DIY Mosaic Tile Mirror

Heloow peeps, 

We know that selecting and fixing tiles, applying grout, rubbing off excess & sealing it all up is the normal procedure anyone follows to build a bathroom. I, on the other hand, followed the same process to create this pretty & colorful mosaic tile mirror ! 😄 

Let's dive right into the materials needed and the process that I followed.

Materials Needed:

1. Foamboard or Cardboard base
2. Hot Glue gun
3. Mosaic Mercantile Tile Adhesive
4. Mosaic Mercantile Grout (White/grey according to preference - I used white)
5. 1x1 inch Mosaic Tiles 
6. Round flat mirror
7. Rope / Floral Wire 
8. Scissors
9. Xacto Knife
10. Pencil
11. Spatula
12. Masking Tape(optional)
13. Washcloth / Rags

Procedure:

• Take the desired size of cardboard / foam board and outline the circumference of the round mirror at the center of the board. 
• Mark the desired circumference of the entire artwork on the foam board and cut off the extra portion using the Xacto knife, now we have a round base.
• Mark two spots where you want to place the hanging wires and make two incisions.
• Pass the rope or floral wire through it and tie them securely. 
• Hot glue the spots to secure it in place. Now we have the hanger wire ready.
• Place the round flat mirror exactly on the spot where you marked the outline earlier in Step 1 and hot glue it in place.
• Start arranging the individual tiles one by one in concentric circles and glue them using the Mosaic mercantile adhesive.
• 
• Make desired number of rows of mosaic tiles in concentric circles. In this example, I made 6-7 rows.
• Let the glue dry for 8-9 hours or preferably overnight.
• Cover the Mirror using a masking tape (This step is optional since the grout comes off easily while wiping)
• Using a spatula, spread the premixed grout mixture over the entire tile surface evenly so that it fills up the crevices and gaps between tiles.
• 
•  Follow the package instructions to let dry and after the specified time, use a damp washcloth/ rag to gently wipe off all the messy excess grout that is stuck on the surfaces.
• Avoid vigorous scrubbing as this could remove the grout in between the tiles as well.
• Let dry for 24 hours. 
• 
• The Mosaic tile mirror is now ready to be displayed on your walls. 

Describing the Northern Lights of Iceland !

Hello there ! This post has been pending for way too long before I just have to post something ! So here I go...!

every little miracle that surrounds us even in the most regular of days & that we occupyonly a tiny place in this grand scheme of cosmic play upon the vast rock called earth ! 
x

We took a week-long trip to this picturesque nordic paradise strewn generously with nature that is untouched by humans for the most part. Most of our adventure was done with our ride and stay in one - the campervan. We covered coast to coast in the East, West and Southern parts of Iceland and saw plentiful hidden jewels. But the most exciting part of our Winter Wonderland excursion was getting to see the Northern Lights phenomenon, also called as Aurora Borealis. 

We waited anxiously for three nights in a row to get a glimpse of these lights and I must say that it was one of the most exhilarating experiences that I've ever had in my life. They first appeared bleakly behind those mountains, first as a bright grey cloud and then grew stronger and stronger until they became a brilliant fluorescent green. This was such a grand entrance, I could barely contain my excitement; it was simply magical..🧙🏼‍♀️✨✨ 

As a child, I’ve read all about the Aurora phenomenon.. But when I saw it in real life, I must say I simply lost my mind..!! I felt such ultimate happiness to have witnessed this spectacle.

We were staring at the endless sky, watching these dancing lights, forgetting the fact that the harsh winter weather and brutal winds were becoming almost unmanageable. But those few hours, it was a torrid affair between us and the skies, despite all odds. I believe, we also saw a teeny hint of purple and pink. The ginormous waterfall just beneath it was barely the center of attraction anymore. 

They swirled and swirled endlessly, like gleaming curtains of fluorescent fire in the clear, cloudless starry sky. 

This particular bone-chilling, frigid winter night, I will never forget. We finally came to terms with one bucket-list item of a lifetime. We saw these incredible, incredible lights dancing over us like iridescent emerald curtains, snaking, swirling & swaying their way around those starry skies, reminding us ever so often that we have to be thankful for every little miracle that surrounds us even in the most regular of days & that we occupy only a tiny place in this grand scheme of cosmic play upon the vast rock called earth ! 

Learning Pyrography

Hello peeps,

I've been experimenting with some serious wood burning stuff lately and trust me, it was fun. I just started off with a basic wood burning kit with temperature control and a bunch of different tips came along with it.  

Below are pictures of some of the stuff I tried out. As for the colors, I used watercolor paints.

I tried wood burning basically on any workable piece of wood I had, like that chopping board !!  I am listing below all of the stuff needed to make some cool decor.  

Materials needed: 

• Wood round slices (Got them at Target for $5 )
• Wood burning kit with temp control and tips
• A print out of your favorite piece of art or quote
• Carbon paper for tracing the patterns
• Pencils and Eraser 
• Watercolors and brushes

I started off by tracing the outlines of my favorite quotes and pictures as well as some freehand drawings.

The real wood working starts when I plugged in my wood burning kit at a protected and well ventilated space and let it heat up.

Use a spare piece of wood or the actual piece's backside to test and control the amount of heat and the resulting burns on the wood. Take care not to touch the tip of the pen at any point of time. Use pliers if you have to change the tips.

Run the wood burning pen along the outlines or fill up the inside with patterns of choice. 

Use watercolors if needed to shade your patterns. 

Your very own wood burnt decor is ready ! 

DIY Sunburst Mirror

Hello there !

Back again with a super pretty home decor this time. We may have come across this pretty piece of wall decor at many stores.

The good part is, they are so eye catching and very elegant and almost instantly, you picture it hanging in the walls of your own home. And so, as your hand itches to pick it up and take a look, you notice their whopping prices in the tags ! Your mind voice cries out "Pagal Kollai" (which roughly translates to "daylight robbery"). Utterly disappointed, you put them back in the shelves at head back home empty handed.

Ahh we've all been there ! So, I came across this idea online about how you can make your own sunburst mirror for almost a next to nothing price compared to those fancy thangs out there !! :D
So let's get started.

You will need:

A flat round mirror (mine is about 6-8 inch in diameter)
Skewer sticks made of bamboo or similar wood
Hot Glue gun
Card board for the backing (optional)
Tiny mirrors about the size of a Rupee or quarters and smaller than that
Ruler and pencils
Gold Spray paint
Masking tape (optional)
Rope to tie and hang the work

Procedure:

• To start off with, chop the bamboo skewers into various lengths as small, medium and large depending on how long or short you prefer.
• Spray paint them individually in the color of your choice. I used gold color for a classic look. You can also spray paint the skewers after sticking them to the mirror, but make sure to cover the mirror surface with masking tape.
• Heat the glue gun and follow a repetitive pattern as small , medium, large, etc., to glue the skewers all around the mirror from behind, so that they look like sun's rays coming from behind the mirror.

Source : Internet 

• Once it dries, proceed to glue the tiny mirrors on the outer tips of each of the skewer, this time the mirror is at the top of the skewer. 
• Place the tiniest mirrors randomly in the skewers in the mid area.
• Secure the ropes on the backside with glue gun or run them through the cardboard backing.

Now the pretty sunburst mirror is ready !
 Happy Crafting !!

4 days in Dubai !

Hello folks,

I know it's been a while. Nevertheless, I am back with another travel post for you guys to check out !
Here I am sharing with you on what we did during our 4-5 day stay in Dubai. Oh, did I tell y'all that we made a quick stopover at Abu Dhabi too 😊

Day 1 : Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Ferrari World

We had our early morning flight from Washington DC to Dubai and we reached during the day in Dubai. Since we had almost a whole day left ahead of us, we ignored our jet lag and drove 1.5 hrs to Abu Dhabi to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque and other highlights in the city. And boy, I was mind blown when I set my eyes on the white mosque glimmering in the sunlight even from a distance. We spent around 3 hours seeing this pretty place and taking in all of the amazing and peaceful feeling that is white architectural marvel had to offer ! Mind you, there is a dress code for both men and women. Women have to wear clothes that cover their arms and legs fully , if not there is a counter that provides the Abaya for free. And likewise, no leg show for men, they must wear pants or they can pick up their white Thawb clothes.

A short distance away is the Ferrari World which is essentially a theme park that hosts the world's fastest roller coaster. Apart from the thrill rides, people can generally walk and shop around the place, see all the Ferrari model cars or grab dinner at one of the many restaurants here.

We got back from Abu Dhabi to our hotel in Dubai around late night, tired AF, called it a day and drifted off to sleep almost instantly 😴

Day 2 : Dubai Miracle Garden, Burj Khalifa , Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach, Tresind and Dubai Marina 

The next morning we had a bunch of places to see and we started off with the all famous Dubai Miracle Garden. The weather had just started becoming warmer and we spent about two hours seeing all the pretty flower arrangements and garden that bloom all year around. Some of the click worthy spots in there were the real Boeing plane covered with leaves and flowers and the arches here and there but pretty much every inch of the garden was so beautiful.

After that we went over to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the whole wide world. Lo and Behold, it went endlessly up, up and all the way into the sky. We caught glimpses of it here and there even as we drove across the city, but up close it was a magnificent sight. We walked into the building and on to the Observation deck at the 124th floor for a birds eye view of the city. We had booked the tickets in advance for this.

Afterward, we shopped around a bit in the mall and by the evening we went to the Jumeirah Beach and checked out the Burj Al Arab during sunset.

After that, we had an extravagant and beautiful dinner at the Tresind Restaurant. It offered Indian cuisine, but in molecular gastronomy style 😎  I must say it was one of the best fine dining experiences of my life and a must do in Dubai. I must do a whole write up about the wonderful cuisine here.

Deconstructed Pani poori looked like this to say the least.

Our day was not over yet, we visited the dancing fountains in front of the Burj Khalifa. It was quite similar to the one in Vegas but this one danced to some peppy Arabian music :P And then we went to the Dubai marina late at night and walked quite a bit in the boardwalk, watching the lit up skyscrapers in the night sky ! Do not forget to check the twisted building of Dubai- the Cayan Tower ; a modern architectural marvel that I loved there 😌

 Day 3 : Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis the Palm, Global Village , Desert Safari 

Since we had booked a boat tour of the palm Island, we went to the Dubai Marina again the next morning but unfortunately , the tour was canceled due to inclement weather 😕 So, we drove our way to the Palm Island, spent sometime at the Palm Jumeirah boardwalk and went to Atlantis the Palm resort for a quick snack.

Then we went to the then newly built Dubai Water Canal. We walked up the arrow bridge taking in the city views and photobombing a videographer shooting a dancing sequence 😝 The place was virtually empty otherwise and the mellow music from those invisible speakers there added more serenity.  TBH, the entire neighborhood was quite similar to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills California, upscale, classy and all. 😎😎😎

Afterward, we checked out the Global village. It is a huge expo with exhibits, souvenirs, food and specialties from all corners of the world. I loved the miniature replica of the famous architecture from all over the world. I was lost in this whole new world for quite sometime.

Then we went for our desert safari along with some Arabian Nights special shows like the belly dance, fire dance, camel rides, etc., and then finally had a dinner out there in the desert camp. This took up the entire evening and by the time we reached our hotel we were dead and drifting 😏

Day 4 : Gold Souk, spice market and Dubai Mall

Dubai is truly a shoppers paradise in every sense. We went to the Spice souks and purchased a whole lot of those lovely spices and the tastiest dates we have ever eaten. As we meandered our way into the crooked streets we came across a variety of shops that sold fancy stuff. People sell knock off branded bags, shoes, watches, etc., in here all the time. The Gold souk houses a variety of yellow gold ornaments at very reasonable prices.

And then we found our way into the Dubai mall. Boy oh boy, the place is endless !! It houses a skating rink and a full sized aquarium in addition to all of the stores in there. There are taxis to get from one end to the other end of the mall 😲 After miles of walking and tonnes of shopping, I was ready to drop dead but smiling from ear to ear 😄

That completed our last day in Dubai and as we boarded our flight and got back home, I realized that Dubai truly is a country that screams Go Big or Go Home !!

The art of Paper Cutting ~ Paper Cutting Leaf

Very recently, I got to know of this lovely art of paper cutting through a friend. At first my mind went "Whoaaaaa, that's too advanced for me" . It looked so intricate and delicately made. It in fact, mimics a thin lace fabric with a lot of attention to detail.After contemplating whether or not I should venture into this kind of art, I decided to give it a try 😎 Coz why not ?!

So I went ahead and bought a size 1 craft knife in the brand X-acto. It is used for precision handcrafting like this paper cutting. I used a regular A4 sheet of paper and my regular work surface.
Please note that the knife is really sharp and if kids want to try this , adult supervision is required.

And I started off with drawing an template of the shape I wanted to make, in this case - leaves. This work requires a lot of patience as I sat about cutting out minuscule triangles and diamonds inside the outline leaving out certain borders where I wanted to place the veins.
After about 5 to 6 hours of meticulous cutting and removing the pieces of paper , I had with me a beautiful and delicate piece of art !

               

I am planning to try out different shapes and styles too in the future. As for these two regular leaf and maple leaf patterns, I got them Framed 😍

Hope y'all have fun making this ! Ciao 🙋

Random Rants of a crazy soul !

If you want unconditional true love, marry someone that can give you just that or get a dog 😀

And I have both , so bbbbbbuuuuurrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈