Pongal & Handpainted Pots.

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by harminiasokumar in Deeper Than Fashion, DIY & Tutorials

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deepavali diy, diwali diy, diy indian blogger, indian blogger, indian diy, pongal, pongal malaysia, pongal pots

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. With there being Tamils in Malaysia (me included) it’s celebrated here too. Pongal festival lasts for four days and the celebrations include drawing of Kolam & cooking of delicious Pongal (sweet rice that is boiled in a pot until it spills over).

On this occasion farmers pay their respects to the rain, sun and the farm animals, all of which are essentials in any harvest. Also, since paddy and other crops depend on the availability of good rain and Tamil Nadu does not have many perennial water sources, rain and sun gods are invoked during this auspicious occasion. Sort of a Tamil thanksgiving 🙂

(as you can probably tell, most of the information was Google’d 😉 )

Because the Pongal rice is traditionally made in clay pots and decorated, I had to try decorating one on my own. It comes in many sizes and I wanted a really small one, not for cooking purposes but for decoration 🙂
The clay texture allowed me to draw with Sharpies & paint with acrylic. I quite like the Sharpie effect, it’s slightly faded and vintage looking. The yellow acrylic turned out fairly bright in comparison.

How cute would these type of pots look as centerpieces at a Bollywood theme party or wedding? You can use them as vases for flowers, for candles or even with coloured rice in them. The options are endless! I decided to incorporate my handmade dreamcatcher & make it a cover for the pot. I actually really like how it turned out 🙂

For all of you celebrating, Pongal Valthukal!

Cheering ‘Pongalo Pongal!’,
Harmini Asokumar

Of DIY Septum Rings & Some Indian Culture.

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by harminiasokumar in Accessories, Beauty, DIY & Tutorials, Fashion

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accessory designer malaysia, bohemian jewelry, diy bling brow, diy blogger, diy fake piercing, diy fake septum ring, diy faux septum ring, diy indian blogger, diy septum rings, handmade accessories malaysia, indian, indian blogger, indian fashion, indian fashion blogger, indian jewelry, malaysian indian blogger

Septum rings have been around since centuries, dating back to several cultures including Indian culture. From rural parts of India, Nepal and so on, to the high fashion pages of magazines, septum rings seem to be a hit with celebrities like Lady Gaga & Rihanna (both of whom I love in term of style);

I needed to give the look a try but didn’t want to invest in a real one, or an expensive faux one. DIY it was, & it was super easy to make as well;

I used an old midi ring I never used before ( I think it’s from H&M), some silver beads & UHU glue.

Step One: I cut the midi ring and adjusted it to see how it would fit to look good as a septum ring.
Step Two: Once I was happy with the size, I added a few beads to the middle of it & added two beads (with UHU glue) to cover up the opening so it wouldn’t be sharp.
Step Three: I left it to dry overnight, and that was it! 🙂
I tried on several ways to style my personal look with the septum ring I made, including using bindis. This is another classic Indian style that seems to be making a re-apperance in the fashion world;

This post seems to be focusing on quite a number of trends, & it doesn’t stop here. This one includes a makeup trend called the Bling Brow. It’s basically self-adhesive crystals that is used either above, under or on the eyebrows to add some glam to your eye makeup. The price however, is really steep.

My alternative? Bindis! It’s the same concept. In fact, Indian brides have been doing this since forever. I had previously purchased two packs of bindis for RM10 each, from Brickfields;If the adhesive at the back isn’t sticky anymore, you can add some eyelash glue and re-use it again.

& now I absolutely need to get proper faux septum rings. I can’t wait to rock this look 🙂