Birthday giveaway - awesome totes!

It is my birthday again. Yay!

And this year for my birthday I have decided to be extremely generous and do a giveaway on my blog. :D

I have put in all my heart and soul and love and made these four grocery totes. So some lucky four people will get to flaunt them.

I have also made these totes because I like a good environment and I want to urge people to stop using plastic bags.

So basically I am an awesome person.

Here is a picture of the totes again - to lure you – simple rules to follow and you could be a proud owner of one of these.

1.  Post a comment on this post saying good things about me because I am a narcissist and I love reading good things about me. Also make a promise on the comment that you will refrain from using plastic grocery bags and use these instead.
2. Like my Facebook page because I wish to start getting popular. K  
3. Follow my blog. Come on that is not too difficult, right? And you guys don’t want to miss the giveaways that I host again.
4. Optional – Sing “bharon, maang meri bharon” in your most sensual voice, record it and send it to me on my mail id mentioned on my “About me" page. This is because I can do with some smiles on my birthday. Though this is optional, I would love it. And just be happy I haven't asked to do the Mamata Kulkarni moves, record it and send it to me.
5. Totally optional and only if you really feel like it – Share this post on your Facebook page.

 
      So there you go! Easy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on 12^th April. I will be choosing the winners in an extremely fair manner through the Rafflecopter lucky winner random selection. The winners will be announced on my blog on 13^th April.

Good luck!

I bedazzled my bathroom... and a revelation about the bathroom ghost.

Bedazzling set

Ri, for his birthday, got this box of ‘bedazzle the creepy crawlies’ from his cousins. I was obviously thrilled because bedazzling is awesome. It is the next best thing to watching an elephant poop. 

Seriously.  We took Ri to a circus last week and the elephant, while playing cricket just pooped in the ring. That was probably the most fascinating thing I had watched in the longest time. It was the first time that I saw an elephant poop and I was amazed. Anyway, this post is not about elephant poo. This is about bedazzling.

So we I got bedazzling the creepy things over the weekend and they looked lovely. I mean, who does not like giant lizards and geckos? And then when bedazzled with beads and gems and sparkly bits, they are irresistible.

Bedazzled lizard!

Once I was done with all the glitter, I stuck them in the bathroom. Well, that was not it. These sparkly bits came on tiny square sticker paper and had a lovely sparkly boundary. They looked so lovely that I did not have the heart to throw them away. So I peeled them off and stuck them in the bathroom as well.

The edges of the sparkly squares up on my bathroom walls. They do sparkle but that is not visible in this photograph.

So now I have the most amazing bedazzled bathroom in the world.

What was not amazing about all of this was that there was no reaction about the bathroom from SSM.

Me: Haven’t you peed all day today?

SSM: I have! Why?

Me: Don’t you look around you when you pee?

SSM: Erm… I usually do not, but I have noticed all the weird things you have stuck around.

Me: Why haven’t you reacted then?

SSM: (Shrugs) I did not know how to react.

Me: HOW THE HELL WILL I WRITE BLOG POSTS IF YOU STOP REACTING?

SSM walks away humming Bunty aur Bubly.

So basically SSM has become really boring.

But then something really absurd happened...

Remember my house ghost? The one who was in the kitchen and then in the bathroom? Well, apparently he does not seem to like the bedazzling much either. He has walked out of the bathroom.

And this is how I am sure about it:

Ri has yhis hand-me-down computer from his cousin. This means that this computer is old, really old. It is over ten years old.

Ri hadn’t played with it for a while and hence when Ri expressed his desire to play with it I had to change its batteries. As soon as I did that and pressed the ‘On’ key, the computer started talking in Spanish! (or what I thought was Spanish)! 

I have seen my niece play with this computer for years. I have seen Ri play with it for almost four years now. THE DAMN THING HAS NEVER SPOKEN IN SPANISH OR ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH.

I grabbed the computer and started checking all the keys, there was no key or button anywhere on that computer that indicated language or change language. No. This was just plain weird behaviour. It was funny that this should have happened on the day I bedazzled the bathroom. That is how I realised that it was the ghost. My ghost was now haunting the computer. I do not know what else would he do next. 

But At least we now know that the ghost is Spanish (or whatever that language is).So I have enrolled for online Spanish classes. It is important.

I changed the placement of the batteries this time and the computer got back to English. It hasn't spoken in Spanish since then. Maybe it will when I start talking Spanish.

When will people understand creativity?

I was sitting on the bed, reading. That is when SSM walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. (No, this is not an erotic post.) And then the following conversation took place.

SSM: You know, a funny thing just happened and I have a feeling you might have an explanation for it.

I looked up from the book and raised my eyebrows.

SSM: I had a bath and then I was wrapping the towel around my waist when I noticed that the towel does not seem to cover me up right. Please explain.

Me: Oh that; I cut it up.

SSM: You, what?

Me:  I cut up the towel. And you are right it is not covering you up properly. The thigh look sexy.

SSM: (with a deep breath) Why would you cut my towel?

Me: I needed it.

SSM: For what?

Me: To make a cover for the weighing scale.

SSM: Why my towel? And why on earth does the weighing scale need a cover. I mean you don’t even use the damn weighing scale.

Me: Exactly my point. Because I do not use it, it needs to be taken care of and hence the cover. And your towel was nice and soft; just exactly right for the weighing scale.

SSM: That makes no sense.

Me: It will once you see the cover... Check this out

SSM: Fat to Fit! How innovative!

Me: You know I am bad with blog titles. Stop sneering.

SSM: This is not a blog. What is wrong with you?

I grunted and got back to my book. SSM walked to the wardrobe.

SSM: Hey I can’t find my grey trousers.

Me: Do you ever find anything around the house.

SSM: No, seriously, I can’t find them.

Me: Oh, the grey one?

SSM: Yes

Me: The one you look really good in.

SSM: Seriously? You never told me that.

Me: Well, Yes, you did look very good in them

SSM: Did? You said that in past tense?

Me: Erm, the grey trousers… I cut 'em up.

SSM: WTF

Me: You know I saw this really awesome quilt design made out of old trousers. It was awesome. I just had to make it.

SSM: Those were not old trousers. They were good ones.

Me: Exactly, they will make a good quilt.

SSM: You are insane

Me: I know. Erm… by the way, I also cut up your brown trouser.

SSM: NO! WHAT! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?

Me: Relax. You will not be upset once you get a glimpse of the quilted bed sheet that I am making.

SSM: What the hell is that? Who is ever going to sleep on that?

Me: Arre, it is not made yet. This is just a bit of it. It will look awesome once made. And anyway one does not sleep on a bed sheet. One sleeps on a bed cover. (The last line was not part of the conversation but just a few days ago I went shopping for bed sheets, with a friend and that is where I learnt the difference between a bed sheet and a bedcover. So, I am just showing off my newly acquired knowledge. Ha!) 

SSM: Are you mad? ARE YOU MAD? ARE. YOU. MAD?

Me: Relax! Why are you getting so worked up? You have enough trousers and you will be buying more during Pujas. Come to think of it, I don’t have a single trouser in my wardrobe.

SSM: Yes, you don’t. And that is because... you do not wear them!

Me: I could wear a trouser if I had one.

SSM: (with a deep sigh) There is no point talking to you!

ME: You know, that towel is really not covering you up!

So she sews!

This post is just a sewing / quilting update. Stuff I have made in the last few months.

***

The Beads: Someone on the facebook quilting group posted this blogpost and then the urge to try making these beads was irresistible. Simply irresistible. So there. I made two of them. They are 'oh so lovely.' And already claimed by a dear friend.

Toran (Indian bunting): The same awesome quilter group keep coming up with quilting challenges. One such challenge was to make a toran. Here are the details. It seemed like a very interesting one and hence this elephant toran got made.

Blanket of love: Read this. It is for a cause and this is the quickest quilt I have made. The firstime that i worked on a log cabin and it has become my favourite pattern now.

Froggy and beach ball: The frog and the beach ball are actually very old toys that I made for Ri. they were among the first few things I made and I love them. I cannot remember where I got the frog pattern from. The beach ball was from my favourite Purlbee.

Butterflies: One day Ri and I were standing in the verandah watching a butterfly that had lost its way into our house. I asked Ri then if he would like to sleep on a pillow full of butterflies. All he had to say was 'yes' and I went snipity snip with my scissors on my fabrics. The paper cutouts were stuck on Ri's wardrobe and they looked lovely.

Kindle cover: New years and a bad fight with SSM earned my this kindle. :D Call me a freak, but the first thing i did with the kindle was make this cover, that very evening. One of the quickest and most favourite thing I ever made. I love it.

Lamp shade:  This one was totally experimental. And the experiment did not turn out too bad. I later wished I had used better, heavier fabric for the lamp shade but I really did not want to use the nice ones for and experiment. SO will have to make one again.

SSM's quilt: Remember this quilt? Remember? Remember? Yeah, I know it was long long ago. But I managed to complete it finally, and on a cold winter day too. So hey, not too bad huh!

The birthday bunting: Ri's third birthday. How could I not make him this colourful birthday bunting? :)

So that's it. I have been sewing it up pretty well.

A handful of DIYs

Confession: I read in the loo.

I know for a fact that in this part of the universe that I live in, people do find it “unholy” to read in the loo, hence the confession.

Now, since I have made the confession I feel at peace to finish this post.

***

For my birthday last year SSM had gifted me with a lovely bouquet of orchids and lilies – Oh, how I love lilies. The flowers were beautifully arranged in a rectangular wooden case. 

With days the flowers wilted but the case stayed. And I put it away behind a cupboard.

It lay there all this while alone and forlorn till today morning when I suddenly had a ‘eureka’ moment.

And this is what happened.

I got it out cleaned it up; oiled it; caressed it and voila! I couldn't stop smiling. J

Loo reading is fun and I have always wished for a bookshelf in my bathroom. I have known that, that would be a little too much for ask for. But just a tiny little place to keep just a book or two has been a craving for long.

And now I had my bookshelf right here in front of my eyes. I chiseled off the bits of fiber glass that was stuck on it and stuck a bit of 'Winnie the pooh' wallpaper to cover up the blemishes on the case. I then fixed it up in the bathroom with some strong double sided tape.

It’s perfect to hold a couple of regular sized books and it looks wonderful.

Well now that I had a shelf, I wanted to do it up a bit. So I got a old of a jar, filled it with potpourri, sprinkled some sandal wood oil in it, covered it with a pretty looking cloth and fastened it up with a jute thread. 

There it is now adorning my bookshelf and the bookshelf adorning my bathroom.

And there you go.... Doesn't it all look just awesome -The shelf, the jar and the book?

Also, stomach upsets do not seem too bad anymore. K