Christine Chitnis: April 2010

New England Readers: Your Help Is Needed

I am working on a huge project right now, and I need your help! If you live in any of the six New England states-- Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut or Massachusetts-- I have two questions for you, feel free to answer one or both with as much or little detail as you wish:

1. What is your favorite farmers' market in your state and why?

2. Are there any outstanding craft shows or art events that take place in your state?

Feel free to leave your responses in the comment section, or shoot me an email at christine.chitnis@gmail.com. I REALLY appreciate your help!!

Colorful Yarn Votives

I love decorating my rustic farmhouse kitchen table with different arrangements for each season. Do you remember this votive project from the winter months? Well, I have come up with its spring-time counterpart!

Tools and Materials:
-Rinsed and dried glass jars
-Yarn
-Hot glue gun
-Felt
-Needle and thread
-Scissors

Step 1: Start by collecting an assortment of interesting jars, carefully rinsed and dried. Pick out complementary yarn colors, which can be as few as one, or as many as you desire. The thickness and material do not matter.

Step 2: Decide where you would like the yarn to begin (somewhere near the top of the jar), and put a small dab of hot glue. Quickly press the end of your yarn into the glue droplet and wait for it to dry. Begin wrapping your yarn tightly around the jar. If you want to switch colors, simply end one color by sticking its end to the jar with a drop of glue, and begin the next color in the same manner. For the best results, start and end your yarn on the same side of the jar...this will be the "back" of the votive.

Step 3: Once the yarn "cozy" is complete, decide how you would like to accessorize the "front" of the votive. I kept mine simple with a few felt roses and leaves. To create a felt rose, cut a 2 inch circle of felt, and cut it into a spiral. Begin rolling your spiral from the outside and keep rolling until you reach the end. Secure with a needle and thread. Attach your rose and leaves to the votive with a dab of hot glue. Make sure to hold them in place until the glue has dried.

Place a tea light inside your votive and enjoy a colorful, candlelit tabletop!

Earth Day on the Farm

I hope everyone found some time to celebrate Earth Day yesterday. I am back to work on the farm as a farm educator, so my Earth Day was filled with teaching children about sustainable agriculture and the humane treatment of farm animals...how appropriate! There is simply nothing better than spending the day on a farm full of happy, well-treated animals. And of course spring means babies...lambs, piglets, chicks and calves! Total cute overload!

By the way...are you looking for a great way to celebrate Earth Day and flex your writing muscles? Enter Rockywold Deephaven Camps (RDC) writing competition to win a ONE WEEK vacation for you and four friends! RDC is the gorgeous, breathtaking camp where Squam Art Workshops is held every summer. It would be an ideal place to spend your summer vacation...especially if it was for free! For all of the information on how to enter, click HERE! Good luck!

The Year of the Blog

I have to admit that my dear friend Elizabeth was right...when you say your goals out loud, it can often set in motion a chain of events that leads to those goals being met. Do you remember back in January when I declared 2010 "The Year of the Blog"...meaning I would put a new-found enthusiasm and dedication into making Lavender and Limes the very best it could be? Well, it looks like that dream is on its way to coming true.

I will be featured in the Summer 2010 issue of Artful Blogging...and I simply couldn't be more proud! Artful Blogging is like a right of passage for those of us with creative blogs...it is something I have always wanted to be a part of, but I was sure I would never be quite good enough.

Shortly after I returned from India, I submitted my travel story and pictures to the lovely Christen over at Stampington & Company. Before the end of that day, she wrote back and said that they were absolutely interested...I had to pinch myself. Seeing my pictures and words come to life in this beautiful publication feels surreal, like a dream come true. And I suppose I owe it to you, my dear readers, who return day after day to listen to my ramblings and add your own unique voices to the dialogue. So thank you...you are simply the best!

Wishful Thinking

Did anyone else in New England head to their farmer's market this weekend (naively) expecting bushels of berries and baskets of greens? I guess that just because we had one warm day last week, it does not mean that summer's bounty is going to shoot magically out of the ground overnight.

I thought I was going to cry when I saw stall after stall of root vegetables. I swear, if I see one more potato or beet...

However, there was a silver lining to this market trip, and that was the gorgeous bunches of jewel toned flowers for sale. This gave me hope that plentiful bounty is just around the corner!

The Greening of Providence

When we returned from India, I was beyond excited to find that Providence had fully embraced spring. Cherry blossoms were bursting forth from every yard, our forsythia bush was in full bloom, adding a delightful spot of yellow to the backyard...and this strange little pink flowering plant seemed to come out of nowhere to grace our side yard. I can see it from my kitchen window while I am cooking and it makes me immensely happy! I clipped a small branch to bring indoors.

Other bits of springy greens and blues can be found in my new earrings, which I bought while we were in India. I can't wait for a fancy occasion to don those green chandeliers!

I hope your weekend has plenty of spring-time blooms in store for you...here's wishing you a great one!

The Great Art of Procrastinating

I have yet to go grocery shopping. It is now Wednesday, we arrived home on Saturday and yet...I keep procrastinating. I feel so uninspired. What to buy? What to cook? Who knows, who cares.

I know...what a bad attitude. But can you blame me? I just came from the land of color, where the markets are an explosion of exotic textures and smells, and now going back to my sterile grocery store feels like some sort of punishment.

Is it so wrong that I want my milk delivered on the back of a motorcycle?

Is it so wrong that I want this sweet boy to roll me out fresh naan with his little rolling pin?

Is it so wrong that I want my spices presented to me in colorful heaps and shiny silver bowls, and my chillies displayed in burlap bags?

Okay, okay....you are tired of my petty complaints...I'm going, here I go, off to market. This house will be barren no more. And at the very least, I can be thankful that I don't need to bring home my groceries on top of my head, or slung over my back!

Home, At Last

We are home...at last, and my goodness, it seemed like a long journey back. 15 hours on the plane and another 3 hours driving from New York to Rhode Island. I am utterly exhausted and I am afraid that it is going to take all week to get my energy back. We spent the weekend lounging about in bed, venturing out only for movies and food. I was asleep by 4pm on Saturday and proudly made it to 5pm last night. I am so OVER having jet lag...

On a positive note, I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and I used my energy surge to begin unpacking. Of course I will save the dirty clothes for later...I just wanted to unpack my souvenirs and gaze at them lovingly.

Now these pictures are not meant to incite jealousy...but I cannot be responsible if the green monster happens to rear its ugly head. I get it...these are perhaps the most beautiful ribbons I have ever seen in my entire life.

I found them tucked away at the back of a textile shop in Udaipur and I went absolutely crazy. My husband bargained them down to a mere $5 a roll...and we are talking yards and yards on each role. The only problem is...I can't imagine cutting into them, they are just too beautiful. They are going to require the perfect project...any ideas!?

Saying Goodbye

This is a rather bittersweet goodbye...I am ready to return home to Providence in full bloom. My hands ache to dig in the dirt, tend to my chickens, finish my quilt, and visit my springtime farmers market. And yet, I have a heavy feeling in my heart. This will be our last visit to India for a little while, and I am not sure if I am ready to say my goodbyes. I have so many more pictures and stories to share with you, and I can't wait to show you some of the amazing loot that I will be hauling back home! But it will have to wait...I am going to enjoy our last day here, bask in the noise and heat, soak up every ounce of India, and hope that it will last me until we return.

Boys Will Be Boys

I guess that no matter where you are in the world, some things are always the same. Boys will play, and women will work, holding up the household on their shoulders!

The Indian Premier League (IPL), which is the national cricket league, is playing while we are here...so everyone, everywhere has cricket fever (even more so than when we were last here!).We happened upon a pick-up cricket game while the school kids were on lunch break. They were so excited to have their pictures taken, so they really hammed it up for the camera.

Nearby, their grandmothers, mothers and sisters continued their labor, hauling water, wood and straw for miles on their heads. Their strength and stamina is just incredible. I feel like I would crumble after walking a single day in their shoes (actually barefoot, in most cases).

The Story of One Village, One Family

I feel a certain sense of peace being here in Udaipur, a more rural part of India. The town here is small, the people extremely friendly, and the scenery beautiful. We have been traveling so much over the past week that it is nice to pause for a few days and enjoy the slow life. Today we drove out to a village, and I took a series of pictures of the sweetest family. What initially captured my attention was this little girl, swinging away on a flour scale while her family worked their shop...how very resourceful!

While her daughter happily swung and munched on biscuits, mother ground the flour, and carried it over to another part of the store to be bagged.

Our arrival on the scene caused older sister to rush down from their home atop the shop, and lo-and-behold, our little swingers twin brother.

Couldn't wait to give those cheeks a squeeze, but I am not sure if he felt the same way about me.

Grandfather quickly tried to look busy by feeding the little one a few more biscuits...

before putting her back on the scale while he went to lie down...all in a days work!

Mumbai and Onwards

Happy Easter to all! I am so out-of-sorts with my timing here that I almost forgot it was Easter...yikes! I am a bit sad to miss out on Easter crafting, egg dying and Sunday mass with the family...but somehow, I will live!

Anyway, it has been a whirlwind couple of days here...from the mountains of Shimla to the sweltering streets of Mumbai, and now coming down to rest in Udaipur. Like so much of India, Mumbai is a city of great contrast. The skyline seems to rise out of the slums.

And yet the architecture is beautiful, as is much of the landscaping. I was surprised at how green of a city it was, with gorgeous flowers in bloom on every apartment balcony. The city is a bit European in its layout...