Colourful tapestries of memories!

“Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
― William Martin

I absolutely love this poem!! We live in this crazy whirlwind concrete jungle, where it's a dog eat dog world, it's so rare to find people who can find pleasure and joy in the little things in life, the seemingly ordinary things that often go overlooked. My favourite people in the world, are the one's who in some way resonate and believe in finding and celebrating the little moments in life. I believe it is these small moments, that weave themselves into colourful tapestries of memories that last a lifetime!

Here's to making the ordinary of come alive!

Happy sippin!!

"I took a walk into the woods and came out taller than the trees"

- Henry David Thoreau

Inspired by the mesmerising, reclusive animals and birds that live in the nooks and crannies amidst the dense thicket.  Our woodland creatures, hand-painted sipper family is growing fast!! Meet the new adorable members, Dusty the honey loving grizzly, Mimi the colourful  gobbling turkey, Bandit the rascal racoon and Luna the coy deer.

Drop us a line if you'd like to give these quirky babies a new home. Happy sippin!

BANDIT THE RACOON

MIMI THE TURKEY

LUNA THE DEER

DUSTY THE BEAR

With a heavy heart

It's been 18 years since this tiny little, less than three kg doggie came into my life and took permanent residence in my heart. I've seen him grow from a boisterous young puppy into a full fledged Casanova. From the sweet nothings he'd whisper in my ear to get a good belly rub, to the number of times he'd crawl into my lap to take a quick nap, Scotty most certainly knew how to charm the ladies, his doleful eyes and slurpy licks will forever be etched in my memory.

 Last morning he breathed his last as he left this world and a huge void in our lives. Death is painful but watching someone you love suffer for weeks on end has it's own intensity of pain. So at 3 am when I got the message there was a sense of relief, he doesn't have to suffer any more. Sir Walter Scott is now free to frolic with his grandma, mom, sister and daughter in doggie heaven.

It's in these painful moments I've come to realize how much being there for each other matters. A tightly knit family each grieving the loss in their own way, as we laid his frail body on the cold steel table. I felt a lump rise in my throat as I watched  the attendant carry him away, a piece of my heart died as my favourite, handsome, flirtatious love left us all forever.

 I will never hear the pitter patter of his feet again or hear him bark or yodel again, I'd never feel his cold nose rub against my neck as he'd try and snuggle up against me under the sheets, there are so many never to feel experiences the gravityof which hasn't sunk in just yet. 

 Today as we cremated his remains we tried to look at the bright side, recollected all the lovely moments we shared with him, a tiny little dog with a universe of love and caring to give.

On the way back home I found myself clinging to Astra more tightly than usual knowing all to well there will come a day when I'd have to feel this feeling again. But  for now I'll take all the memories of the Yorkie clan and tuck them away safely to relive for eternity.

Here's to Sir Walter Scott, my love you've lived a full and happy life and brought so much joy into our lives, you will forever be missed. 

Spent the afternoon rummaging through old books and new and came across this beautiful poem by Sylvia Plath. There's a part of me that totally relates to this poem, I feel many a time, in hindsight I've been walking around with tinted glasses on, I never really see the whole picture in it's true shades, often till it's to late.

Mad Girl's Love Song

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

Have you been naughty or nice this year?

There's a delightful nip in the air, as the days get shorter and nights get longer. Winter is one of my most favourite seasons, not that we have much of a winter in Mumbai, nevertheless I guess it  has a lot to do with Christmas and the warm and fuzzy feeling the celebrations bring with it! From the looks of it, I've already been bitten by the festive bug, there's a batch of chocolate chunk cookies in the oven and I'm well stocked on hot chocolate and marshmallows!!

This year I'm super excited to showcase my lovely new range of 'Owlie hand-painted mason jars', these lil jars have been such a pleasure to paint, with a palette that's more pastel and not my usual bright bold colour choice and the water colour texturing, there's been a lot of experimenting that's gone into the making of this range and I must say I'm thrilled with the end products. With six spanking new, adorable owlets to choose from, these little babies are ready to spread the cheer!! So come and meet the gang!!!

On a more introspective note, there are so many new design ideas and products I have in mind it almost feels like  theres just not enough time to sketch and paint them! Watch this space for much much more!!

Inhale... Exhale... Paint...  and Repeat :)

Lulu

CLICK TO BUY

Cleo

CLICK TO BUY

Bailey

CLICK TO BUY

Maggie

CLICK TO BUY

Oscar

CLICK TO BUY

Sasha

CLICK TO BUY

Gypsy heart women and windswept souls

A sketch to celebrate all the wild and wonderful women I know, the gypsy hearts, the free spirits, the fierce and inspiring women who have forever left their footprints on my soul!

Ode -Arthur O' Shaughnessy

We are the music makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams;—

World-losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

Inner child

A beautiful poem I chanced upon today. it's worth the read.

 I feel bad for those who lost their inner child. 

The world needs more adults with young heart, a brave heart, one that's excited and enthusiastic about the wonders of our magnificent world. 

People who believe in miracles, who believe they can make them happen too. 
People who can stomach the horrors they witness everyday and give love even when they are never the recipients. 
People who are kind enough to forgive everyone around them and forgive themselves too when it's the hardest to do so. People who are crazy enough to want to make a difference, even crazier to work for it.


-- Dana Hindi

From the bowels of Gods own country- Kathakali dancer

Kathakali, an Indian classical dance form that found its roots in the temple towns of Kerala, is truly one of the most vibrant and enigmatic dance forms. The heavy caked layers of makeup, the over exaggerated facial features, the heavy  rich layers of clothing and the tantalising long silver nails makes for a treat for the eyes. I remember watching a Kathakali performance at one of my cousins weddings in Kerala and every graceful move and facial expression left me awestruck. Another influence or  rather a memory I have of Kathakali as a dance form is a movie I watched - ' Vanaprastham' with the South Indian actor idol 'Mohan Lal', thank God for subtitles for us pseudo- mallus, the movie wouldn't have made much sense without it. It unveiled a side of the art form that most people don't get to see, a melancholic tale riddled with alcoholism , caste discrimination it's definitely a movie I recommend.

From an artist point of view, the Kathakali dancer is a challenge because it goes against the fundamentals of proportions and aesthetics. Starting with the almost ghoulish base colour of a face which is green, to add to it there are facial features that are over exaggerated, like the bloodshot eyes, the heavy kohl and almost unrealistic lip shape. There is many a Kathakali artwork I've come across that lands up making the dancer look unappealing.

The challenge is capturing the beauty in the non-conformity. It's not an easy task and I'm not sure I've been able to do so, but every Kathakali dancer kettle I've painted tests that.

A dragonfly in my mind's eye

Some nights feel like they are made of magic, where you feel an almost primal need to express something. This artwork started like most, a faint glimmer in my mind's eyes and with each brush stroke morphed into something beautiful and heartfelt. If you've followed my artwork and blogposts you'd know I do have more than just a soft corner for dragonflies, so much so that I've had one inked on my body. 

At the fag end of every Monsoon season, I find myself standing on my terrace engulfed in a sea of dragonflies, it's a surreal experience where you smack dab in the middle of a bustling city and yet in your mind you feel like you're in a lush field filled with dragonflies, so real is the feeling that I can almost smell the fresh grass and feel the soft mud between my toes.

This artwork which is still a work in progress, is a humble expression of all of those feelings I've felt over the years. My little haven and escape from the realities of living a fast paced city like Mumbai.

Brush strokes into bliss

Wish every Saturday afternoon could be like this, in seventh heaven!!! With some Eddie Vedder in the background and a myriad of colours to paint with I couldn't ask of more!! Here's to many more paint filled, blissful afternoons!!

Baby Zoe spreading her wings!!

Owls are one of my favourite designs to draw, paint or sketch! I've recently tied up with the wonderful people at Postergully.com where you can find my artwork on a whole spate of wonderful products- we now have laptop skins, laptotpsleeves, coasters, mugs, wall art,hoodies, T-shirts for men and women, storage boxes, cushion covers, notebooks, cell phone cases and a whole lot more!!

Am so thrilled to introduce you to lil Baby Zoe in her new digital avatar!! Check out more designs at Pyjama Party on Postergully

Baby Zoe- Laptop skin 

Click to buy

Baby Zoe notebook

Click to buy

Hoodies

Click to Buy

Baby Zoe- Wall art  Italian Wooden frame

Click to buy

Baby Zoe I phone 6/ 6S case

Click to buy

Baby Zoe- Accessory box

Click to buy

When people ask for free artwork!

Brilliant!! This is  my response when people ask for free artwork. Love it!!

Life of Death by Marsha Onderstijn

The day Death fell in love by Marsha Onderstijn is one of the most heartwarming depictions of death. I love the simple and beautiful illustrations and the story and perspective is truly eye opening and priceless. It will make you look at death in a completely new light, a must watch!

Babushka love

The Matryoshka dolls were born from the creative belly of  Sergey Malyutin a very talented artist, illustrator and designer, with the help of Vasily Zvyozdochkin a doll maker and artist in 1890, carved out of wood these beautiful nesting dolls have since stolen the hearts and sparked the imagination of many an artist and designer. You can still find the authentic Russian Babushka dolls in the Sergiyev Posad,Semyonov,Polkhovsky Maidan and Kirov regions in Russia. These dolls are commonly referred to as Babushka dolls, the word "babushka means 'grandmother' or an 'elderly woman'

With the growing love for these adorable dolls, artists and designers across the world have creatively adapted these dolls to reflect various styles of art  and elements of their region or country. Today you can find contemporary artists painting theme based artwork like floral, Christmas, Easter, animals or even portraits and caricatures of famous politicians and celebrities.

Christmas themed Babushka dolls

Politician themed Babushka dolls

Superhero themed Babushka dolls

The Babushka doll is one of my all time favourite designs to paint. I remember as a little girl a relative of mine returning from Russia, had gifted me a set of these adorable nesting dolls and I was instantly awe stuck by the intricate and elaborate artwork on each piece, my personal favourite was the tiniest one! Every time I paint a  Babushka doll teapot it takes me  down memory lane, to the many days spent playing my Babushka set of nesting dolls, though I must confess, for all my love for the little baby doll, I did manage to misplace the little baby, guess I wasn't the most careful of kids. Oopssiiieee...

When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do, is take a look at you.

With a city bathed in a myriad shades of blue, as raindrops pelt down from the skies above, my Blue Peacocks hand-painted teapot captures  the mood natures set. Blue in all its brilliance as peacock dance on the teapot to the rhythm of the rain!

'When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do
Is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue'
-Phil Collins

 

" We didn't realize we were making memories, we were just having fun"

" We didn't realize we were making memories, we were just having fun"

Every once in a while I stumble upon something that transports me back down memory lane. Our range of hand-painted 'Keepsakes boxes' are designed to preserve those treasured moments and memories. From photographs, trinkets, gifts or letters, collectibles...give your memories a beautiful resting place till you visit them again. Each little box is painted with love, so keep your treasured memories alive!

To know more about our other designs or get a customized hand-painted keepsake box drop us a mail at pyjamapartydesigns@gmail.com

Fire Breathers-Dragon

Red birdie 

Who gives a hoot!!

Bamboo Bliss

Love and Light

Pretty Peacock

Colour swirl

Purple Lotus

Sea dragon