Creativity for Wellness
This year my creative goal is to do a few things that I shied away from in the past.
Sewing with fabric is on that list. I created my first pillow and shared here this years.
And sketching portraits is too. Recently, I read a book called Portrait Revolution that encouraged me to give it a go. So here goes. My girls – the older one reading to her sister in bed, pencil on paper.
Soooo… I have a copy of Somerset Apprentice Spring 2017 issue to give away!!!
Stampington & Company was super generous to offer me a copy to give away because I am one of their featured artists in this issue. Can I please just SQUEAL because I AM SO EXCITED!!! You have to see all the fabulous artwork in this issue. They are as you would expect from a Stampington publication.
To enter to win a copy of this issue, leave a comment to this post – tell me what kind of projects YOU love to make.
WordPress requires you to leave your name and email – name, so I know who you are and email so I can contact you if you are the winner. I will not share your email with anyone, so don’t worry!
I’ll keep the giveaway open from 4/6 -4-12. Everyone is welcome to enter, no matter where you live. One entry per person please. I’ll pick one winner and announce here on 4/13. Then I’ll ask you to email me your address so I can send you the prize.
Feel free to share the giveaway link ( https://mousaha.com/giveaway/) with your friends and GOOD LUCK to you all!
I always take a few art supplies with me when I travel. Just a sketchbook, a few color pencils, a black pen, some sort of watercolor paints and a brush or two. I look for little pockets of time to draw or color something. Nothing elaborate, just a quick sketch of what’s in front of me or something I saw, snippets from magazines or a photo I took because it’s not always possible to sit down on the spot to draw. And some brush lettering. Here are a couple of quick watercolors from the cruise.
On the second night of our cruise, we sat down to figure out what shore excursions we could go on. That task usually is not easy because we have different interests. None of the kids are old enough to go on any excursion by themselves. Jia is too young for most things. If I could help it, I would just pitch an umbrella and sit with my sketchbook but that is not doable at the moment. So, we divide and rule. Ashis takes one, I take the other two. He keeps the younger two, while I take the oldest shopping and so on. Plus, Nini is getting into photography and we go on photo walks together.
Everything in Nassau was heavenly! This was my second time to the Bahamas. Nini went snorkeling with Ashis. We all went on the glass bottom boat to the reef and saw colorful fishes. We took in sights all around us on this sunny day on the island surrounded by turquoise waters. I loved this lighthouse. We shopped for jewelry. When we came back to the boat, we took quick showers, had some snacks and I settled down to paint the lighthouse before the daylight died down.
Helllllooooo!!!
We are back from our spring break cruise to the Bahamas! Here’s the story of our trip in pictures.
Leaving the cold and rainy weather behind was not hard. As we drove to Cape Liberty to our cruise terminal, I took this photo of the Harbor Pointe light house. Blurry as it was on a cloudy, rainy day, it was still beautiful!
Car parked. Luggage out. Family shot.
First view from the cabin on board of the Anthem. Bon Voyage!
Since I take all the photos, I’m never in them. So, here’s one mirror selfie!
Day 1 was sea day. Nini and I took our cameras and explored the ship. Found several pieces of amazing art all around.
The Pulse Spiral by Rafael Lozano Hemmer, is a grand chandelier with 200 light bulbs that pulses rhythmically to heart beats. We added our own heart beats to this mix by placing our hands on the metal plate.
Also loved Andrew Myers’ Topographical Facial Series 1-4 and Kerry Miller’s Flowering Plants of Great Britain.
The first few times we passed by this chair, we found an older gentleman fast asleep on it. Much to my daughter’s frustration, we came back to it one more time and took this photo.
Because of inclement weather, our itinerary got an overhaul. Day 2 was no longer to be a day in Cape Canaveral but another sea day.
We made it to Coco Cay on day 3.
EVERYONE LOVED THE SAND, SURF AND SUN!!!
Ashis floated around in a surf mat for hours.
After that the boys went back to the ship with the baby and I stayed back on the island with Nini for shopping. Some cool local handicrafts and musical instruments were bought.
Day 4, we were at Nassau. We spent the whole day in the island. Ashis took Nini for snorkeling with the shore excursions.
Around noon, I took Ayush and Jia for our glass bottom boat excursion to the coral reef. Ashis and Nini made it back from their snorkeling trip just in time to hop on the boat. When we came back, Ashis took baby Jia back to the ship while Ayush and Nini came shopping with me.
This gentleman is a young police officer and was happy to pose for a picture with Ayush!
Oh the colors of this Bahamian island!
After a while, Ayush was done walking. So we took him back to the ship. Changed. And came back out again for more photos and shopping!!! Pretty jewelries were bought for this young lady!
The kids were the most excited to reach Port Canaveral on Day 5! It was strangely emotional to go back to Florida again, but this time as a tourist.
Jia embraced the ocean with open arms! Looks like she too is a sea girl at heart.
One word: BLISS.
I came to Tampa, Florida back in December 1999, a week after I got married. I had left my home and family back in India. A new phase of my life began unfolding in the gulf coast. We built our first home from ground up. We had our three children. We got our first puppy, Brave. Then sixteen and a half years later, we had to move. To New Jersey. Ayush and Nini were beyond upset. Jia was too young to know. I steeled myself and left my neighbors and friends behind who had become family to us. I promise you, I did not cry as we drove off 10748 Plantation Bay Drive at 3.20 pm on July 17th, 2015. But as the ship sailed away from Cape Canaveral, it hit me that I had left home once again. My Jia will not go to NASA for school field trips. Or pet manatees in ocean reserves. Or have an annual pass to Disney and Sea World. Or smell like chlorine swimming in the home pool. Yes, she will do other things in New Jersey. But that’s a part of our lives she will only know from our stories.
An excess of food was consumed EVERY SINGLE DAY. Desserts were had even at breakfast. Can’t tell if we liked the taste or the look more!
A large debate was had over whether this towel beauty was a peacock or a turkey.
At 6.30 am on Sunday, 4/2/17 the Anthem of the Seas docked at Cape Liberty.
One last photo was taken on the cabin balcony.
Luggage was hauled. Customs cleared. Last photo of the Anthem was taken from the parking garage.
And then, we drove back to routine. From luxury to comfort. Exhausted. Somewhat sunburnt. Happy. Full of beautiful memories and stories to tell.
May the April showers wash away all the worries and pain and difficulties…
I spent most of March either waiting at a doctor’s office or in a lab or on the phone trying to get appointments, reports, release forms.
For my oldest whose heart rate dropped remarkably out of the blue.
For my youngest.
For my middle child who slipped in the snow while playing and hit a tree.
I was dealing with the black eye, swelling, pain but when I was sent to the radiologist to get his skull film to check for fractures, I felt I have reached the end of my line.
I’m trying REALLY HARD to believe that this too shall pass.
Boy, life is MESSY! When you least expect, a curveball hits you hard out of nowhere and knocks you down! It was terrifying sitting at the doctor’s office watching my daughter undergo an ECG. Still very hard for me to wrap my brain around this!
For all my Irish friends, a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!
My home surrounded by snow. The yard is under at least 12 inches.
Tried something new-to-me here… I appliquéd and sewed this house shaped pillow from scratch!
I have had a sewing machine for some time but I have only always used it to stitch paper to paper. Sewing fabric intimidates me. I’m not exactly sure, why! My mom and her mom could both sew well and were both self-taught. I still remember that one time on our way to my swim club, my mom stopped at a fabric store and bought a piece of very pretty fabric remnant and a skein of crochet thread. She had a crochet hook in her purse. During the three hours that I trained, she sat there and crocheted a beautiful lace pattern. After we finished dinner that night, mom pulled out her sewing machine. In the next hour, she brought her crochet piece and the remnant fabric together to create a unique dress for me! Me, I was proud to wear that dress and so proud of my mom. But I never dared to venture into that territory myself. Isn’t it strange how we hem ourselves in into believing we can’t do some things?
The idea for this pillow began in my head at Creativation 2017 in Phoenix in January quite by chance. I was doing demos at the Faber-Castell booth and Tea Stain Dyes was one of the products I was working with. I was showing and telling visitors how to prepare the dye baths and dipping fabrics in them. A lady walked up to me and asked me if I would like to make a pillow. I hesitated. She gave me a small bag of fiber-fill. I wasn’t sure. At the end of the show, I collected a few of the dry dyed demo samples that are usually discarded, and brought them home with me. The post-show work kept me busy for a month. Then preparing for the next assignment took up my time. Finally, I did a little spring cleaning and reorganization in my studio last weekend and recovered the the six little dyed cotton squares I had brought home.
Even though I never sew, I have a small fabric collection of my own. I sometimes use bits and pieces in my art journals. I dug through my bin and found some natural unbleached cotton fabric. After some experiments with the sewing machine and needle and thread, I had sewn myself a tiny house and a house-shaped pillow case. I cut open the bag of fiber-fill from the show and began stuffing. Before long, I had made a little pillow.
Now, my pillow has a bazillion flaws. But here it is, in the spirit of keeping it real and trying new things!
I still have some fiber-fill left. I might have another go at making a small pillow! Who knows, I might even end up with a couch full of ’em… only time will tell.