DIY Planter

Now this one is a fun activity to do with the kids. Making own platers and using it for decor gives a different sense of satisfaction than buying a ready made one.

For this one we need -

1. White cement
2. Some plastic cover
3. A plastic container
4. Paint and brush
5. Fevicryl Shilpkar (optional)
6. Some pebbles for decoration and also to use as weight

To start with, take white cement in a container and mix adequate amount of water to make a smooth free flowing paste. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture. The quantity of white cement can vary depending on the size of the planter/vase you want to make.

Here, I have used a little less than 1kg of white cement for a 5" X 4.5" (Height X Width) planter. The thickness of the walls is 0.5".

Now pour this mixture in the plastic bag carefully.

 

 

Now take this plastic container and apply some oil/vaseline on the outside.

 Put some pebbles or stones or something heavy inside.

Gently lower it in the white cement mixture.

Let it dry in the sun outside for 24 hrs.

After it is dry, the next step is to remove the plastic cover. Do it gently and use scissors wherever necessary. The plastic should peel of easily.

 Now we can take out the inner container by gently detaching it from the inner wall of the planter. The grease applied before placing it inside helps in this process and makes the task easy.

 I have taken the Fevicryl Shilpkar white M-seal for pottery making. Follow the instructions to make the dough.

 The dough is ready.

 In order to make a rope like design roll the mixture into two elongated shapes like shown in the picture below-

 Entwine them together to form a twisted rope like shape.

 Decorate as you like. You can also make floral patterns.  Check for any cracks and cover them with industrial glue.

Paint the planter with acrylic colours.

 And here is the finished one!

 Use artificial plants or real ones and enjoy your creation and let is stand out!

Timeline of a Painting

Hi there!
It's Holiday time and the new year is knocking on the door. Hence, I decided to finish off this year's tasks so that it's easier to start off the New year with a fresh list!

I just wanted to record the transition of a landscape painting. It's wonderful to see how a few strokes and some colour can change change what is on the canvas.

I will not start from the very sketch as this was a half finished painting, waiting for my attention sice past 7 years. Since it required my undivided focus, which was otherwise engaged with my lovely daughter, it lay ignored.

So this is the piece where we start from. All the basic colours are in place. The trees have branches, the river is blue, there are flowers and some greenery. No need to touch the sky as it looks alright with its shades.

The first set of colours I chose was that of brown, black and white to touch up the windows and shade the walls and the trees. The direction of the natural light in this painting is from the right hand side, so the shades are done accordingly.

Then I moved on to the other colours.
Crimson, vermillion, lemon yellow, cobalt blue, prussian blue, sap green, veridian hue(another shade of green) and some white again.

After letting it dry for a while, I added some grass under the tree and some more flowers on the boundary wall.

 Again I have used the brighter colours to highlight the flowers. Chrome yellow, orange, Vermillion & crimson. And have also shaded the gate.

After highlighting the boundary wall and the steps, I added some grass on the upper river bank. I think the lanscape is finally ready!

 What do you think ?

 Recycling is always a good thing to do and the results often make it worth the while! :)

Next up is a pixie garden for my daughter from an old unused planter!

Simple Weighing Scale - DIY School Project

I wanted my daughter to experience the joy of weighing things and see the wonder of the scales tilting up and down. Now-a-days we only see those electronic scales with numbers on the display and it's no fun. So, I took up this task of creating a simple balance for my little angel.

Things we used for this little project -

1. Two circular cardboard pieces (Same size)
2. Coloured craft paper
3. Glue
4. Ruler / measuring scale
5. Pencil
6. A Pair of scissors
7. Craft thread

Let's start by wrapping the two circular cardboard pieces by coloured paper. You can paint them as well, if you don't want to wrap a paper. The diameter of the circles is 17.5cm. Measurements are upto you but the scales need to be of the same size.

Take a rough paper and measure and cut a circle of the same size. We need to make a hexagon to mark the holes for the threads. For that draw 9cm lines as shown in the pic above. I have drawn an equilateral triangle for refrence below to show that the strings will be tied at an equal distance from each other.

 Cut the holes and put this paper on top of the cardboard circles and mark the point on it with the help of a marker pen/ sketch pen.

Make holes on the marked spot using the scissors or a screw driver.

Now let's make a paper stick using an A4 size craft paper. Just roll the paper and stick the edge. Follow this link to know how to make a paper stick - paper-stick.html

Here I have made a 30.5 cms long paper stick.

Cut 50cms of the craft thread. We need 6 such pieces, three for each scale.

Tie three stings together on one side of the paper stick and three on the other side, like this -

Mark the center of the stick.

Now take the strings separately and insert into the holes on the scales and tie a knot.

Tie a string in the center of the paper stick. Pull the string to check whether the scales are at the same level and the stick is horizontal. Secure the strings in place with glue. I have used the hot glue gun for this purpose and also some craft wire.

Make some dummy weights using cardboard or some pebbles. Or simple use small button cells.

And the Simple balance is ready to be experimented with!

The kids will definitely enjoy comparing weights with this one!

Here you go - weighing 100gms each :) enjoy yours too!

Mini Paper Bag - Origami

Here's another interesting way of giving away candies without the bother of packing and even distribution! Small items like an eraser or a sharpner or temporary tattoos etc can be put in this mini paper bag and presented. It's hassle free to create and requires minimal items.

Requirements :

1. Craft paper - Square
2. A pair of scissors
3. Glue (optional)
4. Some stickers (optional)

We need a square paper. If you have printed gift wrapping paper, cut a square piece - 5 inches x 5 inches

 Fold it diagonally to form a triangle.

Keep the open end of the triangle upwards and fold the paper as shown in the pic.

Fold the other side as well.

This looks like a pentagon! Let's fold it in the center like this,

To make the handles, cut the slanting edge from the folded side, leaving a margin of about 1cm, towards the open ends. Don't cut through and through, leave some gap. Refer the pic below.

Open the center fold. Below the cut, fold the open ends of the paper on either sides. Insert one edge in the pocket.

Fold the second open edge on the other side.

Add some stickers or embellishments if you wish.

And the cute little paper bag is ready!