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To Do List 2014

February 18, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 6 Comments

How was your weekend? I'd planned on tying up the loose ends on a lot of projects that I've started but our social lives took over! 3 days later, nope nothing got done. :( I mean, off late I've been dragging my feet when it comes to finishing up that one last project in a room otherwise ready for the big reveal! Enough of that, it's time I held myself up to my list................... Source: witandwhistle.com via Kadie on Pinterest The last time we did something like this was in September. Got to admit that in all the holiday frenzy I haven't worked on much in terms of room makeovers. The breakfast nook -In exactly the same spot as we left, 90% done. You can read all about the room revel here. The bright light though is that after pondering over the light fixture for … [Read more...]

Turn Any Photo into Watercolor with Waterlogue

February 14, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 13 Comments

Painted in Waterlogue, Waterlogue app, Turn Any Photo into Watercolor

Happy V day everyone! I've got some eye candy for you today. The buzz word in the blogging world lately has been the Iphone/ Ipad/Ipod Touch app, Waterlogue. As any loyal reader would do I checked it out and was hooked. The reason; it indeed creates beautiful pieces of art that you can print and use as proper art in your home. And no, you do not need pro level photos to create these masterpieces just about any photo would do. The only catch is as any watercolor artist would attest some scenes lend themselves to be "watercolored" better than others. My current favorite is this close up shot of one of my bouquets from this post. I badly want to make this into an Iphone case! Just for fun the original. At a price of $2.99 the possibilities for creating custom art that you can use … [Read more...]

Turn a Vintage Lard Can into a Side Table

February 13, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 13 Comments

As I was sitting down to write this post after a long evening trying to figure out why Google Adsense sent me a violation warning email (blogger troubles) it occurred to me that I haven't really given this Lard can side table project its due. It got lost in all the frenzy of my totally DIY'd guest bedroom reveal last year. So here's what you do if you ever come across a Vintage Lard Can. Swoop down and grab it before anyone else has a chance to set eyes on it. I found my beauty at The Old Lucketts Store Spring Market of 2012 for $15. Check the can thoroughly for rust. Given the fat content in Lard you'd be lucky if you found one without much rust. Mine was pretty rusty. With the help of some sand paper and Krylon permanent protective sealer I was able to get my yellow dude (since … [Read more...]

Get Updates from Your Favorite Pages on Facebook

February 12, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 8 Comments

I had no plans of writing anything about this topic until I saw the responses to one of my recent Facebook status updates. I know this is a pretty heated topic among bloggers but since most of you are not I thought maybe it was worth a mention here. The post in question; First off thank you for responding and letting me know that you saw the update. Can you see the number of people who saw the post? 625 out of the 1,800 plus folks who liked the page i.e 35%. And now check out the same number for my usual posts. 69 and 163 which is 4% and 9% respectively. This just goes to prove that Facebook uses the engagement on posts to decide if they want to show it to the folks who have already liked the page. Kind of pointless if you ask me. When you like the page you assume that you will … [Read more...]

How to Care for Air Plants

February 11, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 8 Comments

The post last week on my new Tillandsia or Air plant raised quite a few questions on how to take care of it. So I thought why not do a quick post on my weekly air plant routine. The air plant is what I consider a misnomer. Unlike what the name suggests they need much more than just air to survive. Being part of the bromeliad they attach themselves to trees or rocks and absorb moisture and nutrients through their leaves. This means that they need water and that too not just mists. I learned this the hard way, by killing a small Tillandsia 11 years ago. The instructions that came with it said to mist it once or twice a week. Doesn't work! So what I do you do? Once every week soak the plants, leaves, roots n all in luke warm water for about 40 mins to 1 hr. The only exception is if … [Read more...]

White Ceramic Accessories

February 10, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 10 Comments

I was at our local Goodwill a few months ago strolling through the aisles when four white ceramic dress forms caught my eye. Not sure of what they were I Googled the company name on one of those to find that the dress forms were actually napkin holders (more on that here). And thus began my love affair with IMM Living's white ceramic accessories. A few emails with the company and a few days later I had a beautiful Tiffany Blue box at my door steps with their Lady Victorian Socialite (by the way this link is to one of their online vendors HOTT.com where you can purchase the item) packed carefully inside for me to review*. Look at her, isn't she a beauty? Her birdy hat even comes off so that you can use her as a vase or a catch all container. Styling her was one of the most fun … [Read more...]

Printable Love Personal Planners

February 7, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran Leave a Comment

The question that I get asked often is how I manage my time. The only answer I can think of is that I was probably born with planning OCD, a trait that I inherited from my father who always I mean always is fully prepared with a back up plan. :) It comes naturally to me to plan the heck out of things. During my pre-blog days it used to be planning the kids' birthday parties, vacations, you name it I had an Excel spreadsheet for it. For our 1 week Disney World trip back then every ride and every activity was planned ahead. Because of all that planning the trip went as smoothly as possible; no wait lines for rides, no cranky kids, ample rest at the hottest times of the day, it was perfect! And that too in July, one the peak Disney travel times! Whenever folks talk about Disney trips I still … [Read more...]

Duct Tape Flowers

February 6, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 8 Comments

My Ms. Wannabe Crafter, Interior Decorator, Fashion Designer is back with another tutorial, this time for making duct tape flowers. Unlike last time she was super conscious in front of the camera and had to go through quite a few takes. The fact that the project needed many close angled shots didn't help either. She's been on a duct tape project roll lately so it was only apt to show the easiest duct tape craft there is. Yes, as you will see it is super easy. All you need are duct tape, scissors, and buttons. Take it away my munchkin..... Don't be fooled by its kiddie project looks I have plans of taking this a bit further and using for my Spring decor. A shot of her "Peace" flower. She hasn't yet decided how she is gonna use it. After the response on her first video … [Read more...]

Meet My New Best Friend – Spray Paint

February 5, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 17 Comments

6-awesome-spray-painting-projects, easy spray paint ideas

This post has been in draft for months now as I was waiting for just the right time to hit the "Publish" button. What more could be better timing than introducing y'all to my new best friend on my big day? Yup, I'm officially closer to the big 4.0 yo! 36 folks! A HUGE year for me in terms of everything. Not yet ready to spill all the beans but this is gonna be that year where my life is going to has actually started taking a sharp turn. And now let's hope it is all for good. Anyways, back to my friend.....spray paint.:) I mean just look at the projects I did over the last 2 years, all with spray paint! And that too this is only a snippet of what's there on the project pages. Spray paint is the cheapest way to update the look of anything around the house. Whether you are bored of that … [Read more...]

Cupcake Liner Valentine Garland

February 4, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran Leave a Comment

I'm not usually big on Valentine's day. Over the years I've come to accept that it is one of those holidays that just doesn't speak to me. If you check back to the last two Februaries you wouldn't find even a single Valentine's project on WUHS. This year though in an effort to follow through on my word of the year "Overcome", I decided it was time to break free of my inhibitions about this holiday. The plan; to use items around the home to create a simple Valentine's craft. Have to throw in a close up shot before we begin. This simple cupcake liner garland is totally inspired by Laura's (from Make Life Lovely) project from last year. In my case, all I had at home were these flimsy thin cupcake liners and wrapping/craft papers. Materials Cupcake Liners - preferably the thicker … [Read more...]

Let’s Go Craigslist Campaigning

February 3, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 10 Comments

campaign-furniture, campaign dresser, campaign chest

By the time I discovered Campaign furniture it had already become a prized home decor item, selling by the $100's even for a small piece. For those still in the dark, it is basically any type of furniture that could fold or break down easily for travel. Historically these were used by militaries as they had to pack up and move frequently. The trade marks of the style are brass corners to protect from wear and tear, strap work, and removable legs. My recent mission; to find a campaign chest on Craigslist for that unfinished corner in our living room. And I almost did find one 3 weeks ago. This Bernhardt beauty was listed for $45 (mirror n all) in our area. My eyes popped out seeing the price tag. These pieces are so hot that the dresser below sells for around $300 on Etsy! Larger pieces … [Read more...]