Craft Island

My Experiments in Knitting: 2

2012-02-02T17:13:00.000+05:30

Hope all of you lovely ladies (and gents) are doing good. Its been long since I posted here anything. There were many reasons and without going into that detail, I would prefer to show my new creation: A sweater for 'C'.

I had bought wool 2-3 years back and kid has grown since then, so you can easily notice I've used fur wool at some places.

I had planned to use crochet and knitting together for this. After two strips of crochet in front, I got bored of slow process. So crochet strips are in front only (Originally I had planned them for sleeves also).

Overall, I'm happy with whole look. 'C' wanted 'G.one' on it (kids latest obsession). I tried but ended up writing 'Gone'. Does not matter as he is happy with this 'G.one'. And I'm happy with his liking for his new sweater.

Shalini

I'm on Adithi's Amma Sews....

2012-01-04T13:48:00.002+05:30

Quite excited to tell you that Lakshmi@AdithisAmmaSews has published my interview on her blog as part of Creating Success around the World.

Just hop on to her blog AdithisAmmaSews to read it.

Shalini

Happy New Year......

2012-01-02T10:44:00.001+05:30

Welcome Year 2012.......

Shalini

Handmade Jewellery

2011-12-26T12:57:00.000+05:30

'C' had a jewellery making competition at school. It had to be child friendly and something recycled. He was not comfortable putting small beads in a string so we decided to use nylon shimmer mesh as string with plastic rings over it. These rings are used with mirrors in tribal embroidery. Rings had yellow thread wrapped around them. Used an old Lumba's (Ladies Rakhi) left over stone and crochet flower as pendant. Since it was all green and red, I added one satin yellow flower to add yellow color in pendant.
Told him how to put satin green ribbon in the hole of stone and then tie it with red shimmer mesh. After this, he had to put rings on the mesh and then adjust their spacing. He did it perfectly in school and stood first in his class.
It can be used as Christmas tree decoration also. So I'm submitting it as my second entry in artsy-crafty @mindfull-meanderings.

Shalini
Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story'
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop #39
Mymumscraftshopchallenges---Anything-goes #37

My Experiments in Knitting: 1

2011-12-19T16:24:00.000+05:30

I do not know knitting much except for simple knitting style. I can not make designs unless somebody tells me how to make it. And I can not decipher knitting language also. Even with so limited knowledge, once in a while I venture into this domain and try to make sweaters, socks etc. for 'C'. Here is one sweater I had made and designed (I make up for design disadvantage by adding embroidery/ready made stickers/colours) four years back. 'C' was about 3 yrs. old and it came out very well.

Here is back view of the sweater:

Sorry for bad quality of this pic, I cropped it from a video in which kids are running. Here is a good one with front view:

I used three colors furry wool in this knit: light blue, black and light pink. On the front, I embroidered big heart shape and random alphabets. On one side of heart added two cloth stickers. One of the sticker is not clearly visible.
Since it was done four years back, now I only have photographs as my records. Sweater is long gone to a deserving one. It feels nostalgic to see it now. This was my first sweater for my little boy and I can vouch, it was the best. I had put in my heart:-) and mind into it.

Shalini
Linking it to: Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story'
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop #38

Woolen Kurta and Dhoti pant for a little girl

2011-12-14T16:42:00.001+05:30

I love giving handmade gifts and when I got a chance to make something for a little girl(2 yrs. old).....I had nothing but a dress in mind.

I looked into my stash for a cloth but could not decide which one to use. Then I received a gift: a woolen dress material. Noticing it was way too big for my dress, I decided to use that for little dress. Since it was woolen material, I thought of making shirt and pant kind of set.

First I cut my dress from the material and then set out on cutting girl's dress. A Kurta and salwar fitted the design and colour most. So here it is: a Kurta with full sleeves and a dhoti salwar. Sleeves have folded edges with salwar material. Have kept a shoulder open with buttons so that it easily gets into little body.

Back view of kurta:

Front view:

Salwar material was bit small so added a strip of kurta material in the belt portion of it.

Could not pester little princess to model it. Will post her photograph some other time.

AdithisAmmaSews has a giveaway going on her blog. Participate to win a vegan bag with other goodies.

Shalini

Liking it to:
Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story'
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop #37
Ta-Da Tuesday Link Party #17

Dhoti Pant and Kurta for Boy

2011-12-12T19:01:00.000+05:30

I had stitched Dhoti and Kurta for 'C' before Diwali but could not post it. So here it is now:

I had stitched one dhoti kurta for him in past also but that style of Dhoti pant use to restrict his movement. So he was not very fond of wearing that. I somehow coaxed him to wear that 2-3 times for few hours. But now having grown up, he refused to wear dhoti if it was stitched in old manner. So I thought of making him this Dhoti which I was noticing in 'Balika Vadhuu'. I had to put in lots of thought since I could not find any pattern on net. I first made a doll dhoti and then based on that experience, cut this shimmer piece. Since this was first time, I chose wrong material but overall this dress looks nice. He puts a golden stole with this dress.

Here is Dhoti alone:

I have done back stitch on neck and sleeves to perk up the Kurta. Closer view of Kurta:

After stitching I noticed AdithisAmmaSew s had posted a tutorial for Dhoti pants and that was exactly how I had done it. This has grown my confidence many folds that I can sew properly.

Shalini
Linking it to: Colours Dekor 'The Weekly Story'
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop #37
Ta-Da Tuesday Link Party #17

Chubby Little Snowman

2011-11-22T15:59:00.001+05:30

Chubby Little Snowman,
had a carrot nose.......

Recently Mr. Snowman visited our home and had his lunch. See how he sat:

'C' had to recite a rhyme in school and needed props for that. I made this chubby snowman with cotton, Newspaper and glue. Added a carrot nose and a hat with scarf (Its cold out here).........

All it took me was 30 mins. I made it all by myself. Conceptualized and then made. Have you ever tried making a snowman?

Edited: I've linked this post to Mindfull-meanderings's December Artsy-Craftsy.

Instructions: Take a newspaper and make a ball of it. Make one more ball half in size. Attach both the balls with each other using glue and tape. Now stick cotton on the structure. Make one hat using some thick paper and glue it to the head. Add Bindis as eyes and an orange cone(again made from paper and colored) as nose. Finally add a ribbon for scarf and it is done.
Kids (more than 6yrs old) can do most of the work by themselves.

Shalini

Linking it to :

Warli Obsession on Coasters

2011-11-14T10:46:00.001+05:30

I am obsessed with Warli right now. I think of adding warli designs in one way or other to each and every work. Latest addition to the list is these coasters.

I got a set of six plain wooden coasters from Delhi Haat. Actually I was just about to leave them because trader was quoting too high price(they are china made) but hubby bought it for me.
We ('C' and I) painted them in different colours. Only two are complete as of now. Others are coloured but plain. I did this design with acrylic colours and gave a coat of transparent varnish after drying.
I would use some wood paint on others because I feel that will give it more shine and texture. In fact I plan to repaint these also once I get wood paint. We have a dark rosewood colour dining table (seen here in Picture). Light colours suit it. So I've decided to go for Yellow, Orange and light Blue shades.
Tell me if you like these.........

Shalini
Linking it to :

Nuts are good for health

2011-11-10T17:02:00.001+05:30

Winter is just around here in north. Markets are flooded with hot Peanuts. I remember my childhood days spent sitting in sun and eating lots of peanuts. I can not think of such leisure these days. But can always benefit from nuts by eating them every now and then.

Earlier It was believed that eating nuts will add to our weight so health conscious people stayed away from them. New studies have found nuts to be beneficial for our heart and weight. Nuts contains unsaturated Fats including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (many contains omega-3 faaty acids also), Fibre, Vitamin E, Proteins, minerals (magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, folate etc.).

Eating nuts as part of healthy diet cuts bad cholesterol levels and raises good cholesterol. Their fibre content makes us feel full and we eat less. This helps in preventing obesity. Almonds are good for heart, bones and our skin because it contains calcium, vitamin B, E and monosaturated fats. Cashews are good source of minerals. Groundnuts reduces risk of heart diseases while pistachios are rich in minerals and vitamins. Wlanuts have good amount of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Having a fist full of different nuts will do wonders for health but overdoing of everything is bad..........

Shalini
(Image taken from Internet)

Linking it to:

Completed Girls's Top

2011-11-08T10:37:00.000+05:30

Here is completed Top which I had talked about in this post.

It has got puffy short sleeves made of georgette and lizzy bizzy fabric.For other details please check this post.

Edited: I entered this post in to 'So you think you can sew' contest.

Shalini

Linking it to :

Frizzy Hair.....gone in days

2011-11-04T20:06:00.002+05:30

"Mumma, why your hair don't look neatly combed like mine"(Aapke bal bikhre kyun rehte hai, mere to nahi rahte). I was surprised at my six year old's observation. It was first time when he had said something about my appearance.

"In Rainy season my hair becomes frizzy and I can not make them look neat". He looked satisfied. Then suddenly, "Why don't you use something to make them look flat".

From here started my quest to remove frizzles. Here is me with my curly and frizzy hair:

Bought a conditioner for dry hair from nearby store and used it for few days (in fact weeks). Though it smoothed my hair for first day of washing, next day they were back to square one.

I saw Dove oil care range on Indiblogger and filled the form to get the hamper. Package arrived within 20 days and now I'm using it regularly (though not everyday, i use it every alternate day). Change is visible in only 20 days. You can see the difference yourself:

Now I have shiny and less frizzy hair. And its possible to leave them open or keep in a ponytail which was impossible earlier.

And I have a happy son now, sitting beside me....smiling at my hair.

Shalini

PS: I have published this post as part of Indiblogger's ‘Love is a two way street: Love your hair and it loves you back!’ Contest. Please vote for me on Indiblogger If you like my post.

Peeling Vegetables and Fruits

2011-11-03T11:59:00.000+05:30

All of us try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, courtesy heightened awareness about health benefits. But do we actually get all benefits? Almost all of us peel vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cucumbers etc. before eating (we do it out of habit) and throw away nutrients stashed in and below their rinds/peels.

Okay....we do it to remove pesticides lunging on them. But there are better ways to remove them. Washing them thoroughly by scrubbing under water or with some vegetable wash can do the same job and will maintain nutrients as well.

Peels or rinds contains antioxidants, fibres, vitamins, minerals etc. They prevent cancers, protect our digestive track and improve immunity.

Some vegetable and fruits which can be eaten as it is are:

Potatoes
Apples
Cucumbers
Carrots
Brinjal / Eggplant
Pineapples (not harder peel instead core of it)
Grapes
Tomatoes
Pears
Sweet Potato
Peels of citrus fruits can be used after peeling.
Banana Peels can also be eaten after tendering them in boiling water.

This much for now.......

Shalini

(Image taken from Internet)

Linking it to :

Lehanga for Diwali

2011-10-31T22:00:00.000+05:30

As discussed in earlier post, I stitched this ghaghra (Lehanga) for my niece. I used an old net saree, a brocade material (for lining) and a cotton lining.

Used remaining material from saree for dupatta. Top is not yet ready, so used a blouse for top. I plan to have a long top (till waist) and hang dupatta from side.Top will be a combination of lining brocade material and one magenta brocade material which I have already purchased. Here is she wearing the same on Diwali.

Hope you like it.

Shalini
Linking it to:

Sprouting

2011-10-20T16:35:00.000+05:30

"Having sprouts is good for health and it must be included in our daily diets"
So many of us must have heard this either from grandma or a doctor. But how it happens actually. What difference does sprouting create in that moong dal?

Sprouting is nothing but germination of a seed. When a seed starts germinating, all its complex compounds are broken down in to simpler compounds by enzyme actions. These simple compounds helps plant to grow. Similarly when we germinate seeds for eating, we get to eat simpler and easily digestible produce.

Sprouted seeds have higher content of water, simpler proteins, Vitamins(especially B), essential fats and fibre. At the same time they have lesser carbs. Phytic acid and Protease inhibitors content is also reduced due to sprouting.

Though germinate seeds sounds very easy but some precautions are required:

Water used must be clean, drinking water.
Seeds must be washed before soaking.
During sprouting, we must wash the seeds at least once a day.
Seeds must be intended for human consumption, not for growing crops.
Sprouts should not be allowed to dry.
Sprouted seeds should not be left in water.
Utensils used must be clean.

Happy Sprouting........

Shalini

Image taken from Internet.
Linking it to:

Top in Progress

2011-10-12T16:53:00.002+05:30

Sewing a top for my niece. It is not yet done but have a look at this work in progress.......

I have used georgette and lizzy-bizzy fabrics for this top. Georgette is giving a great fall to it. Girl lives in other city so do not have her proper measurements. I talked to her over phone and took size. Lets see if she is able to fit into it (I'm not trained for sewing so its brain work always). I am waiting to finish it and see her wearing this but that will happen only during Diwali. Poor 'C', he is become a model for this and keeps exclaiming that he is not a girl.

Had done a lehanga(Ghaghra) for her also few days back. I did not sew its top again because of not having proper measurements. Some tailor will do that .Will post that dress also after Diwali.

Shalini

Linking it to

Soaking Beans

2011-10-06T22:41:00.000+05:30

Beans are a very good source of protein, fibre, starch, Vitamins and minerals (iron, potassium, magnesium, Zinc etc). But we still do not get all beneficial nutrients from eating them and end up being mineral deficient; just because we do not follow proper cooking techniques.

All beans (in fact all grains) has phytic acid in their outer covering. This phytic acid reacts with proteins and minerals especially Zinc and stops their absorption in our intestine. This makes beans difficult to digest.

Amount of phytic acid can be reduced by soaking, cooking, germinating or fermenting beans. Soaking has many benefits:

• Soaking softens beans, reducing their cooking time considerably.

• Soaking increases vitamin (especially Vitamin B) content of beans.

• Helps in increased absorption of minerals by reducing phytic acid (cooking them further reduces phytic acid).

• Soaking breaks down complex sugars and improves beans digestion.

• Soaking increases absorption of proteins by breaking them down in to simpler proteins.

• Removes dirt and pesticide residues from beans.

Beans can be soaked in water (cold) overnight (for 7-8 hrs.) before cooking. Soaking in hot water hastens water absorption and 3-4 hrs. of soaking is also sufficient in this case.

Get ready to enjoy a healthier absorption of beans next time by soaking and cooking them properly.

Shalini

Image taken from Internet.

Linking it to

Baking Soda

2011-09-29T11:54:00.000+05:30

Many of us (even our mothers, grandmothers) swear by Baking soda for preserving colour of vegetables and for shortening cooking time of beans.
Ever wondered how cooking time comes down just by adding a pinch of it?
Actually, Baking soda increases absorption of water in beans and softens beans further, thus reducing time taken for cooking.
One more reason for using soda in cooking beans is, many people believe, it prevents flatulence caused by beans.
We also use it as leavening agent in cakes, breads to raise their dough. Soda reacts with liquid and produces carbon dioxide bubbles which gets trapped by dough.
These all are good reasons for using soda but there is a negative side. Baking soda reacts with nutrients present in food and destroys (almost) vitamin B (mainly thiamin). So when you are cooking with soda in beans, we sure you are not getting any of its vitamin B which is vital for our body.
Though goods are outnumbering bad, losing Vitamins is a big deal. Goods can be achieved using other methods but vitamin loss can not be reversed.
Colour of vegetables can be preserved by proper cooking time and proper ways (like cooking on low flame) while flatulence can be managed by not eating beans in dinner and combining them with lighter foods.

Shalini
Image taken from Internet.

Linking it to

Pen Stand by recycling Floppies

2011-09-26T12:32:00.000+05:30

Made a pen stand from using old, discarded floppies yesterday. Used three floppies as three sides and put a hard cardboard as base.

(You can see print on the floppy on the inner side).
After I joined all four pieces, 'C' stuck paper strips using papermache technique. Then gave two thin coats of glue. 'C' did base colouring and I drew warli figures on it. Finally gave three more coats of glue.
Here is the final product.

Shalini
Linking it to :

My Other Passion........

2011-09-21T15:15:00.000+05:30

I am not a good cook, just manage to cook for the sake of my foodie family. Many fellow bloggers were of great help in this. Hundreds of times I have opened their pages to go through their version of recipes.

I am not a foodie, in fact a very bad eater. I can eat anything without taste also(my hubby's version).

I started this blog to share my passion for crafts with all of you. Earlier I use to be lazy and did not give much importance to my creations because creating them was part of my existence. Very recently I've started to take it seriously and am trying to post most of the things I create.

By now you all must be wondering...............what is it with all this ranting. Well, I shared one of my passion but did not share my passion for healthy and nutritious food. I like to cook healthy food and in healthy manner. Few days back while searching for some cooking methods, I came across many things which I did not know or follow (ignorant me!!!). This got me started. I decided to store them somewhere and what better way than to have it on my blog.

From today onwards, every Thursday, I'll be posting some healthy cooking tip/method/blah blah on this blog. I know you must be knowing them already. So, your expert comments are welcome and I'd love to read them and improve my cooking ways.

Today I'm starting with a recent fade; I have suddenly seen a spurt in number of pro-biotic food items available off the shelves. Everybody is suddenly adding one bottle in their daily diet. Mothers are happy to feed their kids one of these products because they enhance immunity. Very true. They improve our immunity, but we were always using the benefits of bacterias(pro-biotics). A very simple example is: Curd.

Now I come to the point: How does they help in improving our health and what all we can eat for this.

A good and natural way to introduce pro-biotics in food is fermentation. Some benefits of fermentation are:

Increases the taste and flavours.
Increases antibodies which fight with infections.
In case of curd, fermentation converts lactose of milk to lactic acid, which is easily digestible by our body.
Some fermentations improve antioxidants in food and we all know their benefits.
Fermentation improves essential vitamins, nutrients in food and even generates new nutrients. E.g. When we ferment dough, its vitamin B content improves drastically.
Bacterias form a natural shield in our intestine and thus inhibit pathogen growth inside.

I prefer Curd, home made Bread, Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Dhokla and sometimes Bhature etc. to add bacterias in my cooking than gulping down a bottle of probiotic.

Hope you find this information useful.

Shalini

Linking this to: Colours Dekor the weekly story
Image taken from Internet.

Papermache Babushka doll

2011-09-19T11:28:00.000+05:30

We (me and 'C') had made a papermache babushka doll long time back but somehow did not post it.
Here it is:

Used a balloon as base for papermache and added one cardboard ring as the bottom to let it stand. Though I could not draw nice features ('C' says it looks somewhat angry), we still love it.

Shalini

Linking this to : Colours Dekor the weekly Story

Happy Onam.....

2011-09-09T16:44:00.001+05:30

Shalini

(Image taken from smsnshayari.com)

Repurposed Pouch

2011-09-08T15:31:00.000+05:30

'C' was in need of a colour box to store his crayons. I did not want to give him a normal pencil box or a plain plastic box. I wanted something where he could properly store his crayons and easily handle them also. After much brainstorming, I suddenly remembered a pouch which was lying unused for quite sometime and decided to change it according to his needs. Here is original pouch from inside:

I removed pocket and elastic band and added another band for his crayons.

(Did not have a black band, anyway white is looking good.)

All inside neat and safe. I plan to change its outer maroon piping also, but that will happen some other day. Hope he is able to use it properly.

Shalini

I'm linking this to :

Transformation Thursdays.

The ShabbyNest

Story Telling

2011-08-29T11:49:00.000+05:30

'C' had a story telling competition in school on Saturday. I found an easy (yes, because he had to memorize it) story here. Used puppets as props but problem was having a background for puppets. After toying with whole lot of ideas, decided to give him a background on a chart hanging from his neck. We made two fish and one picnic basket. 'C' painted a rock, shell, boot and sea weed which we pasted on the chart in a manner that top area of all of them was unpasted(red fish had to hide there).

Story goes like this 'Big blue fish is hungry and calling small red fish. Red fish is afraid that big fish will eat it so tries different places to hide, but every time big fish can see her tail. And finally while hiding inside the boot, red fish is unable to escape and comes to know that blue fish is having a picnic and want her to have picnic with her.'

Here is a pic:

(Cropped his face).

Shalini

Linked to Colors Decor 'The Weekly Story'

New Kurta

2011-08-26T18:32:00.000+05:30

I stitched a kurta(Top) for myself few days back. Though this is not one of my best creations (I have stitched so many in some 10-12 years but do not have pictures of them). I team it up with a white churidaar and white dupatta. Here are pictures of my creation.

Front view of the kurta

This one is back side...

Closer view of the neck.

Shalini

Another Glass Painting

2011-08-20T22:21:00.000+05:30

I recently painted one more ganesh on glass. Have a look.

Shalini

Money Envelopes from Wedding Cards

2011-07-08T16:28:00.000+05:30

Made some money envelopes with wedding cards.

Shalini

Happy Holi......

2011-03-20T19:27:00.000+05:30

Happy Holi to all of you................

Shalini

(Image from DesiComments.com)

Glass Painting

2011-03-18T17:19:00.000+05:30

My First attempt at Glass Painting............

Shalini

Natural beauty

2011-02-03T12:30:00.000+05:30

I Love nature and makes it a point to catch all lovelies in my camera. I plan to create a collage with all those memories some day. Here are some of them..............

All these pictures were taken in Galle, Sri Lanka.

Elephants are in Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Kegalle. Sri Lanka. It was a life time experience watching so many Elephants frolicking and bathing in a river.

This is Bentota Beach, again in Sri Lanka.

Above all are from Jim Corbett National Park, India.

This place is near Rameshwaram. We were standing on Pamban Bridge which is longest Sea bridge in India.

Thanks for stopping by and viewing.

Shalini

Baby Pillow Cases

2011-01-14T18:18:00.000+05:30

I recently made some pillow cases for my sister's son. Used cotton material to make them. To add designs painted alphabets on one, embroidered other and added only lace to third one. I'll let the pictures do rest for me (pictures were taken from a mobile camera, so not very quality pictures)...........

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-01-03T13:28:00.000+05:30

Happy New Year.

May new year bring cheer in your lives.

Shalini

(Image is taken from flowersOfIndia.net.)

Treasure from Trash

2010-07-17T14:04:00.000+05:30

Here are my entries for lovely Shruti's July Artsy-Craftsy:

1. Flower from Plastic Bottle:

2. A Sea horse from C's old T-shirt:

These I had already displayed on my blog but again listing here.

3. A Vase from PVC pipe:

4. A Ball cum Rattle from the same T-shirt:

None of them can be done by kids below 5yrs. But Flower from plastic bottle is suitable for kids aged 7-11 years.

Shalini

Summer Sewing

2010-07-13T16:49:00.000+05:30

I enjoy stitching a lot and sincerely feel it rejuvenates me. But rarely I gets to do it. Generally I'm not able to squeeze out time from my daily schedules. Since past few days I'm seriously thinking of rescheduling my days and fit at least some sewing in to it.

Stitched two Frocks some time back for a little girl. One with layers and other a modified pillow dress pattern.

I gifted it to her and did not ask for pictures, so here are frocks without a model.

Hope to continue with regular sewing.

Shalini

Dressing up switch boards

2010-05-19T13:44:00.000+05:30

Summer holidays are here and C is feeling hot. Generally he keeps busy doing stuff he loves (playing, watching TV) but sometimes gets bored for not being able to go out of house. It is soo hot here that I can not think of taking him out during day. Even evening breeze feels like coming out of some hot blower.

One such day we decided to do something crafty. I zeroed in on some thermocol craft since we had not done any thing this month (I submitted an old work). I wanted to do a mobile but could not cut proper shapes from thermocol which we had. C proposed a robot which can fly but i'm no tech geek so we settled down for a very simple robot.

Took a rectangular thermocol plate and cut one rectangle from it. Cut four other pieces from it for making hands and legs. Then this idea of transforming the swithboard popped up and we did a dry run by pasting all the pieces on the switch board and decided to keep it like that. Cut two more smaller pieces and made them its antenna. C painted them all by using black acrylic color mixed with white glue. Finally we pasted them on the board by using transparent tape. For mouth used a small piece from plate again. Eyes were made using thermocol balls. Here is the end result.

C is really happy about having a robot in the house. He proudly told his father and friend that buttons are making its body.

This is suitable for kids in the age group 7-10 years. Because it involves handling paper cutter and scissors.

I'm going to submit this to artsy-Craftsy. One day is left, gear up guys and submit what you have made.

Shalini

Handmade Hair Clips

2010-05-15T20:58:00.000+05:30

For C's birthday I made few hair clips for giving away as return gifts. I used basic lock pins and added felt, white stones, lace trims and some craft stones. As usual, Fevicol worked as the glue.

I also reused brown paper bags and newspapers to make bags for keeping return gifts and candies. I added some colour by scribbling with colored pens and stamp markers.

Sorry for bad pic but I clicked only one to share.

So do you plan return gifts like I did or do you have some better ideas?

Shalini

Thermocol Board and A Pipe Vase

2010-05-13T17:29:00.000+05:30

Some time back I made this Thermocol board for hanging some paintings and craft actiivties done by C(Shreyash) in school. Since Shruti's artsy-craftsy theme for this month is Thermocol, I decided to submit it as my entry (I could not think of any thing else actually).

Suitable for kids aged 7-10 years under parental supervision.

Materials Used:
Thermocol Sheet: 2 (1 inch width)
One cotton Fabric for covering sheets
Satin Ribbon
Fevicol or fabric glue
Few straight Pins
Transparent tape

First I joined both sheets using tape. Then spread cloth on one side. Used pins to fix it in place stretching it tightly. Glued Satin ribbon on all four sides. Attached Ribbon loops on top back side to hang it down. I also glued the board to the wall so that it does not move if fan is switched on (for gluing I put Fevicol on the cloth not on the Thermocol, Fevicol burns thermocol if used directly on it).

Now some work for you. We made this vase by coloring a pipe piece. Green was done by C and I just tried to emphasize that curve on it by putting black. I'm not able to figure out how it looks, is it good, bad or ugly. Your comments are welcome.

Shalini

We Won............

2010-05-03T15:16:00.000+05:30

again in Artsy-Craftsy April @ mindful Meanderings. Here is my entry- papermache Elephant.

This months theme is Thermocol. Just hop over to Shruti's place and participate.

Papermache Elephant mask

2010-04-22T14:42:00.000+05:30

It feels good to be blogging after a lonnnnnggggggg forced break. We shifted to a new house and could not get our trusted Internet connection transfered. So I took a cable broadband connection. But my bad luck, it gave me more panic than comfort. Everytime I wanted to work, it was not working. 3 months have passed and finally now I believe I'll get my old connection by tomorrow.Better late than never.

In the meantime I did lots of craft but that i'll post later. First I'll post my Papermache Elephant. We made it for Shruti's Artsy-Crafty but could not post it on time.

I used paper plates, paper strips, newspaper and diluted Fevicol for doing this. I pasted two pieces of paper plate(cut in half) on both sides of another plate. Rolled one newspaper like trunk and secured it in place with tape. Then we pasted paper strips dipped in diluted adhesive on it. I did two layers and then kept it for drying. After 5-6hrs. I cut two eye shapes on top side. Then we (most of it Shreyash did) painted it. After painting, I pasted wrapping paper as decorations. We can use it as a mask or it can be hung from wall by attaching a thread on the back side.

~~Swati~~ Shruti is doing great job organising these monthly contests. Kudos to her. I wish her all the best.

Shalini

Hand - Finger Printing

2010-01-18T17:53:00.000+05:30

Wish you all a joyous and prosperous 2010!

It feels good to be blogging after so long. We(me and Shreyash) went to my parents place in his Winter breaks. His nani cooked everything he wished for(Aloo tikki, Samosas, Golgappa and many more dishes.) and now this chap wants me to do the same everyday. I told him strictly that it is impossible to cook all those dishes everyday. But he is still reluctant to eat simple dal-roti-sabji kind of food. His school has started but its tough for him to get up and be ready in time. He wants to sleep more like he was doing during holidays. Hope he will be back on track with in few days.

Today he did this painting for Artsy-Crafty Challenge on mindfull-meanderings. I told him what to do and he did it by his hand. He kept his fingers joined and thumb away to make an impression with black color first and then white color (while black was still little wet). Once he was done with bird he painted background as sky and them drew his favourite clouds (he does them in all paintings) using cotton. Then I added bird's legs, lower body portion and border.

Shreyash's colorful painting inspired the kid in me and I did this Ganesha using finger printing. I'm entering both paintings in the contest and hopes to discover many more such activities there. Contest is on till 20th January 2010. Anybody can participate but activity has to be appropriate for kids aged 1 to 10 years.

I had continued my crafty activities while I was not blogging. Here is a ball cum rattle which I made for my sister's one month old son.

I'm dying to post other things but do not have their pictures. Will post next time.

Now something for charity. NGO GiveIndia is taking part in a competition on Facebook to win a US$1 million grant. The winner will be the NGO that gets the highest number of votes from Facebook users. The prize of $1 million will help put or keep 40,000 children across India in school for one year! Voting in the competition is for one week only, from Friday, January 15 – Friday, January 22, 2010.

The link for voting, where you can also see more details of the competition is

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/338730

We all talk about doing something for under priviledged children. Here is our chance to do something. Vote for GiveIndia and help change lives of some more children.

Shalini

Slippers Tutorial

2009-11-27T20:04:00.000+05:30

Here is the tutorial for slippers I had posted earlier.

This time I've used wool felt from an old shawl(wrap/stole) as the top and denim cloth for back. I did not use any wadding because both materials are quite thick and extra layering is not required. In earlier version I had used foam as wadding because top cloth was very light.

Step 1: Draw shape of feet on a paper and then cut it leaving some margins.(Make slipper slightly bigger than actual size).

Step 2: Now put shape on paper and draw a semicircle like below picture. Semicircle is not a complete semicircle. Right and left sides are slightly different. Please do take care to cut like this otherwise it will not fit properly on other layers. I've specified right sides of both shapes. Please notice these shapes are for left foot. Go through similar process for right foot or invert shapes while cutting cloth. Cut this shape also.

Step 3: Cut cloth for top and bottom layers. (Remember to use two paper shapes for both legs otherwise both slippers will be of same foot). Here I'm showing bottom cloth cutting.

Step 4: Similar to step 3, cut cloth for semicircular shapes. These shapes are also for both feet.

Step5: Now sew all three cuttings as shown. Attach right side of semicircle with right side of other layers. Semicircular shape will need some adjustment according to top layer.

Step 6: Attach border(edging) keeping bigger margin for back side.

Step 7: Now sew on back side by folding inside.

Slippers are ready. Decorate them by your imagination.

(Please overlook printed paper. I always recycle used papers.)

Shalini

3-Dimensinal picture...........

2009-11-11T12:03:00.000+05:30

Shreyash's teacher had asked to submit some art and craft projects for his school magazine. I wondered for some time what to prepare using his skills. Finally selected this picture from his coloring book. We (Shreyash and me) made this picture using pista coverings, green grass leaves, Dal, cloth and cotton. He did finger printing for flowers and pasted all these materials (of course with my help......). Below grass pasted paper-tearing for hiding blue color of sheet. I used a rectangular paper for beak. All this gave a 3D look to picture.

Finally I added border by pasting silver and dark brown paper. His teacher appreciated this work and I was happy that it was actually done by using his skills.

Also painted a Christmas Tree using hand printing. Again Shreyash did this and he was really happy coloring his hands in green. He liked it so much that wanted to keep that painting for home. But then I suggested to submit it in school and make another for home.

In all it was nice experience and best part is Shreyash has also got bitten by this creative bug and wants to do something everyday. Hope I'll be able to keep this firing in him....................

Shalini

Handmade Slippers

2009-11-02T11:45:00.000+05:30

Winter is approaching slowly and I'm readying winter wear. Took out old stock of warm clothing from the closet and put them in sun for few hours. Though i feel we will not be wearing them for another 2-3 weeks but you never know. I believe we all do this weeks before temperature actually falls to low levels(10-11 degree C) as a precautionary measure.

Changing weather brings many viral infections along and generally kids fall prey easily because they keep touching surfaces everywhere. Shreyash has already got an infection and had high fever three days back. Now better but still coughing.

I made these slippers for him few days back using (again........) some left over pieces and plans to make 2 more pairs so that he can keep his feet warm while playing in house.

This was my first attempt so made a mistake while cutting and had to add some patch on front. We learn from mistakes, so next will be better version of these.

Shalini

Diwali Celebrations

2009-10-22T15:20:00.000+05:30

Stitched this kurta and dhoti for Shreyash. Used left over material from one of my kurtas. Though neckline was a bit bigger for him, he was happy with his dress. He wore it for Lakshmi poojan. I had asked him not to run around because stitched dhoti does not allow it and he happily complied.

I did this Rangoli outside my door for diwali. Also added diyas painted by Shreyash. It came out very well. Hopefully You all would like it.

Shalini

Diwali Preparations.........

2009-10-14T18:21:00.000+05:30

Diwali preparations are on... in full steam. Shreyash (my son) painted some diyas (ofcourse with my help) for gifting to his school friends and some for home.