We are off

Since last year, we have been going to the mountains every June. Last time it was Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj. This year it is Ladakh. I am so very excited and thrilled. Can't sleep tonight because we leave early morning tomorrow. Can't wait to come back and share the photos and art from this trip. 

(picture from Pinterest, can't wait to go take my own)

Wish us safe tidings !

Finds of the week

I've been over-dosing on pretty design and craft blogs. Time to share the wonderful stuff I've found !

1. This beautiful fabric jelly fish installation.

2. This home is so quirky and cool. I totally love it !

3. Read this lovely, inspiring article on Should vs. Must.

4. Surely going to try this egg-shell project soon :)

5. And this song is simply stuck in my head since the last few days. Ah, can't wait for the album.
4 more days of torture.

New set of paintings

I was asked to make these last year for the fella's birthday. I made the first one (Aazadi) and kept procrastinating with the second. Then finally, two weeks back, I had a rush of creativity and I decided to get down and do it. We got them framed last weekend and they are up on our living room wall. So happy :)

 I really want to paint more this year !

Travel

"I want to travel across the world and breathe the air of new places"

Someone truly said - To travel is to get to know yourself. I completely agree with it. You really find yourself each time you travel. And if you travel with someone else, you discover something about them that you would never have known otherwise. Moral of the story: It is important to travel with like minded people ! :D 

Lots of travel plans for the year ahead and I am super excited ^__^

(This post is part of the art adventure at A Sunny Yellow Window)

Summer

It's getting way too hot in Bangalore. I know it won't last too long but while it does, it is unbearable. 

The only way to beat this is to wear loose, flowy cotton dresses, skirts and tops. 

Drink a whole lot of juices, liquids and fresh fruit !

Look up interesting summer recipes to cook up, like this interesting salad !

And just dream about escaping to the mountains !

 The Dhauladhars

(pictures from our trip to Mcleodganj last year)

Any tips to share?

(This post is part of the art adventure at A Sunny Yellow Window)

Origami Birds

This is my latest project ! I've had these origami papers lying around since forever and I finally decided to put them to some good use. Origami birds !!! This is so much fun. If I'm lucky, I find a really nice tutorial that is easy to follow, but sometimes it is just drawn instructions and gosh that is tough. I had quite some trouble with the little purple bat ! I'm really happy with how this is shaping up, maybe I'll make a bird mobile or something or that sort when I have a big collection. Can't wait :)

These are the three I made over the last two days:

 OWL and ROBIN

BAT

February Doodle-a-Day

So I joined this doodle-a-day on Instagram. It was great fun. I was doodling in the middle of a wedding to meet the deadline !! I pushed myself to doodle every single day and it was a whole lot of fun. You must follow @ellolovely on Instagram. She started this and it is on every month. 

You can check my Instagram feed for all my doodles. Click the link on the right !

Here are some of my favorites from February:

March is looking even better :) Wait for updates !

Surround yourself with things you love

..and see life's magic unfold :)

I have been feeling extra creative these days. I cleaned up my desk, dug out old stationery and art supplies and I feel all set for the coming weeks :) 

NEXT: I'm planning to make a vision board for the year !

2013 in review

Every blog I read is doing this so why should I be left behind. Let me warn you, this is gonna be one of those typical end-of-the-year posts, which talk about the highlights of the year gone by and resolutions/hopes/dreams/wishes for the year to come. So do not expect anything more. Okay, let's start already.

1. I graduated !!!!! Oh yes I did. Sure this was the second time, but this time in a field I actually love and pride myself on doing so. Imagine, a Professional Diploma in Visual Communication Design. Wow. Even I never thought that after 8 long years of being in the legal profession, I would actually jump ship and do what I always really wanted to. I won't say that the two years at design school were absolutely blissful and a smooth sail. There were times when I questioned the entire decision, often wondering if I should have chosen another field, another school etc. But the day I finished my final year project and received kudos from a professor I really admired, I knew it had all been worth it. The self-doubt was gone. For good. 

2. I actually designed and illustrated an entire book. All 120 pages of it. After all the cursing, fretting and sleepless nights, it was done. And it might actually be published by a reputed publishing house like Penguin or Random House. Who had ever thought that I'd have a book out before I was 30. I know it technically does not count as a book-book but who ever cared about technicalities. It is a huge achievement and I will gloat. Thank you very much. Go check it out here - https://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Ayurvedic-Cookbook/12494661

3. Got engaged. OMG. Ya it was just a formality of sorts for the families, but it was quite fun. Dressing up, convincing the better half to pose for photographs, decorating the house myself, incessant banter of family et al. A memorable day to remember. One of the many we have seen the past 8 years.  

4. I learnt to let go. And that's all that will be said about that.

5. I started appreciating little things about people around me a little more. Judging less, accepting and valuing them more.  

6. A very memorable trip to the mountains. A first for me, and I did fall in love. I was always a sun-sand-cocktails person till I arrived in Mcleodganj. Sigh. A week seemed way too short. I just loved the mountain air, the sights, the people, everything. Thoughts seemed clearer up there. Also was the first time I slept in a tent and woke up to snow-caped mountains. It was incredible. Can't wait to plan the next trip. 

I think that about covers it all. The year that was. It seems to have gone by in a wink. 

2014 seems full of promise. Many things to be accomplished, many new places on the travel list, new experiences and what not. 

- I will read more. A small target of 12 books, 1 per month, to start with. I hope to over achieve. 

- I will paint more. Just one painting the past year, shameful.

- I also plan to be way more active, a regular fitness plan must be high priority as i can already feel my bones creaking. 

- I will de-clutter. My home and my mind.

- I will complete a DIY project every month. All those bookmarked, pinned and saved projects that I avoided with "I have a diploma project to complete" will be ticked off the to-do list.

This list is surely going to increase as the year proceeds. And I hope at the end of it all, I can see the above being crossed out with a smile. To 2014 !!

Words to use more often

Saw this on a tumblr account ... I really like some of the words, can't say I use them so often though. 

And then there are some I don't know the meaning of, which I must change. 

So here's to increasing my vocabulary this year. 

A Happy 2013. 

A post about the year gone by coming up soon.