting idea for families with kids is to have fun cooking sessions to create Christmas special cookies decorations; in snowman, star and pine tree shapes. Once baked, these can be hung from the tree with name tags for each family member’s share of the goodies.

4. How can one decorate a small tree well?

For a small tree, it is best not to over dress it. Try to stick to a three colour palette with two main colours and one accent colour.

Subtly use tree lights around tree and use a festive looking tree skirt around the bottom of the tree to hide the tree stand. It would be ideal if you could put the tree in a large pot, painted and filled with baubles in colours to compliment the tree’s decorations. This would surely add a unique twist to the festive set-up.

Hope you've enjoyed these fabulous tips... Now hop on to Home Centre for some stunning decor..

The Weekly Story ~ wk 60

2011-12-12T07:35:00.000+04:00

Hello my lovelies... I had another busy weekend *sigh*.. And I won't bore you with the details... Like every year.. I have a million decor and craft ideas for Christmas in my head... and hardly any time to make them come alive...

Today, I'm going to share some pink and silver beauties around my home... *smiles* ...

Every little jar... and every vase... has pink and silver in it... (overdoes??) *smiles* Well.. I like Pink!!

On my coffee table... is Santa... standing in front of a little glass vase... I've put a wreath at the bottom... and a few stones to make it pink... What do you think??

Can you see the reflections of my tree?? Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas... *smiles*

Hope you'll join in this week... and make the smile of my face even bigger... .. 'The Weekly Story' linky party ~ open from Monday through Wednesday every week..

Do a post on your blog, about ANYTHING! and it can really be anything – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles* ... It can also be 'anything pretty' ...
Original photographs only... No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
Copy the 'permalink' from your post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow!!

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story' button!!

And if you are linking up a Christmas post...

hop on to 'Santa Stories' as well!!

Doors & Arches in Vienna

2011-12-10T07:35:00.000+04:00

Doors & arches intrigue me!! Here are a few images from Vienna…. By far Austria – Vienna & Salzburg are the most beautiful destination in Europe. My heart still waits to enter this door –

I want to go away ... for a while.. *sigh*

2011 Home tours

2011-12-09T07:30:00.000+04:00

I always start the year with such enthusiasm... and then it kind of dies down.. *smiles*.. But thats ok... Isn't it?? Atleast I'm still blogging.. *smiles*.. OK.. so here.. is a quick run down of a few home tours featured this year... So hop on.. and let me know.. which one was your favourite...

This is the home of Shuba who lives in the US!! A little bit of India in her home..

And then, we toured a gorgeous home in Dubai ~ Geetha's abode

After which, Anpu showed us corners of her stunning home...

Then we stopped for chai at Savita's house in the bay area!!

And finally bringing you back to Dubai. Here is Harshika's gorgeous little nest!!

I'm hoping to continue home tours in 2012... So if you'd like to share pictures of your home or corners of your home.. email me on torresp27@hotmail.com... I'm sure we'd love to join you for a cup of tea... *smiles*..

DIY ~ hanging decor

2011-12-07T07:35:00.000+04:00

Now I'm sharing a very simple DIY hanging decor....

All you need is a hanger... Make the wire look like a circle. and if you have an old Christmas garland...

You stick it to the hanger... and it looks like this...

I wanted these for my lights...

And here is the end product... A few tree decorations as well... and it truly looks lovely!!

So are you joining in the Christmas linky party??