Happy Holi friends!   One of the most colourful festivals of India.  I however, desist from playing holi cause I find it too messy...This was my special Rangoli for the occassion and enjoyed making it.

The other day, I went to the main vegetable market, where veggies are sold at wholesale rates.  Plus the freshness of the vegetables makes you go crazy.  I literally had a strained shoulder the next day.  You can imagine, how much I bought.  Corn was just too fresh and difficult to resist not buying.  So I bought around 3 kgs. Thought I can store it in the freezer and use it as and when required. I have a dear friend Rupal and I learn so much from her.  When we interact, there is always something new that we find and share the nick nacs. She shared one of the easiest ways to separate the corn cob.  

One needs to just remove all the green covering and the silk by hand, break the cob into two and just flip the corn off the cob using the thumb.  It gets done in a jiffy.  Was a pleasure doing this task.  Then simply toss them in a ziplock and freeze them.

Everyday freshness... rangolis at my doorstep

The new home has kept me busy.  Almost elevn months since I shifted to this place.  Enjoying doing up my home. It is a continuous process.  New additions spring enthusiasm along the way.  

Making Rangolis has been my love since childhod.  I have blogged about it earlier also.  But then, it used to be a once a year affair during diwali.  New home and New Year as per our hindu calender was Yugadi for us in April.  So, I thought let me make a rangoli that day.  Googled to find a design and chanced upon Ms Poonam Borkar's rangolis. Have a lookat her amazing art here I fell in love with her techniques instantly and tried my hand at it that day. It was so refreshing that I thought I must put a rangoli everyday.  So have been at it for quite some time now.  Just love the start of my day.  Sharing with you what I created.  Thanks once again to this lady who inspired me and who shares her art on youtube.

Hope you liked them :)

HaPpY HoLi

Wish you all a Very Happy Holi

a Festival of colours,

Of vibrance.

May the festival usher joy and colour in your lives

This is my creation.  I love making Rangolis.  Got an opportunity to draw this Rangoli for a grand function last month.  What better time than this to share it here.

Diwali Rangoli

Diwali Rangoli making is something that I look forward to.  And it started years ago when I was a child.  Since then on, I have been making a Rangoli every year.

Here's what I made this year.  Called Sanskar Bharathi Rangoli.

The only thing is that it is not a permanent medium of art.   It can not be stored.  May be there is a learning in it.  Of non permanance. Nothing in life is permanent.  Good or bad..... So is the Rangoli.  Thank GOD we can photograph it :)

I am also sharing a few that I made over the years here
 http://aishwaryasworld.blogspot.in/search/label/Rangoli

Rangoli & Candle making fun

Happy Diwali

&

Happy New Year

Its time of the year again to have fun

making Rangolis, lighting diyas and candles 

and eating goodies.  Not to forget the cleaning and decorating homes

My daughter suggested that we create a different Rangoli this year.

And we created these twin birds

It took us good 3 hours

 A collective effort of  my daughters and me.  Initially, I was doing it with my elder daughter Upasana.  My younger daughter Vandita was just assisting us with colours.  We underestimate our children.  We were apprehensive to allow her also to fill colours.  But we gave in.  And she did all the flowers and leaves.

I also made these diyas and my daughters helped me in painting.  All out of waste.  Had earthen diyas which had been used over the year, black with soot.  Washed them and painted with fabric paints.  I then melted wax that I had stored out of melted candles. Each colour separately and poured into the diyas.  Placed a tooth pick for the wick to stand erect in the wax.

And Ta...dahh..

The balcony's peppered with twinkling lights and the `Kandeel'

It has been a pleasure to making Rangolis over the years.  You can see them here  and here .

Happy Diwali to all

Twin creations this Diwali

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DEEPAVALI

AND

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

A festival of light, Deepavali, is a New Year too to a large number of people in India.  The biggest festival too amongst the umpteen number of festivals that we celebrate.  I love making Rangolis.  In fact, my profile picture too is a Rangoli that I created a 3 years ago.  Here's what I created this Diwali.

Its made with coloured powder, quite coarse... like sand and this Rangoli style is called Sanskar Bharati rangolis.  Here's what I made over the years during diwali. Have a look.  Let me know if you like them :)

This is what adorns our doorstep today.  I am so excited to show it to you :)

We are having happy times.  Rare occasions where the family get togethers happen.  My brother-in- law and family have come down too.  Kids are having a ball of a time. What with eating sweets and bursting crackers. Nidhi, my sis-in law kept me company last night while making this Rangoli.  Thanks for her patience :).... it took me two hours! 

How can I miss out on my hanging lamp shade, commonly called a  Kandeel.  I blogged about it here. I made a kandeel for the first time.  And am not able to hide my child like happiness, excitement and satisfaction..... It adorns our balcony.  Diwali being a festival of light, there's glitter all over, diyas... candles .......sparkling lights

Ah!  this kandeel took good four days to complete.  I did it at leisure.  Laborious though it was fun making it.  Glimpse of the steps involved

And finally

It inspired my 10 year old Vandita to create a Rangoli too.... :) Her first attempt.

I had planned to put up these Twin Creations today.  Happy, I did'nt put it off for tomorrow.  Its 1.27 am now...am happy over my accomplishment :)