<p>You can have a lot of new things, without actually buying them. With a little imagination, you could create new things from the old! Here’s how<br /><br /></p>.<p>TELEPHONE / TABLE MAT: All you need to make this is an old magazine (preferably with glossy paper) and some cellotape.<br /><br />Instructions: Pull out 12 double sheets from an old magazine. Fold each double page lengthwise, three times over. Place six of these folded strips side by side and stick them together with a long strip of cellotape. Now take another strip of folded magazine paper and ‘weave’ it across going alternately above and under each of the 6 stuck strips. Repeat with the remaining 5 strips as well – alternately, i.e. going under – next to the one that is above, and vice-versa. Move all matted strips close to each other to form a tightly woven mat. Cut the cellotape to separate the stuck strips. Fold in the ends of strips to tuck it into the woven mat on alternate sides, all around. Place this colourful square mat under your telephone. If you make the same mat with 15 sheets – 9 folded strips vertically on one side crossed by 6 strips horizontally, you will get a rectangular-shaped mat that can be used as a tablemat. You could make a set of such tablemats and get them laminated with a thick plastic paper.<br /><br />PAINTED POTS: Bored with the plain pots that hold your plants? You can give them a new look by painting them with either poster paints or oil paints. If you use poster paints, you can wash them after sometime and repaint to give them a new look. If you are an expert at painting, then you could go in for a permanent change with oil paints. You could choose between ethnic designs, geometric patterns, folk art or just some flowers to adorn your pots. Even your plants will look livelier!<br /><br />CENTRE MAT OR DOORMAT: Take a thick cord. Coil it round and round, close and tight. With the help of a needle and thread of the same colour as the cord, stitch to fasten it on one side, all over, as you coil it. Continue till you have the required size. Use this with the stitched side down, either as a centre mat or doormat.<br /><br />FAMILY PHOTO FRAME: Take a family photograph of your choice. Mount it on a thick thermacole sheet that is much bigger than the photograph, sticking it in the centre. Stick some dried flowers and leaves on the thermacole all around the photograph. You could even make some strokes with golden, silver or glitter paints to decorate it further. It is ready to adorn a wall in your living room.<br /><br />TABLE CENTRE PIECE: For this you’ll need a big, fancy bottle or jar made of glass. Make sure that the jar / bottle is completely dry before you pour in the ingredients. You could keep it out in the sun for an hour or two, to ensure this. Carefully pour in the following things that are found in all kitchens, to form different coloured layers – ragi seeds, saunf (aniseed), peppercorn, dhaniya seeds, red masoor dal, cloves, green moong, dried corn (popcorn seeds), jeera, cardamom, chana dal (bengal gram), red kidney beans (rajma), separately. See that the layers you form are placed in contrasting colours. Fill the jar or bottle to the brim and shut it tight to keep away ants and insects. This will look attractive when displayed in the centre of your dining table or on the kitchen shelf.<br /><br />WINDOW PICTURE: Take a dark coloured chart paper. Draw the outline of a landscape on the wrong side of the paper. On the drawn lines, with the help of a needle or safety pin, pierce to form holes big enough to let light pass, as close together as possible. Draw an outline all around and pierce it with a thicker needle or pin. Stick this chart paper on the top of your window frame. Whenever you draw the curtains, you will see the light pass through the holes to form a pretty picture!<br /><br />MISCELLANEOUS ART: You can take an old bamboo mat that is in good condition and make useful things out of it. You could add frills of old silk material and a few single bells out of old ‘ghungroos’ and make a cool screen for your balcony.<br />Cut out smaller pieces of the mat, run embroidery threads through them and laminate to make tablemats.<br />You could stick photographs and paint the mats to make wall albums.<br />You could even surprise your mother by giving her kitchen a brand new look by painting the bottles and jars with glass paint.<br />Radhika D Shyam</p>
<p>You can have a lot of new things, without actually buying them. With a little imagination, you could create new things from the old! Here’s how<br /><br /></p>.<p>TELEPHONE / TABLE MAT: All you need to make this is an old magazine (preferably with glossy paper) and some cellotape.<br /><br />Instructions: Pull out 12 double sheets from an old magazine. Fold each double page lengthwise, three times over. Place six of these folded strips side by side and stick them together with a long strip of cellotape. Now take another strip of folded magazine paper and ‘weave’ it across going alternately above and under each of the 6 stuck strips. Repeat with the remaining 5 strips as well – alternately, i.e. going under – next to the one that is above, and vice-versa. Move all matted strips close to each other to form a tightly woven mat. Cut the cellotape to separate the stuck strips. Fold in the ends of strips to tuck it into the woven mat on alternate sides, all around. Place this colourful square mat under your telephone. If you make the same mat with 15 sheets – 9 folded strips vertically on one side crossed by 6 strips horizontally, you will get a rectangular-shaped mat that can be used as a tablemat. You could make a set of such tablemats and get them laminated with a thick plastic paper.<br /><br />PAINTED POTS: Bored with the plain pots that hold your plants? You can give them a new look by painting them with either poster paints or oil paints. If you use poster paints, you can wash them after sometime and repaint to give them a new look. If you are an expert at painting, then you could go in for a permanent change with oil paints. You could choose between ethnic designs, geometric patterns, folk art or just some flowers to adorn your pots. Even your plants will look livelier!<br /><br />CENTRE MAT OR DOORMAT: Take a thick cord. Coil it round and round, close and tight. With the help of a needle and thread of the same colour as the cord, stitch to fasten it on one side, all over, as you coil it. Continue till you have the required size. Use this with the stitched side down, either as a centre mat or doormat.<br /><br />FAMILY PHOTO FRAME: Take a family photograph of your choice. Mount it on a thick thermacole sheet that is much bigger than the photograph, sticking it in the centre. Stick some dried flowers and leaves on the thermacole all around the photograph. You could even make some strokes with golden, silver or glitter paints to decorate it further. It is ready to adorn a wall in your living room.<br /><br />TABLE CENTRE PIECE: For this you’ll need a big, fancy bottle or jar made of glass. Make sure that the jar / bottle is completely dry before you pour in the ingredients. You could keep it out in the sun for an hour or two, to ensure this. Carefully pour in the following things that are found in all kitchens, to form different coloured layers – ragi seeds, saunf (aniseed), peppercorn, dhaniya seeds, red masoor dal, cloves, green moong, dried corn (popcorn seeds), jeera, cardamom, chana dal (bengal gram), red kidney beans (rajma), separately. See that the layers you form are placed in contrasting colours. Fill the jar or bottle to the brim and shut it tight to keep away ants and insects. This will look attractive when displayed in the centre of your dining table or on the kitchen shelf.<br /><br />WINDOW PICTURE: Take a dark coloured chart paper. Draw the outline of a landscape on the wrong side of the paper. On the drawn lines, with the help of a needle or safety pin, pierce to form holes big enough to let light pass, as close together as possible. Draw an outline all around and pierce it with a thicker needle or pin. Stick this chart paper on the top of your window frame. Whenever you draw the curtains, you will see the light pass through the holes to form a pretty picture!<br /><br />MISCELLANEOUS ART: You can take an old bamboo mat that is in good condition and make useful things out of it. You could add frills of old silk material and a few single bells out of old ‘ghungroos’ and make a cool screen for your balcony.<br />Cut out smaller pieces of the mat, run embroidery threads through them and laminate to make tablemats.<br />You could stick photographs and paint the mats to make wall albums.<br />You could even surprise your mother by giving her kitchen a brand new look by painting the bottles and jars with glass paint.<br />Radhika D Shyam</p>
