Crafting, Community Workshops, and Handmade Dreamcatchers

It's Navratri time, and the weather today is much cooler than over the past few days. Around 2:30 PM, a thunderstorm brought some welcome rain to nearby areas, bringing down the temperature here as well.

I spent this pleasant afternoon doing what I love most—crafting!

Empowering Through Craft Workshops Lately, I have been busy conducting workshops and community sessions:

• Rag Rug Making: I taught the girls at the center how to craft useful rag rugs using waste materials.

• Tailoring & Sewing Supervision: I visited the sewing class at our center for supervision. Around 24 girls have registered for the sewing and tailoring program. My goal is to gradually encourage them to dedicate at least one day a week to creative craft activities.

• Community Outreach: I have started a small craft group in the slum area (Dhakk Basti). Recently, the Shiv Nagar local community center also approached me to launch a similar group. I am currently working out the logistics, especially ensuring we can generate funds to pay the craft teacher.

• Best Out of Waste: I continue to give live demonstrations on the theme "Best Out of Waste" across all centers of our NGO.

Crafting Handmade Dreamcatchers

Today, I worked on making dreamcatchers using materials I already had at home.

My niece immediately claimed the second one for herself—the one still under construction, rich with colorful threads and frills! It gave me a sweet moment to remind her to pray and trust in God for good sleep, telling her that the real peace comes from simple faith rather than feathers or handmade trinkets. Children’s prayers are so pure and uncomplicated.

Handcrafted dark-themed dreamcatcher made with recycled yarn and colorful beads.

 A colorful collection of handmade dreamcatchers displayed together on the wall.

Close up of vibrant dream catcher

Delicately hand-crocheted pink dreamcatcher crafted from leftover yarn.

Detailed view of the intricate hand-woven web structure and bead accents.

Vibrant dreamcatcher featuring a crocheted center, colorful threads, and long tassel frills.

My very first attempt at weaving a dreamcatcher took hours to figure out, but I am really happy with how all of them turned out. Most importantly, my niece thinks they are awesome!

Creativity is not just about making new things; it is the art of finding beauty and purpose in what seems ordinary or discarded. When we create with our hands and share those skills with others, we spark meaningful change in our communities. I hope this small effort inspires you to transform leftover materials into something lovely and encourage those around you. Keep creating, and do share your own craft journeys with me!

Dreamcatcher, Quote of the day

These round trims wrapped  with leftover yarn were lying with me.

Quarter round trims are used for the panels of the doors and windows see the pic below

i didnt used these panels on my doors I kept them simple and the trims were lying since 2001

Mom wrapped the yarn around them in this way: 

Start by tying the end of your thread to the hoop. Simply twist the thread all the way around your hoop – alternating colours if you prefer.

http://wiki/Dreamcatcher

I made this dream catcher within 10-15 minutes.

I love it 

Then you need a Dream catcher.........Make one.its simple to make 

XOXO

Rags to reaches , my balcony garden, Quote of the day

I visited a village some time ago and found Durries with rag strings and  pillows using rags string blocks. believe me or not i found them in each and every house of that village i visited............is it a flue of string blocks?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durry

If you haven't made a string block before, consider yourself warned: they are majorly addicting, as I mentioned in the name of flue! I Made an oath! I will make these blocks after completing my pending sewing projects ..yes I will use leftover pieces for making these strip blocks . It was so incredibly fun, quick, and easy, that I just HAD to have another go. Just to make sure. So I scurried home and squirreled away into my rag bag to plot. The next day, this happened. Have a look at the picture below!

Leaves of Jatropa's are equally awesome as the colour of flowers

My jatropa 

Isn't it!

XOXO

I bought ....Painted Terra cota clay pots

 

A small square basket . I thought the pattern was beautiful. i use it to hold tot bits of the almirah. while purchasing i had in mind that i will keep my phone and charger etc in it, so they will be  always at the same place and I don’t have to look for...but have a look. I really heart its two small handles.

Clay Terra cota painted pots

Painted Terra cota clay  pots
I had these basic terracotta clay pots for flowers. I’m not really into orange so I decided to paint them.
I hand  painted the insides and the outsides with the same paint  I used in my floating vase
I think it looks pretty nice. the scarfs on the necks muted with a pop of colour.
I've used them for a while now, hence the  dusty looks.
A very fast and easy project.

XOXO

This is  Diwili season .the season of annual cleaning 

Are any of you interested visiting the people's house and  seeing how others live?  So I decided it was only fair to let others see how we people live, plus it gave me an excuse to clean....  and I always need a reason to motivate me to clean!

View from living room  into The Family Room- the brahmaasaa paintings of six months with a themes  from International Center Delhi. This  room color inspiration is from that area where these were mounted at the center!

  The Side Table- My Mom made this up-cycled vase after I drooled over the one at My sis's house. It was the laborious work my Mom  presented to me after doing it in a month time. This is supposed to be presented for her dearest daughter  so she worked out it quite nicely!  Total cost, only nothing it is done with  up-cycled items!

I heart my jatropa in the Terra cota painted vase. it sits on the wooden bead mat stringed/made by my niece.

Hatt  inspired niche is the perfect clutter catcher! mini wooden book, photos, hair clips, mosquito killer,a handmade camel  on this niche. Two Barahmasa paintings, ventilators with niche, all find a home

 this android green colour is sooosoothing

Me made cushions on the custom made Deewan    made me realize I was on the right track with this color scheme.

  

We can't forget the Sitar candy that took far longer to Place  than to Play! 

My ivy with dried Pipal leaves


The kitchen is right off the family room.  When we enter this room, it is the dinning table with open cabinet welcomes with warm colours of the mugs.previously this family was a washroom with the passage to backyard and our kitchen.
XOXO

House renovation..the front yard.......

 In the Beginning 

Sometimes it is good to step back from a project to get some perspective. Below this text is a picture of our front yard  as it looked in the Summer of 2000. The bougainvillea was planted    sometime in the 1990's - early 1980's. To the left was  the door (not in picture)  where the pillar of the gate  was.

Below (in a separate post since blogger wouldn't let me put all the pictures in a single one) are some pictures of the front yard as it has progressed since the picture below was taken.

Evolution common wall of the front yard balcony as seen from the passage to drawing 

room shortly after we renovated our house (Winter of 2002-2003)

here is the wall after we’d begun scraping damp; sanding the outer boundary walls. Also, note 

that the  floor has been remade with marble and cement. The old window has been 

replaced (2002-2003)  

This picture was taken after we'd stripped all the plaster  off the walls and mounted tiles on it.

The wall after it has been  plastered and re plastered and an expansion of the boundary to give us room for our car (summer 2006)

Reading time at balcony

Another view of the new doorway with the final coats of paint and the new marble flooring (Summer  2007). 

The balcony  sort of illuminated in (2009).

The balcony as my niece ; daughter were in the process of hanging lights (Diwali 2009). 

And, the balcony as it appeared as of last month. I thought I had a better picture of the pseudo-finished project, but, if I do, I can't find it. Sorry, a bit anti-climatic (September 2013). I'll get some better ones (with all the lights on maybe) this week.

I can't decide what is more amazing: that it took this long to get this far or that we made it at all. Just a couple more days of renovation(due to poor construction of outer wall ..we didn’t put tar on the foundations) some  trim and the balcony  will be finished, I hope.

XOXO

My cushions............ Giant Crochet Dreamcatcher

cushions are the jewelry in a room

 After I sent out my article about cushions this month.Yes I worth an article about the accessories that jaz up

 the contour of a room especially the cushions on sofa and sent it to WE.I had many more thoughts and 

pictures I wanted to share with you. Imagine the room below without these beautiful pill

OH!  They really make the room look finished. 

Source

XOXO