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

Diwali Decor Inspiration - II

My second post in the Diwali Decor Inspiration series comes from a lovely slideshow called The Magic of Candlelight over at Real Simple. These days candles are creeping in and becoming a part of the Diwali decor too.

You can easily recreate any of these settings with a candle-diya combination or plain candles or diyas alone :)

 Candles placed on sturdy wine glasses

 Tea lights placed in glass jars that can be sourced from the kitchen

Candles of different heights placed on a mirror that runs the length of the table

Tea lights placed in terra cotta pots and hurricane lamps placed on a nice silver or copper tray

 If you’re into baking like me, use them cupcake pans and decorate with tea lights, flowers and diyas

Image courtesy Real Simple

P.S. Diwali Decor Inspiration parts I, III, IV and if you would like to decorate diyas at home, here’s my post with all details.

Diwali Decor Inspiration - I

Diwali is now exactly a month away and we all love to decorate and light up our homes for this very special festival. Every year for the past two years I have found so much inspiration in the blogosphere on this topic that this year I thought of sharing these with you over four posts.

In today’s post, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful wonderful lady, Archana Srinivas, the hands behind Rang – Decor. Through her blog, Archana is filling the blogosphere with a lot of rang (colour) highlighting Indian decor and design.  

Here are some really simple ideas for Diwali from her blog:

Simple earthen lamps enhanced with sequins

Mini idli moulds lit to beautify any corner of your home

 Adding pebbles to diyas before lighting them

 And in some add  flowers

And there’s a whole lot more that you can view here specifically for the festival, but don’t just stop there, there’s inspiration and beauty oozing out of every corner of her blog :)

P.S. All images via Rang – Decor, shot by Archana Srinivas
P.P.S. Diwali Decor Inspiration parts II, III, IV

DIY Diwali Diyas

I love all things creative and the energy that comes from being in the company of creative people.

Diwali, diyas, decor and I thought all this was still a few months away until I read Rajee Sood's post on Diwali decor and realised it isn't as far as I had imagined.

Coming back to this post: Two years back, I was sitting with a couple of my creative friends and we thought it would be a good idea to come together and make some diyas at home. For a change the idea led to something productive :) and below are the results.

If one is in India then these efforts are probably not needed for the sheer variety on offer, but when you're living abroad, where you don't have a lot to choose from or have some time to spare or just want to feel close to home, I think it's a really good activity to get involved in.

These hand-decorated diyas make for really nice Diwali gifts for friends and families and can be stuffed with sweets, chocolates or dry fruits.  One could even come together to make and then sell these with all proceeds going to charity. 

Here are quick steps to decorate diyas at home:

1. Buy earthen diyas from the market
2. Soak them in water for a couple of hours
3. Dry them for a good few hours and once completely dried, paint in bright colours
4. Decorate with embellishments using gun glue to stick and these could even come from your home: beads, pearls, small mirrors, coloured stones, etc.

  

If you do get inspired to make some, do share them with me too.