Season of Love: Free Printable Valentine Card

I know it's quite cheesy to say this, but am going to risk it - Love is in the Air! It is February after all.

While I believe that we don't need a special day to tell people that we love them, I still like to indulge mildly in this month of pink and crimson. Yes, St. Valentine's Day is a one of those hyper-commercialized days even in India. But, if we don't give in to the hoopla, isn't any excuse great to have special time together? To simply expresses how grateful you are that you found this person. To tell them you are the luckiest person alive to be with them. To just put all your feelings down on paper. And to do it in a fun and special way.

Each day of the year, we express our love through actions - by showing care, by tuning in to the other person's needs and even by just lending a helping hand. On hallmark days, a simple gesture to express your love tells your partner that you have taken the time to think about them. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be surprised with a love note yourself?

Ever since I can remember, I have never really obsessed about Valentine's Day. That specific date. Back in college, we used to have a 'Rose Day' sometime in February. A day celebrating secret crushes and love (because you could send anonymous rose cards). When I started working, my agency used the same idea, but we didn't make a day of it. A half hour after lunch was spent listening to poetic messages (most were anonymous, again) and swapping chocolates. All through my teen years, it was mandatory for girlfriends and boyfriends to give each other cards. So the point am trying to make, is that for me, the celebration of love is closely linked to messages on paper. An email will just not cut it.

All of this was running through my mind last week, and I wanted to create something that would let us say 'I Love You' without being predictable. I saw the abundance of flowers, cute animals, hearts and chocolates swirling around as tokens of love,  but my mind kept searching for more. Like most ideas that pop into my head, the one for this card popped in when I was engrossed in a totally unrelated activity. I was pickling! So bizarre. Red chilies being pickled led to me the image you see above. I refined my initial thoughts to craft a couple of messages that I think will work.

The picture above and a message variant is now available as an art print and on other merchandise like iPhone covers, totes and throw pillows in my Society6 Shop. And just for you, I have created a FREE printable card to tell your loved one that they are indeed the spice of your life!

To download your free printable click on this link: Only You Valentine Card

Can you think of a message that will go with this image? If there is something else that you'd like to say to your sweetheart, drop me a line in the comments section below and I'd be happy to work on a custom card for you!

Hope you have a lovely season of LoVe!

Diwali Decor: 25 Ways to Light Up Your Home

The first thing my mum does, when Diwali is just around the corner, is buy our big, fat Diwali lanterns. Over the years we've also made a few at home. One was always hung in the balcony of our apartment. A few modest clay diyas lined the windows and precisely two were kept right outside the main entrance. These little lights and a colourful large rangoli meant Diwali was here.

Now my parents live in a row house, which means many more windows and balconies. So there are three big, fat lanterns, string lights and hand painted diyas. My sister loves to do up the traditional diyas with glitter and colours. She's super at it, maybe I'll dupe her into doing a tutorial this time!

So my point is, today, none of us can get away with the simple stuff we grew up with. Too much pressure, I say. As we amp up the celebration of the festival of lights, I thought of doing a quick round-up of excellent ideas to bring in the light all through the festive season.

I've pinned 25 lovely, DIY inspirations. Some of them can be assembled in 5 minutes flat while others can keep you busy all through this weekend. From the ever versatile tea lights to bare, naked bulbs, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Head over to my Pinterest board Diwali Lights Decor to take your pick.

What do you do to light up your home for the festival?

Project DIY: 10 Minute Evil Eye Charm

When I was travelling to Israel and Turkey last year, I was determined to return with a unique Evil Eye Charm for our home. I saw tons of them, but they all seemed like touristy versions, and I wasn't too happy. Which is when the idea of creating my own struck me.


I found some really ideal, simple glass evil eye pendants the size of my palm in Tel Aviv. Since am usually looking for a bargain, I decided to go for the plain ones with a blue nylon string to hang them. At 8 Shekels a piece, they were about 20 shekels cheaper than fancy ones. I was going to add my own personal touch to these anyway, so it made complete sense to buy the minimalistic pendants.


It took me about a year but while I was unpacking here in Porbandar, miraculously, I found all the bits to make up a wonderful unique piece. A length of thick, coarse string, some beads and the evil eye itself. Like the title of the post promises, this won't take you longer than 10 minutes to rustle up.




You will need:
1 evil eye pendant made of glass or ceramic. Pick a size you like
Some coarse string of desired length and proportion to your pendant
10-20 beads in colours of your choice
Thin string to tie the beads


Start off by stringing the pendant through your coarse string so that you have at least 6 strands to create a braid.Tie a firm knot as shown here to hold the pendant in place.

Now, braid the strands artfully. As you can see, I started off with a casual three-piece braid and then changed it to a slightly more intricate six string one. 


It is time to thread your beads through the thinner string. Tie a knot at each end of the beads to keep them from slipping off and make sure you leave enough thread on either side to enable you to comfortably tie it around the coarse string braid.

Depending on the thickness of your braid, use 2-3 beads for each round of adornment. I used beads in only three places, since I really wanted to see more of the coarse string. Tie off the ends of the string to create a sturdy way to hang the pendant on the wall. And you're done!

The smooth glossy finish of the pendant is offset wonderfully by the coarse string and the few black beads add a bold accent to this piece. All that remains to be done now, is to hammer a nail into the wall, next to the switch for the buzzer to proudly display your new accessory. And to ward off the evil eye!

Easy to make Flowers: Poppies

I saw these lovely flowers on Ez's blog Creature Comforts a while back and was dying to try them out. When I finally went to Mumbai in March, my sister and I picked up some satin to try our hand at all the enticing flowers we've been pinning onto our DIY boards. I'd seen the tutorial for these ones and tried them out.

Now that am back home, I made a fresh batch of two! The little one was a great accessory for my bright red saree. It made me feel like a retro film star, mostly because of my hairstyle really. The big poppy has been made for a special little girl. I just need to figure out how to get it to her now.

Go check out Ez's super easy tutorial. She's even added videos, just watch them even if you aren't making the flowers right away. You never know when you'll be in the mood for poppies too. These make excellent gift toppers, hair accessories or brooches.

I've made much flatter versions of the original design, with only three whorls, which I think look good as hair accessories. If you add your own little twist, be sure to share it with us.

Free printable Farewell card

Lately, I have been thinking about all the people we end up leaving behind when we move to a new place. And how it would be nice to leave a personal message for a friend or two. So I designed two simple farewell cards for an imminent move.


And am sharing them here, just in case you want to drop a line to someone too. They're super easy to make - print, cut and fold. Download the PDF for the Yellow Card or the Green one from Issuu.


The finished card is 5.5" x 4.25" and will fit in a standard A-2 sized envelope when printed at 100%. You can open the file in Adobe Reader which you can download free here.

Free Download Fresh Sprig New Year cards and stationery Printables

Hello. It's that time of the year when we begin to reflect on the year gone by, so we can look forward to the year coming in. I've had a full year, met new people, travelled to far off lands and experienced a whole lot of new things. I hope I've grown wiser too!


Am off to Mumbai early tomorrow to ring in the new year with family and friends. There are a bunch of special events and festivities in the first week celebrating personal milestones of people close to me. It promises to be an exciting beginning to what promises to be an exciting year. 

As the year draws to a close, am always looking for a way of saying thank you to people I love. And a note or a letter can help me do it. I've decided to giveaway a free printable to anyone who's looking for a sweet way to send a personal message to loved ones. With this Fresh Sprig New Year Stationery set, you can say a simple Happy New Year or write your very own message. The set also comes with stickers to dress up your envelopes and a letter pad design in case you decide to write a quaint letter.

You can download it here


Go, on send your wishes to people you care about and who in turn have cared for you. The fresh greens signal the start of a new season of love, hope, happiness, friendships and adventures. May the sunshine be with you!


xoxo,
sunny nomad me

White wreath

There are a few things that mean Christmas to me, and a wreath is at the top, right under the tree of course.

I have tried my hand at some wreaths in the past, but this one just struck me when i had finished painting the white trees I was making.

A big fan of the paper straws, they can inspire a lot of creative projects. All you have to do is find some old magazines, take a few pages that strike your fancy (I have stuck to whites) and roll them into straws. You start from one of the corners and using your thumb and forefinger just roll smoothly across, making sure you keep it tight. Use the last corner to seal your straw.

For this project you'll need:

A bunch of paper straws (depends on how dense you want your wreath)

Some paint (I used white), you can also choose to keep the original paper colours

Glue

Round piece of cardboard

Tissue papers

Bread wire

Paintbrush

A sharp object to piece the cardboard

Beads or spangles to decorate

Paint the paper straws the colour of your choice and leave them to dry. I used fabric colour, it's thicker, gives a matte finish and does not add to the weight too much. Perfect for my low maintenance attempt.

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White Christmas...well almost

Christmas has always been a high for me. I've celebrated it over the years, in many small ways. One of my dreams is to actually have a white Christmas. In India, the chances of that happening are slim. But that doesn't stop me from hoping!

This year, I tried my hand at a white tree inspired by these ones on Curlby that I spotted on Creature Comforts. Of course, since I live in a very small town in Kerala, I had access to only craft supplies I had hoarded in the past. But armed with an old calendar, some white oil paint and a brass satay skewer, I managed to create something similar. Though I didn't achieve the enviable finish, the three wee trees I made add the missing snowy touch to my spartan Christmas decor.