Recap..my favourite craft projects of 2011

Quilled baby book cover for my daughter

Baby book cover - Quilled Tvisha

Ceramic work on gift envelops

Quilled baby card

Sketch - baby

Origami paper bow

Thread work card

Scrapbook

Birthday card

Quilled rakhi

Sketch

Hope you like my creations..thanks for your support and encouragement...keep visiting and sharing your love..

Sending it to handmade by Regina

Wish you all a very merry christmas!

Dear friends..wish you all a very happy Christmas and New year..

Here are some of my christmasy thread work cards using silk thread..
Made them ages ago..learnt this technique from my aunt when I was a small girl.




Hope you like them..do lemme know..


Participating in the following challenges:
http://mymumscraftshopchallenges.blogspot.com/
http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/
http://ceschallenges.blogspot.com/
http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://craftybootschallenges.blogspot.com/

Hand made envelops 1

Warli?? looks like my latest obsession ;)
Its a form of Tribal painting, Warli is extensively practiced by the 'aadivasis' (Tribals) of Maharashtra region. Simple geometric patterns that depict the lifestyle of tribes is the essence of this art.

Made these traditional envelops using the old wedding invitations. Decorated them with ceramic paint. Never used ceramic before..gave this a try after my cute sister guided on the basics of ceramic.


Used punched flowers and pearl color in this hand made envelop.

Baby book cover - Tvisha

Created this baby book cover for my friends baby girl. I attached a cute teddy tag on the bookmark. May God shower all his love on the little one and bring lots of happiness this new year. Hope all three of them like it :)

Sending it to

divas by design challenge

http://kalalayaa.blogspot.com/2011/12/challenge2anything-but-card.html

crafty boots challenge

crafty JC challenge

http://theribbonreelchallenge.blogspot.com/

Welcome home Saachi

My bhabhi prepared this lovely swing card for welcoming Saachi, who was coming home for the first time.
It was a long wait for all of us to meet each other..we meeting my new sister after 5 months of marriage and they meeting their niece after 6 months of birth!
The most difficult part is over I guess..

Bhai and bhabhi had done such elaborate preparations for welcoming us..starting from flowers, lighting, balloons to yummylicious food! Didnt have words to express my happiness after meeting them.

Thanks K, Jo..love you

Amle ka achaar - gooseberry pickle

I love amla for all its health benefits and lovely sweet tangy taste. Amla or gooseberry is rich in Iron and vitamin C.

This pickle is quiet new to me. It tastes simply amazing!! Learnt it from my SIL recently when she and the rest of my SIL's visited us along with kids.

It was fun...full house..lots of masti..action...drama :)

This piquant amla delicacy is spiced with chilli, fenugreek, fennel and mustard. Instead of boiling the amlas, we cooked (lightly roasted) in a frying pan with little oil. This increases the shelf life of the pickle, sine no water is included in the making.

Ingredients

10 (250 grams) amla (indian gooseberries)

3 tsp fenugreek seeds (dana methi)

3 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tsp black mustard (rai)

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

3 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

100 gram groundnut/mustard oil

4 tsp salt

Method:

Grind the fenugreek and fennel seeds into a powder. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Roast the amlas on medium for around 5-10 mins (till they appear lightly cooked). Cool the amla. Now they can be easily broken with hands. Separate out the slices and remove the seeds. Let the amla dry for 15 - 30 mins.

In the frying pan take the remaining oil. Heat it and add black mustard(rai), asafoetida. Turn off the gas. Add turmeric powder salt, ground fennel and fenugreek, yellow mustard. After the oil cools down, add the chilli powder ( to avoid the chilli powder getting burnt)

Now mix the amla with this and store it in a glass container.

Mix the pickle with a spoon for 3-4 days, so that all the spices and oil gel well. For preserving this pickle for long time, the amla should be immersed in oil.

The best part of the pickle is that it is healthy, tastes yummy and it is ready to be consumed immediately.

Sending it to Kavis Healthy cooking challenge

Crochet lace

another crochet hanky made by me..

Crochet lace

Some of my crochet work which I made during my school days..yes you read it right..school days! And like most indian girls..i was taught to preserve it for my marriage ..and it actually came along with me :)

Happy Diwali!

Wish you all a very happy diwali and prosperous new year.

Back after a long time..its been a good break, came back to India, met family, friends..very happy :)

Made this rangoli along with my SIL on the D-day. By far this is the best rangoli I have ever made, since I am no rangoli expert..

Swastik

Baby book belongs to...chocolaty Saachi :)

Wanted to quill the name page of my baby's book for a long time..but was not very confident with the quilled alphabets (never done before). Then saw the beautiful multicolor design at dear Suganthi's blog. Loved the design, I felt using multiple strips would give better result for the alphabets.

I used 4 strips of dark brown and light brown alternatively to quill the name (they make such a yummy chocolaty combo..want to eat it up like a chocolate ice-cream!! ;))

Embelished with quilled roses and fringed flowers..

Love the outcome, hope my baby likes it too when she grows up..what do you think?

Images in the making -

Half way through..

I like this simple chocolaty Saachi..and was not sure I really should embelish it..

Sending it to Piyu's anniversary challenge

Nippattu - Baked Savories

Recently I tried this snack called Nippattu. It is a famous cracker from the state of karnataka.

It is quiet similar to the north indian savory - mathari. The taste was yummy..inclusion of onion makes it a healthy cousin of bhajiye

I came to know about this wonderful savory only when I browsing through the diary of Sayantani, my dear blog friend. I love her space with all the wonderful dishes she whips up, the lovely drool worthy photographs and most importantly her beautiful write ups!

The first timeI made it, I felt wow, what a lovely and healthy way of munching. They tasted quiet a lot like onion bhajiye/pakoras to me.

The best part of this recipe is it is made up of wholewheat + it is baked! so no guilt :)

Here is the original recipe.

Sending it to Flavors of South India hosted by Nayna

Birthday wishes for me

Got this handmade beauty on my birthday from my brother and bhabhi. Though it is not hand delivered yet...it made my day!!

It has got such a cute message..love every bit of it and the sentiments behind :)))

Thank you, Love you both..