Thursday, July 31, 2008

Artsy Crafts

My arts and crafts hobby is not much of a 'practiced' hobby that I can always take pride in, but it is one of the many things I enjoy doing whenever I have the spare time or the desire to do so. The picture on the left, was taken during the making of my eid cards when I was at home trying to ensemble the cards on the table while hubby dear was busy working on his laptop (as his hand on the mouse pad indicates). I will have to show you the end result of my card in the last paragraph, why give it all away? ;)


As much as I'd like to personalize everything I do, such as sending out cards, writing poems that fits the person's personality, I do not fully indulge in this arts & crafts world anymore. I have in the past, dedicated time to school projects at home - but since other interests have occurred in my life and I happen to be in a different phase & s
etting of my whereabouts and happenings, my trips to micheals or jo anne's fabrics have reduced considerably. Some unfinished projects still lure in my closet, looking at me with disapproval for my lack of interest and other ongoing rapid affairs.


One wouldn't know, but the back drop of my wedding stage; the "Alladin port" as I call it, was conceived and made by my very own hands with the help of my siblings and dear cousin. I had this idea of making a beautiful port, a gateway that would stand against the wall, with golden bronze scrolls inscripted into the door and a thin organza curtain falling right through the opening twinkling with lights as if entering Taj Mahel. Who knew that my perception would
eventually become reality?


I remember being very adamant about my idea and I was carrying this idea in the back of my head for months. While making trips to Home Depot with my little brother Sammer, (who by the way was a great amount of support in fully backing my idea and understanding my concept, a nine year old you see!) my feelings of starting this project would grow only stronger. Sometimes, I'd have Home depot employees telling me to get supplies that I wouldn't like and at times some people would guide me through the right supplies, understanding exactly what I was looking for.
They had given me four wooden panels, a saw and some screws to attach it all together. I wa
s easily lost in the big world of Home Depot, but also impressed by the gazillion possibilities of building something from scratch! I can understand now why some men would worship their tool supplies and make it their 'temple/garage of retrieve' in the manly world of "Bob the Builder".


My toyota corolla couldn't carry these panels, so the only option was to either tie down the panels on top of the roof or beg a neighbor to lend us his truck. We went with the first option... and for that, a rope was necessary to make this happen. At the time, my brother Sammer and cousin Zafar were present helping me out with my attempt to make the impossible, possible! We then purchased rope and tied the panels on top of the roof of my corolla, driving less than a mile to our residence on jenni lane. The kids made sure of holding on to the panels, by keepi
ng the windows down while I was driving on turtle speed. Onlookers must have snickered at the scene we created; a bunch of brown people holding on to wooden panels as if their lives were depending on it, ha ha! The winds were quite gusty in the city of Tracy that day, but luckily we safely arrived home and immediately carried all the supplies into the garage. The project was finally taking form...

In both of these pictures you will see my sister Madiha working hard (and acting crazy, lol) - she was especially very good in sawing the round edges of the design. Zafar, my cousin was a major help to me! He made sure things were done correctly and worked hard in achieving my dream. I couldn't have done it without them, SIGH! :)
We had ordered some great looking wall paper to put on our Alladin door; the pic on the left shows me putting glue on the panels to eventually stick on 'the much sought perfectly - designed - golden scrolls - wall paper' that took us weeks in finding online before hitting
all outdoor stores. I knew it was out there, it was just a matter of searching.


The Alladin port was ready, right before the month of February giving us enough time to concentrate on other projects around the house. The measurements of the port were precise and in accordance to the stage - my image, the idea of having such a port rather than renting one that's probably seen by everyone, became reality and I was happy to make the once impossible task, finally possible. We not only surprised ourselves in the pursuit of this mission, but also surprised each other in having a great time together imagining and working hard towards a beautiful wedding.


It took us to be crafty and artsy, but it was worth it.
We
enjoyed the stage till the very end and the twinkling of the lights was exactly as I imagined in my thoughts. My visit to Taj mahel is definitely due after all this!

Its funny how a little bit of imagination, will power and dedication can make a person achieve his/her dream. There isn't much to it, whether its the making of a stage or the pursuit of a career, it all takes passion and determination. My arts and crafts skills have taken a different direction; a direction towards a more domestic and home making pursuit.

While the other day I was making spring rolls from scratch , following the every step off of a youtube video, I thought to myself; this isn't any different than sitting in a class of sculptures or making something out of clay - my concentration was focused on rolling the spring rolls into neat rolls while folding them properly with just the right amount of egg wash to serve as glue. This type of art however, can only be satisfying to the tummy! :)


My cards?
Ready to mail!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

very naice I enjoed very much.

Anonymous said...

very naice I enjoed very much.

Rafi said...

so cute!! u can send me one... ha ha ha....