GROW SUCCULENTS IN HOURS!

Hi !

Spring is coming...

Time to grow plants...

Grow some succulents in matter of hour or two!!

Though idea came to me through other pioneers,

I myself tried it just this time :)

These are disposable containers made of terracotta or burnt clay.

For my project, I chose the smallest clay pot (used originally as disposable tea cup in India, known as Kulhar)

Pick your pot and clean it.

Apply a thin coat of primer (I used fine tinted clay used on wood with craft glue and little water in equal proportions). Let it dry.

Sand the surface to get smooth finish using fine sand paper or rag.

Fire your imaginations and paint the outer part and rim of your pot.

I used gold and red color to decorate my pot.

YOU DON'T HAVE A SUCCULENT ???

GET A STONE :)

 Take a stone and clean it with soap and water. Dry well.

Paint it with green acrylic color. Dry well.

Now use fine brush and white acrylic paint to paint thorns on your succulent.

Dry well.

BE PATIENT...

Fill your decorated pot with clean dry sand.

Push and stand your succulent in it.

DONE !!!

Here's my succulent sitting pretty adding a touch of green to my living room...

I plan to make more succulents in future :)

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CROCHET RUNNER WITH HEART ENDS!

Hi!

As everyone is celebrating Love this month

Am sharing a crochet runner

With Heart crochet ends!

My Mamma had made four similar doilies for me more than a decade back. They stayed with me in boxes safe without finding a purpose in the house.

Then one day I decided to do something with them...

I found this lovely pattern in an old-old book of my old-old Aunt, the cover of whose is lost. So thanks to the publisher and the creator of this pattern!

 

Made three small squares with this pattern and joined the four doilies.

  

Next using the same pattern, I made two heart shapes and added tassels.

 

Here my doilies have become a runner...

My crochet runner on side board...

 All handmade items are valuable and always find a place and purpose...

In this pic is also a Faux Malachite box whose diy tutorial

I have shared in earlier post.

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SWEET HEARTS ! yummy recipe:)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !

Here is a simple sweet recipe for sweet little heart shape bites

What you need

Silicone heart shaped mould

Some bland biscuits

Dry fruits chopped(optional)

Icing cream with added sugar(homemade here with strawberry pink color and vanilla flavor)

 

 Crush the biscuits with rolling pin or in pestle-mortar

 

 Mix the icing cream with the biscuit crumbs.

Proportions are adjustable.

Put as much biscuit crumbs as need to be able to be scooped up in spoon firmly.

Here I have filled and pressed tightly the mix into the moulds.

Refrigerate till firm.

 

 Just pop out the Sweet Hearts and Enjoy!

 

 They just melt in your mouth!

Oh! So Delicious!

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OLD LAMP: NEW GET UP!

Hi Everyone!

We all need a little warm glow...

 

My mother had a wooden lamp from Manipur long back. It was not used and stayed in store-room for ages. I brought it to my home...

 

 The lamp is detachable. I opened up each part. Sanded it with sand paper and coated it with fine wood filler and sanded it again to smooth finish.

Here is the lamp before decoration or polish...

I used some black marker pen and pearl white acrylic paint, and painted a pair of dragon flies in garden.

Then painted some markings like tribal burnt wood mark on the stem and feet of the lamp.

Here is the lamp after painting and three coats of clear varnish to seal the painting and also to protect the wood.

In my living room corner...

Love the rich warm glow...

Ethnic looks...

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EASY SHASHIKO RUNNER!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead!

This year first post shall be a lovely indigo runner made by me..

ANYONE JUST ANYONE who can hold a needle with thread and put it through a fabric can do this.. Easy and amazingly beautiful.



I had a fine cesmet cotton fabric in indigo just the right length for a table runner.
Hem the edges.
May add a little crochet lace or trimming on the sides to decorate it.

Did a lot of net surfing for shashiko embroidery from Japan.
Made a few designs inspired by them and for rest..
Realized I just need a pattern to repeat itself neatly.
I made many designs and wanted all of them..
So divided the runner into portions for each pattern.
While you sew simple run, make sure that even the back is neat with minimum threads and knots.
Used single strand two ply wool to sew. It gives good textured look. One can also get special threads for shashiko embroidery ordered through net.
 

 Draw a pattern add cut it out. Using a fabric marking chalk repeat the pattern on the fabric aget your own design.
Bellow Left: Pentagon cut out and repeated.
Another design: Zig-saw puzzle piece from my kids toys repeated
 

 Here is the finished runner.
Please click on the image to get clearer view of designs.

Here is my Blue Shashiko runner on white table cloth.

Modern, yet traditional!

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RED EMBROIDERED SWEATERS: BEFORE & AFTER

Hi!
 
Vacations really catch you up! Had been wanting to post this since last week...

 My kids moved to a different school and so different school uniforms. Had to do something with the school sweaters. They are almost new and well fitting.

 Here is the sweater, to begin with I simply picked out the stitches holding the school logo, very neatly.

 This is my son's sweater with a potted Christmas tree. The decorations are sequins just stuck using fabric glue. The star on top and small ones on sleeves are embroidered.

 This is the first time, am embroidering on knitted garment. Believe me it's very easy, especially if you are using wool. Use very simple basic stitches.

 Here is my daughter's sweater. Logo out. Sketched a pine tree branch in pen, amd also snowflakes on the sleeves.

 Using pale green wool to sew in some pine leaves/needles. Did the branches and stem in Grey wool

 Here is this sweater complete with pines (which are silver and golden sequins glued in clusters) and snowflakes on sleeves.

This sweater is so appropriate for the season and time of festivity, that these have become Aarotrika and Adhrit's favorite sweaters. They wear them everyday to park..

Hope you enjoyed my little venture and will pull out your own stuffs and embelish them and upcycle them and restyle them..

WISH YOU ALL

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND

HAPPY NEW YEAR

!!!

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GOOD FOOD to WARM SOUL!

Hi! Hope everybody is excited about up coming festive season and holidays!

Today I have a simple yet flavorful dish for all of you..

Cook and enjoy to with your dear ones..

 

Humble ingredients:

One medium size fresh cabbage

One medium to big onion

One big tomato

Green chillies to your taste

Half an inch ginger

Turmeric power 1/2tsp

Indian garam masala powder 1/2tsp

(I prefer it homemade my style: roast and grind equal amounts of green cardamom, clove and cinnamon. You can store it in a small air tight bottle.)

Roasted cumin powder 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

If you like extra heat, you can add pepper or red chilli powder as per your taste

Sugar 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 2tbs

A frying pan to cook

 Cut the cabbage radially, as seen in the above pic with a little of its inner stem so that the architecture is not lost. Each wedge should be about an inch thick in the middle.

Cut onion and tomato also into strips.

Jul lien or make thin strips of ginger or may be grate it

Cut the chilli into thin long strips.

Method:

 Heat the pan and let the oil heat up.

Add Cumin seeds and chill in the oil

As the cumin fries, add in the onions and fry till translucent

Now add the ginger and fry for couple of more minutes.

Lower the flame medium to low heat and carefully place the cabbage wedges neatly over the onions. Sprinkle salt, turmeric and cumin powder over it and let it cook.

After about 4 to 5 min using a spatula or flat spoon turn over the cabbages. Add tomatoes and cook till all the cabbage is cooked.

Add roasted cumin powder, garam masala and sugar.

Gently stir and remove from heat.

Serve hot with your choice of bread.

I learnt this recipe from a very dear and senior friend Sushmita. She is an excellent cook, does lovely needle work and a wonderful friend.

To friendship and festivities..

Enjoy!

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NAPKIN HOLDER in GOLD!

Hi!

Wanted a napkin holder in golden colour..

One day I found some scarps of wood

Measured them and cut them in the size little smaller than the width of napkin

These are scarps from the left overs of a picture frame

Have stuck a piece of wood about 2cm wide in between the frame scraps at the base, for the napkins. Paste the pieces together well with PVC glue and let it dry well.

Mix some wood filler which comes in form of tinted dust along with PVC glue to form a thick paste. Apply the paste on the bare surfaces well filling up every gap crack hole.. Wait till it dries up well.  Now use a sand paper to sand away extra coating and get smooth napkin holder..

Now as you got your napkin holder

May just varnish it, or

Paint it

Here is a simple elegant version with just a line of rhinestones..

 

Or jazz it up

Here I used some gold paint, rhinestones and sea shells to decorate..

 

Now I have my own custom made napkin holder

Hope you like it..

Make one for yourself too...

See you....

Till then.....

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