Kids activity with multiple benefits...

Hello all you beautiful people.

The summer vacation is upon us and that means it’s not just the heat but also the children’s free time that will take its toll on us. Of course we all are by now looking for summer classes, play dates and outing to keep the little brats busy. But well guess what we have like almost 90 days of vacation and phew that’s quite a bit! I have not yet found any activity or sets of activities to span this period.

A lot has been written and read about educational activities, activities to develop fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory play etc… but don’t we all know that when the child puts up a tantrum she just creates a scene no matter what. And all those readings go down the drain. Keeping up the child’s mood and in turn outs is one hell of a task. No two days are identical and well we have to fend for ourselves every single day. Which also means that if you have planned for a particular activity for the day there is no assurance that your child will be

Rangoli borders

Hello beautiful people. I have been missing from action for a while now. And I am back with a topic close to my heart. Yes its the rangoli. I have compiled a few borders for your use. Borders have various utility, they can be drawn at the thresholds of the entrance to the house, on steps, on window sills, and around a rangoli to define it etc.. Essentially its rangoli design for small spaces :)

These can be drawn with the rangoli powder, with chalk or with paint. Essentially borders are a compilation of motifs in a series. Borders can be of various types: floral, geometric, and free hand etc.. This post is a picture heavy post. 

was difficult to put them all on one piece so below are some more

All above borders are drawn by me using the rangoli powder. I have maintained most of them in just the white colour. You could use colour in between like dots or dashes. Please do try the above designs and drop in a line. 

Do leave a comment in the below box. I would love to hear from you.


To see my other rangoli work click here and here. You could also hang around and see my mehandi, paintings and crafts etc.. Do drop a feedback.

My Madhubani ...

Madhubani painting also called Mithila painting is practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state. The paintings are done with fingers, twigs, nib pens, matchsticks, and colours are made from natural dyes and pigments. There are paintings for various occassions such as birth, marriage, festivals, thread ceremony etc... These paintings are characterized by bright colours and eye catching geometric patterns. The motifs are outlined with black colour, the image of gods have big eyes. This art is typically passed down generations. However I picked it by observation.

Below is my experiment with this beautiful art. Let me know what you think about it. This art work takes a very long time the book marks took over an hour to be made. The larger piece took over three hours. It can be framed and used as wall art. I have used pencil colours and ink for my work.

Do drop a line would love to hear from you.
Click here for some bookmarks.

Contemporary, small rangoli designs

Hello everyone! 

I have brought eye-candies for you. Yeah I know I have been guilty of not posting my Favorited art for a long time. Though I draw the rangoli at the doorstep almost everyday, I don't click and upload it. Today I bring to you a few choicest ones. These are my own designs, do let me know how you like them. So without much ado....

Do drop in a line and let me know what you think of these designs. Incase you've missed my earlier designs, just click here and here.

What's with the bells?

Yea really what's with the bells?

Well, lets figure out through this post :). Bells are usually hollow metal objects typically in the shape of a deep inverted cup and has a deep musical note when struck by the clapper inside.

Each bell produces a different sound, depending of the size, shape, material it is made up of. Yup! now that's what gets my attention. I would go a step ahead and say each bell has a unique sound. Some sound like a gong, some have a short sound like say "ting ting tin" some are soothing sounds, and some sound like the 'Om' absolutely pure.

Bells have different utility e.g. there is the school bell and it rings best when it rings for the last time in the day. Umn, fortunately my son hasn't started reading my posts yet.

The bell in the mandir are used to attract the attention of the god. Its also believed that the mandir bell helps clear the energy of the devotee, thereby creating a peaceful mind that enables prayers.

Then there are the copper bells, the show bells that really dont make any sound as such, and ofcourse last but not the least the windchimes. 

Incase you are wondering why such a detailed post on bells.......... thats because I love bells and have them in various shapes and sizes around my house hee hee. 

So without much ado lets jump to the bells around my house.........

The above is the picture of the the bells I painted right outside my main door. Yeah these pretty lively bells welcome visitors. Its also a hit with kids in the building.

The extreme left is the picture of a terracotta bell, that makes no sound. The middle one is the picture of a wall handing and has a bell at the end. The extreme right one is a handmade door hanging I created and has a bell at the end.

 The above is a common temple bell used during puja and aarti in households.

The above are little chimes which I have hung on the door handles of the wardrobe. Aren't they just so pretty!

The above is the picture of the wind chime. This produces the best sound. I just love it, its so soothing.

The extreme left in the above picture, is a gift from Istanbul. The other two above are Chinese bells. They look very pretty, one goes in the car as well.

The above one friends is a brass wall hanging from Khan market Delhi.

Amongst all these pretty bells in the house, there is one bell that I absolutely do not like and its the door bell!! 

So what do you think of bells, what comes to mind? Also do write what you think of my bell collection, in the comments section below. 

Boarnahan 2015

As promised, here I am with my detailed post on Boarnahan. 

Boar, Sugarcane, and other goodies set for the ritual. Aarti plate is also set.

What is Boarnahan:
Lets start with understanding the word Boarnahan. Splitting the word gets us Boar + nahan = Showering with boar (winter fruit). Also called Ber, Jujub, Indian plum etc.. Little children [below age 5] are showered with Boar, sugar cane, churmura, phutana, sugar candies and other goodies. Picture above. In some parts Boarnahan is also called loot.

When is this ritual performed?
This ritual is performed on or after Makar sankranti and before Rathasaptami.

Where is this ritual practiced?
This ritual is widely practiced in Maharashtra, North Karnataka and some parts of Andhra and Tamil Nadu. Some perform this ritual once while some observe it for five years. I preferred to do it for five years. This was his last boarnahan. 

Details:
Little children are dressed and adorned with 'Halvya che daghine' [Marathi for ornaments made of sugar candies]. These ornaments include a neck piece, crown, armlets, bracelets and a murli. Picture below. Boys are usually dressed as Krishna. The eldest lady of the family performs the Aarti and tika. And then all the elders shower the child with goodies. 

Ceremonial ornaments also called Halvya che daghine

My mom performing the Aarti to our little krishna

These goodies are then collected/looted by the other children who are specially invited to loot. This is the messiest part. hence what I do is pack the smaller goodies viz churmura, mamra, til gud etc.. in small plastic packs and the other things like chocolates, biscuits, other savouries, pencils rubbers etc are left open since they do not mess as much. I also provide each child with a loot bag and get them to write their initials on them so that their bags do not mix up. After the loot, the kids are served refreshments.

This time my boy was mighty upset that he got looted and said, "arre saab le liya kuch bhi nahi rakhha mere liye". I was so amused.

We all showering him with goodies

.....and the kids loot our little Krishna.

Why is this ritual performed?
There are a lot of stories or benefits listed. 

• Some say by performing this ritual the parents pay gratitude to the god for bestowing them with a child and promise to take care of the child forever.
• Some say showering the child with boar and other goodies bring in good luck to the child and ensures no evil eye can be cast on the child.
• Some say showering the child with goodies involves blessing the child.

My personal explanation is this ritual is performed so that parents share their bundle of joy with others in the society. It also helps the child make friends. Its pure socializing. 

My boy and the kids had a blast or what.........

This was our last boarnahan the end of another phase. Singing out with mixed feelings.

Do drop in a line I would love to hear from you.

Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Bihu, Bhogi and others....

The first festival of the year 2015 is here and different people celebrate it differently and call it different names. Essentially its the harvest festival. On 13th the North Indians celebrated Lohri, on 14th Andra celebrated Bhogi and Gujarat celebrated Uttarayan, East celebrated Bihu and on 15 Makar Sankranti and Pongal. There may be others I am unaware of. 

In all these festivals few ingredients are common like the laya, til, gud, sugar cane, coconuts, peanuts, and boar etc... Few variations occur region to region e.g. In Gujarat people feast on Undhiyon [winter special vegetables], in north they feast on Makkai roti and sarson ka saag, in south it is the Pongal. Festivals are all about food, decorations and dressing up well isn;t it? Of course there are other things like flying the kite, haldi kumkum and the boarnahan. 

Like many Indians I am not exactly aware of the whyz of every ritual, but I follow some because it brings in sheer happiness. While there are many sankranti through the year I have no idea why just this one is celebrated on a large scale? Any of your beautiful peoples want to share any additional information for the knowledge of people reading this article are welcome to do so.

So whatever it is you are celebrating just remember to be Happy!! That's the core message ENJOY!!

Festival special rangoli and decoration

More on Boarnahan a little later. In the meanwhile do drop a line, I'd love to hear from you.

2015 it is!!!

Hello beautiful people.............. 

Trust you had a blast welcoming the new year! I wish you a year filled with happiness, prosperity and creativity. May you dream big and realise all your dreams this year.

Christmas rangolis

So my love for rangolis is not unknown to you right? Here's presenting the last of rangolis for this year. And what better than Christmas special rangolis. Yea that's right Christmas special rangolis.

Rangolis drawn by yours truly

Do write to me. I would love to hear from you. 

Santaz Coming to town .....

Ho Ho Ho

Yea its that's time of the year when its all Ho Ho Ho. The old man with a pot belly and a large heart is coming to town to spread joy, love and laughter. Its none other than apna pyara Santa from the North pole. So how have you planned to welcome him?

This time around like I said before I was bursting with ideas and execution of these ideas took up a lot of time. I am running a little late for my Christmas decor. Slowly reaching there. Here are some glimpses.

Do write in to me with your santa story. You know I love hearing from you. So long. 

Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. May the father of Christmas ensure no kid goes to sleep hungry, cold and sick ever. May the new year shower mankind with happiness, love, joy, peace. 

Christmas DIY Part III

Hello friends!! we have just another day before Christmas and I am bursting with ideas and unfortunately do not have enough time for execution. Frankly I had not planned the part III, but it just happened.

My son wanted to make something for his teachers for Christmas and I wanted him to help in the creation [as usual]. One of my favourite gifting option is the bookmark and hence I got a brainwave!!!

Christmas DIY part II

Hello!! you beautiful people. I hope the last month of the year is treating you well. I know a lot of you the Christmas DIY part I. I do hope you have tried them. Do send me pictures of your trials. As promised I am back with the second part of the Christmas DIY. This post is a savior for all those running late for their Christmas decorations. As always my DIYs are simple, easy and quick to make.

I had visited Ooty during one of summer vacations. I saw pine cone tree for the first time and was elated. I went overboard collecting pine cones. I have a heap of them to say the least. I decided to use them for christmas decor in many ways. Below is the DIY to a ornament.


Pine Cone ornament:

1. Take two equal sized pine cone, tie them together
2. Tie a decorative cord through them, to this cord tie bows [green and gold in below pic]
3. Tan to dan.... the ornament is ready! either use it on the christmas tree or hang it from the ceiling or windows or door etc..

 above ornament made and clicked by yours truly

The snowman has fascinated me ever since I was a kid. Untill I finally experienced snow as an adult and well it wasn't exactly great. I still like the 'thought' of snowman from my memory! I decided to bring that snowman to reality. Below are the steps to making one.

Snowman:

1. Take a used ketchup bottle with an existing red lid [clean it before use], draw eyes, lips and buttons [shown in picture below]
2. Take kids clay[orange colour] and make his nose
3. Tie a bow, red satin ribbon to separate the face from the rest of the body

Here you go the snow man is ready, and looks much better than what I made with real snow :). This is one of the fastest DIY i ever made. It took me less than five minutes to make this one and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Picture of snowman made and clicked by yours truly

I had fun making these decor elements. I want to know if you liked them. Now come on drop a line, I am waiting. If you do get inspired to make any of these, do send me a picture and a line. 

Meals for kids

I am a self proclaimed lazy cook. However I cannot compromise on the nutritive aspect of meals. I shudder to think of chips and chocolates as meals. Home cooked meals, vegetables and fruits are a major component of my sons daily intake. Yes it gets stressful a lot of times. But I have slowly learnt various ways to cheat and yet include all these components in his daily meal ;) Sharing a couple of ways to include vegetables in the meals. These are my personal short cuts.

Dosa:
Yes this simple unsuspecting meal gets fortified with vegetables. This is how...........

1. To the existing batter add grated raw carrots, and finely chopped spinach, coriander and methi leaves, mix the batter well. [see picture 2 below]
2. Spread the batter on a hot non stick tawa and cook as usual [see picture 3 below]
3. Tadda!! a new look colourful dosa is ready for consumption with chutney or curd.

Picture of the fortified dosa, pic 2 close up of grated carrot and finely chopped spinach. Clicked by yours truly.

Besan Chila:

Oh yes the humble besan chila too isn't spared :). This is how......

1. Add water to the desired besan. To this mixture add salt, turmeric, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander and spinach. [See picture 1 below] Ensure the consistency is thinner than that of the Dosa.
2. Spread the batter on the hot non-stick tawa [since the consistency is thin, it gets difficult to make a perfect circle]. Cook on both sides and serve with curd or ketchup.

Picture of the Besan chila. Clicked by yours truly.

In my house the kids and elders love it equally. Do let me know if you like the recipe and are motivated to try it. Also if you have any more twist in the recipe ideas do share. Love to hear from you.

Christmas DIY part I

We are in the second week of December and for some reason it just doesn't feel like Christmas. In my part of the world even the proverbial 'nip in the air' is missing. Tried surrounding myself with the colour of the season, but sigh! not much use. Was going through some old pictures. Came across simple Christmas DIY I made last year. This immediately lifted my spirits. Hence I decided to share it on the post here.

Christmas Bells:

One of the important association with Christmas is the Christmas bells. I decided to make them myself. 

1. Picked thermocol glasses and painted them in red and gold as shown below.
2. Then I made a hole at the base of the glasses and inserted a decorative thread across each glass. 
3. At the base of the thread I hung tiny bells [as shown in the right hand side picture below]. 
4. I then completed the look with a golden lace bow. 

 These bells are ready to be hung from the ceiling of the room or on the Christmas tree, or from the door etc...

Cherry:

Another association with Christmas are the cherries. I didn't really like the ones readily available in the market hence decided to make it myself. I used epoxy bond for the purpose. 

1. Handcrafted tiny balls for cherry and coloured them red
2. Next I made the leaves and coloured them green. I decided to make the veins on the leaf with 3D glitter
3. Tadda its ready [picture below]

These can be either put up on the christmas tree or many such can be made and put at the base of a candle.

I sure had fun making these Christmas decorations. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much. Do drop a line to describe how you liked it. If it inspires you to copy the DIY please do send across a picture of your work, I would love to see it.

Standby for the part II ...

P.S.: Please note, when I made the christmas bells I wasn't aware of the side effects of thermocol on our planet. Please avoid using thermocol for any decoration at all.

Upscaling used plastic containers

Much against our wishes we all use the dreaded 'plastic' in various forms - carry bags, tiffin boxes, storage boxes, readymade food containers, cosmetic bottles, etc... We throw these containers once their utility ends. I thought of trying and upscaling these containers or atleast some of them. Besides I like to facelift old things to enable them new use. 

Below are pictures of some of the upscaled old plastic containers, they are simple self explanatory DIYs. 

In the below picture I have used a curd container. 

• Cleant it and decorated it with a decorative tape at the base and 3D outliner on the body. 
• This can be used as a planter or as a container to hold the TV/music system remote controllers or to hold mobile chargers etc...

In the below picture I have re-purposed old moisturiser bottle. The bottle is cleant cut and decorated as per desire. These could be used as mobile charger holder.

I got a brainwave and thought of using the same container as a notepad holder. It can hold a few cut blank paper and a pen.

I am ofcourse very thrilled with my work. I had fun crafting these. Do write to me if this inspires you to follow. 

Click here for some more recycled designs.

My Mehandi designs ...

Mehandi is the traditional art of painting the hands, feet or body with a paste made from the powdered, dried leaves of the henna plant. Coffee, lemon, tea, and essential oils are sometimes added to help get darker colours.  In the ancient times it was applied to cool down the body, usually a large dot was applied to the palms and feet. Slowly I guess someone with an artistic bent of mind tried out various shapes and patterns. As a child I remember mehandi was applied using thin sticks. Now the paste is put in cones and applied.

In different cultures and regions different type of mehandi prevails e.g. traditionally the rajasthani mehandi is different from the gujarati mehandi or the arabic mehandi. I guess with the advent of means of communications the typcial regional designs have given way to more contemporary designs.

Mehandi are applied during wedding ceremonies, baby shower, festivals like karwa chauth, teej, diwali etc...

I am completely mehandi crazy, I need no reason or season to adorn my palms. Unfortunately I can't use my left hand as well I use my right, hence its usually the left palm that gets the design on it.

Below are pictures of designs made by me on my palms. 

I am at a nascent stage of applying mehandi on my feet. As and when I get better with it, I will post those pictures. Do write in to me if you liked my trials with this beautiful ancient art and the original Tatto. Incase you have any mehandi tales do write to me.

Kids activity

Its a tough job to keep the child off screens, given the variety of screens we have in this generation. So, one evening my son was in that irritable mood for no rhyme or reason. Didn't want to colour/write/read books etc... I kept on wondering what I should do other than whack him.

Remembered I had some stickers in my craft box. Pulled it out. Then picked up an old used curd container [clean one].

Tissue paper holder

.........and the child friendly home saga continues. In the same spirit I decided to make a tissue paper holder. Yes my beautiful ceramic tissue paper holders have broken in the past and I cant go through this pain again, not to even get to the cleaning of the mess part.

Here is my beautiful tissue paper basket woven with old newspaper.

Clearly I am in love with my work hence clicked it from different angles.... :)

In case this interests you, below are pictures of the DIY in a nutshell.

Applying a primer before coloring helps in giving it an even finish. Do drop in a line to tell me what you think of my work, love to hear from you.

Handmade coaster basket

Having a child proof home is a tough job and takes forever to do so. Simple things like the beautiful coaster stands and cruet sets have a life of couple of hours in a house with a child living in it.

Talking of coaster stands, I have had my share of many broken ones. Hence I decided to make a child proof coaster basket. I decided to use the newspaper weaving method for this.

Below are picture of steps involved in its making. Make the skeleton for the desired shape, weave to form the shape, prime the finished product and colour of your choice. Simple! 

Below is a picture of the finished product. I am very happy with the result. What do you think?

Coloring the newspaper weaved products are tricky. The crevices somehow don't take well to coloring. In case someone has any tips/tricks please do share for the benefit of other readers. I would love to hear from you.

Pretty handmade utility items

I like the idea of creating things from scratch. I have made many pretty handmade utility items. This post displays these.

Below is a picture of an Udbatti stand made from epoxy compound, decorated with sequins. 

I liked the white and blue effect and made another set of Udbatti stand [shaped like a modak] and paper weight [coiled]. Below is the picture that displays it

Happy with my work I thought I should gift it to someone. But needed something equally beautiful to wrap the gift. Decorated a plain white plastic glass. Put the paperweight and Udbattistand in it, covered with transparent wrapping paper and gifted to a friend with love. Below is a picture of the plastic decorated glass. 

Unfortunately I do not have the picture of the wrapped gift. But do drop me a line with your comments. I would like to hear from you.