Bindi Packet Keepsake or purse photo-frame

Imprints pals, we are back. Starting off with something simple.

Did you know that the bindi, bottu or pottu that is so much a part of us Indian women, is not exactly confined to India alone? It is worn in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Of late, the trend of Western celebrities wearing it has become the topic of chatpata debates in the online world.

But to think of it, this dot between the brows has gone places! I was amazed to know that in history, Chinese women wore a form of bindi, to decorate their foreheads. Only, it was more floral.

Apparently there are communities in Africa that use tattoos on their foreheads too. Is it not wonderful, that the little dot that was once a sign of a single culture has found existence elsewhere in the world!

I do not wear it on a daily basis. But when I wear something desi and grand, I love wearing the dot, big and bright.

Sticker bindis are the trend today, a long way from those Shringar and Eyetex chand tubes of liquid our moms used, and still long way from the skillful smearing of kumkum by our grandmas.

The question is, should the sticker bindi packets stay too? I would say, do anything to keep them away from landfills.

While I wait for some superbrain to design a more eco-friendly bindi packet, I look for ways to keep out of the trash can and eventually landfill. Here is the keepsake idea I worked on.

You could stick in

• a picture of your favourite people or your wedding snap,
•  a favourite quote or simply tuck in more stickers.

Still better, throw in a post-it slip that you need to preserve.

This keepsake works superb for wallets and purses that do not have an in-built frame in them, and complements those that do. Alternatively, you could place it in a book as a bookmark, or pin it up on your office desk (so that it does not leave a hole on the actual photo in it).

Please note: the above picture I have used for representation only. There are photo edits in this, to morph faces of people, and brand name of the bindi packet.

If the brand name is some pics, it is inadvertent.

Among items you need for this quickie project, are of course the used sticker bindi packets.

This is how it works...the plastic sheet front flap of a sticker bindi packet works beautifully to give it a photo frame feel.

And we're gonna exploit just that.

The super quick procedure can take less than 10 minutes with all that you have.

You need:

- a plier or something flat to remove the staples in the packet

- a pair of scissors to trim your picture  or the piece of paper with a quote

- glue

Optional items:

- sandpaper to remove any exisiting gloss while gluing the smaller flap to the packet's rear

- Stickers to embellish

Before you proceed, make sure  you remove the staples from the packet

You could use an old ice-cream stick or spoon too for this. Use the same tools to flatten out those visible holes. If the staple holes are visible on the packet's front side, you could use tiny stickers to cover up. Just a judgement of aesthetics there.

Next up, what are you waiting for?

Go on, cut up a keepsake picture from your old photos stash, or cut out a quote...

Just make sure that the picture or paper you fix, is large enough to fit the rear flap. Also, position it so you see the portion that you want to see through the plastic frame.

Once you finish gluing the picture in, remember to glue the flap behind, to the packet. You may notice in some cases, that the packet's rear is glossy.

Here is where sandpaper comes in handy, rub it a little on the area of the packet where you must glue the flap on.

I was in the mood for kitsch big time. So here it is, stickers from my stash that became a collage. 

Here is also an example for a wedding pic. Sorry folks, have blurred out our faces on the wedding picture here.

I love books...and found a cartoon very endearing. So here it is...another option...

Go on, improvise with what you have. Write in and mail in your own versions...you can use bindis to embellish too.

They fit perfect into that party clutch of yours, or a wallet. 

Just make sure they do not enter the dustbin.

Pictures by: M Radhika

For permissions, write to: radicreative@gmail.com

Inching back

Dear faithful followers of Imprints Handmade,
Long absence from here. Thank you for checking in often. All I can say about why no posts have come up for long is, `life happens' at times, throwing one off balance. It has been one of those phases when you need to drop everything that's part of you for a while and move in another direction, out of necessity.

Am taking one step at a time to get back with my creative best. Let us hope together, that Imprints Handmade returns to churning out wonderful ideas and work by the bunch of us who have been part of it. Imprints Handmade needs your hand of support to get back into action.

May creativity flow unlimited...

Ganesha on my coffee mug

Wanna do something on a rainy day? Ran out of ideas?

Grab a permanent marker and try out something on a coffee mug. You'll be surprised how much you can come up with.

I must confess that I have never tried that. But my dear friend Ashwini of Indulge Ashscorner blog did. And am yearning to do that sometime soon. In thepicture above, Ashwini has made her favourite abstract design of Lord Ganesha, and needless to say, these mugs were an instant hit with her friends.

Out here in USA, Sharpie is a popular brand of permanent markers. Guess in India, Staedtler and Camlin would do the needful. Am looking forward to feedback from anyone who has tried them on ceramics.

All you need for this craft, is

1. Plain coloured ceramic mugs

2. Permanent markers (Sharpie, or equivalents)

3. An oven to bake them after making the design

Ashwini has some tips for this project though. 

She suggests, that you use an oil based marker as the regular marker may fad away, or scrubbing to wash may erase the design.

She says:

- a thicker design works better - for better look and holding

- bake it hot in a normal oven, at 400 deg F for 30 minutes

but as she puts it, each oven has its differences.

- hand wash the mugs, skip the dishwasher.

Since Ashwini tried these experiments with a kitchen oven here in US, she does not know how much time an OTG oven in India may take to bake it for instance.

But those who are into terracotta jewellery making could try it out in their ovens and provide feedback.

A couple of other tips I found through googling, throw up the following bits:

- a blogger notes that letting the designed mugs dry for 24 hours before baking helps

- a couple of other blogs have revealed that microwave may not be a good option

so you shall be lucky if you have a normal oven in India.

---


Pictures courtesy: Ashwini Deshpande

For permission to use the content: radicreative@gmail.com

Master strokes and tiny hands: Child Art

As an aspiring painter, I routinely browse Google Images to get inspired by masterpieces, everyday painters, blogs on drawing and painting and even try to learn from
videos online.

For years though, I have struggled to push myself, to paint. Somehow, the anxiety to create has been overwhelming. You may wonder why I am writing this post on my craft blog.

Crafting, is about creating, just like painting is. Someone who I admire greatly - an illustrator colleague with decades of experience from my earlier workplace, nudges me on each time I talk. He took to painting full time after retirement.

What he told me during my call two months back struck me the most. It prompted me to just grab the canvas and apply colour, without thinking much.

`Paint like a child. Don't wonder or fear how the painting will turn out. It has to be something that comes with your own discovery,'' he said.

This colleague went on to tell me how some painter friends, lament not being able to paint like a child, having honed themselves over the years thoroughly with techniques.

I have barely used two canvases since then, because my Artist table has been acting funny. But I started. Finally. Because I did not care how the paintings would turn out.

But am pasting here some pieces by kids of my friends and family, to make that point. Before I proceed though, here is a confession. These pictures have been sitting in my gadgets for quite a while. Apologies, dear senders, for this big a delay.

That is a picture of Snowman, by my neighbour's son Sarvesh. I love the buttons on Snowman's snow-shirt. Sarvesh, is a pre-schooler. The picture below is by my niece Smritti, who lives in Dubai. I loved her desk full of her art work. But this drawing floored me the most.

I had clicked this in her bedroom. After a few weeks, my niece sketched her dad's pic in pencil. And here it is.

Don't these pics make you fall in love with the kids even more? Straight from the heart, uncorrupted, full of love!

There is more...Scroll on.

Dia, my friend Nisha's daughter, made me want to hug her when I saw her drawing. Dia made a picture of herself among flowers in a garden.

Notice the sun, the flowers, the grass and the `V's. The big Vs are apparently Eagles, according to Dia. And the small Vs, little birds! Love you Dia, for this!

Her next one:

It is a garden picture. But also has a cat to go with it, besides a tree, and a bird flock flying above Dia's head. Love her perception. Pasted below is a self potrait. Priceless.

Refinement may make one polished with technique and craft. But watch these pictures and you marvel at a child's abandon in playing with markers and crayons on a piece of paper. No inhibitions of who will say what about the art, except may be a hug or `good job' from Mommy. They radiate innocence unblemished.

Below is a picture of Chota Bheem, the all popular cartoon character in India. My nephew Lohith who loves using his sketch pens over paper, found a white piece of styrofoam or thermocol lying around. And took to it. He is six years old. And loves Chota Bheem crazy.  His favourite hero comes alive in the sketch.

 Under guidance though, art could take on a different dimension. Scroll to understand.
Here is Chota Bheem in a coloured format, by my nephew.

And here are the sketching efforts by Smritti, through her drawing class at school.

It's how we too were taught in school - shade the objects for the right light effect. For her age - all of nine years, this is commendable effort. I would still cherish her daddy-mommy pictures which are the masterpieces.

Here is another picture, by Tamara, the beautiful school going daughter of my friend Teresa Rehman.

Many years back, an artist I met as part of work, showed me his visual novel in the making. The book was a delight. What caught my attention was the extensive use of child art in its imagery. He recalled, how every stroke by a child is poetry. You can read about it here.

And that we as adults insist on their making good pictures, with no idea of what a good picture is. He wanted to show respect to art by kids.

For those of you wondering why a post on child art now, I looked at it as a perfect way of celebrating this blog's hit count touching 1,00,000 anytime now.

Two years back, I had never dreamed of it. Now it makes me want to dream more. I hope to post more. With your continuous outpouring of love, dreams can come true after all.


Pictures Courtesy: Respective moms of the kids featured here

Permissions: These pictures may not be reused at all, for non commercial, commercial, personal work, whatever be the purpose.