Bye Bye Clutter!

Storage labels for different purposes

 

Does anyone has a problem of Clutter everywhere and not been able to tidy up!!!

Well here are few solutions to get you out of this misery, which are easy, simple and totally amazing. They not only look good but are very handy too. Here are few things which one can do:

Have you have ever thought of using old boxes/shoe boxes or nice beautiful chocolate boxes and recycling them, in order to place nice and fancy things in them, putting everything in place.

 

Stack of attractive boxes!

 

 These boxes shown above are decorated by me, these are ordinary shoe boxes which were wrapped in nice attractive paper and cloth. I have also sticked some embellishments, ribbons and some scrapbook material to make them look nice and funky. These boxes are now used to keep photo albums, diaries and CDs. These have proved to be very handy.

Nice Baskets are available everywhere in local markets. You can easily get them in different sizes and shapes, which can be used for anything. Books, magazines, CDs, clothes, shoes, Jewellery, utensils and what not!!

Neat and organized closets; I think  are a dream of anyone, but the problem is how to! Well the easy way is to take sometime out on a weekend and make a list of items in the closet which you want to keep and which items you want to throw out or do charity.   *Best idea is to do charity*. Then you can buy some baskets or get some boxes and arrange items. Neatly do your shoes and hang your clothes nicely. If you do this frequently you will never get into trouble, when it comes to finding something. For girls, you can a hang your bags on the in the closet, so they are in easy reach and also it wont take long to match your bags with clothes.!

How cool is that, having everything organized and its looks colorful and funky too.:)

  These closets are perfectly organized.

You can see how the items are place nicely in different boxes for easy reach and looks amazing

Storage Labels for different purposes

 

Storage Labels:

These labels are used for daily activities, they can be used in kitchen, Bathrooms for storing toiletries, in your study for distinguishing between pens/ markers, even your cosmetics.

Arranging items and minimizing clutter not only makes your life easier but also comfortable, stress free as all your belongings are safe and in reach, so when you are finding something you know where to look for it.

Simple ideas can be used to declutter your lovely and homely space.

Best Samar*

Photo Courtesy* Better Homes and Gardens.

 

Something New and Exciting Coming My Way..!

Finally.. our new house has been vacated by the tenants, and the renovations are already underway, that means that all the things would be completed in a month or so.! Now I have a huge responsibility on my head.. and that is decoarting the house, which I have been dying to do since that house was built. But our bad luck that our tenants were such a pain in the butt, that we just couldnt do anything but wait.!

Anyhow now the thing is that  how to bring everything together and to have a space which is both welcoming and homely.!

I have painted the rooms though.. ! I shall upload the pictures once everything is done. So that I can have before and after pics.!Anyhow getting ideas has been the most tough thing to do.. I had been doing surveys around to get the kind of look I wanted for my kitchen.. but its so damn expensive to have total imported fittings. Finding a better and cheaper solution is what everyone looks for.

Living here in Pakistan is perhaps not an ideal place to get everything what you want… Yes you can get stuff around but for that you need to have your pocket heavy!

The main problem is to renovate/revamp an existing structure, which is far more difficult and full of hassel than building the whole thing from scratch.

Finally everything is coming together and I have gathered some stuff, samples and gathered some inspirations from online, magazines and books.

 

The pictures are from magazines and the mood boards are made with the help of mydeco.com. Its a great website for all the interior decor fans, where they can creat mood boards, decorate a picture or create a 3D model of their choice. Mood Boards really help in getting the inspiration together, whether its color or patterns or the furniture.! I hope I can create something out of these moodboards.

Here is another one which I have made for my own room, its girly and modern and I just love the colors.

 This is another one for a sitting room.!

Bringing colors in helps in creating certain moods, it can be lively and energetic, calm and relaxing, even romantic.

If you want this kind of vibe in your house then do bring in colors so that each day is great!

You can mix and match stuff too. ! Its not important to follow any rule, just do what you like!  MIx an Match of textures, fabrics, colors, deocartive items, these all reflects taste/choice and personality.

So be yourself and portray your real self..!!

I would be glad if you can leave comments and share your ideas and give suggestions.!!

Picture Clips** Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

 

The Bridal Affa!r

And then there was my cousins wedding..! The most awaited event of the year as I just couldn’t stop thinking about my new lens and to take beautiful shots with it.

So finally my  Canon 50mm f1.4 arrived from Australia! Super excited, just love the sharpness of the lens and the BOKEH that it generates , is simply WOWww..!

My cousin pushed me that I would be the one taking her photos for her Big Day, I felt really nervous, questions coming to my mind, would I be able to do it.? Ohhh. What am I gonna do??

So I talked to my friend Rammal Mehmud, who is an Islamabad based, professional wedding photographer. She helped me out and I was super excited and relieved.

Then the big day came and I wanted to shoot her outdoors as the natural light is amazing and that I do not have an external flash and all that proper equipment, which could have made the indoor shoot possible. Anyhow me and my cousin we went to her dads office,  where we took nice shots.

Here are some shots that I would like to share.

I was amazed with the results and now I just cant stop looking at them.

Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

 S.

 

Setting Up a D!nn!ng Table~

New Year is aproaching …Winter is here.. ! Ohh God Hot Chocolate to Cinnamon tea and delicious mouth watering espresso’s are there to enjoy!

I am sure a lot of you would be hosting dinners/ lunchs and BBQ’s for your loved ones and the most ticklish thought that comes to your mind is the Dinning Table and how to make it look attractive.

 A number of things can be used to make your table look stunning.

Firstly:

• Bring outdoors Inside: Flowers or fruits can be brought in and it gives a natural look.
• May it be a large floral arrangement or just few flowers laid all over the table in assorted jars with some beautiful candles.

— Make sure that you do not place a very large and tall arrangement  if you are going to seat the guests  around the table. As it will block each others view and would act as an obstacle for reaching out for things.

— Thus small assorted jars work best, they could be small vases or you can create your own by using recycled jam bottles and doing some cool stuff with it. You can decorate them with Ribbons or Paint them, you can even stick some embellishments like diamondies, beads etc.

• Its winter season thus nuts  such as Almonds, Walnuts and other nuts of your choice can be used along with candles. These can create a beautiful effect.
• Make sure that you do not over do the table. It should have enough space around so that dishes can be placed.
• You can also create a corner for appetizers, salads, dips etc on the side, could be a dresser in your dinning room or the cupboard if it has a top or the Tea Trolley can also be utilized for this purpose. You can decorate the corner with colorful things.
• If it’s a buffet table then you can create four corners for each item, such as one corner for appetizers, the other for drinks, in the middle you can set the main course or create a Focal Point,  could be a floral arrangement, or fruits arrangement ( great for luncheons) or the candles, with  beautiful table runners creating a beautiful flow.
• Bright Colored table cloths for creating a WOW effect.
• Individual servings work best when you are hosting few guests, Place Cards are also a great way to make the guests feel welcomed. You can make cards with different things, its totally your own choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy By: Better Homes and Gardens, Apartment Therapy.

 

ShortBread Biscuits

(Nan Khatai)

The richness of food, sweet delicious aroma’s flowing in the air, just makes me so energized that I then feel like cooking. It gives me pleasure and happiness and like to experiment some different stuff.

I made these shortbread Biscuits today which taste delicious and I am sure everyone would enjoy them too.

I am sharing the recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 3/4-1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 cup oil or ghee
• 1 egg yolk (for later)
• Makes about 2 dozen.

Method

Method:

• Sift the flour well with caster sugar and baking powder.
• Add in cardamom powder for flavour and mix well.
• Make a well and add oil or ghee and rub the mixture together to make a smooth dough.

*( you might need to add less or more oil/ghee in order to make the dough smooth as it shouldn’t be very dry or too oily. So its better not to add the whole cup at once, add little by little, until you feel that your hands are slightly oily, not sticky)

• Once the dough is ready, take some material in your hands any size or shape you like, medium would be better. I make them round and medium sized.
• Now place them on the greased baking tray.
• Once you have placed all the biscuits on the tray, now using your middles finger or a brush, take the egg yolk and brush the top of the biscuit. You can brush the whole top or just put a drop in the middle.
• Bake at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for 15mins, till the yolk is light golden.
• Do not make them brown, they give a burned look.
• Enjoy the shortbread biscuits with tea or coffee.

Please leave comments and suggestions!

S’mar:)

 

Living with Great Taste~

A decorator must understand that taste is not a standard but the power to discern, to concentrate. Taste is an appreciation of order and a sure knowledge of what constitutes fitness. These concepts can be learned through education, travel, experience, and living. In learning these principles, the person will come to understand that a room – any room – is simply an enclosure of space and time for a specific purpose. The challenge is to know what is suitable in this defined space.

~Albert Hadley, The Story of America’s Preeminent Interior Designer.

This may sound weird that how life changes and revolves around people and things, which has a direct impact on us. I have been doing some fun stuff at home, décor, scrapbooking, photography, but I have always been passionate about Interiors and that how even a little change indoors or outdoors can really be so beautiful and inspiring for ourselves and for others.

I believe that these small changes can really boost up energy and moods in our everyday life. May it be a small change in setting of a room, or bringing in color, or even displaying some beautiful collections.

Home interior decoration provides a certain “feel” to the home; it includes applying wallpaper, painting the walls, choosing of furniture and fittings such as light fixtures, and adding decorations such as paintings.

The most important aspect is how to bring these changes! Where to make the arrangements? How to bring in the color so that everything collaborates? What sort of theme do I like? What sort of design should I go for? Whether its modern, contemporary or traditional?

I have answers for all these problems, may the project is from scratch or may it be an up gradation of anything, something new from an existing item.!

I hope I can bring change and happiness in everyone’s lives. :))