Christmas Deco

Wondering why I am talking about Christmas during this time of the year. Last 2 months has been very very hot in Bangalore and now the monsoons have just showed up signs of dropping by.... So, I thought by sharing some deco ideas of christmas....I can bring in that cold feel....

During our stay in Germany, we were invited by our friends Anne and Alex for a day long trip to a castle near Tubingen. The name of the Castle is Burg Hohenzollern and is located approximately about 50 kms south of Stuttgart. Since this is on top of Mount hohenzollern, the castle is named after that. This Castle is about 2,810 ft above sea level. December had already started, it was very very cold and had just started snowing in stuttgart. But, the castle is very very beautiful. It is a must see. I specially liked the castle half cladded in snow. It was a beautiful weather out there. As a child I was always attracted to the fairy tale shows on the TV and wondered if these places really existed. I could see this place in reality here. The views are breathtakingly beautiful.......please don't miss it....if you happen to visit Stuttgart.

The Castle seen from different levels

Since it was Pre-Christmas time, A special Christmas Market was there on this day with a huge display of all the colourful artefacts for a traditional christmas deco. I witnessed a red and green complementary colour scheme against a neutral background (the castle). A very apt one for a traditional christmas setting...

Germany is very famous for its handmade beautiful porcelain dolls. It is best available in the south and a huge collection of these can be found in Blackforest. I picked up most of mine from a place called Titisee in the Black Forest range. You will also find lovely original CUCKOO CLOCKS here in all sizes and all prices. Although you can't bargain much....try your luck... and do not miss the famous BlackForest Pastry....traditionally known as Schwartzwalder Kuchen.

If you are planning a Christmas Theme for a setting....do not forget to pick up these things....

I loved this on all the doors. Imagine the creativity of these carpenters during that era without much modernisation......AMAZING.... I would want to definitely try these on my doors some day with the readiliy available brass work....

The inside of the Castle is gorgeous with colours like Electric Blue and Gold....There are floral paintings allover with a family tree of the kings. ROYAL LUXURY..................

The windows are Glass painted with beautiful colours.

A must buy......some glass balls, natural wreaths, hand painted candle holders in different themes, hand made paper stars, light wood....also handmade candle holders and any other thing that attracts your eye.....

It was a memorable day and we had loads of fun. I can still feel the cold and smell the snacks like waffel with Apfelmus (a type of cake with apple sauce), the frenchfries and the potato wedges with sauce.......ummmm....thats all for now...Have a great weekend.....will be back with more stuff on Monday....BYE...

Sea-Side Theme Restaurant

For the love of Sea and Shells......

I was in Mangalore recently when I was so fascinated with the blue of the Sea and different sizes and shapes of the shells safely landing on the sand shores. When thinking of theme decoration, the one most affordable and easily imaginable is a sea-side theme. I found a beautiful shop named EMYES SEA SHELL CRAFTS on the shore of the Panambur Beach, about 10 kms from Mangalore. I must admit that this shop was filled with stuff for home deco or more so a theme deco.

Some Conches...they can be beatifully arranged in transparent vases, containers or simply on a deco plate....

Some lamp shades beautifully covered in different types of shells.....

These are some curtains or better addressed to as space dividers or door decorators....

This piece is made out of coconut shell....

These are some wall mirrors beautifully ornated in colourful shells....

With all this in mind.....Imade this moodboard......

A SEA-SIDE...............SEA FOOD RESTAURANT..........IN BLUE AND WHITE...........

Please do write and let me know what you all think about this theme.

Deco Accessories from Mangalore

Ever since I started blogging.......I never forget to carry my camera...whether it is a visit to a theme hotel or a short trip to a nearby resort, a neighbourhood temple or a long holiday... I feel that I should capture every small thing that I find creative and lovely. I want to share them with all of you through my blog....I spent my last weekend visiting one of the very old and famous temple in a place called Kukke Subramanya...a hill station, about 100 kms from Mangalore. This is the abode of the famous snake god named kukke subramanya. Its a very beautiful place surrounded by scenic beauty....From here, we went for a short holiday to spend some time in the beach at Mangalore....I thoroughly enjoyed this trip as it was a group of 15 people from my family.....U can imagine the noise, the confusion and the chaos....to name a few....we reached the train station at 8.32 pm to catch the 8.35 pm train as it was pouring out here on thursday night.....but the trouble grew worse when we realised that the only person who had the tickets for all of us was yet to arrive.....Just as the train began levaing the station.....my cousin (who had the tickets) boarded the last compartment of the train......................and then all of us heaved a sign of relief......But I must tell you that this was the most adventurous and the most enjoyed trip after my college days....especially because we travelled in a group.....

A few kilometers outside of Mangalore....in a place called Pilikula.... is a beautiful house which exhibits some exquisite terracotta and jute artefacts produced by the local artisans....

Some terracotta pots and garden artefacts..............

A lovely collection of both terracotta and jute are handcrafted in their works here at Pilikula....Mangalore....

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It seemed like any kind of creativity is encouraged here. I also spotted some stone sculptures.....