Moving to...Just Around the Blog

Hello everybody,

Thank you for taking the time to read  my blog.

I am super-excited to tell you that I have moved residence...to just around the blog :)

Sorry, couldn't resist that.

Anyways, as I started this blog I realized that I had much more to talk about than peachy groovy rooms. However this particular residential area is reserved and that is much too tight for my comfort.

I need to spread my wings, to cover a larger territory..and hence the MOVE.

You can now find me, in all my conversational glory, when you Walk Into My Parlour.

Join me for tea, cookies and conversation.

Smiles

Sleep Like a Queen

Okay...so today is supposed to be Re-Purpose Friday. I know.

But I read this news some 2 days ago and it has taken me that much time to kind-of digest / accept it. And I can't help but share it with you all.

What is this news?

A British bed manufacturer, Savoir Beds, is creating a Royal Bed (actually 60 of them). Each bed (mattress + boxspring) will cost...US$175,000.00 !

No that is not a typo...all those zeros are really there.

This limited edition Royal Bed will be hand-crafted with...well, I won't go into the minor details. You can find that out if you simply search the information on the net.

So, of course, I started searching more about beds fit for royalty. The Europeans are evidently much influenced and inspired by the monarchies they are still surrounded with.

Want more? How about these...

 courtesy four-poster-beds.com

A company called four-poster-beds.com will custom create these amazing works of art for you. While I can truly appreciate the work and the careful precision needed to create such exquisite royal beds, I'm not sure I would be interested in sleeping in one.

My preferences are more Minimalistic and well, I guess the word would be, Modern. I found this bed on Savoir Beds which is more to my taste. I especially like the drawers on the sides.

courtesy Savoir Beds

How much would you spend on your mattress?

And, by extension, how much would you spend on your children's bed? Grab a peek at some of the most expensive child beds available today.

And to get on the track for Re-Purpose Friday...well, I could think of any number of things we could safely re-purpose the $175,000.00 for. The St.Jude Children's Research Hospital would be at the top of my list.

Re-Purpose Friday - Sheets to Curtains

Hi all,

Today is 'Re-purpose Friday', the day we talk of how we can use old (and sometimes new) stuff in a new and unexpected way.

I have a number of projects in mind. Truthfully, they have been there, sitting idly in my head for a long time. I guess I need to do some spring cleaning of my head.

Are you a clutter kind of person? I am. I know...it's terrible. I clear up my table one day and in less than a week, you would never have known it had been cleared. I think my mind is much the same way. Hmmm...I guess there is some psychology behind this.

If you have clutter in your home, it is a sign of a cluttered brain. It's true. My mind is literally scattered with ideas, thoughts, projects, want-to-dos and have-to-dos. The place is so messy that if I try to find one particular idea, I have to dig and dig.

If you could only see the pile of clothes sitting on my bed waiting to be folded, you would know what I mean.

from welcometoheardmont.com

Anyways, getting back to the topic. This Friday we shall discover a new purpose for old (or new) bed-sheets. I particularly love this idea, because in my house, I only use the fitted sheets on the beds. But unfortunately, bed-sheets come in packs with flat and fitted sheets.

The flat sheets simply lounge around in my closet, taking up valuable space and without purpose. (I do so dislike unwanted guests who refuse to go away!) Using bed-sheets as curtains seems like a great idea.

Check out the curtains in these pictures. Can you believe these are actually bed-sheets? What a gorgeous print and at half the cost too!

from aprojectatatime

If you don't find a print that goes with your theme or color scheme, you could create your own. Just as Jennifer from 'I Love Rehabs' did.

from iloverehabs

She simply bought 2 different colored flat sheets, cut and sewed them to create this awesome pattern. Just think of the possibilities - you could mix and match solids and patterns to make curtains that are exclusively for you!

from lipstickandsawdust

Have regular white sheets that you are fed up of and would rather cut up and use as rags? Why not make curtain liners instead. As Kristen of 'Lipstick and Sawdust' shows you...buy a fabric for the curtain and then give it the heavy look. She also has a neat trick to cover the curtain rings - simply attach the hooks 1 inch below the edge.

And voila! You have awesome curtains and you have re-purposed your flat sheets.

This would work great in a kids room...just imagine these sheets as curtains on your kids room windows...

 

 

I can feel my hands itching to get to this. Okay, here's one more project idea deposited on the couch in my head. I hope to be able to show you some of my own checked list of projects some day.

Smiles,

Magic Monday - Riding to School

Hellooo and hope you are having a Magic Monday too.

I know the popular number goes "Just another Manic Monday, Wish it was a Sunday". But for me (and I think most moms with school age kids), it's the other way around.

My weekends are totally "manic" and I can't wait for Monday when everyone else is off to school and office, while I get to finally put up my feet and enjoy the silence.

So I call it my "Magic Monday".

Just because the kids are not home doesn't necessarily mean I'm not thinking about them, though. I came across this strange looking contraption, called the Irish Mail.

courtesy www.columbiatribune.com
This is an olden times children's ride-on toy that was very popular at the turn of the 20th century (or so I am informed). As you can see it doesn't have any pedals. Instead the handle was pushed back and forth to generate movement. Rather exhausting, don't you think? Kids today have so much more to choose from. The ride-on toys are getting bigger, faster and more complicated every year. Like this Lamboghini Murcielago Car...

6V Lamborghini Murcielago Car

Or

6V Harley Style Wild Child Motorcycle

I'm not sure that is such a good thing though. 
The kids will grow up soon enough, why would I want to see them riding a Harley at this age? I would much rather they stick to Rocking Horses or a tricycle instead.

courtesy archive.constantcontact.com
Hmmm....maybe I could have my cake and eat it too.
Harley Davidson Roaring Rocker See, I knew Mondays were Magical...I have a Harley Davidson on a rocker!!
Smiles,

Ellie Baby...Mama Loves You!

When my sister was expecting her first-born, I had written to her,

"What can I tell you about Motherhood?

  It has to be felt to be understood."

It is such an instinctive emotion, it simply cannot be put into words. And while we do our utmost to keep our little babies safe from even so much as scraped knees, I cannot help but be pained by the mindless killings of elephants for their ivory.

Sign the Petition. Save the African Elephants!

                                          photo taken from Simon Reeve's WWF Blog

According to scientists, elephants display many of the emotions that we do. A mother elephant teaches her young to be independent and to be caring of their young. Isn't that what all of us parents hope to achieve as we graduate the College of Parenthood?

If you are moved by the plight of these gentle and loving creatures, please support WWF by signing their petition to save Africa's elephants. Next to actually going and catching the poachers ourselves, this is the best we can do. 

Sign the Petition. Save the African Elephants!

Animals, whether wild, farm or domesticated, make a great theme for gender neutral nurseries. All babies are instinctively attracted to other living creatures. If you have a pet at home, you can see that yourself.

Gender neutral nursery works great if you have decided to leave the gender as a last minute surprise. There are some amazing neutral bedding themes available online and in stores. You might also have come across nurseries showing giant wall decals of giraffes or monkeys swinging from branches.


Peachy Room of the Week

photo from thisoldhouse.com

Groovy Room of the Week

photo from easy-decoration.blogspot.com

Older kids love having animal themes in their rooms too. Zebra themes, giraffe or leopard prints are some of the more popular teen themes.

DIY Stuffed Animal Head (without the 'ughhh' factor)

photo from babble.com

Decorate a wood plaque and then add a deer head made from a foam egg, plastic bottle and wood antlers.

Find out how at Better Homes and Gardens

Every week, I send out inspiring pictures of one aspect of the nursery or kids rooms. Simply subscribe to my e-zine Decor 4 Kids for your weekly dose of Inspired Creativity.

   
Smiles,

Project Nursery is coming to Boston!

Are you planning a baby nursery but don't know where to start?

I know how it is. I have been thinking of re-decorating my kids bedroom but everything is still so vague. Of course, it doesn't help that my son and daughter share the same room. I have to find a common link to harmonize the room.

Planning a baby nursery just sounds hard until you actually dive into it. I know you want it to be perfect. But here is the secret I learned over the years...there is no such thing as 'perfect' and once you actually complete it, the nursery will be so beautiful that no one will notice the flaws!

Anyhow, if you happen to live in or around Boston, you will be very happy to know that Project Nursery (if you have been doing any online search for nurseries, you will have heard of them) is coming to Boston.

From March 1-3, 2013, you can get expert advice and huge savings on baby gear at Magic Beans at Brookline.

I do think this is a once in a blue moon kind of advantage that you should certainly avail of.

Smiles
Richa

Entering the Blogosphere

Hello.

You don't know me...yet. But I hope to change all that soon.

I have been busy marking my territory in the virtual world or should I say, the virtual universe (coz that is what it feels like). I feel like such a tiny part of the Net that I am surprised any spiders even realize I am there.

On the whole, though, the journey these past few years has been exciting, entertaining and very enlightening.

So why have I only just entered the Blogosphere?

I think it has some deep-rooted psychological connotations that I need to further study. What I mean by that is...blogging takes a lot of trust. Writing a diary used to be a very personal endeavor. A blog on the other hand is there for all and sundry to read and opine about.

Which is why I so appreciate all the bloggers in the world (and boy, there are many!!). How can you so casually welcome strangers into your home and into your mind? So this year, as part of my New Year Resolutions (and I also resolved to complete my resolutions this year), I have decided to take the risk. The risk of openly proclaiming my opinions, my ideas and my life as my own! 

I shall trust you to hold them dear as you would of any friend's...and together we will discover decorating ideas, new and existing (why re-invent the wheel?) to create the peachy, groovy rooms that our kids will thank us for...for a long, long time. (We'll make sure they do, won't we?)

Smiles

Richa