The family creative workshop series

I first came across the family creative series books at the Army library in Bangalore. My uncle, who is a defence personnel would take me there and I would head straight to the arts and crafts section. And there it would be, the family creative workshop series- 24 beautiful hard bound editions with beautiful pics and illustrations on so many crafty topics, Many of which I had never even heard about before. What also took me by surprise is how the books seemed to give equal importance to a seemingly trivial craft (say, paper plate masks) to something like leatherworking.I really liked this approach. After all, if paper plate mask making makes you happy, that is what you should do.

Years later at an university book fair, I found a book called the 'Golden family craft treasury' the pics looked familiar  and I was elated to find out that the book was a selection from the books of the family creative series.

Recently  when I saw these books in the bargain bin sale at betterworldbooks.com,I just had to grab them. i was skeptical about shipping 5 hard bound books across the globe, but when I saw they were free shipping too, I decided to give it a go. The books arrived weeks later than what was said, but boy were they worth the wait, 5 books filled with beautiful projects, pictures, crafts I have never even heard of and most of all oodles of inspiration.
Last week, I found two more of the books at blossoms- the used book store in Church street Bangalore. They were not in as good condition as the betterworldbooks.com ones, but much cheaper.

Now my goal is to complete the collection. Each book is a joy, wonderful hardbound editions with production quality you just do not just see these days. These are perfect for someone like me who loves books and is a sucker for all things vintage. These books combine them in a neat little hardbound package.

The books are a little worn out on the outside but mostly intact inside.

 The covers itself has beautiful drool worthy pictures.

When I saw this needle lace house I just had to try it out.

Only to find out that it required just too much patience, which unfortunately I did not have.
I also tried my hand at making ice creams,

 which were the best ice creams I ever had, with a wonderful creamy texture, I never knew home made ice creams could be this good.

I leave you with some more pictures from the books.

In which I make myself a Batik Tjanting.

I love batik and have always found the process fascinating. The abstract designs, the wax resist process, the spider-weby cracks, the imperfections in the patterns everything about it calls out to me.

Last year, I took a class with Kanal shah on batiks. Oh the joy of it, the cracks in the wax that you cannot predict, the uncertainty of what the final pattern will look like- it certainly is my kind of craft. Though Kanal prefers to use brushes to apply the wax resist to the fabrics, she did bring a couple of Tjantings with her. We got to try them at the class. The tjantings produce more well defined lines than the brushes and can be used to draw detailed patterns. I had decided then that I would definitely try to get one once I start batik-ing. While trying to procure one I realized that is not easily available in India and it is really expensive to get one from abroad.

The Batik I made in class.

While searching for tjantings online, I realised that these were very simple tools and something I could make myself quite easily. Hey, I am a metal smith after all. The tjanting is a really simple tool, a cup to hold the wax, a tube to direct the wax and something to hold it with. So I decided to make a diy batik tjanting.
True to form of course, I bought all the supplies, ordered the dyes and then forgot about it for a year. Recently, I dug up supplies and decide to give batik-ing a go. I also made the tjanting. I am so happy with how it turned out. It was so so easy to make, also I made it with stuff I had lying around the house. Scraps of brass sheet, an old paintbrush, a soldering blowpipe ( I never really got the hang of using one) and some scrap brass wire.

Some process pictures,

Cutting out the discs using my Jumbo disc cutter

Tools and materials used

Soldering the pipe to the bowl.

I later realised the above step was not necessary at all. As long as the pipe fit into the hole snugly, once dipped into the wax, the wax itself held them together well.

Here it is

The Tjanting

The handle is different from the one in the first pictures, I decided this one had a better grip.

Diy Tjanting in use.

Feel free to write to me in comments below if you have any queries regarding making a diy tjanting.

Refinishing a flea market find.

So...
It's been over an year now. I often started to write another post, but never got around to it. The list that I posted a picture of in my last post has also not progressed much.
The one item that is ticked off in the list is the refinishing of a box. This was a flea market find and I really like what I was able to do with it.

Lots of sanding and elbow grease and fillers and staining were involved...

The inside of the box is still unfinished as now, but I am really happy about how the box turned out.

Updates.

So, three posts ago I had posted that I was going to give blogging another shot. I had written that I would try to write more regularly and if it was not happening, I would say that blogging was not my cup of tea.
Well...
It has been three years now, so yes, not much blogging has happened and I probably should call it quits. But it seems I cannot let go of it as yet, I feel like I should give it another shot and so here I am. Another reason I am donning the blogger act again is because I shifted homes recently and realised that I have so many many MANY projects lying around the house unfinished. So, my dear friends, 2015 is going to be the year that I finish My WIP's. Some of them are projects am sure a lot of people would be interested in. Hence, the blog revival :-).
I even managed to write down the bigger ones and make a list.

Forgive the illegible handwriting, but as you can make out, I have already completed one project!
I will be posting it soon.
Now, the updates in my life and for the blog.
===================================

• I have renamed this blog( yet again). Since I make jewellery full time, I thought the blog and my jewellery brand should have the same name. 
•  My jewellery making journey has been fantastic so far. From making beaded jewellery, I moved to wire wrapped jewellery and now I have 'graduated' to metalsmithing.
•  I now have a studio set up at home that I am mighty proud of.
•  Over the past few years I have discovered facebook groups and now few of my closest friends in Bangalore are people I have met in these groups. Yay for social networking.
•  I have explored and discovered so much of this city. I hope to share what I know here.

Corn husk dolls

We were at the park last weekend, J, Hadi and I. Picked up some corn husks and made a doll. This is supposed to be a native american craft. The instructions are from "The family creative workshop series" . One day, I will do a post on this wonderful, now out of print craft encyclopedia. For now, I leave you with my rather crooked-ly smiling corn-y doll.

Bottles and cord

Lately I have been playing with bottles and cord-some macrame, some calming winding...

It's been ages... A year to be exact

I look at my last blog post and gasp! , it's been more than a year since I ve written anything here. I keep feeling that blogging might not be my cup of tea. Though I see these gorgeous blogs around internet and want one too. I think I will give it one more shot and If it is still months before i have a post, I think, I will stop.

This last year has been pretty busy and rewarding for me. I finally got around to setting up my jewellery business, learned a lot of techniques, even met a few like minded people and participated in a couple of exhibitions.

so here is a peek into what I ve been doing this past year.

Recently, I ve trying to set up a small supplies business too. More on that later. Hopefully I will keep up with  blogging.