Watermelon themed breakfast table

Weekends are meant for enjoying and relaxing. To make them even more interesting and extra special, I have come up with an idea to have a special themed (healthy)breakfast. Last three weekends I have managed to do so and am hoping to make it a tradition. 

So last weekend we had a watermelon themed breakfast. The summer sun is finally on its way out- and before it is still warm I thought of doing a watermelon themed 'party'. It was on my mind all the summer and it finally materialized. Watermelon is a perfect fruit to cool of on a hot summer day and it is good to cleanse the body as well. It is said to be a good for diet and to detox the body. With all these good things about it - I thought its perfect for a healthy breakfast:)

I started the preparation a few days before with my 2 year old. We made the banner and other party accessories. The watermelon bunting is very easy to make. All you need is colored paper,pen, glue, scissor and string. I cut the shapes from the colored paper and with my son glued it together. I drew the seeds with a pen. We glued the string at the back. 

We made 3 semi circle watermelon slices - big, medium, small- for Daddy, Mommy and baby toddler.. its hard to believe he is not a baby anymore. 

Sunny boy pretended to eat the slices with lots of oohs and aahs!!

The same way we made smaller triangles and circle shaped watermelon slices. I glued these to picks to make little flags.

I cut the watermelon half and scooped it all out. Luckily I had a bowl which fitted perfectly inside the watermelon. It was filled with watermelon juice. I decorated the border with melon scoops with toothpicks. The other food included watermelon on ice cream sticks, melon balls, Oatmeal with strawberry and melon pieces. I wish I had cupcakes as well.

 The breakfast turned into brunch- too much finish so much watermelon in one meal:)

Joining the party at BNOP, Artsy corner, Show and Tell, Home sweet home, Party bunch, Beautiful !

Watermelon Lantern Tutorial

I love to carve watermelons..Last year I had carved a peacock .. Then some time back I carved a ship of which I did a tutorial here. This time I thought of making a lantern from an watermelon. Last week I did a Diwali-themed table decor  which had the carved watermelon lantern as the centerpiece.. 

It has a candle inside and it dazzles when it is dark!!! So today I want to share with you the tutorial of how to make a watermelon lantern. 

So lets see how to make it !!!

For this you need:

A round watermelon

a carving knife( I use a Ikea carving knife)

Candle

Plate 

To make a stable base for the lantern, I cut the bottom part and turned it upside down..
Then start making zig zag pattern on the top side. Remove the top slice and keep aside.
Start scooping the watermelon into another bowl.

With the sharp carving knife I started making cuts in the pattern.. Spontaneously I made cuts and patterns on the watermelon..

I scooped the melon till the bottom such that there was a hole at the base. .. I saved the carved pieces for decoration.. I scooped and carved the top slice and inserted it back into the zig zag portion.. 

Placed a candle on the center of the plate .. placed the watermelon on it ..Then decorated the plate with the cut pieces .. 

Now dim the lights and enjoy the warm glow and the pattern created by the carved watermelon lantern!!!!
Tip: To use this lantern for 4-5 days, keep the watermelon in the refrigerator after use. 


PS: If you are wondering how I made these mosaics. It is very easy. You can make them with your flickr images. Upload them on BigHugelabs site and in seconds your mosaics is ready!!!

Linking to Making the world cuter, Just something I whipped up at TGC, Get your craft on !!!

 http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Watermelon Ship Tutorial

Remember the watermelon ship I had carved a few weeks back..




I had said I will do a tutorial .. I got a little more creative and made a video of all the pictures....

Let's look at what you will need :

• Watermelon 
• Watermelon/fruit scooper
• Sharp knife
• Wooden skewers

• Watch the video.. I have added pictures with step by step instructions.. 
• Use a Watermelon which has a sturdy base and is balanced..
• Cut it in two pieces- one large and one small.. we will be using the smaller to make the boat..
• Make perfect round scoops like ice cream scoops.. Scrap the rest into another bowl..
• Cut the shapes for the sail and paddles from the larger piece. 
• Insert skewer through them.
• Pass the sail's skewer through the boat's skewer to make the sail stand..
• Fix the paddles..
• Fill the boat with watermelon scoops. Arrange them in a way to achieve balance..
• Keep in refrigerator till serving time..

Oh yes I haven't forgotten the remaining watermelon scrapped in another bowl..
Crush it in a mixie to make juice. Add sugar and ice as per needed..

                                                      A perfect cool drink for the summer...
If you try this watermelon carving don't forget to share it with me.. I would love to see how it turned out..!!

Diwali themed table decor

The festive season is knocking on the door.. Deepavali or Diwali is just around the corner.. I am getting into the festive mood and getting my home into the festive mood as well..Starting from the dining table..My dining table is the center of anything happening in the house and shows the mood of the people living it !!! This is what my table looks like today .. decked with flowers, candles and an .....

...yes as you can see an carved watermelon as a lantern .. I carved it yesterday night..I have made a tutorial of how to carve a watermelon which I will share later on the weekend..This is not the first time I carved a watermelon.. I had carved a ship and peacocks earlier.. you can see tutorial here. I had used it for a beach themed table decor. ( btw the watermelon can be used for Halloween or anyother festival as well..it is going to be my substitute for pumpkin jack of lantern as well..seriously.. I am not joking..:))

Coming back to the festive Diwali table decor..Diwali is the festival of lights and so the most important decor element is lights, lamps(wax or oil), traditional Indian diyas, candles..I arranged small candles which are made in shells around the carved watermelon..They are in vanilla scent..and also decorated some candles around the stargazer lily..

The second important decor element is flowers .. As you know that I moved in Singapore last month and so discovering my favorite flowers was a moment of happiness.. I arranged some in a cut-glass bowl which I brought from Berlin and on its side is a Swan from Austria.

I arranged the stargazer lilies in a tall vase to give rhythm and symmetry to the arrangement.. 

The focal point is the carved watermelon.. I lit the candles and it gives a magnificent glow and makes a beautiful pattern when it is dark.. 

The warm glow and the pattern gives a calming and magical effect ..

I arranged the cut pieces of the melon around the dish .. They make a pretty pattern..

The silver leaf gives the glittery effect of the festive season. Coming back to the important decor element for Diwali ..the third important is colors .. India is known for bright and happy  colors and it is obvious during the festival time..Colors denote happiness.. reds, maroons, orange , greens, gold and silver.. all glam & glamour and bling bling!! I am not that adventurous or flashy so I used colors in subtle and natural form ..

The top view of the centerpiece..I just love the colors and the shapes and the harmony between them.. all natural !!

This is the first Diwali decorations and there is more festivity on my blog ..so do stay tuned .. I did a tutorial of this watermelon carving ..check it out here!!!

Festive floral arrangements

I looking for some inspiration for a floral design I am working on. As usual I went to Pinterest and guess what I found some of my own floral arrangements pinned by others as floral arrangement ideas and inspiration!! So I thought I should share with you all some of the many festive flower decoration for festive occasion or a party!! I like these the best!!These  are the ones which I would like recreate !! 

This was done in the beginning of summer in Zurich. I used recycled mason jars in a row 

and tied to thick ribbon around all of them together. I got these from a 

Farmers Market on Tuesday and Friday at Bürkliplatz. There are many farmers markets around Zurich, Switzerland but this one was closest to my house and work. We could find fresh vegetables, cheese, fish and baked goods as well.

This one done in Singapore during Diwali. I was pregnant then and felt most creative ever. I carved a watermelon and put a candle in it. The Festive floral centerpiece had candles, diyas, flowers floating as well in a vase along with watermelon. Singapore has lovely flowers market on Upper Thompson Road. This flower market consists of many shops selling huge selection of cut flowers from all over the world. Plants and potted trees, vases and garden decoration accessories. 

This is how the watermelon looked at night. Earlier I had carved a watermelon in a peacock and ship. I have not carved a watermelon after this one .. Maybe time to do it again!!

This one I did in Singapore as well when I was carrying my sunny boy. I went to the flower market almost every weekend and bought so many flowers. There was a shop in the flower market in Singapore which exclusively sold foliage..beautiful,big ,small, wide, narrow leaves.. never seen and heard of such a shop ever... I loved going there to pick up leaves and to just look at extraordinary variety of leaves !! 

This one also while I was in Singapore. I did a course in floral arrangement while I was there. This one I had made in the class. When I was doing this course , our house had floral arrangement in almost all rooms:)

This was a festive Indian decoration done in Hong Kong. Hongkong has a large flower market- Mongkok Flower Market on the Kawloon island.  It has a long road with stalls and shops brimming with fresh cut flowers and exotic plants. The fragrance and color of the blooms was truly a treat to the senses. It was far away from my place- on another island - but I would drag my husband we would go there almost every next weekend!! 

 These are India themed floral decorations - festive flower arrangements done in a copper vessel and individual ones in clay diyas. These flowers look just like soft pompoms or cotton balls ..don't they:)

The above one is done this year in Dubai. Dubai being a desert does not have any flower market..Sigh:( It has one big garden shop which sells a variety of plants. In Dubai one can buy a limited variety of cut flowers at grocery shops at a reasonable price. 

I miss all the flower markets I have mentioned above especially on a festive occasion. 

I will share with you what come up with the lilies and gerberas I got just now!!

Joining Tablescape Thusday, Inspire me tuesday!!

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..!!!!

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.. !!!!

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..