Diwali decor part 2 - Toran or door hanging

I had some free time on Saturday at my work place so it gave me time to think about what else I wanted to do for my Diwali decor. I had had discussions with a colleague who had made a toran or door hanging using crochet techniques. Since I didn't have any crochet skills I decided to make a toran with things I have lying around the house. 

For this toran I have used a blouse piece someone had given me (married ladies are given gifts when they visit someone for the first time). Since this blouse piece was a random one without any matching sarees I decided to use this as my base for the toran. I also had a lot of kundan stones lying around. Now since I was trying to finish the toran as fast as possible I unfortunately did not click any pictures of the procedure. So my post will be more descriptive than pictorial.
First and foremost I had to decide on the size. I measured the dimensions of the door and the availability of space to decide on the length and height of the toran I would make. I cut the borders of the blouse piece so that i can add this separately later on. For the remaining blouse piece I cut out the dimensions I needed lengthwise and then folded and ironed the cloth according to the height specifications I had planned (i folded it twice by half and then folded into 3). Once I was happy with my dimensions I used some needle and thread to loosely stitch the blouse piece. Now I measured and cut the border pieces according to my need. I used fabric glue to stick the two ends in such a way that the loose threads of the blouse piece were covered. 
Once I was happy with the base I stuck the kundan stones and the motifs. I had 6 motifs of one kind and only one motif of the other kind so I stuck them accordingly carefully measuring the intervals at which to stick them. Then i stuck alternate red and yellow kundan stones of the same size on the top border. 

The next task at hand was to make the hanging stuff so as to add on another dimension. I had originally planned on using OHP sheets which are thick transparent sheets. But since OHP sheets are pretty out of fashion these days I could not find this in any stationary shop close to my house. Then I decided to use transparent filing sheets which you can add papers into and add into bigger folders. 

I cut 6 of the pentagon shapes I had decided on from these transparent files. I painted 3 of them yellow (fevicryl pearl golden yellow colour) and 3 of them red (fevicryl sparkling pearl poppy red colour). I used the small kundan stones again on the borders of these shapes. I used red stones on the yellow sheets and vice versa. Then I cut out and stuck small circles of the opposing colours in the centre of the pentagon shapes. I painted the ‘shri' symbols with green (fevicryl pearl green colours) in the circles. I stuck these pentagon shapes on the base I had earlier prepared.

Last but not the least I made three loops with some twine and stitched it to the back according to where the hooks are placed above our main door. 

My toran was ready and both me and my husband felt it is perfect for the festive season. Also considering the time I took to make it and the items I used it turned out beautifully.   

Diwali decor part 1- Peacock diya holders

Hi everyone. I'm posting something after a real long time. Since I recently joined work after a long break its taken some time to adjust to new routines. However, I had been mentally planning my Diwali art decor almost since I started my page. So I knew I had to somehow find time in my schedule and get down to it. 
So this is just part one of my Diwali decor preparations. 



In this post I will get into details of the procedure to make these really cute peacock diya holders. I have used Shilpakar clay from Fevicryl hobby ideas to make these.



1. The clay is basically white coloured m-seal. So it comes in two parts, the resin and hardener. These have to be mixed in equal parts until it is one uniform colour. I have used the entire packets in one small box of clay (costs INR 15/-). Once it is mixed completely you get one round ball of clay as can be see in the picture labelled as 1. Once this is ready you need to work fast since the clay starts to harden in about an hours time.
2. Take a small ball of clay from this and flatten it with a rolling pin. I use an old deo bottle wrapped in baking paper. Following this, I have used a round shape from the lid of a salt dispenser to cut out the round shape.
3. Once the round shape is cut, make the edges even. This round shape forms the base for the diya holder.
4. Take another small ball of clay and roll it into a long tube of suitable thickness. To the round base line this tube to form the border. Cut any remaining part of the tube that is not required. Using the tool try to shape the edges of the tube so that it combines with the edge of the round base. This is so that it binds together. 
5. Take another small tubular piece of clay as seen in picture.
6. Attach this to the existing structure to form the neck and face of the peacock. You might need to hold this in position for sometime either with your finger or you can gently rest this againsta support. This is needed until the clay slightly becomes firmer else it will sag as soon as you let go.



7. Use the rolling pin to flatten another piece of clay. Make it as big as possible.
8. Cut it into the shape as shown in the picture and make the grooves. This is for the back wing which opens out in the peacock. The bigger you make this the better.
9. Attach this to the back part of the existing structure. At this point it also helps to support this back wing with something to curve it. I have used the same deo bottle that I used for rolling the clay.
10. Meanwhile to make the side wings flatten smaller pieces of clay and shape it as seen in the picture.
11. Attach the side wings as shown. I have also attached the tiny coiled tubes on the head.
12. Let the entire thing dry and harden.
13. Paint it and it will be ready. I have used fevicryl colours to paint. I first painted the whole thing with sparkling pearl dark blue. For the back wing and neck I also painted on top with sparkling pearl emerald green. In addition to give the look and feel of feathers I made small yellow circles on the back wing. In the centre of the yellow circles I also painted the emerald green and dark blue colours in a concentric manner. I also used white and brown colours to highlight the eyes and beak.

And with that my diya holder is ready. I still have to buy my diyas and thus don't have a picture with It. Will update the post when i have the same.