Embroidery

Recycled newspaper penstand

This is a penstand made from newspaper and an old cardboard box. This is a good way to recycle junk lying around and serves as a useful stationary item.

Its very simple to make, just follow the steps below.

1. Cut out a portion of any old cardboard, for example shoe box, and leave the top open. A good dimension would be 4 by 6 by 8 cm.

2. Cut newspaper into rectangular strips of 8 by 4 cm. Roll each strip into a pipe and stick the open end.

3. Now paste these pipes around the cardboard box.

4. Paint and decorate your pen stand as you wish. You can use glitter, sequins etc to make it look more attractive.

Kundan flowers

Kundan stones are available in any fancy store. Flower making wire can be bought from a craft store. Aluminum wire can be used alternatively.

Pass a small length of the wire(6-7cm) through the 2 holes in the stone.
Wrap the ends of the wire behind the stone and twist them tightly. This makes a petal.

Now join 5 such petals to make a flower. Make sure the wires are twisted tightly together.

For the base, I used plaster of paris mixed with water and molded in the shape of the palm of a hand.

Once the plaster is completely dry(drying takes a day approx.), paint the hand black.

Use cotton dipped in gold paint and smear on the hand, when the black paint is half dry. This gives the bronzed effect.

Kusudama flower ball

The first craft i did after college is the Kusudama flower ball. This is a form of 3d origami.

Below are the steps :

Take a square piece of paper, the size can vary between 4 to 8 inches. Make sure the paper is slightly thick(origami paper). Origami paper can be bought in any stationary store.

Follow the steps shown in the below images to make one petal.

Stick both the ends to form a petal.



Now, join 5 such petals to make a flower.

You will need 12 such flowers to make a kusudama ball. Make 2 halves of the ball using 6 flowers each and finally join them together.

5 things I love about New York

Alright, I am highly biased about this particular topic. I love Manhattan as the whole package with all it's dirt, crowd and arrogant New-Yorkers. But if I have to highlight a few favorite New-Yorky nothings, then here goes.

1) Chaos. The crowd and rush of Manhattan make me forget the chaotic mess inside of me. I experience a feeling of calmness inside me owing to the distraction created by the chaos in the outside world.

2) Food(surprise, surprise :D) The street food of NYC simply rocks! Biryani carts, kebabs, crepes, tacos - you name it, and the streets of Manhattan have it. For first time visitors, I would recommend going through this if you want to enjoy street food.

3) Subway. I have never felt the need for a car in NYC. The subway is so well designed, that every part of the city is reachable by the metro/bus. Although, the system with peak/non-peak, fast-track/regular and the lack of direction when exiting the subway, might be a tad bit overwhelming initially, once you get the hang of it, the subway is the best mode of transport in Manhattan. The underground Manhattan.

4) Art. Manhattan is an artist's paradise. Starting from classy art museums, Broadway shows, street artists, street musicians to subway dancers, NYC has it all. The Met and MOMA are two of the popular art museums in New York. Apart from that, there are a number of street artists along Broadway who do caricature portraits, fancy name painting and scenic painting. For the art enthusiasts - http://streetartnyc.org/

5) Shopping. Manhattan literally has an outlet of every brand in the world. The posh SoHo district is famous for expensive designer boutiques. For the lighter wallets, the new york street fairs(http://www.nycstreetfairs.com/sched.html) are the to-go place for shopping. Apart from that, there are a number of street peddlers selling a variety of souvenirs for tourists.