The flock.

Tea stained patterns set off a flock of lively birds "because paper has more patience than people" in the famous words of Anne Frank.

Crown the Hippo!

"Creativity is allowing yourself mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."-Scott Adams After a rocky start, below is a glimpse into how a rather gloomy Hippo transformed into a festive Lil fella!:)

Bedroom Divas!

While I love fun wall decals and believe they can pep up a rather staid room, I do believe putting them into a context can add immense value and charm. This is what my new project revolves around.. Creating a setting for these delightful and sassy Diva girls from Pop & Lolli (check them out on http://www.popandlolli.com/shop/stickers/design-diva-sassy-and-sweet-dress-me-girl-accessories). Below is a glimpse into the start of the project at the end of Day 1 and I'll be sure to update the blog with the final bedroom. The white zones are interactive and can be written on once the dry erase paint "cures" in a few days time.

The layered sky.

"The day was made for laziness, and lying on one's back in green places, and staring at the sky till its brightness forced one to shut one's eyes and go to sleep." Charles Dickens The Old Curiosity Shop .... Well, except for some storm clouds in the distance!

Animal farm.

"THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal." - George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 2

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting a neighboring farm filled with happy animals galore. It made me want to re-look and rework an old series of animal posters I started several months ago. Below are some explorations of whats cooking!:)

Garden Grid

AND... Voilà.!:)

Shades of fall.

"The plan is nothing. Planning is everything."- General Eisenhower It's a new day and an inspiring new space to work with. A craft based project offers some respite from painting in an endeavor to make a dining and living area autumnal and alive.

Project Playroom.

What was once a 9 year old boy's hideout clad in a Spiderman theme (explains why the room was orange and blue to begin with, doesn't it?:), has now been transformed into a neutral, interactive and fun playroom. The black hills are made of chalkboard/ blackboard paint and all the clouds (and a couple of mountains) are magnetic and serve as ready spaces for artwork, pictures and other essential toddler trinkets to be displayed. The room is still a work in progress and I'll be sure to post the final effect once this project is fully wrapped up.

A timeline of the process offers a glimpse into how it all began and where it has reached thus far.

The story so far...

... at the beginning of Day 3.

Empty Canvas.

"It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." - Paul Cezanne An exciting new project commences. The challenge to create a fun playroom for a delightful little girl begins today. The greater challenge, however, is going to be keeping her out of the room until it is ready!:)

Children's room mural.

Recently, I embarked on a project to create an interactive wall mural for my friend's lovely kids. A simple graphic in black and white of rolling hills with areas of interaction (interspersed in the form of chalkboard as well as colorful pin-up areas) in which the kids can add their own touch. The theme is neutral enough that it can be embellished with princesses and butterflies or dragons and trucks. I'm still in the process of fleshing this out and would love to hear your feedback and thoughts!:)

Huggy Hippo.

A small 'lets cheer up" doodle done this morning for my almost four-year old niece when she needed her spirits lifted after being hit by the Wednesday morning blues!:)

Home.

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."Mother Teresa

Favorite Painting!

Interesting crops of a favorite painting of mine: A precious tribal Gond Painting received as a wedding gift from a dear friend. The Gond tribal community is one of India's largest indigenous communities and their wonderfully expressive art is a reflection of their everyday quest for life. The art is created with the core community belief that "viewing a good image begets good luck." Gond art draws inspiration from myths and legends to daily life filled with dreams and imagination. Loaded with intricate details and an emotional connect, each Gond artist has a subtle yet signature style.

Just another Wednesday morning.

A photographer friend visiting us from India clicked lovely pictures of our weekend projects this morning which I'm thrilled to share! This long weekend we set about converting a decorative inlay holder into a wonderfully warm lamp and also initiated the beginnings of my new kitchen garden. Do check out more of her awesome work on www.paulamidevvarman.com

Enjoy!

Still cloud-ed up!

Yes- its true... the cloud obsession continues ;)

Cloud filled dreams.

Aren't the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton... I could just lie here all day, and watch them drift by... If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations... What do you think you see, Linus?"- Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts

"You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds." - Henry Thoreau

"A Dream is where a boy can swim in the deepest oceans and fly over the highest clouds." JK Rowling, Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban

Weekends and bicycles!

"Take your pleasure seriously." — Charles Eames. Its been a great start to the week with a friend moving to town and bringing me my own first real bicycle. These last few days have been filled with a mild bicycle obsession as well the discovery of a fun new technique of making stamps. It's no real wonder that this post is filled with bikes, stamps and love!:)

Having been trained as a textile designer, stamps remind me of the block printing techniques in India and the immense potential and beauty of these primitive tools that almost seem to display scant regard to mechanization. Wikipedia describes the woodblock printing practiced in India as the earliest, simplest and slowest of all methods of printing. However, it is also capable of producing otherwise unattainable beauty.

Needless to add, an entirely worthwhile endeavor!

The shoe project.

A brave friend recently gave me a pair of shoes to doodle upon. Below are the results of how that little experiment turned out. Would love to hear your thoughts!:)

Fireflies, Bugs and other happy friends.

"What would be left of our tragedies if an insect were to present us his?"- Emile M Cioran