Being Creative is a Way

Hello, I would like to share with you people some of the newest addition to my greeting cards stock. But this time, they are not made by me. These are handpainted by my mother-in-law, Asha Vishwasrao. They have been well received at the Art Market. People really liked them and said that nowdays its hard to find handpainted cards. So I am going to learn to make them from her and make some more.

Good Afternoon Everyone, It has been a late start for the day, as I slept late yesterday. Guess what kept me late? I had been working on my new set of earrings. It got me so excited that I got up only after finishing them. These are made from paper strips, quilled and coated with decoupage seal to protect the paper and then sprayed with varnish. These are super light-weight, gorgeous, delicate in appearance and perfect gifts for friends and family. Hope you like them the same, as I enjoyed making them.

Hi Everyone, Its festival time. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas and anywhere you go the mood is already festive. We too had a Christmas Party (only girls!!!!) yesterday. Loads of fun, chit-chat, laugh, gifts and of course lots of food. How can anyone possibly think a party without food. Everyone had made some really beautiful, and delicious food. I had made my tried and tasted Beetroot-Chocolate Cake and Veg Frittatas. Recipe for the Frittatas is as follows: 4 Green Onions/ Spring Onions/ Shallots chopped 1 Medium Size Zucchini 1 Red Capsicum 1 Yellow Capsicum 4 Eggs 75 gm Grated Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese. Salt and Pepper to taste and Cooking Oil Spray (I prefer Extra Virgin Olive Oil) Method: 1. Preheat oven at 180C. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray or line the bases with some baking paper. 2. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and sauté shallots over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. 3. Similarly sauté Zucchini and Capsicum until half-cooked. 4. Mix Eggs, Cheese, sa

Hi Everyone, We had great time at our second Market this year. Weather was just perfect, light breeze and the sun shining upon us. Great response and feedback. Also met some good co-stall holders, who were very  encouraging and gave some tips for future markets.  It has been a learning process. We learnt few things from our first market, and improved on our display by making better posters, price tags and additional information sheets. It was also challenging to introduce ourselves to people, grab their attention and make them interested in our stalls. Ultimately all this helped us to promote and sell our products, better than last time. Excited!!!!! Looking out for more opportunities. Cheers, Namrata

Hi Everyone, Marion Mega Market was good. Had some good response and feedback. Thank you to all those who droped by. Thinking of doing some more.

Hi Everyone, Finally I will be having a Heena stall with my friend Vaishali at the Marion Mega Market on the 26th November from 9am-6pm (287 Diagonal Rd, Oaklands Park). There is Heena tatoo, Warli Paintings, and many handmade products. Below are some of the products in making. Coasters Gift Tags Glass Painting Looking forward to see you.

Today I tried a new technique of making cards. I had some Henna cones left from my Karva Chauth stall. So decided to make cards out of it. Here are some before and after images for your feedback. Card with Henna paste on   After removing the dried paste.....the stain left on paper!! I have also used a Mat finish spray to cover the Henna stain for long lasting. Below are some more designs. Does anyone know how I can glue the henna paste itself? I have tried using glue in the henna mixture but it still doesn't stick well to paper.  I liked this one with henna on paper Looking forward for your comments!!!!

Its been almost a decade since I last made Diwali cards. It was ritual for me since my school days. Every year, before Diwali, I would make at least 30-40 cards to be given to friends and relatives. Each card would be handcrafted or painted and would be unique. Moreover, each year I would try different things and even different themes. One year they would be pencil sketches, other they would be some cut and paste work. At one time I also remember making cards from dried flowers and leaves. The last one I remember was made in my architecture years. I had newly learned the technique of using Rotoring Point pens for rendering. So I decided to make cards using this technique, creating traditional lamps, fireworks etc. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of these art work. Only I have are the sweet memories of them. This year, I decided to give them a try again. Here are some photos using Acrylic colours. Please leave your comments to keep me motivated !!!!

Do you sometimes face this situation? Well I did, on this Sunday. It's one of those days, when whatever you do, at your best, it just does not work. It was Sunday and we were going to have some friends for lunch. Menu was Chole, Puri, Rice and Hara-Bhara Kabab for starters. Everything just went well with the main course. Finished in time, table was set up. I was confident that the starters are going to be fine, as I had tried them before. Recipe I used is from famous Sanjeev Kapoor website http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/hara-bhara-kabab---khazana-of-indian-recipes.aspx . It had worked perfectly when I had made it first. Unfortunately, I did not take photos that time. But anyways, this time, it turned out to be a disaster. The mixture turned out really well, it was tasty. But the moment I started to fry the balls,.............. it was all mess. It just didn't bind well, and kept disintegrating. I tried shallow frying, but still would not work. Time for the guest to arrive was co

Good morning, My Henna stall at the Big India Bazaar Shop in Modbury, Adelaide, last saturday went very well. Weather was not perfect, but people droped by now and then to get some tatoos done for festival. Even had some Australian customers. It was fun. Here are some snaps. Hope I will see more people at my next stall. Advertisement Poster made by me

On Saturday, I headed off to my friend's place to try my hands on fabric painting.  Took my colours, brushes, small sketch book and pallette. Frist we went out shopping for some T-shirts for our trial attempt. Then created a lot of mess at her place. But ended up having two beautiful designer tops.  Please leave comments to keep me going.

Good morning everyone, Its Monday morning, and I am still in my weekend temperament. And why not?  It has a been a wonderful, exciting and full-on weekend. Had spent Saturday doing some creative work (check my creative blog for latest additions) and Sunday morning in the garden. The Orange tree in my backyard has been very productive this year. We have been having a regular supply of fresh oranges this season. And moreover they are so sweet, just love them. All the hard work seems to be paid off, when I just take a sip of the fresh orange juice. Well, yesterday, I picked another fresh stock of oranges from the garden and decided to try out a cake. While doing a google search to get a recipe (as I hate inventing one when trying for first time), I came across this wonderful recipe on  'Best Recipes'  Caramelised Orange and Poppy seed Cake, and decided to give it a try. Just follow the recipe on http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Caramelised-Orange-and-Poppyseed-Cake-L6081.html

It was Friday night, and I was at a gig performed by some friends. Weather was perfect, and that in the pub was so enegetic. Everybody seemed to be enjoying, having loads of fun. I was a part of it too........at least I thought so. But there was some reticence within me. And then there started a song 'Lost my road' (By Johnny McIntyre) and as I listened, it seemed as if it was my story being told. I would like to share it with you here. Its so much true for this journey on which I have embarked upon.               I've been away from you my heart                Hiding away from my view for a while                Learning to trust you again, is taking time                The one thing I used to follow caused me so  much harm                I lost my road again............. Its so much true. I have been away from things those have been a part of me,  those make me happy and those make me who I am. But in recent times, I have moved away from them, not knowing why and it has

On my way back home from work, I am thinking, what am I going to cook for dinner tonight. I am sure that's the usual question most of us (girls/women) ponder. As I enter house, my husband comes home and asks "What's for dinner tonight ?" That's the difference. Well, I am still thinking and looking in fridge and cupboards, to check what is available. Being weekend, I realise, I have ran out of vegetables. There is no bread, and also no pre-mixed dough to make chapati's. Second look into the fridge and hurray..........I have a few mushrooms, leftover sweet potato from Thurday, and one small eggplant. And in the freezer were lasagne sheets from last week when I had made Canneoloni. So I decide to make Lasagne. On the oven to preheat. Cut up the vegetables, slightly spray them with oil and half cook them in microwave. This just helps to cook the lasagne faster in the oven. Defrost the lagane sheets. I always keep ready Pasta sauce in my cupboard, for such times, w

Good morning, Its starting to get warmer, good time to have Heena Tatoos. After a very good response at Adelaide University's Open Day, I am thinking of entering the local Sunday Markets. So for this, I was trying to make some more Heena Designs. I was just going through some of my old sketches, and thought it will be a good idea to put them on the blog and get some feedback on the designs, to improve them further. Looking forward to your comments !!!!

Hi Everyone, Tonight I baked Beetroot-Chocolate cake. Recipe for this one comes from Kalindi Maushi in Adelaide. Give it a try and tell me how it turned out. Recipe and steps are as follows: Ingredients: 1 Beetroot can 425-450 gm or 2 medium size fresh beetroot's - smashed 4 Eggs (make sure they are out of fridge for at least 2-3 hours prior to mixing) 1 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil (I use Olive oil, Try different and let me know) 2 Cup White Sugar ( I usually add little less than this just to make it less sweet) 1 1/4 Cup Wheat Flour (Sadhi Kanik) 1 1/4 Cup Self Raising Flour ( I use Wholemeal self-raising flour) 2 Tbsp Vanilla Essence (If using concentrate, only 1 Tbsp) 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder 2 Tbsp Baking Soda Steps: 1. Mix oil, eggs and sugar until sugar is almost disolved. 2. Then add vanilla essence. 3. Mix flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. At this point it starts getting very thick to mix. If you have electric blender.........easy. If not, ask your husbands to give you a hand. Aft

Inspiration for this blog comes from the movie 'Julie & Julia'. Like Julie, even I was drifting about. Seeing the movie, made me realise, see how people can find their happiness in a simple way. For me one of the way is cooking. Ofcourse cooking inspiration comes from my dear Mother, who is an excellent cook. I am not sure if I will be ever able to cook many of her complicated receipes. These are some attempts to learn and enjoy the adventure. Like Harriet Van Horne said: "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." This is what my mother brought to her cooking and created wonderful dishes. So I step on this journey of cooking with an open mind, ready to experience different things and create some wonderful memories. " Kitchen is the place where meals and memories are made" Annoynymous Initially, I uploaded my cooking adventures on facebook. Received great feedback from family & friends, asking for receipies. So here

In past months, I have been very de-motivated to follow any of my creative pursuits. Don't know why. But as said  'waqt hamesha eksa nahi rehta'............time changes sooner or later, I have suddenly found my ground back. All thanks to my friend Vaishali, for inspiring me through her work. Here are some of the sketches I made recently. These are just some memory sketches. Please leave your feedback. It will help inspire me to keep continuity in my work. Keep looking for more art work !!!

When I first came to this land, I was stunned by its beauty. But at the same time, was sorry to see how much paper was being wasted to print the 'junk-mail' which  is delivered twice a week to each home. Printing in such large quantities means, cutting of those many trees to produce paper. Though most of the paper used is recycled one (that's what companies say), still the amount is enormous. From this concept of recycling I got the idea for my next project. Recycling this 'junk-mail' to create something fashionable. Going through websites and different books, introduced me to the art of Paper Quilling. The art of quilling involves rolling, scrolling, shaping of narrow strips of paper to create lovely designs. The following book from a local library was very useful for me to begin with. Not all quilling is meant to recycle, but it depends on the individual what material they choose. So I have chosen to use most of the waste paper to create some interesting designs.

Before coming to Australia, only thing I had known about this land, is that it a dessert island. But after coming here, and living for couple of years, I have come to realise that there is much more to be known about this land. I have been so captivated by its natural landscape, that I just can’t stop using it as an inspiration for my work. Using the tree pods of Kurrajong Tree ( Brachychiton populneum ) I have created symbolic traditional Indian lamps which are commonly used during Diwali celebrations. I have painted them and stuck them on ceramic plate to hold them together. Also designed a detail using U-clips to hold the wick in place (with help from my husband). I have also made Christmas bells from these pods, which can be used for a unique decoration of Christmas tree or around the house. It has been really hard job to put this together, as it involves delicate material and also different material types like cloth, wood, and plastic.  

Last week I was feeling a bit depressed. I had to vacate my office space, where I had recently finished my studies. As I did not work there anymore, I had to pack up, leave the office, and bring all the stuff home. As I was packing in my office, a feeling of triviality started filling me from inside. I was feeling as if I had become worthless, and would no longer be considered necessary for work by anyone. The very thought of this made me more miserable. After two days of mixed feelings and anticipation of my future, I realised, I should not be sitting around doing nothing. If I have decided to take control of my life, then only I can help myself to get out of this situation. If I don’t consider myself worthy, then no one will. That morning I woke up with a decision to do something special for myself, to have my own working space. Although we have a study room at home, it’s not actually a work place. But we have another spare room in our backyard, a rumpus room, which we used as a stor

I started this blog when I had decided to take control of my life. It was April 2010. Long time has passed since then, but I had still not been able to do what I embarked upon. Someone reminded me that, I needed to move forward on the journey I had begun. But still I was afraid to step on the path, which will begin a new chapter in my life. I realised that I was scared of leaving my past and starting something completely new. Therefore I decided to choose some warm reminiscences and start on this journey. And the first thing that came to my mind was…Gardening, something I loved a lot, enjoyed and cherished. To reminisce a bit, I started helping my Baba in his gardens more than 15 years ago. I remember the Chrysanthemum collection he started back in 1995. Till then we had a very small garden with some flower and fruit trees. He suddenly took interest in this one plant and started collecting different varieties. Soon he had developed one of the most beautiful collections. Below are some