Popsicle Umbrella for my Ganpati

Sharing with you another fun popsicle project. An Umbrella.

You will need :

1. Popsicle sticks - 5 Nos
2. Yarns of different colours
3. Glue gun
4. thermocol balls / beads
5. Clay
6. Empty colour bottle
7. Acrylic Colours

Procedure :-

Arrange 3 sticks as show in the picture below to form the top part of the umbrella

Make the stick support for the umbrella by joining two sticks as shown in the picture

now when the 3 sticks you have arranged earlier has dried up, tie the yarn and wind it around the stick and take it to the next stick, wind around it...so on. the pictures that follows may give you an idea.

Now using glue gun, attach the top portion to the stick. decorate with beads / thermocol balls

Stuff some clay inside an empty colour bottle. Place the stick and cover the bottle with clay by rolling out it using a rolling pin after dusting the surface with talcom powder.

let the clay dry for 2 or 3 days. Then colour it.

Now a beautiful umbrella is ready.

I made it for my ganpati bapa for this chathurthi. ....will be making a post on it soon.

Potato Podimas / Potato curry

A traditional recipe for the potato lovers. A dry subzi goes well with sambar rice or curd rice.

Ingredients :-

1. Potato - 4 medium
2. Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
3. Green chillies - 3 nos
4. Ginger - 1/2" piece
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil for tempering
7. Mustard seeds
8. Urad whole
9. Curry leaves
10. Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

 Procedure :-

• Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles. Cool and peel the skin. Gently mash it into rough medium pieces 

• Dry grind the grated coconut, green chillies without water.

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add whole urad, curry leaves, hing powder. 

• When urad turns golden brown, add the potato pieces and ground coconut masala, salt 

• Cover and cook for two minutes by stirring in between.

• Yummy potato curry / Podimas ready

In this traditional recipe, i used coconut oil which is more flavourful. 

PS : You can also squeeze in few drops of lemon before serving which adds to the flavour & taste and make it more yummy.

Banana Chips (nendran kaai varathadu)

Crispy Chips always give you a good company whether you chat or watching your favourite programme in TV.  An all time favourite to one and all.

Made some crispy chips using raw banana (nendran variety) - big kela.

The speciaility of this chip is it is made using a special banana called 'nendran' (big kela), bright yellow in colour and fried in coconut oil which makes it even more attractive, flavourful & tasty which makes you crave for more, more and more...........

Ingredients :

1. Raw banana - 4 nos
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Salt - 1.5 tsp
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Oil for frying

Procedure :-

• Wash and pat dry the banana. Peel (preserve this as we can make a nice & yummy dry subzi / Thoran out of it)

• Dissolve Turmeric Powder and Salt in 1/4 cup water

• Make thin round slices using a chips grater. the pieces will stick to each other. separate them and keep 10 - 15 pieces ready for each batch to fry or you can put them in water, then drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, let it dry and then fry them.

• Heat coconut oil (don;t take it to smoking point)

• spread kitchen towel or newspaper into a basin & keep ready

• Keep in medium flame & deep fry the grated bananas when they turn 1/2 crisp, sprinkle some turmeric water into it and fry till water evaporates completely & chips becomes crisp and put them over the kitchen towel for the excess oil to get absorbed into the towel.

• Yummy banana chips is ready! Store it in an air tight container by spreading a piece of paper at the bottom.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy the crispy chips that melts into your mouth :D

Umbrella for my Ganesha (recycle craft)

Got so bored staying away from system.....so engaged myself in a small project. A nice umbrella

Another DIY project.....it may sound complicated at certain point but it is easy if you have a glue gun. Glue gun makes the project very easy.

After reading about glue gun my search started and it went for months n months........... finally got it in hypercity and here is my first project using glue gun.

My gift for my favourite deity for his birthday

You will need :-

1. carton box (I used the one in which Vanish stain remover comes)
2. Glue Gun
3. Corn pith (comes with kulfi)- 1No.
4. Tooth pick - 2 nos.
5. Metal Bangle - 1 No.
6. Thermocol piece to support the stick
7. Some Zari or lace
8.  colours & glitters to colour your umbrella
9. Thermocol balls - few (I had saved some after using for an occasion)
10. Scissor, Pencil

Procedure :- 

• Wind a lace to cover the bangle (I crocheted SCs around it using glitter thread)

• Cut a piece of round shape out of the cardboard or carton box 

 

• Cut little less than a quarter of the circle as shown in the picture.

 

• Apply glue to one end and stick the other one overlapping that slightly.

 

 

•  Allow it to set completely say for a minute
• Then colour it with your favourite colours. I first painted it with white acrylic colour, then mixed some glitter powder into some glue and applied it. over that I used some glass colours I had & made a simple design. You can use kundan stones, chamkis.
• Place the Zari or lace & stick it all around as shown in the picture using glue gun (as it dries fast)
• Then using thermocol balls I decorated it

•  I used corn pith as toothpick can be easily inserted into it. So I first pierced the toothpicks lightly then removed it, applied glue to the sharp end of the toothpick and fixed it in the hole made. Like that have to fix another toothpick too to give support to the top portion. As shown in the next two pictures. (this may sound complicated but easy to make)

•  Now attach a thermocol piece the same way as we did for toothpick. Pierce, remove, apply glue and again set it in the hole made to make it sturdy.
• stick the thermocol to the prepared bangle as shown in the picture. (I split one end of thermocol piece, applied glue and inserted the bangle lightly into it). To make it clear to you i have shown a plain bangle.

  

 

•  I slipped the bangle stand around him, which you cannot see in the picture because of the satin ribbon work adorning him. so concealed. 
• Here is my Ganesha under the shade........ getting geared up for his birthday isn't it?