Flower–Paper Quilling

Paper Quilling is also known as Paper Filigree. It is an art of rolling, scrolling, shaping or fringing of narrow strips of paper to create amazing designs and compositions.

Paper quilling is really economical. Quilling is very easy to learn and doesn't require large investment in specialized tools. To start, all you need are paper strips, a toothpick or corsage pin and craft glue.

 

Quilling is not  a difficult craft, but it can take a little practice to get the tension right. So let's practice

 

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Happy Birthday

On birthdays, holidays and special occasions, a card reminds the ones you care about that they're in your thoughts. Even if it only carries a message of a few words, a card helps to reinforce the bond between two people.

I made this Birthday card for My first nephew Pavin. I want to wish my most handsome nephew a very happy birthday and I pray that he is blessed with many; many more...... Enjoy your day my dear son.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Unique design with sophisticated touch, will increase the beauty of your handmade greeting cards.

Inside of this card, you can see that  there is lots of free space. This is the perfect place to glue your family photo or flowers, trees, animals, plants, butterflies, whatever  you need, or you can write lovely messages or draw pictures.

I download this rose background  GSD, DXF, SVG, studio file from  the site http://www.birdscards.com/ and cut this file using Silhouette CAMEO Electronic Cutting Tool. With the Silhouette cameo cutting machine, you're able to create and cut your own designs and use the fonts already installed on your computer.

While there are a lot of beautiful and colorful greeting cards available in stores for delighting our friends, family, and colleagues with.. But still there is nothing like a handmade greeting card.

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സുഖിയൻ (മോദകം) Sukhiyan

Here is the recipe of Sukhiyan, a very delicious and well known tea time snack in Kerala. It’s really easy to prepare.



INGREDIENTS:

1. Green gram /Moong bean/ Cherupayar – 1 cup
2. Grated coconut – 1/2  cup (Adding coconut is optional)
3. Jaggery – 200 – 225 gm  or to taste
4. Cardamom powder – 1 tsp. 
5. Dry ginger powder – 1 pinch  (Optional)
6. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp.  
7. All purpose flour / Maida – 1/2   cup
8. Salt – A pinch
9. Coconut oil for deep frying

METHOD:

• Wash well 2, 3 times and Cook the green gram in a pressure cooker or a vessel (do not overcook it) by adding  enough water, until done. Drain the excess water and keep aside.
• Boil 1/2 cup of water in a pan and melt the jaggery in the water until it forms a syrup. There's no consistency test required, just make a syrup out of the jaggery, filter it through a sieve.
• Now add grated coconut to the jaggery syrup and mix well.
• Then  add the cooked green gram to the same pan with the jaggery-coconut mixture. Stir  until it becomes somewhat dry ( around 20 minutes on medium flame).
• To this, add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and mix well. Switch off the flame and remove the green gram-jaggery- coconut mixture  from the stove.
• In a mixing bowl,  add All purpose flour / Maida, turmeric powder,  a pinch of salt and a pinch of cardamom powder and enough water to make a medium thick batter.
• When the  Green gram-jaggery- coconut mixture is cold enough to touch, make small lemon sized balls out of it. 
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium flame. When oil becomes hot, dip each of the green gram balls in the prepared batter, coating it uniformly and deep fry until the covering is golden brown.
• Drain your delicious Sukhiyan using kitchen towels and serve hot.

Tips
Do not over cook the green grams, because it will be difficult to mold it into balls. For me, it took 4 whistles on high heat in a pressure cooker, to get the Green gram /Moong bean/ Cherupayar cooked.

സുഖിയൻ (മോദകം)
ഒരു തനിനാടൻ പലഹാരമാണ് സുഖിയൻ  അഥവാ മോദകം.
കേരളത്തിലെ  നാട്ടിൻ‌പുറങ്ങളിലെ ഹോട്ടലുകളിൽ ചില്ലലമാരയിലിരുന്നു ചിരിക്കുന്ന സുഖിയൻ ഒരു സ്ഥിരം കാഴ്ചയാണ്. ചെറുപയറും തേങ്ങയും ശർക്കരയുമാണ് പ്രധാന ചേരുവകൾ.



ആവശ്യമുള്ള സാധനങ്ങൾ:

• ചെറുപയർ – ഒരു കപ്പ്‌
• ശർക്കര –   ഏകദേശം 200-250  ഗ്രാം
• തേങ്ങ ചിരകിയത് – കാൽ കപ്പ്‌
• ഏലയ്ക്കാപ്പൊടി – 1/2  ടീ സ്പൂണ്
• ചുക്ക് – 1 നുള്ള്
• ഉപ്പ് – 1 നുള്ള്
• മഞ്ഞൾ പൊടി – 1/4  ടീ സ്പൂണ്
• മൈദ (പകരം കടല മാവോ അരിപ്പൊടിയോ ഉപയോഗിക്കാം) - കാൽ കപ്പ്‌
• വറുക്കാനാവശ്യമായ വെളിച്ചെണ്ണ

തയ്യാറാക്കുന്ന വിധം :

• ചെറുപയർ  നന്നായി കഴുകി   കുക്കെറിൽ വച്ച്  ഏകദേശം 3 കപ്പ്‌ വെള്ളമൊഴിച്ച് വേവിച്ചെടുക്കുക. ചെറുപയർ വല്ലാതെ വെന്തു കുഴയാതിരിക്കാൻ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കുക.
• ശർക്കര വെള്ളമൊഴിച്ച് ഉരുക്കി അരിച്ചെടുത്തശേഷം ഇതിലേക്ക് ചെറുപയർ വേവിച്ചതും തേങ്ങയും ചേർത്ത് തുടരെ ഇളക്കുക. വെള്ളം വറ്റിത്തുടങ്ങുമ്പോൾ ഏലയ്ക്കാപ്പൊടി, ചുക്ക് എന്നിവ  ചേർത്തിളക്കുക.
• വെള്ളമയം നിശ്ശേഷം വറ്റി, ഉരുട്ടാൻ പാകത്തിലാവുമ്പോൾ വാങ്ങാം.
• മൈദയിൽ അല്പം വെള്ളമൊഴിച്ച് മഞ്ഞൾ പൊടി , ഉപ്പു എന്നിവ ചേർത്ത്  കട്ടയില്ലാതെ ഇഡ്ഡലിമാവിന്റെ പരുവത്തിൽ കലക്കിവയ്ക്കുക.
• ചെറുപയർ കൂട്ട്  ചൂടാറിയാൽ ഓരോ പിടിയെടുത്ത് ചെറു നാരങ്ങാ വലിപ്പത്തിൽ ഉരുട്ടിവയ്ക്കുക.
• ചീനച്ചട്ടിയിൽ വറുക്കാനാവശ്യമായ എണ്ണയൊഴിച്ച് , നന്നായി ചൂടാകുമ്പോൾ ഈ ഉരുളകൾ മൈദമാവിൽ മുക്കി, ചൂടായ വെളിച്ചെണ്ണയിലിട്ട് വറുത്തെടുക്കുക.
• ചൂടോടെയോ അല്ലാതെയോ ചായയുടെ  കൂടെ  കഴിക്കാവുന്ന ഒരു പലഹാരമാണിത്.  ഫ്രിഡ്ജിൽ വച്ച്, അതെ തണുപ്പോടെ അടുത്ത ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ സുഖിയൻ കഴിക്കാനാണ് എനിക്ക് കൂടുതൽ ഇഷ്ട്ടം. 

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White Shamballa Ear stud

It  is really  quick  and easy to make Shamballa Ear studs with Shamballa beads.

THINGS YOU NEEDED:

• Ear stud base – 1 pair
• White Shamballa  beads – 1 pair
• Small white  cubic zirconia stone – 2
• Jewelry Glue

These ear studs are great for everyday use, or with a long necklace.

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Flowers : Hand Embroidery

Hand Embroidery is the art of embellishing or adorning by means of a needle and thread. The variety of fabric and thread suitable for embroidery is unlimited.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Generally most plain fabrics, such as linen, cottons, wools and wide range of coloured furnishing fabrics, are suitable for free style embroidery.

Threads, like fabric has a grain. If  you sew with the thread going against the grain it is more likely to become twisted and tangled.

Needles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They may be sharp or blunt and with a large eye or a small eye. Always use the correct size and type of needle for the particular method you are working. Embroidery needle are numbered like knitting needles. The correct size needle should be easy to tread.

First, you need to keep the fabric in the hoop drum tight, so keep tightening it up as you work as it will loosen over time. If you need , use a screwdriver to tighten the screw.

When planning about a design, you need to consider what size it should be. Remember that the space you leave should compliment the design, it is just as important as the design itself.

Probably the most simple and successful methods of transferring a pattern is to trace the design directly onto your frame. Begin your work by tracing your design on to tracing paper. Always take two tracings, one to transfer your background fabric and one to keep as a reference.

To finish off, turn the fabric over and weave the needle several times into the threads. Cut off the end. Cut any loosen threads from the back of your work as they may show through when the pieces is mounted. Weave the ends of a new thread under a previously worked area or leave a tail long enough to re-thread and be woven into place.

Basic hand embroidery is inexpensive to undertake and accessible to most economic levels.

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Beehive Shaped Card

Here is a beautiful Beehive greeting card. Unique design with sophisticated touch, will increase the beauty of your handmade greeting cards.

I download this beehive DXF/SVG/GSD file from the site http://paperpulse.blogspot.com/ and cut this file using Silhouette CAMEO Electronic Cutting Tool. Using this file, you can make beehive shaped greeting cards or incorporate this design on a birthday card or on a wedding anniversary card.

While there are a lot of beautiful and colorful greeting cards available in stores for delighting our friends, family, and colleagues with.. But still there is nothing like a handmade greeting card.

Creating greeting cards is a delightful and tangible way to share your thoughts, feelings and love with family, friends and Colleagues.

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Hand Embroidery : Swamp Rose

 

Embroidery is the art of embellishing or adorning by means of a needle and thread. The variety of fabric and thread suitable for embroidery is unlimited.

Five stitches form the basis for hand embroidery. The stitches are: Outline, Satin, Lazy daisy, Cross and  French Knot.

WORK IN PROCRESS:

First, you need to keep the fabric in the hoop drum tight, so keep tightening it up as you work as it will loosen over time. If you need , use a screwdriver to tighten the screw.

Probably the most simple and successful methods of transferring a pattern is to trace the design directly onto your frame. Begin your work by tracing your design on to tracing paper. Always take two tracings, one to transfer your background fabric and one to keep as a reference.

When you have finished your stitching,or are happy that the stitching you have done is secure, cut off the knot.

To finish off, turn the fabric over and weave the needle several times into the threads. Cut off the end. Cut any loosen threads from the back of your work as they may show through when the pieces is mounted. Weave the ends of a new thread under a previously worked area or leave a tail long enough to re-thread and be woven into place.

When your  embroidery is complete:

• Wash that fabric  in lukewarm water with pure soap suds, even if it doesn't appear dirty.
• Don’t try to rub it, rather swish the piece around in the soapy water.
• Then  rinse under cold running water. If color appears to run, continue rinsing until the water runs clean.
• You can remove any excess water by placing the fabric flat in the folds of a clean, white towel.
• Lay the embroidery work, right side down, on top of a towel and steam dry.
• Don’t leave your wet fabric to dry naturally as the threads are more likely to bleed, and never try to press embroidery on the right side as the flattens the stitching.
• When you have completed cleaning the embroidered fabric, place it face down in a clean cloth and cover it with a fine, dry cloth. Apply warm iron gently and lightly to that the stitches are not flattened or distorted.

The type of frame you select, can completely alter the finished effect of an embroidery.  Hang or place your framed embroidery work away from direct sunlight and rotate your treasures often. Avoid storing your embroidered pieces in air-tight plastic boxes. Also, never frame a piece under glass without spacers. Spacers allow air to flow between the fabric and the glass and help prevent mold. Fabrics like fresh air. Air flow prevents the build-up of mold and dirt that can damage the fibers in the fabric and threads used to embroider a project.

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