Showing posts with label Festivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Festivity. Show all posts

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Life Loves Me!

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

It's Paint Party Friday's fourth Anniversary and I am extremely glad that I am part of it. I have found some amazing friends through PPF and What Fantabulous treasure trove of talent it has been!!! 

I wish the team many more years of colour and joy in partying with paint!!! Happy Anniversary PPF :) Dedicating this poem to all my PPF friends...

Life Loves Me!

Starlit nights or sun drenched days
I love the hues and shades
Sparrows, crows or Indian mynas
Kingfishers, robins or parrots
They all please me and please me well!

Gasping the fresh breath of air
Trees blanketed with flowers
Daisies, pansies and daffodils
Tulips, violets and carnations
I behold Spring and Spring beholds me!

Blessed with my family
Blessed with my friends
Blessed with my teachers
Who taught me the lessons of life
I love my life and life loves Me!

This is a poem I wrote a few years back and I share it now with mighty heart!!! Completely one with it and the feeling of life loving me is extremely strong at this point :) I hope the same for my PPF friends and all the friends around... 

Eva and Kristin have asked us to post a self-portrait to celebrate the event. I have opted an easy way out :) These are a few digital trials of my 4 year old picture. Here's my self-portrait !!!

Deepa-FrescoStyle-HuesnShades
 Fresco style

Deepa-DarkStrokes-HuesnShades
 Dark Strokes

Deepa-OceanRipple-HuesnShades
Ocean Ripple

If I were to be underwater, I would look like this :)


Have a Wonderful Weekend!



Friday, February 13, 2015

Love is in the Box!

People through generations have spoken, sang, discussed, debated, argued and even killed for (and about) love. Each one of us have a view/opinion on the subject. If it's an occasion such as Valentine's Day, then Love is really in the air...everywhere. It's a way to stir up, invoke and rejuvenate love. Here's something I have done for you...packed 'tiny-teeny bit of loves' in packs...small boxes. You could spread love in such cute little boxes too...just check this DIY...especially for you...
Happy Valentine's Day!


O Love!Thou Makest All Things Even

O Love! Thou makest all things even
In earth and in heaven;
Finding the way through prison-bars
Up to the stars;
Or, true to the Almighty plan,
That out of dust created man,
Thou lookest in a grave, --to see
Thine immortality!

~Sarah Fuller Flower Adams


Loveisinthebox-HuesnShades
Aren't these cute???
If yes, you can do it too...

Here's How:
Materials Needed:

Matchbox
A4 White papers 
~(or white paint to color the matchbox. I have used white papers and decoupaged it to the surface of the matchbox)
Pattern papers (can also be used to cover the matchbox)
Glue
Scissors
3D liner(white)
Red acrylic ink
Red sketch pen
Gel texture bead
Red Felt 
White stone
Bronze pearl metallic paint.
Brush
Pencil
Heart shaped mould


Picture Instructions:

Loveisinthebox1-HuesnShades

1. Cut the white paper according to the size of the match box.
2. Pasted it around the box with mod podge.
3. Outline the heart mould with pencil and then with 3D liner.
4. Let dry or use a hair dryer.
5. Fill it with red acrylic ink.
6. Outlined the other side of the white liner with red sketch.
7. Let dry and then fill it with designs using the liner.
8. Now write a short sweet poem or choose one from any of the sites (do not forget to give credit).
9. Write it on to a strip of paper that fits inside the box making it into an accordion.
10. Stick the end of the last line inside the box.
11. Close it and surprise your beloved one!


Loveisinthebox2-HuesnShades

1. Repeat the first two steps (1 & 2)
2. Take pearl bronze metallic paint on a palette.
3. Place the heart mould on the paint and stamp it on the top of  the box.
4. Fill it with red acrylic ink.
5. Let dry or use a dryer.
6. Place bead gel texture on top of it.
7. Let dry and the glass bead effect will be visible.
8. Now follow the steps to add the poem as mentioned above (8,9 & 10).
9. Close it and surprise your beloved one!


Loveisinthebox3-HuesnShades

1. Repeat the first two steps (1 & 2)
2. Outline the heart mould with pencil on the felt and scissor it :)
3. Add a masking tape or a double-ended sticker tape on the back of the felt heart.
4. Add a heart with a white liner.
5. Let dry or use a dryer.
6. Place white stone on top of it.
7. Now follow the steps to add the poem as mentioned above (8,9 & 10).
8. Close it and surprise your beloved one!


The first two short poems written in Malayalam (my mother-tongue) is my own and the third one in English is the poem by Sarah Fuller Flower Adams is typed on top.

Have fun, surprise beloved ones and make everyday a Valentine's Day!

Hope you enjoyed this special post. Please do leave your comments and suggestions in the comment section or you can mail me at mail.huesnshades@gmail.com.

Linking it to Eva and Kristin's PPF

You can also read one of my popular Valentine's Day posts here & here.


All the images and content is copyright of Deepa Gopal Sunil. Please do not use it without prior permission/consent from the artist.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Match Box/Stick Ornament - Christmas Fun


Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

How many of you collect used match box and match-sticks???
Some of us artsy crafty types do...Agree?
In fact, we hoard so many so-called "useless" stuff :)
I came up with an idea for a small workshop last Saturday particularly for Christmas and the kids totally loved it :) This week there are two DIY's in here.

I couldn't publish this post on Friday as usual and as I expected...extremely sorry for that. For the very first time, I am sharing my art class photos here. I don't usually do that...Even when I was taking classes in Dubai I hadn't done that. But I think kids would love it too to see themselves presented in my blog. So here they are...they are a small class, I started it a couple of months back in my hometown. 

If you haven't seen my first  and second DIY of this Christmas season, you should hop over HERE & HERE.

Thanks to Sigga, Poornima and Angela for linking it up with their cool Xmasy crafts :)

You can find the materials needed and the procedures in the picture tutorial below.

The First DIY

matchbox-ornament-materials-HuesnShades


matchboxornament-step1-HuesnShades


matchboxornament-step2-HuesnShades


matchboxornament-step3-HuesnShades


matchboxornament- step4-HuesnShades


matchboxornament-step5-HuesnShades

Make a hole and insert the metal wire and twist it both the sides so that it would form a loop and won't come out.

matchboxornament-step6-HuesnShades


The second DIY is with used match sticks...and it's super easy imitation of a snowflake!

matchstick-ornament-HuesnShades


matchstickornament-step1-HuesnShades


matchstickornament-step2-HuesnShades


matchstickornament-step3-HuesnShades


matchstickornament- step4-HuesnShades


matchstickornament-step5-HuesnShades

You could even embellish the edges with white stones to give it a dazzle and shine. 

Here are my lovely kidos holding their priced possessions :)

Lovely-kidos-with-matchbox-ornament-HuesnShades


Lovely-kidos-with-matchstick-ornament-HuesnShades

Click on the images to view it large


Hope you enjoyed these DIY's. Please do let me know your thoughts, would love to hear from you :)


If you have a blog post on a  Christmas DIY, decor idea, makeovers, Christmas recipes or anything related to Christmas you can add your link HERE

Please do mention #HuesnShadesXmasDIY and link it back to the particular blog post/URL. 

Let us enjoy our artsy time, create and collaborate...


Linking it to Eva & Kristin's Paint Party Firday. Do join us there and be amazed all the wonderful happenings over there :)


And one final pleasant news...My blog is the Featured Blog of the Day in Blogadda...Yay!!!


Thank you Blogadda!


Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Zing With Bling - Christmas DIY

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

Today's DIY is super easy...what you need for it is a spoiled art on canvas!!! The one I have used is a few years old painting which I never completed. I wasn't really happy about it and had tucked it away for so long that I even forgot that this frame existed (that's a bit of an exaggeration though!) but seriously I wanted to do something with it. So thought of giving it a makeover this Christmas.

The name that came instantly to my mind after completing the project was 'Zing with Bling'...it rhymes ok but what I wish you to grasp is the lively feel of it with all the gold and silver :) 

Before going into the details, let me thank everyone who took the time to visit and leave beautiful comments of inspiration (particularly Natalie who inspired to do the previous DIY), to those who liked in FB and to all those shares too :) Isn't festivities so heart-warming!!! Thank you my dear friends for all the love and support.

I have introduced linky for the very first time in the previous post with the thought of collecting/collaborating/treasuring all the delectable DIYs of this season. I would encourage and request everyone to please link it up HERE. Thank you Disha for being the first to link :)

So now, get your supplies ready.

Materials Required

Canvas 
*Acrylic Paints 
Brushes 
Scissors
Insulation tape
Cream, Gold and Silver paints

*If you wish to paint it with various colours as you please to make a colorful background.


Makeover-HuesnShades

This is a gallery wrapped canvas, ready to hang one that I bought from Dubai. I miss these canvas as I haven't seen them in the art shops here. What you can do is either you can take an old art that you were pondering to do a makeover with or take a blank canvas and apply multicolored paints hap haphazardly as you please all over. Remember to use multicolors! Let it dry completely.

Makeover-with-Tape-and-Scissors-HuesnShades

Cut the tapes according to your wish and stick it as per you want them to be. I just went by my instincts. I didn't measure them, it wasn't pre-planned...I just went on with what I felt will look good.

Taped-HuesnShades

This is it looked after completely sticking the tapes.

Offwhite-Paint-HuesnShades

 Now, apply a cream colored, white or off-white  paint all over the canvas with broad, flat brush. Let dry thoroughly.

Gold-Paint-HuesnShades

Apply gold paint on top of it, again all over it except for the sides of the canvas. Let dry.

Silver-Paint-HuesnShades

Time to apply silver on the sides. The sides of the canvas are broader and I love it. It gives a projection to the canvas and your art will pop up :)

Gold-Layer-Paint-HuesnShades

To give it a little more 'oomph' I decided to add a thin layer/wash of gold on the strips in between. Let dry and then peel of the tapes carefully.

Zing-with-Bling-Side-HuesnShades

A view from the side!

Zing-with-Bling-HuesnShades

Here's how it looks!!! It looks better than this in person :)

Click on the images to view it large.


If you haven't seen my first DIY of this Christmas season, you should hop over HERE


If you have a blog post on a  Christmas DIY, decor idea, makeovers, Christmas recipes or anything related to Christmas you can add your link HERE. Please do mention #HuesnShadesXmasDIY and link it back to the particular blog post/URL. 

Let us enjoy our arty time, create and collaborate...


Please do let me know your thoughts, would love to hear more from you :)


Linking it to Eva & Kristin's Paint Party Firday. Do join us there and be amazed all the wonderful happenings over there :)

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Celebrating the Joy of Giving

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

It is that time of the year when our homes would be lit within multi-coloured and stone-studded diyas of all shapes, sizes and kinds, when every heart would dance to the rhythm of the firecrackers, load up all possible delis...walking to and fro and roam around within accentuating fragrance of brand new dresses :)

I Wish Everyone A Happy, Peaceful, Prosperous and A Much More Sharing-Caring Deepavali :)

Any festival is associated with giving...love, affection, care, compassion, time or something material...any form of giving...that's the beauty and essence of festivals. Trying to spread the joy of giving here at Hues n Shades :D









As the environment is filled with joy and celebration, I am also celebrating not only the festival but also the fact that I am 300+ followers strong in my blog and 1170+ Likes in my FB page. Thank You for all the love and support!

I am celebrating with a Giveaway of one of my latest artworks. It is a Cherial* painting and a reproduction of the work by the Folk artist, Madhu from Andra Pradesh. An amazing artist!!! I had bought the artwork from him in one of the Tribal Camps held in Ahalia Heritage Village. I loved it and wanted to try it out, I am happy about the outcome :) My first attempt at Cherial, another folk art...!

The art is a miniature work - 13x13 cms. I just LOVE miniature works!!!
Yashoda & Krishna - Cherial painting Giveaway, 
13x13 cms, Acrylics on cotton canvas


*Cherial painting is from Cherial Village in Warangal District of Andra Pradesh. It was a from of entertainment in earlier days - before the advent of technology - when people sought to story-telling with painted scrolls much like the Pata painting of Orissa and West Bengal. The stories are usually from mythology, puranas, legends and local tales. Cherial, however, also includes tales of everyday life of local village folks. It is restricted to Telengana region and is a dying art. The size varies from a miniature one to several feet long portrayals.


How To Enter The GiveAway

1. You need to be my Blog Follower. (Mandatory)
2. You need to Like my FB page, Hues n Shades. (Mandatory)
3. You can blog about it, spread the word though Facebook. Tweet it anything you find it apt. (of course you will earn extra points. You need to leave the links as separate comments here in the blog)
4. What is your idea of a joyful celebration?

You have four day's time until Sunday, Oct 26th, IST 12 am.
The result will be announced on Monday :)

                                
I would a to share a happy instance too...My interview was recently published in SheBlog - Smart Indian Women. You can read the full interview here. Thank you Gunjan Amit and Shilpa Jadhav :)

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Bommai Veedu (Doll House)



Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers


Navarathri (Nava - nine, Rathri - night) has begun and to celebrate the occasion with all it's myths specific to each region, rarities of celebrations, divinity and energy invoked...it's a nine day divine affair with 'Shakti' (energy), 'Vrudhi' (Prosperity) and 'Budhi' (Wisdom...Knowledge being the essence). On the 9th day Ayudhapuja (Ayudham - Tools, Puja - Prayer) is performed and on 10th day the festival concludes with 'Vidyarambham' (Vidya - Knowledge, Arambham - Beginning). Knowledge is innately associated with divinity in our country that even initiation into the world of letters is done ritually during the 10th day.


Read more about Navarathri here and here.

Now, my focus however is something else, it is part and parcel of Navarathri here in the South...it is intrinsically attached to the occasion and that is the arrangement of dolls in nine steps (3, 5, 7, 9 or at times 11 steps are also followed) which is called Bommai Kolu, Bomma Golu or Bome Habba according to each region. The bommais (dolls) are proud possessions of each family which are handed down through generations. It is a traditional art and has been in practice for a real 'Nile' time :) I would like to share a find...a place in Palakkad which caters to these dolls. 

Vijaya Sirppa Kalaikoodam (Bommai Veedu - Doll House) is a haven for the dolls that can be bought for the display and arrangement called Bomma Golu. It is situated in Kalpathy Gramam (Village) which is also one of the UNESCO declared World Heritage Site. The house-shop has been christened after the lady of the house. The husband, wife and the two boys together they make a great team and I could sense that energy there. The boys are school-going and they give a helping hand as when possible during holidays. Down-to-earth, simple folks whose world revolves around this traditional art. Their house smells and imbues the scent of this art that covers from floor to ceiling in that agraharam (traditional house of the village).

Palani&Vijaya-HnS
Sri.Palani & Smt.Vijaya

They have dolls made of paper mache, clay, cement and even wax. Wax dolls are made only on order. There are also dolls made from mould like the best selling ones of Krishna, Ganesha, or Devis. They also take custom orders if photographs are provided but that does cut your purse as they need more time, energy and labour. The dolls range from 200 to 15,000 at the time of my visit. Palani however added that he can also make dolls that cost almost a lakh.

Palani is the one who creates the moulds and tends to all the work that has to be done for the dolls but the doll gets complete only with the eyes and that is the 'speciality' of Vijaya according to Palani. The eyes of all the dolls are drawn by Vijaya who paints with her left hand, she has lost her right one. The eyes are truly marvellous when you consider it closely. She learnt it from her granny who was into this traditional art of doll making.

It takes around 3 weeks to make their hot selling Krishna which is around a foot high with the mould. They make the dolls the whole year through. 

My delight was on the high when I found out loads and loads of Krishnas of all sizes :) You could see some rare ones too if you eye closely...

BommaGolu1-HnS

BommaGolu2-HnS

BommaGolu3-HnS

BommaGolu4-HnS

BommaGolu5-HnS

BommaGolu6-HnS

BommaGolu7-HnS

 A whole range of Krishnas...sells a lot the whole year through

BommaGolu8-HnS

Devis-DurgaLakshmiandSaraswathy-HnS
 Devis - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathy

Hanuman&SwamiVivekananda-hiding-behind-Ganeshas-HnS
 Hanuman & Swami Vivekananda hiding behind Ganeshas

SreeNarayanaGuru-among-the-Gods-HnS
 Sree Narayana Guru among the Gods

MaDurga-HnS
 Loved this Ma Durga!...an expensive affair (it costs around 12k to 15k!)

VarahaLakshmi-RadhaKrishna-and-MahaVishnu-HnS
 Varaha Lakshmi, RadhaKrishna and MahaVishnu...not very common

GoddessSaraswathy-Doll-HnS
In love with this Goddess Saraswathy


unique-DhanwantharyMurthy-HnS
A unique Dhanwanthary Murthy (God of Health and Medicine)

Loved this big ones??? Now drool over these tiny little treasures...

Tiny-Treasures-Golu-Bommas-HnS

Dasavatharam-and-AshtaLakshmi-HnS
 Dasavatharam and AshtaLakshmi all wrapped up

Golu-Bommas-Tiny-HnS

Lakshmi-Vilakupuja-HnS
 Lakshmi Vilakupuja

Karthikai-Pengal-HnS
 Karthikai Pengal (Karthika - a star, Pengal - Girls)

Kalyana-Set-HnS
 Kalyana (Wedding) Set

Girivalam-HnS
Girivalam

MaduraiMeenakshi-HnS
 Madurai Meenakshi

IndraSabhai-HnS
Indra Sabhai (Royal Court of Lord Indra)


I reached there almost during twilight and so the snaps were taken under the tubelight. They had also wrapped up all the dolls as there were customers constantly moving in and out buying them. As it was dark outside, couldn't get a picture of the outdoors.

Bommai-Veedu-family-HnS
 Bommai Veedu family - Subith and Bhuvaneshwaran with their parents

When I wanted to click their picture...they posed but that lovely curve was missing and I asked them for it and then the second picture happened which I liked a lot :) So natural...What say?

Kalpathy Village - the pictures below are from Palakkad Walks, Sanskriti and The Hindu

Kalpathy-Street-HnS


Kalpathy-Street1-HnS

Kalpathy-Street2-HnS

Kalpathy is a place to be during November when the renowned Chariot Festival takes place and then these narrow lanes will be thronging with people, elephants and The Chariots!!! This is how it will look :)

Kalpathy-Chariot-Festival-HnS


(Click on the pictures to view it big)

A special thanks to one of my best buddies, Pushkala, and her Father to get me the address of Bommai veedu. She is my buddy from school and she lived in here until she got married and settled in Mumbai. She recalls them as Bommai Veedu and thanks to her as I thought would be a nice title for the post. Thanks Kala!

This is how a Bomma Golu looks like...


Bomma-Golu-HnS
Bomma Golu

Source:IndusLadies.com

On this auspicious occasion re-posting two of my earlier mural works...Ma Durga is missing...should make one presently :)

Goddess-Lakshmi-and-Saraswathy-Kerala-Mural-Painting-HnS
Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswathy
Kerala Mural painting

Linking the post to Eva & Kristin's Paint Party Friday!

PS: In case anyone is interested in these Bommais (dolls), do drop me a mail at mail.huesnshades@gmail.com. I will convey the message to them as they don't own a site or page.

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.