New painting: Gajrewali(girl with flower garland)

Hello from Hong Kong!!!  We have finally moved here..With my 4 month old it was a milestone just to move the furniture and take the flight. We are yet to find a apartment, arrange the furniture, make friends, get to know the city etc etc...hmmm long way to go!! 

Anyway today I am sharing with you the finished version of the girl with flower garland(Gajrewali).

Just like the earlier lady with a parrot painting I painted this one with acrylics, watercolors,gel pen and porcelain colors..

My little one is attempting to roll over.. Loves to look at my paintings.. I am thinking of making some for his nursery/room!!

Available here!!

WIP: Girl with flower garland

  Working on a sketch I did last year..You can see it here.. It was in a small sketch book.. I enlarged it. So far I have only finished her hair..hoping to finish her before we move to HK..will share whenever it is done:) You can see the finished version of this painting here:)

Bollywood themed party decor

This post is 'On-Demand'.My lovely reader S wrote to me that she wants some ideas for a Bollywood themed party..Wow!! what a terrific theme !! This is my 5th on-demand post and I am loving it!!(The earlier are here ,here,here and here) I feel it is somewhat like a commissioned work ..I have to think something entirely different...which was not on my list or mind at all!! 

Ok let's start.. Bollywood or Indian Cinema is popular for the vibrancy, colors, songs & dance sequences etc.. But I think the main attraction is Bollywood films portray a dream like world ..where everything turns out right , good wins over evil, hero gets the heroine and love wins all!!! Total relaxing 2-3 hours which takes you a different colorful and sometimes a total no-brainer or stress atmosphere!! 

So I think thats what the basic underlying theme should be dreamy, vibrant, relaxing and colorful!! Let's start with the party invitations...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Courtesy: Itsdatedesign

Party invitation should like a trailer or tease of the party.. Just look at the beautiful Bollywood party invitation .. They are so glamorous, stylish and vibrant.. No words needed .. You know how ravishing the party will be when you see these pretty invitations..

                                                                     Courtesy: AkreativeMommy

You can instanly decorate and add a unique Indian touch to a simple envelope/ invitation by using these elephant shaped envelope seals. These are from AKreativeMommy on etsy.

Another pretty, cool and cute invitation card collection with lovely Indian imagery like a blue elephant or the Taj Mahal...These are from Bird's craft on etsy!!

                                                                                                                                             Courtesy. Bird's craft

Now that you have finalized and sent your invitations..You should start thinking about the decorations to turn your venue or home into a Indian themed party place which looks just out a Bollywood movie ..

                                                                                                                                                                 Courtesy: hennaarts

Low seating arrangement goes well with any Indian theme... For Bollywood party if you plan to watch a movie then this seating could be perfect!! Just throw some large cushion in vibrant bright colors.. a silky tablecloth ...float some candles..arrange some flowers !!! I love the color scheme in the above picture .. looks vibrant and at the same time very subtle !! Also notice the curtains hanging on the walls.. makes it look as if you are sitting a tent!!!!!

                                                                                                                                                               Courtesy: Thoughtfully simple

Choosing the accessories and matching them to the theme is equally important..This beautiful Bollywood themed party was organized by Smita of The party wall. Do visit her blog.. The party wall is an unique and a very creative blog with beautiful ideas and inspirational party decor.

                                                                                                                                                  Courtesy: Thoughtfully simple

Did you see the lovely banner..Bird's craft designed the invitations, party favor boxes and other accessories!! She also has a blog and website as well!! I just love the fantastic color coordination.. the flowers, candies, candle stands, table cloth ..everything is color coordinated..Awesome!!

                                                                        Courtesy: AkreativeMommy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Some more accessories... How about gift tags made of ornamental decorated Indian elephants in vibrant colors and adorned with gold and silver design ..You can use them as place cards, gift tags or favor bag topper . These are from AKreativeMommy on etsy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Courtesy: Prudent Baby

Party favors for kids .. I found this lovely blog- Prudent baby by Jamie and Jacinda ..The theme of her party was Indian elephant .. They had included handmade elephant crayons..Aren't they lovely!! She also has step by step instructions for these here!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Courtesy: Hostess Blog

 Adult party favors included pretty Indian styled bangles and other bling-bling stuff.. The Elephant crayons and Elephant Fabric Garland are super cool and spectacular ..To view the entire party decorations and other DIY decorations for this Indian elephant party click here!!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Courtesy: Sprinkle bakes 

How about these lovely Mehndi(henna) spiced cookies.. Aren't they so adorable!! Could be perfect to munch on while watching a movie or as a party favor for the guests!! Check out the recipe for this here!!

                                                                                                                                      Courtesy: Icingdreams

Is Bollywood the theme for your Birthday or  Baby shower ...

How about Indian themed cake !! 

                                                                                                                                                                             

I had total fun finding these ideas ..so much that I want to have a Bollywood themed party myself!!! Hope you will have a great party and these finds will help you in deciding your decor!!

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Indian Inspiration

 I have 4 huge canvas waiting to be painted on. So I was looking for inspiration..I like to paint them on Indian themes...Looking for inspiration online I found some extremely beautiful  photographs of Incredible India.I want to share some of them with you which I have short listed..

Steve McCurry does not need any introduction.. His photographs for National geographic magazine depict the life, hardships and happiness of common people in the most beautiful photographs ever taken. He makes the most common and ordinary faces look absolutely gorguoes.. He is able to catch through his camera the moment, that look, the natural glow of the face like no one else does!!! This picture is of women singing and praying, battered by sand and dust, Dust storm in Rajasthan, India. 

This is from Steve Mccurry for National geographic taken at Dal Lake in the Vale of Kashmir,India .  The beautiful sunset and the shimmering waters of the lake makes this picture so serene, magnificent and magical. 

A flower seller paddles through Dal Lake's quiet waters .. beautifully captured by Steve Mccurry in Kashmir, India.

Organic tea gardens in India's Darjiling region.. The Camellia sinensis leaves are plucked by hand.. This beautiful picture is captured by Bob Sacha.

I am really spoiled of choices!! Which one did you like the most?

Indian themed centerpieces and gift tags !!

Continuing with the earlier post of centerpieces in my house. Today I will show you some more Diwali centerpieces in my house!! Centerpieces portray the mood of the home.. or party!! All the centerpieces are coordinated according to the theme which is Diwali- festival of lights.. 


This is the corner of my dining area..I always feel corners are neglected as I guess they are difficult to decorate..Lot of trail and permutations of different decorations usually goes in the corner decor before I finalize one.. For now I am happy with this corner's decor!!

Since I shifted here only last month..So my plants are still very small..I think the silver vine will look pretty when it grows more!! This ornamental ganesha is a gift from a friend and also the carved wooden elephant.. The ladies and the lotus candles are from Zürich. 

I have collected Indian themed items from all over the world..Another one I love to collect is beach themed items..The plate is from Venice, Italy. The white lotus is a battery operated light which toggles between different colors!!

Another centerpiece reusing halloween's pumpkins..With their scary faces turned inside I kept few around a short vase with chrysanthemums in it..

Placed it with earthen and shell candles which I am planning to burn only on the main day of Diwali which is tomorrow!!

How about a game of Tic Tac Toe with candles.. Using round and square candles with skewers in the middle!!! Another corner glass table .. looks prettier than in picture here!!


Festivals are about giving gifts and presents.. l!! It is something I made with my hands with love just for you:) I hope you will like it!!

You can download these in JPEG here!! 

Happy festivities!!!! Happy Diwali!!!

Diwali Centerpieces

Centerpieces reflect the mood , create ambiance and emphasize the theme of the occasion..we are celebrating our first Diwali in our new home in a new country!!  So it is much special..plus in Zürich the weather used to very cold so we could never really celebrate Diwali or Deepavali which is festival of lights( apart from the fact that our house was made of wood mainly:))!! But now that I am in a tropical country I am totally enjoying it!!! It is a 5 day festival and I want to celebrate each and every day of it!! 


My house is dazzling with lights!! My tables and corners are dazzling with candles, wax and earthen lamps and flowers.. Every table has a centerpiece.. My idea is to make different centerpieces  for all 5 days!!! 

I brought a bunch of yellow Chrysanthemum.. They are a perfect fall flowers.. Since Diwali comes in autumn .. why not mix both themes.. Fall themed and Diwali themed centerpieces.. hmmm.. sounds good to me!!!

I have used my Halloween pumpkin baskets as well.. I turned their scary faces inside and filled them with flowers.. I think they compliment the yellow well..The white candles are in shape of elephants!!

On the buffet table I floated some flowers and candles in a copper vessel..I have lots of ornamental ganesha.. This one is made from sandalwood!!

The copper vessel dazzles in the evening when the lights are dim and the candles are lit...

This is the antique cupboards in our living room in between our French windows and balcony..The Buddha statue is made of stone from Zürich..the ornamental ganesha is clay from Dallas.. Did you see my sari curtains..they are from Zürich as well!!





The traditional brass peacock hanging lantern is from India..It accommodates 6 wicks and the bowl like shape(under the peacock) is used for filling oil or Ghee(clarified butter) !!





Don't forget to see the next part of centerpieces in my house here along with my Diwali gift(tags) for all my readers!!!!! Don't forget to check my last week's Diwali themed centerpiece with a watermelon lantern!!

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!!!

Indian independence party idea: How to make a Sweet Flag Tutorial

Today is India's Independence day.. After almost 200 years of British rule, India got its Independence on 15th August 1947... In India it is celebrated like a major festival .. firecrackers, sweets, songs, music, colors, flowers, flag hoisting, remembering the freedom fighters, events and lot of fun activities... A very very  happy, patriotic and proud day!!!

So to celebrate this wonderful day I have made a Sweet Indian Flag! It is a fruit tart and decorated it with the tricolors .. It is super easy... I took pictures while making it just for you guys!!!!!  I made a video of the tutorial..



 I brought a ready made cake tart.. made thick vanilla custard using Brown&Polsen powder..For the saffron part on the flag I used Orange flesh honeydew ... Whipped cream with few drops of vanilla essence and sugar as per needed..
I let the custard cool down to room temperature.. Then I filled the tart with custard... Arranged grapes in rows..and the other end with honeydew scoops..Piped cream in the center...Arranged a lime slice for 'Chakra' on the flag ... Thats it!!! Done!!

It's that easy.. Do try it and the same way you can make your nation's flag too!!!

Linking to BNOTP!!!

Indian themed table decor..

Decorating your dining table according to a theme not only creates an ambience but also makes eating with family and friends a relaxing and memorable experience.. So if you inviting friends or just having dinner with family, doing small changes to the decor of the table can change your mood ..

Recently I had some friends over for a Indian dinner...obviously the table decor had a Indian theme..I had asked my guest to wear something Indian.. I searched my house for the stuff that I can use to decorate according to the theme..

To drape my table I used one of my never used dupatta..(click here to see more info.)...Wikipedia calls it a long multi purpose scarf for some reason right;) well..now it is assigned to work as a table cloth forever.. I love its color and the golden embroidered border..



As the centerpiece I used a wooden round tray with a big fragrant candle and some pebbles in it.. I coiled lotus flower and its leaf around the candle.. Lined up some diyas( Indian style candles) in the center..

I used silk golden placemats... For the men I kept a clay leaf made by me sometime back and for the ladies I used  a lotus candle ... 

Polished the crystal and the cutlery till I could see my face in it..hahaha.....Warmed up the curries and the bread...and talked,wined, laughed and we didn't even know when the evening ended...

I loved setting the table..doing the table presentation..I want to do it again..This time I am thinking of sea/ beach theme..!!

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