A Christmas Touch

Hello peeps,

Hope you had a great Christmas this year. At my end, I am enjoying the chilled, foggy, wintry year end and a few days leave from job. This year had some deadlines to finish at office, so had no time for any special DIY or decoration for Christmas. But on 25th evening gave a quick makeover (Christmas look) to my living room with the handful of items that I already had. Now it has become a habit of mine to share glimpse of each occasion with you all, otherwise will not get a peaceful sleep at night *wink*. So just have a look.... 

  

I hope you all are also enjoying the winter like me. 

Hopefully this is the last post of this year... So signing out in 2015..

See you all in 2016 *Smiles*

Enjoyyyyyyyy..............

Jhoti or Chita or Alpana

We all love to decorate our home and when a special occasion comes, it always comes with some associated tradition and special decoration. There are a lot of traditional ways of decorating house in India; one of them is Jhoti / Chita (in Odisha) or Alpana (in West Bengal). We can say this is a kind of folk art in which the entire house and specially the entrance of the house is decorated with motifs using a semi liquid rice paste and fingers as brush. I have seen few using cotton also for making the motifs. In some rural areas the motifs are also drawn on the mud walls in villages.

In Odisha, this art form is specially associated with Laxmi Puja. During the Hindu month of Margishira (mid of November-mid of December), when the grain of Khariff season is harvested and stored, on each Thursday of the whole month Goddess Laxmi is worshiped. This festival or occasion is known as Manabasa Guruvaar in Odisha and during this home is decorated with these motifs. So this is the time of the year when we (Odiyas) worship Maa Laxmi, though the rituals vary according different areas of the state. 

I also try to bring in the feeling of this festival at my home, but I know that I am not that competent like my Mother in law and mother, still I try my level best. Though the motifs that I make are not that perfect still I am sharing with you all. 

When these motifs are drawn on floor and are wet, then they are transparent or translucent. After drying they become complete white and in real sense they come to life. 

On the whole Thursday they are admired and appreciated, but it is heart breaking when they are cleaned on Friday morning. 

Apple Kheer

Hello Everyone...

Winter has knocked at my part of world from last few days and this is my favorite time of the year. Due to some reasons I am trying to keep myself busy and engaged these days. And in this regard nothing can be better than blogging and keeping myself busy. When I surfed through my blog I found that I have ignored one of my passion from last few months....that is COOKING. Then immediately rushed to the kitchen and made something to share with you all. When checked my camera found its battery was dying, so took all the snaps with mobile. At that time it was not possible to wait further *wink*. The recipe I want to share is Apple Kheer. It's super easy and can be made within 30 minutes *smile*.

Ingredients Required (For 4 servings)

1- Full Cream Milk -1/2 Litre

2- Condensed Milk -1/3 Tin (1/3rd of 400gm tin)

3- Medium Size Apple - 2

4- Cashew Nuts and Raisins - Few (Can take any nuts of your choice)

5- Cardamom - 4 to 5

6- Sugar - According to Taste

7- Water - 1/2 Cup

Step- 1 & 2

First wash the apples. Then peel and grate them. Don't grate in a very fine grater, other wise while cooking it will become paste. For Kheer we need grated apples of grain like size. Put a deep pan/kadhai on heat and add half cup of water. Once the water starts boiling add the grated apple. Apple will not take more than 5 minutes to get cooked. 

Step- 3 & 4

Once the apple is cooked add 1 to 2 tsp of sugar in it, then take it out on a bowl. In the same pan add the milk and boil it till half reduced.  

Step- 5 & 6

Add the dry fruits and condensed milk in the half reduced milk. 

Step- 7 & 8

After adding the condensed milk taste it, if required then only add sugar. In this whole recipe I have used only 2 tsp of sugar (added 1 tsp in apple and 1 tsp in milk). Then add the freshly crushed cardamom powder. 

Step- 9 & 10

Now add the boiled apples in it. Give a stir and switch off the heat. Don't cook the apples in the milk, as the milk may start curdling. 

If you want can add some apple essence in it, but I never add as it is not preferred at my place. Garnish with few chopped nuts and it tastes best when served chilled. 

When Creative Juices Flow's First Anniversary

Hello everyone! It's celebration time here, as “When Creative Juices Flow” turns “ONE”. A year back on this very day I decided to share my creativity on an open platform. This is a journey that I started blindly on the request of my sister in-law, who has always encouraged and motivated me to share my ideas.When I started this page I just had a handful of friends and family members, most of them requested, compelled, threatened and even blackmailed to like my page. After few days I started finding some blogger friends also (there was no limit to my joy). It’s really very inspiring to see some eminent bloggers on my page. It's great to see some people stumbling upon my page, liking it and being regular on my posts. I am thankful to each and everyone who are with me here. 

Designing this space, choosing the right template, adding gadgets, pages, settings..ohh God, learning each and every aspect of blogging was a real challenge. Thanks to Google for helping me in each and every step to give this look and shape to my page, sometimes I feel like winning a battle. In my case blogging along with a full time job, daily spending two hours in traffic and household chores never got due attention and time. Even sometime couple of days passes and I can’t even login, but I never gave up.

The love that “when creative juices flow” and “I” have received from you all is the incentive that always drives me to come back here and share more. 

This is how When Creative Juices flow family is slowly growing and I hope we will continue this creative journey together….keep visiting… 

DIY Dancing Peacock Statue

Hello...what's up??

I feel awesome when I receive even a single message from my readers about my next post or how I am doing or about anything else. It's all your support and motivation that inspires me to try new new things. DIY projects are my favourite and I know you also love them. This time it's a best out of waste DIY, a dancing Peacock statue made up of Pista shells. Oh yes, you read it right Peacock out of Pista shells.

.....now if I am not wrong, I guess you all also need its tutorial ??? *wink*

Items Required:

1. Pista Shells

2. Clay (I used the clay that is used for pottery. You can use any clay, only thing is that it must be hard enough to hold the peacock.Can also use air dry clay.)

3. A Small Ice Cream Cup

4. Small Round Shaped Rhinestones

5. Fevicryl Acrylic Paint

6. Glue 

7. Small Round Shaped Card Board

8. Pencil

9. Paint Brush

10. Scissors 

11. A Wire Cutter

12. Some Binding Wire (can get from any hardware store)

13. M-Seal / Hobby Ideas Shilpkar Clay (I used one pack of M-seal of 75gms)

14. Talcum Powder

Step-1

Take a small ice-cream cup or curd cup and fill in the clay in it. Use the cup as a cup mould. Make its surface area smooth. 

Step-2

Dust your palms with talcum powder and take equal portions of both the M-seal mixtures. Knead them perfectly until both the mixtures completely mix with each other.

Step-3

Take around a 7-8 cm piece of binding wire and give it a U shape.

Step-4

Now take around 80% of the M-seal mixture and insert the U shaped wire in it. Then slowly start giving the shape of a peacock body.

Step-5

If your M-seal mixture is very wet then it may take a little time to be in shape. Can insert a small piece of wire in the neck portion to keep it in shape and straight. Make the back of the peacock flat, so that it will be easy to stick the feather portion on it. Then keep 5% of the M-seal mixture for making crest of the peacock and then divide the remaining mixture into two equal parts and make two thin strips to make the leg. Length of this strips should be equal to the length of the wire that we have used for leg.

Step-6

Now with the strips cover the wire. Don't cover the whole wire. Leave a small portion as the following picture. Now insert the wire in the clay, that we are using as base. The extra M-seal portion will form the toes of the peacock.

Step-7

Now cut three small pieces of wire and make three small balls. I made the balls slightly bigger than mustard seeds. Then gently insert the wires in it. These we are going to use a crest of the peacock.

Step-8

Now insert the crests and leave it to dry completely. It will take around an hour to get ready. Take a round shaped cardboard. I took a piece of around 10 cm diameter. Mark a line on it, on this portion we will apply glue and will stick on the back.

Step-9

Now apply glue on the card board piece and stick the pista shells. Follow a circular pattern while sticking the shells.

Step-10

Once the card board is covered with pista shells, let it dry. I left it whole night to dry. Then cut the cup in the base and take it out.

Step-11

Now apply primer on each part. I applied white acrylic paint as primer.Once the primer is ready, start painting it.

Step-12

I used blue, green, golden and red colour to paint the peacock. Applied dark brown on the base, to make it look like a wooden one. Then I glued small round shaped rhinestones on each pista shells.

Step-13

Leave the rhinestones to dry for some time. Then apply some glue on the back portion and on the blank portion of the feather cardboard. Stick them together. Keep a support just like the following picture for sometime, so that it will be in place. 

Then the dancing peacock made out of pista shells is ready. Have a look on both the sides of the peacock that I have made. Isn't it beautiful. *smile*. I just love it and had no idea that it will look so beautiful.

Few Handicrafts @ My Home

Handmade products have their own glory and charm. Handicraft items of India are famous for their elegant designs, enormous variety, craftsmanship and styles. I feel somewhere all the décor lovers have a special corner in their heart for handicraft items. These are few items which makes us feel more connected to our roots and to our culture. Different varieties of handicrafts are made in mainly rural areas of India and the craftsmen of different regions have expertise in different forms of handicrafts.

As a décor enthusiast I too have a small collection of handicraft items. More items get added to this collection with each holiday trip, visit to local fair and visit to my home state. As I am from Odisha most of the items I possess are from my home state. Here I would love to showcase you my small handicraft collection. 

Pattachitra a special form of painting made on palm leave using natural colours. Mainly many mythological events are shown in these paintings. I have a Pattachitra from Odisha. Pattachitra is also found in West Bengal. The following set up on top of my bookshelf....A framed Pattachitra, few painted and decorated clay pots with some artificial lotus completing the look. 

Now most of our relatives and friends are aware of my obsession for decorative items. These Lanterns with appliqué work are form Pipli Odisha, are gift from a close family friend *smiles*. Nothing to do with it...only take it out and hang it...immediately within few seconds it brings in both the festive look and festive mood in my living room.

Dhokra Cast items are made of non-ferrous metal by using the lost wax casting technique. This handicrafts are found in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. I have a small collection of dhokra casting items like Ganesha, tortoise, elephants, horse and a set of musicians.

Few golden grass baskets with cover from Odisha...these are gifts from my Mom-in-law...mainly I use these to keep my knick-knacks. Sometime they are also displayed as décor accessories. 

Some wooden handicraft items from Odisha, that I have looted from my parents place (the Budha and Ganesha), candle stands are gift from my sis-in-law are from Kodaikanal and the Elephant is also from Odisha is a gift from a very close friend. 

A wooden musician set from Rajasthan is a gift from my another sis-in-law. That sometimes forms a perfect musical nook on a side table in my living room. 

Got this granite stone elephant from last year India International Trade Fair, is originally from Tamil Nadu. With that a small stone bowl from Odisha. The bowl I mainly use during festivals/Pujas but sometimes it is used as an Uruli.

Hope to add few more items to this collection soon and have a list of that in my mind too *smiles*. On top of the list  are some Channapatna toys. I know many of you are also in love with handicraft items like me. So let's decorate our homes with handicraft items and help this industry to grow and prosper.

(A DIY project is in mind, will come with a post ASAP)  

DIY Vase with a Dangler

Hello there.....

This time after a long gap I am coming up with a DIY. Due to bad health I was away from DIY work from last few days. But at the same time I am very happy that many of you asked about what's my next DIY and also when I am going to make next post about any DIY. When I found myself surrounded with so many encouraging and motivating persons, I really feel obliged and blessed. So this one is for you all. Like my previous DIYs this is also very simple and easy. It's also a part of my bottle obsession. You can find out some of my creative bottles here.  Have a look what I have made....

Items Required

1- A plastic bottle (I used a cough syrup bottle)
2- An old dangling earring or Mantika, that you don't use anymore.
3- Some ribbon (I used golden ribbon as it was looking perfect with the golden dangler that I had)
4- Glue
5- Some thread
6- A sharp knife to cut the bottle
7- Scissors

Tutorial
Step-1

Take out the label first and then clean the bottle properly. Let it dry for some time. Then heat the knife slightly and cut the bottle from neck. Be careful while doing this. Then stick the top of the bottle below the bottle like the image below with some glue. Then tie the ear ring with a thread.

Step-2

Tie the thread on top of the bottle and then apply glue on it.

Step-3

Stick the ribbon all over the tread of the dangler covering it completely. Stick ribbon on some more places to make it more beautiful. Then it's ready. 

Presently I have kept few peacock feathers in it. It can also be used as flower vase or pen stand too. Hope you all will like it.  

I just love the little embellishments hanging from the neck of the vase...pretty isn't it !!!