Free Download Fresh Sprig New Year cards and stationery Printables

Hello. It's that time of the year when we begin to reflect on the year gone by, so we can look forward to the year coming in. I've had a full year, met new people, travelled to far off lands and experienced a whole lot of new things. I hope I've grown wiser too!


Am off to Mumbai early tomorrow to ring in the new year with family and friends. There are a bunch of special events and festivities in the first week celebrating personal milestones of people close to me. It promises to be an exciting beginning to what promises to be an exciting year. 

As the year draws to a close, am always looking for a way of saying thank you to people I love. And a note or a letter can help me do it. I've decided to giveaway a free printable to anyone who's looking for a sweet way to send a personal message to loved ones. With this Fresh Sprig New Year Stationery set, you can say a simple Happy New Year or write your very own message. The set also comes with stickers to dress up your envelopes and a letter pad design in case you decide to write a quaint letter.

You can download it here


Go, on send your wishes to people you care about and who in turn have cared for you. The fresh greens signal the start of a new season of love, hope, happiness, friendships and adventures. May the sunshine be with you!


xoxo,
sunny nomad me

Rainbow Girl

Whenever I think of her, she reminds me of a whirlwind of colours. She's the one from whom I learnt that purple can look gorgeous, and that hot pink could be atleast 5 shades of fuchsia. I opened her cupboard and sure enough, each hanger had a streak of the bright hues that she loves. When I think of her, I see a beautiful smile and laughing eyes...actually if I look long enough, she can't hold the mischief from pouring out of her eyes. She made kohl look like it needed her to survive and become timeless. 


She thinks a lot, talks a lot and thankfully clicks a lot too. Even though she's my rainbow girl, I've found her close-to-monotone pictures most interesting. She loves things which have a story to tell, and if you were to ask me, she captures that story through her work forever. Here are four of my favourites that I picked out for you to enjoy. 


What is your way of telling stories?

Happy Holidays!

Have you ever made a snowman before? I haven't, and for some reason it was just stuck in my head that I had to make one this year. After all I had already managed a wreath and modern white trees, so a snowman seemed apt to add cheer to my home. When I saw some stale bread in my kitchen that was way beyond the breadcrumbs date, I figured I had run out of excuses to not make my very own snowman. 

I processed the bread till it was as close to being a flour as possible, added some white glue and a sprinkling of water. I kneaded the dough that was formed into a smooth, sticky ball, put in some white paint and got ready to shape the snowman. The only part of its outfit I couldn't figure out was the cap, when it hit me, helloooo, why not make it wear a beret instead. And that is how my snowman actually became a very chic snow girl instead! I used a lovely picture of her for a Christmas message on Facebook. 

If you try this yourself, be sure to look up how to make flowers from bread, since it's really the same thing. And finish off your piece of work with a coat of shiny varnish to increase its lifespan. 

What have been your special ways to bring alive the spirit of the holidays into your home? I'd love to know.

Fly, soar, just touch the sky...

I live in this unique part of Kerala. It's in the Malabar region,with hills, the sea and backwaters all calmly co-existing with the huge hoardings, bright pink buses in a tearing hurry and Theyyam - a powerful dance form indigenous to these parts. I feel blessed to be surrounded by so much beauty - trees, flowers, animals, sands, birds and the blue blue sea.

Some Sundays when we're not feeling too lazy, me and N head out for a long walk down to the beach. It is a long, long walk taking about an hour to get there and then a little over an hour back. When we get to the beach, we just walk about aimlessly, collecting shells for some fish tank, enjoying the sound of the waves lapping against the shore.It's like a shot of soul nourishing music.

But this Sunday, we had a special treat waiting to be discovered. Seagulls - lining the entire shore...there must have been a hundred at least! We just sat across from the shore, at a vantage point, just looking at them come and go and come back again. Swooping low for fish, paddling on the waves, simply spreading their wings and stretching. The last time I saw gulls was in Istanbul in September, I hope to see them again soon.

6 Easy ways to dress up Gifts

Now that the season of giving is here, it's time to get busy rounding up the gifts you've bought. And to add that personal touch, I thought I'd help you with 5 ways to dress up your gifts. I've tried to find these keeping in mind the quick access to supplies and the little time they take to create. Have fun making your own versions:

1. These poppy flowers from Creature Comforts are so easy to make and are sure to make the person feel special. 
2. Gorgeous minimalistic burlap bows at For the Love simply say chic. Perfect way to be your understated elegant self. 
3. Another pretty flower gift topper that can cheer up any paper bag by Nice Package. It's so pretty, it just melts my heart.
4. Okay, so you don't like fluffy gifts or gift bags. You'd rather make a clean style statement with your gifts. Well then, here's something that may appeal to you by ManMade.
5. For those of you who would rather use recyclable material for you gift wrapping, I have found something lovely. Here's an excellent tutorial of a few styles of using Furoshiki, the Japanese traditional wrapping cloth, by Jenn Playford in an interview by furochic on Etsy.
6. If you're headed to a party and have thoughtfully picked up a bottle of wine to gift, this tag by d.Sharp journal will let you express your love. For the host or the wine, I leave that to you!

A city in snapshots

I love Mumbai. But I have never been able to capture it through my lens. Many a Sundays were planned around a heritage walk through the quaint parts of 'town' and many a sighs were heaved when for one reason or another, the plans fell through. Am grateful for Sneha's interpretation of Mumbai. I feel a warm glow of love for my home city as I browse through her set of photographs. And now that am thousand kilometers away, I yearn to go back home and smell the sea again.

You can find her series of 8 photographs here.

White wreath

There are a few things that mean Christmas to me, and a wreath is at the top, right under the tree of course.

I have tried my hand at some wreaths in the past, but this one just struck me when i had finished painting the white trees I was making.

A big fan of the paper straws, they can inspire a lot of creative projects. All you have to do is find some old magazines, take a few pages that strike your fancy (I have stuck to whites) and roll them into straws. You start from one of the corners and using your thumb and forefinger just roll smoothly across, making sure you keep it tight. Use the last corner to seal your straw.

For this project you'll need:

A bunch of paper straws (depends on how dense you want your wreath)

Some paint (I used white), you can also choose to keep the original paper colours

Glue

Round piece of cardboard

Tissue papers

Bread wire

Paintbrush

A sharp object to piece the cardboard

Beads or spangles to decorate

Paint the paper straws the colour of your choice and leave them to dry. I used fabric colour, it's thicker, gives a matte finish and does not add to the weight too much. Perfect for my low maintenance attempt.

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White Christmas...well almost

Christmas has always been a high for me. I've celebrated it over the years, in many small ways. One of my dreams is to actually have a white Christmas. In India, the chances of that happening are slim. But that doesn't stop me from hoping!

This year, I tried my hand at a white tree inspired by these ones on Curlby that I spotted on Creature Comforts. Of course, since I live in a very small town in Kerala, I had access to only craft supplies I had hoarded in the past. But armed with an old calendar, some white oil paint and a brass satay skewer, I managed to create something similar. Though I didn't achieve the enviable finish, the three wee trees I made add the missing snowy touch to my spartan Christmas decor.

Pink Love

I love dragonflies, and managed a lucky click on my way to Coorg.