Christmas Days 2014!

We made it a December to remember.I hope all of you would have made it:)-
In between the bouts of cough and cold and the season of flu and the mighty fog that lingered around we bravely put up our Christmas trees and lights and the precious hand made ornaments we  treasured through the years!

loved these lines:)-
Christmas is forever,not just one day for loving sharing and giving,
are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel,in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do for yourself!

I sincerely hope all your days  to be bright and merry and happy ..my dear readers!
Let us enjoy the images of Christmas and December in camera some instagram shots too:)-

All ideas and Images :Lakshmi Arvind

pl do not copy nor use these images without permission..

pl email at dr.lakshmi@live.in

Wisdom,light and love !

 Deepavali and the days leading to them were frenzy at home,cleaning,shining and polishing.There wasn't anything in particular i wanted to buy except the flowers.

Marigolds as usual took the centre stage.It was  sheer beauty and happiness to see the golden orange marigolds shining in all corners on the day of Deepavali.

Kantha bedspreads became table spreads and dull oranges went well with the carnations.Dull golds made another excellent combination on the table and the napkins were small rectangular cloths with golden border.The cheer of the Yellows of the gerberas and the fragrance from the incense holder on the day of dhanteras is still in spirits..Hope all of you enjoyed this year and as the saying goes,the wait for the next year starts!

colourful cushions formed the backdrop

prayers and blessings from above

a view

as it was dusk

paisley prints and carnations

dull oranges

on the table

days leading to diwali

fragrance

dhanters in gold shimmer

The best that happened this year was an opportunity to feature a diwali article with images from my home in the "Good Homes Magazine"




Images and Ideas :Lakshmi Arvind.Please dont take images without permission!

And the Lotus Bloomed on our Wall

On a lazy afternoon,my brother and I had a heated discussion over home makeovers and how to give our home a personal touch. 

Just to prove a point we started doodling on the wall slowly by slowly our scribbles gave way to lines,line to curves and eventually beautiful blossoms became apparent on the walls. 

Here is a photo essay trip down the memory lane..over to the lotus pond.

The very first Lotus Flower blooms

Soon, the wall is covered with a cluster of them

Slowly, each one is given a tint and hue

Soon more, flowers start blushing

The work in progress, notice the shy leaves hiding below the flowers

Here's how it finally looked once completed. 

My summer afternoon chair on the edge of the 'lotus pool'. I've read many a book in this chair.

Our 'personal touch Wall' did liven up our living room

Detail of a Lotus bud

Flowers blossoming out of thin air

Deft hands carving out the lines on the wall

Dreamy eyed and armed with a permanent marker in his hands, my brother, another creative soul in my family.

Little Gaya, who helped us immensely in coloring the art wall smiles proudly in front of our Art Wall. I am sometimes amazed at her refined choice of colors.

Finally, we won our argument and did succeed in giving our home an artistic and personal touch. A weekend and a few cups of tea were all that we needed while we indulged in this passion. I thought of sharing this with you all, just to encourage you to do something creative at your our personal spaces, a splash of color or a stroke of a marker can change the character of the space and speak volumes about the ones living there.

Do try it and share the joy of indulging in a creative pursuit !!!

You can read more about my bro's creative musings at his blog http://www.alley-of-dreams.blogspot.in/