Paper Parasols For Pool Parties

Hosted a pool party for the kids last weekend. Nothing too special, just some early morning skinny-dipping to cope with the searing summer heat.

The kids had fun splashing around, playing ball and having their pina coladas in the pool. :)

But then a momma's got to add her own special touch, so I decided to spruce up the drink glasses with paper parasols. You know, the kind of umbrellas that come with your cocktails...

The only catch being that I made these myself, entirely as a spur-of-the-moment creation.

They make a fun project for kiddy parties, and are so easy that even a 3 year old can make them. How did I make them? Catch the steps in my next post, as I take you through the process.

Till then, go take a splash! :)

How To Make A Birdhouse

As I shared with you in my last post, I recently created a paper-mache birdhouse for putting up in our new house. Here I take you through the paces.


Just follow the steps below to create your own birdhouse using cardboard and paper.

1. Take a cardboard box; candy boxes do just fine for this. Just make sure the basic shape resembles the shape of a birdhouse. In my case the box was almost square with curved sides.


2. Fold the top flaps and join them to add a roof to the box. You can also build a roof by sticking extra cardboard pieces on the top using scotch tape or glue.


3. Now cut a round hole in between the front side; this is where the bird pops its head out from!


4. Cut a long, rectangle piece of cardboard and tape it right below the hole you just cut. This forms the perch for the bird.


5. If you want to hang your birdhouse, add a loop of string at the back. I wanted mine propped up from a pot, so I cut out a small hole at the bottom. I’ll later insert a stick into it and push the other end into my pot.


6. Now tear paper pieces and paste them all over the birdhouse, covering all the areas evenly. Add multiple coats if required.



7. Paint your birdhouse in attractive colors. I painted mine in shades of cream and brown. So I call my creation the Butterscotch Birdhouse!

I hope to have some more of these beauties around the house in the coming days. :) Will share the progress with you, as always.

Ganesha In Glass

Remember the glass-painted Ganesha that I promised to share with you way back? Well, here it is now, in all its glittery and colorful glory!

I used glitter outliners to highlight the form of my favourite god, and absolutely loved using the bright shades of glass paint to go with the glitter.

This piece now hangs in the kitchen of my new home.

Painted Wall Plaques

Poking around the house one day I discovered a suitcase full of goodies that I had got back from a trip to Colorado, USA way back in 2005. Of course I was pleased to find the hidden treasures that included a couple of wall plaques.

I had bought them with the intention of using them in their raw state on the doors. But keeping the new house in mind, I decided to paint them.

So out came my acrylics, and here I share with you the before and after pictures of my painting stint.

This rooster still hasn't found a place on the wall..... tch! tch! It is languishing in the cupboard.....

This plaque with the pumpkins on it could only belong to one place - the kids' room, in honour of my lil' pumpkins! :)
I really enjoyed painting this one, especially the shading on the pumpkins. Though notice that I have left their background unfinished. Mostly because I couldn't decide what color would look best.


But now I think I might just paint it a soft baby pink. That way it'll go so well with the curtains.

Any ideas, dear readers?

Rumbling Back To Life!

Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that this blog is rumbling back to life after a five month hiatus.

Thankfully only the blog was on hibernation and not my creativity. :)

So I will be posting about the projects I have been up to very soon. Keep checking!

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing my readers a peaceful, serene and safe 2009.

May the new year bring new hope, and be creatively fulfilling!

I leave you this year with a picture of the Red Sock Santa that I made for the kids' Christmas display this year. Not a very fantastic piece but it gave the kids a lot of joy, and that is what matters the most.

I will be away from my blogs for a few months as I will be busy moving houses.

I hope to be back with you sometime in the middle of 2009 with lots more to report about my creative projects.

CD Artworks

I have found a very effective way of dealing with corrupt CDs. The solution is surprisingly simple - just turn them into works of art! Like I did this for my kids....

I stuck stars and a half moon made out of chocolate wrappers on the shiny side to create an effect of night. Then I painted a sun on the side which had all the writings.

Since dollops of acrylic paint didn't hide the markings effectively, I finished it off by sticking paper bits to the sun.

And voila! This CD mobile now hangs right above the kids' bed, and they love it.

Hope you like the idea, and can put your corrupt CDs to better use. Have fun creating! :)