To Create Is Divine

My very creative friend, V, conceptualized this work of art on her apartment wall by using her couch cushion as inspiration! When she asked me if I could help, I jumped at the opportunity.

How cool does this look? It’s modern, geometric and creates a wonderful point of interest and conversation starter. Thanks, V, for letting me help you decorate your wall!

Thank you favors for my loving friends and family!

Materials: cork board, backsplash tile, grout, sealant, industrial strength glue and the help of two dear friends!

Using this blog (http://www.addicted2decorating.com/how-to-make-a-decorative-chrysanthemum-mirror.html) as my inspiration from Pinterest, I decided to make my own sunburst mirror with plastic spoons.

Warning for those who take this project on: this is very easy to do but takes very long. It is NOT a one day project. I almost abandoned this one several times but came back to it. Finally finished it this weekend and I’m happy with the way it turned out!

This last December, two of my aunts who are more like my older sisters, visited us in Texas. We got to spend quality time together and created memories that will last us a lifetime. Both of them are fans of Ganesha like me, so I made each of them this wall-hanging piece for something to remember me by (not that they will ever forget!).

I used a cutting board, nails and thread and most importantly, the help of a good friend, V, to put the whole piece together. I bet our neighbors had a headache with all the loud sounds we made with the hammer that week, but it was totally worth it! :)

A friend asked if I would paint a Ganesha on her dining room wall. I had never tried this before but agreed to take it on as a project if she had touch up paint to cover up any boo-boos. Thanks, J, for letting me experiment on your wall!

The final product turned out much better than I expected and no touch up paint was needed. Moral of the story: when working with Ganesha, one rarely can go wrong!

‘No Strings Attached’, 3 ft x 6 ft

289 nails in the wall, 8 colored strings.

“When Krishna plays the flute the whole world is filled with love. Rivers stop, stones are illumined, lotus flowers tremble; gazelles, cows, and birds are entranced; demons and ascetics enchanted.”

—unnamed scribe, in the Bhagavata-Purana
{Acrylic on canvas; Prakash Kagal + Shibani Limaye}

We visited San Francisco last month and I had to think long and hard about what to give our host, my awesome aunt. She’s an avid accessory collector and absolutely loves her jewelry. So, I thought I would make her an ear-ring holder.

I bought a box frame from Hobby Lobby and got rid of the backing. With a gold paint pen, I drew a henna design all over the glass. Then I stringed gold wire to create the ear-ring hangers.

I was happy with the way it turned out, so I made another one for a good friend’s birthday gift.

Ok, I was bored of the Ikea lamp in our living room. No reason to replace it but I was tired of looking at it. So I took some old bamboo blinds that were on their way to the dumpster and wrapped them around the existing lamp. Added some dupioni silk borders on the top and bottom from an old blouse and lo and behold - we have a new lamp! Gives a new kind of light and ambiance to the living room and I love it! :)

“Where we love is home — home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I found an old white box frame while cleaning out the garage. Turning junk into treasures is my favorite type of craft/art project. I always felt like our Indian “masala dabba” or spice box would make a cool piece of art, so I used this old frame as an opportunity to recreate it. It represents the Indian kitchen - six boxes would never suffice for all the ingredients we frequently use, so these are just a few of them.

I always wanted to learn how to make ribbon roses and got the perfect opportunity with my friend’s baby shower. I made centerpieces for all tables to match her green and brown theme. The flower ball topping took very long (almost 15-20 roses on each) but looked very cute!

Adding pictures of table and room decorations for an event we held last year: Dazzle, A Diwali Celebration.