Watched *It’s a wonderful life*, an American classic starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. It’s a great movie (that I enjoyed watching with my husband), reiterating one of life’s most important lessons “Count your blessings”. As we approach the end of 2022, I implore you to cherish all the wonderful moments, being grateful for them and look forward to a wonderful 2023.
Happy New Year!
Enjoy your life!
-Sriranjini
Winter brings warmth and great memories for everyone. Unexpected snowfalls change our mood instantly, bringing out the shutterbug in us for photographs and videos 🙂
During the last few days leading up to the end of the year, the snowfall and the holidays kindle the creativity in us – be it decorating the house with lights or decorating the Christmas tree with artefacts or meeting friends and family or taking a vacation to de-stress our minds and so on.
New country…new experiences…and new weather have enabled me to get back to my passion for quilling and crafts; I would like to share my creations over the last two months. I was delighted to spend time teaching crafts for the middle schoolers and the community members during this holiday season to decorate their homes with wall hanging artefacts using used magazines/books.
Tutorials for the listed crafts can be found under thepaperolles.wordpress.com/tutorials/
Requesting new members, to “like” and subscribe to my Facebook page(The Paperolles) and YouTube channel(@thepaperolles20) for more ideas.
Hey everyone, I am back after a long gap.. After 2 whole years we have started with our regular routine and even though we all live in different parts of the world, our way of living has definitely changed.
I spent my free time post my regular teaching job, learning crochet and making artificial jewellery with natural stones and pearls.
I felt making jewellery for myself, family and friends was so therapeutic. I took out the bead necklace and earrings that I stopped wearing due to wear-out on the metal or due to lack of interest in the design and tried to reuse with different patterns or stringing together with different textured beads and pearls.
Jewellery making is a skill and the appreciation that the designer gets, in my observation, is very minimal. Art is not just about the money, it is about showcasing the skills using a medium such as paper or beads; beads can come in varied forms like pearl, natural stone, paper, clay, metal, acrylic and so on. The art of making the jewellery enhances the ability to plan and design according to the prevailing mood and the mindset of the designer. If the requirement is for a family member or for a friend, the designer will analyse the interest in colour, texture and preference to pearls or the natural stone of the person and design the jewellery according to their choice. The finished product reflects the time and effort dedicated by the designer. Kudos to all the designers out there who are making an effort to bring a smile on the person wearing the jewellery 🙂
As I have mentioned in my other posts, I always appreciate handmade products as the effort and the affection are visible no matter the size or texture of the artefact.
Here are some of the jewellery patterns that I enjoyed creating in recent times 🙂
Look forward to your thoughts. Remember, if you’d like to acknowledge the designer in you or someone in your known circles, just go for it and say it out loud – “Keep up the good work”
Waiting to hear your thoughts 🙂
Mandalas, meaning “circles” in Sanskrit, are known to boost the immune system, by reducing the stress, activating the brain stem, imaginative thinking and connecting with our emotions.
How emotions are linked to Mandala?
I always used to think that Mandala is very complex as it has so many concentric circles and the precision while drawing should be followed. I was so hesitant at the beginning to give it a try as I had assumed that this will induce stress instead of relaxation. When I started drawing patterns and colouring them with different shades of black, I realised that I could create patterns using strokes and it was really satisfying.
Your mood decides the pattern and how intricate the design is. The Mandala art internalises the unconscious emotions within us.
If you observe further, Mandalas go from the centre outwards. The colors and shapes indicate our sub-conscious thinking. Thereby, we are connecting with ourselves, rebuilding and freeing us from inhibitions.
My daughter and I recently started creating a few Mandala designs of our own. Thus far, it has been a very relaxing and refreshing activity during these prolonged periods of being at home.
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Try it out and share your thoughts 🙂
Regards,
Sriranjini
Hello all,
Trust this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
Neurological studies emphasize the magic of 21 days – repeating a routine for 21 days makes it a habit; well, repeating the same routine for 90 days makes it a permanent habit. With close to 3 months of staying at home, I am certain everyone would have developed some “new” positive habits and routines, that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible – be it exercising or doing yoga in the morning or just sipping hot coffee with a book in the evening. I can think of one habit that has silently crept in to all our lives (definitely mine) – hope. The hope that the pandemic situation will improve and life will approach “normal”.
A famous leader once said – “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope”.
I would like to express my gratitude to our community helpers, without whose sacrifice and tireless work, we would not have been able to fight this pandemic.
With hope, gratitude and prayers, here is a typography that I quilled during the lockdown to “Spread Good Vibes”
Thanks for your support.
– Sriranjini
From your favourite sweets to new clothes, to light and smiles everywhere, make this Diwali extra special – forget your worries and celebrate with your loved ones.
I developed a penchant for quilled jewellery and learnt several ideas from this wonderful book – “Beautiful Quilling”(Step-by-Step) byÂ
The patterns are very good and lots of pictures that clearly explain the concept. The templates for the patterns are very helpful and come in handy when we have to make the cards in short notice.
I make birthday cards to be handed over by my kids when they attend their friends’ birthday parties. I quill these cards based on their friends’ interests and my kids write a few lines about their friends. This makes my children feel good when giving and for their friends when receiving.
Ganesha made with newspaper:
Newspaper and clay are eco-friendly ways to create the idol for Ganesha Chaturthi.
Let us pledge to keep our environment and surroundings free from pollution.
Here’s to a healthy, eco-friendly and happy Ganesha Chaturthi from the Paperolles.
P.S.: I dissolve the clay Ganesha at home and use them for gardening.
Girls are the spirit of our nation.
On the 72nd Indian Independence day, let us pledge to save the girl child, protect her innocence and most importantly let them live their dreams!!!
Happy Independence day.
Jai Hind!!!
The Paperolles 