Indian independence day party idea : Tricolor cake

Look whats fresh out of the oven ...I baked a pound cake with Tricolors!!! 

It is very easy to make..Just prepare the batter as usual recipe..Just before pouring into the pan, divide the batter into 3 equal parts ..Put a few drops of orange in one part and few drops of green in another..

Now pour the batter one by one..Bake as per the recipe.

The same way you can make rainbow cake or cookies..

Happy Independence day to all my Indian friends!!!

Thai Buddhist temple, Penang, Malaysia

 The capital of the gorgeous island of Penang,Malaysia is George town. It has many tourist sites along with a heritage city and two beautiful Buddhist temples. Though both temples are Buddhist, their origins are different and hence the design and the architecture of the both is different. Both temples are next to each other yet the experience is different and it is hard to say which is more prettier. 

Today I will take you to the Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram which is a Thai Buddhist temple. Build in a typical Thai temple architectural style, the temple has stunning ornate design and fine detailed carvings and statues stenciled with gold leaf. 

The front section has a huge compound .. Dragon headed flying serpents and traditional guards of Thai style  welcome you .. These are beautifully decorated with hues of maroon, emerald green, pink and blues with intricate gold work..

It has ornamented multiple roof tiers which is important element of any Thai temple. It is said that 2-5 tiers are must in Thai temple architecture while some royal temples have 4 tiers. 

As you step inside you will see beautiful lotus on the floor ..

In Buddhist scripture, it is said that after finishing his sermon , Buddha sat in the lotus position and meditated. Then white and red lotuses rained down from heaven and fell upon the Buddha and all those that had gathered to hear the Buddha’s sermon. 

You can see the how big the lotus design on the temple floor by comparing its size with the people's feet..

The walls...

The cross hatched sections on the ceiling with ornate flowers in center..

The pillars stenciled with bodhi leaf design with gold leaf .. The pink lotus shaped candles were lit by deities at the feet of  the Buddha..Even the windows and doors had a delicate wrought iron design in shape of lotus painted in red and green..

The Reclining Buddha statue is 33 meters in length..painted with gold leaf.. It is said that the significance behind the reclining Buddha is that the head pointing northwards- resting in the palm of the right hand symbolizes enlightenment or Nirvana. Also Buddha's one hand is pointing towards earth and other towards heaven signifying link between earth and heaven.

The Reclining Buddha is in the main hall which is the main attraction. In the other side of temple there are several statues of Buddhas from all over the world, small prayers rooms are at the back and also there is a  huge beautiful mural on the wall depicting the tree of life and meditating Buddha in the lotus position. Outside the front section is another smaller ornate temple, a Malay/Nyonya style house. Also there is a nine-storey pagoda which is approximately 165 feet high. 

We went here some 1.5 year back..Glad that I have finally documented it before I forget the details!! While I was digging some information about Thai temple architecture I found two lovely blogs about Buddhist temples, if you are interested in beautiful temple architectures then definitely visit them:

Dale's Korean temple adventours and
way of design

How to make tissue paper bunting

A few months back I had posted about the tissue paper bunting I had made on my baby's Introduction party.. I just realized that I totally forgot to document on the blog how I made it.. So here it is..It could be a easy summer project for kids as well.

For a tissue paper bunting, you will need :

Good quality tissue paper(either printed or plain) Size: 40*40cm  Ply: 3 or more

Baker's twine

Glue and scissors

Optional: gel pens

1) One tissue paper of 40* 40 cm size can make 4 triangles. Open the tissue paper and cut it in four equal parts.

2) Make triangles by folding two corner ends.

3) Draw design over it with pens if you desire..I made flowers..

4) Measure the twine as per your requirement and cut it keeping extra for making loops at the end. Pass the twine through the tissue paper triangles and glue the both ends

4) Make loops at the end of the twine and it is ready to hang. This is how it looked like at the venue..You can see the entire party post here.

Tips:

Use two triangles to make one bunting if you want more thickness.

 If you are going make a design on the tissue paper with pens, I suggest first do a trial as to which gel pen works better as some pens don't write smoothly on tissue paper.

Joining party at: Made with love

Niharika

Today is a special day for my little baby.. Today is Raksha bhandan which is to celebrate the relationship of brothers and sisters.. And he got his first Rakhi from his lovely cousin(my sister's daughter)- Niharika. 

Aww I was so touched..so thoughtful!!! Sweet little moments of joys...:) 

So my dear Niharika..As a thank you gift I drew a sketch of you..

So friends..let me introduce you to Niharika!!! She is a brilliant student and a voracious reader, who also likes to paint and loves to take loads of pictures of flowers ...That's why I gave her a book to read and a flower in her hand in her sketch..Bubbles represent her dreamy self!!!!

Beautiful big eyes and long hair are a trademark of our family which she has also inherited ..Lol..I would have shown you her picture but her mom is very particular about not sharing pictures online not even on FB:) So I will share with you all this budding artist's blog and deviant art site!!!!

I hope to finish this one soon and send it to her!!!