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.

  

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!!!*

Making ravana at home for Dussehra

Namaste friends!! It's festival time!! 

For those who don't know what I am talking about,  today is a Hindu festival called Dusshera. Its a festival to celebrate good over evil !!! (read more here)

This one of those highly procrastinated projects. I have been thinking of doing it since last 2 weeks. Although well..since I had quite some time to do it I kept on putting it off. It happens to everyone isn't it.. Time starved and time rich both don't work ..

So there I was a day before(yesterday) relaxing on the sofa.. Suddenly it dawn upon me that its tomorrow -oh dear I have done nothing yet:( Then I worked in a super fast manner - zipping and zapping to get everything ready!!

At night once sunny boy was sleeping I started with the ravana. 

It only takes 2 hours (or lesser )hours to make it. So if you want to make it for the evening you still have time . 

All that is needed is :

Two paper cups , glittery paper, colored card stock , glue, scissors and masking tape.

1) Keep the cup one over other. Fix them together with a masking tape. 

2) Measure your cup size and cut out the paper. I used a glitter paper but even a gift wrapping paper will also look nice. 

3) I wrapped two cups separately and then covering the joint lines with golden paper.

4) Make two rolls of the same paper used to cover the cups. Pierce two holes for hands in cup on the top with a scissor. Fix the paper rolls inside. If its not staying put fix it with a masking tape from inside.

5) Make the dhall/ shield  and sword. Glue it on the end of hands.

6) For the face, make a roll with card stock just enough for it to go inside the topmost cup. Cut out eyes and mustache from felt or card stock. Make a small cone for nose. Fix them all in place. Make a crown and fix that on the head.

7) Cut a long rectangle strip for the remaining 9 heads. Measure and divide the space for 9 heads, keeping space in the center for the 'center head' which you made earlier. Draw side faces , glue a strip of glitter paper for crown. 

That's it! Its done! Sit back and admire your piece of art! Give yourselves a pat.Optionally you can take pictures and post on Facebook and what's app :))

Wishing you all a Happy Dusshera!!!

Freebies: Nursery wall art - Free Printable - Dream Big little one

I love creating cute art for my home. In last few months I have created many digital prints. Some used to decorate my son's room and some just for fun. These are quotes, nursery rhymes and digital art prints.  I will share some banner/ bunting printable which are festival themed for Diwali, Christmas,Halloween etc.I love them all and thought you would too.  I will share with all one free printable every week!!!

Today I am sharing with you a printable quote. I found inspiring art from the quote " Dream big little one" at Pottery Barn kids. I loved the quote but not the price or its design. So I thought why not make it myself. I wanted to it to be dreamy .. something I would like to say to my child before he sleeps at night.

This print is a fun decor touch to any child's room. It is perfect to print and frame as a welcome baby gift or to decorate a nursery, bedroom or playroom.

You can download the free pdf from here !!!

 If you have problem downloading please let me know. 



*The print is sized 8×11″ and all you have to do is download or save and print! while printing the pdf choose Actual fit option. Feel free to use and share as much as you would like, but please link back to here.Thanks!*

Joining the party at Calling all crafters, Inspirational Monday,Monday Funday, Metamorphosis Monday !

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 !

Paper Plate fish Aquarium

I had seen paper plate fish aquarium on the net and really loved it. They look so easy to do and pretty as well. So in the afternoon activity Avaneesh made a fish aquarium from a paper plate. 

For this activity I collected things which are leftover in the house - paper plates, paper and  cereal. Avaneesh was excited to see all the items. He was even more excited to see me cutting fish. He said lets make a fish pond. When I cut first one. He said its Mamma fish. So I cut out 3 fishes- big, medium, small - Daddy, Mamma, Baby.

He choose the colors to color the fishes.I made sure he paints the medium (mamma) fish in pink. He painted it with pencils and sketch pens.  We talked about the aquarium in Dubai mall and about plants inside the water. I drew the eyes and mouth on the fishes.

After he was done coloring all three of them. I told him that its time to paint the water for the fish. I gave him blue and white on the plate and asked him to spread it around. He made circles and shapes around the plate.

While the paint was wet I told him to glue the fishes and the grass to it. Then I gave him the honey pop cereal to him. Avaneesh does not like it anymore. I gave him only 6-7 at a time, so that he does not get into throwing-the-ball game mode and lose concentration. He started fixing them one by one. I wish I had some sea shells as well...He fixed them all over also in between the fish. We talked about the bubbles and coral under the sea.  

This is how it turned out!! I put a double sided sticky tape on its back and pressed it to the wall. 

This was done in June. He was 2.5 yrs. I think older kids should be able to do even better job. 

Magnetic play clock

Avaneesh has been interested in wrist watches(especially expensive ones..sigh) and clocks( very big and pretty ones) since he was a little baby. I thought I can start teaching about how to read them as well. All the clocks/watches we own have either roman numbers or none. So I thought I will make a easy to read and play magnetic clock for him.

I used the things I had on hand- magnetic sheet, paper, pens and glue. 

I had a magnet sheet from some useless advert. I decided to put the sheet to better use. I cut a circle from paper and wrote the numbers on it. I glued this page to the magnet sheet. I cut two arrows from the remaining sheet and glued paper on sheet. Made some design on it to make it look attractive for the little guy. The arrows stick to the clock well which keeps it together even if he carries it around. Additionally he finds it fun to remove and fix them again in another position.

Still a long way to go but at least he has started learning the basic things about reading a clock like how many numbers, hands, which number is it pointing to etc 

How to make a drum with recycled container/cans

The idea of making the drum came to my mind days back when I saw Avaneesh drumming on a can. The can looked perfect for a drum for my little drummer boy. I do daily creative afternoon activities with him and this seemed to be perfect activity to be done with a 2 year old. I used a empty container which is of perfect size for little drummer hands. 

Avaneesh was very excited when I told him that we are going to make a drum today. I cut shapes out of paper for the top part and the designs on the sides of the drum. I do all the cutting work in front of Avaneesh so that he understand the entire process of making it as well. His creativity will increase more this way. I asked him which colors he want to paint the triangular pattern with to which he said red. So he painted it red , the top part with blue and the border strips with orange. Then are all the pieces drying in the balcony. I take this opportunity to talk with him about the sun's heat and how the painting dries up so fast outside instead of inside.

We glued two white papers around the can.  My son enjoyed spreading the glue on the paper and the can. Then he helped me glue the designs around the can. We glued some paper to the dowels. This is how it looks like and..

There he is my little drummer. It is a big hit with him. 

In case you want to try making this drum with your little one, the only things you will need are a can to be recycled, dowels/ chopsticks, water/poster color paints, paper, glue and scissors.

Joining party at crafty catz, crafty allie !

Sea shell Monogram art

A few days back we had been to the beach. My 2 year old and I collected lots of seashell and some sand as well. I came with a idea to make a monogrammed art for my son's room with the sea shells. A craft both me and my son can do together. I cut a thick card stock and drew a big A on it.  I gave Avaneesh the box in which we had collected the sand and sea shells. 

I helped him apply glue on the letter A. Then one by one he found the shells and fixed them on the alphabet. Later we sprinkled sand all over to cover the letter. We let it dry for a while. I applied a layer of modge podge to keep the loose sand together. 

Later i wrote his name under the big A with golden ink. I framed it after it had dried well.  It looks very pretty in his room. 

Linking to Metamorphosis Monday

DIY/ recycled craft : Rocket

I had saved the cardboard tube of the kitchen roll to be used when I will get a idea to do a recycle craft. Today I finally got the idea. 

A rocket- yes the tube perfectly fits the shape of a rocket. My planet loving son is very fond of rockets and UFOs.  I cut a yellow paper according to the size of the tube to cover the tube. Then two sets of blue and green strips, a few stars and circles to decorate the rocket. I also cut 3 legs for the rocket with a free hand design. A cone was made of the same orange card stock which I used for the legs. 

First glue all the decorations on the base paper. By this time my son who was sleeping got up. He wanted to be part of this activity. So I told him to apply glue all over the back of the yellow base paper. I glued it to the cardboard tube. With a sharp knife I made 3 insertions a little above the bottom of the tube for the legs in a way that the legs would touch the ground once inserted. Insert the orange legs inside. The conical top was glued to the top part.