tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82941419649606391112024-03-14T09:40:35.091+05:30The Sunshine CornerVasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-53750027843741724772020-07-02T20:25:00.000+05:302020-07-02T20:30:04.531+05:30Kadiru Habba(festival), tradition in coastal Karnataka, India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My son was asking me about the various harvest festivals in India, I was pondering about our own custom celebrated in Udupi regions.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Kadiru habba is a coastal Karnataka tradition found in the regions of Udupi and Mangalore districts more prominantly in the houses where people are into agriculture. The main purpose of this festival is to thank the lord for paddy yields. It is usually celebrated in the month of Sharad Rutu(usually in the month Dasara/ Navaratri falls under).</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The home is cleaned and made ready for the new yield(Kadiru). Usually the women in the household cleans the house floor and the pooja room using the cowdung and Rangoli is put.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The owner of the family performs pooja to <b>TEN E(new corn) </b>in the paddy field, and cuts a few of them. Rest of the family members follow him blowing Conch, Jagante. It's basically to announce the arrival of the yields. The daughter of the house washes his feet, does a small aarti to him and the new corns and welcomes him home.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All these corns are take to the place of worship inside house and worshipped. Later these new corns are tied along with each of the following:</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">*See Thumbe,</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">*One/two leaves of Jackfruit</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">*One/two leaves of Mango,</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">* Bamboo, </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">All of above are tied with Saanthe(back side of middle of coconut leaf, yellowish green in color) </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Where are they tied to? They are tied to the pillars of:</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Hodimancha(an equipment used for thrashing paddy)</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Hatti(cow shed)</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Chavadi(courtyard inside the house)</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Kottige(a room where paddy, agricultural tools are kept)</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Pooja room(where worshipping of God takes place)</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">Now the second part of the festival.. this need not be on the same day and in our house it's done on the last day of Dasara.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">The lady of the house picks up few new corns and prepares a dish called HOSATHU<b> </b>meaning new. This dish is prepared with little sugar, coconut milk and rice. Rice is usually the old one but few new corns are added to this dish just for the significance of the new begining. Its later served to the family members. There are few rules which are not may or may not be followed in all houses</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*We should not eat hosathu of any other houses</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*Only the house members should be served this dish, i.e. other people should not get to taste</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*It's usually custom to eat the same thing as dinner too.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on">*It's customary to have beetle leaves and nuts after having hosathu.</div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-63245809533150373912018-11-09T17:48:00.004+05:302018-11-09T17:48:46.855+05:30Jung Falls, Arunachal Pradesh, India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlVUOWfu4_8/W-V4I9pOHvI/AAAAAAAAEGI/HtZnSfXKAU4tBXz5CH7OHEArWD2BnQl2wCLcBGAs/s1600/JungFalls1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Jung Falls, Madhur Falls, Nuranang Falls" border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlVUOWfu4_8/W-V4I9pOHvI/AAAAAAAAEGI/HtZnSfXKAU4tBXz5CH7OHEArWD2BnQl2wCLcBGAs/s640/JungFalls1.jpg" title="Jung Falls, Madhur Falls, Nuranang Falls" width="513" /></a></div>
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The Tawang trip in the early April of 2018 was a memorable one. We were all set for Tawang, left Dirang town in the morning by car. Just after passing the Jung town we get to witness the magnificent Jung falls. This is also known by Madhuri falls as the famous Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit danced here for her movie Koyla. We weren't aware of this, and after the driver passed this tidbit we immediately checked how the falls looked in the movies. Awesome no doubt even on reels.<br />
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This fall is known by many names. It's also named after Nuranang who was the accomplice to famous Indian soldier Jaswant Singh in Indo-China war.<br />
The hills itself presented the beautiful picture, in between we could see terrace farming, tiny wooden houses. I guess the season has just started.<br />
Around early afternoon we arrived at Jung falls. Our driver told us to have leisure time ourselves and said he is going to have small nap. He expected us to have a gala time but it soon started drizzling and later turned to pouring.<br />
We can go down to almost to the base of the falls. On the way down to the falls, there is a small hydel power substation which generates power from the waterfall. The falls itself is 100 Mts high divided into two levels. During the time we went the river wasn't that deep but the currant was fierce. Since its just the beginning of spring the water was obviously cold. It's picturesque, you get awed by the natures beauty and all you can do is drink all the beauty in front of you.<br />
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There are no amenities if you are looking for one. Had it not been pouring I would have also danced like Madhuri -:) It's meagerly crowded unlike other tourist spots. It's understandable since beautiful Arunachal is yet to be discovered.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-55949361634805879642018-07-31T14:24:00.000+05:302018-07-31T14:24:17.846+05:30Ragi Kana : A weekly haat in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you are residing in the south of Bangalore, do not miss the "Ragi Kana", a unique Sunday market where village products are sold directly to the urban consumers. I first heard about this from my friend and wanted to visit ever since. Last year, same time, I finally paid a visit which was a memorable one. I had taken my kids along with me bribing them about the sweet little things they would get if they accompany me.<br />
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Ragi Kana is held on the premises of Ramakrishna Samagra Shikshana Kendra(a school), off Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, India. Located among the nature, and bit of fields this would be invisible to the main Bannergahtta road. It is a platform where the farmers products are sold to consumers without the presence of the "middle men".<br />
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First time I visited, organically grown dates from Gauribidanoor, Karnataka were available. I bought these sweet raw dates for the kids without thinking twice and I was also tasting them for the first time.<br />
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My first visit was followed by many such visits bringing home a lot of organic products, home decor items, Khadi items. Do not expect a big crowd like that we usually see in art and crafts exhibition. Its just few handpicked stalls inside the class rooms of the school. If you are hungry there is always some home made,healthy food at the "millet cafe". Again I am sure you must be visualizing this as some hi-fi cafe in your mind but let me be clear its just a wooden bench and couple of people selling tastiest food items.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZUXy4yfIJo/W2Ag-n5_2yI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/gIXwvjXvtaMgePGMZdXvE1wEc8493BZZQCLcBGAs/s1600/RagiKana2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ragi Kana" border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZUXy4yfIJo/W2Ag-n5_2yI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/gIXwvjXvtaMgePGMZdXvE1wEc8493BZZQCLcBGAs/s320/RagiKana2.jpg" title="Ragi Kana" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handloom Sarees</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Ragi Kana" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8FblWb-3VQ/W2AhAI5NgdI/AAAAAAAAD8o/iHohRK3SPv8gs3IvGJRLZVRwrPMEmoZ8gCLcBGAs/s320/RagiKana5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ragi Kana" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh organic vegetables</td></tr>
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With every santhe, be sure to witness either the folk performances, film screenings, seminars and workshops for kids and adults. In the month of May where it celebrated its first birthday, I got a chance to attend the talk by "Ravi Kiran" about the process of making Khadi cloth. Listening to him made me realize how difficult it is to gather workforce, raw material and the tough process of making hand made product.<br />
If you plan to visit anytime, be an early bird else the the things like vegetables, eatables might get over soon. As a responsible citizen do not forget to carry your own bag.<br />
Be sure to visit their FB page to know weekly updates <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ragikana/" target="_blank">Ragi Kana FB page</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some eco friendly household items</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade shampoo, detergent, bamboo brushes..</td></tr>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com1Bengaluru, Karnataka, India12.9715987 77.59456269999998312.4764182 76.949115699999979 13.4667792 78.240009699999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-16404347402799247222017-09-27T09:50:00.000+05:302017-09-27T09:53:49.064+05:30Bombe Habba of Navaratri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's the festive season here in India. Dussera or Navratri is one which is celebrated all over India, many states celebrating in a different way for nine days, the tenth day being Vijaya Dashami. In south it's the Gombe(dolls) Habba or Bommai Kolu(Golu), which is displaying various dolls in a systematic fashion. This tradition is popular in the southern states of Andhra, Tamilnadu and Karnataka.<br />
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These dolls are kept on the first day of Navaratri beginning with Ganapathi pooja followed by Kalasha Pooja. The female deities Laxmi, Parvati and Saraswati are also kept in front of the rack of dolls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laxmi idol</td></tr>
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These wooden planks or racks are odd numbered and at times dolls are displayed randomly or they would be arranged according to themes from the Indian epics like Ramayana.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPLebBXfXng/WcsifbZOsXI/AAAAAAAADYY/U98-FuQgJks_3aLUOJaVmC24sFMZIwDjgCLcBGAs/s1600/Bombe%2BHabba5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="918" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPLebBXfXng/WcsifbZOsXI/AAAAAAAADYY/U98-FuQgJks_3aLUOJaVmC24sFMZIwDjgCLcBGAs/s320/Bombe%2BHabba5.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from Ramayana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dashavathara of Vishnu, Kondapalli Wooden Toys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Procession</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sri Ranganatha</td></tr>
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Most of the dolls are made from clay but people also keep hand made dolls, POP dolls and also wooden dolls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--uKl-QXKOow/Wcslxs02Z1I/AAAAAAAADYw/4vV6ko3X1hUsgGc5ASbNBUevSfSUPbguQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bombe%2BHabba8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="1500" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--uKl-QXKOow/Wcslxs02Z1I/AAAAAAAADYw/4vV6ko3X1hUsgGc5ASbNBUevSfSUPbguQCLcBGAs/s400/Bombe%2BHabba8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basic plastic doll decorated depicting the Brahopadesham to a son by father</td></tr>
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One common doll that we find in the display is the 'Pattada Bombe' or 'Marapachhi'. This is the husband and wife dolls that are gifted to the daughter by the parents during her wedding. These dolls are usually dressed as the bride and the groom and find the center place in the display. It symbolizes the beginning of daughter's collection of dolls, and continuing the tradition of Gombe Habba.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CuE0QiNPP3Q/WcsihBDS5_I/AAAAAAAADYk/QqfFvUZUGrsTsDFMqbK31asEALDXh5BHACLcBGAs/s1600/Bombe%2BHabba7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CuE0QiNPP3Q/WcsihBDS5_I/AAAAAAAADYk/QqfFvUZUGrsTsDFMqbK31asEALDXh5BHACLcBGAs/s400/Bombe%2BHabba7.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pattada Bombe or Marapacchi</td></tr>
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Each evening of the nine days there would be offering(Naivaidya) to the God.<br />
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During the evening there is house hopping among the children and the women folk to view the dolls. Many places there would be awards for the best display. The ladies of the community come together for the Arashina Kumkuma where host lady invites other women offering vermilion, sweets, gifts them.<br />
At the end of Navaratri, that is the tenth day, the God is thanked and worshiped for the successful completion of the festival. All the dolls are wrapped up carefully for the next year.<br />
This year I got to see many display and it's a visual, colorful treat. One house where I was invited was mind blowing. She has a whole room dedicated to dolls and created various scenes from Ramayana, few mythological scenes.<br />
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Linking this interesting story to <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.in/2017/09/our-world-25-september-2017.html" target="_blank">Our World Tuesday</a><br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-17535037264604442062017-09-18T18:38:00.002+05:302017-09-18T18:38:31.331+05:30News Paper Tube Owls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello people..<br />
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I have been collecting owls from wherever it's affordable and worthy. I also found some simple fabric owls and paper owls images online. Thought to try them once.<br />
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Here is a tutorial on how to make cute owls from the newspaper rolls.<br />
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First thing you need to prepare the news paper rolls. You need few of them and take the best ones. In spite of doing newspaper rolls, I am still not achieved that perfection yet. Many which I make are not the same from top to bottom.<br />
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I always find helpful in flattening them first, make a rough roll and then use it.<br />
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You need to make a fair roll of at least diameter of 9 cm. Apply generous amount of glue on both sides of the base body of the owl. Meanwhile prepare two rolls of diameter 4 cm for the eyes.<br />
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Coloring is optional. I don't like a thick acrylic layer on the owl, so I used the thin coat of acrylic on the base. I love the effect of newspaper print and colors.<br />
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If you are planning to make a hanging then put sufficient length of thread from the middle hole and tie it at the rim.<br />
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After everything has dried, colored, attach the eyes to the base body,on top.<br />
For the head, a made a thin strip of roll which can be flexible. It can be easily bent and can be attached on a top of the eyes.<br />
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I also made a branch at the base.<br />
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You can make few of them and make a Garland or use it the way I have used.<br />
I have put few glass beads and hung them on an indoor plant and one on the knob of the door.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-26422362110465606132017-08-01T15:02:00.000+05:302017-08-01T15:02:05.738+05:30A DIY simple glass painting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's always a crafter's dilemma as which craft to do first. I am also one such case who is shifting between one craft to another, abandoning the thing in between. I had bought a pack of glass colors with a plan to color the glass bottle, obtaining a tinted bottle. I abandoned this after not getting the expected results. After a few months again I bought a pack, this time of another brand, left it unused for many days. Few days back I saw my relative using the glass colors to make a beautiful glass painting. I got so inspired from her and try a simple one on my own. So here a simplest way in which you can use the glass colors.<br />
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I took two drinking plain glasses.<br />
Cleaned it first and let it dry.<br />
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I took Camel glass colors, Water based, which comes in a pack of six colors and a black liner.</div>
Drew the desired design using the glass pencil. This is optional. If you are confident enough, you could do free hand directly with the liner.<br />
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With the liner that comes with the pack, drew lines, on already sketched design. I drew multiple diamonds around the curved surface of the glass. Let it dry completely for about an hour.<br />
I filled in these diamonds with the desired colors, one diamond at a time. The liner acts as a boundary and will not let the color spill to the next cell.<br />
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Since it was a curved surface, I had to fill each one and wait till it dried completely.While drying it again I had to lay it flat. Since glass colors run crazily, it would get concentrated at one place, look plain in some places. Its OK for the first time and its OK because making the paint stay on a curved place is not easy. But in spite of all these minor glitches the finished piece looked cute.<br />
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I used my terrace space for drying. It was sunny and was good for my project. This way the paint dried quickly and I could fill in each color quickly.</div>
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This is how it looks in the night</div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-48229532725702112892017-07-18T14:10:00.000+05:302017-07-18T14:10:09.442+05:30A stroll through Shuka Vana, Mysore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you are looking for a weekend getaway from Bangalore, Mysore is one of the place most of us choose. There are lot of things to do in Mysore which is calm, peaceful and pensioners paradise. Last weekend we visited sister in law place in Mysore. Kids were demanding trip to either the Zoo or Palace. Having seen them many times, we definitely weren't in a mood to go there. While contemplating a new place to visit, we decided to go to to Avadhoota Datta Peetam situated on the foothillls of Chamundi Hills.<br />
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The Avadoota Datta Peetam or Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Ashrama , as it is popularly known, is not any typical ashrama. The Ashrama, spread over a few acres, houses a Bonsai garden, lots of beautiful sculptures, a massive bird cage, a temple, prayer hall, vintage cars, a park, large Hanuman Statue and many more. Founded by His Holiness Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji, Avadhoota Datta Peetham is a world-renowned institution for the social, moral, cultural and spiritual welfare of mankind.<br />
You need at least a day, if you want to explore the whole of Ashram. Our visit was worth, since it caters to everyone's desires. It has a museum for museum lovers(which we skipped due to priorities and time), Shuka Vana, a bird aviary and a Bonsai garden for garden lovers. Apart from these it also has large statue of Lord Hanuman, Nada Peetham and Dattatreya Temple for the spirituals.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CnkYta3bYI/WWDl8IjvS7I/AAAAAAAADSk/3afB2DgaousuL1XsdHx8DMl3-LNvXbAWQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bonsai%2BGarden2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1500" height="185" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CnkYta3bYI/WWDl8IjvS7I/AAAAAAAADSk/3afB2DgaousuL1XsdHx8DMl3-LNvXbAWQCLcBGAs/s400/Bonsai%2BGarden2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Shukha Vana bird aviary encompasses more than 568 species of birds mainly parrots, macaws, horn bills etc most of them from the tropical countries either rescued or bought. Entry is free to the Shuka Vana. Apart from beautiful birds, another major attraction of this aviary is feeding the birds at a nominal cost and getting clicked with them. I wouldn't recommend the taking photos with Macaws as it is slightly overpriced and the staff are rude. The use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited inside the aviary. The birds are enclosed in cages which is well maintained and taken care of. At the end of the day, I think a few of them are let free in an enclosure. Some of the cockatoos are very adept at mimicking what you say and it was so fun. My son was busy talking with it, seeing it talking back all of us were talking it with, and finally it got confused whom to mimic.<br />
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The jewel in the crown was the Kishkinda Moolika Bonsai garden. The entry to Bonsai Garden costs you rs 20, and its just awesome and very well maintained. Here you can see lots of Bonsai, one for each day of the year. Also these Bonsai's are kept with the name of the raaga. I have never been to Bonsai garden before and I was left stunned and thoroughly impressed by this collection.<br />
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Both Shuka Vana and the Bonsai garden are the award winning projects of Swamiji.<br />
If you plan to stay or visit Mysore, Karnataka, don't forget to add this in your Must Visit list.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-55976317538062777402017-06-22T16:43:00.001+05:302017-06-22T16:43:26.380+05:30Decor with dry flowers, pods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Living close to nature has been a boon to us. My morning walk is never complete without observing the minute details of the nature. There are lots of trees near our house which bear beautiful flowers. These flowers make their way to my home, as well as their dried version. Here are some ways in which I have incorporated them into my home decor.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Sandpaper vine is most beautiful while in bloom, but dried version is also glorious. I picked up an entire dried twig. Isn't it looking gorgeous? These flowers in an abstract vase and with yellow background looks good in my home.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mV5Ggunv1E/WUOq0UrSt6I/AAAAAAAADQ4/BxUaDQc20rQNTRI2bPhgcxkRAI1MiGIbACLcBGAs/s1600/Dried%2Bflowers3.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Decor with dry flowers" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1155" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mV5Ggunv1E/WUOq0UrSt6I/AAAAAAAADQ4/BxUaDQc20rQNTRI2bPhgcxkRAI1MiGIbACLcBGAs/s400/Dried%2Bflowers3.jpg.JPG" title="Decor with dry flowers" width="286" /></a></div>
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The pods of "Pride of India" which are beautiful in their own way. I get different ones each time, half closed, closed and fully open ones. These are brown ones which goes well with any kind of vase either plain ones or designed ones.</div>
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These were few dried wild pumpkin that I picked up on our home from a road trip. They were plain and I could not resist the idea of doodling on them. In this vignette you can also see the pods, the ever blooming dried flower famous in Ooty, India and also some pine cones that we purchased in Ooty.</div>
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If it's India you are sure to spot the May flower or Gulmohar as they are popularly called.While their flowers are irresistible, their pods are also good item for testing your painting skills. Besides making a simple tea light holder from this, these are popular in my home for the fake sword fighting among my kids.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FMiEdNvwKuc/WUVAIUEbRII/AAAAAAAADRk/VlvN1VvhqREgW7abFbKE_5C8oyJ4upMnACEwYBhgL/s1600/Dried%2BFlowers%2BDecor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Decor with dry flowers" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1150" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FMiEdNvwKuc/WUVAIUEbRII/AAAAAAAADRk/VlvN1VvhqREgW7abFbKE_5C8oyJ4upMnACEwYBhgL/s400/Dried%2BFlowers%2BDecor.jpg" title="Decor with dry flowers" width="287" /></a></div>
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Some wild grass that I picked up on a day of hot summer. Note that these were already dried due to summer heat and I didn't have to put any effort in drying them.<br />
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And finally, my favorite vignette at home on the coffee table. I randomly put some twigs in tinted glass jars.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">So next time if you come across something like these, be sure to pick them. Turn them to affordable decor piece.</span></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-87320191197244666902017-06-07T15:09:00.000+05:302017-06-09T17:30:49.621+05:30"Kaavi Kale", traditional art of Konkan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ucCB8XI3xuY/WTJVF_6Q0GI/AAAAAAAADQE/BypCxveAQ8AyXS2xlMGGMM0fXm7Hv0f6wCLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kaavi art" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1015" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ucCB8XI3xuY/WTJVF_6Q0GI/AAAAAAAADQE/BypCxveAQ8AyXS2xlMGGMM0fXm7Hv0f6wCLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale2.jpg" title="Kaavi art" width="253" /></a></div>
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India is a land of traditions and art. There are so many folk, traditional art forms which are still alive, specific to a particular region and being practiced. There are also few art forms which is struggling to find their place either due to lack of patronage or due to lack of people to carry forward the tradition. Once such art which was once popular and slowly declining is the 'Kaavi Kale' of the Konkan Region of India.<br />
'Kaavi Kale' famous in the Konkan areas mainly in Goa, South Canara(Coastal Karnataka) and few parts of coastal Maharashtra. 'Kaavi' is the reddish brown pigment obtained from the laterite soil and 'Kale' means art. The ingredients for this art is abundant in the coastal regions and hence this art finds presence in the Konkan. This is the only color used in these murals and forms a fine example for the monochrome art.<br />
This form of art is said to be originated in Goa and the Saraswats spread them to other regions in the Konkan.<br />
A mixture of burnt snow white lime, river bed sand, jaggery is made initially and left to ferment for two weeks. This mixture is hand pounded to make it smooth, later mixed with Kaavi and smeared on the walls. The desired design is etched on this layer and its smoothened by river pebbles. Water is is sprayed frequently for couple of days while this layer is hardened(It may sound simple but one needs to be expert in etching as well as good in Material Science).<br />
The main features in this art are the deities, floral motifs, and characters from the epics like Ramayana, and Mahabharata. Most of the time the engraving depends on the main deity of the temple.<br />
These murals look outstanding on the white walls and there is no doubt you will be left impressed by their beauty. Sadly in the name of modernization, the Kaavi work is on the verge of getting extinct.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlpRaEYMSrY/WTJVEDgj6vI/AAAAAAAADP8/olg0u7ZATxouYiQ4CMMAAHj27d1gpAb4ACLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kaavi art" border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlpRaEYMSrY/WTJVEDgj6vI/AAAAAAAADP8/olg0u7ZATxouYiQ4CMMAAHj27d1gpAb4ACLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale1.jpg" title="Kaavi art" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the outer walls of Udupi Shri Krishna Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohJsPpTg89M/WTJVFuykbRI/AAAAAAAADQA/N3_pG_urEYQV1_iatDu-WDrMLabfbzq9gCLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kaavi art" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohJsPpTg89M/WTJVFuykbRI/AAAAAAAADQA/N3_pG_urEYQV1_iatDu-WDrMLabfbzq9gCLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale3.jpg" title="Kaavi art" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Besides the main entrance(Mukhya Dwara) of a small temple in Chempi, Udupi</td></tr>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5BgKZ6K1MDM/WTJVGJQN_wI/AAAAAAAADQI/OiEytptfYbY4HZM2kgOH7AWVFhJsuIp7QCLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5BgKZ6K1MDM/WTJVGJQN_wI/AAAAAAAADQI/OiEytptfYbY4HZM2kgOH7AWVFhJsuIp7QCLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epnKGmnILdo/WTfJKERnVUI/AAAAAAAADQk/p9p45KieqoMpOAs4LYjZJOdANkUVHL8bACLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kaavi Art" border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1500" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epnKGmnILdo/WTfJKERnVUI/AAAAAAAADQk/p9p45KieqoMpOAs4LYjZJOdANkUVHL8bACLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale8.jpg" title="Kaavi Art" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marikamba Temple, Sirsi, Karnataka</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside Kaniyoor Math, Udupi, Karnataka</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Sl8wu3HpYo/WTJVHNA2jjI/AAAAAAAADQQ/Vupx1yAoQG07RM1Yyvh3jdpy9zj7B1qlgCLcB/s1600/Kaavi%2BKale7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kaavi art" border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Sl8wu3HpYo/WTJVHNA2jjI/AAAAAAAADQQ/Vupx1yAoQG07RM1Yyvh3jdpy9zj7B1qlgCLcB/s400/Kaavi%2BKale7.jpg" title="Kaavi art" width="400" /></a></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-82011524505095123452017-05-05T17:28:00.001+05:302017-05-05T22:25:41.140+05:30Works in April<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello there..<br />
I have been totally away from the blog land. Lot of issues like health, kids exams and then vacation etc. I was present here but my mind inactive for a while. The soaring heat even in the Garden City like Bangalore has added to the list of issues. So here are few things I did in the past month..<br />
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I completed a Madhubani painting. This painting had few empty white space, and in the end I messed up by adding more leaves in black color. I am owl fan and I always wanted to paint owl in Madhubani and this is achieved. I am soon going to try new one as I am not satisfied.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAKA9brQCg4/WQxlatkrPFI/AAAAAAAADPU/pm3e_-eTRXcXbZ67DZ7akEXQ4Fli1NQLwCLcB/s1600/Madhubani%2BOwl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAKA9brQCg4/WQxlatkrPFI/AAAAAAAADPU/pm3e_-eTRXcXbZ67DZ7akEXQ4Fli1NQLwCLcB/s400/Madhubani%2BOwl.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I completed two small level embroideries. These were just to fill the void in the ready kurthas that I bought. I know you would say there is nothing great here, and I agree to that 😊. Only thing is that the tops have become more wearable like.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shDxdQaryHM/WQxlaqcQuuI/AAAAAAAADPc/wMN624VNaOI08rj32-NSNAyg9poPE8zIACLcB/s1600/Embroidered%2BKurta2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shDxdQaryHM/WQxlaqcQuuI/AAAAAAAADPc/wMN624VNaOI08rj32-NSNAyg9poPE8zIACLcB/s320/Embroidered%2BKurta2.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i3C8NnS3UK0/WQxlaqAeTcI/AAAAAAAADPY/jODAPsxzrdQvKECsoSftzcqllb4chPnqwCLcB/s1600/Embroidered%2BKurta1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i3C8NnS3UK0/WQxlaqAeTcI/AAAAAAAADPY/jODAPsxzrdQvKECsoSftzcqllb4chPnqwCLcB/s320/Embroidered%2BKurta1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What is fascinating nowadays in the silk thread jewelry. Recently I just happened to attend a small party in one of our neighbors and that lady had called her friend who was into Silk Thread jewelry. I saw them and thought I could also try them at home. So for the start up, I just completed a couple of them. I kept them very simple without any embellishments.<br />
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So what's happening at your end? Thanks for visiting...</div>
Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-40392056611879835442017-03-27T15:24:00.003+05:302017-04-09T19:09:09.907+05:30Recycled bottle with dot painting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks for your lovely comments on my previous post, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8294141964960639111#editor/target=post;postID=7907791308303918364;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">Weekly Market</a>(Santhe)<br />
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I have been experimenting with Batik Design Technique on fabric for a long time, I have been successful to get the desired result in few, and few of them were totally disastrous and unexpected. To take break from that, and to cheer myself I am exploring other crafts which are in my To-Do list.<br />
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There are few wine bottles that I have been hoarding for a long time to get them painted. My first thought was to try dot painting with acrylics on the bottle. Before doing that, I tried dot painting with Fevicryl Liquid embroidery tubes. These are actually used for doing liquid embroidery on fabric but I have used to paint my bottle with them.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vwKD0X5Jfho/WNflDJkXn5I/AAAAAAAADOk/gTKqNDoPVNUgPrXZJvKPIkca69PdUOB-wCLcB/s1600/PaintedBottle1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Recycled Wine Bottle with dot painting, Fevicryl 3D outliner" border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vwKD0X5Jfho/WNflDJkXn5I/AAAAAAAADOk/gTKqNDoPVNUgPrXZJvKPIkca69PdUOB-wCLcB/s640/PaintedBottle1.JPG" title="Recycled Wine Bottle with dot painting, Fevicryl 3D outliner" width="540" /></a></div>
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I got few limited colors in the shop, and the shop was selling more metallic colors. I bought orange, blue, yellow. I was looking for white color but I got pearly white which I thought was OK and still doable. Before I got started I had to remove the labels from the bottle.<br />
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<b>How to remove the labels from bottle</b><br />
There are methods to remove the labels which many swear by but this following process has most of the time worked for me.<br />
Initially soak the bottle in hot water(not boiling) for about an hour. If the label has any paper part, it would come off with scrubbing.<br />
To take off the tough, sticky glue, apply some oil and baking soda on the sticky label. Leave it for a while(about 10 min). Take a scrubber and scrub the label off. This should get you a sparkling bottle.<br />
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<b>How to paint</b><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LElUqISkDJ8/WNflDNrfWyI/AAAAAAAADOc/snDq78XtJYc8WQUaQUAfrKS1Thrlr1VfACLcB/s1600/PaintedBottle3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fevicryl 3D outliner" border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LElUqISkDJ8/WNflDNrfWyI/AAAAAAAADOc/snDq78XtJYc8WQUaQUAfrKS1Thrlr1VfACLcB/s400/PaintedBottle3.JPG" title="Fevicryl 3D outliner" width="400" /></a></div>
I have used the fine tipped pen to draw my designs on the bottle. I didn't go about drawing the entire design initially instead drew only what was necessary. . I just drew step by step, as my design demanded it. Keep a wet cloth handy, because if you do not like what you have drawn, you can immediately wipe it.<br />
Start with slowly squeezing the bottle. You would get tiny dots, which looks like tiny spikes.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Bp0Gz603io/WNflDL_iPWI/AAAAAAAADOg/lhWlEUyaGQEmWlRD-dq-syvXHUpsZskFgCLcB/s1600/PaintedBottle2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fevicryl 3D outliner" border="0" height="333" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Bp0Gz603io/WNflDL_iPWI/AAAAAAAADOg/lhWlEUyaGQEmWlRD-dq-syvXHUpsZskFgCLcB/s400/PaintedBottle2.JPG" title="Fevicryl 3D outliner" width="400" /></a></div>
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I tried first on the plain glass bottle, free hand without any particular design in mind. I am happy how both have turned out. Best way show them off is to have golden pothos in them.<br />
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Linking this post to <a href="http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2017/04/welcome.html#more" target="_blank">Craft Schooling Sunday by Creative Jewish Mom</a><br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-79077913083039183642017-03-14T12:23:00.000+05:302017-03-14T12:23:04.553+05:30Our Weekly Market(Santhe)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you ever visited the weekly market or the 'Santhe' that they are locally called? If you have not done it yet, you can do it here, on this post. Santhes are small local vegetable markets arranged on the outskirts of the city/village. The vegetables here are fresh, cheap, and more organic than you think. I bet once you start visiting them, you would never want to buy the vegetables and fruits from the malls and supermarkets any more.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCv6ENOy1aQ/WMZW4WByoTI/AAAAAAAADNs/nxECiqXDzK8lhhDR1VYsKkWrF-VgxOnzwCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="227" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCv6ENOy1aQ/WMZW4WByoTI/AAAAAAAADNs/nxECiqXDzK8lhhDR1VYsKkWrF-VgxOnzwCLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket7.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
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How are these markets different from the farmers market in other countries? These markets sell many other things apart from fruits and vegetables. The vegetables that are sold here are either locally grown or bought bulk from the main market of the city. For e.g. I am regular at these markets and I often purchase spinach and coriander from a lady who grows them. I buy it mainly because they look sooo FRESH!!!<br />
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During the years of transferable job, whenever we relocated to a new city my father's first lookout was to find a place to get vegetable and fruits freshly. That tradition is instilled into me. For me it's just 10 minute drive from my house and this distance makes me more certain to visit every week.<br />
Being a regular visitor, I am acquainted with few lady sellers, and after a small chat they offer me extra discount on already discounted price.<br />
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Santhes are indispensable of many villagers in Indian Villages. A cluster of villages say 4 or 5 will have one market. For most of the villagers living nearby, this is also one stop groceries mart. That is why you see pulses, spices, flowers,utensils etc. being sold in the same platform as the vegetables. The sellers set up make shift tents or more fortunate ones will have a reserved place under the government designated large open shed with a roof.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jceSGd5TJ1g/WMZW5BOLeRI/AAAAAAAADNw/7s7fWpTBdV8gxi9FhwaaBd40CmM369fVQCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jceSGd5TJ1g/WMZW5BOLeRI/AAAAAAAADNw/7s7fWpTBdV8gxi9FhwaaBd40CmM369fVQCLcB/s400/Village%2BMarket8.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="318" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qnVqPMaOiWw/WMZW3PS-TSI/AAAAAAAADNg/-9hp7JivUNI0Z_s_Cpm4Oiba499mxziCACLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="199" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qnVqPMaOiWw/WMZW3PS-TSI/AAAAAAAADNg/-9hp7JivUNI0Z_s_Cpm4Oiba499mxziCACLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket3.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
Homemakers, husbands, restaurant workers, villagers and people from different walk of life flock the village markets to buy their daily needs<br />
If you go at the end of the day everything is even more cheap, as most of the sellers would be calling it a day and packing their stuff. This is also the reason the Santhes are over crowded in the evening.<br />
Here you could buy vegetables weight wise or heap wise. The sellers divide the vegetables into small heap, the usual price of which is merely 10 Indian Rupees.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PeBOBqyJfc/WMZW3LGE-dI/AAAAAAAADNc/_YDq8gNJUkooWEJdab3JgempsQIEdZ6DwCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PeBOBqyJfc/WMZW3LGE-dI/AAAAAAAADNc/_YDq8gNJUkooWEJdab3JgempsQIEdZ6DwCLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket4.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ETgOEQwnCe0/WMZNMlzhQYI/AAAAAAAADNI/W5ztGI2MyuITPG6ES2LdiIzxMwQKO04hQCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="252" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ETgOEQwnCe0/WMZNMlzhQYI/AAAAAAAADNI/W5ztGI2MyuITPG6ES2LdiIzxMwQKO04hQCLcB/s400/Village%2BMarket1.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ7RrnPfQHQ/WMZW3PXoAgI/AAAAAAAADNY/e2UBCzfsKdI9u277NTz2s94U6ZGH32z9QCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="204" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ7RrnPfQHQ/WMZW3PXoAgI/AAAAAAAADNY/e2UBCzfsKdI9u277NTz2s94U6ZGH32z9QCLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket2.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAZWWYpe_P0/WMZW4VL_hiI/AAAAAAAADNo/ooKlHjItgC8Qhmbb0MI89YQJIUPUk_ErwCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="214" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAZWWYpe_P0/WMZW4VL_hiI/AAAAAAAADNo/ooKlHjItgC8Qhmbb0MI89YQJIUPUk_ErwCLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket5.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwEk8yetZS4/WMZW4MSv4UI/AAAAAAAADNk/4UHwrJllKA4LmrJp6uCGYKJkfg_tWSeKQCLcB/s1600/Village%2BMarket6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santhe, Village Market" border="0" height="167" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwEk8yetZS4/WMZW4MSv4UI/AAAAAAAADNk/4UHwrJllKA4LmrJp6uCGYKJkfg_tWSeKQCLcB/s320/Village%2BMarket6.jpg" title="Santhe, Village Market" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Apart from my usual vegetables and fruits, I have bought many plants, clay pots from the sellers here which are seasonal. Hope you enjoyed the small tour of the market.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Linking this post to <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.in/2017/03/our-world-13-march-2017.html" target="_blank">Our World Tuesday</a></span></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-57673158271637107372017-02-22T17:34:00.001+05:302017-02-26T09:44:52.592+05:30Displaying artworks in a small space<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we were living in a rented home our display of paintings were limited to the number of nails in the house. This deterred from hoarding or buying any paintings. After we moved to our own space there is still a limitation on this because my husband is averse to the idea of drilling holes through the wall. I keep telling him that I want of a wall full of paintings and he keeps telling me to forget it. I have been collecting Indian Folk paintings and art works and few I have done on my own. If you have drilling restriction like me or have space constraint here are few cool ideas to display the paintings and art works. Your beautiful wall is left untouched and you could have a transformed space every time. Let us see how we can achieve it in a small way.<br />
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1. Lean the framed art works against the wall layering it slightly. This works best if you have symmetric paintings. You could hide half of the painting with another one. This is how I have done in my home. Two of these paintings are larger than A3 Size, and for the time being I have put them on top of the T.V. unit. They are a big attention grabber as soon as someone enters home.<br />
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2. Second one is to have a floating shelves and show off the paintings along with other artifacts. </div>
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3.If the art work is big and you do not have that much space then leave it on the floor.<br />
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<a href="http://thelateafternoon.com/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
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4. On top of the book case and behind the books.<br />
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<a href="http://cushandnooks.blogspot.in/2013/08/the-home-of-amber-lewis.html" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
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5.I love this idea of hanging kids art works in clothes pin and have to implement this idea sometimes soon. This way I can put their first art work, gradually telling how they have done better.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb_1dZfJ3yQ/WK1d1Aq4GfI/AAAAAAAADL4/KJjiKIOa3NEJkk3RPvN8NFP5xf5YF9gsQCEw/s1600/Art%2BWork%2BKids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb_1dZfJ3yQ/WK1d1Aq4GfI/AAAAAAAADL4/KJjiKIOa3NEJkk3RPvN8NFP5xf5YF9gsQCEw/s320/Art%2BWork%2BKids.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://thegoodlifebyerin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Image Souce</a></div>
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<a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/327848047859715008/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
My favorite one and which I follow all the time, display them on shelves along with your books. And yes, for that special effect add a tinge of greenery. I keep rotating the decor here with books, artifacts and lastly painting. Isn't it an awesome idea??<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpF3ZhhQgbY/WK1VMFWlTbI/AAAAAAAADLc/kwTUPq3Nn0EBYHqPaK5CCRQYQa5LSTKWACLcB/s1600/Artwork2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpF3ZhhQgbY/WK1VMFWlTbI/AAAAAAAADLc/kwTUPq3Nn0EBYHqPaK5CCRQYQa5LSTKWACLcB/s400/Artwork2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-46181230456729104862017-01-30T15:10:00.001+05:302017-01-30T15:10:57.127+05:30Camper Van and other projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello folks, thank you all for your comments on my previous post on <a href="http://vsomayaji.blogspot.in/2017/01/dot-art-to-decorate.html" target="_blank">Dot Painting</a>.<br />
I finally completed my Camper Van cross stitch project. But it did not turn out the way it has to be -) I missed many things due to poor chart which I had saved on the mobile. I chose couple of wrong colors. You must commend me for my patience as this was my second attempt. My first one was a disaster since I chose my own color combination and could not complete it. Although the chart says Anchor threads, I didn't find the same number in the shop. I have been doing this for almost a month and my son is asking me why I am doing, redoing the same thing again and again.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bN2pb8w584/WI8Dh2k7J6I/AAAAAAAADLA/oCl4eltcBpMhanceBcl0YfKggNM5SoWtQCLcB/s1600/VWCamper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="VW Camper Van" border="0" height="194" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bN2pb8w584/WI8Dh2k7J6I/AAAAAAAADLA/oCl4eltcBpMhanceBcl0YfKggNM5SoWtQCLcB/s320/VWCamper.JPG" title="VW Camper Van" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">These are few Madhubani paintings I did, hoping that my husband would gift his colleagues in Germany during his visit. But that didn't happen, as I wasn't satisfied with it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACtaKUpulQ0/WI8DhPHGy9I/AAAAAAAADK4/fSi2e5prk8wmovoiOisxXkKtA1Q12W5SwCLcB/s1600/Madhubani%2BSun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Madhubani Sun" border="0" height="280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACtaKUpulQ0/WI8DhPHGy9I/AAAAAAAADK4/fSi2e5prk8wmovoiOisxXkKtA1Q12W5SwCLcB/s320/Madhubani%2BSun.JPG" title="Madhubani Sun" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsOAIezbiKE/WI8Dg0L0aFI/AAAAAAAADK8/ZOMbZDPv71ohc2M2ry9CMtF6D54ob4FXACLcB/s1600/Madhubani%2BFish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Madhubani Fishes" border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsOAIezbiKE/WI8Dg0L0aFI/AAAAAAAADK8/ZOMbZDPv71ohc2M2ry9CMtF6D54ob4FXACLcB/s320/Madhubani%2BFish.JPG" title="Madhubani Fishes" width="320" /></a></div>
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New flowers are blooming in my garden. This Rangoon Creeper has been there from two years, only growing but not flowering. I don't remember doing anything special but the magic happened. I was desperately waiting for the creeper to flower from long time and finally the days have come. I love the fragrance of it. Soon I have to trim it as many of the plants aren't getting sunlight due its blocking branches. My MIL wondered why on the earth did I plant this where in this was considered a weed plant in my native.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5WWEKpmM5s/WI8DhOTrMkI/AAAAAAAADK0/1ruJ77C0r5cr1WL_kQsDbzfwuAegSFOrACLcB/s1600/RangoonCreeper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rangoon Creeper" border="0" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5WWEKpmM5s/WI8DhOTrMkI/AAAAAAAADK0/1ruJ77C0r5cr1WL_kQsDbzfwuAegSFOrACLcB/s320/RangoonCreeper.JPG" title="Rangoon Creeper" width="320" /></a></div>
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My husband has re-attempted growing Red Amaranthus. This Amaranthus is typical to Coastal regions in Karnataka and they are so delicious. I only have to guard them from couple of stray cows. We have encroached the unused footpath area in front of our house. This is the only place which gets maximum direct sunlight and very convenient for watering.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59iIsj9pHl4/WI8DdTxdkKI/AAAAAAAADKw/VrnSspLokawNfL1_cVAqYcPSBEk_q-dRACLcB/s1600/Amaranthus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Red Amaranthus" border="0" height="204" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59iIsj9pHl4/WI8DdTxdkKI/AAAAAAAADKw/VrnSspLokawNfL1_cVAqYcPSBEk_q-dRACLcB/s320/Amaranthus.JPG" title="Red Amaranthus" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, this is what is happening in the month of January in my world. Come to think of it, it got over so quickly. </div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-65515251003046746512017-01-13T17:30:00.005+05:302017-01-13T17:30:59.616+05:30Dot Art to decorate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A very happy and prosperous new year to all my dear readers. I have been too busy to post anything. According to latest article in prime newspaper of India, Indian women are most stressed out. I think it's so true in most of our cases whether we are employed or homemakers. While sometime when I am awake in middle of the night, I would be thinking what should I do tomorrow, what should I cook, what should I pack for lunch etc.,. I keep reminding myself to take everything slow and love what you do at least once a day.<br />
Coming to my post today, it's simple and I think you need to have a very little artistic talents. It's the dot painting.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JuHdbyAKcF4/WHiDJPoi2_I/AAAAAAAADKQ/WH0InjyBPMUxjJ7RycP0EH9NxHGjttsrwCLcB/s1600/DotPainting1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dot Painting" border="0" height="313" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JuHdbyAKcF4/WHiDJPoi2_I/AAAAAAAADKQ/WH0InjyBPMUxjJ7RycP0EH9NxHGjttsrwCLcB/s400/DotPainting1.JPG" title="Dot Painting" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dot painting are part of the Australian Aboriginal art form. They are done using naturally available materials. It's vibrant, interesting, aesthetic, and these arrays of pattern of dots may seem meaning less to us but they do have some meaning to the Aboriginal artists. Each painting tells a story and are hidden sacred meaning, known only to the artist, hidden to the westerners. More about this art read from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian_art" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPNTGtaPKkU/WHiDJXur77I/AAAAAAAADKU/il9dTZgq2aETVKpHk9dw4XST4tGdEbP_ACLcB/s1600/DotPainting3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dot Painting" border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPNTGtaPKkU/WHiDJXur77I/AAAAAAAADKU/il9dTZgq2aETVKpHk9dw4XST4tGdEbP_ACLcB/s400/DotPainting3.JPG" title="Dot Painting" width="398" /></a></div>
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What I have done doesn't have any serious meaning but inspired by Aboriginal art. I created few simple art just to decorate my home walls. I drew the design on a handmade colored sheet roughly and used ear buds to put drops of acrylic paint on the design. If you want smaller dots then do let little paint drip from the ear buds(just a small touch to the paper)and for larger dots drip more paint. Do not add water to the Acrylic Paint, use as it is from the bottle.<br />
My art teacher mentioned about these kind of Painting, and the first one was done in our class. This was done on a green colored fine handmade paper.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyLuJHQ2Yhg/WHiDJaoVecI/AAAAAAAADKY/TexYNh_azwIWLpSaPBXFrp3kXgP01qBjwCLcB/s1600/DotPainting2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dot Painting" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyLuJHQ2Yhg/WHiDJaoVecI/AAAAAAAADKY/TexYNh_azwIWLpSaPBXFrp3kXgP01qBjwCLcB/s320/DotPainting2.JPG" title="Dot Painting" width="266" /></a></div>
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My husband had a T-Shirt bought as a souvenir from a recent trip and I loved the elephant face so much that I wanted to try that using dot painting. My second attempt was this.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y32Qh8dYb5A/WHiDKBJCKrI/AAAAAAAADKc/Rxdzi0ysFmwn5CgfEX9WIfooRAknyjdzwCLcB/s1600/DotPainting4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dot Painting" border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y32Qh8dYb5A/WHiDKBJCKrI/AAAAAAAADKc/Rxdzi0ysFmwn5CgfEX9WIfooRAknyjdzwCLcB/s320/DotPainting4.JPG" title="Dot Painting" width="240" /></a></div>
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So how did you like my painting? Want to try yourself? Have a wonderful, and happy year ahead.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcRoE2QpYgw/WHiDKcV3Y1I/AAAAAAAADKg/HYHW9gZ4uI0Hn8nNjXyzMcGVzBTtLu43QCLcB/s1600/DotPainting5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Dot Painting" border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcRoE2QpYgw/WHiDKcV3Y1I/AAAAAAAADKg/HYHW9gZ4uI0Hn8nNjXyzMcGVzBTtLu43QCLcB/s320/DotPainting5.JPG" title="Dot Painting" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-30787925451474478562016-12-17T18:43:00.001+05:302016-12-17T18:43:12.735+05:30Shibori and endless ways of tie and dye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last few days has been very exciting for me and I feel happy to end this year this way. I have learnt two new arts on clothes<br />
Batik art<br />
Tie and dye, Shibori<br />
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Tie and dye is what is locally known as the Bandani. I think every lady once in her life time would have bandani sari or dress in her wardrobe. What I learnt was various forms of tying a fabric and later dyeing it in dye solution. While learning to do this our instructor also taught us the art of Shibori.<br />
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Shibori is a Japanese dyeing technique where we fold,twist the cloth using a binding material such as thread, wood, rubber bands etc., and then dyeing it in indigo. Whatever is used to bind the fabric will resist the dye, resulting in patterns in the original color and areas of cloth where there was no binding would turn to indigo(dye color). Shibori is a very vast technique and there are tons of ways to do it and hence you can create infinite number of patterns. While Shibori technique is mostly limited to indigo solution our own tie and dye techniques involves various varieties of Shibori but with different colored dye solution.<br />
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For the dye preparation, we used the direct colors available in the market. These are good for beginners but slight disadvantage colors might leak in the first few washes. Also the final color is slightly dull than what is expected.<br />
To prepare the dye solution, weigh your cloth first(Say X grams). Add<br />
4% of X dye color,<br />
4% of X Sodium Bicarbonate/Carbonate<br />
4% of X soft soap like lifebuoy, grated<br />
4% of X crystal salt.<br />
All of these boiled together and you dip your cloth in it and let it stay for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep rotating the cloth frequently for uniform dyeing. Dry it in sun without untying. Once it has dried untie, wash it to remove the remains of soap.<br />
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And I will tell you it's really a magic created on clothes<br />
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Here is some sample which I did myself..<br />
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This I did drawing equidistant circles on a white cloth and later pinching these circles and tying it with thread.<br />
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After dyeing in Royal Blue dye solution I got this :</div>
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Second one was folding the cloth in a triangular shape and tying the ends with a thick thread and after dyeing it, and untying I got this. </div>
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The third one was again folding the cloth in the triangular shape and tying the whole thing like a banana tightly with the thread.<br />
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And I got this!!</div>
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All of the above were white cloth of size 17 by 17 inch square with an intention of doing cushion covers. But unfortunately the color after drying turned out to be dull lavender so I am shelving the idea of cushion covers. Apart from this we also tried our hands on creating a dress material using Shibori. I am yet to finish it, and let you know the results soon. </div>
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Till then, enjoy your last days of the year..</div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-49935794716941791512016-11-28T12:50:00.000+05:302016-11-28T12:52:58.694+05:30DIY: How to paint the terracotta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had bought few plain terracotta lamps, lantern few months back and thought to make it fancy for this Deepavali festival. Due to overtime on the Internet and thousand other things I could not complete them in time. Hopefully they are ready for the next year.<br />
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I wanted something similar to the ones that we get in the shops like <a href="http://www.exclusivelane.com/" target="_blank">ExclusiveLane,</a> <a href="http://www.jutecottage.co.in/" target="_blank">Jute cottage</a> .The normal acrylic that we use from brands like Camlin, Fevycril etc., were not giving me the desired results. These paints apparently give a glossy look to the finished product.<br />
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There was an exhibition during Deepavali near my residence. The painted terracotta hanging bells were cute and I bought one for home. Soon as I showed it to my family, their unanimous reaction was that why did I buy it since I could color them myself. But there was a selfish reason behind it, I wanted to know the type of paint she used. But to my disappointment the she didn't part with her trade secret.<br />
This incident made me more determined to find the paint. And to some extent I found it I think. I used the left over Asian Paint premium emulsion paint( Matt finish) from our painting. The results exactly matches what I had in my mind.<br />
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<b>How to paint</b><br />
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For the terracotta lamps, soak them overnight in a tub/bucket of water. Next day take a old unused tooth brush and brush off any dust/mud in the corners or holes. Let it dry thoroughly in the sun light.<br />
Apply a coat of terracotta primer. It would fill the small holes or cracks in the lamp and you would require less of the main paint. I used <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Fevycril Terracotta Primer </b></span>and diluted a little adding water. This primer comes in 1 kg bottle( they didn't have lesser than this, while I was buying).<br />
Let it dry in the sun.<br />
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After it has completely dried start painting with your choice of colors.<br />
For the lamps after they are primed, I have used yellow shade of Asian Paint Premium Emulsion Paint for the base color and later for the designs I have used acrylic colors. I didn't want yellow but I had no choice since that was the only one left out from my house painting.<br />
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Here for the lantern I have used three shades of Fevicryl Acrylic colors. It looks OK, bit glossy, and I plan to use in my balcony garden, lighting it with a bulb.<br />
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If you are not confident with directly painting, you could draw using color pencil initially(very lightly), as you can see it here.<br />
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I have painted these only for decoration purpose and thought it would look cute among lighted diyas. You cannot really find much difference between the lamp and the lantern here in the photos but they do look different in real. The lantern is shining in color while the lamps are not.<br />
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Please feel free to suggest or any other tips you have.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-41277674904181402612016-10-28T15:08:00.002+05:302016-10-31T09:06:04.906+05:30Diwali DIY : Bangles Tea Light Holder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's just a day to go for Deepavali, Indian festival of lights and I haven't done any decoration so far. I am down with heavy cold and severe lower back pain. In between I am busy in cleaning the house for the festival. Searching my crafts stuff I realized, I could do a quick craft for a tea light holder.<br />
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It's a tradition in Hindu religion, to gift bangles to the married women along with vermilion. This is something we women cannot refuse. Over years bangles have piled up in my home, some pretty some very dull. Often I donate them to my helper. For our DIY today, gather some of your old unused bangles, strong adhesive(fevicol), some small golden/pearl decorative buttons/artificial stones.<br />
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Roughly arrange the bangles of same size, and start gluing each one on top of other.<br />
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In between make sure that your tower of bangles is straight and not slanted or in other shape. You can take break in between to make sure that glue has dried properly.<br />
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I managed to decorate with the items that I had in my home at the instant. On the top bangles I decorated with the golden buttons, gluing them.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hehliE-mr5Q/WBMYba0nmaI/AAAAAAAADH0/0YAmSmokFaoXxXvqN_azSwWyvEMFt4tKgCEw/s1600/BangleTLightHolder2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bangles Tea Light Holder" border="0" height="316" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hehliE-mr5Q/WBMYba0nmaI/AAAAAAAADH0/0YAmSmokFaoXxXvqN_azSwWyvEMFt4tKgCEw/s320/BangleTLightHolder2.JPG" title="Bangles Tea Light Holder" width="320" /></a></div>
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I used approximately around 15 bangles for one tea light holder.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2ng7DH96zg/WBMYcg4Fy0I/AAAAAAAADIE/3KZzvxf4R0UDMpkVCTynrrvDSfX9XB2mQCEw/s1600/BangleTLightHolder5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bangles Tea Light Holder" border="0" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2ng7DH96zg/WBMYcg4Fy0I/AAAAAAAADIE/3KZzvxf4R0UDMpkVCTynrrvDSfX9XB2mQCEw/s320/BangleTLightHolder5.JPG" title="Bangles Tea Light Holder" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally place your bangle tower on the card stock, measure from outside and cut it.<br />
Stick it to the base of the tower. This is optional step.<br />
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Wasn't this simple? Place the tea light inside and watch the glittering light. Have a happy and safe Diwali.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ch8G5kIGSCQ/WBMYbmu4VcI/AAAAAAAADH8/TvbjGqz8g3QVomr4T9AUo2XWLVCrwqtxwCEw/s1600/BangleTLightHolder3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bangles Tea Light Holder" border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ch8G5kIGSCQ/WBMYbmu4VcI/AAAAAAAADH8/TvbjGqz8g3QVomr4T9AUo2XWLVCrwqtxwCEw/s400/BangleTLightHolder3.JPG" title="Bangles Tea Light Holder" width="317" /></a></div>
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Update :<br />
Adding this to <a href="http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2016/10/we-1.html#more Show history" target="_blank">Craft Schooling Sunday @ Creative Jewish Mom</a><br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-48823379974594456212016-10-24T22:05:00.001+05:302016-10-24T22:05:16.240+05:30Travellogue : Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress, Sri Lanka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks for your lovely comments on my previous <a href="http://vsomayaji.blogspot.in/2016/10/small-hand-embroidery-on-kurta.html" target="_blank">post</a>.<br />
I was vacationing in the beautiful country of Sri Lanka and Thailand earlier of this month.<br />
Our main trip was to Bangkok, Thailand, we had an opportunity to stay for three days in Sri Lanka. It was difficult to choose the places in Sri Lanka, as everything seemed beautiful, important, and we also had to consider distance from Colombo(where we our flight landed). Finally we zeroed on Kandy, Sigiriya and Dambulla caves. Last two are closely located, so you can cover both the places in one day.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v61S2C7HFiE/WA4zG7LxMbI/AAAAAAAADHY/HXvC8jl4WFUZCUgqoUPD8f-DWsF2TtU6QCLcB/s1600/Sigiriya2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v61S2C7HFiE/WA4zG7LxMbI/AAAAAAAADHY/HXvC8jl4WFUZCUgqoUPD8f-DWsF2TtU6QCLcB/s400/Sigiriya2.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="400" /></a></div>
We had booked taxi from Kangaroo Cabs from Colombo from India. As soon as we landed, we hopped on to this taxi and drove to Kandy first.<br />
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After exploring the Kandy city, we had a comfortable stay for a night in<a href="http://www.ozohotels.com/kandy-srilanka/" target="_blank"> OZO Kandy</a>. Kids were so disappointed for our short stay here and didn't want to leave at all. We had heavy breakfast and started to Dambulla Caves at 7:45 AM the next day.<br />
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Driving in Sri Lanka is not that tough as roads are well maintained. Unfortunately the driver was very clueless of the roads and routes( forgive us Dilshaan), luckily we had offline google map of Sri Lanka and guided him well all the way.<br />
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After a tiring hike at Dambulla Caves, we started to Sigiriya around mid after noon. We were not sure of having lunch and more over there aren't much options for vegetarians like us here. We stopped by a fruit shop and had stomach full of fruits, cucumber and raw mango. I got to taste the dragon fruit which is scarcely available in India.<br />
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Although Sigiriya rock was visible from long distance, we had tough time in finding the entrance. Our driver, who while conversing with us in broken English said that last time he visited that place was when he was a kid but he was very confident of finding the entrance. After going round and round, we decided to be wise and asked for the Foreigners entry(there is other options for the locals)<br />
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The entry is free for the locals, and we foreigners have to pay a hefty ticket price. But fortunately, there is a discount for the SAARC countries and we ended up paying 2000 SLR for each one of us. You need to also show your passport at the entrance.<br />
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It looked very challenging to climb a 200 meters enormous rock on a hot afternoon but don't let it deter you. Most of the people prefer to either morning or late after noon to climb, and it's one of the most visited sites in Sri Lanka. When you enter you will not miss the beautifully landscaped gardens. On climbing further you will come across the boulder gardens and the terraced gardens. There are many little caves here whose walls were once adorned with beautiful frescoes.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7c8XsiSPSo/WA4zGu8X1zI/AAAAAAAADHQ/z5jJ97l9IwoR39v6PpqJfaLzyZ6F5KwpgCLcB/s1600/Sigiriya1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="183" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7c8XsiSPSo/WA4zGu8X1zI/AAAAAAAADHQ/z5jJ97l9IwoR39v6PpqJfaLzyZ6F5KwpgCLcB/s320/Sigiriya1.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8oelsxuP6s/WA4zG8sqZ8I/AAAAAAAADHU/Ox1U_1giMTsF6cFdVmFbQhY0TioJv3b6ACLcB/s1600/Sigiriya4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8oelsxuP6s/WA4zG8sqZ8I/AAAAAAAADHU/Ox1U_1giMTsF6cFdVmFbQhY0TioJv3b6ACLcB/s320/Sigiriya4.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="262" /></a></div>
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According to Sri Lankan History, this site was selected by King Kasyapa for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. You can still see the remains on top of the rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.<br />
The steps are narrow and you need a lot of energy and water to reach the top.<br />
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While you are climbing, just before you reach the Lions Staircase, there is a mirror wall onto your left. Originally, this wall was so highly polished that the king could see himself on it. Now you can see various inscriptions on it, written by visitors both old and new. Few security guards were guarding it, preventing it from further damage. At the same point you can take few spiral steps upward to see beautiful wall murals/frescoes. Unfortunately we were not allowed to click photos here.<br />
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After you have climbed half of the steps, you can see a small plateau, there is a gateway in the form of an enormous lion.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wZiMeVLrVOg/WA4zHhyNkfI/AAAAAAAADHg/FnL_JscYxGkO08Wql__GhOXc3PrSS2QBQCLcB/s1600/Sigiriya6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wZiMeVLrVOg/WA4zHhyNkfI/AAAAAAAADHg/FnL_JscYxGkO08Wql__GhOXc3PrSS2QBQCLcB/s320/Sigiriya6.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="320" /></a></div>
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Further climb is the most challenging part of the climb and the stretch will definitely give you knee pain in the end. We have to carefully climb up a narrow steel stair case on the exposed side of the rock to the summit. You will also see the grooves carved into the rock surface by the ancient builders to provide the footing for the original staircase that led to the top.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ldNIrFmtwmA/WA4zIOj17sI/AAAAAAAADHk/ktXyWQr7feEeoZzULcmH-G7LmPWa3WaPgCLcB/s1600/Sigiriya8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="217" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ldNIrFmtwmA/WA4zIOj17sI/AAAAAAAADHk/ktXyWQr7feEeoZzULcmH-G7LmPWa3WaPgCLcB/s320/Sigiriya8.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the ascent, you can see forests every where around the rock. There were couple of ponds(belonged to the palace) on top which gets full in the rainy season. The usual pictures that we see over the internet are taken in the rainy season where this rocks looks out standing among the greenery that surrounds it. When we visited the ponds were almost dry.<br />
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After reaching the summit, and admiring a palace at such a height we stayed there for half an hour, and if you have patience you can go to each and every corner of this palace.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gEPt1OrBs4/WA4zH0vJO0I/AAAAAAAADHc/stjhbM7lQi8hTOi7P0vcXfy6TnaHAFNsACLcB/s1600/Sigiriya7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sigiriya" border="0" height="185" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gEPt1OrBs4/WA4zH0vJO0I/AAAAAAAADHc/stjhbM7lQi8hTOi7P0vcXfy6TnaHAFNsACLcB/s320/Sigiriya7.JPG" title="Sigiriya" width="320" /></a></div>
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While we finished the descent, we bought few liters of cold water quench our thirst and refreshed ourselves at the rest room. There are few shops selling the souvenirs but do bargain hard before you decide to buy something.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-645819378965983272016-10-02T16:10:00.004+05:302016-10-02T16:12:09.645+05:30Small hand embroidery on Kurta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love crafting and more than anything else I love hand embroidery. I usually search for tops having some sort of hand embroidery. They are bit expensive and it's justified as it takes effort and time.<br />
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Few months back, I had bought a block printed cotton fabric for getting my self a kurta stitched. I first give a trial piece to stitch before giving anything to any new tailor I want to try. As it happens with most of us, it didn't fit me perfectly. The plain and simplicity of this Kurta made me to try my naive embroidery skills.<br />
I first drew triangles using free hand and a bright colored color pencil. Thus you see no two triangles same ☺ The stitch I used is Herringbone Stitch.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6udCWLvOsU/V-tcw7-7BxI/AAAAAAAADGU/SFi18rTYJ3E5UsZNSEapxDsHuxtX7HOOACLcB/s1600/Herringbone1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" border="0" height="174" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6udCWLvOsU/V-tcw7-7BxI/AAAAAAAADGU/SFi18rTYJ3E5UsZNSEapxDsHuxtX7HOOACLcB/s320/Herringbone1.JPG" title="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UGlI0HjQfxw/V-tcw9JHGAI/AAAAAAAADGY/gVLBzgBUxnQ7LPXJ8Mo9QX5OfShbjFEeACLcB/s1600/Herringbone2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UGlI0HjQfxw/V-tcw9JHGAI/AAAAAAAADGY/gVLBzgBUxnQ7LPXJ8Mo9QX5OfShbjFEeACLcB/s320/Herringbone2.JPG" title="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" width="230" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLldNy6VYpE/V-tcw01tpbI/AAAAAAAADGQ/DR7MBewRDnoFJnBj5o4i-2KWHDbOm3qeQCLcB/s1600/Herringbone3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" border="0" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLldNy6VYpE/V-tcw01tpbI/AAAAAAAADGQ/DR7MBewRDnoFJnBj5o4i-2KWHDbOm3qeQCLcB/s320/Herringbone3.JPG" title="Hand Embroidery on Kurta" width="320" /></a></div>
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The top had a plain join like thing in the middle which ran till the neck. The filled triangles look more uneven as there was a long time gap in between stitching. It's not perfect but now my kurta looks wearable.<br />
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These are couple of cross stitch projects that I did when I was bored during our one year stay in Germany(some 10 years back). I wanted to do something similar. I searched for ready made cross stitch kits on Amazon.in but options were limited and I found it bit expensive. I guess they are imported. I wish my husband was smart enough in these things to get them from his Germany trips.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_uHO-ixW-NY/V_DgEplVDuI/AAAAAAAADGo/w2Tjxst_cHA-bA9ryyu5c-E2kyOl7VWcwCLcB/s1600/DSCN3920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cross Stitch" border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_uHO-ixW-NY/V_DgEplVDuI/AAAAAAAADGo/w2Tjxst_cHA-bA9ryyu5c-E2kyOl7VWcwCLcB/s320/DSCN3920.JPG" title="Cross Stitch" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am planning to start with this Volkswagen cross stitch project. Hope I put my plan to action soon. I am right now in the stage of gathering threads.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MTnN5cdtyLk/V_DhkFKG-JI/AAAAAAAADG0/yjFBxrXzQzox1GAFdLCb2zt01c9EXHlNwCLcB/s1600/VolksWagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MTnN5cdtyLk/V_DhkFKG-JI/AAAAAAAADG0/yjFBxrXzQzox1GAFdLCb2zt01c9EXHlNwCLcB/s200/VolksWagon.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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Source : Pinterest</div>
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So see you soon with another post.</div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-88901464264285407242016-09-15T21:55:00.001+05:302016-09-15T21:55:43.768+05:30Welcoming Ganesha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lord Ganesha is most sought after and worshiped deities in India. He is always been my favorite in real life as well as in my drawings. We celebrate this festival for the sake of celebrating, to keep our traditions alive. I am not doing a very good job of following it, but I want my children to be aware of it, just as I have beautiful memories of Chaturthi. My day never ends without praying the Lord. Of the very few festivals that we celebrate, we try to celebrate this in a traditional way, be it offering Ganesha's favorite sweets, Garike grass or singing Ganesh Bhajan/Shlokas. In the evening it's a visit to a temple, followed by visits to houses where idols are kept. Most of our neighbors, friends keep Ganesha idols at home, it's also to judge whose idol is best.<br />
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In art world Ganesha is the most flexible subject. The elephant head makes him unique and instantly identify the subject. There are thousands of ways of drawing this God. I have tried to incorporate the spirit of the festival into the paper. These are my humble attempts and the originals are more beautiful. Hope Lord Ganesha blesses me to be do more, strive more and achieve what I want, more than anything else find the satisfaction in my work.<br />
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First one was done with acrylic colors, and later filling the background with black gel pen.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuzg62XS138/V9od7k15-zI/AAAAAAAADF0/1xyA8Rd0mqEgZJ9YiYrKEBEz6S6hrJLfwCLcB/s1600/Ganesha3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ganesha" border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuzg62XS138/V9od7k15-zI/AAAAAAAADF0/1xyA8Rd0mqEgZJ9YiYrKEBEz6S6hrJLfwCLcB/s640/Ganesha3.JPG" title="Ganesha" width="480" /></a></div>
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This Madhubani style Ganesha is found it in my Pinterest board. I experimented with outline this time. Usually I use black marker pens for the outlining, this time I used size 000 brush. I wasn't consistent with the thickness of lines and so you can see. I have used acrylic on handmade paper.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4-N6U0NS86s/V9od7mEcSCI/AAAAAAAADF8/q0gx8U3_DcYq_f7QSegyGuCwZSBuNn3rgCLcB/s1600/Ganesha2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ganesha" border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4-N6U0NS86s/V9od7mEcSCI/AAAAAAAADF8/q0gx8U3_DcYq_f7QSegyGuCwZSBuNn3rgCLcB/s640/Ganesha2.JPG" title="Ganesha" width="412" /></a></div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-30539349797713545002016-09-02T16:28:00.004+05:302016-09-02T16:28:56.703+05:30Vividh Bharathi : My all time companion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am growing old listening to Radio more than watching T.V. Television was a fad at the time in India while I was growing up and owning a T.V wasn't easy where as Radio reigned in most of the middle class families.<br />
Radio always bring the nostalgic moments of my childhood. My love for radio started when I was in 1st grade, that time it was the only way to keep ourselves updated with current affairs other than newspapers and magazines. How I used to love listening to film songs on radio after lunch break in the afternoons. It was broken few years here and there due to job, studying but it's still one of my favorite activity. No, I don't spend time sitting in front of it but entertains me by playing in the background all the time. For me, be it Sakhi Saheli, Jayamala or Hit Superhit, if it's playing radio it has to be Vividh Bharthi channel.<br />
Vividh Bharthi because it still plays decades old songs, less nonsense,less talking, literally no commercials. The programs are informative, entertaining and soothing to your mind.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5FI-kCHneQ/V8lZ17prbgI/AAAAAAAADFc/-2qRJJiJYFcX7HCP1fbMVPoHPD_t14CvQCLcB/s1600/Radio1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Vividh Bharathi" border="0" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5FI-kCHneQ/V8lZ17prbgI/AAAAAAAADFc/-2qRJJiJYFcX7HCP1fbMVPoHPD_t14CvQCLcB/s400/Radio1.JPG" title="Vividh Bharathi" width="400" /></a></div>
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Remember Jayamala program played for the soldiers on fronts?You get to listen tips, thoughts, recipes for many women on Sakhi Saheli programs in the afternoon along with melodious songs.<br />
While Aaj ke Fankar is about any personalities from Indian Film Industry, Man Chahe Geet in the afternoons is for requesting songs. I am swept away when sometimes my favorite Kishore Da song is played and as a result I hum along.<br />
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Many time my kids felt overwhelmed when my requested song was played announcing my name. 😁 I know it's silly but they find it great.<br />
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Understanding my affinity for radio my husband bought a small portable/ plug gable radio for me from his visit abroad and it's become an enviable among my relatives. We do sometimes have heated argument when my husband changes the channel by rotating the delicate knob. I do remind him of my ownership.<br />
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So my readers, do you listen too to Vivid Bharathi like me? Or you find it out of date?</div>
Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-82088871568816007002016-08-12T22:02:00.001+05:302016-08-12T22:03:51.832+05:30DIY : Paper rolled pens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The other day my gel pen got over while doodling something and I was in urgent need of the black gel pen.The nearest store fellow tried to sell me couple of new branded pens as he did not stock pen refills. I inquired in few other ordinary shops and to my surprise none of them had refills. When the cost of refill and the pen are almost the same, people would more likely to buy new pens rather than buying a refill. Ever thought what would happen to your old pen? You would either hoard it, throw it or if you are eco conscious and old fashioned like me, you would put a new refill. I have seen many people around me buying new pens on a whim. Finally I got my pen refill at a stationary shop.<br />
I remembered seeing these paper pens in few craft stalls that I frequented in the past. I decided to make these pens at home, try and use it myself. These are cute and you don't have to feel guilty when the ink is over.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QeYPS5so-QY/V63fi0zjsnI/AAAAAAAADEg/Vu7qpXsCujwGHXJaTWxPHMmPNhBto1txgCEw/s1600/PaperPen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Paper pens" border="0" height="278" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QeYPS5so-QY/V63fi0zjsnI/AAAAAAAADEg/Vu7qpXsCujwGHXJaTWxPHMmPNhBto1txgCEw/s400/PaperPen.JPG" title="Paper pens" width="400" /></a></div>
Things you need.<br />
Pen refill, Paper. The thickness of the pen depends on the thickness of paper. If you are using newspaper strip, you need a long one as they are thin. I used the paper bag's paper which was slightly thick.<br />
Glue, scissors, ruler, pencil/sketch pens.<br />
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Cut out a rectangular shaped paper whose height is that of the pen refill(width is approximately 30 cm).<br />
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Draw a slanting line from the top left corner, to the right side like shown below. This is for tapering of the pen, to get cone shaped tip for the pen. Cut the paper along the line.<br />
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Lay the pen on the left edge and firmly glue the refill onto the paper initially. This step is the only tricky step and if you do it correctly then your rolling would come out perfect.<br />
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Start rolling and apply glue at the end of the roll.<br />
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To make the cap, take a rectangular strip(height less than half length of the pen, width less than half of what you had taken for the pen).<br />
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The diameter of the cap is slightly more than the pen. Take the pen and start rolling the strip to the other end of the pen. Do not roll tightly and you should be able to remove the pen in the end.<br />
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Apply glue to one end of the rolled cap and press it hard to close it. Let it dry.<br />
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My pen was simple but you could finish it with a strip of nice gift wrapping paper to make it attractive.<br />
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Please note that this may not be appropriate for students who have heavy writing work but more suitable for casual use.<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-15546702317450202342016-08-03T17:27:00.000+05:302016-08-03T17:27:00.116+05:30Travellogue : Trip to Nathula Pass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The trip to Sikkim is incomplete without visiting the Nathula Pass on the Indo- Tibetian border in East Sikkim. We visited in the first week of April 2015, the time where we get to enjoy snow and pleasant weather( so this post is there in my drafts folder for over an year, -:))<br />
Nathula Pass is located about 14,000 ft above sea level and come rain, sun,snow or avalanche, its guarded by the brave soldiers of Indian Army.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Permission to visit Nathula Pas</b>s</span><br />
The road to Nathula is only open during specific times of the year and you need special permission to visit this and Tsomgo lake(which on the Nathula-Gangtok road) from the Indian Army. The permissions are available in the Tourist Office in M.G. Marg, Gangtok and visiting time for Nathula are strictly limited,you have to return to Gangtok before 3-30 PM the same day.<br />
Our permits Nathula were organized by Sonam Delek, where we stayed during our trip and the charges were included in the fare. We were lucky to get this permission as the heavy downpour previous days had made the road less traversable. We were highly impressed by Sonam Delek to go that extra mile for not only arranging us the permission but also providing us an excellent taxi driver.<br />
For the permission you need the passport size photo and Id proof. This was informed earlier to us so we had taken along with us while leaving for Gangtok. I don't remember the exact charge but it was around 5000 Indian Rupees for one vehicle.<br />
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Since we got the permission late in the morning our journey to Nathula from Gangtok started a bit late and we were in a great hurry to return back too. On the way to Nathula, you will encounter beautiful, small waterfalls, do stop by while returning from Nathula Pass.<br />
En route to Nathula is breathtaking and at the same time scary one. The time we went the roads were not in good shape. On one side it's misty deep valley and other side it's snow clad mountains with boulders and stones. Thanks to Indian Army for maintaining them all year around.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Changu Market</b></span></div>
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In case you are not prepared and do not have warm clothes for the shivering weather, you can rent them at the small shops near Changu Lake(Tsomgo lake). There are many shops to rent jackets, snow boots, gloves. Take care to try it out thoroughly before renting. We were in a hurry and the jacket we got for my younger son didn't have buttons so he wasn't covered properly. That was a concern in the whole trip and he was freezing when he was outside the jeep. Besides renting the jacket and snow boots we purchased gloves for memory sake.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Silk Route</b></span><br />
While on the way to Nathula Pass you can see the Silk Route which really exists!!!. This is one such route which connects Tibet with India where trading of Tea, Chinese silk, Indian Jewelry are done. It was closed due to hostility between China and India, it was reopened after 44 years in 2006. While our visiting the trading hadn't started. We also passed through the Sherathang village which is inhibited by the army officers, security, customs officers and we were ecstatic to see State Bank of India branch serving the people at such heights.<br />
Once we reach on the top, in Nathula, we have to park the vehicle outside in designated parking and walk onto the top where actual border is seen. It is tedious and you may fall sick due to lack of oxygen. The sun was shining and to see the border of India we didn't mind the height nor the discomfort. The Indian soldiers guarding here insists on not to click any photos. Our tryst with Nathula was worth as we got to salute and shake warm hands of Indian soldiers and the Chinese on the other side of the fence. In the end it was so cold, we wanted to go to loo badly but off course there were none there. There is a small café 14K at those heights,frozen after few minutes in cold outside we thawed inside having memorable hot soup.<br />
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Descending from Nathula Pass, we visited the Tsogmo lake nestled among the snowy mountains . It was so spectacular sight and beautiful beyond words. The water in the lake is due to the melting of the snow in the surrounding mountains. Here you can take yak rides around the lake or simply click photos sitting on brightly adorned yaks. We did the latter one.<br />
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There are plenty of places where you can park the vehicle besides the road and play in the snow.After a while when chilly winds hit you, you respect the soldiers again for bearing such cold to guard the country. The cold outside was making my younger son fussy and we just walked few steps in the snow and returned back to the Jeep.<br />
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On the way back we stopped briefly at New Baba Mandir in the memory of the soldier Harbhajan Singh. There are many stories and legends about him protecting the Indian Army. You can click beautiful pictures of serene Himalayas here in the background.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Shopping</b></span><br />
Every trip is incomplete without the souvenir. Do not forget to shop at the souvenir shop run by army near New Baba Mandir where I felt the prices were reasonable. It is bit crowded but definitely they will tend to your needs.<br />
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If you still have time you might give a visit the original Baba Mandir but we gave it a skip(The taxi driver mentioned about this but due to time limit we could not visit this place)<br />
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294141964960639111.post-23948522860058655062016-07-25T16:25:00.000+05:302017-02-26T09:31:03.086+05:30Styling your Coffee Table<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If there is one thing I love to do most with my home then it is decorating my coffee table.<br />
Coffee table is an focal point that is looked upon as soon as someone enters your living room. There are n number of ways to experiment with it looks and here are few of my favorites approaches.<br />
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<strong><i><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: small;">Creating a vignette</span></i></strong><strong><br /></strong><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The main idea of creating vignette is to create a mood with the still life objects and color co-coordinating these objects. Its simple, take a large tray and arrange few things of your likes like Buddha, vase, sea shells, boxes, jewelry, green plant, planters, candles etc., in it. Coffee table and the vignettes tell you about your tastes, likes and gives the personal touch to the living room. I keep changing these vignettes, some times its all brass wares, vase with fresh flowers, idols or sometimes just some shells and flowers in the pickle jars. I personally like to go for </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">the natural trays like bamboo, or the grass,rattan trays that we get in the craft and handicrafts exhibitions in India.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thedecorista.com/blog/2016/9/21/on-the-hunt-mirrored-tables" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
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<strong><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Coffee table book</span></i></strong></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Coffee table is incomplete without the books and you should display books if you have a large table. Many large, heavy books are available exclusively to be displayed on the coffee table. This could show your interests in the books and become a conversational topic among your guests. I sometimes put magazines on the table.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.swoonworthy.co.uk/2016/04/formula-perfect-coffee-table-vignette.html/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
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<strong><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Table runner</span></i></strong></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Deck up your table with an elegant table runner that matches the overall décor of the room. Remember it should go well with your sofa upholstery and the color of your walls. There are so many options available both online as well as many home decor shops offline. Fun part is that you can keep changing them according to your vignette and have throws/cushions to match them. If you like to stitch and embroider, put up your hand embroidered, or an applique work on display.</span><br />
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<strong><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Flower Vases/Small planters</span></i></strong></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Choose a flower vase depending on the size of the room and the table. Fresh flowers are always welcoming but in case you are short of time to buy fresh flowers, choose artificial ones with best imitation. A short or a flat flower vase if you are keeping with other things.If you have green thumb then choose some succulent in attractive planters.</span><br />
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<a href="http://handmademood.com/curious-about-adding-new-color/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
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Here are two ways in which I have styled my coffee table.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gs8kSSN0f6M/V5XqZCMjiVI/AAAAAAAADCc/Q8GFgue2iQEinQdq21jV-kvEssqDWcBJwCLcB/s1600/MyCoffeeTable2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Coffee Table" border="0" height="277" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gs8kSSN0f6M/V5XqZCMjiVI/AAAAAAAADCc/Q8GFgue2iQEinQdq21jV-kvEssqDWcBJwCLcB/s400/MyCoffeeTable2.JPG" title="My Coffee Table" width="400" /></a></div>
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Having said all the above things do not clutter your table. Keep it simple and well arranged.</div>
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Vasudha Somayajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11626684541905307035noreply@blogger.com8