Happy Birthday decoration for 1 year old

I had an opportunity to decorate for the 1st birthday of my niece, the things used are balloons(arranged in different style), artificial flowers, therma coal shapes of micky mouse, colour papers, fevicryl glitters and baby pandas as return gifts hanging in the hall.

Baby Shower Decoration

I had an opportunity to decorate a house for baby shower occasion, the things used are simple:
different colours of bangles, artificial leaves and garlands, therma coal shapes, etc.

Dasavatharam idol gallery

This one is a little laborious one but it turns out to be a very beautiful and rare creation.

All you have to do is prepare a velvet covered platform from thermo coal and place dasavatar idols at appropriate places. In the middle of them, prepare a some what 'S' shape out of a fancy cloth or sheet and paste it. This acts as a carpet. At the host side place a Lord Venkateshwara(Balaji) idol to make HIM the central figure. Make sure that you adorn all of them using fevicril 3D gum to act as ornaments.

At the center of the path you can make additional decoration using ribbin-covered balls and natural looking flowers. Its beauty also depends on the colour combination of the central carpet and the velvet covering.

This one cost me Rs.600, less compared to the amount of thinking and work that has gone into creating it.

Ashtalakshmi Vaibhavam Idols Craft

This task looks cumbersome but is actually simple. All you need is a fibre sheet of glass cut in shapes to make stair case like platform. Then you place ashtalakshmi idols(eight in number) of one colour on one side of it. At the top you can place Mahalakhmi idol of a different colour in a lotus flower(bought) and decorate all with fevicril 3D gum.

As an added attraction you may place elephant idols in between and any good looking garland over them. Make sure that the garland doesn't cover the idols. You may also make the lotus flower at home. The whole thing cost me Rs.550.

This can look astonishingly beautiful if all decorations are done skillfully and with patience. If you need any guidance in doing this, please let me know by adding your valuable comments.

Radha - Krishna Idol On A Throne

This is another throne item made from readily available items like thermo coal, velvet paper, golden coloured paper, heart charm, fevicril 3D gum, beads and of course Radha Krishna idol. Take a look and you will know how I made it. It cost me Rs.240.

Please make sure that pasting of papers on thermo coal shapes is done properly and neatly.

Beaded throne for goddess idols

This is a simple product I made on the fly using the unused beads left over from my previous works. They were attached to the base using pins. The base is velvet made and is again a part of a gift item that I got before. This would cost me Rs. 100 :-)

Any idol placed on this beaded throne would get more charm. I bet.

Lord Ganesha Idol Decoration

Similar to Lord Balaji decoration, I made Lord Ganesha decoration by using fevicril 3D gum and mirrors. This time I made a throne(simhasan) for the Lord using beads arranged and pasted as in the picture below. The wooden platform was from an unused object in my home. The whole thing cost me only Rs.280.

See how cool Lord Ganesha looks sitting on his new simhasan. Let me know if you like it too.

Balaji Idol Decoration

I took a Balaji idol the other day and decorated it using fevicril 3D gum(as ornaments) that comes in different flavours. Then I pasted it on a thermo coal platform with mirrors on all sides. These are available in any fancy shops. The Balaji idol was bought from a local puja store. The above completed product cost me just Rs. 200.

Please let me know if you need my guidance in making this or if you want such crafts custom made for you.

Beautify your unused Guitar

There is a guitar that is no more in use in my home. So, I created an artifact out of it by adding a garland handicraft and an unused flute at the top end of it. The items used are artificial decorative flowers of different sizes, shapes and colours.

Later I also made another garland made of wooden beads of different sizes and decorated it. See how pretty it looks. These beads can be found in any puja samagri shops or handicraft stores.

Please let me know your feedback.

Dwaram or Arch

This arch made simply from thermo coal, match sticks and mirrors pasted would adorn any God's idols or pictures:

Notice how easy it is to cut the thermo coal sheet into shape and paste match sticks in alternate directions using fevicol. Other items like beads, coloured threads, etc. can be added.

Hand made ethnic hut

You will like this :

Time taken: 4 hrs

Money spent: Rs. 280

Things needed:

• card board 2 x 3 ft, card board or thermo coal 2 x 3 ft, sand, colours, dry grass, fevicol, scissors, small animal figures, small doll figure or human figures, plastic grass(small & artificial)

Process:

1. Cut the card board according to the shape  you wish the hut to be. Place windows/doors at appropriate locations.
2. Have a roof cut out from the card board and paste uniform and equal pieces of dry grass in layers using fevicol.
3. Paint the house with suitable colours.
4. Place the house on the thermo coal board and paste it in a corner.
5. Mix colours with sand and paste them on the thermo coal board to form the desired pattern.
6. Place the green plastic grass appropriately, if need you can use more creativity by placing bigger trees made from colour paper and other dry sticks.
7. Place the human and animal figures at appropriate places to give the craft a lively look.

I am sure this item will be a challenge in testing your creative skills. The more you think in creative ways the more rich the end product will look like.  Please let me know how it goes.

Table top flower vase

This one is the best substitute for flower vases available in the market :

Time taken : 30 minutes

Money spent : Rs. 170

Items needed :

• attractive flower vase container available in gift shops, natural or artificial flowers, varnish, beads, pins

Process :

1. attach beads to the artificial flowers at the top using pins
2. you can also add artificial leaves that look natural
3. natural flowers can be dried and varnished to be used here; varnish gives them more life and make them attractive
4. the above made flower and leaves are placed in the empty vase

This is one of the easiest to make, but the challenge lies in the selection of the vase and the choice of flowers.
If you like this, please leave your valuable comment so that I can also help you make it.

Lord Krishna butter pot hanging

This looks really cute once done :

Time spent : 2.5 hrs

Money spent : Rs. 225

Items needed :

• small pot, velvet cloths blue & red, designer paper or cloth, strings, beads of different colours, iron ring of approximately same size as pot's mouth, other designer additions, mirrors or thin flat coins made of metals, cotton

Process : 

1. cut the velvet cloths in different designs and paste them on the pot
2. paste other designs made with shiny cloths or papers over the pot at the neck and at the middle
3. tie a rope wrapped in colour paper at the neck
4. made strings with different colours of beads and tie them at the coloured rope on one end and iron ring at the other
5. cover the iron ring with colour papers or paint it in contrasting colour
6. place cotton at the mouth of the pot so that it looks like butter
7. paste/pin flat coins on all sides of the pot bulge

This item gives beauty and adds as a filler to the dining room, you can also put this in the main hall.
Several pots like this will also give a good splendor to a well decorated home. Please come up with your feedback as always.

Door hangings

This is one of the best ones I made :

Time taken : 2.5 hrs

Money Spent : Rs. 250

Items needed :

• fancy items of blue and white colours, you may change the colours according to your taste
• small mirrors
• strings
• small curtain rod rings

Process :

1. insert the items according to the design pattern as shown in the above picture
2. paste mirrors with their backs touching each other with the string in between at lengths forming a pattern
3. note that for door hangings, all strings must be of equal length
4. attach curtain rod rings at the top
5. attach the final hanging with curtain rod rings sticking to the wall or themselves in turn attaching to a similarly made horizontal string.
6. you may use cello tape/two-side tape for sticking the hanging to wall

Though from the picture it looks complicated, it is very simple to make and will save you money if made at home. It also helps look your home beautiful. Let me know if you need my help or have any doubts. 

Dining room partition strings

Take a look  at what I made for the semi-circle arch separating our dining room from the main hall:

Time taken : 4 hours

Money spent : Rs. 400

Things needed :

• beads of different colours depending on our taste and wall colours, small circular mirrors, curtain rod rings(small), cello tape, two way sticker, plastic string roll, other hanging showpieces that could be added

Process :

1. beads are added to the string with contrasting colours mixed alternatively.
2. mirrors are stuck to the string facing opposite sides with the string in between forming a pattern as shown in the picture. The patterns can be arranged as you wish
3. other hanging pieces can be added at the very bottom to give the long string more attraction.
4. curtain rod rings are added to the top of the strings to make it easier to be hung or attached to the arch wall.
5. use cello tape and two side sticker to attach the whole string to the wall.
6. this process can be followed for other areas of the house as well.

Main entrance welcome strings

These are by far the most attractive ones I made for my home :

Time spent : 4 hrs

Money spent : Rs. 250

Things needed:

• beads of your colour choice, small ganesha idols with longitudinal holes, any other attractive filler, kalasam idol with longitudinal holes, plastic string, scissors -- all these could be found in general bazars or fancy shops in any part of India.

Process:

1. Start by cutting different lengths of strings as desired -- depends on the shape of the welcome pattern you want to achieve.
2. Fill the string with the ganesha idols, beads, smaller fillers, etc 
3. Make sure that you are satisfied with the sequence that you are following
4. The pattern shape shown in the above pictures is what is followed generally in households. 

Though the process is very easy, the real interesting part is shopping for the right combination of items to be put in the strings. As always, please feel free to let me know your feedback. 

Radha - Krishna Sketch

This is the most beautiful and real life size sketching task that I have ever taken up :

Time taken : 2 hrs

Money spent : Rs. 100

Things needed :

• White chart, scale, pencil, eraser, black sketch, master copy of the target picture, plastic coating

Process :

1. Start sketching with pencil using the grid method. You will need to be a good sketcher to do this, don't worry; it comes by practice.
2. Make it fair by using a black sketch, make sure to do the roughing using a pencil where needed to get the shadow effects
3. Once completed, have the sketch coated with wax or plastic. You can also get this laminated at any xerox shops. 

If any doubts, feel free to ask me. 

Welcome to my World !

Well, I am a natural interior designer and a craft maker. I realized this when people and well wishers told me so after looking at my works. And it took several years for me to really publicize my artifacts and see what people think. This may also be useful for someone who are looking to redesign their interiors using easy to find items, whether it be their home or office, for less money and at the same time customizing their splendid look according to one's needs and tastes.

I specialize in handmade wall hangings, door hangings, photo frames, craft painting, three dimensional figurines that typically use silk & satin ribbons, cloths, beads, mirrors of different shapes, thermo coal, pots, etc.

The themes include ethnic Indian, village, medieval palatial interiors, etc.