Weekend Wrap Up - Wk 20

*sigh* I wish I had one more day to the weekend sometimes… One day to rest!! This was my super busy weekend… On my toes till late Thursday (late for me… is 10pm *smiles*) and then up early Friday morning… to be part of the Dubai Terry Fox Run…

Yay..!! what a feeling… when so many people gathered together for one cause… It was awesome to see the turn out… definitely more than the reported 8000 to 10000… The funds collected from the run were excellent too… Every single dirham collected goes directly towards cancer research at the Al Ain University.. It is indeed overwhelming to see the developments cancer research have made and even more breath-taking to think that this actually gives a few more days, months or even years to someone’s life. I admire the Doctors who put their hearts & souls into this.

Anyway… we finished at about 1pm in the afternoon and then I headed off to be back stage support for the Alice In Wonderland concert put up by the Turning Pointe Youth Ballet. I got an opportunity to see the kids practice… make mistakes…. be yelled at… It was like being in school again.. *smiles*

I must say, that the kids were totally awesome… every single one of them…. Hours of practice and a few butterflies in their tummies… yet they performed nothing less than true professionals… Sims was a little tea party girl… and was thrilled to be part of the show. She now understands how she fits into the bigger pictures. We watched the show on Saturday afternoon… totally awe struck!!

Then… Saturday evening, we wandered off to the Global Village… It was busy and crowded… But we braved the crowds to buy a dhol (I don’t know for what)…. and a few knick knacks… *smiles*…. As though walking at the Global Village wasn’t enough.. we went shopping for the upcoming birthday party… I’m super excited…. Its Yva’s party in two weeks… and there is lots and lots to do as usual… *smiles*…

image source

So my lovelies… How was your weekend?? I’m not in the mood for blah blah rules today… so am jumping straight onwards.. and inviting you to link up… tell me all about your weekend… and link back to me…. *smiles*

Please grab the Colours Dekor Weekend Wrap Up button!!

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Wall Project 1

Here is featuring our first wall project… Last weekend, we painted two walls at the Filmfare Middle East office…

My brothers at work… I had to buy these dungarees to get them to do the work!! *smiles*

As usual, it was like a family fun fare weekend… we laughed, we joked, we put paint on each other… and continued with the wall… I'm now linking into these awesome blog parties.

The colours… grey… merging into yellow… then blending into a bright orangey red… was the client’s requirement!!

This is what the complete wall looked like..

We were nervous… It wasn’t like painting a wall at home.. really!! I was so nervous that I didn’t even touch the roller.. with butterflies in my tummy… all I did was give instructions.. *smiles* That’s what brothers are for… isn’t it??

Walls with Character ~ Anu

Hello my lovelies.... this series of 'in the spot light'... was meant to finish by end of Feb... however, I've got a few more walls to show you... so this will blend into March as well... *smiles*... The intention was also to complete two walls at home before this series ended... .. However, that's now a dream... So when I get it done.. *sigh*... 'when'!!... I'll talk about this later... Today I'm showing you... Anu's wall... overflowing with character... She blogs at a fleeting glimpse!! ~ Over to Anu!!

Both hubby and I are huge fans of comics, starting with Tintin and Calvin & Hobbes to Frank Miller. So this one wall in our room is pretty much comics all the way! The framed Tintin series is from an old calendar. We cut out the pictures only and had them laminated. Tintin and Asterix postcards are framed. Comics (and some other books) stacked up in the shelf...and there's an Obelix ceramic plate in the shelf on the left.

Now... isn't this fabulous!! Hope all these walls have inspired you to do something in your home... and whenever you do... don't forget to share it with me!! *smiles*

Walls with Character ~ Anjum (Kids room)

You've seen the creative Anjum's living room wall... Now check out what she did for her little baby!! Anjum... you totally rock!! Over to Anjum

We wanted to make Z a different nursery. Not the typical Winnie the Pooh, Mickey/Minnie or Disney Princesses room. Initially we wanted to paint either stripes or polka dots but after some research we discovered wall decals and were fascinated by the ideas! We found a couple of places in Dubai that do decals but they didn't have what we were looking for so we customer ordered all the decals from the US. We chose to have two decals on opposite walls and littler ones around the room.

Shashi ma'am's magic!!

Do you have a favourite teacher in school??? Do you know someone who could resemble your best teacher ever..... When I saw this post on Vistas of life.... I just couldn't help but reminisce my school days... and my fav teachers....

Introducing Mrs. Shashi Prabah..... She beleives that everything is beautiful... In her early 50s... she is a true mentor... brimming with creativity, energy and enthusiasm!!

The speciality of the art... in her work... is the perfection!! Using natural materials like flour as binding agents, dry leaves, coconut shells, fibre, garlic peels, onion peels, twigs, drift wood..... etc... she creates beauty!! Nothing around her is trash!!

Shashi ma'am has the creativity to transform Cactus into a beautiful peacock, discarded table fans into exotic decor peices.... Anything useless... unwanted... and her magic hands transforms them into masterpeices of craft!!

Do comment... and let Shashi ma'am know... what you think.. I admire her!! And wish her all the best in all her future endeavours...

Walls with Character ~ Emreen

I simply love it... when people make most of the space or area they have... and create something gorgeous... in their own little way... Here are a few walls from Emreen - who blogs at Liven Things Up ...

These pictures are taken from my parent's home. This is in their bedroom, the picture of the 2 birds sitting on a tree branch are a grouping of tiles, that was selected by me when I was in my school days, and the borders (black, ash and gold combination) are from a different set of tiles..

Here is a close up of the same pic...

These are open shelves (thick glass cut in the shape of arc) placed between two walls, where a vase with artificial flowers is placed.. Actually these shelves are placed 1 feet below the ceiling in the living room, dining room etc..., so that they dont consume any space and can be used for displaying anything of your interest....

Weekend Wrap Up 19

Hello my lovelies…. The weekend is gone!! Can you believe it was our long weekend.. but it disappeared equally fast.. I can’t seem to tell if my weekdays are busy… or weekends!! I simply don’t have time enough to dedicate to this blog… I really don’t!! This was my ‘eventful’ weekend…

Thursday, we had a painting assignment.. This was our first!! We painted two walls of a small office… The first wall was a fusion of grey… going into yellow.. and them wandering into a pretty reddish tone… This assignment was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, pleasure and stress!!! Its so so easy to paint the walls of your own home… where you are in control.. and if things go wrong… you can just paint it white again!! The wall has some more work to do!! The second wall we painted an earthy brown… This is surely not my kind of colour!!

Friday…. I had to attend the Terry Fox Run meeting… The run is on 25^th Feb and I hope it’s a bigger success than last year.. Anyway, then in the afternoon, we went to work on the second wall.. We stuck some filmy posters on it.. This wall looked gorgeous according to me!! *sigh* This wall is complete and will be showcased soon in the ‘walls of character’ series..

Saturday….. was even more eventful!! I cleared another room in the house… and another bag full of things to give away!! *smiles* Even better… was walking around the garden… Moms got some pretty flowers… and is very pleased with herself…

I tidied up the garden… making it look neat & clean.. Now I know exactly what I want to put… where… I want to buy some earthen beauties… like lanterns, urlis, etc… That’s on my to-do list for March… so wait and watch!! In between this… we had two ballet classes and one ballet rehearsal… Yva & I also wandered off to Home Center for a while… Its always therapeutic to go and see some pretty homey stuff on the way… *sigh* I felt so much better after looking at all the gorgeous stuff they had in store…

I cant tell you … how over booked I am this week… I’ve got trainings, new recruits, ballet classes, Terry Fox Run, backstage assistance…. and my list, as usual… is endless!! But I’ll survive!! Only thing is… I may be completely off blogger for a while.. I’ve got a few posts scheduled for you though… to keep you busy.. *smiles*

So.... are you joining in this weekend.... Here is how .. ~~

1. Do a Weekend Wrap Up post on your blog. It has to be 'your' photograph !! (post atleast one picture... its nice to see!!) and it can really be anything you did over the weekend – example – a fun recipe you tried out, a craft project, a DIY, a table top, a few candles, coffee with friends or a good book or a movie review… The list is endless… just about ANYTHING… and anything about YOU !! *smiles*
2. No images from other websites or magazines please!! This is about YOU.
3. Link back to my blog.... only as a courtesy, so we have more people joining the party.
4. Copy the 'permalink' from your 'Weekend Wrap Up' post (not the link to the front page of your blog).
5. Add your 'permalink' to the 'inlinkz' at the bottom of this post.
6. Click the link before you. Don’t forget to comment and if you like the blog, please follow.

Any questions, email me on torresp27@hotmail.com.

Please note, you DO NOT have to be a follower of my blog to join the party.. I'd love to see you here!!

For all my non blogger friends, please email me on torresp27@hotmail.com with pictures and a write up of your Weekend happenings… and I’d love to see you here!!

Please grab the Colours Dekor Weekend Wrap Up button!!

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The very beautiful art by Susmitha – I

When I found this on Anu's blog... A fleeting glimpse... I simply had to share it with you all...

I first came across Susmitha’s creations via a “mutual friend” on Facebook. (Why do I have a strong belief that a lot friend stories are going to be starting with this line in this decade ?) What struck me the most about Susmitha’s creations were that they were simple, beautiful, earthy, and in some way reflected exactly what I wanted to see in jewelry. Since then, of course, it’s been a non-stop admiration spin!

Susmitha is a creator, a designer, a vegan (and a great vegan cook!), practices reiki, and as much a warm, earthy, fun and great person as is her jewelry. She hammers, twists, stamps and hand crafts all her creations herself. So without much more rambling from me, heeeeeeeeeeeere she is! Loved the insight I got into her as a person and her creations in her own words…

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hmm… where do I begin? =oP I’m completely vegan, partly geeky, slightly goofy, mostly lazy, wholeheartedly creative and pretty spiritual (at least, I’d like to think I am). I spread good cheer wherever I go (oh wait, that might be Santa). I’m really lazy. I thoroughly enjoy experimenting with vegan cooking and baking (experiment being the key word here). I see humor in almost anything and laugh very easily and a tad too loudly too, if I go by certain…err… embarrassing experiences (but enough said about that). I’m a lazy bum. I love my mommy (my daddy, my baby sis and my hubby too, but most of all my mommy). I’m a night owl. Oh, and did I already mention that I’m lazy? And apparently, I abuse parentheses (exclamation points and smileys too).

Do you have an artistic education? How did making jewelry develop as a passion for you?

I was one of those kids at school who never finished art class projects. My mom was always the one stuck completing them for me. So, 15 years ago, if someone had said I’d one day be an artist of sorts, I’d have laughed right at their face!

I did always love playing with clay though. There’s always been something very calming and joyful about that squishy, smooshy feeling of clay between my palms and fingers. When I was a wee girl, I regularly asked mom for chapathi dough to make little things with.

After college, I was home for a while. You know, the cross-roads of your early twenties where you’re not quite sure what do do with your life (no, I’m not talking to you CA/MBA/Doctor/Architect… life-all-planned-out people! Hrrumph!) Anyways, during that time, I came across my little cousin brother’s Playdoh kit and started making a small, highly detailed village for him. That was the precise point when my love for clay got reignited. I started trying out various media (terracotta, ceramic clay, cement, papier maché…) I made miniature things first and then had the idea of adding wire to turn them into earrings and pendants.

Then I got married and moved to NY for a while and that’s where I discovered Polymer Clay! Oh the joy!!! It was the most amazing, versatile medium I had ever come across. I started reading up online, buying books on polymer clay and picking up new techniques. Then I began to include beads and wire and make more and more complicated jewellery. I spent all my time creating during those years. And at some point, unnoticed by me, what started as a hobby had turned into a raging passion and I was sucked in forever!

People who see my work now are surprised when I tell them that I’m self-taught (ie: I have never attended a course or a formal class where I studies about what I create now). But really, it isn’t such a big deal. There is so much easily accessible information out there. With a bit of reading and research, it’s easy to learn new techniques. As for the designing and creating, I believe that is not something which can be taught. Each person has an artistic side to them. It’s just a matter of the right outlet coming their way and then magic just happens all on its own. .

Can you share the philosophy behind your art? You mention that you instill your creations with positive energy. Tell us more…

Whatever I create, I want it to make the person who finally receives it, truly happy. Not just in an aesthetically appealing way, but also in the vibrations the creation carries. To begin with, all the materials I use are completely vegan. If there’s something which comes from the abuse/exploitation of an innocent being, I will not touch it with a 10 foot pole. There are always plenty of kinder alternatives to pick from and I choose those. This decision, in itself, keeps a lot of unwanted energies at bay.

In addition, I cleanse all the gemstones that I use and lovingly infuse all my creations with Reiki to enhance the positive properties.

And most importantly, I only make things which I personally desire. Every creation of mine, I want to keep for myself! LOL Each time I create something, I spend some time just staring at it and admiring it. I can’s help myself! Especially my mini monsters and animals! Those cuties always make me smile when I pass by the display.

So, I know for a fact that I’m offering only my best work to others. And I would also like to believe that every time I pack up my art and send it off, I’m sending it to a loving new home where it will be loved and cherished for many, many, many generations to come.

Machine-made is out and hand-crafted, exclusive is in – in a large part of the world of fashion and accessorizing. And stores like yours offer just that. How has this phenomenon changed the market?

In India, even just two generations ago, using handmade goods on a daily basis was a way of life. Then commercialization took over. Big brands and mass produced goods became popular. Everyone wanted what everyone else had and hand making things was considered unfashionable. However, this overlapped with a shift in attitude in the West in the opposite direction. People there began to desire the handmade and saw value in the uniqueness and exclusivity of hand crafted creations. And as the cycle goes, this started to rub off on India once more. Especially in the past couple of years, I’ve seen a steadily growing demand for handcrafted creations in India. Also a wider interest within people to hand make things themselves. Right now, even though the customer base for these kinds of creations is sizable, I would say it’s still a niche market. It’s not everyone who can appreciate the charm and value of handmade creations. The urban, globally sensible people are the ones who are the connoisseurs of things which have been made by a single individual with love and attention to detail.

Personally, I am a snob when it comes to selling my art. God help those who refer to my jewellery as ‘artificial’. I give them a look of such loathing that all they can do is go very still and carefully step backwards and away. =oP

I want my ‘babies’ to go only to those homes where they will be appreciated. It’s okay if the market is small, niches are a good thing. As long as those who wear my jewellery and adopts my critters, truly value the time, effort and love which went into making them, it’s all good.

Visit Susmitha’s ETSY store here OR Artfire store here to see more of her gorgeous creations.

There’s more from Sus! So watch this space for part II.

All photos courtesy Susmitha. Please do not copy without permission.

The Friday Mix ~ Mindful Meanderings

Friday again.. and today I'm introducing you to my favourite creative person.. Her blog is a true inspiration and a treasure chest of ideas... for you and your kids... Honestly!! I dont know how she does it ... with so much ease!! Such a huge huge bundle of talent!! If you'd like to blog swap with me... please email me at torresp27@hotmail.com

Greetings, I'm Shruti and it sure is nice to meet you. When Patricia asked me if I'd like to take part in the Friday Mix blog swap party, I was delighted. I love Colors Dekor for its rich, vibrant decor ideas and pictures.So, thank you Patricia for this lovely opportunity to be featured here. A Software Quality Analyst by day and crafty mommy blogger by night, I blog over at MindfulMeanderings where I share my original creative ideas, as well as other peoples' crafty projects.

[Madhubani style book marks]

Where people usually gush - "Oh that's so pretty, I'd love to buy that", The craft-o-holic in me goes "Oh! I'd love to make that".

[DIY Clay earrings]

I have a 4 year daughter, Lil P who thinks the world revolves around her.In my spare time, I Paint

, I blog and craft with the resident little princess.

I love making stuff and gifting them. I love simple ideas, recycling and quick transformations.

There is a lot of fun going on over at MindfulMeanderings so come, check it out! Every Month there is a theme based Artsy-Craftsy-Challenge for crafting with kids.

This Month's theme is crafting with Crepe paper / tissue paper. There are lots of prizes and giveaways as well. Crafting is a wonderful outlet for me, and I am happy to share it with you. Thanks for tuning in! I hope you'll join in so I can get to know you! :)