I must have been a woodworker in my previous life. Just like the heroes of the 40s noir movies who could not resist the allure of those mysterious sultry sirens, a bare wooden box entices me into the trap of drawing on it, painting, coloring and decorating it.
The interest in decorating boxes really became addictive during the six months between my daughter's engagement and her wedding. I wanted to give personally made gifts to the relatives and friends who were attending the wedding. I made dozens of decorative boxes here in the US and packed and transported them all the way to Chennai, India where the wedding was taking place. Everybody adored them and, when I opened my Etsy store, my sister planted the idea of selling them in the store. Even my husband likes them and elsewhere in this blog, I have written about the collage box I made as a gift for his professor
When I start on a box, the only thing I know for sure is the basic color that the box is going to be painted--from there, everything is a free form creation. The designs and the decorations on the boxes evolve organically, though the motifs and the patterns are drawn from my Indian heritage. That is why each box is unique in its own way. I am not limited to any particular material, technique or design. You can buy the boxes shown below from my Etsy shop here.
I have used my own yoga art as a decoration for the box below
I have decorated with my own hand drawn designs like the one below
On some I have used lively fabrics and sequined ribbons like this one
I have used lovely washi paper and silk ribbons on such as this one
I have incorporated some of my sari art as decorative piece on this box
What can I say? The song of the siren is irresistible. If you are interested in buying any of my boxes, you can go here.
