Real Parties: Bollywood Retro Theme 25th Anniversary Celebration

We recently enjoyed a super fun silver wedding anniversary celebration in the family and wanted to share with you some creative nuances from the event.

The theme was Bollywood retro and I loved the way the invite, designed and written by our cousin Dipti, set the stage, giving away event details such as date, time venue, dress code, etc, in a unique Antakshri format.

The other super element Dipti brought to the party was a simple DIY - transforming popular movie posters from that era by replacing the lead actor or actress with a picture of each of the elders in their younger days. These were framed and placed on tables. They can be a really fun alternative to name cards in table settings while at the same time adding to the decor and theme, and can also serve as personalised returns/giveaways.

Retro glares in various shapes and colors (as you can see in the first image) were made available as fun props to provide that extra zing to the pictures :-)

P.S. If you have organised or attended or know of a really cool party and want it to be featured in this section, please send me an e-mail on nishka [dot] manglani [at] gmail [dot] com

Real Parties in Dubai: Baby Einstein Themed First Birthday

One of the top Google search keywords that has been bringing a large number of visitors to my blog is planning and organising parties in Dubai, thanks to a post I had written on the subject a while ago.  

This insight has led to the birth of a brand new section on the eve of my blog’s third anniversary  =D. My dear readers, I am super excited to introduce ‘Real Parties’, a column dedicated to all those people looking for some real inspiration and local vendor details, to showcase creatively organised real parties in the country, and the region, to inspire and assist you in planning your next event.

To kick start this series, I have an awesome Baby Einstein themed party that Sarika Aidasani threw to celebrate her son, Ranveer’s first birthday. Sarika left no stone unturned to ensure her son, her family and their guests have a fabulous time. Below she gives us an overview of how she went about putting this wonderful party together. She has also very kindly shared vendor details that I have summarized at the end of the post.

 
I have loved organising events for the longest time I can remember. It all started off with social events such as Diwali parties, weddings, annual galas and then professionally moved on to corporate events (as part of being a PR consultant).

For Ranveer’s party, I chose the theme ‘Baby Einstein’ since in the last one year, he has lived by these DVDs. We have used it to cheer him up, to distract him, to keep him calm and what not. So I thought why not this be the theme?

Once my venue was decided, Gloria Hotel, I got started on the invite. My friend Deepti Rupaney Taimni (DR Design Co.), a well known graphic designer in Dubai, made me a design that worked perfectly with the theme.

While the invites were distributed, I was still working on the return. It took me the longest to decide these. I finally found the return that I liked. It was an imprint kit, a photo frame (gift supplied by Customise Me: 055 6563141 & packaged by Treasure Box: 050 7646362). I wanted to give something personalised but it was not easy to personalise the frame as I think it would damage it. So I decided to make stickers of each child with their full name and initial, which they can use on anything such as giving gifts, on their stationery and/or any belongings. I have had great feedback from my guests, so glad many of them really liked it.

Then the cake - this was simple. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I got it from Choco’a. I had tried and tested them several times and was very pleased with the cake when I saw it.

 
So now that the main things were sorted, I had to decide on an entertainment company and the options I’d like to offer my guests. For this, I felt, let’s stick to the basics. You can never judge a child’s mood and to try and do something totally different could be a bit risky. Hence, I went for the basic games, bouncy castle, face painter, hair braiding, tattoos, balloon bending, bubble machine and a soft play area for the little ones. Ranveer wasn’t walking then, so I wanted to make sure that there is something for his age group too.

I rented all of my entertainment from Crash and Castles (+971(4)3948422) who also helped me to do the décor. For the soft play, I stumbled upon Toys On Rent, really a life saver as I didn’t have all these toys and in this size. It was so very convenient. They dropped it off and picked it up.

There were special balloon arrangements made to serve as centerpieces on each table.

We also added little print outs of Ranveer’s party theme at the back of each chair instead of balloons.

I even made separate passage ways for entrance and exit as I didn’t want people to come in and leave from the same place and had placed roll up banners at all possible points to guide the people coming into the hotel.This made it easy to lay out the gift table (receiving) and organise the return gift table (done alphabetically).

All of this has been beautifully captured in pictures by the photographers I had at the event. I had a photo studio set up, done by Imprint Design, which was a chance for all guests to experience professional photography and make memories that would last them a lifetime.

 
To cover the entire party, I had three photographers as I wanted one to just focus on Ranveer and the family, while two photographers covered the event. I am so happy I had a number of photographers on hand as these are the priceless memories I am left with from the day.

Vendor Details:

Venue: Gloria Hotel
Invitation:DR Design Co
Decor and Entertainment: Crash and Castles
Toys rental: Toys On Rent
Return gifts: Customise Me: 055 6563141
Return gift wrapping: Treasure Box: 050 7646362
Photo booth:Imprint Design
Photographer for family: KR Creations
Photographer for event: Melrish Photography

Get Inspired: Beautiful Bedrooms

Found these lovely bedroom images in a folder collected over time. And so apologies for not being able to link back some.

(From the latest issue of a fabulous online magazine, Rue)

(From Design*Sponge, see before here)

And now to my most fav among them all..

Guest Post: A ‘Martha Stewart’ Perfect Christmas in Dubai – Priscilla Stanley Shows You How-To

Hello everyone, I am Priscilla Stanley from licensedtoshoot and I hate to admit this, but I am no Martha Stewart.

As the year draws to an end, I find myself wishing I had her flair for turning an ordinary, mundane space into a beautiful picture perfect home, like the ones you see in glossy Christmas catalogues at this time of the year.

Sadly for me, these images just don’t translate into real life!

It was for this reason that I found myself at Pottery Barn earlier today.

An hour and half of browsing through the store and I knew my holiday décor this year was going to be a special one. Chad Allen, General Manager, Pottery Barn (UAE) was kind enough to let me take pictures of the lovely in-store decoration so that I could share them with you all.

Whether you plan to decorate your house for the holidays or not, I’d recommend you make a visit to Pottery Barn this month. The place is truly inspiring and the beautifully crafted knick-knacks are sure to bring out the Martha in you.

Antique silver napkin rings

    Holiday Pillow Collection: Peace AED 200

Reindeer collection

 
Monogram Candle Pot AED 100

‘Give Love’

Cheeky Wine Pull ‘One good turn deserves another’ AED 60

Monogrammed stockings

 Kkkkkkkk --- This one's for you Komal ;D

Here’s wishing you all Happy Holidays and a blessed, catalogue perfect New Year!

(Image credit: Priscilla Stanley)

Second Anniversary Special: Guest Post 2 by Archana Srinivas of Rang-Decor

Hello everyone, this is Archana Srinivas of Rang-Decor. Delighted to be doing a guest post for Lifealicious, as it turns two today. Thank you Komal for inviting me and congratulations on your blog birthday!

While growing up, I remember the lush money plant in various corners of our home, some climbing up, some swirling down, some in cracked mugs. They always seem to bring even the most mundane corner to life with their vibrant green.

Swirly money plants in recycled wine bottles…

Green indoor plants are a delight and the simplest way to perk up any kind of decor arrangement. At home I have loads of small plants in various corners. Here are a few captures.

My tiny Aloe Vera and other plants at the kitchen counter...

Angel Hair Fern in an antique brass container adds beauty to a dull corner...

Yes, it is a wonderful day isnt it?

So go ahead and place those green plants and see how they bring in beauty and vibrance:-)

Image credit: Archana Srinivas

Fill Up the Emptiness

Of your walls

  Of your doors

And, even your bath tubs

with these beautiful wall decals from Couture Deco :-)

Images courtesy Couture Deco, found via Stylizimo

Diwali Decor Inspiration - IV

My fourth post on the Diwali decor series is inspired by a website I L O V E, completely, totally, unconditionally… well ok.. not sure about the last bit because the reason I so adore it is coz it’s so beautiful, full of lovely ideas and lovely images. And if you’ve never been to this website before, do so immediately, to be out of the minutest minority there can ever exist :D

Ladies & Gentleman, I’m referring to ..*rolls drums*.. Marthastewart.com..an online space where I can easily spend hours just browsing :)

And doing any decor inspiration post and not including this one is criminal.. super criminal.. :)

So here’s presenting a few of Martha Stewart creations that can easily be implemented in your homes for any festival. Not that I need to say this, but you’ll find tonnes more on the website.

A clear glass vase with some flowers and candles placed over a round mirror, so prettty

 A simple candle’s beauty heightened with some flowers placed around it

Love the way lanterns are filled with a combination of flowers & candles, quite unique no

 Shell diyas!!! Ever thought of that ;D Here’s a how to DIY

 
Did you say you had bigger shells? :D

For those who have access to their very own outdoor space

Image courtesy Marthastewart.com

P.S. Here’s quick links to I, II, III of my Diwali Decor Inspiration series if you’ve missed it or want to go back ;D

Diwali Decor Inspiration III

My third installment of the festival decor series is one that you will simply be in awe of coz it’s so stunning. And the lady behind these awesome creations is Rajee Sood, an interior designer based in Gurgaon, India. Rajee’s blog is a haven for anyone looking for any design inspiration, especially when it comes to Indian decor.

Below are some of the highlights from her Diwali decor posts, and if you’d like to read them all, click here. 

How lovely do these roses look in Indian brassware 

Rich embroidered net fabric and crushed tissue forms a superb festive dinner table

Lanterns placed in between some greens

Floating tea lights and flowers intermingle for a perfect Diwali lit corner

Image courtesy Rajee Sood’s blog

BTW, if you love to throw elaborate parties and dinners during this time then Rajee’s post on a 5-week Diwali planner is a must read.

P.S. My Diwali Decor Inspiration parts I, II, IV