Favourites from the year 2012.....A review post from Ideas out of the mist.

Hey everyone,
                As we reach the end of the year 2012 and welcome the next, I have put together a post of my favourite posts from the blog in the year 2012.So in case you'd missed any one of them just click on the pic / link and you'll land on the original post.

So let's begin with January.It was a very simple one with the basic idea of recycling and yet one among the most popular post on the blog.
A popsicle stick(ice cream sticks) pen stand.

In February came the ribbon bow ring post with the tutorial.

March saw the spiral ribbon hair clip tutorial.

In April I wrote a post on a handmade flower invitation cards for birthdays with a tutorial and it turned up well.

In May this year came the summer scrap book cover that I had made using the paper mache technique.

In June, I was on vacation and did not post anything.......:)

In July,  came many posts.But the one which is the most popular post from the blog till date was the rakhi making one with tutorial.The response it got surprised me.

And another one from this month was the school bus prop one.This is again a popular post.

In August I posted  a very pretty hair clips and accessory organizer / french memo board / hair bow holder with a tutorial.I love this one.

September  saw some posts on party games.A fun paper quiz can be found here.

And a couple party game can be found here.

And then came a number of posts on how to make Diwali lamps.Everyone was unique but my favourite one is this one.

  

November saw the handmade Monsoon themed invitation card for ladies meet / kitty.

And the final post is from December. It was a handmade evening gown birthday party invite.And I think this is the BEST creation of the year.It looked so elegant and girly and pretty.

So that's it.Hope you enjoyed the posts from this year.And I shall see you next year with some more of them.Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year.......:)

Until next time,
Njoi
 ^ , ^
Mihika

Evening gown handmade birthday party invitation - A tutorial

Hey everyone,
                    I'm so delighted to share with you, a handmade birthday party invitation card, I made for a little girl in the neighborhood.It turned up real cute and I love it.It is a handmade dress card.So I've taken time to put together a tutorial for you ,if you want to make the same.
                     Here is what the card looks like.

To make one you'll need-
White chart paper
Fevicol
Decorative paper for the dress (Golden and lemon yellow in my case)

Ribbon of your colour choice
Binder clips
Scallop scissors (those that create a wavy edge)
Thin piece of card

Some patience..........LOL (And unfortunately this is not available at the stores)

Step 1 - Make a template for your card on a thin piece of card.Mine measure 4.5cm at the top horizontal line and 13cm at the bottom most horizontal line.Cut it out.I so wish I was a pro and could make a pdf template for you, so that you could have straight away downloaded it.But unfortunately I don't know how to do that and probably don't have the software.So I guess you'll have to draw taking help from the picture.Sorry.However if you can help me with how to make a pdf template,I'd appreciate that.

Step 2 - Make some mini bows out of ribbon.I used 2 colours to add some interest.

Step 3 - Place the template on your white chart paper and trace the outlines.Cut it out.
Take the decorative paper and cut it into size 13cm by 18 cm.Use scalloped scissors at one of the longer side to give it a wavy pattern.So that the dress gets that wavy look at the bottom instead of a straight line.Fan fold it(=Make pleats).
With the help of the template trace the top portion of the dress on the golden paper and cut it out too.

Step 4 - Cut out two thin pieces of paper to make the straps of the gown and paste it on the chart paper as shown below using fevicol.Next paste the top portion of the gown on the chart paper.

Fish Market - Couple Games / Ice Breaker Games for parties -2

Hey everyone,
                    Sharing with you today another couple game, which can act as an excellent ice breaker at any party that you host.Games like these help people to open up, if they don't know each other well ; Besides giving you an opportunity to host an entertaining party which people will remember for quite some time.
                    For this game you need a bigger space like a lawn, or if you're real fortunate to have a large drawing room that can act fine too.So for the preparation of this game all you have to do is to create a list of 15 common household products.I'll make a sample list for you.

1. Maggi
2. Lizol
3. Dhania powder
4. Lunch box
5. Tawa
6. Agarbatti
7. Mobile phone
8. Soap dispenser
9. Socks
10.Noodles
11.Pen
12.Dettol
13.Toothbrush
14.Pasta
15.Cooker

Get it printed.Move the items

Floral hair ties and hair clips

Hello,
              I'm posting today the pics of the hair ties and hair clips I made using fabric.

Follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

Until next time,
Take care.
Mihika

Monsoon themed handmade invitation card for kitty parties / ladies meet

Hey everyone,
                 I'm sharing today, some pics of a monsoon themed invitation card I made, long, very very long ago.......Those were my beginner days(I'm still there..........LOL) , so please excuse my skills........:)
                  The theme given to me for that party was "Monsoon".So I thought of rainbows and butterflies and some teeny meeny blossoming flowers.This can also be used for a "Rainy season theme party" or "Rainbow themed party" or "Rain shower theme party".So here is the attempt.

 The envelope was fairly simple and down to earth with some sequins at the corners.But I again used a cocktail umbrella,opened it up and glued it to the envelope which gave it a beautiful 3 D appearance and was the highlight of it....... It made the presentation eye catching.

Diwali decoration - Invitation card,lamps,kandils,lanterns etc

Hello everyone,
                   Since last few weeks I have been writing about ideas and tutorials for Diwali decoration and parties.So this is just a post where I'm putting all the bits and pieces together.I will link the below pictures to their original posts.Just click on the pictures and enjoy.

1.Diwali / Xmas folding paper lantern tutorial-

2.Homemade paper lantern for decoration / competitions - a tutorial-

3.Diwali themed handmade invitation card-

4.Diwali themed ladies meet / kitty party-

5.Couple game for Diwali party-

 6.Another Diwali lamp /lantern-

Hope you enjoyed.Follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

Wishing you a very Happy Diwali.

Stay safe.

 ^ , ^

Mihika

Diwali kandils and lanterns tutorial

Hey everyone,


                I made these lamps with the tutorial given HERE.Only the dimensions have been changed and it's more like a cuboid one.The dimensions that I used for this one are 11 inches by 5 and a half inches which means you'll need 8 bamboo sticks which are 11 inches in length and 8 bamboo sticks which are 5 and a half inches in length.The paper that you use will also be of the dimension of 11 by 5 and a half inch.Rest all the procedure is same..

If you want to use it as a lamp shade or even consider giving it some legs it will look like this.

So the above lantern can be made by using the tutorial HERE.Hope the tutorial helps.

WARNING : Please do check about the fire safety of the paper before using it and use a very low wattage light to avoid any mishappening....And use fire retardant spray for paper.Do not use candles or other such burning things inside the lamp.These lamps are for outdoor use only.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.Any feedback is welcome.You can post the pictures of lamps you make using these tutorials on our FB Page.

Follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

Ideas out of the mist wishes everyone a very, very Happy Diwali !!!!!!!!!!!!


You can find another version I made last year from HERE.

Until next time,
Take care.
 ^ , ^
Mihika

How to make a paper lantern (lamp) for Diwali for decorating / competitions

Hello everyone,
                    This is a tutorial post on how to make an easy  paper lantern for Diwali / Deepavali / Xmas.This is so easy that even grown up kids can try this with some adult supervision.So it can be done for office / schools lantern making competitions.......

It looks like this.

 

Material required -
Handmade paper
Bamboo sticks
Glue like fevicol or a glue gun
Craft paper punches (optional)
Fire retardant spray

Method -

1- Start by cutting the bamboo sticks into 11 inches pieces.You'll need 16 such pieces for one lamp.Then take 4 of these sticks and glue them at the corners to form a square as shown below.

2- Cut the handmade paper into squares of 11 * 11 inches.You can punch them to add an extra effect to your lamps.You can also used pre punched paper to make the task easy.I heard you can get pre-punched paper from Michaels.

How to make a post box / letter box (model) for kids school project

Hello,
                I'm sharing today pics of the post box we made for a school project.Hope these might help you if you were looking for a "how to" on that.

Material required -
Thin card
Red coloured paper
Some lids
Glue
A pair of scissor
Some paper for making envelopes (optional)

Procedure -

Start by cutting a thin card and red paper into a rectangular shape.
NOTE -Parental supervision is required here.

Paste them on top of each other and cut a slit on the top and a window at the bottom as shown below.

Theme parties / ladies meet : Theme Festivals

Hello,
               This is a post on a theme party we hosted with the theme "Festivals".I have been posting about the handmade invitation card, folders that I had been doing for sometimes now and I'll put the links to them below.So this post is more or less going to give you a complete picture of the kitty.

The invitation card can be found HERE.  It looked like the pic below.

For the paper game we played a game on Indian currency.It can be found HERE.
And the answers to that quiz can be found HERE.

For the group game we made four groups based on the name of festivals and gave them dough mixed with haldi to give it some colour and asked them to make a Ganesha out of it.They also had to write a shloka on it.

For the raffle we took some tambola numbers face down and everybody was asked to pick up one.The lady who got the number that was same as the date of the ladies meet won.Simple yet different.......:)

After the group game I gave a small demo which went on smoothly and it was followed by tambola.For the eats we had kachori, sabji, pakodas, dahi badas and gulab jamuns.

So that's it.We enjoyed the evening and it was good fun.

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

Until next time,
Keep smiling.
  ^ , ^
Mihika

Handmade invitation card for kitty / Ladies meet

Hello everyone,

This is a quick post on a hand made invitation card made for a ladies meet with the theme "Festivals".These are some of the pics that I took and I'm not really sure if the camera could capture the look and feel of the card.It is a kind of a dimensional card with flaps that interlock and when opened they reveal the invitation card.

Invitation card for theme parties.

Here is another pic of how it will look like when opened.For the time being I have placed a blank paper.The invitation will be printed and pasted later.

Handmade invitation card when opened.

And here is the last and final shot a close up one,to show you I also punched the border to give it an extra delicate look.

The dimensional handmade invitation card for kitty and ladies meet.

Hope you liked it.I may add some embellishment and will post further pics if I do so.

P.S. As promised I'm posting the final pics of the card.....

The handmade invite for festive theme ladies meet

And when opened it looks like this.......

The card when opened.

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get latest updates.......:)

And,Oh Yes!Is anybody interested in a tutorial on this......???

Until next time,
Keep smiling .
  ^ , ^

Mihika

Couple Games / Ice Breaker Games for parties -1 Where are Cinderella's slippers

Hey everyone!
                 I hope everyone is having a great day.Now, I'll be posting a series of party games on the blog,so if you've landed on this page from say,Google search,be sure you find other ones by searching for party games / couple games / kitty party games.

                This is the first in the series and it's a couple game.It can be played at parties where people know each other,or at those where people are new to one another.So games like these act as excellent ice breakers for your guests to open up and feel comfortable with each other.The activity and the laughter that accompanies such games make people friends for long terms,besides giving the host some precious time to fix up little things in the background,like a dinner table and off course the credit of playing a good host.


                 So to begin with,the ladies and gents stand in two rows facing each other.Then the hosts calls out names randomly and pairs all the couples.Now,the couples are told to have a look at each other and maybe know each other.

                 So what happens now is that people start asking each others name,job description,favourite colours etc etc.

Answers to "Fun" party quiz / paper game / Word game

Hey everyone,

                The answers to the fun quiz are out now.

1. Pay back my money!                         Refund
2. Not functioning.                                  Defunct
3. Formal celebration.                            Function
4. A channel used for pouring.               Funnel

Build your own indoor tent for kids

Hello there,
         I came up with this indoor tent for kids for two reasons.One,it is hot and humid and it being the rainy season, the mosquitoes won't let the kids play outside.Two,during the summer break I had to keep the kids busy.
         So,if you want to make it all you need is a double bed sheet,for that matter any bed sheet would do.The colourful, the better.I chose a white one and let the kids draw on it using stencils.You can see in the pic below,that it's still not finished as we ran out of time.Hopefully, we'll finish it in the next long vacations.And I may post the final pics then.

           To make this, all you have to do is to tie a clothesline(nylon rope which we usually use to dry our clothes) across the room, preferably above the bed.Lay the bed sheet on top and tie the ends to the bed and voila! it's done.

Indoor tent house using a bedsheet.

            Super easy and super fun.....Did the kids enjoy?? So much,that they wouldn't let me remove it even during the night time.They went to sleep inside the tent and it has been more then a day since it was put up and they are still playing.....Oh! what fun.This tent will remain special to them because they are drawing on it themselves.

Any suggestions on should the kids paint it, or leave it as such or what to use which is mess free,if they paint?

You can follow us on Facebook,Google+ or Pinterest to stay connected and updated........:)

Until next time,
Take care.
 ^ , ^
Mihika

"Fun" party quiz / paper game / Word game

Hey everyone,
                                   Realized that I hadn't posted a quiz since ages.So doing it right now.It's a simple,fun quiz which can be used at a social gathering / ladies meets / kitty parties / birthday parties etc...........

All, the participants have to do, is to guess the answer and it should contain the word "FUN".The word "Fun" can appear at the beginning,middle or at the end.An example has been done for you to make things clear....

1. Pay back my money!  Refund
2. Not functioning.
3. Formal celebration.
4. A channel used for pouring.
5. Causing laughter.
6. For social causes.
7. Failure to work normally.
8. Practical and useful.
9. Modern and stylish.
10. Basics.
11. Aided.
12. The ultimate truth.
13. An inflammatory condition.
14. A sum of money saved
15. Capable of curing.

It's super easy and most people will get most of them.......:) 

If you wish you can post the answers as comments.If  you want to find more such paper games scroll to the top of the page and click on the Quiz and party games tab.You'll find many more listed there.

P.S. The answers to this quiz have been posted now.You can find them HERE.

Follow us on Facebook,Pinterest,Google+ to stay connected and get regular updates.......:)

Until next time,
Keep smiling.
 ^ , ^
Mihika

Diwali themed handmade invitation card

Hello friends,

                   Today I'm sharing this Diwali themed invitation card I made several years ago and chanced upon these pics only today.So without further ado here are the pics -

Diwali themed invitation card

Place values - Teaching kids ones and tens

Hey everyone,

      Came up with a way of teaching a little kid the place values.Kids get confused when suddenly from numbers they are made to move on to place values and it becomes complicated for them.

So yet another post on helping them out and making it easy.

You'll need -

Popsicle sticks
Crystals with adhesive backing / Bindis

I used crystals because they are bright and are bound to attract attention of a child.However you can use bindis/round stickers if you have to teach to a mass,for e.g. in a classroom.

So here are the pics and I think they are self explanatory.

First of all teach them count and adding by 10's and grouping sets of 10's together.

Ones and tens place value for kids

Theme parties / ladies meet : Monsoon theme

Hello there,
               After a long while I attended a ladies meet.The theme was monsoon.So this post is basically a reminder to myself for future references rather than anything more.

Decor-          The hostesses did a nice decor.A beautiful rangoli in the shape of peacock was done at the door.And some small rangolis were made along the path and in the corners.