Fun times :)

Its the last day of this academic year.. for Ammu n Adi! In fact, its over already..  they must be back home and enjoying their nap The last two weeks were quite easy on me.. as BIL1 had taken up the responsibility for making them read and revise their lessons.  He was a very relieved person yesterday

Though, of course, it was not ‘all study and no play’. With the change in weather, they’ve enjoyed eating their fruit and curd, have had fun playing outside. Ammu was most relieved to skip the sweater and scarf routine!

And, art n craft is always a favorite here

Origami dolls that Ammu made for my Sis1 and BIL on their marriage anniversary.

Initially, she made one for sis. When I told her that the occasion was their marriage anniversary, she made another one and stuck them together. Cute thinking Aint it!

Wishes .. on the back of the dolls

Then, she was inspired enough to make them again using craft paper..

The next weekend, we started out to make a book mark. I had kept a wedding card safely for this purpose It was cream colored with flowers designed on the outer edge. It cut these sides and used them for the book mark.

Since it is spring time.. I was inspired to make it colourful. Ammu did most of the colouring… coloured the flowers and leaves with crayons and did the outline using sketch pens.

Then she proceeded to make an Origami parrot, from instructions in her Art/Craft book. I had been looking at some Origami stuff on the net and that inspired her I guess The dolls too she had made looking at the instructions in her book.

And, I tried my hand at paper quilling for the first time..

Just used some strips cut out of the craft paper. Felt nice and relaxed after the craft session as Ammu also enjoyed herself all the while

Linking this to Shruti’s March Artsy Craftsy challenge – “Origami”… for the Origami dolls and the Origami parrot. I’m so happy that I’ve actually taken pictures and uploaded them well before the deadline

There are more pics of cards that Ammu has made. Will put them up next.

Its a long weekend. Yay!!

Ushering in the new year with Ugadi tomorrow. Happy Ugadi to all of you!! And have a fabulous weekend

Flower craft

Ammu with a lotus flower on Flower Day at school.

This was in August 2009. She was suffering from a throat infection and had severe cough. And thinking that she’ll not be going, I didn’t prepare anything for the event. But on that day, she insisted that she wanted to go to school just to participate !!

That was when I made this Lotus …by jugaad!

I cut out the petals from the sides of an old card board box; the card was not very thick. Stuck the pink colour paper onto the petals; two different pinks coz there wasnt sufficient quantity of one for all the petals…

Fixed them together at the base using some kind of pin.. the petals didnt stay in one place, they kept sliding…

Wrapped green colour paper onto an ice cream stick and stuck it at the base of the Lotus.

She managed to say a few sentences even though she continued to cough all the time. But the greatest satisfaction was that she enjoyed being there … with all her friends who were dressed up as flowers n fruits…

Her smile says it all!!

Linking this one also to the September Artsy Craftsy at Mindful Meanderings!

ETA: Wohoo!!! We’ve won the 1st prize at Artsy Craftsy Sept 2011 Thanks Shruti!

Ammu’s art..

Ammu’s creation for Mother’s day!

Ammu drew this on her own and coloured it using crayons. The 2 human figures represent me and her

Linking this to the July Artsy Craftsy at Mindful Meanderings!

A cherished book !!

A Little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The abridged version of this book was given to me as an award for Morals when I was in the 8th std which was almost 22 years ago!! Even to this day, I’m not very sure as to why they chose me for this prize. Was it based on marks or did it have something to do with my behaviour I do not know. However, it was perhaps the first book that I owned and I had been excited to receive it amidst applause of the students and teachers at the award ceremony. That made it special for me. But the reason why I cherish it even to this day is the story of the little princess Sara, which left a lasting impression on me. The inherent goodness of the little princess was at once enchanting and empowering to me. It enforced my belief that goodness has its own merits. And that goodness at heart is what will bring you lasting peace and contentment. And will help us be one with the universe. Something which I have believed in and have endeavoured to practice to the extent possible.

The book cover.

The certificate pasted on the inside of the cover.

A brief outline of the story can be found here. I do not know if it can be for real. But I’m sure compassion, empathy, good will are virtues which should be emulated and nurtured. Empathize every single time. Always give others the benefit of doubt and never pass a judgement off hand. Don’t feel jealous. Don’t grudge others their success and glory. Don’t crib and whine. And be grateful.. for everything! These are a few things that I have imbibed from the book. I try to live accordingly… trying all the while. There are instances where I have been taken advantage of, have been cheated… betrayed. But I have not given up on what I have been and what I am. For I truly believe, that in the long run, goodness will have its own fruits.

The story of Sara has impacted my way of thinking … and being. I dont think i can elaborate on all the lines that have had an impact, here are a couple of scenes… courtsey google

Acknowledge that you may be better because you are placed in better circumstances. And have a heart… empathize with those who aren’t as privileged as you are.

Acknowledge your limitations … and try to overcome them in a better way. Try to always look for the good in everyone and every situation.

I don’t know if the content of the book helped me form my habits and cultivate my temperament. Or if I felt that my innate qualities and beliefs were vindicated by the story. Either way, I connect with the book and cherish it. And each time I read it, I’m enchanted and almost always, it brings up a lump in the throat. For me, this book is not just about memories but about a way of life, to be cherished for all times to come

Even after moving cities and houses, the book has stayed with us. Dad never ever disposes off books, no matter what their  condition. On a recent visit to our home in Mysore, I went through the books. And was so glad to find it. Pages brown and with the typical smell of old books Ammu was also excited about the book, because it contained my name and my school name. And when I told her it was a prize, she was impressed. I brought back with me and it now sits in my book shelf. I’m sure Ammu will pick it up when she is able to read it. Probably I’ll buy her a new one to read since the pages are popping out of the book that I have. Anyway, I really hope she too will imbibe some of the quaint and lovable manners of Princess Sara As for Adi… I’m not sure if Princess stories will interest him. Only time will tell!! I just wish that he’ll read it too

I came across this contest at blogadda just yesterday. I so wanted to do this post but thought that wouldn’t be able to with so little time left for the deadline. But I just had to and here it is.I’m so glad that I could write this down

and I connect with bloggers at BlogAdda.com

Glimpses from Diwali 2010!

This Diwali, we had a pleasant ambience at home. A little rangoli at the door accentuated with flowers and diyas… Little scented candles and floating candles in the living room…Fragrance of flowers, fruits, incense sticks in the puja room…

Since it was too windy for diyas in the balcony, we brought them all in and lined them up along the walls… We switched off all the tube lights and swiched on the yellow decorative bulbs. The whole place looked so festive with the reflection of the diyas on the clear tiles…

I did not take many pics though… was just savouring it all And when I saw Shruti’s artsy craftsy theme for Nov, I was hoping to have a few pics at least. BIL had taken pics of the rangolis and some diyas on his mobile. But I had no pics of the crafts that I had made  Again, thankfully, the crafts are with me unlike the rangolis. And I somehow managed to click pics of them and upload them, along with the ones in the mobile. So here they are!!

Rangolis made using rangoli powder and embellished with flowers and diyas! The clay diyas painted using gold colour oil paint…just accentuating the beautiful design

The kids were all excited while making the rangoli and were even eager to fill in the colours. They seemed fascinated looking at the end result! For some reason, while leaving for home yesterday around 8 PM, Adi looked back at me n said ‘ Bomma, make one rangoli’

I made the lanterns while chatting with sis and the kids. A pretty simple one… Just cut 4 rectangles of the same size from hand made paper. Punch holes along the sides. Cut out some tiny shapes on the card paper for light to filter out. Tie up along the sides using satin ribbon pieces. This tying up can be done in different ways. Place diyas or candles within the walls and enjoy the work of art Swich off the tube lights and you get a dramatic effect!! What say? I found inspiration for these while on one of my web trails, but i don’t seem to recollect the site

Then I made the akashbutti,again using handmade paper. The one that I had bought last year had become dull and damaged at places. So i decided to use reuse the rings that held the central cylinder to make a new one. There were four rings; i used just 2.

Make the inner cylinder by cutting out the rectangle and fix it arund the rings, placing one ring at the top and other at the bottom. Then make another rectangle, 2 inches more height than the first one. Fold and cut slits from the fold till the edge, just leaving an inch of margin space for fixing it. Open the fold and fix this piece over the inner cylinder. Then stick colorful streamers below. I reused the old one. But wrapped it show the surface that was on the inner side earlier. Tie string at the top for hanging it. Fix up the lighting and you’re done!!

Note: This can be done even without the rings, by using a stiffer card paper. Children above 8 years should be able to do it I guess

These diyas are from the past year. They were painted by sis and her in laws. I have included them here to add bling to this post Aren’t they pretty ? *showing off*

Nominating these to Shruti’s Nov Artsy Craftsy.

ETA: More pics

Hare and the tortoise...beside the TV

Arent these little rabbit and the tortoise candle holders cute?

In the balcony...

Also linking this to Diwali Dhamaka @ The Key Bunch!!

Styrofoam Clock

Here’s another entry for July’s Artsy Craftsy. Clock made using styrofoam plate … one that comes as fruit/veg packet.

We made this during the summer vacations. Ammu chose the colors. I cut the papers and stuck it onto the plate. Then used glitter glue to write the numbers. Made the hands from an old card and stuck using a soft board pin. Done! I meant to cover it with a transparent polythene cover but never got around to do it. As usual… Nevertheless, it sits pretty in the book shelf, much above Adi’s reach

Treasure from trash!

The first thing that came to mind when I read July’s theme for Artsy Craftsy at Shruti’s were these!!

These were made by my sister, when she had got hooked to glass painting All available bottles, in varied shapes and sizes were painted! The top most pic has the vodka bottle, that adorns the space on her fridge. And the painted Eno bottle serves as a pen holder on her desk at office. She had also given me 2 painted bottles that I use for keeping single stemmed flowers… dont have pics of those.

Submitting these for the July contest. Age: Teens and adults.

Steps: Paint the background if required. Draw the outline and then colour the design. Let dry completely in between these steps. Imagination is the key!

Yay! We won!!

Our red Nail flower won the 1st prize at Shruti’s June Artsy Craftsy!!! Thanks Shruti

And Shruti has a fab giveaway on the occasion of her blog’s first birthday! She’s one super awesome lady with a superb creative streak So do hop over and leave a comment!! or many comments More the better! Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner of one of her beautiful paintings Click on the link or on the teddy on the right and get going…

P.S: The archive for June shows 29 posts! I had been thinking of writing more but didnt think that I would do so many Maybe the NaBloPoMo effect rubbed off on me too!! Actually, I could have  hit the 30 mark yesterday itself with this post, had I seen Shruti’s post announcing the winners. No regrets.. the thought just crossed.

The cat’s out of the bag!

Tell Ammu  a secret..  and you can rest assured that it will reach the right audience

Enthused by the Artsy craftsy challenge, I started making a birthday card for my sister. Got the materials out and started cutting the coloured papers. Ammu was excited at seeing all the crafts stuff and the collection of old cards and random pictures cut out from old cards. While she was rummaging through them.. i told her that i’m making a card for chitti.. just to get her attention… and mainly to prevent any damage to my precious collection .  After the initial distraction she continued her exciting activity of discovering pictures and cute stickers stuck onto the cards and the envelopes .. and she wanted to strip them off the cards n covers . In a further attempt to save my stuff.. i told her that the card is for chitti’s birthday and that she could use the covers then.. so let the stickers be. However, she let go of the them only when i told her that i’ll buy a new set for her. And ..by the time i stuck the cut outs onto the card.. she was done with her discoveries and the cards n covers were all separated and strewn all over.. much to my fury [ she did get scoldings from me... i cannot tolerate things being strewn over and moreover this was my precious collection ]

Well..i guess i have digressed..

Last sunday we had been to my sis’ place . At an opportune moment.. Ammu stands beside my sis and whispers to me.. ‘i’ll tell her?’ i pretend not to hear her.. but she is as persistent as ever!! And i know the moment has come .  I say OK.. but she wants me to promise her that i’ll make the card, i.e finish making it! After getting my nod.. she tells.. “mamma is making a card for you! ” .  So you see the cat is out of the bag! So dumb of me to have trusted her to keep the surprise

She didnt stop at that. This weekend when we visited my sis [yes..its a weekly affair].. she gave her the details ” mamma has put heart shaped photos on the card .. mine and thambis”. She said it so fast that my sis didnt  figure out what it was!.. or so she said. Hmm.. a bit of surprise is still there i think..but only so long as she doesnt hop over here to see new updates . She hasnt checked my posts for over a month now..and i think/hope that she will not check until 25th.. which is her birthday! I’ll keep my fingers crossed

So here it is .. my entry for Artsy Craftsy!

The birthday card!

My sis’ doodles always include flowers with heart shaped petals .. and so the heart shaped petals n buds with the budding buddies

Here is my inspiration for this birthday card! .. the cards made out of hand made paper at Ammu’s school.

The inspiration!

And another entry .. pom-poms made from tissue paper. I had seen this one a long time back but managed to make them only now.  Thanks to Shruti!

Tissue paper pom-poms

Yay! I’m glad i did it this time! Actually had a few more ideas .. that stay put in the mind for now . We’ll do that during Ammu’s summer vacations… hopefully