Kolam by Sudha Balaji

How to make a beautiful betel leaves garland for Lord Hanuman There are many methods of making this garland for Lord Anjaneya and also for Lord Ganesh.  This is not the traditional method .  However regimentation as they say suppresses creativity. Take fresh betel leaves and wash them well. Some apply areca nuts also because in our tradition betel leaves and areca nuts are offered together. I have used a fancy lace that I use for my craft videos. How many leaves in  vetrilai malai making We usually use 27, 54 or 108 leaves depending upon the size of the image or idol. When do we do Pooja to Lord Hanuman Saturdays and on days when the constellation is Moola Take two leaves and fold them together Using a needle and thread fasten them to the lace at both ends. Place the next pair of leaves below the first pair, behind the lace and hold both pairs of leaves together using needle and thread.  This ensures that the garland is...

How to make a traditional  Indian flower garland  Many of us would have observed and noticed flower garlands being made at the entrance of our local temples.  I would like to share the method of making this beautiful floral decoration idea for Varamahalakshmi Pooja .  This garland we can use for decorating the Puja mantap or as a decoration for the Varalakshmi kalasam decorations. The method is as follows Buy a large quantity of roses depending upon the length of garland  required I have shared only the basics of the method and so the garland is relatively short Take two or three thick  banana stem fibres ( called naaru in Tamil ).  They serve as the support for the garland Take a thin fibre and tie a knot at the top as shown. Place one rose on the thick fibres and hold the flower by taking the thin fibre around the stalk Turn the thick fibre combination by ninety degrees  and  place the next rose and take the fibre around the rose Again ...

In addition to  rangoli my other interests are  drawing free hand designs on thermocol  plates, sarees, pottery,ceramic tiles....To put it in a nutshell --  to create (!) objects of interest using rangoli  or to create interesting rangoli.Some flower decoration that are common in some parts of India are shared below.  Some floral decoration ideas could be borrowed to create colourful free hand rangoli designs.  So this post serves both purposes, ideas for rangoli designs and ideas for floral decorations the Indian way. Stringing roses Indian method .The art of stringing flowers using different methods is followed in different countries.  Obviously, I would like to add the method that I am familiar with - the ones followed in Tamil Nadu, India. Stringing of flowers was in the past done in the family, in the house. Later this art became rare particularly in cities                     ...