Unique centrepieces...

How important is a centrepiece to a well dressed table?

  Well one can argue that you can do without it and the food is what really matters, but a centrepiece is really the proverbial icing on the cake. And there is no need to buy an obscenely expensive centrepiece for your dinner table which everyone will get tired of seeing after a few dinners. A much better option is a centrpiece created when you let your imagination go berserk and let the creativity flow...like this one here which everyone can create...

This one is really simplicity itself....3 wineglasses overturned, with a flower placed inside each, and a candle placed on top of each base....brilliant idea indeed !! and I'm dying to try it out..
,
 Next  one :

Take a fish bowl, place some sand in it, put a candle in it, scatter some pebbles and shells around it, and voila...!

Let's move on...another fish bowl piece-

Just place some pine cones (I always tend to collect a lot of them in various shapes and sizes whenever we go to a hill station) in the bowl, and also put in a string of fairy lights among them -now watch your table glow...and let the compliments flow!

All images from pinterest..see all the images  here.

Girl on a swing..

Cutting images out of paper...drawing on paper with a knife instead of a pencil..that's paper art..an art practiced in different countries and cultures under different names...Scherenschnitte in Germany, Jianzhi in China, Wycinanki in Poland and Sanjhi in India...

Here is my own attempt at paper art, finished and framed...

strange and beautiful...

I firmly believe that all you need to decorate your home are some beautiful plants with a smattering of books here and there..

But plants planted inside books?

Take a look here...some old books were scooped out and after sealing the pages, plants were grown in them from seedling stage..How is that for a conversation starter?

And here is another old book being used as a planter...perhaps it was the experiment of an ardent  book lover who could not bear to throw away old books and thus combined his/her love for books and gardening....

Personally I dont think I would have the heart to cut up a favourite book of mine...maybe just one not-so-favourite book for the sheer novelty of the idea....hmmm....What do you think?

All images from  dornob

Tea anyone?

Morning dawns bright and fresh, bringing the promise and hopes for a new day....What better way to start the day than by sitting among some of god's beautiful creations...

 And some greenery to go with the flowers and pebbles in a cute jug..
Hmm...what's inside? Lemme check..

 The puss comes over to say good morning...
and see if there is some milk for her..

 So how about a cup of tea on a bright fresh morning,
  full of the promises of a new day,
A promise of peace, a promise of flowers adorning,
 and hope that everything will be right with the world today..

A corner of my garden's fresh and green,
The kettle is hot and steaming, the cups are ready,
what are you waiting for....?

Growing on air...!!

Hi people!.....The rainy season has put a shroud of green on anything and everything ouside these days...nature has completely taken over and my garden is being overrun with grass, wild weeds and myriad wild plants with beautiful flowers of many hues...and I've stopped trying to tame it for the time being...Nature throws up many surprises everyday and its fun to watch tiny plants growing in the cracks of cemented walkways and joints of tiles...One would think that plants always need some soil to grow from...but think again, for that is not the case!!

Take a look at some of these babies....They're called Air plants-

 They just grow in air...no soil required at all...easy care and need only a little misting now and then...so they can just be placed on decorative pebbles in a glass container and you have a marvellous centrepiece...

 Or they can be placed in a piece of driftwood...they just look as if they are growing out of the wood, and you can boast about your green thumb...

How about making some terrariums with an interesting glass container, some sand, and a couple of airplants?
Wow...I would love to have one of those..wouldn't you?
These and more airplants can be found here

dry branches

One of my favourite natural things to decorate with are dry branches...the ones that you find lying about in wilderness. There is something about these twisted and tortuous branches that is so attractive, and no matter what you do with them, they always look good. eg, you could simply pop them into a container...

You could also add embellishments on the branches, like these adorable butterflies...

 Another wonderful idea is to make a family tree out of a dry branch...just stick the branches in a pot/vase, add pebbles if you like, and stick pictures of all family members onto the branches...Place this in the foyer where every visitor to the house would see it first..what a lovely way to welcome people into your home!!

Or make a chandelier / candlestand out of your dry branch...hang some tea lights and you  have a home made exotic centrepiece for your dinner table (guaranteed to have your guests oohing and aahing!!)

All these are simple DIY ideas that anyone can try...no special equipment required and no expensive purchases to be made.
For  more of these wonderful arrangements,  see here.

Leaf Jewellery

Ever heard of leaf jewellery people?
  I had heard of dried leaves and branches being used for centrepieces and decoration, but never for jewellery.
Look at this beautiful work of art..

This is a real leaf which has been electroformed.
                                                                           That means that the leaf is dried, and then given a mild acid bath to dissolve away the pulp, which leaves behind this skeleton. This leaf skeleton is then hand painted with copper based paint and dipped in an electrolytic solution. In this process, metal deposits onto the copper based surface of the leaf...that metal can be gold or silver or any other....and voila... you have gold or silver coated leaf jewellery!
                                 These jewelled leaves can be combined with swarovski or diamonds and worn as earrings and neckpieces. Here is a pair of earrings made out of electroformed oak leaves...

Aren't they out of this world?    

 Would love to own something like this !! 

          These stunning pieces are handcrafted by Crystal Allure.

Article Source: Designer handcrafted beaded jewellery by Crystal Allure (http://www.crystalallure.com)