Cut Paper Art: Red Whiskered Bulbul

Do-Something-Everyday, May 19, 2016

Today I did a papercut out of a photo I took of a bird on a palm tree while travelling in Wayanad, Kerala. The bird is red whiskered bulbul, a bird common to Kerala. It  is not a particularly spectacular looking bird, but it cast a sweet silhouette against the morning mist shrouding the tree (see below).

What I made for Mother's Day

Instead of going out for lunch, I made kind of a gourmet lunch. First one is tomato-cumber yogurt salad; second is spicy (Indian) kidney beans; third is fried Indian bread. It was a very satisfying lunch.

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Published in Cloth Paper Scissors

Do-Something-Everyday, May 17, 2016

It was a happy day when I received the digital copy of the May/June 2016 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors which has an article on creating art with  woodburning tools written by me. The same day I saw the article I also got my check for the article. The folks at CPS have done a wonderful job in the layout of photos and the text. I am particularly grateful to Barbara Delaney for asking the right questions that made me more precise and clear in the step-out instructions and to Jeanne Stein for mentioning my article on the editorial page.


You will find many more of my pyrographic art and wood coloring pages available in my Etsy shop here. 

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Cut Paper Art: Shadow Play

Do-Something-Everyday, May 16, 2016

This is a henna hand design that I use often in my art.  I had originally drawn and painted it on a book page. Last night, I made a cut paper design out of one of them. Then I mounted it on a glass to get the shadow effect. This was bit of an experiment;  some parts of it turned out better than others.  I would like to improve the lighting part of it.

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DIY: Mini Glass Planters for Mini Succulents

Do-Something-Everyday, May 13, 2016

 These single-serving jars of condiments came with the breakfast I ordered at the hotel. I did not want throw away the empty jars and brought them home. Other day at the nursery I saw these little succulents and thought these mini jars would make perfect planters for them. I lined each jar with a thin layer of mini pebbles and removed some of the excess soil from the root so that it would go into the jar. I set up the lid as a planter tray. Nothing has been wasted. 

Repairing Old Paperbacks

Do-Something-Everyday: May 12, 2016

My husband has about a dozen of his favorite author's novels in paperback. As you can see in the photo above they all are pretty tattered. He asked me to look for a binder who can fix these books for him. I told him he was looking at one. Laughing out loud, he did not connect all the journals I make with bookbinding. So, I fixed one today using a simple technique of gluing the spine

Altering a Photo by Hand (with a little help from Photoshop)

Do-Something-Everyday, May 11, 2016

Just as I was about to take the photo of this peacock, the little boy broke away from his mother and started bawling his eyes out oblivious to the magnificent creature in front of him.

What I Did on Mother's Day

Do-Something-Everyday, May 10, 2016

This Mother's Day I decided to stay home and cook a nice lunch for my husband and me (my husband did offer to take me out for lunch). We are empty-nesters and cooking has now become more of a pleasure than a chore.  The lunch was a combo of healthy and indulgent: cucumber-tomato pachadi (raita), Rajma (Indian kidney beans) and poori (fried Indian bread).