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Dollar Store Fall Wreath!

With all the fall decorations all over pinterest, I have got the itch to create one for myself..;-)

Since, this is the first time I made it using the material from dollar store and Walmart. I wasn’t very confident, so made sure it is on budget and was able to make 2 wreaths for $6.

And abosultey loved the way they came out (I wanted to have 1 for each door)

Let’s see what you need:

Faux fall leaves(50 count) – $1 (dollar tree)

Faux fall leaves with glitter(14 count) -$1 (dollar tree)

Faux Flower – $1 (dollar tree)

Faux Corn Stalks – $1 (walmart)

Pumpkin (assorted sized) – 98c (walmart)

Orange deco mesh – $1 (dollar tree)

Cardboard or paper plate ( already on hand)

Ok, now let’s make the wreath –

Step 1: Creating the wreath base can be made out of anything. For a sturdy one use a cardboard or a simple paper plate can be good too. I cut the center of a large paper plate leaving 2-3 inches around.

Step 2: Wrap it with orange decorative mesh

Step 3: Take the leaves(without glitter) and hot glue around the wreath base.

Step 4: Now randomly glue the glitter faux leaves,tiny pumpkins and a big flower. That’s it, you have a pretty fall wreath ready to hang 🙂

Most important part of this project is picking the supplies, once you have them on hand, it is super easy and you can have the wreath ready in 20 minutes 🙂

Cheers!

DIY Fabric Wall Art!

So we have these built-in shelves in our family room and I’m not liking it much lately. It is sometimes too much of work and dusting them is a never-ending chore 😦

As you see, I filled the smaller ones with little bit of everything that mostly matches the family room style(traditional). I love the way it came up – different shapes, colors and textures. And the dolls are from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, India and US 🙂

However, filling the large shelf (9′ X 3.5′) was a big challenge!

Finally, after 6 months I have a perfect and inexpensive piece of art ❤

Inspired from BHG (better homes and garden) magazine – decided to give it a try. I started looking for wall paper and textured gift wrap rolls. I couldn’t find anything that matches the room style and decided to go with fabric.

I am really into Peacock lately…;-) and couldn’t wait to order this beautiful 24 inch fabric panel @ Fabric.com for $10.

Bought 2 custom sized dowel rods and jute twine from Home Depot.

Sew the edges, rolled the top and bottom of the fabric over the rods and attached with glue and staples.

And Tadahhhh…..

I absolutely love the way it looks and costed me less than $25.

Cheers!

Multigrain Dosa Batter!

The most cherished and common breakfast dish of South Indian homes is Dosa ( fermented crepe made with rice and lentils). Every household has homemade dosa batter in the fridge, ready to whip up some fresh and crispy dosas.

However, it is high in carbohydrates and needs good amount of oil to get those crispy edges. It is also considered as high glycemic index food and should be avoided by diabetics.

It can be very tough for grandparents/older family members who are diabetic, to give up the most staple breakfast. Just not for them, it is good for us too 😉

So, here is a healthy recipe to make dosa batter that is high in fiber, protein and low in carbs and sugar, without compromising on the taste and texture 🙂

The 3 main ingredients are

Soup mix (dry beans and lentils) – 3/4 cup

Split moong dal – 1/2 cup

Brown rice – 1/4 cup

Mix all three, wash throughly and soak for 4-6 hours.

Grind the soaked grains and rice until smooth. The batter will not be perfectly smooth like Urad dal dosa. You can also add some chopped chillies, ginger and few sprigs of coriander.

Add salt and let the batter sit for couple of hours.

Heat the griddle or tawa and pour the batter to the center. Using the back of your laddle gently spread the batter in circular motions. You can add some chutney powder and onions too 🙂

Let it cook on hot tawa for 2-3 minutes and since you are not using oil, before you turn, cover it with a lid for couple of seconds until you see the steam! This helps in dosa not sticking to the tawa and also if you don’t flip and cook the other side.

And you have the delicious dosa ready to serve with some peanut or coconut chutney 🙂

These dosa are similar to pesarattu but much more tastier and healthier 🙂

Hope you try this new recipe and enjoy!

Cheers!

Trash to Treasure!!

Sorry friends, I was busy with lot of projects from past couple of weeks and that really made me offline from blogging 😦 Before I realize, days and weeks quickly passed without a post..:-(

Finally, things are in place and I am super excited to get back with a fun makeover project 🙂

So, I have been looking for a small wooden stool that is probably a feet or two high. I searched on craiglist, garage sales and couple of thrift stores too. Little disappointed, I finally gave up.

And then, couple of weeks back I found a perfect one left at curbside for monthly trash pick up…;-) I couldn’t wait and immediately picked it and gave it a new look.

Here is a picture 🙂

Amazing that the trash piece absolutely match my needs and is a treasure now 🙂

First I cleaned up the surface and gave life to the legs with some gold spray paint.Then, added the felt furniture pads to not only save our wood floors from scratches but also helped in fixing the wobbles

To cover the surface, I used decoupage technique and it is super quick and easy.

Supplies you need:

Spray paint – color of your choice to cover the legs

Paper/Fabric for Decoupage – Metallic gift wrap paper found @ T.J.Maxx/Marshalls

Foam Brush

Modpodge

Scissors

Step 1

Start by sticking the paper to the side of the table with mod podge or decoupage medium like shown below. Apply a nice thin coat and cover at least 2-3 inches surface of the table top. Once dry, turn it up side down and decoupage the edges ( at least 2 inches).

Step 2: Now cover the rest of the surface. Measure the surface and add 3-5 inches extra and cut the sheet. Apply a layer of mod podge and stick the paper. Make sure you do in portions and press it firm. There shouldn’t be any air bubbles.

Step 3: Once the surface done, turn it upside down and seal the edges. Apply a thin layer to all the edges of the paper and press it firm.

And Tadah…you have cute custom table/stool ready to use. I used it for Ganesh pooja last week and it was just perfect for my handmade Ganesh Idol 🙂

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and next time if you find/have something that you want to trash, give it a thought 🙂

Cheers!

Saree and Pallu set for Varalakshmi Vratham!

Goddess Lakshmi is also called Varalakshmi/Varamahalakshmi, the one who grants the boon “Vara”. It is celebrated by south Indians on the second Friday of Shravana Month as per the Hindu Calendar.

This year (2015) it is falling on 28th Augusut. My husband’s family has the tradition of placing Goddess Lakshmi roopu(face) on Kalash and my MIL gave me a silver one after our wedding. Last year, I used a readymade skirt/saree and pallu set 🙂

Here is a picture of 2014 Varamahalakshmi pooja!

This year I decided to have a new and customized set and here is a tutorial on how to make a readymade saree and pallu set!

You need:

Choice of fabric

Measuring tape

Sewing machine/hand stitched

No stitch fabric glue – found @ craft stores (Walmart, Hobby Lobby)

Trims and other embellishments that match the fabric.

How you make:

Step 1: Measure the height and the circumference of the kalash like shown below. Add 2 inches to the height and double or 2 1/2 of circumference( for more pleats)

Step 2: Cut the fabric as per the measurements. Finish up the raw edges with matching thread (I used white for demonstration). You can also glue the edges with “no stitch fabric glue”

Step 3: Fold the fabric to form pleats and stitch. For no stitch – use a dot of fabric glue for each fold and leave to dry for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Wrap around the kalash to make sure it fits well. Stitch or glue the decorative trim/border to saree and pin it.

Step 5: Make a pallu 3inches wide and length depending on how you want to place on the idol and you have the set ready 🙂

On the actual pooja day, place kalash and the face of goddess. Wrap around the saree and pin it. Add necessary jewelry and finally place pallu. ( For demonstration, I used a mango to place the face – traditionally coconut is used).

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and make a cute and beautiful saree set for this year pooja! I shall share this year pooja pictures soon after the vratham 🙂

Here is 2015 Varalakshmi pooja picture – I made a green set to match my saree 🙂

And 2016 I made orange and maroon saree set to match my saree again 🙂

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Happy Friday!

Tip Thursday – Homemade Face pack!

Are you looking for a natural and homemade recipe for facial mask. Here I am going to share a simple face pack/mask that uses simple items.

What you need :

1 tsp of Oats

1 tsp of water

1 tbsp of honey

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1/2 tsp of coconut oil (optional) – good for winters

How you make:

Soak oats in water for couple of hours (preferably overnight). It absorbs all the water and binds together.

To the oats paste add honey and lemon juice and mix well until it forms a smooth paste.

Apply the paste and let is sit for 10-15 minutes.

It gets almost dry. Now take little water and gently massage on your face 2-3 minutes in circular motions.

Wash it with cold water and apply moisturizer.

Note : This face pack is appropriate for all skin types.

For better results try weekly twice. It not only helps to keep your skin smooth, removes any dead skin, fights bacteria and protects from sun damage.

Cheers!

Faux Marigold Decorations!

I am super excited to share a beautiful alternative to fresh flowers.

I loveee them! These faux marigolds look gorgeous and almost real..;-) They are made of colored tissue papers.

Paper flower decorations are the most cheapest and easiest for any occasion. They look like real ones and will surely come handy for multiple events.

Some of my other faux flower projects are here, here and here.

Well, to make these pretty Marigolds you need:

Tissue paper – dollar store ($1) or Walmart (97c)

Paper plates – Green (optional) for Leaves

Scissors

Stapler (Big)

Circular lid (trace circles)

Step 1: Take 3-4 tissues or depending on how dense you want the flower to be and trace circles.

Step 2: Cut the circles, make sure to hold all the layers of the tissue. You can use paper clips to hold them together.

Step 3: Keep the circles together and staple in the center.

Step 4: Start making petals – separate the top most circle of the bunch and crumple it upward from the center.

Step 5 : Repeat with each circle and keep gathering the crumpled circles upward.

Step 6: Once you are done gathering them, open the layers gently to give a more fuller and realistic look.

And that’s it, you have beautiful flowers ready to decorate the way you wish .

The options are endless 🙂

You can make centerpieces, garlands, door decorations for Indian festivals, stick them on wall with painters tape or even lay them on floor with some candles.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial ❤

Cheers!!

Install Perfect Knobs and Pulls

We finished installing knobs and pulls for our kitchen cabinets (24 knobs and 14 pulls), master suite(4 knobs and 3 pulls) , guest bathroom(4 knobs and 3 pulls) and laundry room( 9 pulls) . I wanted them as soon as we moved because wiping down the cabinets frequently is no fun.

When we initiated “Project Kitchen Cabinet Hardware”, I counted knobs and pulls we need and the number was 61. It didn’t take long to realize how expensive it is going to be 😦

I started looking online where I can get, may be for $1 each or little more so that we don’t spend more than $75 for the whole project. I wasn’t really looking for fancy or super quality ones for kitchen because we currently have black appliances and have a plan to upgrade may be in a year or two. Well, after some search I found it here for a real good deal.

Initially, I wasn’t very confident on the quality but they are pretty nice and it arrived quick with no damaged pieces. The only thing that didn’t work was the cabinet pull screws were little short, that was an easy fix. We got long screws from Homedepot for less than $2.

Once we had all the the hardware, the scary part – drilling holes, rather drilling perfect holes. It was easy with the installation template found @ Home Depot, and the drilling bit is handy to have right size holes.

Get started and tape strips of painters tape to the area where you want have the knob or pull.

Center it and line the template up with the edges of the door and mark your hole with a pencil, make sure to use the same hole every time!

Using the drill bit from the template kit, drill through the cabinet doors/drawers.

Take off the tape and screw the knobs/pulls and it is done.

For less than $75 we have all of them and adding the cabinet hardware does give a complete look.

The template gives you 3 different options for width, so make sure you pick the right one. And hang the template from the top of the drawer and line up the center.

Hope this tutorial makes it easy to add hardware to your cabinets 🙂

Happy Friday!

Make your own herbal tea!

Curry Leaf is a herb, native to India and is used for flavoring. They are tender and have a great aroma. I have been reading a lot about curry leaf paste, tea, oil and its benefits for skin, hair and overall health.

The tea was interesting and was very happy to find something healthy to replace green tea(I canont have green tea without sweetener)and it tasted really good. Since then, I drink it lukewarm every morning, on empty stomach with a tsp of lemon juice 🙂

It is easy, quick and you can make in batches 🙂 The best way to replace sugar/honey is fennel seeds. These seeds help in eliminating the natural bitter taste of the leaf .

So, to make the herbal tea –

You need:

Water

Handful of fresh curry leaves (chopped/whole)

2 tsp of fennel seeds (whole/powder)

Lemon juice – before you drink

Brewing the tea :

Boil a small amount of water

Add curry leaves and fennel seeds/powder and cover it.

Boil on medium heat for 10 more minutes.

Turn off the heat and let it sit at least 6 hours (preferably overnight @ room temperature).

Strain and when ready to drink, warm it and add lemon juice.

Brew large quantity :

Strain and Store in a glass container. If cooled immediately it can stay up to 5 days.

Happy Tuesday!

Super quick Summer Salad!

I am excited to share my aunt’s salad recipe that can be served for any gathering and it is fresh, light healthy and most important quick to prepare 🙂