October 5, 2013

Haven't blogged in a few days as Jayanthi has been here and I have had company and something to do.

Ant Wars seem to be over.  Still a few dead ones showing up.  Wars in Sri Lanka seem to last a long time.  Now we are onto the fleas.  I have been surprised that I have not had this problem before as this is the perfect climate for fleas and Dharma does socialize with other cats.  So I have found some natural remedies like white vinegar and aloe vera.  The vinegar I use all the time to wash the floors, windows, laundry, etc.  Now I will spray the furniture with a mild solution.  I have aloe vera growing, so I will make a solution and spray Dharma herself.  I bet she will love that.  Here are some pics of my baby.

Sleep among the puppets.

Sleeping with Sookie

On my bed spreading fleas.

 Jayanthi and I have been doing some Indian art.  She has been teaching me to do kolom.  It is an art form done with white and coloured powders.  Patterns are made on the floor with the powder either outside the front door or in puja rooms.  I got a kit years ago in India and only used it once and really didn't know what I was doing.  Jayanthi is really good at it.  She has collected a lot of traditional patterns and has invented some of her own.  It was a lot of fun and it looks great.  We did it in the Buddha room.  A bit of mixed religious metaphors, but after all Buddha was a Hindu before he invented Buddhism.

Jayanthi doing the initial lay out.

The finished product.  Buddha was smiling.

Close up

From overhead.

Then we had switched TVs, putting the big one in my bedroom as the distance is greater than the lounge.  The wall in the lounge looked so big with the smaller TV that I decided to do a chalk picture on it.  I chose Ganesha.  I did it myself and it came out really well, if I do say so myself.

Ganesha and his mouse

Doing this chalk art is great as all you have to do is erase the mistakes and wipe it out and redo it when you move.  Plus 3 big pieces of chalk cost only Rs.4.

I have come up with what I think is the best idea yet which is to make decorative cushion covers with materials from India.  We can embellish them with embroidery which Jayanthi can do very well and which I will learn, bead work which I can already do and fancy trim which is available in abundance in India.  I think we can market them to make some money and we will be busy in the meantime.  Jayanthi is going to India soon and will be able to scope out the fabrics and trim.

I finally found some pure cotton fabric yesterday to make a cute salwar kameez.  We took it right to the tailor.  The fabric and the stitching will cost me a grand total of $10.  You gotta love this country.  I also got some material for dupathas which I will embroider and applique to create some interest.  And I found some great fabric to make napkins which I will doctor with draw thread embroidery.  Something to do for the next little while.

The weather has turned hot and dry so it is time to water the plants.