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Home & GardenHome DecorLifestyle

Best Housewarming Gift for young couples

by tinabasu December 16, 2019
written by tinabasu

Getting a new house is a dream for anyone. Your own roof to live under, prosper and grow. A house is something that makes someone believe that they are completed. Housewarming is such an occasion where everyone celebrates this accomplishment and cheers along with the family. Housewarming is a tradition which is followed by a customary of exchanging gifts. Being a guest at a housewarming party sometimes leaves you in the dilemma of finding the right gift for the house owners. This is one problem we all encounter with. So I am here to help. Let’s find out the best housewarming gift for young couples.

 

Best Housewarming Gift for young couples

best housewarming gift

When a family enters a new house, they face the task of decorating the house and make it more lively. So here is my suggestion, gift them something which is gonna make their house and life beautiful. But, what can it be? Recently people have this rage of personalizing stuff. So what is better than a personalized custom handmade portrait painting from photos. Yes, you heard it right. These hand-painted portraits will do great with their house walls and make them feel the warmth of your love and care.

BookMyPainting is a leading brand for such handmade paintings. They have hundreds of artists across the country and a super tech-savvy website which has made booking painting easier than ever. They provide quality class hand-portraits from your favorite pictures and make you fall in love with them. They have a super smooth user experience and amazing customer support. They have a variety of art styles and size options to choose from. All you need to do is to select your favorite art style, choose the perfect size and order. And that’s it. you will get your painting delivered at your doorstep.

Are you still confused among all those beautiful art styles? I’ll help you through it. Selecting the art style totally depends on the house of your hosts.

Charcoal Sketches

charcoal painting

 

If they have dark-themed walls in their new little castle, your first choice should be handmade charcoal drawings. They do well with such walls and are super classy. Charcoal Sketches are made with raw charcoal which is prepared naturally. Hence it has this raw feel. Another quality you will notice in a charcoal drawing is that it contains an incredible contrast among shades in a sketch. This will make the most unique gift.

Oil painting

 

For a house with light-colored and white walls, the best option is an Oil portrait from a picture. Oil painting is one of the oldest art styles. It has made his way through ancient times to modern times. The realism between art and photographs achieved with oil paintings is unmatched and these personalized gifts will make you the star of the housewarming party. You can get their Wedding portrait painting in Oil painting and gift them. I bet this will be preserved by generations on their house and you will be remembered with that always.

Watercolor paintings & pencil color sketches

If they have a flashy sense of colors and they have got colors all around the house, you have two out of the box gift options. First is an old school watercolor technique of making a painting from a photo. Watercolor paintings have an artistic approach with the depiction of the subject. They will make your guests wonder about their childhoods. you can get the pictures of their pet painted as a pet portrait and present them. This will fill them with the tears of happiness.

The other option you have is something really different than usual. I’m talking about the pencil color sketches. Yes, pencil sketches can be colored. They are certainly the only available color sketches. These sketches have the finishing of sketches but in colors. This masterpiece gift will make you stand out of the queue of those boring guests.

Getting into a new house is a new experience all of a sudden for a new family. Being their friends and family our first duty is to make sure that they feel welcomed, comfortable and homely in their new home. These paintings and sketches from BookMyPainting surely will help in that. Keep visiting them in the new house and make them feel that you’re there for them. Let me know in the comments which art style you are going to get!

All the best with the new house to the lucky family!

December 16, 2019 17 comments
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Cherry Crumble California Clothes Review: Winter Night Suit for boys
Baby ProductsFor New MomsMommy & ParentingProduct ReviewReviews

Cherry Crumble California Clothes Review: Winter Night Suit for boys

by tinabasu November 28, 2019
written by tinabasu

Winters are here and it demands comfy night suits that keep kids warm and make them look cute. When I received the Cherry Crumble California night suit for Mr. Bluey, I was so happy to see the gingerbread man prints. So here’s the Cherry Crumble California clothes review for winter night suit.

What is Cherry Crumble California?

If you already don’t know, Cherry Crumble California is a designer wear brand for kids which started in California. But now you can shop them online in India. Why I like this brand – like really like a lot – because they make colourful trendy clothes for boys!

Being a boy’s mom I understand how sad the situation is of boy’s fashion, there’s nothing other than the regular shirt and t-shirt! The dominant colors in every isle in the boy’s section are blue, black and grey! Like really! Why? So when I found bright colored sweatshirts and jackets on Cherry Crumble California site I felt relieved.

Cherry Crumble California Clothes Review: Winter Night Suit for boys

We received this winter night suit for boys from the brand, which looks adorable. So I am going to put up some photos and a detailed review for you guys.

Material – it’s made of soft cotton, with a polka dot lining

MRP– 2399/- (check Flipkart for an amazing deal at 956/-)
Print– Gingerbread man theme

In winters Bangalore gets pretty cold, specially at nights. My son, doesn’t like blankets, he is always throwing them away. So I need night suits that will keep him warm enough, but not too warm that he starts sweating (he usually does when the fan is not on).

This winter night suit for boys is made of soft cotton, with a lining that keeps kids warm. When you touch the fabric you can feel how soft and smooth it is. My son just loved the gingerbread man prints (that’s also because we have been reading the gingerbread man story lately).

Here’s him fooling around with his ‘tamo’.

Cherry Crumble California Clothes Review: Winter Night Suit for boys

What the mom loved about the winter night suit by Cherry Crumble California?

Fabric and Style: As a mom, I try to see my kids comfort level. Some flannel night suits (which I have tried earlier) did a good job of keeping him warm, but he felt ‘itchy’. The best part about this Cherry Crumble California night suit is it keeps him warm yet is so soft to touch. This brand uses 100% organic cotton in their products which makes it completely safe for the kids.

Variety: I told you earlier, how the blues and greys in the boy’s isle make me sad. Here’s a cute print in a totally different color combination that isn’t too girly, yet looks so bright and comfortable. Big brownie points for the cute prints.

Value for Money: I always looks for value for money in almost whatever I buy. But I tend to overlook it when it comes to stuffs for my son and things like handbags, lipsticks! Well that’s okay, right? This is a very good piece of clothing, so it is okay. I have used several pieces of clothing by this brand already.

Availability: Availability isn’t a big issue today, because you find practically everything online. You can buy their products on the Cherry Crumble California site, Flipkart, Amazon, First Cry and many more online portals. And most of these portals have great deals too. They ship it worldwide, it has free shipping in India with easy returns.

Cherry Crumble California Clothes Review: Winter Night Suit for boys

Overall the son is so happy with the winter night suit for boys that I had to write this Cherry Crumble California clothes review. Have you ever got any clothes by this brand for your kids? Which kind of night suits do you use for kids in winters? Let me know in comments below.

Until next time

Xoxo

Tina.

November 28, 2019 16 comments
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Life & StyleLife, Musing & AnecdotesLifestyle

Monday Musings: 5 things I am looking forward to this week

by tinabasu November 25, 2019
written by tinabasu

Monday is here, and for a change I am not having Monday Morning Blues. Start of a new week and I am thinking what all I am going to do this week. Last week was just fine and quiet. Son is having random bouts of cold and cough, so it kept me busy and home bound.

The latest thing, I have been trying is to set daily affirmations and small goals for the week. Else things get so hay wired, that you just lose track of everything. This week I am thinking of making it special for us. Let’s see what I am looking for to in this week. Monday Musings it is then.

#1 Monday Musings: Shoot video

My current obsession is shooting video. I have still not started my YouTube Channel full-fledged, because I need to create a buffer. Hopefully sometime soon. I am still in a dilemma – should it be one channel comprising both the blogs or two separate (which means double the work).

Nevertheless, I am going to shoot a healthy variation of a muffin – which my son has been asking for.

#2 Monday Musing: Organize son’s cupboard

This is more of a big task on my to-do-list. I had started sorting out some clothes over the weekend, to donate. I realized he has more clothes than me!! Who has 11 pairs of jeans at the age of 4!!! I got quite inspired by the Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo – so much so that I sorted out his winter clothes, home clothes, school clothes! And still there are more left!

#3 Monday Musings: Thanksgiving lunch Thursday 28th November

Thanksgiving is not part of our culture, but hey, if we can do Christmas, Halloween (and what not) then why not Thanksgiving. Lunch time is one time when we can find a few minutes of family time. My son is back from school by 1230ish, husband goes out by 1pm, so it’s the perfect time to introduce the concept of Thanksgiving for my little one.

I am not sure if I can manage to get a turkey, but definitely a chicken roast is manageable in the morning. Actually, chicken roasts are a good way to let the oven do the job, and take all credits! You can check my Winter Roast Chicken Recipe on my food blog which I had posted long time back (Feb, 2016 to be precise, so don’t mind the photos).

#4 Monday Musings: Black Friday Sale

Shopping and me are hand in glove – even when I am broke. There are amazing Black Friday sale going on currently on Shein (for clothes is you want). But what I am looking forward to is the digital content sale. Black Friday sale starts on 29th November and usually its on till Cyber Monday – 2nd December. I am planning to pick up some premium plugins and themes. Last year I had bought Elementor with which I designed this site. But it’s a year old now, and I am always looking out for something new and easy.

black friday sale monday musings

#5 Monday Musings: Get a hair cut

My hair is all over the place currently. Last time I got a haircut (some three months back) it turned out to be a disaster. I went to a pretty posh salon and the hair stylist said a lot of stuffs painted with adjectives, but I wasn’t quite happy with the result. The hair stylist himself didn’t have a single hair and my hair looked exactly the same what I had! For what I paid some 1400 bucks for that hair cut I have no idea. Anyways, I need to get a new haircut, because I am tired of the same look.

Pin it for later!

So how have you planned your week? What are you looking forward to in this week? Let me know about it and also how you beat the Monday Morning Blues!

 

Until next time,

xoxo

Tina.

November 25, 2019 16 comments
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Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub
Beauty & MakeupLifestyleProduct ReviewReviewsSkin Care

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face Scrub Review

by tinabasu November 20, 2019
written by tinabasu

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub gently exfoliates and hydrates skin. This luxury skin care brand uses natural ingredients like pomegranate peel, orange peel and essential oils.

Ladies, how are you doing? Do you have a love for face scrubs that are organic and made of fresh ingredients? I do, and I love making my own skincare recipes. But seriously, it’s a lot of work. So when I heard about the Luxury skincare brand Vanya Herbals, who makes organic herbal products I thought of giving them a try. I got my hands on the Herbal Luxury Vanya AnaarShine Pomegranate face scrub and I will be reviewing that for you lovelies today. So let’s dive into this product, shall we?

Why am I reviewing this?

Organic skincare products are any day better than chemical laden ones. And when you find something interesting you review it for others to discover it! Simple!

Some Details about Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face Scrub

Name of the Product: Herbal Luxury Vanya AnaarShine Pomegranate face scrub

Weight: 30gms

MRP: 695/- INR

Availability: Available on Flipkart. You can get this product from their website HERE

First Impressions!

When this face scrub arrived, I was very excited to use it because it is made of pomegranate. Now I haven’t quite used a skincare product with pomegranate before this. (I have some more products from this pomegranate line which I will be reviewing later). When I checked the packaging – which is super cute – I found this product is completely Chemical free, 100% Vegetarian and has not been tested on animals. So big brownie points on being a completely natural product.

What is this Herbal Luxury Vanya AnaarShine Pomegranate face scrub made of?

Ingredient List (as mentioned on pack)

  • Pomegranate peels
  • Himalayan Orange peels
  • Natural Cane Sugar
  • Glycerine
  • Milk powder
  • Natural oils of orange
  • Bergamot and mandarin essential oils
  • Propylene glycol
  • Benzoic acid

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub ingredients

Packaging

The scrub comes in a paper box which has the branding and product details mentioned. But I must mention how good the tub of this scrub is. It is not a transparent plastic jar that you get most of your beauty products in. It looks like a tin tub, which is eco-friendly. I already know how I am going to reuse it after the scrub is over.

 

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub

My Experience of using the Vanya Herbal pomegranate face scrub

The first time I used this scrub I was having a tiring day. I used this scrub as a part of my night time skincare routine. I used the scrub on my wet face and massaged it gently on the skin and around my nose and chin areas. My nose and chin areas are more prone to whiteheads and I always make sure I am scrubbing these areas well.

Fragrance: This Herbal Luxury Vanya AnaarShine Pomegranate face scrub has a very mild and sweet fragrance. I don’t like beauty products which are heavily scented because they tend to get over powering.

Color: The scrub is deep reddish in color and has a thick consistency. A little bit of this scrub goes a long way. The 30g tub is going to last you well over a month even if you use it regularly.

Texture: The scrub has pomegranate peels and orange peels making it a nice mild scrub. It is not too abrasive yet you can feel the ‘grainy’ texture. It feels like skin polishing.

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub

After massaging it for two to three minutes around the face I washed it with cold water and patted my skin dry. Did it work on my whiteheads? Yes, it did. I keep checking my chin area if it feels smooth. It did a good job in clearing the whiteheads from my chin and around the nose.

Pomegranate has essential antioxidants which is great for blood circulation, exfoliation. Pomegranate is also a god ingredient for reducing tan. The scrub claims to resist acne and oxidation.

I finished my night skin care routine by applying my night serum and the Pomegranate face cream from the Herbal Luxury Vanya pomegranate line. I will review that one sometime later.

Pros:

  1. Natural ingredients
  2. Cleanses well
  3. Has a nice cooling effect
  4. Easy to carry
  5. Easily available on Flipkart, website
  6. A little goes a long way
  7. Very good packaging
  8. Thick consistency

Cons:

  1. A bit expensive

TwinklingTina Rating: 4.5/5

Final Thoughts:

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub is a product you must try if you like organic skincare products. Pomegranate and orange peels in the scrub helps to reduce tan and this product is good for all skin types.

Pin it for Later!

Herbal Luxury Vanya Pomegranate Face scrub

*I was kindly sent this product in exchange for a review but all views are completely honest and my own.

Let me know how you liked my product review on this face scrub.

Until next time,

Xoxo

Tina.

November 20, 2019 10 comments
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can flu be treated at home
For New MomsMommy & ParentingParenting

Can flu be treated at home with medicines and adequate rest? – Mom Answers. #IPromiseToStopFlu

by tinabasu November 15, 2019
written by tinabasu

Can flu be treated at home with medicines and adequate rest? Do you need to take precautions? How will you protect your child? Here’s a mom of a 4-year-old answering. #IPromiseToStopFlu

The hardest part of motherhood is to see your child sick and suffering. Since the time my 4-year-old started playschool, bouts of cough, cold, and fevers have been making frequent rounds. While as a mum I try to take care about cleanliness, hygiene, environment, some things are beyond a mom’s control. Schools and playgrounds are breeding grounds for infections. Immune system in kids are underdeveloped and they have a higher chance of contracting infections – specially infections of cold and flu.

What is Flu or Influenza?

Influenza, which is commonly known as flu is a contagious respiratory illness. All children under the age of 5 have an increased risk of catching the flu. If your child is suffering from symptoms of cold with high fever, being very lethargic, having trouble breathing, experiencing rashes along with fever then it could be the flu and not just the common cold. [1]

symptoms of influenza

source

Can flu be treated at home with medicines and adequate rest?

A general assumption amongst moms is ‘it’s just a cold, will get better in a few days.’ Influenza is caused by a virus and can spread through contact. As a virus, the flu can further give rise to secondary complications like pneumonia, inflammation of heart and brain and other potential dangers.

Can flu be treated at home with medicines and adequate rest? NO. Home remedies, medicines can ease up the symptoms of flu but can’t solve the problem or cure it. The only way to prevent flu is to get vaccinated against it. If the cold is accompanied by any of the symptoms mentioned above, please visit the doctor.

What did I learn from my paediatrician about Influenza?

When I met my child’s doctor during his routine vaccination, I clearly remember her mentioning the annual vaccination. I asked her what those were for. She told me that the strain of flu virus changes over time and medical professionals come out with new vaccines every year. So it is important to get the annual flu vaccination shot.

As a concerned mom, my natural question was “how long does he have to take this shot?”

She replied, “I am 42, I take it every year”

I was pretty stunned with the answer, considering we don’t take the shots every year! So I also asked the doctor if we adults should be taking the annual vaccinations too. And her answer was yes. Adults who spend a lot of time with kids, who have school going kids need to take their vaccinations too, because the infection can pass over to kids sooner. And I promised I am going to do whatever it takes to stop flu in my house. #IPromiseToStopFlu

can flu be treated at home

What are the Home remedies and Precautions you must take to prevent flu?

While vaccination is the only way to prevent influenza, here are a few things you must practice at  the home to stop spreading it further.

  • Washing hands frequently: Scrub and clean yours and your kid’s hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. Keep hand sanitisers near your sink.
  • Call the doctor within 48 hours: If your symptoms persist, call/ visit the doctor within the first 48 hours.
  • Get enough rest: Fever is a natural way to fight infections. The body heats up to kill the virus. Get kids enough rest when they are fighting a viral fever.
  • Plenty of Fluids: Give kids plenty of fluids to drink, when they have high fever.
  • Breathe hot air: Let your child stand in the steamy shower and breathe in hot air, or use a humidifier to open up the blocked nose and thin out the mucous.
  • Don’t send them to school: Keeping your kids at home when they have a viral fever or flu is very important. It spreads when they are in contact with other kids.

I remember my dad was very particular about me getting all kinds of vaccines. And I practice the same with my son. To all those who are against vaccines, please think about your child’s health first. Let’s do our bit to keep our kids safe and healthy.

#IPromiseToStopFlu, do you too?

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
  2. https://www.vaccines.gov/diseases/flu

November 15, 2019 8 comments
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DIYLifestyle

3 DIY Halloween Decoration – Last minute DIY Halloween decoration that’s cheap

by tinabasu October 31, 2019
written by tinabasu

No DIY Halloween Decoration? Is that a Halloween even? These last minute DIY Halloween decorations are easy and cheap. Halloween door hanging, Halloween bunting, Halloween scary wall hangings – all ready in 30 minutes.

What do you need for the DIY Halloween Decorations

  1. Some colored papers (orange and black mostly)
  2. Scissors
  3. Glue stick
  4. Stapler
  5. Ribbons
  6. Black marker pen

That’s all easily available in your house. I reused some old printer papers on he blank side for the whites.

Let’s have a look at the Last minute DIY Halloween decoration that’s cheap

I had almost forgotten about Halloween till yesterday my 4 year old asked which decoration we are doing for Halloween? He remembered what all we did last year. So I had to make a few things for him which he could participate in too!

DIY Halloween Decoration

#1 Halloween Door Hanging

This is a door hanging that you can hang on your main door.

did halloween door hanging

What will you need for this DIY Halloween Decoration door hanging?

  1. White, green, orange, black paper
  2. Black marker pen
  3. Yellow and orange cuttings
  4. Scissors
  5. Stapler
  6. White ribbon

How to make the Halloween door hanging?

  1. Take a bowl and trace a circle on a few colored papers.
  2. Take a black marker pen and draw character faces
  3. We made a ghost on white paper, jack-o-lantern face on orange, a black cat with some paper cuttings for the eyes and whiskers and green ghost (my son called it Hulk)
  4. Staple each of the circles one below each
  5. Stick a ribbon at the back and hang it on your front door

Super easy and super quick DIY Halloween decoration. Part from the black and orange chart paper, I had everything at home.

did halloween door hanging

#2 Halloween Door Banner or Halloween Bunting

For all Indian festivals we add these festive ‘torans’ or buntings so why not a DIY Halloween Decoration to adorn the door as a door bunting!

What will you need for this DIY Halloween Decoration door banner?

  1. White and orange paper
  2. Black ribbon
  3. Black marker pen
  4. Stapler

How to make the Halloween door banner?

  1. Take a circle coaster and draw two circles each on white and orange paper
  2. Cut them in circles and make pumpkin faces and ghost faces
  3. In another white paper draw a bigger ghost and draw the eyes and mouth with a black marker
  4. Take a black ribbon a little longer than the breadth of your main door
  5. Find the middle of the ribbon and staple the bigger ghost upside down
  6. Staple the other characters leaving proportionate distance
  7. Tie it on top of the main door frame

This last minute DIY Halloween decoration took us only 15 mins from start to hanging! And my son is super excited about it.

diy halloween decoration

#3 Halloween Wall Hanging

This is also a super easy last minute DIY Halloween decoration.

What will you need for this Wall hanging?

  1. Black chart paper
  2. Pencil
  3. Scissor
  4. Black ribbon
  5. Orange paper
  6. Marker pen

How to make the Halloween door banner?

  1. Draw outlines of bat, scary house and crescent on a black chart paper
  2. Cut them out and attach a ribbon from each with a stapler
  3. Cut another piece of black paper in triangles and staple together in a witch hat shape
  4. Tie each of the pieces to a longer ribbon and hang it on the wall

did halloween wall hanging

My son is super excited for his Halloween day, thanks to Youtube. Now since he is such a Halloween enthusiast, I can’t really escape it. I still don’t know what I am going to dress him up as for his Trick-o-treating. Last year he wanted to Dress up as Captain America and this year also he wants to be Captain! Let’s see what I can make up for him.

So let me know if these easy last minute DIY Halloween decorations helped you in saving the day.

October 31, 2019 11 comments
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Welcome! I’m Tina Basu, a parenting author and lifestyle blogger dedicated to making family life simpler, healthier, and more creative. Dive in for practical parenting guides, self-care routines, and fun DIY inspiration. Let's make everyday life beautiful - click my photo to learn more!

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