Ceramic Mug Painting

Hurray to this piece as it got me back into exploring my creative talents after 3 years of break for various reason – work , home kid, huzzy buzzy life style .

Well when I am getting back I still wanted to try out something new in Ceramic Painting - Etching and Sponging.

Etching : if you notice the red and green area in the mugs, you can see a design which has been etched. Initially paint the color yellow (2 times) as the base coat, and painted red or green respectively (2 times) on top of the yellow area. After the paint has dried, draw the desired design and etch the design (by scraping out the paint very finely so that yellow paint below the red/green area is visible). Be careful only to remove the red/green paint and not the yellow paint from the design.


Sponging : Alternating to the red and green , a new technique was tried out scalled sponging - Using a sponge you wet the sponge with yellow paint and keep pressing little by little on the mug. On top of the yellow paint (on the sponging area), you wet the sponge with brown color and did the sponging again. Sponging should be done only once.


For more info on my ceramic painting refer to this link on "Introduction to ceramic painting" post.

Ceramic plate Painting

In Year 2002, I did a ceramic plate for my mom as a gift. I took a picture of it this year when I was at her place.

I bought a book from Micheals craft shop which had this design for a ceramic plate. So traced this design on this plate and I had to go 2 sittings or more to complete this piece. I think this is my family's favourite one.

For more info on my ceramic painting refer to this link on "Introduction to ceramic painting" post.

Goody bag for my son's bday party

Utilised my creative talent to make his day special for him. I personally created a goody bag in addition to other gifts and activities I had organised for his 2nd birthday party (held on 04/29/06).

About the BAG : A 3 dimensional bag made of foam (punched and tied with ribbon). Enhanced it with eyes and mouth and attached a ribbon as a handle to the bag. The bag, the goody stuff inside were not only admired and loved by all, but appreciated for every inch of effort.

About party Actvities: Initially each kid was asked to sit on the table and do some coloring. Gave the kids a blank bookmark and asked them to draw what they like and write "happy mother's day" and their names on it. Each kid at the end of the party handed the bookmark to their mom which indeed turned out to be a big surprise for the moms.

Introduction to Ceramic Painting

Brief Introduction
hmm where should I begin ..... I was working in a software company near Race street San Jose, CA. Close to my office was a place called Petroglyph (A ceramic painting shop) . This is how this shop works. You choose a piece and pay for the piece and the studio fee (where you can sit for hours and paint using their paint, brushes, designs). Then after we finish painting, we give them our piece and they finish our piece with baking and glazing and give it back to us. I was just attracted to this place and knew I need would give it a try,

First Tile Painting
I did this tile painting, simple border and flower because I was on the learning process. I traced this design and painted. The only mistake I did with this one is adding water and painting. But well, only by mistakes you will learn right ??

When you actually paint, the colors appear very differently to what the actual color will be. So choosing the colors initially was bit hard for me. After I complete my painting, I give them my piece for finishing and glazing. Then you can pick it up the day its ready for pickup.



Second Tile Painting
My twin sister was in town the year 2001 December. So I took her to this place and we spent the whole day doing this design.

This is indeed a nice memory for us. Till today we talk about this piece.

My First Cross Stitch Work

During our younger days, because of the complexity and time consuming process never tried cross stitch work. In my mind I assumed it was hardest of all projects. But when I was at home after marriage (had lot of time) wanted to try out new things, decided to give this one a try.

Got this book from a library where this design was done on a cloth and attached to a wooden tray and the top of the tray was finished with a glass. But since I did not have the materials to accomplish, I just tried out this design on a cross stitch cloth. When I was in India for a vacation in 2001, I got it laminated and decided not to do framing so that its different.

So this is my first cross stitch project, and completed it successfully. I think given the time I will try more of cross stitch if I come across anything appealing to me.

Needle work Embroidary

As I mentioned in my description, always tried needle work hand embroidary when I was young in school and also during our holidays. Over the years because of college studies, and work never got time to try out these crafts in many years. But guess what, time comes for everything they say..

In June 1999 got married and came to the US. Intially I was staying at home and so I had lot of spare time in my hand and wanted to do something creative. I had some embroidary threads from India , went to the santa clara library and picked some books which had good designs. This is one of them.

I had to learn only one stitch which is the trellis stitch -inside of the flower. But other than this stitch, I knew practically all the stitches and it was a matter of practice and it was done.

I also tried the framing on my own. I went to Aaron brothers and got the green frame, and a thick white board which they use for framing. So I put my yellow cloth on the white board, stretched the cloth so that there are no creases visible and taped it at the back. Then put the whole thing inside the frame sealed it. This piece is hung in our living room area. I should not forget to add, my husband did help me with the framing part. We both did this part of the project together even though its not a great deal.

Till today, everbody coming home looks at this and appreciates it.