Amber-art-creations, arts, crafts and DIY projects

DIY Foil Mirror

2015-02-17T23:05:00.001-05:00

Hello my dear reader,
Welcome to my post on DIY foil mirror.
This was an experiment that succeeded!!
You must have seen my previous foil work post Faux metal wall art
This one is on similar lines....Lets have a look at our center of attention here.....

DIY Foil Mirror

Let me show you the materials used:

Heavy duty metal(aluminum) foil.
Small round mirror.
Round wooden/ MDF base.
Wooden tool...I used scratch art tool.
Acrylic color-black.
Paintbrush.
Heavy duty glue... I used Fevibond.
Glue gun.
Hook/frame hanger.
Kitchen tissue (Bounty).
Clear Varnish spray.
Lots of enthusiasm :)

Materials

Take the foil in an inch bigger in diameter than your base circle.

Keep it on the wooden base and mark the outlines.

Now place the mirror in the center and mark its outlines.

You get two circles, one inside the other.

Preparing the foil base

Now, make your design between these two circles by gently pressing with wooden tool.

Make sure your tool is really blunt, and keep a foam sheet under your work or it will not create the embossed effect.

I chose the simplest design as it was my first try.

Slowly and steadily I finished the embossing.

It looked like this...

Embossing method-Part 1

Embossing Method- Part 2

This is the embossed side with design completed...convex...

Completed design

This is the side with the work surface...concave...

Completed design

To maintain the shape of the embossed design, fill the concave/ scooped part with hot glue using a glue gun...

Hot glue

After the glue is dry, apply adhesive to the base and the foil...Then glue the foil with embossed side up...

Gluing to the wooden base

Smoothen out the sides of the embossing with a Q-tip/earbud to make the design pop out.

Smoothening

Then, press and glue the foil on the wood firmly.

When it is dry, turn it over and cover the embossing with black acrylic color..

Black acrylic color

When its dry, rub it gently with bounty or thin cotton cloth..

The black color comes off the embossing but stays in the grooves, giving the design a tarnished silver/ antique effect....

Antique effect

Now, spray it with 2 coats of clear varnish and let it dry for a few hours...

When its completely dry, glue the mirror on the base and the hook for hanging...

Glue mirror on base

Finished Foil Mirror

Hope you like this artwork...

This is copyrighted work, kindly give due credit if replicated...

Comment below to let me know you were here and thanks for visiting...

See you soon!!

Till then, happy crafting :)

DIY Animal Magnets

2015-02-01T00:09:00.000-05:00

Hi, welcome back.
I have been busy with some personal work that left me very little time for myself.
However, I had some free time on hand today with a snow day and all, and I decided to make something quick and easy. And thus, were born my little animal magnets.

Animal Magnets

They were so easy to make yet so much fun. You can let go anyway you want and every result is better than before.
Let me show you what you'll need.

Materials:

Transparent Glass nuggets (flat on one side)
Nail Polish (black, transparent)
Acrylic color (yellow, white)- You can use yellow/ white nail polish if you have one ;)
Paintbrush
Magnets
Glue- of good strength.

Materials

First and foremost, clean up the glass nuggets with paper towel to remove any residue.
Draw stripes and spots on different nuggets. I made one with spots and two with stripes.
Let them dry for an hour.

First Coat

When its completely dry, paint one striped nugget and the spotted nugget yellow. Paint the other striped nugget with white acrylic color. Again, if you have a nail polish in white or yellow, use it. Now, let it dry for another hour. When its nice and dry, give it a coat of transparent nail polish. This will really seal in the colors. Let these nuggets dry for two- three hours. You don't want any smudges.

Second coat

When its dry and hard glue on the magnets with a strong glue and let them dry overnight.

Materials

Glue Magnets

And finally, the final product on its destination- the refrigerator :)

Animal Magnets

Hope you have fun making these and don't forget to Share your pictures in the comment box below.
Thanks for visiting and come back for more.
Till then, happy crafting.

DIY Yarn Lantern and Votive Holders

2014-11-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hi there....Today's post is about yarn lanterns which is a rage right now....
As promised in my earlier post Diwali 2014 , I am now explaining you the procedure of how to make a round yarn lantern....Plus, there is a bonus ahead...so, continue reading....
Let me first show you a picture of the yarn lantern I made....

Yarn Lantern

The materials used were:

Yarn- I used wool, but cotton works best
White PVA glue- Fevicol/ Elmers
Cornstarch
Water
Plastic cup/ bowl (preferably disposable)- to make the mixture
Candy stick/ skewer- to stir the mixture
Inflatable ball/ balloon
Oil - any cooking oil

Materials

Let me walk you through the process.... The quantity of the mixture required depends on the size of the ball/ balloon you are using..... I used a small ball for which I'll tell you the quantity..... You can increase the quantity as per your requirement....

You can use a balloon if you don't have a ball...However, use a good quality thick balloon, as it holds shape better, and so will your lantern.....

First of all prep your surface by laying a lot of newspapers, as this project can get messy...

Also, wear an apron or garbage bag to cover yourself....I learnt it the hard way....

Now, for making the mixture, I used five teaspoons of glue, five teaspoons of water and five heaped teaspoons of cornstarch. I poured each of these ingredients in a disposable glass....Then, I took the help of a skewer stick to stir the mixture well.....The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter, not too thick and not too runny.....Then I soaked my yarn ball in the glass for 20 mins.......Before soaking, I rolled the yarn in a loose ball, so as to allow the mixture to reach to its center....That way, I made sure that every inch was soaked in the mixture......Meanwhile, I inflated my sons plastic ball and lubricated it by rubbing a few drops of oil on it with my fingers....This was to ensure easy removal of the ball after the lantern dried.

Now, comes the fun part....I used a disposable salad container for the base...you can use any bowl or cup you have on hand.....This is just to rest the ball for drying.....I slowly unravelled the yarn and removing the excess mixture, I started rolling the yarn around the ball.... I am sorry I don't have the pictures while doing the process as my hands were too messy to take any pictures.....I rolled the yarn all over the ball in a criss cross pattern till most of the ball was covered....I rolled the yarn in such a way that the top white circle of the ball was not covered....I needed that space to put the light in....I left the ball on the tray to dry for 24 hours....When it was completely dry, I opened the ball's air lock and deflated it....The ball left the sides easily due to the oil coat I applied to it in the beginning.....I slowly pulled out the ball from the top.....It looked like this....

Ball Lantern

Since I used a small ball I could not fit in a bulb, so I put battery operated string lights instead....

It looked like this when lit.....

Yarn Lantern

Inspired by my success, my little sis also tried it out...She used a bigger size ball...This is how her yarn lantern turned out......

Fancy Yarn Lantern

She pepped it up by using contrast color wool to glue some flowers.... I justloved it....

It looks better than mine!!!!

Since it was of bigger size, she ued a low watt bulb and put it up as a lantern for Diwali.....

This is how it looks lit up......

Ball Lantern

Hope I succeeded in explaining the procedure....Do try it out....its pretty easy....

Now, let me show you the bonus I talked about earlier....Yarn Votive Holders!!!!

I told you about them too in my post Diwali 2014

When I made my lantern, I had some leftover mixture....Instead of throwing it away I decided to do something different....I took a square shaped glass bottle and the water bottle shown in the pic above, and used them to make my votive holders.....

Just like I did for the ball, I oiled the bottle to make the votive holder easier to remove.....

I soaked orange yarn (wool) in the mixture and rolled it in a criss cross pattern on the bottle just like I did for the balloon and left it to dry for 24 hours....For the plastic bottle too, I did the same.....After it dried completely, I slid the square votive holder off the bottle.....But for the plastic bottle, I used a slightly different approach....I cut the plastic bottle with the yarn at the top level of the yarn and left the bottle inside the yarn as it is....Its a good way to upcycle used water bottles.....

This is how they looked.....

Yarn Votive Holders

I used LED votives inside them to avoid the risk of fire...This is how they look when lit....

Yarn Votive Holders

I hope you enjoyed the post...I loved to share the process with you as I had a lot of fun making them....Go ahead and make some, and share the pics with me in the comment box too.....

Thanks for visiting and comment below to let me know you were here...See you soon with more!!!

DIY Hand Painted Diyas

2014-10-28T12:20:00.000-04:00

Hi...Today's post is about the most fun I had doing something special for this Diwali....I painted so many diyas this year that I am going to share with you today.

You must have seen some of them in my previous blogpost Diwali 2014

I have used the following materials:

Terracotta Diyas- varied sizes.
Acrylic colors- Regular and Pearl finish.
Rhinestones- Different colors, shapes and sizes.
3D Outliners/ Puffy paints.
Glue- Any strong glue will do.
Paintbrushes.
Water- for cleaning the brushes.
Rag cloth.

I soaked the diyas in water for 15-20 mins, then rinsed them and let them dry completely....

When they were dry, I used acrylic colors in different combinations to paint them....

When the paints were completely dry, I further decorated them with 3D Outliners....

After it dried, I glued the rhinestones to the diyas...It was a backbreaking project, but the final output washed away the pain....I was very happy with the way they turned out...

Let me show you some pictures now....Here, I have used big Diyas, approximately 6 inches in diameter.....I have tried to give them an Antique look....

Antique look diya

Hand painted diya

Diya

Terracotta diya

Antique look diya

This is the diya that I am really proud of.....This is a big diya too....I spent nearly 6 hours for making a pair of these.....

Peacock diya

These are the regular sized diyas that have been painted in different combinations....

Krishna diya

Flower diya

Hand Painted Diya

Terracotta diya

Hope you liked these hand painted diyas.....If you paint some, feel free to share their pictures in the comment box....Thanks for visiting....See you soon again...

Diwali 2014

2014-10-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Diwali and a Happy New Year my dear friend...
Hope you had a very fun filled Diwali this year...
I had so much fun decorating and beautifying my house for Diwali this year...
Let me walk you through how I decorated my house for this festive season....

This was my center table decor...

Diwali decor

This was a small floral arrangement with a floating LED diya....

Floating diya

I tried something different with a diya this time...I painted a big diya and instead of just putting a tea light inside, I lit a tea light inside a mosaic glass, which I then put inside the diya....The light filtered through the colored mosaic casting its glow on the whole interior of the diya...I loved the dramatic effect this combination gave....What do you think?

I also made this string lantern for this Diwali...I kinda wanted to make a non traditional 'Kandil' this year.....So, I experimented with this technique and it came out beautifully.....
I filled it up with battery operated string lights and hung it outside my front door...
Not bad for the first time, eh?....Will be posting the tutorial soon....

String Lantern

I was so pumped up after seeing the result of the Kandil, that I thought of making votive holders too...
These are those two string votive holders that I made for the first time....Glad to see how they turned out :)

String votive holders

Finding rangoli is next to impossible in the US, so I made these two rangoli's, one out of foam and the other out of a wooden (MDF) board, both of which I had on hand....I'll post the tutorials for these two rangoli's very soon....So , keep visiting !!

Rangoli

I also put some LED lights in small diyas and lined them up on the stairs....Cute, huh ?

This is a readymade marigold Toran I put up outside my front door....

Hope you liked my Diwali decor....If you make something like this, please don't forget to mention and link this post....And, feel free to share your pictures in my comment box....

Thanks for visiting...see you again soon....

Craft Show Update

2014-10-27T11:49:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the great support and well wishes of my friends and family I had a successful Diwali exhibition ....

Here's a snapshot from the show...

Craft show 2014

Canvas Painting - 'Maitri'

2014-10-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

Hello there !!!
Welcome to my post about my latest canvas painting.
I have named it ‘Maitri’ which means ‘Friendship’ in Marathi ( Indian language).
You’ll see why I named it so….
Why don’t you have a look at the painting first….

Canvas Painting - 'Maitri'

I hope you see the unspoken words and the emotional bond between the girl and the peacock.... There seems to be a heart to heart conversation going on between these two friends.....
I love peacocks very dearly, and maybe its my unconscious mind, but I feel a deep sense of inner peace and happiness when I look at the painting.

This is an Acrylic on canvas 16 X 20.
The sides are painted and it’s ready to hang.
This pretty painting is up for sale…so feel free to contact me :)

Let me show you some close-ups….

Canvas Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

Drop me a comment to let me know you were here and thanks for visiting….

See you again soon.

2014-09-19T13:50:00.001-04:00

Hi Friends,

This is a flyer for the upcoming Garba night at Livingston, NJ.

I am so glad to be a part of this night .

I cordially invite you to visit my booth...Your encouragement would mean a lot to me...

See you there :)

2014-09-16T10:11:00.004-04:00

Hey hello, just stopped by to say that i will be updating the look of my blog....its been a pretttty long time since it got a nice makeover So, if you get to see something different when you visit the blog, panic not, coz its still the same ol' me, going through a fancy makeover.....

DIY Paisley Key holder

2014-08-10T15:12:00.001-04:00

Hello my dear reader....welcome back!!
Today I am about to tell you about a craft that happened by chance....
I was seeing paisley prints and designs all around me this summer, and I wanted to do something with this beautiful shape.....
I've grown up wearing paisley printed clothes, making paisley rangolis and henna mehendi's and much more....but I had a block while thinking about a paisley craft....
I was going through my craft supplies, when my sons broken taekwondo board fell down...It was a square soft wood board....and then the idea struck....a key holder!!!

See what came out of my idea into reality....

Paisley Key holder

I was so excited, I forgot to take step by step photos, but I'll walk you through the process...

Materials used:

Soft wood board
Green handmade paper
J- hooks
Rhinestones
Golden bead string
3d glitter- gold, green
Frame hanger hook

I covered the wooden base with green handmade paper (I love the thickness and textures of handmade papers). Then I attached the frame hanger hook behind it with a small screw.

Next, I drew a paisley on the desired place and filled it up by gluing rhinestones, golden bead string and 3D glitter.

When I was satisfied with the design, I let it dry completely for a few hours and the screwed in the J-hooks to hang the keys.

I found out one more use for it...a necklace holder...

Now, why don't you start making your own key holder/ necklace holder...Link back to my blog (and credit me) when you make one....and you can also post pictures of what you made, in my comment box to help me see your creations.....

Thanks for visiting and see you soon.....

Baby Footprint Plaque

2014-08-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

Hello my dear, so nice to meet you again!!
I'm really sorry I was away from the blogworld for some time....
Family kept me busy :) and I ain't complaining!!
Today while browsing through some of my archived photos, I came across a craft I had done for a very special person in my life....my little niece..She is such a cutie patootie.....
Well, I was not so craft savvy when my son was born, and I still regret not making a footprint memento of him....So, I guess to compensate, I took to this mission with full vigor :)
Let me first show you the footprint plaque I made, and then let me walk you through the process...

Footprint plaque

I took a circular cardboard of six inch diameter, made holes on top to hang, and covered it with a layer of epoxy clay....You can use salt dough, bread dough or any air dry clay too if you like....

Then I stuck a quarter inch thick circular layer of the same clay on top.....
When it was semi dry, I took my niece's footprint imprints on it....we used tons on baby talcum powder on her feet for protection, and immediately cleaned them up after we were done.... I didn't wanna hurt the precious little one !!

I repaired the minor kinks with my fingers, and then left the plaque to dry.....

When completely dry, I painted it with pearl silver color....
Then I made a decorative twine and some flowers around the footprints to pretty them up a little....
When they were dry, I painted them with pearl metallic green and pink....

Finally when everything was nice and dry, I looped a pink ribbon through the holes on top, to hang up this cute memory....I forgot to take a picture with the ribbon, but I hope this post gives you a fair idea of how to proceed.....So now, try to make something for your own.....and link back your pictures in the comment box for me to savor...Till then, happy crafting.....

Canvas Painting- Spring

2014-04-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

After a really long spell of dreary winter, I am all ready for spring....
Spring has always been one of my favorite seasons....
The burst of colors all around me, makes me feel really happy....
I am truly blessed to be able to enjoy the magnificence and the
ethereal beauty of the blossoms.....
And what better way to see it everyday than a painting!
This painting is one of my favorites, as I have gone completely out
of my comfort zone while painting this....
I have used many different self- taught techniques in this one for
the first time, and they turned out surprisingly well....
Well, here's the center of attention....My canvas Painting- "Spring"

Canvas Painting- "Spring"

I have used acrylics on a 16 X 20 pre-stretched canvas...
It is kind of a 3D painting with impasto effects.....
The sides are painted and it is ready to hang.....

Let me show you some close-ups

Canvas Painting

Spring

Hope this painting brings a smile to your face too....
This painting is available for sale.....
It will brighten up any office space, and is also a good conversation piece
in your living room
Please comment below to let me know you were here...
See you soon with something new....
Till then, happy painting!!!

DIY Mirror Candle Holder

2014-04-17T14:53:00.000-04:00

Hello my friend, welcome back!!

I have always been fascinated by mirrors, and candles and the

combination of the two just takes my breath away.....

Today I'll show you how I made this Mirror Candle Holder....

Mirror Candle Holder

I used the following material:

5" round mirror
Turquoise teardrop rhinestones
Yellow flower-shaped rhinestones
Pearls- small and big
Glass votive holder
Glue (forgot to keep it in the picture)

Materials

The process was not as complex as it looks.....

I decided on the layout and then glued the rhinestones, pearls and

the votive holder on the mirror base......

And this is the result.....

Candle Holder- Centerpiece

And this is how it looks serving its purpose....

Home Decor

I am really happy the way it turned out....
This pretty little thing is available for sale....Contact me if you need one :)

This is my own design, and I prefer you do not copy it, but you

can use the process to make your own variations....

Do not forget to link back to me and you can link your pictures too if you like....

Let me know through your invaluable comments if you liked it.....

Thanks for visiting....See you soon!!!

Madhubani Peacock

2014-04-15T22:04:00.001-04:00

Hi...how r u today?
I know, its been a long time since I posted, but better late than never, right?
Today, I want to tell you a little about this Madhubani painting of mine...
You may have read about my earlier Madhubani Painting " Birds in Love"....
If you haven't, click here to view it...it's one of my most viewed post!!
This is also a tribal folk art painting of India..
Peacocks are very majestic birds, and I have always been enamored by their beauty.....
My love for peacocks reflects in many of my works, and this is no exception!!
Without further ado, let me present to you my newest Acrylic on Canvas, 16 X 20 -
Madhubani Peacock.....

Madhubani Peacock

I have also added this close up for you to see the fine and detailed brushwork with acrylics...All the fine black border lines have been drawn with a brush too...

Acrylic on Canvas 16 X 20

This artwork , though vibrant, is very soothing and calming to look at....
This Madhubani painting has been gifted to my very dear friends on their housewarming...
They absolutely loved it!!!
If you liked it too, don't forget to leave a comment below....
A commission order for this painting is also undertaken.....
This painting will serve as an excellent conversation piece in your living room....
If you need one, leave me a comment below or email me at amber.art2012@gmail.com.
Copyrighted work, Please do not copy....
Thanks for visiting and come back soon for more....

Gingerbread House

2014-01-07T10:11:00.001-05:00

Hi....
Hope you had very happy holidays!!!
We had so much fun during the last two weeks!!!!
We (me and my sonny boy) made this gingerbread house together....
I got a DIY kit from Michaels and we got to it immediately...
Me and my li'll one had a blast making it!!
We made a house with two different roofs...We ran out of green fondant while doing one side ;)
Guess where it went.....
And we ate so much icing too while making it...lol...
Here are the pictures for you to share our fun and joy.....

2 in 1 Gingerbread house

View of both sides of the roof

Christmas Tree at the door

One side of the roof

Other side of the roof

Hope you liked it....Feel free to share your pictures too in the comment box....
Thanks for visiting and see you next time with something new....

Craft Show Update

2013-12-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

Hello....
Here are the much awaited pictures from my winter Craft show, about which I had put up on the blog earlier....The show was a success and people really appreciated my art and crafts.....I hope all of you keep supporting me as always.....Your support and kind compliments always motivate me to push myself even further...Thanks again!!!
There you go...

Craft show table

One stroke painting bags

Handwoven scarfs

Magnets

craft wares

Hope you liked them!!!

A little more Diwali

2013-12-04T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hi….I hope you had a lovely Diwali….
In my last post “Diwali Decorations 2013”, I told you about how I made some stuff to make our Diwali a little extra special…..Today I’ll tell you about some articles I made last year for my Diwali workshop…..I had conducted my first Diwali workshop for kids and adults, where we made a bunch of items, about which I’ll tell you now….

Every Diwali begins with the installation of an “Akash-Kandil” or a lantern as we call it…..So, we started by making a lantern…We used handmade paper which was quite translucent…..We cut it according to our template, and then assembled it….We left an opening on top for passing a lightbulb in it…..We also stuck small shiny punched flower on each piece…..This was the final product…..

Paper Lantern

And, this is how it looked when it was lit….

Akash Kandil

We then proceeded to our Rangoli…..Rangoli is traditionally used to adorn the doorstep, as it is considered very auspicious….It was traditionally done with rice flour and some natural dyes…But, with the availability of various commercially available colored powders, rangoli has become an art……What we made in our workshop was a rangoli with a twist…..We made a permanent rangoli using some cardboard, Rainbow/ Iris paper and some rhinestones……We made a 6 piece rangoli which can be used in various ways……This was our fruit of labor…..

Rangoli

Then, we started with our “Toran” aka garland…..We used a gold ribbon, construction paper, rhinestones, 3D glitter and key rings to make our Toran…..We made leaves and flowers and glued them alternately on the ribbon and put key rings on either ends to hang them……This is how our Toran looked…..

Flower Garland

Toran

Finally we moved on to the last item in our workshop, the integral part of Diwali- a “Diya” or the Lamp…..Rows of oil lamps are lit and placed outside the doors and windows during Diwali….How could we forget those….I gave a choice of two designs to my class and each participant made one as per their liking….We used paper, terracotta lamps and acrylic colors to make these….This is how they turned out…..

Terracotta Lamps

Festive Diya

Hand-painted Diya

And, this is the whole package!!

Diwali workshop

Hope you had a good time reading about this…..Don’t forget to let me know your opinions and feel free to contact me through the comment box if you have any questions…..Till then, keep crafting and come back soon for more !!!

Upcoming Craft Fair

2013-12-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Diwali Decorations 2013

2013-11-22T11:44:00.004-05:00

Hello again, hope you had fun this Diwali.....
I had my share of fun and happiness this year with my family....
The cleaning, cooking and decorating made me feel at home....The only thing missing were the fireworks!!
I made some things for Diwali this year that I had never made before...a lamp, a lantern and a garland :)
Let me start telling you all about them......I'll start with the lamp first.....
I made a Lotus Lamp by recycling a plastic bottle and some florescent paper....
This is how it looks.....

Lotus Lamp

Paper Lamp

I fitted a blinking LED light under the base and it got transformed into a lamp....
Here's how it looks at night with the light on....

Diwali Lotus Lamp

Hope you liked it...I'll give the details on how to make this lamp very soon.....

Now, let me tell you about the lantern.....We call it "Akash- Kandil" in India.....
I made this lantern with skewer sticks and tissue paper....

Paper Lantern

This is how the lantern looks when it is lit up....

Diwali Lantern

I'll try and put up the instructions for making the lantern at the earliest....so keep checking...

I also made a marigold garland this year....Hanging a marigold garland with mango leaves, on the main door is considered very auspicious....I wasn't going to find any here, in US, so I decided to make one myself......I made the garland using orange and yellow tissue paper, green construction paper, floral wire and some beads......
This is how it looks....

Paper Marigold Flowers

Marigold Lantern

Hope you liked what I made......I would love to hear from you what you did this Diwali.....
Thank you for visiting, and keep coming back for more!!!

Ganpati Decoration 2013

2013-10-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hi dear reader!!!
I know I’ve been missing from the blogging circuit for quite some time, but I had a very good reason.....
I was on a vacation :D .....to INDIA!!!!!!
I had so much fun there meeting up with my family and my husbands family.......
But, I had the most fun during Ganpati festival that was celebrated from 9th September....
Ganpati Festival is a huge thing in India....
People in India worship Lord Ganesh (Ganpati) as their prime deity....
This festival is celebrated for 10 days, and people bring a Ganpati idol at home and worship it for 1 and a half days, 5 days, 7days or 10 days as per their wish......
After the certain number of days, the idol is immersed in a water body, usually a lake or the sea......
Ganpati festival is one of the most eagerly awaited festivals in India......
Worshipping Ganpati whole heartedly, making “Naivedya”- a platter of assorted home cooked vegeterian meal as an offering, singing aartis and bhajans (hymns and praising songs), welcoming guests who come to seek blessings, meeting up with the family, and the whole pious atmosphere in the house brings immense happiness to me and my family......
And the most fun part of all this is the decor we do around the idol to complement our beautiful God.....And, I am lucky to be the one doing it!!!!
I do the decorations every year, and I am very much a fan of eco-friendly materials....
And, I make new decorations every year.....
I usually pre-determine the theme, but this year I was completely at a loss for ideas.....
I was thinking of many different themes, but nothing was striking a chord!!
At last, just four days before the festival, I finalised on “Roses”......
We have a custom made table on which we place the idol....
It is a five feet wide table with an arch on the back.......
This is what I made......

Ganpati Decoration

Now let me tell you how my idea came to life....
I began with making red and yellow colored paper roses.....
I made spiral roses which you have seen previously in my post “ DIY Rose Branches”....

Spiral Paper Roses

I made a lot of them...And, I also made approximately four leaves for each flower.....
I spent almost a whole day just cutting and folding the roses and the leaves.....believe me, my fingers were swollen by the time I finished, with the cutting and folding!!!
The next day, I lined the edges of each flower with golden glitter to add a little pizzaz!!!
By the time they were drying, I got to making the backdrop.....
I glued Red Iris paper on the arch on the back....This paper changes its color in different lights and at different angles.......Its funky!!!!
Then I lined and glued red and yellow roses in a double row, interspersing with the leaves......
I also glued a 6 inch strip of golden cloth along the edge of the arch in a pleated fashion......
It kinda made the roses pop!!!
I also made a circular arrangement of roses to be placed behind Lord Ganpati’s head......

Circular Flower Arrangement

My arch was now complete......

Ganpati Decoration

Then I moved my attention to the table.....
I covered the table base and the table legs with a green sparkly cloth.....
I also glued red and yellow roses alternatively along the border of the table......
Then, I made two circular flower arrangements lined with golden cloth and glued them to the table legs......

The center stairs were covered with green paper.....these stairs are retractable like a drawer....
Finally I added the finishing touch by entwining multicolored LED lights throughout the flowers on the arch and along the table border.......
This was the final result....with Lord Ganpati Proudly sitting on it....

Ganpati Decoration

Ganesh

Ganpati Decoration

I was pretty glad with the outcome.....Let me know what you think of it......
I’ll try to include my previous years decorations in the upcoming posts....
Till then keep crafting and keep visiting.......
See you again soon :)

My Very First Show in the U.S.

2013-08-10T01:06:00.000-04:00

I know my friends, this is a bit late, but as the saying goes," Better Late than Never!!"
I recently put up my creations at a local show (exhibition).....
It was my very first exhibition after moving here in the U.S.....
I was very excited and nervous to put up an Indo-western fare, but the response I got was beyond my expectations....
People loved the colors and the fine handwork too....
I even did a pretty good business :D
A big Thank You to my dear customers, and tons of thanks to my dearest hubby and my friends who stood by me the whole day....Love you guys!!!!
Here are some pictures for you.....

Exhibition Table

Here are some Magnets that I made......They were a big hit!!

Glass Magnets

These are some of the Thank you cards :)

Thank You Cards

These are some of my handmade earrings.....Thanks to my dear sis-in-law for the beads :)

Handmade earrings

This is one of the many hand painted totes (One-stroke Painting) on display.....

One stroke painting Tote

This is one of the Coaster sets I made.....Sold a few :)

Tile Coasters

I even made some handmade Floating Diyas (which people loved and bought), Wooden decoupage trays (my friend bought one and she is loving it!!) , Meenakari mirrors, Decoupaged mirrors, Acrylic on Canvas paintings, paintings on wood and handmade bookmarks too.
I will upload them in the upcoming posts......

And this is a sneak preview of my next post coming very soon!!......Keep watching the blog.....

Meenakari- Enamel Work

If you wish to buy any of this gorgeous stuff, or even just wanna talk about it, leave me a comment below or email me at amber.art@2012.com
I'll be glad to answer!!!
Thanks for visiting :) and come again for more.....

Canvas Painting- Unity

2013-04-05T14:16:00.000-04:00

Hi.....
I am on the blog after a really long time....
Was a bit busy studying.....
Remember, some posts earlier, I mentioned that I am revamping my bedroom.
You must have seen my post on DIY Lampshades....
Well, this painting set is my next project....
I call this duo- "Unity"...
These are a set of two canvasses each 16"x 20"....

Canvas Painting- "Unity"

This is how they look after mounting over our headboard.....
You can also see the above- mentioned lampshades on the side tables here....

Canvas Painting

This is one more view.......

Bedroom Art

Do let me know what you think....
Does it look nice??? Comment and 'Like' below to let me know....
Thank you for visiting and see you soon for more!!!

The Little Mermaid

2013-03-21T23:04:00.000-04:00

Hi....
I would like you to meet "Ariel- The Little Mermaid".
Here is a 16x20 canvas painting of her, made for a very sweet little
friend of mine.
Her name is Sammie and she is crazy about Ariel.
This was our birthday gift to our Super Sammie.
Please read about her here:
http://www.awverona.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1042861&team=5298204
I just love Sammie's spirit and what better gift to a mermaid lover than a
free spirited Ariel and her buddy Flounder !!!
And here are the pictures.....

Ariel and Flounder

The Little Mermaid

Ariel

Canvas Painting 16x 20

Painting

Sammie loved her gift :)
Hope you liked it too...
You can comment below to let me know what you think of it...
Thanks for visiting!!!

DIY Jam Jar Pen Holder

2013-03-01T19:36:00.001-05:00

Hi there!!!

I made this Jam Jar Pen holder that I wanted to share with you.......

As you know, recycling projects are one of my favorites!!!!

And, this was no exception.....

Its a really simple project but it looks really nice......

Pen holder

I used a square glass jam jar for this pen holder......

I first painted it all black, as you can see here.....

Glass jar

Then I made some random Pearl white Polka dots on the bottle all over....

Polka Dots

A nice white ribbon around the neck completed the project......

Recycle craft

See, it was that simple.......

But, I really like the way it turned out.......

Looks really Shabby Chic.....

Hope you liked it too....

So now, hunt out your own glass jars and start painting!!!!

Enjoy!!!

Art on a Bottle- 2

2013-02-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

Hello again :)
This is another Art on a bottle I did this week......
You might remember the earlier DIY Art on a bottle post with the tutorial, that I
uploaded a few months back......
The process is similar but the design....way different!!!
Here's the bottle for you to see.....

Art on a Bottle

So, getting back to the basics.....

This was a beer bottle, that I painted gold......

Gold painted Bottle

Then, I did some One- stroke painting on it.....

You can see some in my earlier post One Stroke Painting on Totes....

I also embellished the design a bit, with 3D Outliners (puffy paint)......

Here are some photos for you, to show the details.....

Art on a Bottle

Bottle Art

Recycled Art

Bottle Art

Finally, I capped the bottle with an acrylic crystal Hibiscus.....

Hibiscus Flower on a Bottle Art

I am planning to make more of these.....
This not just recycling....
For me, its a process where something beautiful is born out of junk.....
Sorta like the Ugly Duckling ;)
Hope you enjoyed it....
Thanks for visiting and keep coming for more......