Indian Sweets in a traditional decor way!

Its that time of the year again!Song,dance,dinners ,lunches,sweets,and tonnes of festivities that call for an evening.Whatever festivities,it all ends up and sums up at the party table.So why not bow to the tradition and face it.From table covers that could be made with old sarees to flower decor on the table and pretty diyas to amazing sweets on the table and the decoration that goes for them..let everything be traditional.

There are an awesome bunch of food bloggers out here who cook up a storm,decorate and spread the fragrance of good food.Lets see how dramatically with props they have changed the simple looking food to gorgeous dishes on the table.

Sia blogs at Monsoon spice ..Amazingly decorated sweets on the table with soft glowing diyas..

Flowers and traditional diyas give a gorgeous mood to the image@paakashaala.com

Deeba rajbal blogs at Passionate About Baking..here is her version of kheer in terracota cups.awesome idea!complements well with silver .

Preeti Tamilarasan blogs at jopreetskitchen.com.She has an awesome collection of traditional sweets,some 70 varieties of laddus awesomely syled.Have a look at her recipes and her usage of props and her photography!

All images are of the respective owners..please do not copy.ask them permission before you use them.
ideas Lakshmi Arvind.

THE COLOR YOU CRAVE: BLUE

When I look in my closet the color I see repeated most often is

Blue

It is repeated in my jewelry box - in the shade of  turquoise - 

a stone of which I can't seem to get enough.

Blue has always been a favorite. 

 It is ocean and sky. 

It is calm and peaceful.

It is light as air, as dark as midnight

It is indigo and icebergs

and baby boys

and robin eggs

 and hydrangeas and cornflowers

It is royal.

For those of us who crave the color blue - it calls to us in many shades.

and it is particularly lovely in our homes...

I never use a full strength color on my walls

I always choose a grayed down version

it is more liveable

more long lasting

more neutral

like the grayed down blue/with a touch of green color above

while this color is more of a gray with a blue undertone

that still reads blue

but is neutral and easy to decorate around

blue and white is a fresh, clean and classic combination

navy is dramatic, lovely and dark

and perfection in this grayed down version

fabulous in a kitchen

sometimes only a spatter of blue is enough

but complete immersion is equally acceptable

blue loves white, or black

silver or gold

formal or casual

 but lets face it - there is no shade of blue

 that isn't beautiful

 or fresh

 or soothing

or tranquil

but it can also be vibrant

classic

muted

 dramatic

soft

or cozy

Is blue a part of your life?

a small part?

 or a wrap me up in it big part? 

 Easy going blue goes with any style of design

and any wood tone you can imagine

is there a blue in your future?

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Dear Claudine,

Love your blog! I’ve gotten lots of inspiration from your design ideas. I have a question for you about my out-of-date 80’s home that I’m hoping you have time to answer. I’d love to update my 80’s oak cabinets and was thinking of painting them white. Same with the fireplace mantel in the adjoining family room. 

But I like having stained wood trim in these rooms! I have a window and door very close to the fireplace. In the kitchen there is a large bay window right next to the cabinets and a smaller window between cabinets over the kitchen sink. Would it look ok to have stained trim with white kitchen cabinets / fireplace? Or do I need to find another solution to update my kitchen?

Thanks for any advice you have!

Rachel Devine

Hi Rachel,

I have seen windows trimmed in wood that work - especially if they also have an additional white painted molding as well - as in this photo.

and in this one

In your kitchen if your cabinets are white and the trim is wood toned, the window will be the thing that draws the eye.  It will stand out like a sore thumb.  However, if you add white molding around it, you can enjoy the warm wood and still tie it in with the mantle and the rest of the home and make it stand out less against the kitchen cabinets.

Good luck!

Claudine