"Stamped" Pencil Holder

Hi everyone !

I have had a fun time visiting some of your blogs and I absolutely love your creations.  Thanks to all of you who make time to visit mine and for your sweet comments.

This pencil holder is a very plain (but solid) acrylic one I bought from a stationary shop.  Since it was white in colour and had a neat black border at the bottom,, I did not have to paint it.  The decoupage work was done with a layer of Mod Podge, under some stamps from my very, very, old collection of used stamps.  I have a sizable horde from my years of working in a travel company. Two coats of matte Mod Podge over the stuck stamps and the gift for my son was ready. He had been visiting us at Christmas.  It was not a Christmas gift but one he took away when he left India.  

I just remembered I had taken a picture.  Sorry it's taken me so long to post this but nowadays my brain is like a sieve.  Later, I made a slightly smaller but similar one for a dear friend from the UK who was also visiting us.

Lena

Blue shaded bowl

Good morning from sunny Goa !  It's 4th March here.

It's great to be back and thank you dear friends for your comments on our new home.  

Yes, it is lovely.  It's very green and peaceful compared to noisy old Bombay.  In Goa we still refer to that city as "Bombay" completely ignoring the new name "Mumbai" because many of our families migrated from Goa to Bombai (as it was then called by Goans) in the 50s when Goa was a Portuguese colony.  It was to look for work, not to get away from our beloved land.  We would await the summer vacations (April-May) each year to descend in hordes to Goa, to visit relatives, eat mangoes and jackfruit and live it up in our rustic homes.  One and a half months of pure bliss before we went back to the grind.

This is the view from the table I use to craft my simple works of art.

I prefer sitting in the balcony as there's more light here. 

A neighbour gave away this Hibiscus to me as he is going away for a year and ofcourse I am so happy to have it.

So there are these two crimped Georgette beauties staring at me whilst I paint away on the new bowl below:

Again it's acrylic on terracotta.  Sponged in metallic Prussian blue and rose; worked over with silver 3D outliner and filled in with black glitter and gems.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day !

Lena

New home

Hello friends !

Marie-Louise and Kate, thank you so much for your comments on the terracotta items I decorated. You are such loyal friends.  I still have to visit your blogs and find out what you have been making so please bear with me.

Yes, we've almost settled in our new home in South Goa.

Here are some photos of Westwinds Retreat:

It is a housing complex of around 60 units, flats and some villas. Many serve as just holiday homes. However, a few people live in it, like us.

The units are named after birds; swallow, skylark, dove etc.  Ours, as you can see is Robin. 

The complex society manages the pool and landscape garden in which I take my morning walks,

Nice spot for reading !

The main gate is at the far end in this picture.  We are near the pool.  You can see the villas on the left.

 Entrance to our unit. Our flat is on the ground floor.

There's an old banyan tree outside - actually two trees hugging each other !

More photos and some of the village will follow.

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs
Lena

Red Allium bowl

This is my second terracotta craft work - and my favourite.  I like simple designs.

Crimson acrylic paint and white, flat gems for decoration.

Pink Vase with gems

This terracotta vase has been painted in pearl, rose pink acrylic and embellished with 3D gold acrylic branches and leaf-shaped gems.

This is the first thing I have crated since I moved to Goa.  I'd found this woman sitting at an open air fair, selling a whole lot of terracotta items and bought four from her.  That was all I could manage to carry that day.

Goa Carnival 2015

I trust all of you are well and thriving,

I've been away from blogging for almost a year.  We have relocated to Goa after an extensive search for a convenient and peaceful "retirement" home.  It took us a year and 14 trips Mumbai-Goa to achieve this.  Both my husband and I are back to our roots having left behind the noisy and busy city of Mumbai (it's always "Bombay" to Goans) where we spent the larger part of our lives.

In the days to come I will post on our home, its environs and the village we have settled in.  For today, I would like to show you the vivid images of Goa.  

It lasts for 3 days - before Ash Wednesday.  We call it "Carnaval".  This festival goes along the lines of the Brazil carnival. The first parade in Goa took place in Panjim on Fat Saturday in 1965.  It was celebrated even during the time of the Portuguese from whom Goa was liberated in 1961.  It was grand even then but from the 60s onwards it became distinctly Goan and is now a tourist attraction. 

The first day, the celebrations started in the city of Panjim or Panaji and here are some of the images.

       

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Panjim

Konkan Railway that passes through a scenic route.  That's a temple on top of the coach.

The cashew fruit.  We make the local brew "feni" from it.  See the rustic image of the brewing process below.

                                                  and ofcourse we have lots of sea, sun and sand.

                                                          that's a kite fish (spotted grey)

King Momo declares the Carnaval open !

Yes, we still have bullock carts !

                                      and yes, robots will one day take over - so beware !

                            Many of us also still cook on wood fires and use earthenware pots.

Goans and music !    To end the day's celebrations we have live music.

VIVA CARNAVAL !