Archives for November 2014

DIY Holiday wreath

November 26, 2014

The smell of baked pies,sitting next to the fireplace,shopping for gifts, hosting parties and mainly the decorations are a few things about the holiday season which I love. The spirit of celebrations in the air and everyone is decorating their homes with loved ones. I have this very cute little traditional wreath that I put up every year, however this time I wanted to do something different. I had this vintage letter holder which i found at a flea market long time ago and dint know where i could use it. Well here its is! all decked up and ready for the holidays.

Things you need : Painters tape, scissors, gold paint, brush, pink spray paint( I am using Valspar color radiance), a letter-holder /tin/cardboard box ( i am using the letter holder i found at the flea market) and some greens & flowers. Stores: Lowe’s & Michaels

You could use this flower arrangement even after the holiday season anywhere in your house as wall hanging . Also, if you are using a tin or plastic container like I am then you could use fresh flowers too as it would hold water and keep them fresh longer.

I enjoyed making this. It was so quick and the whole thing cost me about $25 in total including all the supplies. cool right? Hope you give it try too.

Happy Holidays!

DIY Wooden Coasters

November 21, 2014

Need a project for the weekend ? Wanna make a personalized holiday gift for your friend or hostess? then these coasters are just the right thing you are looking for. To see the exact list of materials you need and the stepwise explanation, see my previous post on wooden coasters. Just make sure you get the hang of using the wood burning iron on a separate spare piece of wood if you are trying it out for the first time. Trust me its a lot of fun!

Hope you will enjoy making these as much as i did. They were one of the things i made for very good friends of mine who just celebrated their engagement over the weekend. My friend is huge fan of geninne’s art and so the designs are inspired by her work.

Happy weekend y’all !

‘Lick’ honest ice cream shop

November 19, 2014

Ironically, eating ice cream on a cold winter day , with rain outside is a lot of fun. Its one of the best sweet treats to make your mood happy on an otherwise gloomy day ( In our case it was also beating the hangover from an amazing engagement party previous night of our very close friends). Whenever we visit Austin, our friends take us to a new place every time and I always end-up saying we have to come here again! Last weekend it was this place called ‘LICK’ ice creams. We’d had a nice lunch and I was already full but when my friend said you have to taste their ‘goat cheese, thyme and honey’ flavor, I was totally intrigued. I’d never heard of an ice cream flavor like that. As soon as we entered, the shop it felt warm and cozy. I loved their branding and especially their logo. They had this unique way of showcasing their menu (see the pic below) and the flavors were even more bizarre. Roasted beets and fresh mint, coconut and avocado curd, persimmons and sage are just to name a few.

I loved it so much that I came home and googled them to know more. I wanted to know what made them come up with such unique ideas to make ice cream from. Chad and Anthony, the founders of this place tell their story on their website (interesting read) and also talk about how their ice cream is made from fresh ingredients and NO preservatives. They source everything from local farmers and dairies in and around Austin,Tx. Here are some fun pics for you !

I hope they open their franchise in more cities soon. But you guys this is a MUST visit place if you are in Austin or San Antonio. You will kind of not want to have ice cream from a chain again.

P.S. I ended up eating the persimmons and sage! yumm

happy winter you guys !

DIY Marble Finish Candlestands

November 18, 2014

Holidays are here and everyone is looking for the perfect gift ideas for friends and family. This DIY project is super easy and can make a wonderful gift . From dinner tables to consoles to mantles, candles are such a huge part of the holiday decor . These candle holders are super fun and you could make them in different colors too. For this one we are using black and white to mimic the marble stone finish.

Bake the ramekin in the oven o low heat for about 20 mins. Let it cool and then remove from the mold and level the top with the cutter/knife.

Inspiration: This post on DesignSponge.

Hope you enjoy making them !

Fall Tablescape Ideas

November 8, 2014

It’s that time of the year when many of us are channeling our inner hosts and thinking of ideas and themes to throw the perfect holiday party. I love to see different ways in which people decorate their tables to celebrate fall. Here are some gorgeous ones I came across while leafing through the internet.
Love this dark theme table by eye swoon.

This white background tablescape by designlovefest, highlighting the greens and food colors is so refreshing to look at. Very elegant. I love all their creations!

Like colors? Take a look at this one by Emily Henderson

Wanna go rustic style? Check this one on anthropology blog

And then of course we have the classic style in this one shown on pottery barn blog. Dying over that flower arrangement on the chandelier.

Lets make something beautiful .. Share your pics with me here and I will share them on the blog !

Happy Decorating ya’ll

Sweet Coconut Bites

November 6, 2014

I thought a lot about whether or not I should put food posts on the blog , you know considering the blog is mainly focused on art & graphics, lifestyle trends and interior design & decorating. But that got me thinking that food is such a big part of our everyday life. Creating something new everyday, transforming different ingredients into something wonderful. Decorating tables, styling food for photographs, getting to use fun kitchen accessories and of course the joy of cooking for someone are just some of the cool things that come along with the genre of food. It’s also visually appetizing and equally creative so hey, what the hell – I am going to give this a go!

So here is the first one- Sweet Coconut Bites ! one of the most easy dessert recipes ever… Holidays are just around the corner, it’s also getting colder outside and more time is being spent in houses. This is a fun and easy recipe you could do with your children/friends and you could also do it in different colors if you like. I am using yellow for this one.

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen/fresh shredded coconut ( if using frozen, thaw it before use), 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, fresh cardamom pods, Aluminum foil and dish to set it in

Procedure:

Toast the coconut flakes for about 10 mins on medium heat. Add the cardamom powder ( i used freshly crushed) . Let the mixture cool completely . Add condensed milk to this mixture. Divide this in half. In one half add food coloring and other keep it white. (you could play around with whatever color combos you like here). Set it in a deep dish lined with the foil. You can do layers here.I did white at the bottom and yellow on top. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 4-5 hrs . When set, cut it in whatever shape you like . I am using 1-inch cookie cutter here.

Enjoy and have fun making it!

DFS first Branding & Packaging

November 5, 2014

Today is definitely going to be marked as one of the important days for designforsoul . Last week I had a photography assignment to do a family photo shoot and today I am handing over the prints, cd’s and frames to the clients. This is my first official gig after starting designforsoul and I am felling proud and happy on how it turned out.

As I was getting everything together, I realized that the time had come to decide on the branding and packaging aspect for DFS. This is one of the most important things to consider when you are trying to create an identity . Colors, materials, fonts, styling – there is so much that goes into deciding what your final branding and packaging is going to look like. This is what designforsoul packaging for the first assignment turned out to be.

Hope you like it!

xo,

Varsha