restlessrisa

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Indian / Bollywood Party, Part 4 {Indian Photo Shoot}

When I discovered there was a Krishna Temple in Utah, I was SO EXCITED! I kept my daughter home on the warmest day leading up to her birthday, which happened to be the Monday before, and we drove to Spanish Fork, UT to check it out. It really is lovely, and the perfect place for a photo shoot. Every angle is beautiful, and no busy distractions in the background. The people that care for the temple are SO nice. If you would like more info about the temple, you can check out their web site HERE.

I purchased her sari at the Salt Lake City location of the Krishna Temple. it was only $18. I was very pleased to have found it!

I have to admit... putting a sari on is a bit confusing, so when we got to the Sri Sri Radha temple in Spanish Fork, I was all about asking for help, and they were very kind to show us how it's done.

Next, we needed to pick a bindi (jewel worn on your forehead) They are only like $2 for a pack of 18 to 20.

Then, outside for photos...

My mom made her hold her hands that way. She was a good sport!

My mom pointed out this spot for pictures, and I love how they turned out.

These ones kind of look like tourist photos, like she is in India!

I love this one too.

And here is a pic with my mom, in the same place.

A few more.

Here she is in the earrings my sweet grandma who passed 10 months ago made. I wanted her to wear them the minute I found the sari.

Here are a few more candid shots.

I love her little face in this one :)

I had to get a few shots with her before we left.

Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 3 {Princess Beds and Taj Mahal}

So, at the last minute, I decided that each girl needed a bed to go with her Indian princess.

These frames cost me under $5 to make. I used 1X4's that I got from the second's pile at the home improvement store for the middle. They were $.50 each, and I used two. For the head and foot, I used 1/8th inch MDF that I had left over from making the Taj Mahal. The whole sheet was around $3, and I don't think I even used half of it. I used my scroll saw to cut everything, and it took me about one hour. I then glued all the pieces together.

They turned out great, except a little crooked, because I cut the middles with the scroll saw instead of a chop saw. If I ever did this again, I would use the miter saw instead. I don't think anyone else noticed, but I did.

My whole inspiration for the beds came because my daughter thought it would be fun to have furniture for her doll, and when I was at the dollar store, I saw these cleaning pads - a two pack for $1. I was thinking of what I could do for her, and it ended up being so easy, that I decided to do it for all of the girls.

The pads were the perfect size for the dolls, and I made the beds based on them. It worked out so well. I sprayed all he beds brown. I thought of stamping or stenciling them with gold paint, but that was getting to be too much, so I just left them brown.

A word on the Taj Mahal... I made it by cutting a pattern out of paper first, and laying it out. I then made it out of 1X12, and 1/8th inch MDF. I painted and glued it all together.

Do you love the centerpiece? My mom got it at a girlfriend white elephant party. It was a super ugly clock with tole painted flowers on the front and sides. When she gave it to me, I was confused, but she knew the party theme, and thought it would be perfect, and SHE WAS RIGHT! I sanded it down, and took the clock out. It was perfect for the Taj Mahal!

When the girls came down to the basement to open presents, the dolls were on one side of the room, and the beds on the other. They were all very excited!

My daughter set hers up in her room with the banner from her birthday cake, and left over party decorations. More on that later ;)

I am glad I took the time to make the beds, and feel they turned out so cute. The girls were so excited.

You might also like to look at:

Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 1 {Invitation}
Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 2 { Indian Princess Doll Favor}
Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 3 {Princess Beds and Taj Mahal}
Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 4 {Indian photo shoot}
Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 5 { Decor and Dress}
Indian / Bollywood Party, Part 6 {Diwali Lanterns and Rama Sita}
Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 7 {Footless (barefoot) Sandals}

Indian Bollywood Party - Part 8 {Mehndi (henna tattoo)}

Indian / Bollywood Party - Part 9 {Bollywood Dancing}
Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

GUMDROP PEOPLE and game printable!

This is what I shared on Studio 5 today. Aren't they SO CUTE!

I have to say, it was so fun to be there today! I love going on Studio 5 for lots of reasons, but I really love meeting the super talented guests they have on their show. I met a couple darling bloggers, and a super talented organizer. I will post more about that later. For now, here is what I shared.

These little cuties are as fun to make as they are sweet.

Weather you make them for a family game night, or a party activity/favor, or even a rainy day craft, these gumdrop people are guaranteed to please!

GUMDROP PEOPLE

What you will need:

Gumdrops, large and small (Any grocery store.)

Wooden Ball Knobs 3/4" with a 3/16" hole (Hobby Lobby, $1.47 for 6)

Wooden round 3/8" balls (Hobby Lobby, $1.47 for 27)

Wooden 1/4" dowel caps (Hobby Lobby, $1.47 for 20)

Tooth picks - I prefer round.

Craft Glue - any kind you want. I like E600.

Scissors

Wooden dowels (optional)

Craft paint and paint brushes.

Glue the balls or dowel caps on the knobs to make the hair.
Let them dry on dowels. Do you remember my kokeshi doll tutorial? These are the same idea.

You can see I glued the balls in different places for the different hair styles on the girls.
Paint the hair in whatever style you choose.
I painted the eyes using a toothpick, and dabbing paint on.

I didn't do anything fancy for the pink haired girl, and I like the simplicity of the bob.

These heads will balance on top of a toothpick. You can see here how it looks without the head. That way, if you and your kids make them for family night, and want to do it again in the future, you can reuse the head and make a new body. You can even swap heads for different outfits. The possibilities are endless!

Now for the fun part!

You can make the clothes however you want. A basic outfit is a large gumdrop for the body, and a small one cut in half long way for the shoes.

You will need 2 1/2 toothpicks for every doll - 1/2 toothpick for each arm, each leg, and the neck.
I cut the toothpick with the scissors.
I like the blunt end to be visible, and the pointy end slides into the gumdrop more easily.

You can get really creative with this. You won't need anything other than the gumdrops. When they are cut, the insides are sticky enough to cling to whatever they are stuck to.

The bottom of this yellow dress is just the tops of purple gumdrops that have been cut off and stuck on. The purple collar is the bottom of a purple gumdrop.

The red sleeves are made from a gumdrop cut in half.
The red buckles on the shoes are made from the top of a red gumdrop cut in half.

We can't forget the boys. All the instructions are the same, except that you may want your leg toothpicks to only have about 1/4 cut off (so, you will need an extra toothpick).

If you plan to top a cake with the people, you will need two extra toothpicks, to stick up into the shoes, and down into the cake to insure they won't fall over.

Now for the game...

If you want to make this gumdrop art into a family game night, or even a friend game night, you are in luck! I created this family and friend game board just for you!

You will need to print the game board at Costco, or somewhere that will print an 11x14, because it needs to be large enough to accommodate the size of the gumdrop folks.

You can download the file HERE. Just click the green download button.

You can print the playing cards on your computer.

You can download the file HERE. Just click the green download button.

You can download HERE. Just click the green download button.

You can make more of your own questions here.

Again... the download is HERE. Don't forget to click the green button.

YOU WILL NEED:
Dice
Game Board
Playing Cards
People

RULES:
Cut the cards out, and stack in a pile face down.
The first player rolls a single dice, and moves as many spaces as the roll indicates.
Follow the directions on the spot in which you land. The first one to the finish line wins!

This game is short and sweet, but will bring warm feelings to everyone who plays, with funny get to know you questions, and compliment encouraging spots on the game board.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

linking: sun scholars, tt&j

Sunday, February 12, 2012

BABY BOY Valentines

These Love Bug Valentines have been all over pinterest, and I about died when I saw them! Aren't they adorable?!?

We are having a family Valentines party/dinner at my parent's house today, and the kids need to bring valentines for their cousin's. My older kids have extra's from what they are giving their classmates in school, but I had nothing for the baby to give. I was so excited to get to make these!!!

You can find the printable HERE. Also, I have TONS of darling Valentines ideas on my Pinterest board I entitled, "For the LOVE" Come check it out HERE for more V-day inspiration! Follow me, and I'll follow you back!

I had all the bugs in a bag ready to donate. I am glad I didn't do that yet!

Come back later this week. I have something SO ADORABLE to share. I will share it first on Studio 5 on Wed. Did you know Wed is National Gumdrop Day? I didn't either, but I will be sharing an adorable creation I made out of gumdrops! If you happen to live in Utah, be sure to tune in (or set your DVR) to KSL 5, at 11am on Wed for a sneak peek!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

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