Oct 1, 2011

22.2 Acccessories : { Indian Look Vs International Design}

     22.2 accessories is the brain child of Bangalore based Richa Dubey - a National Award winner accessories designer from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi. Apart from being an expert handbag designer she is  a  fashion illustrator, potter and educator and have been conducting design workshops for various organizations and International schools. At 22.2 accessories, she fashions stylish clutches, sturdy but pretty tote bags in organic cottons, canvas, jute, raw silks, Mangalgiri fabirc and block prints in hand painted leather embellishments. Her unique and functional line of handbags are available in rich, bold, bright and beautiful designs and colors and her designs rely heavily on Indian traditions, culture, textiles and craft and have a unique Indian look with International design sensibilities . Her products are so appealing that its not surprising to see that most of her fine-looking products in Shopo are sold out… !!!

A three corner clutch with angular graphics 
painted on leather...

 Silk tote with  hand painted Anaarkali detail ...
 
     This is what Richa has to say to us about her brand .. .”I am not big on birthday celebrations but was fed up with my family members and friends who kept forgetting the date !!! As a sweet revenge 22.2accessories was conceptualized so that I need not remind them again .22 Feb is my birth date. I wanted to start an accessory line which truly utilizes Indian textiles and craft in a more contemporary fashion. I wanted to go beyond the bollywood prints and heavy decoration.  Our local artisans are doing some amazing work and I wanted to bring that in popular culture but with a fresh twist .There is so much to learn from rural India and I wanted to bridge that design gap. My work with craftsmen across India has made me realize that unless we provide fresh twist to age old traditions of craft ,they wont survive for long.Our effort is to bring these crafts on the front row of international fashion. 
     As a label we have revolutionary ambition and sky high expectations from ourselves. We are constantly working on to refine our products technically and aesthetically.Each of our products are handcrafted and  known for their earthy and whimsical look . Being an Eco aware label ,We Try to use materials not very far from their natural finish. So its about organic cottons ,canvas, jute , raw silks, Mangalgiri ,block prints etc. The leather used is most basic finished  veg tanned leather and is sourced directly  from tanneries. We have in-house facility where we customize fabric and leather prints for our collections.
      I get inspired by the women I design for. I think of their moods, way of living or certain needs. There is no point to design for design’s sake. A product is meant for someone and as a designer its my duty to find that connection. I only follow one rule while designing -  "EYES WIDE OPEN". I  am always driven to push forward. It’s a high to translate ideas into real products and I am a design addict.
      As our first step we are retailing handbags ,clutches ,Crafted footwear.We are very soon starting our Men's accessory line…
”  We wish you all the best Richa, with your future endeavors. 

 
 Ethnic clutches in block printed fabric ..

 A drool-worthy clutch with Angular graphics
painted on leather ....

  Handcrafted triangular clutch bag with
hand drawn 'Surya' motif in 'Mabhubani' style ..
 All Images via 22.2 Accessories

     Apart from her online shop 22.2 accessories is  retailed from various stores across Bangalore, like EKA Lifestyle,Mogra pret,Mother earth stores and very soon they  are Coming to Hyderabad and Delhi. …. If you are interested in Richa’s products, you can shop them online at Shopo –  She is also reachable at bagsinfashion@yahoo.com and you can see her work on facebook here.

Sep 25, 2011

at ... BlogAdda's "Wall of Fame" ....

     BlogAdda - one of India's largest blog directories has featured 100 Indian bloggers in its 'Wall of Fame' and I am happy to inform that 'Liven Things Up' is one among them... Yay !! .. You can read about it here and here. The screenshots of the same are seen below. 

   
  Thank You BlogAdda and team...and congrats to all the bloggers who have been featured ...!!

Sep 22, 2011

Prismma Feature

     'Liven Things Up' has been featured at Prismma - India's online interior design, decor, travel and lifestyle magazine. You can read about it all here.

Image Copyright : Liven Things Up - Please donot copy.

Thanks a lot, Anjali and the Prismma Team ;-) ;-) ...

Sep 7, 2011

Nadia's Ocean-themed succulent garden in California

          Hi friends, How have you been ? I know I have been MIA lately, my sincere apologies ... . To compensate that I am back with another beautiful post, only this time it is a garden tour. When I came across Nadia's blog and her charming underwater-world-themed garden, I was amazed. It was so lovely and the way she has brought her theme to life is simply awesome...

This is what Nadia has to say about her sea-themed garden .... "My inspiration for the ocean themed water wise gardens are from my love of the ocean and my equal passion for water wise plants,such as euphorbias, cactus and succulents. I was certified as a scuba diver in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico and returned for many years to vacation and scuba dive in that area. The ocean in this area is landscaped with cactus right up to the shore. It is a beautiful view. The contrast of water next to cactus I thought was unique and serene. I was able to create a mini version of what I loved on vacation by planting an ocean themed garden in my backyard. I used a lot of seashells, glass floats, drift wood and sand to create that ocean look. I filled in the rest with rocks, cactus, succulents and colorful euphorbias known as “firesticks”. Finding succulents that look like coral really added to the effect.Creating landscaping that brings back good memories of places I have been has brought a lot of joy to my daily living and serenity to my home." 
 
Now let's take a walk into Nadia's gorgeous garden ....







Apart from her sea-themed garden I couldn't resist myself from posting some more pictures of her garden from her gorgeous blog ...;-) ;-) ... Have a look at two of my favorites...



     If you are a lover of gardens, do hop over to Nadia's blog , I am sure you will love her gardening tips and cute DIY garden ideas, especially her artistic stepping stones , succulent designs and succulent arrangements...

All Images via Nadia Knows Gardens.

     If you have a themed garden like this or  a beautiful garden that you would like to show off,  do send in your entries to liventhingzup@gmail.com . I would love to do a tour of your garden also here... ;-) ;-) .. 

Aug 8, 2011

Aug 4, 2011

Home Tour : Jaime’s Home in Alabama

     Morning friends, did you have a good day? So as promised here's my first home tour - a warm, inviting and cozy home in Alabama ... Jaime is an immensely talented person , a mom of three kids who blogs at her blog Caught in Grace, where she blogs about the daily happenings, household projects, photography etc., What I love most about Jaime’s home is her household projects – from the faux fireplace mantel, the old coffee house sign in her kitchen to the picture frame in her living room made from an old window , I would say that all her projects have turned out to be awesome and I love the way she tries out things on her own, adding her own personal touch to it !! Apart from these, she is an amazing photographer, I love her casual photo shoots, especially the ones of her kids. Hop over to her blog here and browse through her projects and photography – you would know what I mean …. ;-) ;-).

    This is what Jaime has to say ... "I am realizing that making my house a home is a continual process. And as my family and I grow and our needs and personal tastes change, our house changes with us. I am learning that decorating is not about having a picture perfect house, but about creating spaces and an environment where my family and I can relax and be ourselves.

     Our living room is probably my favorite place in my home and I put most of my efforts in decorating in this room. It is where we spend the most time as a family and my goal is for it to feel warm, inviting, and comfortable.

     When we had our third child last year, I moved my oldest two children into a bedroom to share. It was both challenging and fun making that space work for both of them and I tried to bring in things that would express each of their personalities.Our youngest boy has a nursery all his own and I went with red, white, and blue as the main color choices. There is also a small nautical theme running through the room.

     Over the summer, we decided to use some extra space in the laundry room to make an art room for the kids. This is one of my favorite things that we've done in our house and the kids use this area a lot. I think it's important to think outside the box sometimes when decorating in order to meet the needs of your family in the stage that you're in. My kids love to do a lot of art and this provides a space for them to create, but keeps the mess contained to one area."
 
Welcome to Jaime's adorable home ....
 

Love those open shelves , and the little knick-knacks on display..

The photo frame made from an old window and the faux fireplace
are some of  Jaime's own projects ..
Don't you think that she has done a great job ?!!  
The faux fireplace in Winter-theme and festival theme ...
A close-up shot of some of  the beautiful items on
display over the fireplace...   

Art Room for the kids... Love this colorful space and
the way it has been designed practically for the kids' use..
 Kids' Bedrooms in soft shades of pink and blue for her
elder ones....  
Love the compact and stylish book shelf on the wall
& the framed numerals - simple, yet beautiful...
  
Jaime's youngest son Hudson's nursery... Don't you think that
 the red,blue, white nautical theme has come out so well.....
The rope shelves are another one of Jaime's projects where
 she has put an art work of her eldest son on display....
 Oh !!!I love that red lantern... !!
Saving the best for the last..Jaime with her three kids
Tyson, Peyton and Hudson...Lovely family snap, isn't it ... ?!
All Image Copyrights belong to Caught in Grace

I hope you enjoyed the house tour. Stay tuned until I get back with more exciting posts....

Aug 1, 2011

The winner of the giveaway is .....

Kamini of Saffron and Silk. CONGRATULATIONS,Kamini !!!! Thanks a million everyone, for encouraging me with your comments and participation in the giveaway ;-) ;-)

Have a fab week ahead ...!!!