The Small Town Crafter

We recently acquired a Texas State Parks yearly pass. And we are using it to full capacity. Whoever said that there isn't much to do in Texas, think again. Texas is one of those few states in the country where the chance of one suffering from cabin fever is less to nil. All the recent ga-ga about moving to Canada, no thanks. I want myself to at least have the option of going outside when I want to. A few weeks back, we went to Caddo Lake State Park, at the Texas-Louisiana border. It is Texas's only natural lake state park, and has very beautiful and eerie bald cypress swamps. We went on a Sunday evening, the crowds were thinning out, only people staying in the park were around. It was a little rainy , cool and very romantic. We stayed the night at one of the cabins within the park, which was also super pretty. The night sky was beautiful. It was pitch dark, with no ambient light. That was a really nice surprise. ( We used the SkyView app to see the night sky on the ...

I can't believe I'm writing a post after 3 years ! Being a mommy and two new countries took it's time (and toll), I guess. Here I am with a Diwali DIY. Easy as pie , but looks great. (Don't think pie is easy to make though😊). My good friend asked me to make a rangoli for her new home. It got me thinking. Traditional rangoli colors are hard to come by here and it would be destroyed in minutes, thanks to so many people stepping over it throughout the party. I had initially thought I'd use felt, but that would have been difficult to stick to the cement concrete floor. Then, of course, I thought of foam sheets. They are available in all colours under the sun and have a sticky back ! Done.  This rangoli design is inspired by traditional aalpona shapes and rangoli colours. Here's my colourful ( and quick) interpretation of rangoli.  Materials : - Peel and stick foam sheets ( I got mine from Walmart), in colours of choice - Peel and stick acrylic stones ...

I never had imagined that I would go to Scotland.  But, I did. I had imagined Scotland to be like this, but it was all that and more. Five days at the Scottish Highlands, and I was hooked. I still dream of the landscapes I saw from the bus windows. The Glens and the still mirrors of the lochs.its what a traveller's dreams are made of.  If I start writing about Scotland,  it may never end. So, obsessed that I am about houses, I will share some photographs of croft homes that I took. Crofting is working on a little piece of land (croft) , and living off it. Crofting conflicts everything that I am, its hard work,  very hard, fighting bad weather,  living where there may or may not be running water or proper sanitation facilities,  living with smelly farm animals and things like that. But I am willing to do it,  just so I could live in a crofter dwelling. Who wouldn't with views like this ? Thatched roof croft dwelling Or a room with a view like ...

When I was a fresh architecture grad, living in Mumbai, the word 'Khotachi wadi' cropped up frequently among my architect friends. It remained a mystery to me , until recently , when I finally visited it. It is a heritage wada  situated right in the heart of Girgaum. After much difficultly , I managed to locate it, asking several shop owners and pedestrians. Quintessential photograph of the lane  :) It is 'A village in the City' , as described in this blog . Taking a small lane from a very busy street , it seemed to me that I had reached a different world, altogether - quaint , brightly painted wooden houses situated on either side of narrow streets.  Colours abound in this little piece of architectural history.  The scale was so different from the buildings I had just crossed in South Mumbai. It was small, cosy and intimate. The houses looked into each other , seemed like everyone knew everyone else here. Scale is intimate and cozy ...

One of my colleagues lives in Kinhai (which I believe) one of the most picturesque towns in the country. Surrounded by green fields and hills, and an old temple in the background, this place is the embodiment of peace itself. The village in question, with great views  Luckily, I happened to visit it with a few of my colleagues from work last year, during harvest season. This village is very remote, I don't think I could have gone there otherwise .The weather was great , the fields were ripe with produce and it was the perfect light to take some photographs. I have always enjoyed visits to old towns, especially remote ones. I enjoy looking at the buildings and the people. They live so differently from us, like they belong to another planet altogether. Here are some pictures I took of that place .. An old temple dedicated to Rama  The old temple complex begins  Children climb down the temple complex...

This was my first visit to IUCCA (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics) in Pune. This visit was special for me, more so because it is one of the best designed campuses in India.That too, by one of our country's pioneer architect  Charles Correa .I had read and heard about it during my architecture days at M.S.U. Baroda , and I was thrilled at the chance to visit it, finally. What impressed me the most was the use of windows / frames / cut-outs throughout the campus. I found many inspired by the Mandala ( 9 squares ) , a concept Correa also used in creating in Jawahar Kala Kendra , in Bhopal. They created interesting patterns of shade on the walls - they changed throughout the day, with the sun. The day I visited , it was open to the public who wished to see the science display as well ( set up specially for that day). There were lots and lots of school going children, lots of University students. Most of them were there to see the Science display, I gue...