Flowers and Flickr Friends Part 7

on the side table

flowers for buddha and greens in the drawing room

flowers and silver knick knacks in the window sills
flowers in the silver cups
what a combination?
greens in the window sill

tulips on the dining tableflowers in print too...
lovely light and whites
some dried flowers arrangement

If friends were flowers
I would not pick you
I''ll let you grow in the
garden & cultivate you
with love and care

This a wonderful quote ,that keeps ringing in my mind always make me think and think,arent flowers true friends?

Anu as we all dearly call her is Anuradha .I actually met her through the blogosphere and then i came to know that she had a flickr stream which she uploads photos and shares...She is a very dear friend of mine and its a pleasure to have so many friends whom we have not seen but we keep in touch constantly and are ever ready to help each other,be in any corner of the world.The world is a beautiful place.My photographs are an attempt me to capture its essence through my camera lens ,says Anu.She is a mother to two toddlers,aged four and one.

She is also extremely talented and passionate about travel and interiors and she loves landscape photography.

Like any one of us,she decorates her lovely home with various arrangements of flowers and greens.Appreciate her corners as u all have done prior.

Images all clicked by Anuradha

Check out Anus photostream here

She also blogs at My Dream Canvas

My Simple Styles and Corners

This is the very first attempt to show case some corners of our simply styled house.All walls are painted in a very muted yellow and it does not have any extraordinary wall arts nor does it have some larger than life size paintings..These are nothing extraordinary,but does it tell you some story of the person I am ?

But i think it has the warmth in winters and the brightness when the sunshines through the windows ...

i have never felt so much courage as i feel today and so here comes the corners..tomorrow i might not feel the same :)-

i have carefully photographed keeping in mind that the walls are scribbled by my little one:)-

a low bed which was made to order ,the sheets and pillow covers change with season and so the curtains...that brings out the brightness in the rooms..it does not follow a set pattern..

sometimes its white and pink in winters and green and blue in monsoons,a small centre table where some arrangements keep to happen always,that keeps the room fresh and fragrant

dont u see so many things crowded flowers,plants, books and tea:)- sometimes its not in the centre,pushed to the side with lots of books newly bought and books to be finished and roses one of the morning walk collections

i normally spend a lot of time here," the tiled bench",which we got on one of our travels and restored we enjoy our times there

the dining corner and summer gladioli,tiled chairs my fave..

an old trunk box,where the lampshades and some gods are kept to the side of the bench..

meet you with lots more corners later

hope u loved them....

images and ideas conceived and clicked by lakshmi arvind

do not copy or do not steal..

Flowers and Flickr Friends Part 6

Sandhya is a great flickr friend with a flickr name "sanjOO", of mine living in the City of Lakes,MN,USA.Her love towards flowers and light and the clarity in her images attracted me towards her.She says she is a 25 something full-time working woman, now married after a long courtship.

On most days she says she likes her work. Sometimes she wishes to be a Teacher or an Entrepreneur. Or a nun and live a cloistered life. Or just stay home and stare at the wall,thts what she says,yup Yes, her desires run the gamut.She says she is waiting for one of them to assert itself strongly. and she laughingly says,hope it's not the nun one:)-

As mushy as it may sound, my charming husband completes me,thts said by sandhya.

Love her home corners and flowers and as you did the rest of others...

heres to a weekend,a mellow one..
good morning

me ,myself and I
some dried rose petals..that fell
books and whites
light which we adore
the adorable again

streaks of light and purple

Images by Sandhya

Ideas conceived by Lakshmi Arvind

View sandyas flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/southcooper/page3/

Shradhanjali,Auroville,Pondicherry

Shradhanjali is a handicraft unit of Auroville, the International Township located in rural Tamil Nadu. Sharadhanjali is involved in converting the nature into beautiful paper products in a conscious and caring way. They believe in working harmoniously with Nature.

This helps in generating wealth for the growth of Auroville by doing business in an ethical, conscious manner. Profits generated by Shradhanjali are channeled back into the community for its maintenance and development and it also provides a pleasant, stimulating, enriching, educative and empowering working environment for the young village girls it employs.

Shradhanjali is committed to using environmentally friendly processes and techniques workshop is equipped with solar energy, wastewater is recycled and rainwater is harvested. The workshop is very well ventilated, with ample natural light. The young women are comfortably seated and have sufficient working space and companionship.The flowers and plants are grown in our own garden using only organic manure and natural materials as preventives against caterpillars and insects. Drip irrigation is used to prevent water wastage.

Flowers are handpicked everyday and dried in cardboard presses. The dried plant material is stocked in heated cupboards to prevent fungus and moisture damaging it. The pressed flowers have no colour or preservative added to them. Most products are made of handmade paper, which is processed by recycling cotton rags and adding other natural fibers like straw, wool, algae, banana pulp or bamboo.The seeds and seedpods are harvested seasonally and sun-dried. They are coated with transparent varnish for protection.

The products doesn't end with handmade cards.They range from curtains in seeds to,simple chimes from dried leaves and pods ,handmade lamp shades,cushion covers,small vases,file covers,handmade books,files, handmade mats and simple decor items..

You can visit Shradhanjali here.
I have always known about the auroville online store but even then knowing more about shradhanjali was always a pleasure and thanks Diti for letting me know more about Shradhanjali through her posts in her blog.

Visit Diti Kotechas blog.
She says she worked in Auroville and with Shradhajali for some time. Diti is a known documentary and travel photographer and graphic designer and a collector of knick knacks. Her blog was awarded the Best Asian and Ocenian photblog of 2009.

Thanks Diti for sharing the photographs .She shares some amazing clicks which she calls herself "Animal Crackers"

Brass Decor on window sill.

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses, each of which has unique properties. In comparison bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. Despite this distinction, some types of brasses are called bronzes. Brass is a substitutional alloy. It is used for decoration for its bright gold-like appearance; for applications where low friction is required such as locks, gears, bearings, ammunition, and valves; for plumbing and electrical applications; and extensively in musical instruments such as horns and bells for its acoustic properties.

Brass has a muted yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as making casted statues, sculptures, flower vases, figurines, decoration and coins.

some brass items on my window sill.....

Brass has likely been known to humans since prehistoric times, even before zinc itself was discovered. It was produced by melting copper together with calamine, a zinc ore. In the German village of Breinigerberg an ancient Roman settlement was discovered where a calamine ore mine existed. During the melting process, the zinc is extracted from the calamine and mixes with the copper. Pure zinc, on the other hand, has too low a boiling point to have been produced by ancient metalworking techniques. The many references to 'brass' appearing throughout the King James Bible are thought to signify another bronze alloy, or copper, rather than the strict modern definition of 'brass'.

To wax or not to wax is a matter of personal preference. Depending upon the proportions of copper, tin or lead in the alloy, the natural patina of your piece will take on any number of colorations, all the way from black to red to light green. This is known as Edel Patina and is simply natural oxidation - the outermost layer of bronze reacting to oxygen. A thin wax layer protects your bronze however you may prefer allow your bronze to age naturally. If you prefer to halt or slow the ageing process, maintaining a coat of wax to shield your piece from the air's oxidizing effects. In a dry climate, waxing once a year is sufficient; twice a year in areas of high humidity. Outdoors apply two coats, ideally in the heat of the day when the wax is able to more readily be absorbed into the pores of the metal. We recommend premium clear paste wax.

Do NOT use cleaning sprays or furniture polishes containing solvents or other chemicals. They may react to your bronze, discoloring the patina. Older bronzes having their own natural dark patina, or new pieces with a faux antique patina, should NOT be waxed or polished, as this can alter the look and character of the piece.

Edel Patina, a green copper carbonate, protects the bronze naturally, and this layer of oxidation should not be confused with Bronze Disease. Edel Patina normally covers the entire sculpture more or less uniformly and appears as a duller shade of green than Bronze Disease- a condition in which metal produces acid normally hydrochloric or hydro sulfuric acid) internally and begins to disintegrate, while a small fuzzy green or brown patch begging to grow. This disease is mostly caused by exposure to extremes of heat, humidity, acids or environmental pollution. For Bronze Disease there is no quick solution and many method only halt the spread without curing it. The various treatments such as; baking in high temperatures, soaking in distilled water with certain chemicals, and application of chemicals are treatments, but all these methods would change the patina and look of the bronze and may also physically damage the sculpture.

images and ideas conceived by lakshmi arvind

pl.do not copy or steal

Text courtesy: www.xportarts.com

Flowers and Flickr Friends Part 5

Leelawadee as she fondly calls herself in flickr,is a very dear friend of mine and is" Aor".She is an amazing photographer and clicks images with ease.I love all her images and especially flowers have a special place in my mind and heart.The way she opens her mind to travel and clicks any image fondly,even a single flower..Light and shadows are captured dearly in her images..

I am a simple person with various interests, an amateur photographer,this is what she says ?

She says she loves to travel and wish to do more to complete all the destination on her list.

Her screen name ''Leelawadee'' is the Thai name of Frangipani, her favorite flower and who doesnt love Frangipanis.....??

Have a look and enjoy her images and flowers....

Image Courtesy;Leelawadee

Do watch her images at :http://www.flickr.com/photos/yaspal