DIY: Book End Holder

Ohh... this bottle obsession, this is going to stay with me forever and I am going to share my creativity with bottles with you the same way. I have made a bookend with a bottle. We can find so many varieties of bookends, made of wood, metal or any other heavy material. I was in need of it since long. But before purchasing, the DIYer in me thought of giving a try. Few simple steps and it's ready. 

Items Required:

1- A bottle

2- Colours for painting the bottle ( Acrylic or oil based paint)

3- Paint brush

4-A small chunri (I used a chunri that we generally use in worshiping goddesses in India and can get it from any store selling Puja items.) 

5- Glue (I used Fevicol)

Step-1

Paint a bottle in any design. I have already shared some methods of painting bottles. Here I have used a plastic bottle of one litre capacity, as a small bottle will not be heavy enough to stack and hold the books together. First given a base coat of oil based paint and then painted a Bengali bride on it using acrylic or fabric colours. Purposefully I have not given the painting a clean look. You can make any painting of your choice. Let the colours dry properly.

Step-2

Then fill in some sand or soil in the bottle. Remember the soil or sand should have no moisture at all.

Step-3

Tightly place the cap or you can also glue it. Then apply some glue and stick a small chunri. Let the glue to dry for some time. And the bookend is ready.

Engage yourself in some best out of waste DIYs. Then admire your work, feel proud and be happy *smiles*. 

Some Tin Can Tea Light Holders @ Home

Internet is flooded with tin can tea light holder DIY ideas. So I’ll not claim that it is my original idea. But I have made something new and will not share with you all, that's impossible. It's really a very easy DIY & even a non DIY person can unhesitatingly attempt this. 

Few easy steps and tin can tea light holder is ready. 

• Draw the pattern you want to see on the cans.
• Fill your tin with water and freeze overnight.
• Using a hammer punch holes on the pattern you have drawn of the can.
• Allow the ice to melt.
• Paint the can using oil based paint.
• Decorate the can (if you wish to).

I painted my cans in red and white as I wanted them to look beautiful even when the candle is not lit inside it. 

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 !!!

DIY Ganesha Idol

Ganesha, the God of wisdom, prosperity and auspiciousness. The remover of obstacles (Vighneshwara). Ganpati, the benevolent and beloved deity of all, is on his way to our home. Holiness and spirituality is in the air and we have started feeling the presence of elephant headed God everywhere. Puja Pandals are getting ready here and there. Festivities everywhere and in this situation the creative juices in my mind will not flow that’s impossible. So I also thought of making a Ganesha idol for my home. I am not going to worship it on Ganesh Chaturthi, as bidding adieu is the toughest part. It will be with me always at my home and will become a part of the small family of Ganesha idols at my home. What I made is also not eco-friendly, but still I know my readers will be interested to know the DIY.

Items required
1- Two small pebbles (one comparatively bigger than another)
2- Hobby ideas Shilpkar caly / white M-seal
3- Acrylic paint
4- Paper knife / craft knife
5- Paint brush
6- A small piece of polythene bag
7- Talcum powder
8- Glue / Fevicol 

Step-1

Dust your palm with talcum powder to avoid Shilpkar clay sticking to your hands. The Hobby Ideas Shilpkar clay contains two packets, one is resin and the other is hardener. Take equal amount of both and knead them well. Take a small portion of this mixture and place it on the small polythene sheet. 

Step-2
Now place the bigger pebble on it. If you need, you can apply glue (fevicol). I placed it directly and left it for few minutes. Then on that place some more mixture and place the other pebble. Then take some more mixture and flatten it.

Step-3
Cut it in half with a paper knife or craft knife, with this we will make the ears. Similarly make two hands and a crown. Then stick these in their respective places. 

Step-4
After sticking the crown stick the ears. After this at the end make the trunk and stick it. If we are making Lord Ganesha how can we forget his Bahan the Mushik. So make a tiny winy cute little rat also. Once the clay of the base dries completely take out the polythene piece. 

Step-5
After making it, let it dry for around an hour. Then prime it with white acrylic paint. Let it dry again for some time and then paint with colour of your own choice. I used red, yellow, black and white. Then it’s ready. 

So make a Ganesha idol for your home, as nothing can give more pleasure than creating something like this by our own hand.

To get some Puja decoration ideas, that you can implement on this Ganesh Chaturthi you can visit my Diwali post here. 

Wish you all a Happy and a Blessed Ganesh Chaturthi 2015 

DIY Corn Husk Flowers

When pitter patter falls the rain…most of us love to have roasted corn or the famous “Bhuna hua bhutta” in India. Now it has become a classic Indian street food during monsoons and even after. The aroma of roasted corn with the masaala and lemon brings lots of joys as well as it's a healthy option for some evening munching. 

Hey No No…I am not going to share its recipe with you all today. I hope you all have relished lots of roasted corn like me this monsoon and also going to have it for some more days, so now it's the time to make some flowers from corn husk. Yes, that corn husk which we usually throw away without any second thought. These flowers are very easy to make, inexpensive and can be stored for a long time.

Items required:
1. Corn Husk (Take 10-12 number of outer layers of corn husks, which are thick and big enough to cut the petals. Let it dry completely, but not sun-dried. I kept the fresh corn husks in my kitchen in a basket for a week where sun rays falls through the glass window. I kept on turning them daily.Then it was ready for making flowers.)
2. Wire for making the stem of the flower
3. Thread
4. Green tape
5. Scissors
6. Wire Cutter
7. Acrylic paint and paint brush (optional)                      

Step-1 & 2

Draw petal designs with a pencil on the corn husk. You can make any shape and size. Then cut the petals carefully and slowly with scissors. 

Step-3 & 4

Take a 5/5 c.m. of husk piece and fold it in half. Then take a piece of wire according to the length of your flower vase where you want to keep the flowers. 

Step-5 & 6

Then curl the husk as shown in the image below. Tie it tightly with thread.

Step-7 & 8

Then one by one tie the petals.

Step-9 & 10

Once your flowers are ready cover the stem portion with green tape. Make same leaves also. 

Now it's time to arrange the flowers and the leaves in any flower vase of your choice. That's all and it's ready. 

Initially I was thinking of colouring the flowers, but without colour also they looked awesome. Then I got confused that whether I should paint it or let it as it is. Then also asked my Facebook viewers their opinion. I got a mixed opinion, so for the time being I have not painted it. Thinking of enjoying its natural look for few days and after some days will paint it, to give another look *smile*.

   

I hope next time when you will bring corn, you will not simply throw its husk. 

I will suggest to make the flowers only when the husks are completely dried, so that I can be stored for long time. To increase its durability we can apply a coat of touch wood or varnish also.  

Lord Jagannath made from Coconut Shell

This week we are going to celebrate the annual Rath Yatra (car festival) of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Odisha and many other parts of the country too. Lord Jagannath along with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are worshiped in almost every Odiya home. As my roots are from Odisha I am deeply attached with this festival. Since I have entered into the world of blogging, now my ideas are not taking rest for a long time on the to do list and they get life whenever I have time. I thought this is the perfect time to make something for my home and also for my readers. This DIY can be done using all the items which are easily available at home.

Items required

1- Coconut Shells- 3
2- Old invitation cards (can use any thick paper)
3- Newspaper
4- Acrylic paint (Black, yellow, white, red)
5- Glue (Fevicol)
6- A stick for rolling the newspaper
7- Paint brush
8- Scissors
9- Pen / pencil
10- Items for decoration - Golden 3D out liner, beads

Step-1

I had cut the newspaper into 3-9 inch pieces. From one corner I started rolling the paper using a stick. While rolling the paper I kept on pulling the stick from one end. Once done applied some glue at the end. Then pulled out the stick. Made around 12-15 sticks.

Step-2

Then slightly flattened the sticks with finger and rolled it. Applied some glue on the paper while rolling. Made three rings from the paper sticks. For one ring 3 sticks are required. I had three coconut shells, two were of equal diameter (used for making Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra) and one was smaller (used for Devi Subhadra). I had yellow, white and maroon colour invitation cards. Used the maroon colour card for Lord Jagannath. Placed a coconut shell on the card and first made an outline. 

Step-3

Then made some patterns like the following picture. On other colour cards also first made an outline of the coconut shell then made the same pattern and cut the designs. 

Step-4

Drawn some eyes, nose and mouth on the white invitation card with pencil. Sorry the picture is not very clear *sad*. Made completely round eyes for Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra. Then painted the center portion of maroon card in black for making Lord Jagannath. Then painted its outer design in yellow. Similarly painted the outer design of white in yellow and that of yellow in pink. Painted the eyes nose and mouth.

Step-5

First placed all the parts on the face, then carefully glued them. Then by using a 3D out liner made some designs. Also made the tilaks and bindi on forehead. On Devi Subhdra's face made one nose ring. Left it for around an hour to dry. Then painted the coconut shells and the paper rings in black. 

Step-6

Then kept the back of the face upside. Applied glue on the edges of coconut shell and placed it on that. The edges of the coconut shells I used were not perfectly even. So after sticking the face designs on the coconut shell I placed them on a cushion and gently pressed it, by doing this all portions were perfectly glued. Left it to dry for an hour. 

Step-7

Applied some glue on paper ring and fixed this on the coconut shell as the image below to make the base. Likewise made all the three. The coconut shell I used for Devi Subhadra was very small and was not resting properly on one paper ring, so I used two paper rings as base. 

Now my Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are ready. At last I decorated with some garland made with beads. Decoration part is up to you. You can add some more decorations too. You can engage your kids also while making this DIY. 

Hope you liked this DIY and I am waiting for your feedback. If you have any ideas and want to share with me then please drop a message on my Facebook page or mail me at whencreativejuicesflow@gmail.com. I would love to make a post on your idea *smile*.