DIY Diwali Decor - Tea Light Holder/Candle/Diya

So let's recycle something once again this Diwali!

I am sure most of us have those little acrylic paint bottles lying at home. Some dry up while others are used and empty. Normally we just chuck them away in the bin. But this festive season, lets have some colourful fun and recycle those mini glass bottles to make elegant tea light holders!

To begin with we need -

1. Empty and clean Acrylic Paint Bottles

2. Fevicryl Mouldit

3. Some Wax chips 

4. Wick

5. Paint

6. Brushes

7. Glue

8. Some Talcum powder

And some imagination!

So let's start by first cleaning up the bottle.

Take the mouldit packets and follow the instructions for mixing the clay.

Use some talc to make it non-sticky and smooth. After it is mixed evenly, divide the clay into 5 portions like this.

Take the biggest portion and roll it into a thin flat mould.

Apply some glue on the sides of the bottle and roll the clay on it. Make the surface even and smooth by rolling it a bit more. 

It doesn't need to be very even!

Then take the 2nd large portion of the clay and elongate it by rolling. Flatten the top part so that it looks like elephant's head and trunk.

Stick it on the bottle and put in some details if you wish to make it more elaborate.

Make the ears and the tail.

Let it dry and harden. Then paint it any way you like!

Then place the wick in the center and fill in the wax chips. These can be extracted from an old candle or you can easily find them in any craft store.

Find Wax Granules on ItsyBitsy

And don't worry if you don't have wax chips. Just put the ready to use tea light on top.  So, here's our very own handmade Glittering Diwali Decor ready!

It's not perfect but it's still lovely :D

Here's how it looks when lit up.

And some more...

Have Happy and Safe Diwali!

Canvas and brushes - 2

Presenting some of my latest paintings

1. Road to destiny - That's what I like to call it

A scenery with a road. That's a first one I have tried as a beginner and has a few technical aspects. It mostly involves perspective and didn't take much time to complete. This one goes well with a grey or a blue background. 10" X 12" canvas

Before framing

 

 And after being Framed!

2. Wine Galsses - Object painting

I have never been good at object painting and had always found it rather boring. Tried painting glass, metal and wooden objects for the first time and it did come out quite well! So am encouraged to do more of such subjects. 10" X 12" canvas

3. Sunrise in the mountains

Just felt like revisiting my younger days when I used to paint a lot of sceneries.

Mountains and a flower valley - An easy painting. The more details you add, the better it looks. But one should know when to stop and mark it finished :D

This one is a bigger canvas.

4. Butterfly in the wild - Still life painting

This is also a unique subject I chose to paint. Just a camouflaged backdrop with a few twigs and buds in focus and of course the main subject - butterfly. 12" X 10" canvas

Butterflies are wonders of nature. Where ever they exist, be assured the air is pure and the surroundings are still unpolluted.


#LockdownActivities

Easy Acrylic painting ideas for beginners

Madhubani Art - Mithila paintings

This genre of Indian painting is practiced by the women of Mithila region in Bihar. Madhubani is a small village in Bihar which is famous for this art form. It is a classic art.

It is believed that in ancient time, these beautiful and vibrant paintings were used to decorate the entire region to welcome Lord Ram's Barat !

Originally these were organic paintings, made from twigs and fingers and organic or natural colours. Bright geometrical patterns on subjects based on Ram-Sita marriage and other daily activities are made on silk or handmade paper without using any measurement devices. But now a days, people use pens and different types of paints to make these paintings.

Basic patterns are Ram-Sita varmala, women involved in everyday routine like cooking or grinding spices or selling. Animals like fish, elephant, peacock, plants, banana leaves, flowers etc. also form a part of these designs.

A dancing peacock

My daughter filled in most of the colours as she loved the pattern! :-D

The beautiful bond of mother and daughter.

 Fish seller lady

Kalpavriksh - The divine tree of Hindu belief

Other geometrical patterns and animals like Elephant, banana leaves, mortar and pestle (an integral part of every household in India) too are depicted in this captivating art form.

The entire sheet or cloth (walls/canvases and otherwise) is covered with patterns of brightly coloured objects and events of everyday life.

The borders form an integral part of the art piece. It defines the painting and the artistic bend of mind of the maker.

Apart from this, Goddess Durga. Yashoda and Krishna, Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati too are painted with dedication. The Sun is source of energy which is worshiped and is also a major part of the paintings. This is the way Sun God is depicted in these paintings. 

Learn more about Madhubani here.

Buy Madhubani paintings online on
Amazon
Flipkart

Easy Acrylic Rangoli - DIY Diwali Decor

Let's reuse and recycle this Diwali and add this trend to beautify our beloved festival!

I have used a plastic cap from the takeaway box and transformed it into an eye catching Rangoli center piece with a few easy steps.

Things required are -
1. Any plastic takeaway box lid
2. Some ready to use craft flowers
3. Glass paint
4. Glitter liner (Camel Fabrica)
5. Sequins and beads
6. Craft glue

Take the plastic lid and clean it thoroughly and wipe dry

Make a circle with the 3D glitter liner and let it dry.

 

Apply glass paint in the center and leave it to dry for sometime.

 The paint doesn't spread due to the 3D liner we had applied earlier.

When the paint is dry, add some sequins along the 3D liner.

Add some pearls and bead string in the same fashion.

 Leave it to rest for sometime.

Add the center design using some sequins.

Apply a contrasting glass colour on the ouside along the 3D glitter border to define the entire design. Be careful not to spread it. I have used green here.

Set aside so that it dries completely. This is the look you would get.

 

So let's add some artificial flowers along the border. I have taken roses and jasmine buds.

 

And we get the final look of our delightful rangoli center piece!!

Relish this recycled creation and do share it with others too.

Happy crafting!
 :)