Happy Monday. It is the last working day for me in 2008. Woohoo!! I am leaving to go to New York tonight and will be there for the next few days. It was in New York almost three years ago that Mr. Mochatini popped the big question a very unsuspecting me on a lovely Monday night. (Blush). An intimate tearjerker moment(s) followed by Champagne at The W. It was a memorable night and I’m very excited to be back there for our two year wedding anniversary. We both have the day off filled with surprises for each other..and I can’t wait!
New York is up there on my list to visit this time of the year right after Paris. All the holiday windows, the well lit trees on 5th….. and Central Park! Which also means, I will not be here on Mochatini. Boo, I know. But you understand right? As always I will be back with food for design talk. Looking forward to the window hopping play dates. New York is really pretty this time of the year, with trendy window decorations everywhere! Fifth Ave here I come.
One place you wont find me is Times Square for NYE. I am allergic to crowds that size.
What is the one thing you would never want to do on NYE? Where are you spending your new years eve? Do you think NYE celebrations are over-hyped?
…we wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mochatini wishes you and your loved ones a very happy holiday season.
The Homies 2008. Nominate your favorite design blogs at Apartment Therapy here. And a big big thank you for all of you who took the time to nominate Mochatini. I am deeply touched and appreciate your nominations.
New reader contest
Contest 3: Week December 23-31 2008
Send me pictures of your holiday inspirations, holiday decorations, and anything that made your heart beat faster this holiday season. It could be a picture of you snowed in, your tree lights, your craft project, a window dressing, absolutely anything. All I need to accompany the picture is how it made you feel.
This time I am giving away a shawl and a sash.
Email your entries manvi@mochatini.org
Entries will be accepted until 4pm EST Jan 1, 2009.
Happy Holidays
Wisteria is on sale. So even if you are all set for this holiday season, this is also the time to steal a deal for next year. Grab ‘em while you can.
Design Tavern, a refreshing addition to the design blog world, compiled a design directory and featured Mochatini. A much appreciated surprise. Thank you Henry.
Hop over to Design Tavern and dont miss this post where Henry talks about how to stay up to date with latest from the design world and also on how you can use Google Reader to do so. I think you will find it very helpful. Come back to Mochatini for an up close interview with this student of architecture from the land down under.
Every entry that I received for this contest wowed me. I am always so amazed with how uniquely creative one can get! I have learned so much from your ideas. Thank you. Your entries also reinstate something that I firmly believe -“The world is but a canvas to the imagination”, by Henry David Thoreau.
I want to feature all the entries here but I have to spend sometime touching them up for brightness and file size. So here is the winner plus one and I will post the rest on a later date.
Now for the winner! Neha Sharma from Los Angeles, CA. Congratulations Neha. Love your ideas of reusing fabric from old clothes so beautifully! Your gift is on its way to you. Happy Holidays!
Neha Sharma
Sparrow King did not enter this competition but I wanted to share her gift wrapping ideas with you. She used old blueprints from an architect friend and some red ribbon. Nicely done Sparrow and good luck on your new blog.
Kayiwa, who made this and this, just added FAITH to his collection. FAITH is a candelabrum, a walking stick rack, or a flower vase, comes in red, white black, porcelain and glass. I wonder if we could use it for umbrellas.
Pre-order here.
While its dreary and raining outside, spirits are high and holiday parties in full swing. And with a roaring fire does one really need another reason to be indoors? We have another busy weekend ahead of us. Several exciting social commitments and last minute tasks to finish before the family arrives on Monday. I am thrilled to have Mr. Mochatini’s family here for the holidays. It is our first Christmas together as a family and in our new home. I am really looking forward to all the merry making. I miss my parents and sister but I will feel their presence and love even though they cannot make it. Hopefully next year they can join us here.
So, back to the tasks at hand. Mr. Mochatini and I have managed to turn things around at home in less than 2 weeks. It is amazing how we have managed to get so much done with everything else going on. To give you an idea, we have a new custom built bookcase in the study. The guestroom is ready for its first occupant (my brother-in-law). The kitchen looks great with the new wall paint. Its the first time a shade of red has worked out so beautifully. It has the perfect levels of saturation and brightness. We went with cranberry zing from Glidden. Painted one of the dining room walls in the same color. Our new dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator installed and fully functional. The breakfast bar demolished to allow freer movement from the dining room. To bring a feeling of continuity between the kitchen, dining room and living room, I am decorating them in the same palette. Steel/ silver, red, and white. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you all but have to wait for a day without clouds. Till then, here is something to keep you warm. The wall behind the fireplace is now a tin silver paint and it really complements the entrance, and kitchen/dining rooms. Oh and we didn’t hire any contractors! More on all this with pictures soon.
What are your plans for the holidays? Are you traveling to see family and friends? Where to? What is the one thing you look forward to the most at this time of the year? Reply via comments or email.
I am a big supporter of products that you are handmade, reused and or recycled. I find a use for almost everything around me. Vegetable boxes, tin cans, wine bottles, corks, brown bags, etc. I mostly save a lot of these for holiday gift wrapping purposes. ( You should see the look Mr. Mochatini gives me when I say “oh please don’t throw that away I can use that for something“. Ice cream sticks make excellent plant tags. nd what about cookies in the clear vegetable box with some handmade wash cloth, olive oil in wine bottles, tea light lanterns from tin cans, I could go on. But I want YOU to. Which brings me to this week’s contest.
I want to see gift wrapping ideas in which you have handmade, recycled and reused materials. I am not looking for perfection here, just simple and creative ideas that you come up with to gift wrap. They don’t have to be from this holiday season, or limited only to recycled or reused materials but have a hand crafted quality to them. Feel free to submit as many as you would like. At least one picture, and list of materials used is required.
Entries will be accepted until midnight December 19 EST. I will announce the winner that weekend.
Winner will receive a Pashmina or Silk Shawl from Nimli. I will ship the prizes internationally too, so to all my readers from around the world, don’t be shy.
And have a great weekend.
And the winner is……..
Wait. Let me first refresh your memory about the contest. I asked readers to submit a picture and/or description of an item that when you added to a room, it dramatically changed the look of the room.
I want to thank each one of you who entered the contest and shared your ideas. I stayed up late last night receiving and going through all your entries. They were all so great and very creative. Thank you for taking the time to submit your entries. There is a surprise pressie on its way to you as a thank you for entering. I hope you also enter for this week’s contest.
Now for the winner – drum roll….. Sparrow King from New York.
Sparrow changed the look of her dining room by reupholstering the chairs. She initially wanted to go with fabrics from Josef Frank textiles, but decided to go with Serefina from Pottery Barn instead. While the room is still a work in progress, you will see how fab her room looks with just recovering the chairs. Sparrow even sent in pictures from her mood board for the room. Congrats Sparrow! Your Azuri Silk Charmeuse Sash is on its way to you.
Dining Room – Before
Sparrow’s Inspiration from Josef Frank Textiles, Pottery Barn and Poul Henningsen’s Artichoke Lamp
Dining Room – After
Sparrow, what a cozy dining room! The chairs look fabulous. I hope you share pictures of other updates you make to the room.
