Diwali rangoli ideas

Diwali is just round the corner. You have hardly any time left to scout for Diwali designs and materials. 


I have compiled herein a few my rangoli designs from past Diwali seasons. Do let me know if you liked the designs. 

Simple Kolam DIY

Click below to see an easy peasy DIY simple kolam. This kolam can be drawn in under 5 minutes. 

Dance the Dance of Joy

Its that time of the year again.................dance the dance of joy!!

That's my outfit for the season

It's the first day of the new month and also the beginning of the Navratras, hence I thought of doing a festive round up and throw back.

Our country is unique in every way and sense. In the context of festivals also

Touching feet - Respect?

The question mark in the headline is a deliberate one and is also the topic of discussion today.

From my younger days I have been averse to touching people’s feet. In the teens it was labelled ‘rebellious’ But, I sure did know it wasn’t. I just didn’t like the idea. And I also declared that touching someone’s feet doesn’t ensure that I really respect that person. Anyways days passed and I kind of put my guards down. Eventually, I just did it as a physical exercise. There was no point discussing it with anyone because somehow no one seemed to understand.

On and off, I would discuss this topic with others and somehow most people seemed to have no problem doing it. Then came along my good friend google. I googled for any information on this tradition. Few things came up:

My Krishna collection

Krishna means different things to different people. To me it symbolises an infinite love energy.  It encourages self love. I am an ardent Krishna fan and all things associated with him namely peacock feather, lotus and shells. I have few good collections of the Krishna idols. 

So presenting a picture heavy blog after a long time. Brass and wood are my favourite combination and that is exactly what you will feast your eyes on. 

Above: a collage of my Krishna collection

Scroll down enjoy and do leave comments below. 

Independence day celebrations

This comes a little after Independence day celebrations, strategically so, only when people have forgotten all about this day.

Until I was in college, I would look up to the independence and republic day celebrations. Participation in singing and other activities was fun in more than one way. For starters practice meant no need to attend lectures for a few days just before the actual day. There would be so much fun and masti just being with friends from our own and other classes. Full time pass in the name of practice, lots to eat because we had many breaks. On the day we were the important set of students that the crowd would look at. Running around looking busy was just a fad then I guess.

Too much time on hand!

Before becoming a parent I was not so social. General chit chat with someone didn’t really interest me. But well things change after one becomes a parent. The other parents become our friends and child related events namely play dates or birthday parties become our idea of socialisation. No I am not excited; I am just about recovering from this shock. You can’t beat them join them.

Looking at the brighter side, I get a lot of insight into human relations, expectation from child/spouse etc. from these interactions. I learn most of my parenting lessons or shocks from other parents. More shocks than lessons in fact. My ideas of parenting don’t really fit the ‘norm’.

Whose career is it anyways?

I often hear parents saying that it’s a competitive world. Choice of career and getting into a good stream is tough etc. In this light they pressurise the children as early as 5^th grade. This takes a toll on not just the children but also the entire family. People have a restrictive vision when it comes to career choice, say medicine, engineering, MBA etc. Of late I have come across so many parents talking of career counselling, aptitude test etc. for children as young as 10 years. It completely scares me and makes me wonder if these kids have a childhood at all. First there was the craze of medical and engineering entrance, then came along the IIMs and IITs followed by the latest integrated college; and now the baap of all coaching for the admissions into integrated college. This coaching happens for the children of about 6^th or 7^th grade!

Have we all gone completely nuts? We expect the child to be a super human; go to school, do the school homework, take school tests and also coaching to get into a goddamn integrated college whose future is not really known to many. This not just takes a toll on the kid’s health but I think we are putting together a production unit of zombies!

Parenthood – What’s your reason?

Aah! You clicked the link and reached the blog! Awesome read on.

I believe our society is very nosey! Yeah everyone spends a lot of time and energy trying to understand what someone else is up to. 

The newlyweds barely complete one month anniversary and get asked when they will expand their family??

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Yes you read it right! Man proposes child disposes. Ever since I have become a parent my god seems to have changed or moved its energy into my child. As much as it is fun, fulfilling and enjoyable being around this demi god; it is tough and difficult. Just like finding THE god!

All my choices revolve around my child ever since I have become a parent. Choice of quitting a job, holidays, selection of school everything and anything has the intention of his highest good. And this is what happens to my choices….

So we are all excited and set for our first vacation on the event of his first birthday with this demi god! We book the train tickets, hotel etc.. all set as to what to expect etc… The moment we reach the train station our little one who rarely cried in his first year of existence, starts howling uncontrollably. We are left hapless. The train we are expected to board arrives at the platform and leaves and we decide to drop the trip. On our way back home the moment we leave the railway station this demi god laughs like it is his biggest victory!

Our jaws drop in amazement!! Till date we have no clue why this child cried so much.

And yes that’s why I say – Man proposes child disposes.

This is the first in the series. Do drop a line if you wish to read some more on this series.

A Five point guide to getting back to a schedule on the event of school re-opening.

The summer break is over and schools have re-opened. I know it’s both a relief and a struggle to get back to the old schedule. Both parents and children struggle to get back. Here five points to help you get into the groove. You read it right just five point will do the trick.

1.       Start the previous night:

Absolutely! One of the secrets to a peaceful morning is to prepare the previous night. Below are few thing you could finish off the previous night

a.       Menu: Plan the menu. You have a lot of meals to plan for namely breakfast, lunch, tiffins for school and office and also dinner. So decide either in your head or paper what food will be served the next day. Infact if you could do this for the entire week then its perfect. Since then you could also do the vegetable and fruits shopping accordingly.

b.      Clothes: Many schools now have upto 4 uniforms a year [I wonder why]. But if your child goes to such a school then it’s a great idea to determine the next day’s uniform, check if it is laundered/ironed etc. Incase of office going parents, good idea to plan your own clothes as well. This gives you a few minutes of peace in the morning rush hour

c.       Important knick-knacks:  Set out your important knick-knacks like mobile, laptop, handkerchiefs, house keys, glares , child’s shoes, caps, etc and keep it handy. Ideally you should have a set place for these items.

2.       Early to bed:

A good night’s sleep is extremely important. Every child’s needs are different. But an average 8-10 hours of sleep is a must for the child. Ensure you have a set bed time, and the child starts winding down at a certain time every night. This makes it easy for the child to slip into sleep easily and without tantrums. I am not getting into bed-time routine like bath, story-telling etc. since it’s different for different households.

3.       Morning routine:

It’s a good idea to wake up an hour before waking up your child. Take the time to clear your thoughts, do few light stretches, breathing exercises, start off the kitchen work etc. Basically get the ball rolling before your little one wakes up. Next the child. Children need more time than adults to start their chores. Hence it’s a good idea to wake them up atleast hour and half before they have to leave for school. This gives them enough time for their chores and also spend enough time with parents.

4.       Alarms and reminder:

Alarms and reminders work like a charm. Use them on a day to day basis to keep track of, the to do list like medicines, assignments, submission dates etc. Reminders can be physical say sticky notes or on mobile phones. So do use these. 

5.       Prepare the kids and show some excitement:

I believe it is important to prepare your child atleast a week in advance. Discuss the re-opening date, list things to be bought like uniform, school bag, other accessories etc. Do it in advance. Show some excitement, make the child interested in the new academic year tell them fun things they can do at school. DO NOT share your stress with the child. Doesn’t help anyone.

These are a few guidelines, trust they help you. Do share stories of the school reopening and your coping mechanism. Do share your thoughts on this article in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.

And if you haven't already do subscribe to this blog.

Diwali 2015 part II

So here is the second and concluding part of Diwali 2015. Typically after Bhaidooj I do not put elaborate rangolis. This year I was extremely upset that someone deliberately erased my rangolis. Yup deliberately erased. Below picture shows how bad the scene was.

I decided to make elaborate rangolis everyday till Tulasi puja. So presenting my rangolis in this picture heavy post.

Below are pictures of my rangolis drawn on Tulasi puja.

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


For Diwali 2015 decor click here.

Diwali 2015 part I

Hello you lovely people!! How have you been. Ya ya I know i have been away for a while. So thought I should come up with a picture heavy post that could be a treat for your eyes :)

So here I am presenting some pretty corners of the house during rangoli.

So this time around I used all symbols of Lakshmi e.g.: Shells, Elephant, Tortoise, Lamps, and Lotus. I also used fresh flowers especially Marigold. I thought the effect achieved was just awesome. I also have painted prayers on stone alongside Lakshmi pagla.

No Diwali can be complete without my favourite rangolis. Below are pictures of baras, teras and Lakshmi puja rangolis.

Drawing the peacock during Diwali has been a personal ritual for many years. My Diwali is just not complete without the peacock. What do you think of these. Do drop a line on the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.

Stand by for the second part of the story.....

Click here

First birthday .....

Yup its the blog's first birthday. Seems like it started just yesterday with the ganesha post. Its been a year and like it happens with almost every blogger there have been many a challenges. But its been fun. Its a great gallery for all my experiments.

Happy birthday dear blog. Wish you success, fame and a great year ahead.

You may visit my first post here.

And this is how you can entertain your child indoors during the monsoons...

Any with the rains lashing out at us last week, I was a little stranded. The school had not yet reopened, weather was gloomy, outdoor activities came to a standstill and my little one gave me a hard time.

I had to think on my feet all the time, to keep him from crying or mischief. This old game that we played as kids came to my rescue. My mother collected a lot of old book's cardboard and gave it to me. I pulled it out and handed them to my son and got him to make house, school, garage parking etc.. He had a blast and I was at peace.

So like I say when in doubt run to your own 'mom'.

What's your personal ritual?

A ritual is any practise regularly performed in a set manner. These can be prescribed by religion, tradition or both. Some e.gs can be the way puja is followed during ganesh chaturthi or diwali. Or the prefunctions at weddings change from culture to culture and state to state in India. 

Some people also draw up family or personal rituals. These vary from persons taste, orientation, interests etc.. Some examples of family ritual could be having a certain breakfast on sunday OR exercising together every morning etc. Personal rituals gives us an opportunity to look within. Something as simple as listening to calming music early in the mornings can bring about calm, peace and change our outlook to the day ahead. Personal rituals are believed to draw us to a sacred space. 

Today I am not really discussing something so heavy. I have chosen to tell you my simple ritual that I try and follow most days of the week. Presenting to you the Tulasi katte rangoli .....

All above rangolis drawn by yours truly

Every morning I look forward to this activity. Besides helping in hand and eye movement, sharpening the brains function it makes my day happy :)

Do drop a line on your personal ritual. I love to hear from you.

Gift wrap and gift cards DIY

Gift wrap and gift cards, yeah this one is a first on the blog. I enjoy trying out different styles of wrapping. I do believe in recycling and reusing. So I save up a lot of gift wraps, ribbons, brown papers etc...

The below is a regular glossy wrapping paper I have used. I do not liked using the coloured surface on top. I use the white/silver part of the paper outside. I stuck a rainbow print wasi tape to bring about spur of colour.

A handmade paper or brown paper with washi tape would also look very pretty. Instead of the washi tape you could try using ribbons.

And now is the time for gift cards. The gift cards available in the stores are too boring and I resort to their use only if I have absolutely no time to create something. Below I have used handmade paper and some stick on glittery sequins. I tried one in the tent form and used a gold thread to secure it to the gift.

Do try try out these and share. I love to hear from you, do drop a line.

Accessories for the house, what will you choose?

Hi there! You have already seen glimpses of my house before. As a next step I will share ideas on home accessories today. Accessories can really lift the mood of a dull house. It helps to accentuate, highlight the interest of the inhabitants and make the house more pleasant, warm and welcoming.

There are various types of accessories available in the market. One can choose from a wide range of readily available accessory to DIYs. Before going all out it makes sense to do some small trials and understand one’s personal style and liking. Is the bohemian style really your type or simple rooms with just one or two well-placed accessory? You can always move from little to more. But if you invest in a lot and then not like the effect well it’s a big waste of time, energy and monies, beside you will have a large stock of things you long like.

So really what are the accessories we are referring to? Let’s start with the walls.

Wall: Wall dressing is suddenly very big now and can really make for style statement. There are several wall paints and effects available to choose from, besides wall papers. Then there are paintings, murals, photography etc to choose from. My style is traditional, simple, functional and clutter free. I have kept the walls simple and added handmade mural on one wall and a traditional rajasthani Jharokha on one wall. I am very happy with the effect.

Wall accessories [Mural made by me], Jharoka and durries etc from my house

Plants: I love plants and cannot function without them. Variety of house plants are available like the money plants, succulents, palms, peace lily, and cactus etc.. The plants are a very good option to add colour to a dull room. The colour is of course very pleasing to the eyes. The plants can be kept in pretty ceramic, plastic or brass containers. Plants are the cheapest form of accessories available.

Plants around my house

Flowers: Rely on flower power for instant mood lifting. A variety of flowers are available and suit various occasions. There are the lilies, chrysanthemums, carnations, sunflower, dahlia, roses, marigold etc.. I prefer marigold for festivals. The other come in on and off. As the bouquet grows older and stems shorter I change containers and eventually the flowers are kept as floating flowers. This season is blessed with one of my favourite frangipani which are perfect for floatingJ. I also use artificial flowers in nooks and corners to add colour and just beautiful dull corners.

Flower power for various seasons and reasons

Other accessories: In the ‘other’ category I have brass lamps, brass figurines, ceramic figurines, terracotta objects, shells and conch etc.. These can be used to create vignettes on the centre tables, dining tables or any surfaces. There are the door accessories in form of bandhdwar [havediscussed a DIY on a post], variety of wind chimes [discussed in a post before] and other wall hanging available.

Bandhdwar, chimes, brass lamps, figurines and conch etc in the house.

Lights: This is yet another type of accessory that is ever evolving. There are thousands of lights to choose from the market. Traditionally we just had the up lights, down lights, table lamps, and chandeliers to choose from. But now in the range of decorative lights the colour material functions of lights have evolved. Wide range of fixtures, LED lights, and pendant lights etc. to choose from, that can bring about drama in a dull ambience. I prefer simple functional lights and my favourite is the sunlight.

Afternoon sun in the kitchen

Drapes and Upholstery: While this is not my personal style I thought it’s a good ideas to list it since a variety of drapes and upholstery are available in the market. I prefer simple light weight curtains and sofa covers. There are sofa dressings also available which again I do not use. But one could explore options in the market and try it. The sofa dressing I think is a great idea to conceal very old sofas. Instead of redoing the entire upholstery the dressings do the job well at affordable pricing.

So yes, you have a wide variety to choose from. Do try out and let me know what your personal style is. I love to hear from you, do drop a line below.

Rangoli designs in under five minutes.

I know a lot of people who love Rangoli but just cant find the time to draw one. Lets do a show of hands. How many in this category? Hmn I know many isn't it. This post is just for you! Yup you read it right, it is about...
Rangolis designs that can be drawn in under 5 minutes!

Seriously, I have actually timed myself on these. Some of these have taken about 3 minutes. So if you are an ardent lover of the floor art but cant find the time to devote to it, here are a few inspiration designs for you.

Over the years I have come up with a few tricks. Firstly you need to have the design in mind atleast the basic. Often what I have in mind is very different from what comes up on the floor. But a gist does help. Second and most important keep the design simple. Third is the colouring. This stage takes up a long time [not referring to the Sanskar Bharati variety]. This is where I have learnt to cheat. Yup, we do not really have to colour the entire rangoli. Colouring just a few parts really enhance the design. Alternately you could choose to leave the rangolis white. However some cultures consider it inauspicious to do so hence colouring is a must. 

My designs are a representation of all the above mentioned tricks. And now without much ado presenting some of my Rangoli design drawn in under five minutes.

I know you loved them, didn't you? So I want you to drop a few words in the comments section below. I also would like you to try out these designs and let me know your experience.

For more designs you could visit:
Borders
Contemporary
Traditional
Others

Alternately just search on the blog for Rangoli designs. Together lets celebrate and revive the floor art in our urban living.

DIY accessory for potted plants

Hi everyone! Like most people living in the metros I too have space constraint and therefore my so called garden is on my window grill. And yes I do struggle to keep my plants alive. The regular stuff like watering, plant food, trimming, rotation basis sunlight etc... does happen. But the difficult one to tackle are attacks from the pigeon and crows!

Somewhere I read that the birds do not like bright colours. So I decided to do a DIY accessory for the plants that will also protect them. 

This one is a very quick DIY. The materials required are pop sticks or regular kulfi sticks, readymade flowers or butterflies made of net and glue. I choose butterfly because I love butterflies.

Procedure: [refer to pic above]

1. Stick the ready made butterfly to the stick
2. Allow it to dry and then place it in the pots

I choose bright pink and purple butterflies. Look above don't they look beautiful. Now I just hope the birds don't like them as much as I do.

I used to stick flags of different colours to stick and put it in the pots, also used some of my son's craft stuck it on the sticks and put it in the pots. But I liked this the best.

This one is such a quick and easy DIY that you have absolutely no excuse not to try it. Do try it and share your experience with me. Do let me know if you liked my idea, drop a line below I am waiting :)

Check my other work here. Or simply search for craft and art on the blog.