HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Christmas Decor @ Liven Things Up !

Hi friends...Hope you all had a joyous and wonderful Christmas !!!... Just sharing a few pictures of the Christmas decor at my home...

Simple table arrangement with red tea light holders and

an arrangement of white artificial poinsettias...

The tea light holders are from Home Centre and the 

poinsettias are from Evergreen Christmas centre. 

Snow man ..?!?!? My aunt commented

that he looks more like pinocchio...;-) 

An artificial wreath decorated with pine cones and 

frosted pears and cherries hung on the wall ....

 Another arrangement of candles and the poinsettias made by me.

My favorite statue of Infant Jesus - got this from 

the liturgical centre at Santhome Church, Chennai.

I tied the garland to the curtain rod and decorated 

it with red and silver baubles.. 

 Jingle bells hanging from the curtain rod which is

covered completely with silver streamers... 

I am linking this post to December Carnival @ The Key Bunch and Thrilling Thursday Linky Party @ Paisley Passions.

WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS....!!

Wishing you all a joyous christmas...!!! 

Have a great time with family and friends and enjoy the holidays... !!

Have a great weekend !!

 Simple Flower Arrangement with Anthurium Flower

and palm leaves in a copper vase from Jaipur !!!

Have a great fun-filled weekend everyone... ;-) ;-)

DIY - Holly Leaves ..!

     The holly leaf with its bright scarlet berries is closely associated with the festivities of Christmas. So here's a tutorial to help you make holly leaves for this festival season in a  simplified manner. 

Supplies Needed :

Velvet cloth      - Green color.
(Instead of velvet cloth , felt cloth or green floral foam or thick green paper can also be used)

thermocol balls -  Any color (Preferably  Red)
(If thermocol balls are not available used punched dots from red paper or red beads)

Red Marker Pen
Coil of Wire
Green Tape     - Available in all craft shops.
Fabric Glue
Scissors
Holly Leaf Template

The template shown in figure was drawn freehand by me. Similarly you can create a template of your liking or download some free templates here and here.

 Cut the wire in 4 inch lengthwise strips as shown in figure.

Cover the coil completely with green tape. 

Using the holly template, cut three holly leaf shapes 

from the velvet cloth as shown above.

Turn the leaves and stick the coil covered with green tape 

to the center of the leaf with fabric glue as shown.

Leave the fabric glue to dry completely.

Take two leaves and twist the coil of wire as shown above

Similarly join all the three leaves such that the 

bottom part of the leaves touch each other.

Take 3 medium sized thermocol balls and color them red using the marker pen. 

I was not patient enough to paint the berries red; So I have used a red marker pen to achieve similar effect. However, be careful about the marker stains on your hands, though they wash off easily ;-) ...!

Stick the red balls on the leaves using fabric glue.

     

     This takes about 15 minutes to make ( leave the time that takes for the glue to dry) .. You can use these holly leaves as part of your Christmas decor ... Some great ideas can be found here and here... !!

I am linking this to the Weekend Wrap Up party hosted by Patty @ Colours Dekor and to the December Carnival at the Key Bunch and the parties here , here and here.

Dastkari Haat - the festival of arts and crafts.

     The much eagerly awaited Dastkari Haat,  a festival  organized by Dastkari Haat Samiti and the Kalakshetra Foundation  is back in Chennai this year with its promise of ethnic arts  and wide range of handcrafted products. There is also a special event named Akshara (meaning "the word")  , unique exposition of regional calligraphy on crafts, textiles and arts.

The pathway was filled with paper Lanterns 
decorated with dry leaves and seeds..

 

The history of word explained...

    There are around 100s of stalls, all packed with India's rich heritage of handicrafts and handlooms and what you see in each and every stall is really breathtaking - It clearly out beats any other craft festival that is conducted in the city. Guess I will stop with this and let the pictures do all the talking.... !!

 Beautifully -painted terracotta products from Delhi... 

Their colorful piggy banks were fast selling... !!  

I got one of these for myself ;-)

 Terracotta chimes decorated with colorful beads..

 Black Longpi pottery from Manipur..

Pipes - in bull horn shape... 

The Hookah with a human face was an interesting 

feature in the shop...    

 Quilt patchwork in vibrant colors... !!

 Wide range of terracotta tea pots & cups..

Glass bottles with colorfully painted figures ....

Bangles made of palm leaves from KanyaKumari.

Baskets made of palm leaves and other natural products.

Bells with Christmas themes.. !

Colorful paper lanterns... will make great festive decor.. !!

The raja-rani puppets from Rajasthan .

Kites in various shapes with animal figures, 
and geometric patterns on them .

Pottery from Uttar Pradesh... I spend more time and money 
in this shop... !!

    The way the exhibition is organized by Kalakshetra in a well-organized manner, adds to the charm. Along with the art and craft exhibition, there are also various daytime and evening dance performances. The exhibition is open till Dec 13 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Kalakshetra Foundation, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.

A beautifully set stage for the performances...

Performers singing a  rajasthani folk song..., 

which I enjoyed though I never understood a word... ;-)

     Special thanks to Divya of Sound Horn Please for letting me know about the wonderful Dastkari Haat. Divya - This post is dedicated to you & your lovely blog..;-) ;-)  !!