The Collab Story

A couple of months back my cousin from Bangalore introduced me to a friend who had recently taken up woodworking. I contacted him and we decided to collaborate on a project. 

Last month I received two handmade boxes made by him using recycled pine wood. I sprinkled some of my creative splashes on them, and they transformed right before my eyes. From bland and boring beige, they turned into dazzling divas full of colours and whimsy, with a story hidden in the designs chosen for each box.

Here's taking you through the creative makeover of those two boxes. For more details on the makeover process, see my Instagram account @creativerumblings that carries more fun pictures and reels of the collaboration in my highlights.

For the first box that travelled back to Bangalore to its maker, I chose to paint pomegranates and lotus flowers as those motifs symbolize abundance and prosperity. 

This particular box had an unusual shape, and two small lids for its two compartments. So I chose to go with a quirky 'His and Her' depiction, painting faces on the lids.

The second box was mine to keep. Those of you who know me also know about how Nature inspires a lot of my work. So I wanted this box to be a tribute to trees, and to the ecosystem around them. After all, that is where the wood for the box came from in the first place! 

That is why all the side panels of the second box along with its hinged cover feature flora and fauna derived from my observation of trees, and the life around them.

All in all, the collab (short for 'collaboration' if you haven't figured out yet) was a fascinating experience that pushed me to try something beyond my regular painting practice. It also taught me to think of designs from a product perspective, basing my choices on the utility of the boxes. I loved how my colourful designs totally changed the look and feel of both the boxes. Looking forward to more such creative adventures!

From Rusty To Rustic

A few good spells of rain finally had me raring to give a new lease of life to a couple of rusty things around the house.

So there was a metal can turned into a planter that had turned rusty and required some painterly love. And an old rusty horseshoe, that once hung in the garden of all places. In case you don't know already, horseshoes are considered lucky when hanging above the main door. Anyhow, since both the metal planter and the horseshoe had lost their original colours and developed a stubborn film of orange-brown rust, I decided to give them a paint over.

The transformation pictures speak for themselves. I kept the yellow lines on the planter looking uneven to add to the shabby chic feel. And especially loved decorating the horseshoe with all sorts of bits and baubles collected in my stash. Now both the planter and the horseshoe sport a distinct rustic style of their own.

Do give some love to such old pieces lying around your abode. After all, monsoons are a time of rejuvenation... And don't forget to sandpaper the rusty parts before you cover them in some cool colours and designs.

Hope this post helps add some colour to the grey weather, even as rusty discarded pieces acquire a spanking new rustic look.

Corner Table Redo

I am trying to sneak in one more blog post before the year goes out and a new one starts, full of promise, with new projects and ideas. So here's sharing a project I did a couple of months back -- when the weather was warmer and the sun much stronger -- but forgot to post about. This project was a part of my pre-Diwali clean-ups around the house.

We have had this corner table around the house for years. It has been a rather useful piece of furniture, as it promptly fits in just about anywhere, and mostly gets obscured by whatever is placed on it. But still that awful sunmica tabletop had been an eyesore for me, bothering me every time I placed the table in my room. Then this year I had an idea.... why not change it?

And so you see the good old corner table donning a new avatar. Well, at least the tabletop does.... who sees the legs anyway? :P I started by sanding the borders and covering them in some yummy pink acrylic. Next I covered up the yucky brown sunmica with my favourite newsprint, dabbed some washes in white to tone down the blacks, and stuck a bouquet of flowers on it, making a round central pattern. And voila, the makeover was complete! Of course, a better effort would have meant painting up the sides and legs as well but I just got lazy. 

Anyhow, now the table looks good enough to be placed by itself, without needing things to hide its shabbiness. In fact, the pink borders add quite a dash of cheerfulness to it. Ending this year on that happy note.... Have a fantastic 2018, everyone!