Working with colors II - Batik

Batik is the process of dyeing using wax to resist some areas of fabric from being dyed.

In this process, selected areas of fabric are blocked out by brushing hot wax over them, and the fabric is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color. This process of waxing & dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate & creative designs. After the final dyeing, the wax is removed by washing in hot water.

Working with Colors - Tie & Dye

The process of Tie-Dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, gathering or crumpling fabric or a garment and binding with string followed by application of dye.

The process of the fabric prior to application of dye are called resists, as they partially or completely prevent the applied dye from coloring the fabric.

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Decorative Diyas

We celebrated Diwali yesterday...my kids had fun with the rangoli decoration. I also decorated some clay diyas to look more beautiful & attractive.

Here's how - All you need is some plain clay diyas, paint (I used glitter paint, leftover from my kid's project), glue & some gemstones/rhinestones/small mirrors.

First clean the diyas to remove any dirt or dust on its surface. Paint them using the color of your choice. Once the paint dries, use some glue to stick the gemstones/mirrors onto the diya. Let them dry well for a few hrs.

Light your beautiful diyas by adding some oil & a wick or by placing a tea light candle inside it.

Happy Diwali!!!!

Beaded Hairpins

All girls love nice clothes, matching shoes, accessories etc & its really hard to satisfy them.

My girls were flower girls for a wedding & they had to wear the same colored dress. Now, it was time to pick their shoes & accessories. They finally picked a nice pair of shoes but didnt like any hair accessories that they saw in the store. I found something that I liked (almost the same color as the dress) & bought it. But they didnt want to wear it.

Then I remembered some beads that my daughter had as a part of a bead set.

I used the biggest beads that I could find from the set &  some U-pins to make some colourful bead hairpins for the kids.

When I used the pins on my older daughter's hair, my little one loved it & she wanted them on her hair too...which she called a "crown".

this was for a white & golden Indian outfit

So, both my girls dressed up with "little crowns" in their hair for the wedding.

Butterfly Clock

Designing a child's room can be a big challenge. Especially when two kids share a room. Both their choices have to be incorporated when designing the room.

My elder daughter loves "Disney Princesses" & the younger one loves Dora. There was an argument as to which theme to use in the room.

Finally I decided to use both. Both of them have separate beds with their favorite theme sheet, pillow cover & blankets. But I wanted to do something for the rest of the room that would overall blend in & make the room look nice.

They needed a clock in the room & we were shopping for something nice but at the same time fit in the budget. Most fancy looking clocks that we looked at very quite expensive. Then I decided that to pick one that was reasonably priced & decided to do something to enhance its look.

We bought a simple, ordinary clock....



and turned it into this...

a few pop-up butterfly & flower stickers did the trick...the girls love it!!

Looks nice??

Head/Hair Bands

My daughter recently developed a liking towards head/hair bands....not the strechable ones but the solid plastic ones. We looked for them in the store a few days back. We saw a few which I felt looked quite OK...but not her!!! She wanted some fancy ones. We didnt find any to her liking. Finally we bought the plain, simple ones. She wasnt too happy about it, but I promised her that I would do something to make it look a little "less simple".

This is where some stickers & other little items from my craft collection came to my rescue.

The result??? She loved the head/hair bands & she now chooses one each day that matches with the color of her clothes.