Yearbook 2020

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Decoration gift ideas for the holiday season

December 19th, 2020

5 basic tricks to decorate for Christmas

December 12th, 2020

6 styles to decorate your hall

The entrance of our house is the first thing you see when entering and, therefore, your letter of introduction. That is why you have to pay special attention when decorating your hall . It should give a good welcome and create a cozy feeling. But it should also reflect your style and personality.So, given the importance of having a well decorated entrance and to our liking, today we will review several options to carry out this idea. We will tell you what elements you need to easily achieve your preferred decorative style. Then, you just have to choose the one that best suits you and your home.1- IndustrialA touch of wood and iron in your hall will give it that industrial tone that you may be looking for. You can sweeten it a bit with a pastel color or a more delicate fiber for your decorations. That way it won't be so cold but it will still be present.2- BohemianNatural fibers, ethnic patterns and many plants. With these three elements, you will have your bohemian style achieved. Your entrance will be full of life and good vibes.3- NordicThe black and white as protagonists will give sophistication to your entrance. If you achieve this chromatic combination thanks to furniture with simple lines and without many decorative elements, you will have your Nordic hall. Simplicity, elegance and practicality to welcome you.4- CheerfulA splash of color and a few bold embellishments will be enough to create a playful entryway. Let yourself be carried away by your personality and decorate a fun and cheerful hall just like you.5- ElegantIt is often said for clothes that with black you never fail, right? Well, to decorate an elegant entrance either. If you do not dare with this color on the wall, use it on the furniture. Add a sophisticated mirror and, for a more glamorous touch, some gold details. It will contract perfectly with wood, if you want to reduce its sobriety.6- DIYAn entrance made to measure is an entrance where you have made an element with your own hands. Pull some DIY that you like and get the area with the most personality in your home. The perfect style if you want to decorate your hall with recycling and you like the eco-friendly touch.With which of these styles would you like to decorate your hall?

December 5th, 2020

THE TECHNIQUE OF MANUAL WOOD BLOCK PRINTING

History of manual printing with a pad or wood blockThe origins It is difficult to date the beginning of the use of the pad printing technique. According to recent discoveries, it could go back 5,000 years. In tombs in Upper Egypt, pieces of printed cloth have been uncovered, others in the ruins of Mohenjo Daro, an ancient city in the Indus Valley. Dated to 2100 BC, the murals found in Beni Hassan depict Afro-Asians dressed in costumes with striped or zigzag patterns.Were they imprinted using stone or woodblock prints?However, the discovery in Akhrnim in Egypt of blocks engraved with figures and that of patterns on textiles, as well as a fragment of printed cotton found in Arles, attest with certainty to the use of the wood pad printing method. in 542 BC Development in EuropeFrom the 11th to the 14th century, the Germans printed textiles with a wooden pad, trying to imitate, very poorly, the refinement of the woven patterns of the Byzantines or Italian silks. With prosperity, this wood pad printing technique was neglected in favor of richer processes: weaving or embroidery. Thanks to the contribution and the inspiration of India, Augsburg made itself famous, in the XVIIth century, for its factories of prints on linen. It was through export that the printing of colored patterns spread again: in France from Alsace, in Switzerland and in England. Workshops flourished in Europe until the 18th century.Development in IndiaThis art of printing flourished in India in the 12th century, under the patronage of the Rajas.And it was in the 16th century that “les Indiennes” (block printed cotton) were exported from Pujab and Bombay to Europe by Dutch merchants!The 17th century saw a period of revitalization of the process, but it was truly in the 18th century that India left us the most beautiful proofs of its mastery of the technique of wood pad printing and testimonies of its sophistication: through canopies, wall hangings, bedspreads, coats and other pieces of clothing.The variety of textile supports, patterns and color palettes were specific to different regions, and the development of workshops mainly related to water, necessary for steaming and final washing.Competed in the 19th century by European manufacturers, this art, which remained alive on the local market, has declined, in favor of other methods, such as the block printing machine or screen printing.Today the main center of wood pad printing is in Rajasthan, in Sanganer - Jaipur where some workshops are very active on the local market as well as for export.Sanganer was recognized recently (end of 2009) as a Geographic Source for 500 years of the craft of manual printing to wood block. It is a kind of global AOC that protects the process. Printing technique using wood block or padThe beauty of the printed textile pieces - fineness of the design, regularity of the "stamp", harmony and chromatic richness, reliability of the colors in washing and of course creativity - require the skills of craftsmen with very different specialties, which few workshops bring together.Manufacture of the wood stamp:The motif is first created on paper, and the distribution of colors decided. For polychrome designs, 4 to 20 stamps may be necessary depending on the complexity of the design and the richness of the color range. The engraving of a single stamp can occupy five sculptors for three days.On the perfectly flattened and sanded piece of teak, the design is carried over. The parts intended for the relief are colored in order to easily distinguish them from the spaces to be hollowed out. The sculpture is done gradually, the general masses are first roughened up to the finest details. The carving of the outline blocks of a drawing is particularly delicate.There will be as many engraved wooden blocks as there are colors.Many shapes and sizes can be nested, so each block is engraved with markers that will allow good continuity from design to printing. The wood buffer thus obtained is soaked in oil for two weeks in order to nourish the wood sufficiently so that no cracking spoils it and allows better adhesion of the stain. On the back part of the block, a wooden handle is added allowing the artisan printer to hold it. Printing process: It is the "master of colors" who prepares the palettes. On small rolling tables, are placed each pallet composed of a wooden box, filled with a "thousand sheets" of jute, on which the colored dough is poured in a studied quantity. The colors are produced one after the other as the printing work progresses, from pigments, often chemical nowadays, sometimes natural such as indigo.Artisan printers work on long tables, which they cover with a "mattress" of about twenty layers of jute, wool or cotton tightly stretched. This surface obtained, neither too soft nor too rigid, provides an ideal basis for the application of printing pads. The fabric to be printed (mainly cotton, but also linen or silk), is adjusted on this mattress and held by pins.The craftsman prints his wooden stamp on the colored palette and applies it to the virgin fabric, then with the other hand, "hits" it. Then he uses the marks to print following or with another stamp to complete the pattern. One color is usually printed on the entire piece of fabric, often with multiple stamps with different designs. After the fabric has dried, it is stretched again on the table and printed with another color, usually by another printer. The process, carried out as a team, is repeated until the final textile is obtained.The fully printed and dried piece is finally treated to fix the colors: wrapped between cloths or paper, the fabric is steamed, then washed again, sun dried and ironed.All stages of wood pad printing and final treatment help to set the pigments, guaranteeing richness and good color retention. During the monsoon, given the heavy rains and the high ambient humidity, drying becomes much longer and production is generally slowed down. The more complex the piece of fabric is in patterns, colors or both, the more blocks and manipulations it requires, the more expensive it will be!

November 28th, 2020

How to change the decoration of your living room in 5 steps

Today we are going to discover how to change the decoration of the living room following five fundamental steps . We will look at the style, furniture, lighting, textiles and personal details. In this way, we will end up turning a room like the one in the first photo into one like the one in the second. Do you fancy the challenge?Follow these 5 steps to change your living room .Step 1: define your styleDefining the decorative style that your stay will follow is important. By this I do not mean that you have to stick to a specific style and follow its guidelines, far from it. But it is necessary to be guided by a color palette that we like previously defined and a type of furniture and decorative items that match each other. That the mixture fits well is the most difficult thing to achieve and it can end badly if we are not very expert or we do not have a good eye. If your case is the latter, you will get better results if you follow the guidelines of a specific decorative style.Step 2: renovate the furnitureOf course the furniture is an essential part in the decorative set of any room. You have to choose it carefully because it should be practical as well as aesthetic. In addition, this is usually the part where we spend the most money. Do not forget to take measurements to know what space you have. Think about the distribution that the pieces will have, we don't want you to run out of room to move freely around the room or to leave too many free spaces and the feeling of a soulless room.Step 3: improve the lightingWe do not realize how much a room improves thanks to lighting until we change it. The first good results can be achieved only with the light from the outside and a clear paint. Even placing mirrors in strategic places so that they reflect that luminosity that enters us through the window. The extra point comes from a good auxiliary lighting . Do not forget to place indirect lights such as table and floor lamps, in addition to improving the lighting in the living room, you will have decorative elements that can gain much prominence and dress the room more than you think.Step 4: change textilesA good list of tips to renew the decoration without talking about textiles is not complete. It is the cheapest and easiest to change and gives great results with little effort. Do not forget step one when buying your new cushions, rugs or curtains, and let yourself be guided by a style that you like. By choosing them well you can make your living room have a bohemian or Nordic air, for example.Step 5: add personal detailsA nicely decorated living room is beautiful to see, but your living room should also be cozy and comfortable, a place that invites you to spend time in it. A help for this to happen is that you add personal objects that speak of you. The vase you bought on that trip, the photo of a special moment or the lamp that your grandmother gave you will be the details that will say that this is your living room . They will turn a simple room into a part of your home.You already know how to change the decoration of your living room with 5 steps, do you dare to try them?

November 21st, 2020

Details to decorate the house at Christmas

I don't know if it happens to you too but, at least for me, decorating the house at Christmas tends to make me quite lazy. When I want to renovate a room I think about it a lot and I enjoy it, but seasonal decorations, such as Christmas, tend to make me lazy. I know I'm not cheering you on at the moment, but you will change your mind when you read the full article.For those of you who feel identified, I want to give you some simple and easy-to-do ideas so that decorating at Christmas is not such an expensive task. The idea is that with little work, your house seems more Christmas. Thus, meetings with family and friends will have a setting more in line with the festivities that await us, without too much effort on our part.Bring Christmas to your hallThe hall welcomes each house, so it gives us a first impression of it. To achieve a Christmas atmosphere, any detail at the entrance of the house will be very useful. Put up some holly leaves, some lights, or any holiday goodies. Your guests will breathe the smell of Christmas from the first moment.That the tree (or something similar to it) is not missingA few days ago we showed you different ways to put a Christmas tree without needing a tree itself. You can place the classic of the size that your house asks for.Dress your table with Christmas spiritThe centerpieces are very useful to decorate on specific holidays and they are no less so at Christmas. Take a nice tray (if it is wooden better, to get a rustic touch) and decorate it with the Christmas decorations that you like the most, as long as they combine between them. That easy!Take advantage of your usual decorationGet creative and add the Christmas decorations to the ones you usually have at home. In this way everything will appear more uniform and integrated and not just individual items that we have added later. You can achieve this by using ornaments that match the colors of the room where you put them. Even taking advantage of the decorative items that you already have as a support, as we see in the photo.

November 7th, 2020

What colors do I choose to decorate my house?

Color is one of the best tools we have when decorating and transforming the spaces in our home. Knowing how to choose correctly the tones, combinations and color environments, you can give a different personality and even change the perception of the size of any room. If you wonder what colors to choose to decorate your home, keep reading...Tones and shades of colorWhen choosing a range of colors to paint or decorate our home, we tend to avoid going out of the most neutral palettes. To avoid bad combinations you must know the three color schemes that will set the guidelines to follow in your home.Tonal schemeThe tonal scheme is characterized by using the different shades of the same color, or more than one color, but always maintaining the same intensity. With this combination of colors sophisticated environments are achieved. One of the most used tricks in the tonal scheme is to use the lightest shade for the ceiling, the same darker color for the walls, and an even darker shade for the furniture and woodwork.An example of the tonal scheme would be dark gray, warm brown, blue, and purple.Harmonic schemeThe harmonic scheme is characterized by the closeness in the chromatic circle of the colors that make it up. To create a harmonious color palette, we start with the primary colors (red, yellow and blue). Mixing two of them we obtain the secondary colors (orange, green and violet). On the outside of the circle we find the colors that are obtained by mixing a primary with a secondary. Mixing these last colors we achieve a harmonic and coherent color range.As an example, a harmonious, cheerful and bright palette would be made up of colors: lilac, chalk, turquoise and pink.Contrast schemeUnlike the harmonic scheme, the contrast scheme uses colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. It is a much more daring scheme with greater visual impact.To compose a contrast scheme we could choose the following colors: bright red, intense orange and green and blue in their dark tones.Now that you know how to make an effective color palette according to your tastes, let's refine your choice a little more. Have you heard of warm and cool colors? Do you know how they differ?Warm colorsWhen we talk about warm colors, the first shades that come to mind are reds, oranges and yellows. All of them give us vitality and make stays much more joyful. These types of colors tend to reduce the rooms, so they are appropriate for large areas and rustic decorations.Cold colorsOn the opposite side, we find the lilacs, greens and blues. All of them are colors that help us reduce the intensity of light. These types of shades make rooms appear larger and give the feeling of spaciousness and space. These types of pallets are perfect for bedrooms and rest areas, as they provide an atmosphere of calm and tranquility.Have you decided what is the ideal color palette to decorate your home?What combination is your favorite?

October 31st, 2020

Low cost ideas to renovate the bedroom

Renovating the bedroom from time to time can help us, believe it or not, to rest better. It is not the same to go to bed and enter a room that gives us a feeling of comfort and enters through the eye than one that we do not like or even reject.For a proper rest, it is best that your bedroom is relaxing, comfortable and visually appealing . And if this can be achieved at a low cost, then even better ... That's why today we review some low cost ideas to make that renovation that your bedroom needs and thus become your temple of rest.Reuse, always reuse.That piece of furniture that no longer serves you where it is does not have to be useless. It may be "that" that you lack in another corner of the house or, in this case, the bedroom. Perhaps that side table that you had in the living room can become, for example, the most original nightstand. Or maybe that old-fashioned chair is perfect for creating a reading corner after a facelift. You can even create your own headboard from recycled materials or materials left over from something else, like we did.Via DominoChange the mattress, get plenty of rest.Although changing the mattress does not seem the cheapest way to renovate the bedroom at first glance, yes, there are also low cost mattresses . Nowadays you can buy a mattress at a good price without sacrificing quality thanks to companies that do not use intermediaries. Although it is not a visual element, let's not forget that it is a fundamental piece for this room to fulfill the purpose for which it exists: your rest.Add natureThe decorating trends for 2021 talk a lot about nature, so we have the perfect excuse to incorporate in important rooms such as the bedroom. In the renovation of it we can thus add natural colors in textiles or something as simple as some extra plant. It seems that this coming year we will also want to incorporate the exterior into our houses as much as possible, so do not be shy and do not lose contact with nature even if it is inside your home.Paintings with creativityDressing your walls is a quick and striking way to change your bedroom without much effort but with a great result. A composition of paintings or a large sheet can support the weight of an entire wall. You can get a low-cost, creative face lift by making the frames for your favorite prints or photos yourself.Less is moreSometimes renewing does not mean adding, but rather removing. Get rid of the items you don't need and recharge your bedroom and you will see the change with your own eyes. It is one of those rooms where following the less is more rule will help you achieve that relaxing effect that we seek to achieve a restful sleep. I don't have a lower cost tip ...

October 24th, 2020

Decoration Trends For 2021

The decoration trends for this coming 2021 are very compatible with each other. Which is appreciated, because sometimes it is difficult to be up to date and that different fashions combine with each other ... So, lovers of trends, do not worry, this new season you can hit the nail on the head to have a house full of what ultimate in interior decoration.Cannage or mesh furnitureThe cannage is a technique that has been done since the eighteenth century and is now back in our furniture. It consists of braiding thin strips of rattan creating a surface, that is why there is a result that resembles a grid. It was used mainly for chairs and headboards, but today we can find it in a wide variety of furniture, from cabinets to lamps.Sustainable decorationThe deco slow , natural and ecological materials and sustainable decoration in general have come to stay. Everything that surrounds eco-friendly thinking is a trend and that makes us very happy. Social awareness with the environment is also present in interior decoration. Hopefully we help nature a little bit with it while our homes light up fresh and relaxing.A Japanese touchJapandi style , a mix between Japanese and Scandinavian philosophies that is a trend. To follow this style, there must be a Nordic background with more neutral colors and furniture with straight and simple lines. But if this whiter background doesn't convince you, you can add a Japanese touch to a bolder decoration. For example, and without going any further, with some vegetable fiber mesh furniture. You already have three trends in one.Multifunctional furnitureContinuing with the slow deco in which less is more, it is also fashionable not to use more furniture than necessary. Sometimes we have a small one and we still need a shelf, a TV cabinet, storage space ... Don't complicate yourself and choose a multifunctional cabinet like this one from Mobel 6000 , you will save on space and practicality without sacrificing style.Colors of natureThe tones that will reign in our homes according to the new trends speak of nature. Greens will be the main protagonists combined with terracotta, ocher or raw. The Classic Blue , erected king of 2020, will also leave us shades of blue for the new year in our interiors.More plantsAnd since we want to include nature in our homes, what better way than to do it with the plants themselves. For years they have been more than present in interior decoration, but now following the trend of the Urban Jungle style , vegetables will enter the home in every corner. Nothing better to include a little of the exterior in the interior, something that in recent months we have been quite missing.

October 17th, 2020

Navaratri Festival In India: Essential Guide A Nine-Night Festival In Honor Of The Mother Goddess

Navaratri is a nine-night festival that honors the Mother Goddess in all her manifestations, including Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. It is a festival of worship and dance. The festival culminates with Dussehra, a celebration of the victory of good over evil, on the tenth day.When is Navaratri?Actually, there are four different Navaratri festivals throughout the year in India. However, Sharad Navaratri is the most popular. This festival takes place in late September or early October each year. The dates of the festival are determined according to the Hindu lunar calendar.LocationThe festival is celebrated throughout India, but in different ways. The most extravagant and famous Navaratri celebrations take place in western India, throughout the state of Gujarat and in Mumbai. In West Bengal and Odisha, Navaratri is celebrated as Durga Puja.How the festival is celebratedIn western India, Navaratri is celebrated with nine nights of dancing. Gujarati traditional dances, known as garba and dandiya raas, are performed in circles with dancers dressed in colorful clothing. Small decorated sticks called dandiyas are used in dandiya raas.In Mumbai, dancing takes over stadiums and clubs across the city. While some of it has retained a traditional flavor, the introduction of the dandiya disco has given Mumbai Navaratri celebrations a glamorous and modern twist. Today, people unleash their dance with a fusion of remixed rhythms and strong Hindi pop music.In Delhi, the feature of the Navaratri celebrations are the Ramlila plays that take place throughout the city. The towering effigies of the demon Ravan are burned as part of these performances in Dussehra. According to Hindu mythology in the Ramayana, at the beginning of Navaratri, Rama prayed to Goddess Durga for the divine power to kill Ravan. He received this power on the eighth day, and finally, Ravan was defeated at Dussehra.In southern India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh), Navaratri is widely known as Golu and is celebrated with the display of dolls. The dolls are symbolic of female power. They are placed on uneven numbered steps (usually three, five, seven, nine, or 11) that are set up with wooden planks and decorated. During the festival, the women visit each other's houses to see the exhibits and exchange sweets.In Telangana, in South India, Navaratri is celebrated as Bathukamma. This flower festival is dedicated to Goddess Maha Gauri, an incarnation of Goddess Durga who is considered the giver of life and the Goddess of femininity.Rituals performed during NavaratriOver the course of the nine days, the Mother Goddess (Goddess Durga, who is an aspect of Goddess Parvati) is worshiped in her various forms. Worship, accompanied by fasting, takes place in the mornings. The afternoons are for partying and dancing. Each day has a different ritual associated with it. Also, predominantly in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, there is a custom of wearing different colors of clothing every day.In Gujarat, a clay pot is brought home and decorated on the first day. It is considered as the source of life on earth and a small diya (candle) is kept . The women dance around the pot.In Telangana, the goddess is worshiped in the form of Bathukamma, a flower arrangement stacked to resemble a temple tower. The women sing old folk devotional songs and process the Bathukammas to immerse themselves in the water on the last day.

October 10th, 2020

TEXTILE STAMPING WITH STAMPS, A LEGENDARY AND CURRENT TECHNIQUE

Photos taken from: Google Images, Creative Commons LicenseAlthough textile printing techniques are renewed every day, at Roopantaran today we want to highlight textile stamping with stamps, one of the oldest methods that today continues to preserve a millenary tradition full of art and aesthetics. This technique was already used in the 7th century by the Chinese and was also very popular in India, where the cotton prints that popularized this practice on the European continent come from.Stamp printing uses blocks of wood with different shapes and carved patterns in relief that are then impregnated with dye to be applied on fabrics. In Africa, pumpkin carved stamps, used in Europe until the end of the 18th century, were popular. Today the possibilities are endless and even stamps are used that were not originally intended to print on textiles, as is the case with those made for scrapbooking, but which with the appropriate inks and procedures, are very effective when stamping on these materials. Just let your imagination fly and choose the design you want to print and of course the fabric to be used. The stamps can be acrylic, wooden or even make custom stamps, such as those that can be made in a few minutes using eva rubber . When choosing the fabric to print, it is important to take into account some factors, especially to ensure that the pattern is not damaged when the fabric is washed. Composite textiles containing at least 50% cotton or natural fabrics are recommended. Photos taken from: Google Images, Creative Commons LicenseTextile stamping with stamps is classic and has transcended time to be useful in different industries such as fashion. The steps to do so are simple and as long as they are followed properly, the results will be unbeatable.Put the textile ink on the base of the stamp. Stamp the stamp on the fabric.Remove the seal and allow to dry.Iron using a stick or thin cloth between the iron and the stamped and ironed drawing. Do this for 3 minutes so that the ink adheres very well. Do not use steam.

October 3rd, 2020

How to change the decoration of living room with little money

Many times we ask ourselves, how can I change the decoration of my house and not spend a lot of money ? Has it happened to you? In today's article, we are going to see how to change the decoration but only that of the living room, and more specifically, we will focus on the walls. We choose this room, since it is one of the rooms in which we spend the most time on a day-to-day basis. And we focus on the walls, because it does not involve a great expense in furniture. So you can enjoy the changes for longer and with less effort. Shall we start?Dress your wallThe easiest and cheapest way to redecorate the walls of your house and make it noticeable, is with paintings. In the broadest sense of the word, of course. We talk about paintings, wall murals, photographs and even mirrors. Do not be afraid and create an original composition mixing sizes and shapes that speaks of you and your tastes.Make the TV the protagonistWhy not? We know it is there and it is an important part of our classroom. So why not take advantage of it? With the TV you can also decorate. You can frame it, include it within your composition of paintings or create a piece of furniture specially designed for it.Take advantage of architectureThe architectural elements on the walls dress a room more than it seems. If your house already has moldings, you can highlight them by painting them a different color. If not, there are friezes, skirting boards and decorative moldings at a good price that you can place yourself.Decorative walls themselvesIf you are not a friend of filling or filling the walls with objects, you can turn the wall itself into a decorative object. Just painting it in a striking color that contrasts with the rest of the room would do. But if you want to give it even more prominence, you can turn it into a special and unique corner. Creating a log wall or vertical garden will take a little more work, but it will be worth it.Recycle and do it yourselfIn these times where DIY (do it yourself) has been a great protagonist, we could not forget it to redecorate our walls. You can create a decorative shelf with little money and effort, using recycled materials and using your imagination. Be creative, get to work and leave your guests amazed.