Whats Ur Home Story

Window Shopping – Deal or No Deal

June 5, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran Leave a Comment

You know, being a home decor/ DIY blogger comes with its own baggage, some good some bad. For e.g. a good trait that I have picked up is now a days I think long and hard before I buy anything, "Do I really need it? Where would I put it in the home? Can I DIY it at a cheaper price? Maybe if I could DIY it, I could customize the look?"etc. Along the way I've also acquired some blogger bad habits like taking phone pics of anything that catches my eye at a store! The end result, having a hard time backing up my phone 'coz I've used up all my memory space! Now you would think someone who uses their phone extensively would know better but the urge to click pics of pretty, thrifty things is so strong that I ignore commonsense! In the spirit of clearing out my phone's memory here we … [Read more...]

How to Get High End Designer Fabric on the Cheap

June 3, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 8 Comments

Before we begin I have to say this post wouldn't have been possible if not for my friend Jennifer's, from the Brave New Home blog, excellent research skills. In fact she was the one who found this great source out and blogged about it first. Now, thanks to Jennifer I have my very own piece of Schumacher magic! The Chiang Mai Dragon print from F. Schumacher has been doing the rounds of the designing world for a few years now. It is even safe to assume that the pros might have become tired of it 'coz it was that popular. But for the rest of us, not so much. If this is the first time you are hearing about Schumacher (other than Formula 1 racer) or Chiang Mai Dragon then no worries, I was in the same boat till I got on Pinterest. Isn't that where we all go awry? So, one day I was … [Read more...]

How to Plant a Lotus

June 2, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 6 Comments

Can't believe it is June already! The last few months have been a roller coaster for me personally and I'm glad all that uncertainty is behind us and my life is back to normal. The funny thing is, it took me 4 months to realize what my normal is and how much I like it! Anyways, more on that later now for the fun stuff I did over the weekend. As you've already guessed this year my water garden sports a Lotus instead of the usual Water Lily! I tell ya, around here water lily is so last year. ;) More good news, I finished my cane chairs! I know a few of you have been after me to finish those and boy did I have to pull a late nighter to wrap that up! But didn't get a chance to take the "After" shots so you'll have to wait till next week for the reveal. On the garden front, I transplanted my … [Read more...]

A Country Garden Like No Other!

May 29, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 11 Comments

Today I'd planned on showing you a project in the making for the guest bedroom but then I came across these beautiful pictures of Dandi's country garden. How could I not share this gem with y'all? What I love the most about her outdoor space is her very clever use of containers and how she has mixed and matched various plants. If you thought my bird cage planter was a novel idea then hold on to your seats tight, you are in for a thrill ride! Presenting...........happiness in a tub! I'm in love! The colors, flowers, everything about it. Impatiens spilling out of an old bucket. Here's a zoomed out view of the same thing. Dandi took the hanger off a hanging petunia basket and placed it inside an old milk can and voila! See what I'm saying? A Radio Flyer wagon gets a … [Read more...]

My Campaign Trail

May 27, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 3 Comments

Over the holiday weekend I got a lot done around the house in terms of projects, some that has been in the making for like ever and some that totally started to take shape the last few weeks. Yup, we are finally on the home stretch on the cane chairs but the room that has taken me by surprise on how fast it has evolved into a project is the upstairs guest bedroom. More on that in the coming days but for now my Campaign story. What would compel a grown woman to show up at a stranger’s house, money in hand? I'm totally borrowing this line from Gina of Charming Zebra. As I read this first line of her post all I could think of was, "That was me this Saturday!" Let's rewind a little bit. Back in Feb I told you how I was lusting after Campaign furniture on Craigslist. Every time I saw a piece … [Read more...]

New Floors Anyone?

May 26, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tarkett NA for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. In the ideal world, you would call a room makeover done when you can cross off every item on your To Do list but in reality, at least in my world, when I have finished up 70% of my project list for the room I call it done. Why? Not because I like it that way but due to time and monetary constraints. Sometimes I am not even sure of what it would take to complete the room. Take the newly "finished" laundry room for example. I had covered every thing from the eye level and up but look all the way down at the floor. :O Linoleum! That's the only place we have linoleum in the house; something that we'd reluctantly decided to go with in the name of keeping the costs down when building … [Read more...]

Bird Cage Planter

May 22, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 21 Comments

For all of you who love giving handmade gifts to your friends and family, have you ever had trouble thinking up a gift for someone who also happens to be a crafter? I always end up thinking so hard only to rule out every idea that occurs to me 'coz it doesn't measure up. That's exactly how I felt a few weeks ago when I was pondering over a house warming gift for a dear friend. Nothing I thought of felt like it was the idea, you know the one where you get all excited about the end result and start working on without even taking the 'before' pictures? I was in my craft room aka. the basement guest bedroom (which by the way is more like my craft storage dump) rummaging through everything I had looking for inspiration. Maybe a piece of a scrap fabric or those corks or the 2 big packs of … [Read more...]

Lucketts Spring Market 2014

May 20, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 7 Comments

If you follow me on social media you've already seen pics from my trip to the Lucketts Spring Market this weekend. This is one event that I look forward to every year (read about my trip last year and the year before). This year though it was extra special; the fabulous ladies at the Old Lucketts Store were kind enough to provide us, local bloggers with a place to meet at their Design House. After meeting up with Jena from Involving Home and Jeanie from Create and Babble over breakfast we went about exploring. Here I am with Jena and Cassie from Primitive and Proper in front of Cassie's store, Sweet Clover's tent. As in the previous years, this year too the market didn't disappoint; it was a treasure trove of inspiration. Look at that chair! I'm totally bookmarking that color … [Read more...]

Garage Organization with Rubbermaid FastTrack

May 19, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 6 Comments

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Rubbermaid, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #FastTrack http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH” Signs that you are a DIY’er mom: A never ending list of projects. A garage full of other people’s trash; you know what I mean pallets, old lamps etc. Piles of shipping boxes in your garage that you’ve hoarded in case you need it for a spray paint project. Thrifted furniture peeking out from under those cardboard boxes waiting for their turn to shine. Half-finished paint projects, again in the garage. All sorts of tools, extension cords, Spray paint, paint cans spewed all over you know where. Bikes, skateboards, scooters, lawn chairs all just lazily thrown around in the … [Read more...]

Plastic Storage Bin Makeover

May 15, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 7 Comments

Am I the only one who stores swimwear in the laundry room? Yup, that's were we keep the whole family's swimsuits! In that bin on the laundry room shelf along with the beach towels and such while the pool passes and goggles hang on our laundry organizer sign. It just seems easier to have them all in one place so daddy (he's the pool person) can find them when he takes the kids for a swim. That way he doesn't have to go looking in separate rooms. Think I've had that bin for at least 4 years. It is one of those Rubbermaid ornament storage boxes (see the red and green lid) you get on "After Christmas clearance" for $5. Used to look like this! Your run of the mill see through plastic bin; great for storing ornaments where you can see what is in it but not ideal for swim suits in a mix of … [Read more...]

Gimme More Red

May 13, 2014 By Vidya Sukumaran 20 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart although I actually purchased the Bella® Linea Toaster featured in this post with my own money. It was not provided to me for this post but I liked the features so much that I bought one. All opinions are 100% mine. I have a thing about kitchen counters. I like my counters bare; yes nothing on them, all wiped clean and stark. It's a habit that I picked up unknowingly while living in a house that was on the market for 3 months. After B moved to VA for his job the kids and I stayed back in NJ and moved only when we sold our NJ home. Out of state relo emergency, two small kids, and a housing bubble meant that the house had to be spanking clean and presentable to sell. Everyday before I left for work I would take everything off … [Read more...]