January 2017

TANVANGA JANUARY 2017

Beautiful Beautiful BeirutBeirut Farmhouse Kitchen Designs and Ideas A Jeweller from from Homebnc.com

Jewellery Designer – Suchitra from Home Decor – Hyderabad

Farmhouse Kitchen Designs and Ideas

Hyderabad

Tips on Food Photography by Lisa Hakimi

Useful Dos and Donts on Food Photography

"Accept whatever life has to offer, the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give" - Eleanor Roosevelt Beginning of the New Year, let us start with new possibilities, plans and dreams. Let us be grateful for what we have.

Let us be more thoughtful and loving to our near and dear ones.

Travel, explore new destinations, new food, culture and people.

Live one day at a time.

Take small steps. There is no rush.

Breathe!

Today is a gift.

Harsha Mariam Thomas – Editor

Contents Home Décor - Farmhouse Kitchen Décor and Design Ideas. Source Homebnc.com

Wanderlust Beirut – Daniëlle Buschman

Food Photography - Lisa Hakimi

A Jeweller from Hyderabad, India – Suchitra

FARMHOUSE KITCHEN DÉCOR AND DESIGN IDEAS

There’s just something so inviting about the soul-calming appeal of a country style kitchen! Farmhouse kitchen design tugs at the heart as it lures the senses with elements of an earlier, simpler time. Neutral tones lend a sense of peace to the atmosphere.

Old-fashioned wooden tools invite cooks to slow down and create wholesome meals from scratch. Handmade baskets and decorations call to mind a culture of craftsmanship. Vintage artifacts pay homage to beloved relatives and commemorate family history. The farmhouse table, often distressed and encircled by a mismatched collection of chairs, stools and benches, encourages life and laughter shared around the family table. Furthermore, the country kitchen draws much of its design from nature, showcasing the beauty of earth’s bounty.

Most importantly, farmhouse kitchen design invites you to take a moment to savor life’s simple pleasures. If you’re ready to take the blissful plunge into redesigning your own kitchen sanctuary, check out our carefully curated list of the Internet’s dreamiest farmhouse kitchen decor ideas. The images we’ve collected are sure to inspire you for your own renovation of heart and home.

Article Source : Home BNC https://homebnc.com/best-farmhouse-kitchen-decor-design-ideas

Farmhouse Color Scheme: Soft Silver, White and Wood

Photo source: hookedonhouses.net

Salvaged Antique Rake Wineglass Holder

Photo: prettydesigns.com

Pantry Door With Hanging Chalkboard

Photo: Peaceloveanddecorating.com

Farmer's Market Crate Produce Storage Drawers

Photo: freshideen.com

A Chalkboard Makes a Unique Addition to a Cabin Style Rustic Kitchen

Photo: interiors.net

Narrow Whitewashed Mirrors Accented with Eucalyptus Wreath

Photo: yeugiadinh.vn

Country Blue and White Linen Cabinet Curtains

Photo: countryliving.com

Farmhouse Gray, Country White and Warm Wood Accents

Photo: Ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com

Porcelain Farmhouse Sink in Vintage Cabinet

Photo: Homebunch.com

Cozy Country White Coffer Nook

Photo: cuentameya.com

Bouquets of Grain and Woven Accents

Photo: Pinterest.com

Old Country Store Hand-Lettered Labelling

Photo: Instagram.com

Double Hanging Barn Door Food Pantry

Photo: housebeautiful.com

Farmhouse Kitchen Baker's Hutch

Photo: Instagram.com

Rustic Chalkboard Kitchen Accent Wall

Photo: yellowprairieinteriors.com

Eat-In Kitchen Dinette with Distressed X-Back Chairs

Photo: lovegrowswild.com

Dark Wood Work Bench Kitchen Island

Photo: ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com

Perforated Milk Pail Pendant Lamp

Photo: comeplaceate.it

Oink, Moo, Cockadoodledoo Welcome Sign

Photo: etsy.com

Wanderlust

Toot Toot a Beirut!

By Daniëlle Buschman

‘I LOVE BEIRUT’ sign near Souk El Tayeb

I, Daniëlle, and my friend Kelly went to Beirut together in November 2016. We’re both from Holland and friends since thirteen years. I had been travelling around the world for almost 1,5 years and Kelly wanted to come and visit me somewhere on this beautiful planet. I suggested to go to Lebanon since I’ve only heard amazing stories about it. She was a bit hesitant in the beginning. I can’t really blame her, the media in the West isn’t really helping to make the Middle East look interesting or as a place you want to go on holidays. It took me a while to convince her, but I managed and we both flew in. She came from Amsterdam, I came from Oman. So…

“Toot toot a Beirut!”

(Let’s go to Beirut!, a famous Lebanese saying) We stayed in Saifi Urban Gardens, a very interesting and central hub (in between Downtown Beirut and Mar Mikhael) with different goals to reach. Apart from being a hostel for tourists and backpackers, there’s also the Saifi Institute of Arabic Language for the people who want to study Arabic and there’s Café Em Nazih. If you´re up for a real Lebanese experience, this café might be the best one you’ll find in Beirut! It isn’t a fancy one, or one on the list of ´most exciting cafés of 2017´, but the staff is very friendly, the food (only Lebanese) is wonderful and every Friday and Saturday they have live music. You´ll be surrounded by locals who come to eat, drink and dance! It becomes a real local party!

Saifi Urban Gardens

One of the things you definitely have got to visit in Beirut is the Mohammas Al-Amin Mosque. People call it also the Blue Mosque and it’s located in downtown Beirut. Absolutely wonderful and very interesting to see. Take your time to see all the beautiful details and feel the positive vibes inside. Before going inside, the women are asked to wear a ‘chador’, a large piece of cloth wrapped around the head and body. Men and women can enter at the same entrance, where you can find the ’chadors’ too. Be aware of the time you go there, it might be closed for praying time.

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Entrance of Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, where the women can get the ‘chador’

Inside the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque by night

In case you don’t mind walking, feel free to stroll around in Beirut. You can walk towards the Corniche El Manara to see (old) men fishing and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, continue to relax in the gardens of the American University of Beirut, and go for some lunch in the area named Hamra to taste the delicious Lebanese kitchen. There’re many restaurants, so sit and enjoy the food before you continue to do some shopping.

Men swimming and sunbathing in the Mediterranean Sea

Corniche El Manara

Lebanese flag with red to symbolize pure blood, white to symbolize peace and the most famous tree in Lebanon; a cedar tree

Picking some local food in a restaurant

Every Saturday, there’s an open-air farmers market in Downtown Beirut named Souk El Tayeb where they sell organic fruit, vegetables, herbs, food, drinks and products coming from Lebanon. This is a lovely market with good vibes where communities come together to share their food and local traditions. The market is slightly more expensive, but it is absolutely a must visit when you’re in Beirut! While buying nice presents for your family and eating the tasteful and traditional food here, you’re not only making yourself very happy, but you’re also supporting small agricultural companies with their business and help them fight against the big industrial companies.

Souk El Tayeb

Souk El Tayeb; a woman making ‘manouche with zaatar’

Souk El Tayeb full with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs

You’ll find art everywhere in Beirut

Beirut is a vibrant city, with a lot of young people, funky bars and cafés and art. Make sure you find out what’s going on in Beirut once you’re there, otherwise you might miss out on the good things to do. While we were in Beirut, there was an ‘United Nations Film Festival’ going on in Theatre Gemmayze. Good (short) documentaries about the actions of the UN and about the problems or limitations living in this part of the world.

The area named Mar Mikhael has a lot of these cultural events and here you’ll find a bar or café that exactly suits your mood. There is so much to choose from. At night this area becomes the place to be, but many places are open during the day too. We had loads of fun in Radio Beirut and loved the way The Bohemian looked (and their cocktails were very good!).

Make sure you visit the Nicolas Irbrahim Sursock Museum too. This beautiful old villa is nowadays a modern art and contemporary art museum where a lot of Lebanese and international artists can show their work. The building itself is fantastic and the exhibitions make you think a little more about life.

Near the museum, there is a cafĂŠ named Joon on the Moon, something you -most likely- have never seen before. This cafĂŠ is more than just a place for a coffee or a beer, you can show your creative side and start drawing during the colouring nights for adults, making dolls, knitting, playing games with your friends or come here with your kids and enjoy your time!

Saint Nicolas Stairs in Mar Mikhael

Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Museum

Café Joon on the Moon

Café Joon on the Moon

Some of the old architecture in Beirut

Party in Caprice

Last but not the least… You cannot leave Beirut without having a party somewhere! Beirut is known for its BIG party scène. It’s also called the Middle East’s party capital. You have to give it a go! So ladies, put on your high heels, wear some lipstick and look fabulous, and men, wear some nice shoes, put on your best shirt on and trim your beard!

Beirut has a lot of underground and/or techno music, every day, every night. In case you want something else, go and look for a ‘Bazaar Night’ in the clubs. We wanted something else than underground and went to Caprice because it was Bazaar Night. A lot of Arabic music mixed with Western music.

Great for dancing and swinging.

My overall experience; Beirut is a great city when it comes to socializing.

There’re many shops, cafés, restaurants, bars, clubs and other places where you can meet up and chat with each other. People in Beirut are very friendly, open and genuine interested, you will make friends immediately! But once it comes to history or the real sights of Lebanon, you have to travel a little further and see some other cities too. Luckily the country is small, so daytrips to these places are easily made. Still hesitating? I doubt it. I would say.… ‘Toot toot a Beirut’!

Photography

A few good tips and advice on Food Photography

By Lisa Hakimi lisahakimi.com/ Lisa Hakimi is a professional photographer from Dubai. She takes into this beautiful world how, what and when of food photography. Tips on how to get the perfect food shots. You can find her on Instagram @lisa_hakimi Read on....

lisahakimi.com/

The beauty of the light at sunset and sunrise is that it sculpts the landscape with saturated hues — in other words, the lighting provides the scene with color. When skies are overcast, though, natural lighting doesn’t offer the hues necessary for a richly-colored photograph. Instead, to create a colorful image, you must search for a vivid subject.

lisahakimi.com/

lisahakimi.com/

Use the power of bokeh and selective focus A popular strategy in food photography is to selectively focus on one particularly appetizing part of the dish and let the rest blur a bit in the background. Bokeh is the artful blur of the background, or the way the lens renders the out-of-focus parts of the pictures as soft blurs of light. By using selective focus, and plenty of beautiful bokeh to bring the viewer's eye right to a certain part of the photo, the viewer can feel like they're right there in front of the food and could reach right out to taste it.

Not only does selective focus draw your viewer in, but it also makes the dish look less busy and complicated. Instead, it just looks delectable. Use a macro setting on a point 'n' shoot camera, or stop down your aperture on a dSLR. For instance, on a 50mm lens, stop down to f/1.8 or f/2.0 for a really shallow depth of field that focuses in on just a single cookie on a plate, or just a few nuts in a bowl full of them.

lisahakimi.com/

White balance is key Ensuring that your white balance is spot on will make the difference between a drool-enducing photo, and one that looks like you'd rather skip dinner and move on to dessert. If you don't get the white balance right in-camera, a little slider action during post-processing by warming up or cooling down the color temperature will help. For example, photographing on an overcast day with pale light can wash out the colors of a dish you want to be bright. You can warm up the white balance to make it look like a summery day, adding heat and vibrance to the food. However, be careful not to go overboard with this trick. Use it like you would any seasoning — in moderation.

lisahakimi.com/

Use natural light, and lots of it.

The one thing you can do to make your food photos look better is to use natural light. Don't use the overhead lighting, which casts a yellow greasy-spoon look to a plated dish, and definitely don't use an on-camera flash. Set your dish near a window and turn off any artificial lights that might be on nearby. The indirect light from a window will illuminate your food just right.

Try to photograph with the light at your back or to the side of a dish, so that the shadows are to the side or behind it.

If you have a window that lets in loads of direct sunlight, you can cover it with a white sheet to soften the light. You can also use a white sheet or white poster board facing the window to bounce light back on the shadowed side of the food, filling in those shadows with a little bit of extra light.

lisahakimi.com/

Try different angles of view when shooting your food items from directly overhead, tilted, shooting into the edge of the plate or table, and so on. Get creative and try to show it in a different way than most people would see it.

lisahakimi.com/

If you are using a point-and-shoot camera, use your camera’s “macro” setting, and choose an interesting angle. Zooming in very close on your subject can help show detail and create interest, and most modern point-and-shoots have a decent “macro” mode, right out of the box. Try to create interesting angles, either by getting very close to your subject, in a threequarter angle, or by shooting from the absolute top-down.

Avoid shooting food from angles in which you “normally” see it.

A picture of an Oreo cookie bitten in half is going to be much more interesting shot close up, with the bite filling the frame and showing texture, than alone and bereft on a plate, topdown. Why? Because your brain has already seen an Oreo from that angle 100 times� �

lisahakimi.com/

Tripod. Reducing camera shake is critical when you need your shots to be totally clear and crisp. Even a slight blur is highly noticeable in a tight shot of a perfectly plated dish. By steadying the camera, you don't have to worry about an inadvertent movement causing a blur. Tripods are also useful when you want to keep the camera stationary for multiple shots and need both hands in between. That's why I highly recommend using a tripod whenever possible. At Serious Eats, I use a Manfrotto tripod that has a great adjustable column for shooting overhead images, but tripods come in all shapes and sizes, from tabletop smartphone tripods to heavy-duty professional rigs.

lisahakimi.com/

Hope you enjoyed the food photography tips. Though Lisa Hakimi is not a food photographer, she has shared her passion and knowledge with us. Please feel free to check Lisa Hakimi photographs on Instagram @lisa_hakimi. lisahakimi.com/

An Introduction to a Hyderabadi Jeweller

Suchitra a full time working mom exudes the persona of a modern craftsman, a keen eye for perfection and original design. She takes the average fine jewellery buying experience to a whole new level to a more personal and passionate experience. For Suchitra, it is all about her clients, committed to cater to their needs and creating designs that are beautiful and at the same time keeping in mind her clients' budget.

We will be adding more to this page going forth. This is just the beginning.

Cooking

Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients Base: 3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 cup butter, melted Topping: 1 1/2 cup butter, softened 11/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon cinnamon Glaze (Optional): 2 cups icing sugar 5 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan (buttered). Mix all of the base ingredients together, with the exception of the butter. Add the melted butter last, and then pour into your prepared pan.

Mix all of the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl. Mix well.

Drop by teaspoonful over the base, as evenly as you can over the entire base. Take a butter knife and swirl the topping into the base. Pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or till baked. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze and set aside.

Remove from oven and glaze the cake while still warm.

Photo Gallery Editor’s Pick

Photo Credit: Tanvanga Design by: Tanvanga Description: 2 piece Kutch work.

Corset and Skirt

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