How to make candle holders from old glass bottles

 Do you have lots of leftover glass jars from pasta sauce, pickles, jams, or baby food bottles? Instead of throwing them in the recycling, how about reusing them. 

Reusing is a better alternative to recycling. Reusing gives a new life to the jars. It does not utilize any energy needed to recycle the product and thus, saves pollution. If we have a choice between reusing and recycling, we should choose to reuse.

Glass jars can be reused by using them as containers. Instead of buying plastic containers, use old bottles as containers. Glass jars can keep the food fresh longer than plastic containers. Glass is nonporous and hence no bacteria or insects can get inside. It does not get stained and yellow with use. The food stays fresh and tastes better. The clear glass makes it easy to see what's inside. In case you want to show off what's inside, it also makes a perfect choice. Easy to see, easy to find. 

Other than containers, glass bottles can be used as flower vases. We can use them to hold tissue papers or cutlery. The list is as big as your imagination. Today, I am sharing with you a project I did with glass jars. I have many small jams and honey jars at home. They are small so cannot use them as a container or flower vase, but these are the perfect size to use as candle holders.

It is an excellent project to be done with little children. All you need is acrylic colors and decoration accessories like string, sequins, or beads. We painted the jars in bright colors. We used red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and purple. Paint it from all sides. When they are still wet, press sequins and glitter to embellish them. They adhere to the paint when they are wet. If not, dry the jars and then glue them on the jars. We tied a golden string around them. 

What I like is that when a child paints, the brush strokes are rough. They are not smooth and perfect like adults would paint. That's what makes them look prettier.

Last but important is that when you reuse the bottles, always remember you are inspiring others to do the same. The little eyes are watching you. Inspiring people and spreading the importance of recycling, reusing, and reducing is done by action, not words.

  

Diwali centerpiece- Flowers, colors and candles

Every year I make it a point to do a different Diwali centerpiece on all five days. The time of Diwali makes me all charged up to do something new.. dress up the center table and the dining table in different style. Flowers, lanterns, lights, diya, colors ..wow so many beautiful things you can decorate the house with and all of them together.. and the quantity does not matter.. more the merrier!! I have used flowers, colors and candles - a few of the aspects of decorating for Diwali - in this centerpiece today! 

Today's centerpiece has these three aspects..In the center is Urli with floating flowers from the garden .. surrounded by tea lights floating in brass diyas. On both sides I kept devdas samai using them as a flower pot this time !! 

Tomorrow is the big day and I still have to make gujiyas so I need to run to the kitchen:))

Happy Diwali to you all !! 

Diwali centerpiece: simple and quirky

Surprise your guests with simple and quirky decor ideas. Style the samai in different ways other than the traditional way. Remove the stem and fill them with water. Float tea light or some flowers in it. These are sure to grab attention!!

Shared these on Facebook a couple of days ago but took time to get to the computer to translate into a Blog post!!

Image mine taken @ home.

Diwali centerpiece: Create a medley of colors and lights

Hi everyone!! Sharing with you all some Diwali centerpieces I create a few days back. We usually like to relax and sit in the living room chit chatting, watching the flickering, twinkling lights of the diya, reminiscing our memories of Diwali in our childhood, relishing the sweets and Diwali faral. 

This time now that our son is 2 so we tell him about the stories about Diwali. We have some crackers as well- sparklers and a few noise free/ less noisy crackers. 

This is probably more or less similar tradition in many families.

So the dining table is more or less not used. But don't forget to deck it. 

You can deck it up with a plate of diya or elaborately with a spread of diyas and lanterns. Create a unique arrangement, mix lanterns/ candle holders - old and new, metal and glass, Indian and Moroccan like in my case. 

Create a medley and enjoy the colors, bling and lights!

Images taken @home by me.

How to make clay/terracotta diyas or lamps for Diwali

Hello all!! How is your Diwali preparations coming about? Today I am sharing with you a easy way to make clay diyas. If you are living out of India then you might have the same problem like me. Its hard to find diyas in bulk. Even if we find a handful we are elated isn't it?!!

I made some 100 diyas so I thought I should share some of my learning here :) I am sure there are various ways to make a clay/ terracotta diya , the best one ofcourse the ones made with potters wheel.  

This is how I made them.

You will need:

Terracotta modelling paste 

1 ready made diya which is made by a professional potter/ceramicist

Baking tray

Make a ball of the modelling paste. Insert it in the ready made diya . Give it a proper shape using your thumb. Keep it in the tray which you will use for baking them.

With slightly wet fingers enhance the shape and remove fine lines. 

Bake it as per instructions. I baked it in the oven f0r 30 minutes at 150 degrees.

Its time to decorate and embellish them. There are numerous fantastic ways of doing that. 

I decorated them with sunny boy. Asking your kids to do that is the best way. 

We used the brightest colors possible with 3- 5 coats on each. We painted them in one color in and out and some with different colors on both side. Some sequins and glitter for embellishment. 

Make different simple patterns of rangoli using them. They will look gorgeous when you light them. I made a circular one over here. 

Pictures taken by me@home.

Joining party at Creativity unleashed, Inspire Me Please, artsy fartsy  !!

Creating a vignette for Diwali

Decorating your house for Diwali, the festival of light is the most satisfying, pleasurable, and happiest part of the festival. I think creating small vignettes with lights in different corners/nooks looks better than creating only one in one place. It is fun to experiment with different objects in your house. The basic principle to keep in mind is "If it is pretty you can use it to create a vignette and decorate your house".

The vignette I am sharing with you today is a very easy arrangement - colorful, bright and with bling.  The colored jars are recycled, hand-painted and home decorated which makes any project especially one for festivals so unique. Anything made with/by children makes it so precious to the family, isn't it?!! It is made with love:) 

Start by arranging the jars in symmetry - height-wise or size-wise. Try ordering them in different positions which will give you an idea as to which suits you the most. 

Find a backdrop. It need not be a tablecloth, it could be any attractive and visually appealing cloth you have.  I have used my pink shawl underneath which provides a soft and sweet backdrop (I think that about pink!). The shawl is of the perfect size to cover the round table. 

Coming back to our vignette, the easy way to create a connection is by placing something that visually connects them like I have used flowers. These are the common factor between the pieces of arrangement. Real ones will look better. Poor me ..where will I find real lotus in this desert (sigh)  Do see my tip on how to keep flowers alive and fresh outside the water for long here. 

Flowers soften the setting plus give life to the arrangement. You can never go wrong with them. A little dose of a whole bunch in the background both work when you don't want them to overpower the setting. The bead necklace was given to me by my masi- maternal aunt - when I was 5 or 7. It was that WOW feeling I had felt or rather I remember it for the first time in my life. It still makes me so happy to see it.

I am guilty of using a smartphone to take pictures. My Dlsr is lying in dust somewhere in the cupboard. That's why no matter how hard I tried I couldn't take a better picture of the vignettes at night. It looked dazzling in person even if I said that myself :)

This display can be made with clear glass tea light holders or drinking glasses of different sizes as well.  

Stay tuned for more Diwali decor ideas coming your way!!!

Use led tealights if you have young children. The light won't be as bright but it is safe. 

All pictures are taken by me@home. 

Joining party @BNOP, Home and Garden, Show &tell, Home sweet home, 

Creative Weekend in Dubai

Hello beautiful people!! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!!! Weekend in Dubai is Friday and Saturday. So ours have ended ( sad !) Never in my life I dreaded Sunday but now it is like Monday. Still getting used to this concept , I end up calling Sunday as Monday almost always. 

I shouldn't be complaining though since this weekend turned out to be quite productive and very amusing !! We went to the beach late afternoon to enjoy the sunset. The temperature is rising again so beach picnics in day time are not possible. While coming back to Business Bay we saw a muster of peacocks along the road. It is not uncommon to see them wandering on this road. From little I know , these peacock belong to the King and they have their home somewhere hidden in the green patch. It was the first time we saw so many all together. There were 8-10 peacocks, peahens and cute little pea chicks walking along the road. They are not shy - not a bit. A peacock waited for us and posed. 

I finished making my Akash kandil - traditional paper lantern. Its not easy to make especially if you have a curious toddler jumping around, sitting on your lap wanting to touch and "help". The structure is difficult/ tricky to make. It is made with dowels tied together in squares and traingles. They need to be in exact same shape and size from all sides to keep it intact. I want to make one more. If I do I will definitely do a tutorial.

Sunny boy and I made tealight holders/ glass lanterns from recycled bottles. He painted and decorated them with glitter and sequins. Look at his hands full of golden glitter . He sat there admiring his hands and sprinkling them around. A tutorial and table decor with these is coming up soon! 

Made 50 or so Terrecotta diyas. I moulded them with hand and then baked them for 30 minutes. I intend to paint them soon. My plan is to make 100 diya for this Diwali to decorate the outdoors. 

Diwali bunting is ready and hanging. I have shared the free pattern and tutorial in the last blog post. If you like it download and print it. 

Do share what you did this weekend!!!

Freebies: Diwali project for kids-Diwali Bunting DIY - Diwali free bunting pattern!

Hellooo !! Hope you all are having a lovely weekend!! Its time for sharing freebie printable with you all!! Diwali or Deepavali or Deepawali - is getting nearer. 

To me and many like me Diwali is to make decorations and eatables at home, homemade creations..the joy of doing something for the festival together with your kids..This is a perfect and easy project to do with children this Diwali!!! 

There are lot of free Diwali stuff coming your way!! This is a free Diwali Bunting pattern !! (Yay)

SO lets add that extra zing to the Diwali party and the living room with this festive bunting 'Shubh Deepavali'. I made it in two colors ' boondi ke laddoo' orange and ' jalebi ' yellow colors with pattern. The text is written in Indian-style- English font which makes it look prettier.

Here's how you can make the Diwali bunting.. 

Some things you might need to complete the bunting :

Scissors, a punch and string.

Ok now that you have got all the things in hand..

Step 1) Print all the bunting shapes on A4 paper.. could be a cardstock, plain printing paper or textured paper.Fold along the center line properly and cut the two sides with a sharp scissor.

Step 3) Punch each bunting along the center line..

Step 4) String them together..

Make either one single long bunting like this.. 

This will go well if you have a long piece of furniture like buffet table, cupboard, long wall, staircase etc

Or two buntings to be arranged one above other .. This way it look good on fire place , mantel , table , windows etc

You can download the free Deepavali pdf from here !!! 

If you have problem downloading please let me know. 

*All you have to do is download or save and print! 

Its for personal use only. 

Like us on Facebook to stay tuned with the free printables and many such goodies!!!*

Indian gift wrapping and packaging

What makes the festive season special is the idea of making it special for your family and close friends. Be it making time for each other, throwing a party or exchanging gifts. I am sure I must have mentioned this in earlier posts related to gift inspirations that more than shopping for presents I love to wrap them beautifully befitting the theme or occasion. 

Indian festive or marriage occasion or a Bollywood themed party definitely calls for extra pizzazz and bling bling effect. Sparkling, bright, glossy and vibrant are the important elements that one has to keep in mind while decorating for an Indian themed party. Diwali is That occasion !! 

While decorating the house for Diwali , Why leave the gifts in the same drab simple manner? Indian gift wraps and style are not just any wrapping paper but a masterpiece!

I hope you all ready to impress your guests and take a huge commendation for the best wrapped gift they have ever seen:) Lets see some brilliant ways to wrap, embellish, decorate the presents. A hint of warning - try to keep your mouth shut because it will be when you see these stunning , jaw dropping , gorgeous gift wraps!! 

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Glittery glossy paper , some ribbons along with a beautiful pendant or a brooch to make your gift look oh-so- glamorous ! Save pendant, buttons, strings, zari borders from your Indian dress/sari/ jewelry. You will give it a glamours new life some day on gift wrap and get a lot of applause as well !!

Courtesy

If you are from India you might be familiar with these. Fabric pouches with intricate embroidery or shiny stones or zari border with muslin cloth inside. These would be used these to gift fabric, jewelry, gadget or even a gift card. These are good to gift as they are as well. I have plenty of them which my aunt thoughtfully put in my wedding trousseau. These keep expensive sarees and blouses in perfect condition for years. I can vouch for that since my wedding sarees have not seen daylight for last 7 years:)

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oh these are so gorgeous!! You have to check this shop out!! Studio ABCD has the most amazing, unique variety of hand block printed wrapping papers. These are printed with traditional Indian block printing techniques on recycled newspaper or film posters. The concept of ' Second Life' is to reuse, reduce and recycle. The printing of this papers is done by an NGO which employees differently-able persons and creates livelihood opportunities for them. I love the idea and the sprit behind this shop and will do a separate post next time!

Courtesy

The Indian block print designs on recycled paper make such a gorgeous gift wrap with a homely understated feel to it!! I love the colors, design and festive feel to it!! These are from Field Guide Design on Etsy. The artist, Darbie Nowatka  is inspired by textile design, geometry, and nature. She uses 100% recycled Kraft paper with fluorescent teal, green, orange, and pink inks. 

 Now that you are charged and inspired enough by this post to wrap your presents a bit differently and glamorously, shut your computer and start wrapping :)

Diwali decorations- Diwali DIY for kids- How to make a paper flower garland

Festivals and celebration seem dull and meaningless to me if every item needed for celebration and festivities is store bought, especially the food and decoration. Its time to be creative and  family projects. Doing it together makes it all so merry. This is how memories are created. One of the best memories of festivals while  growing up are the fun we had threading these fragrant flowers and leaves to make garland. 

Sharing with you is a Diwali DIY decoration/craft for/with/by kids:) My 2 year old and I made paper marigold and mango leaves garlands. Marigold and mango leaves garlands are used to decorate for almost every traditional Hindu festivals and marriages.

For this Diwali DIY  project you will need : Cardstock, string, colors, glue, scissor.

Start by cutting the shapes. I did free hand drawing of leaves and flowers . Cut the flowers double the number of leaves. Give them to your child one by one to paint. My son painted all the leaves and then all the flowers with watercolors. Let it dry completely.

After they are dried I cut the sides of the flower to make it smaller. The remaining border I coiled together. Ask your child to coil some as well. Mine coiled a few, not perfect but it's all learning.  Then Avaneesh applied glue in the center and pressed the smaller flower on it and the coil over it. You can see his cute little hands at work in the mosaic. The last pic in the mosaic shows how the three parts of flowers will look like:)

Arrange them alternatively and with your child glue the back to a string. I taped them to the string as well since glue was not enough to keep them in place.

Avaneesh is very happy that his work was a part of the decoration for ganpati bappa. Involving children not only gets them interested in festivals, ceremonies and culture but also helps to grow their self respect and self esteem. They feel proud that their work is getting the respect and honor of being a part of something important. 

Stay tuned!! More DIY diwali projects with/for kids coming up as soon as we complete them..I have a long list of Diwali projects to do with my little one!!!

Joining party at Sharing Saturday!

Decorating with marigolds- indian themed floral arrangement withcontemporary twist

Marigold is a flower which is usedin India on any festive event. It is important part of Indian wedding decor and also during festivals. Flower shops in India are brimming with an abundant variety of flowers - especially marigolds any time of the year. 

Inspite of the abundance or because of it I feel marigold gets treated as a flower not worth to be put in vase for decoration or in flower arrangements. 

To break the myth I thought I will showcase some fabulous ways marigold is used to decorate in a chic and elegant style. I will start with the one I love the most.

             

Isn't this gorgeous!! I haven't seen a unique marigold decoration better than this ever- not in real life or on internet. This beautiful arrangement is made by Florali. It is made of zinnias, cosmos, peonies and marigold..all in vase wrapped in sari!! Wow !!  You must visit their blog to see the unique and extraordinary floral design done by them

I would love to try this as soon I see some marigolds in this dessert, maybe in winter or Diwali time. Would you like to try something like this - marigold in a different style and form of decoration for that festive occasion - like Diwali? 

More arrangements to decorate with marigold are coming up soon..

  This image is from Pinterst. 

Red rose centerpieces

I bought a lot of flowers for Diwali.. I must say Hong Kong's flower market has some of the most beautful and exotic flowers in the world.  The red roses we bought were so beautiful, fresh and velvety like the ones we see on the greeting cards. I have been enjoying them over the weeks with different arrangements. 

Spiral arrangement with red rose as a centerpiece for corner table or center table. I did this by cutting the stems at different lengths and then arranging them in a narrow neck and tall vase. Arranged tea lights on crocheted doilies. 

In the evening I lit the tea lights and dimmed the lights for a romantic and festive feel. Ahem..Romantic sound like a silly word with a baby crawling behind me all the time:) Lucky for me he is not interested in candles etc..yet!!

In a few days time some of the roses became droopy.. It broke my heart as I had gone to the end of another island to get the roses( I live on Hong Kong island and the flower market is on Kowloon island) In my floral design class I had learned several ways to rescue a droopy flower. To use them in floral arrangement one way is to use a floral wire. I used another technique. I cut the stem close to the flower and then floated them in water in a copper urli in a  s- shape. 

Single rose arrangement with a single flower floating in a short vase with a wide mouth. I placed it over one of my canvas paintings from the Indian pattern series. I use some of them as coasters and they look pretty as a base. 

what do you do with the petals dropped from the roses. Just collect them and float them in water. Float a bigger sized flower - real or artificial in a flat bottom vase or vessel. I used a artificial lotus  and placed the dish on another of my canvas painting to create a festive backdrop.