Monday, February 17, 2014

Pintér Ferencné’s Decoupage & Quilling

Decoupage and Quilling, both are an art based with paper that dates back hundreds of years and amazingly this art still appeals to many. Decoupage is an art of redecorating an object with paper cut-outs glued, combined with paints and a coat of varnish. And Quilling is an art of coiling, shaping, gluing together narrow strips of paper to create an object. Today I’d like to feature Pintér Ferencné, based in Hungary, who has always been inspired by decoupage and quilling. With no formal training she creates beautiful designs and I find them exquisite and a class apart.

Have a look her creations and tell me what you think

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to view her facebook page and if you wish to customize or buy any of her creations, you can write to her at pinterzsu58@gmail.com


Images via Pinter Ferencné
 
 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Chain of Hearts

I learned the art of stitching, crochet and knitting during my childhood days and somehow this art was forgotten as my ship sailed through different phases of life, making impulsive and life changing decisions and never regretted a single one. It used to be fun creating something even though it took a lot of your time and required patience …. And it turned out addictive as well. I wondered if I can ever go back into those days of creating something with beautiful colored thread and fabric in this time constrained world…. And I said why not!! That’s when I came across this tutorial for stitching a chain of hearts from one of my favorite blog, Design Sponge…. Voilà here it is!! I did it!




 
Click here to view the tutorial. Do you like my chain of hearts?

Wishing my readers a Happy Valentine’s Day! Spread the love…..
 
 

Images are clicked by me


 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Masala Chai and Rains

Rains always managed to fuel a great amount of excitement and bring a unique charm to our Muscat weather. Just sitting at my desk, looking into my garden, sipping my piping hot cup of masala chai and curl up with a book is a perfect way to unwind.

Masala Chai is tea brewed with a combination of spices of your choice like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, fennel seeds and star anise.  And as I sip my steaming spiced tea it reminds me of the beautiful monsoon back in India. And this spiced tea goes well with biscotti.
 
 

Masala Chai Recipe                                            

Yield: 3 to 4cups

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup milk
1 1/4 tbsp Indian black tea 
Sugar to \taste

 
Spice mix 
2 cardamom pods (cracked)
2 whole black peppercorns
1 petal star anise
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 inch fresh ginger (shredded)
1/2 stick cinnamon

 
Method

Boil together the water, tea, sugar and spices. Depending on preference and strength required determine the time for which you boil the tea and I prefer about 5 minutes. If you prefer a milder tea you can add the tea after the first boil.
Add milk and boil for another 5 minutes. Strain and serve hot with biscotti.

Note
If you prefer more milk, make equal proportions of water and milk. Some prefer more milk than water which leads to milder tea... the choice is yours.



Cheers and enjoy the weather Muscateers!!
 
Images are clicked by me
 
 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

From my desk

My small desk space is in a corner of my room, just enough to get me blogging and enjoy what I do. I am on to a new project or rather a new hobby (which I will disclose soon) that keeps making me reorganizing my desk for enough space. I love changes……learning new things…. Changes in my home… changing my lifestyle for the better…. And you will soon see some changes in my blog as well.

Do you love bringing changes in to your life in order to bring more beauty, creativity and positivity? I am steering my life towards it and hope to pursue my creative dream.
 



 
 

Love fresh flowers… reminding me that life is beautiful and can be messy at times and I love it!!



Images are clicked by me


 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Crafty in Oman

I am always fascinated by what people can make by hand even though it can take so much time and patience and I believe it’s a natural gift. Crafty in Oman, a fun and creative group who have a love for all things handmade hosted a successful craft fair yesterday that was held at the lawns of Mumtaz Mahal, Muscat, that showcased different crafts. There were beautiful crochet creations, paintings, photographs, jewelry, baby accessories and dresses, paper crafts, gift tags and baked confectionaries.  I loved browsing and admiring each craft and observing the thrill of the crafters selling their craft at the fair and of course I was equally thrilled with the things I bought! Dahlia Riyami, Mayya Al Said and Tanya Lerdkasem are the hardworking organizers who brought the crafting community in Oman together and for the well run event for DIY-ers. Looking forward to many more!






 







 



 





 

 



 



 

 

 

 






If you are passionate about crafts and based in Muscat then please click here to join Crafty in Oman.

Images are all clicked by me