Today, May you have sunshine

Today, May you have sunshine

A golden, fiery, burst of sunshine

Reaching you  

No matter how deep you are buried

Cramped by all things negative, suppressive, destructive

One that cracks your life open

With strength and hope

To germinate

Tiny roots

Tiny shoots

To push yourself up 

and out

Little by little

Up and tall

Thick and strong

Setting in motion

That which cannot be stopped

You embrace the elements
And burst

Burst with vibrant fruit

As you become

The tree of life

An Unforgettable Fragrance

I was sure it was Her. It had to be. I knew that smell. Even over the smell of those decadent fudgy brownies baking in the oven. Even over the smell of my 'possibilities' perfume I dabbed on hurriedly, this morning. 


I stopped myself and shut my eyes, taking it in. I had not smelt Her in a few years now.


I took a few steps back and it was gone. and I came back to that exact spot and there it was again. It was like She was standing right there.I felt a momentary pang of guilt. I had forgotten Her. But I brushed it aside and tried to focus. I wanted to smell Her till I could.


It was a very distinct smell. A scent that one acquires over time. Maybe it was Her herbal oil; that She rubbed gently into Her silver hair before Her bathing ritual. It was a ritual, because it was done very religiously every few days. She was always cold and never sweaty so that was enough, She reasoned. First the oiling, then the waiting while my mother patiently collected 4 buckets of hot water. Then bath itself which took almost an hour. Long, steamy and luxurious. 


Maybe it was Her herbal soap. A dark green bar that had been around for as long as I can remember. It smelt of Mother Nature herself. Pure and fresh. 


Or maybe it was that scent that came with  Her few remaining possessions. Possessions of fruitful years gone by- a smell that is magically preserved in prayer books and suitcases; in black and white photos and in old sarees.


Or the scent that arose from the collage of memories that She held so close. How Her husband was like pure thangam. And how Her affluent  family owned a boat. How they ran the cinema for the whole village. How wonderful Her life was in the tea estate. The fragrant memories that reminded Her of  Her youth. Now deeply etched into every wrinkle and every ache that her body developed.  
 
A warm, sweet and slightly musty scent.One that you want to keep under your pillow and pull out every time you want to be sure that life is going to turn out OK.


And in a fleeting moment, I was interrupted by my 5 year old. A vigorous shake indicating an emergency. His little sister had spilled some juice. Again. For the fifth time, he said rolling his eyes. But She had left by then. My oven timer 'dinged' announcing that the brownies were ready. I got busy again. 

But I was glad that Grandma came to visit. 

Dreams...

Dreams...
Aren't they like butterflies?
Vibrant
Fragile
Fluttering around
Teasing you

Lean back to enjoy the view
Or be exhilarated
As you rise up to chase them

You need neither that mason jar
Nor the mesh
Just that song in your heart

The spark in your soul

DIY Apple Outfit Tutorial

I am following up on the previous craft related post with this 'DIY Apple Outfit' tutorial.

I had a request like 2 years ago from this post here... but I completely forgot about it until recently when I have been collating all my craft projects into this one folder. 

So this is a little apple outfit I made for my preschool going son 2 years ago. With nothing but a FabIndia shopping bag and some inexpensive felt paper that you will find in any craft store. 

I should say this was a fairly original idea and I was quite pleased with how it turned out. The motivation however was to be the 'Creative' mom with THE cutest at the 'Dress up like your favourite fruit' day.

Here is a picture of the finished product: 

This is entire outfit is one single piece. 

What you need:

- One large size thick paper bag.
- Sufficient red felt paper to cover the whole bag
- Bits of green felt paper to make leaves
- Scissors 
- School Glue

How to make it happen:
-Make sure your kids are asleep. :)

-Neatly trim the edge that holds the handle straps. We don't need this end.

-Make a cut on either side of the bag till the base (which will later allow you to open up the bag lengthwise).

-Base/bottom of the bag is what eventually turns into the 2 shoulder straps.

- Draw your apple. Top of the apple is towards the base of the bag, Remember to make the straps at least 2 inches wide. And there should be a sufficient round for your little one to slip his little head through. (Sorry no pictures here... :( )

 - Cut out the apple shape carefully so as not to damage the shoulder straps. 

-Trace the shape of your apple on to the red felt and extra for the shoulder straps. Cut and stick. 

- Cut leaf shape from the green felt paper and stick. 

- Let dry


Now there is the apple of my eye!

Please Note:

This was 2 years ago and I do remember that I had to reinforce with few sheets of newspaper to make the outfit sturdier. Another method would be to use 2  large pieces of cardboard which will be the front and back and use some old scrap fabric or cardboard pieces itself for the shoulder straps. At that point, I had no time to research for alternatives. 

Easy Peasy Recycling!

Of late I have been feeling it in my fingers and in my toes. My cousin suggests it could be just a symptom of motherhood and subsequent domestication. But whatever it is, I have been feeling like I want to craft. Not just a paper boat or an origami flower. More. Much more. With the Internet, Google, Blogs, Facebook and Pinterest and of course the fantastic super creative people who are willing to share their creative ideas, fabulous pictures and easy to follow instructions  on the social media, why not!

My heart misses a beat every time I read the letters DIY attached to a beautifully taken picture. It makes me feel confident. Like I can do it. Make it. Create it. Something beautiful. Not necessarily useful. But beautiful. 

And good ideas are contagious. So what if its not your idea? Use it, abuse it, improvise on it. As long as you give credit where credit is due. 

Here is a simple example of how to transform something as mundane as an ice cream tub into some very clever storage. We can all do some recycling and show mother nature some love.

What you need:

-ice cream tub

-scissors

-glue

-leftover wrapper or any pretty paper. I have gorgeous poppies on a pastel pink background

How to make it happen:

- Cut the pretty paper to fit the tub. Circle for the lid and a rectangle for the container. It does not have to be perfect. But wrap the paper around the container to get an idea.

-Apply glue on the surface of your tub and stick  the pretty paper on (I used Fevicol)

- Wait for it to dry 

- You could brush a coat of Glue on top of the wrapping paper to form a coating (like in Decoupage)

- Some more waiting....

Tada! Your recycled dubba!

I left the blue rim on a for a pop of contrast. And I like how it turned out. :)