Schwazwald- Black Forest

Few days back we went to Schwarzwald (English: Black Forest) in Germany.. It is a beautiful forest area with quaint, pretty and very cute villages in the area.. We lived in Triberg..which is famous for its cuckoo clocks...I have never seen more prettier and cutest clocks like the ones in Triberg...They had  big and beautifully wooden carved human sized teddy bears ..musicians..dolls..dancers .. birds dancing on it... Can you believe if I tell you the biggest cuckoo clock is a house!!!!(will share the pics later in another post)...

The above was taken on Titisee(Lake Titisee) when we went for a boat ride..The water was cool ..but still we saw locals swimming in it..making most of the weather.. In winter the entire lake freezes some 30 cm and is open for ice skating ....


Linking to Sky watch..

Tea Party Table decor

It is getting wet and cold again.. What better than sipping nice hot tea and chat with friends watching the rain fall... Luckily when I was taking the pictures sun peeped from the clouds... Bright sunlight makes such a big difference to how your pictures and decor will look..!!!



Many lovely ladies had asked me last Thursday about my plates and table accessories ....So here it goes.. Most of the things I have collected during my travels.. I found this floral table runner at a local shop..I though it would be a pretty backdrop for a tea party.... The tea set is from India .. The plates are from US..(Studio Nova)...Crystal stand is a gift (also from US) ... The Bowl is a souvenir from Buckingham palace..



The wooden tulip is from Amsterdam's Tulip Garden and this pretty piece I bought recently from a sale here in Zürich is from Villeroy& Boch...



...I placed a large doily as a table mat...I used red tissue paper to add some bright color to the table...rolled it in a napkin ring with the spoon...



 I took the picture before I placed the sandwiches and cupcakes... This was a last minute idea... I am happy how it turned out..I wish I had some flowers ..They could have added such charm to the table..hmmm...

I did the tutorial for the Watermelon ship I had carved last time...Check out on Sunday to see how easy it is to carve a watermelon.. !!!!

Happy Monday!!!

I ♥♥♥ Mondays!!!!

Decorating with paper doilies...

Remember the table arrangement I did on Thursday. The centerpiece was made by a row of glass bottles with pretty colorful flowers in it... So today I am going to show you how to up cycle/ reuse/ decorate plain bottles to use them as vase..(I know I said Sunday but I am so super excited that I am writing this two days earlier..:)) This one is very easy ...For this you need:

Small sized paper doilies, Clear glass bottles(used, emptied and washed) , flowers , scissors ..thats it!!  So let's start..

Take a small sized doily.. Fold it into triangle ..

Then cut it so that a circle will remain in the center..Another way could be a draw the glass bottle neck shape on the doily and cut it..

It should look like this..

  Thats it.. now put it in the bottles neck ..

and fill it with water, salt and flowers.. done!!!

Arrange many bottles the same way in a row.. 

Done... Isn't it easy way to decorate your table plus to reuse your glass bottles..

I will share some more ways to up cycle bottles soon...!!!

Swiss Summer

We went for a drive to Canton Schwyz.. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and warm climate... We drove past many beautiful small villages and towns.. pretty chalets and snow capped mountains.. green pastures.. cows grazing on the mountains..Para-gliders enjoying the wonderful weather...It must be such a stunning awesome view from up there....



I am linking to Skywatch Friday ( It has changed the way I look at the sky )!!!

Table decor for two

Summer brings out beautiful colors of nature ... beautiful fragrant flowers with vivid and vibrant colors ... I see them everywhere...So I though what better way to celebrate the beautiful summery days but to do a table decor with flowers from the garden....

This is a table decor for two( me and hubby) ... I recycled glass bottles to hold colorful flowers and wrapped a ribbon around the bottles to create a uniformed look... candles (yes the tall ones are battery operated:)) to create this simple but charming look..

I baked cupcakes and whipped some cream...It's fun to start with sweet dessert isn't it!!



I have made a tutorial for upcycling glass bottles...will share it with you on Sunday..Its is so easy and fun !!

IF: Satellite

When I was a kid I followed my mother everywhere like a satellite ...



The roles do to change sometimes when the kids grow up..especially when they are in their teens ..and the mums keep a eye on their kids like a satellite where they are going and with whom..Remember mum's words "I know where you were, young lady , don't lie to me..".. I always thought my Mum has a satellite by which she keeps a track on me...






♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


To participate in illustration Friday click here

Summer cooler..

                                                                      picture courtesy : Martha Stewart

To unwind on a hot summer day nothing can refresh and please you like an ice cream.. What could be better than that..How about a ice cream cake.. A watermelon Bombe..!! I have been viewing this recipe from Martha Stewart for so long... I finally tried it.. Not as perfect (actually not even close) as Martha's ..but it was yummy and fun to make..!!


For this you need 3 flavors of ice cream : Pistachio for the outer covering, vanilla for the middle layer and the watermelon sorbet/ ice-cream(which I used).. also chocolate chips and a sponge cake(I used chocolate) for base..

Patience is also needed to reach Martha's perfection .. but I don't have much of that..So this is what I did..

 You also need a round bottomed bowl, plastic wrap, spoons ..thats it..

1) Line a round bottomed bowl with plastic wrap.

2) Coat inside of the bowl with the pistachio ice cream, making a 1/2-inch-thick layer. Freeze it till it hardens..

3) Now coat the pistachio layer with vanilla ice cream making 1/4-inch-thick layer..Freeze again for 30 minutes.

4) Mix the chocolate chips with the watermelon sorbet/ice cream ..Fill in the cavity of the vanilla ice cream ...

5) Cover the top with a round sponge cake slice..

6) To serve it , invert the bowl into a serving plate and slice it 

Also I also used food coloring to make it look more real ..

Click here to see Martha's perfect recipe with video..!!!!

Cactus Monday

Bunny ears...Victory signs.. a balancing act..or a Prickly pear's growing family:) 

Don't miss Mrs.barrel cactus with her kids ..:))

Happy Cactus Monday!!

To participate click here !

Happy Monday!!!!!

A little progress every day adds up to BIG results!

I ♥♥♥♥ Monday!!!!

Happy Monday !!

IF: Breakfast

Breakfast in harmony with nature...wouldn't it be so much fun if the birds and bees would join us for the breakfast...what a lovely start to the day it would be!

Have a nice weekend!!

Solitude ..

We went to a beautiful park on a island in the Lake Constance( KonstanzSee or Bodensee as they call it here).. It is a very tranquil place..with beautiful views of the lake... Summer has brought the best of the natural beauty ... the clear blue sky reflects in the water ..making the water look even more beautiful ...







I could sit here for hours looking at the blue mountains, blue lake and the blue sky..





I am participating in Skywatch Friday!!! Have a nice weekend!! 

Upcycling tins!!

Recycling and Reusing can lead to creative solutions.. Upcycling tins makes them a perfect solutions to hold and organize the brushes, paints, pencils....

Let's see what you need for this project..

You need  Aluminum Tins..large sized.. The ones I have are mainly Alphonso mango tins which I brought to make Mango Lassi...

You also need  your favorite magazines, comics and children's books.. I grew up reading Russian books and Indian comics.. I love the beautiful illustrations in these books.. I dreamt of the mysterious and magical lands in the stories..

First, empty, wash and clean the tin.. Then , print the pages of the books you like.. I don't have the heart to tear pages from my books.. They are too special to me.. once printed, cut them to your tins size and paste.. That's it!! very personal touch to your tins..

See it is that easy.. Isn't it better than the plastic organizers...Try it out!!

                        Visit Susan's Met Monday to view many more fantastic projects!!!!!

Shhhhh...

           Shhhhhh... Silence please..Its Wordless Wednesday and a White Wednesday too!!!
                                          

Beach themed table arrangement

Its peak of summer with temperatures soaring high...Its perfect time for a beach party..!!! I am so excited .. this theme was on my mind for so long.. I wanted to capture and bring indoors, the beauty of summer, sand and fun !!

So I started looking for stuff to decorate the table according to the theme..Most of the times we have all the things required to create a theme ..its just the matter of finding them and a little creativity..

I found some beautiful pebbles which I had collected from our walks.. sea shells , candles and these very pretty balls are made from wood chips..

These candles are strawberry scented ... very mild and yummy scent....

Once again I used my never used cotton dupatta (scarf), starched , folded , ironed  and  it became a perfect runner.. This one has beautiful golden border and design on the both sides..

The centerpiece is a beautiful boat I picked up recently.. I made origami boats to place on the soup dishes and marzipan flip-flops...

I must say making origami boats was so much fun.. I felt like a kid..:) After the guest are gone I will float them in water ..hehehe

Oh then I remembered that yesterday after dinner when my creative senses were on a high , I had carved a watermelon into a ship... 

Took this picture yesterday evening(actually night).. I couldn't control my excitement and had to take a picture then and there..

So now this becomes the centerpiece and the appetizer/starter too..

I had carved a peacock last time..




Its  lot of fun and its easy to carve.. . I will post a tutorial some time..

Cactus Monday

To participate and look at awesome art click here for Teri's blog

Happy Monday

I ♥ Monday!!!

IF: Diary

I  had so much fun doing this illustration while the cool breeze blew the curtains.  I framed it with flickr's tools while the sky turned dark with angry clouds ..its reflection in the lake made the water look very dark deep blue..And now while I am uploading it on this blog.. it is pouring like crazy ...!! After a long scorching hot day..actually weeks.. of 33-35°C ..its finally raining..wow..it feels so good!!

About the topic diary, my Blog is my virtual diary...I write and share everything creative here which I like and do....similarly I have  flickr and youtube diaries...I have so many other diaries at home too.. one is keep track of my weight(hehhe..), one to write positive thoughts.. one to vent out(lol)..one for time management.. one for recipes and creative tutorials.. Sometimes I think I should have a dairy to keep track of my other diaries..:)

I love to make diaries too.. Its very easy...

I had done this tutorial on my earlier blog...but no harm in repeating, isn't it!!.. fits the theme!!

For this project, I used
- Remaining blank sheets of paper from A4 size journal.
- Cardstock for cover.
- Watercolours .Glue. Paper cutter, thread/needle.

1) Fold the paper into equal portion.

2) Mark 5 points in the centre. Using a binding thread sew all the paper together in the centre. (pic below)
3) Cut 2 sheets of cardstock paper of the same size of the paper. Paint both on one side.
4) Cut and paint a 1/ 1&1/2 inch width of cardstock paper.
5) Glue the both cards on the sides of the narrow cardstock with the painted side out and leaving a 2-4 cm between. (pic below)
6) Glue and press the bunch of papers into the centre space.
7) Glue the first and the last page to the cardstock from the inside.
8) Keep something heavier on the new journal for a while.

 

See, its that easy.. very Eco friendly...don't throw good paper..just upcycle it !!