Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Decorating Rented Homes

Hello Ladies,

If there is one thing that all rented apartments have in common, it is white walls. In today's world of vivid and bright colors, sadly we renters have to make do with insipid white walls instead.

My kids have been sulking about it for some time now and I confess, I was feeling the same way. As with all my problems these days, I sought the wise advice of Sage Google.

There were some amazing words (and images) of wisdom. I am a very visual person. When my son asks me where his watch is (which happens about a dozen times a day), I visually go back to the last place I had seen it.

Isn't that what everybody does?

Anyways, I found some awesome ideas. Do you know the power of the scrapbook paper and glue dots? Isn't that awesome. I was very sure I would do this in my kids room. I even bought the paper. And yes, I did ask the kids for their stamp of approval.

kids bedrooms wall coverings - scrapbook paper
source: blogher.com

And then I found some more fascinating ideas.
kids bedrooms wall covering - Hexagons

This is a spin on the previous idea but the hexagons are more difficult to paste precisely. I wonder how the bees do it. Hmmm...

Drapes would also work beautifully and in half the time too. Why do you need windows for the drapes. Simply put the rods on your regular walls and find a nice design to hang from it. If you do the lacy, frothy style, I think it would make the room look very regal.

You know, I think I will take my own advice and do this in my own bedroom. Here is where I got this idea from.

When I do an image search on Google (or Bing), I try to give my own spin to the ideas that I like.

So I thought I was ready to update my kid's bedroom wall. But then something else caught my eye - WASHI TAPE.

o.m.g. (and that is not something I say everyday)

Have you seen the beautiful things savvy crafters make with them? I was drooling just looking at the pictures.

kids bedroom washi tape wall coverings

I have promised myself I will work on some project with washi tapes some day. But not yet.

Oh and did I mention that my kids are animal crazy? My son wakes up at 8 am on Sunday morning so he can watch 'Animal Atlas' on TV and my daughter wants to be a veterinarian - they are not yet 10 years old!

So I had this grand idea of combining the two and came up with this!!


I found this image online. It was actually a rug and I thought it had a wonderful twist on the regular zebra stripes that can be so common.

It was a 4-5 days project but all I needed was a printout of the image, a pencil and lots of regular black duck tape. The kids love it and I feel so proud every time I gaze at it.

It doesn't cover the entire wall but it is a focal point. And did you notice the cheetah print bedsheets? All part of the ongoing kids bedroom project.

I know I took some pictures of the mural while I was working on it. If you are interested I could give you the tutorial.

What do you think? Have you tried to spruce up the kids bedroom walls with anything other than paint? 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Ads that make you sighhh...and cry

Hello Ladies,

I am reading this book these days, "Why She Buys", by Bridget Brennan. Whether you happen to be a Sales and Marketing person or a smart shopper, this book is very insightful.

Isn't it strange that often we don't really dig deep into why we respond to an ad or a product the way we do. But when someone points it out to us, it looks oh-so-obvious. I have been having many such moments since I started reading this book.

So the other day when I saw this ad from Kohler, I could totally understand their target market and why this ad is a step in the right direction for the company.


We, the mommies, rule our little world. We work hard to provide our family with a healthy and happy environment.

So an ad showing a mom of two energetic bundles, enjoying a long soak while hubby babysits, is a dream that many of us will want to come true for us. 

Another ad that recently touched my heart like no other, is an Indian ad for an insurance company. Now normally, there is nothing magical about insurance. In fact it makes us face our worst realities. And yet this ad (in Hindi) is so beautiful, it brings out an emotion in me that I cannot quite name.

It eloquently shows the protective instincts of a man who loves his family. Even as he 'drops a wet towel on the bedroom floor' or 'forgets to carry his wallet', he is still looking out for his wife's safety...quietly.


The words of the song mean 'They might be kids at heart, but they are good men; They might forget things, they never change their habits, but they are Good Men'.

Sighhh! Even in this modern world with all my twenty-first century woman outlook, I still adore the Prince-Charming-shielding-me-from-all-harm feeling.