Travel Souvenir - Indian Gondola

I have written about travel souvenir from J& K earlier. If you have not read it so far, you may do it so here.

Apart from that, on a recent travel, I realized that there is another heart warming gift that one can get from our very own Kashmir.

It is what the Gondola is to Venice.Yes, you guessed it right. It is the Shikara!
Not a single person who returns after touring Kashmir would have missed a ride in the Shikara. And a Shikara is a very apt gift that you can get for your loved ones back home.It will also remind you of your fantastic ride in the Dal lake and reminisce each moment spent in Kashmir.






These Shikaras are available in wood and in paper machie. Aren't these lovely? You tell me what else did you find enticing in Kashmir. And I always feel that a souvenir should also be such that it finds use in your everyday living.You can use these shikaras on your dining table as centerpieces. They can be alternatively lined with tissue & filled with mouth freshners like saunf ( fennel seeds) when you have guests at home.It will be a unique way to display your travel memento.

Hope you found this post interesting. For all those who are enjoying their vacation travelling... enjoy folks! and those who are stayed put, a DIY will be soon up here.You may try it out too.Take care all of you.

On the streets

On a hot sultry day, we ventured out to explore the town.
The sight and sounds of the French Town enthralled us.
The sea breeze made it a little easier and I loved what I saw,
Captured it so that you can view this city through my eyes
This is Pondicherry for you my lovelies!

There is an unexplained charm that will make you roam the streets ...

Windows large and small... lanes and homes worth a visit.

I think, I have a fetish for doors

I really wonder...If the entrance is so good ,what would be the insides like?

Bougainvilleas everywhere and they are such a pleasant sight I tell you!

Yellows ...much needed

Bursts of Pink...

Sculpted beauties

The entrance to a handicraft store...

Only if it would have been open!

Murals ...

So what are you upto these days.Summer vacation for the kids do mean, escape from the alarm sound for the mommies too! Isn't it?

Coming up is a post on Travel souvenir .Stay tuned to this page. If you like what you read, do follow this page on Facebook too.

Creating a fun landscape for your greens

Since the summers are here,all I do is spend a lot of my morning time in my small terrace.Amidst the greens, caring for your plants is simply therapeutic, however menial the tasks be. Simply watering and pruning your plants also have the same effect!

An idea struck me some time ago to create a small landscape in a closed container.Some of my succulents had overgrown and the time to replant had come. I had an old chocolate hamper basket which I also wanted to put to good use.

And so the fun started.Since it was succulents that I was planting, one should have the correct potting mix or soil. Choose the plants you would want to add to your 'landscaped garden' and get ready.



Sand or small stones are first lined so as to provide for adequate drainage.Then I added the soil ,planting the various succulents with some gaps ,so that as they grow they make space for themselves and the other adjacent plants.






Lay them with a specific design in mind.Keep some decorative like stones and mini sculptors handy to create a landscaped look. You can even paint stones on your own.That gives it more personal touch. Ahh! now you have your pretty mini-landscape garden ready.You can add your ideas and beautify it as you wish!





The same idea can be implemented for as much a bigger area as you please.Go ahead and get your hands dirty!

DIY Mosaic Planters

She says,'' I wouldn't call myself an artist, I'd rather be known as a 'trial and error' DIYer."

Look at her work and then tell me What would you prefer to call her? In my eyes Neha Aggarwal is definitely very talented.

Even as I stumbled upon her art for the first time, I knew I had to feature her work.Mosaic planters is a brilliant idea to give  a new life to your planters. This is also something that is a very ideal DIY during summers. Your plants are sure going to love you for this.

Over to the expert...

My love for mosaic started off, taking part in an innocent workshop wherein I learnt to up cycle glass shards and tint them in various hues. That's when I decided to infuse my little balcony garden with lots of colours by transforming staid terracotta planters into eclectic mosaic ones. And my first attempt came out okay. I recently got lots of pre-cut glass tiles from a recent trip abroad and started glamorizing my other planters and the response was phenomenal! 










These are pre-cut glass pieces, now commonly available on Amazon and eBay. I stick them using either silicon glue or a stronger  adhesive called F-6000. The design is mostly in my mind, although the next couple of pieces I am planning will be more structured and I will cut the pieces myself to make the imagery cohesive. I make a paste of tile grout and water to fill up the gaps between the pieces and when it dries, I clean them up lightly with a wet sponge. Later I paint them with the brightest acrylic colours that catch my fantasy and voilà! Mosaic planters are ready :)

Good pre-cut glass is available in craft stores like Joann and Michaels in the US.

Neha is also currently working on Mosaic'ing' mason jars which she has tinted recently and in the future, want to create a mosaic mural on one of her walls. Mosaic mural....That sounds so so  wonderful.
And for sure sajavat would want to capture that too Neha!

Peeps, also have a look at some of the other planters that she has so beautifully transformed.

Some 'before' and 'after' effects for you...
















Amazing Neha...I really loved presenting this DIY. So what about you dear readers?

Neha, blogs at A Cauldron Full Of Love Such an apt name I must say!

And it doesn't end here. We are going to self invite  ourselves to Neha's beautiful abode.I promise you it's going to be a treat for the senses!So watch out for the next post folks.