An award -

I have received an award from Crafting at the creek . I am honoured indeed that she deemed my blog fit enough to pass on this award, and I display it with pride. Thank you....

Here’s the story behind this award:

The authors say that blogs who receive this award are exceedingly charming. This blog invests in the PROXIMITY in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that even more friendships are propagated.

*(note to authors, original text shortened and edited for clarity)

There are so many friends that I could pass this on to, but to keep it short and sweet....

The Muse - A Diva's Hammer

Joanna who has a blog called Applique Today,

Angela - Cottage Magpie

Kat - at Candles, crafts and what not

Patty - at Attic Clutter

Thank you for making your blogs so interesting... and for visiting mine. 

Jaipur - Bhavani temple

 This is yet another example of exquisite craftsmanship that is prevailant in Jaipur.  A temple of Goddess Bhavani along with a Sikh god, Shri Jhulelal. 

The temple itself is a very small building, with lawns on either sides of it and a very elaborate clock -tower on one side. 

Inside, there are many window, the main deities placed on a raised platform in the middle of the room. The back wall is a huge fresco of 'palazhi madhanam' or churning of the milk ocean, from Hindu mythology.

The surrounding walls have recesses with many deities. All these statues are made of marble, and each deity is made from a single piece!!! That includes the ornaments, the dresses , extra hands and the various weapons in these hands.. not even a small bit is joined extra...

And the best of these was the whole family of Lord Shiva, Paravthy, Subrahmania and Ganesha seated together. The whole set of four figures are carved on a single piece of marble... How is that ????????

There was a lot of sunlight streaming in, and the statues are behind glass. So the pictures are not very clear...but it was an amazing sight indeed...

My first foray into marketing art - ARTFIRE

I have given away a lot of my art work either as cards,gifts, simply to create space for something else or because someone really loved my work and wanted it... but this is the first time I have decided to put a price to my work.

To say that I have the jitters, is an understatement.. what if no one liked it? what if the price is too high or low? what do I know about shipping? I know the shipping amount etc I put in Artfire is dumb..but I thought in case someone likes my work and gets in touch, then I would find out the actual price. But right now, without a buyer, and the whole wide world in front with potential buyers (I am being very optimistic), how can I fix a country or a certain shipping price????. Also, there are no people from India, in Artfire that I could find...

So what do I do??

Anyway, I just signed up for free and decided that I will take a month before deciding whether to sign up for life..

I saw that Nicole at Beadwright was raving about Artfire..and hence I decided to try it out ..

Oh .. I named my online 'shop' SWAPAS which means 'artistic'.. the actual spelling given was 'Svapas' but I substituted a 'w' for 'v'. It resembles my name..artistic license of course!

Wish me luck friends...

Fenugreek leaves and dal (lentils) curry

I love the taste of fenugreek leaves..also known as uluva cheera, methi leaves etc.. The bunch i got was very tender and fresh, so after rinsing them well. I just chopped up the leaves, stems and all.

Assemble the rest of the ingredients

Thur dal - yellow split lentils 1 cup( washed)

Onion - 1 medium (sliced lenghtwise)

Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)

Tomato - 1 (sliced)

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Once the steam escapes, open and add enough salt.

Temper with ...

Jeera - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2 

Squirt the juice of one lemon for added zest.. 

You may also try adding one potato cut into very small cubes before pressure cooking. This makes for a thicker gravy and good with rotis.

Jaipur - Chowki dhani

This is an amazing world in the outskirts of Jaipur. Chowki Dhani literally means 'small village'. It is entertainment on a very earthy, simple level. A slightly more colourful version of simple village life that u get to see all at once place. 

The village comes alive at 6.00 pm. We went on the day of Christmas, so the entry fee was a bit higher than normal. It includes a very elaborate vegetarian lunch and guarantees a grand time...

Th queue was so long, we wondered if we would get inside in time to enjoy everything... they closed down at 11.pm....

But in no time at all, we were inside. there are amazingly decorated walls with lamps, look-out stations and very ornate doors...

Inside are buffet stations where you get piping hot food in unlimited quantities, and long rows of tables and chairs... after the food, we are free to roam about anywhere we desire ..

To begin with, there are camel rides, elephant rides, bullock cart rides, horse-drawn carriages ..etc..

Then there are giant wheels, swings and some other items that are seen at village fairs.. in the middle there is a platform, and if you climb it, it is easy to get vertigo and a superb view of the whole place.

There are a lot of huts, inside which are people who entertain in various ways.. like reading your palm, cooking special food, playing an instrument etc.. all throughout, there are also stalls where there are colourfully dresses dancers, jugglers, acrobats, magicians, singers, drummers,puppeteers...(my daughter had a great time watching the puppets).. 

People are taught the dance steps and encouraged to dance along for a very nominal fee. There is also a massage station where a tune is played and all the masseurs will massage their victi....er..customers in tandem... that looked a bit painful, but the people seemed to be enjoying it..

And of course, there were more snack n drink stalls as well as the unavoidable souvenir stands...

It was a feast for the senses wherever we turned...and we came back ..content....:)

Top Entre card droppers - Dec 2008

Thank you..... Thank you ....Thank you............

• Scandinavian ways - winesworlds blog
• More than sew so
• Robin's Nest: Scrap out loud
• Imagination madness
• What the bald guy needs to know about sports
• What a bald guy told me about technology
• Tech spotlight
• 3 scrapbooking ladies
• Grandmother's pattern book
• Grandmother Wren

I have tried to drop back, but have missed a few days..will surely do better ...

Thanks again, one and all....

Jaipur - Blue pottery

My first post on the first day of the New Year....

I thought that it should be about this superb work of art - blue pottery... It is a speciality of Jaipur. 

I was told that the origins of blue pottery could be traces to Persia and Turkey, but now it is considered a speciality of Jaipur, courtesy of it's ruler Sawai Ram Singh II, who sponsored some of the artisans of blue pottery about 150 years back!!!

And they and their descendants have been practising this beautiful work of art ever since....

I had been dying to see this work ever since I found about it during a browsing session... and while we were on a guided tour, I saw the emporium ... we went back there at the first opportunity ...

The display was breath-taking...Tiles, pots, vases, wall pegs, cups, saucers, plates, elephants, mirror frames, picture frames, bracelets, necklaces, key-chains.....so many beautiful things made with this brilliant craft....  I could have spent a few hours, weeks, months... just gazing at those displays... but I showed admirable restraint and just took some pictures..

I also bought a necklace made of some lovely blue-pottery beads...

As I was paying for my purchase, the man behind the counter, whom I later recognised (from the flyers)as the artist of  blue pottery, handed me a souvenir (a marble piece with a silver Ganesha on it and some beads ) and told me that he recognised an artist and this would help me achieve success... 

Needless to say, that made my day... and that one visit was the highlight of the trip for me... though the sightseeing was nothing less than spectacular...