Christmas comes only once a year but I try to preserve its essence throughout the year!
Ever since I can remember, everyone starts hunting for Christmas gifts as the holiday season approaches. Great care is invested in shopping for these presents but they are soon forgotten as soon as the big day is over.
As a child I’d always looked forward to giving and receiving presents but it has always saddened me of how we all forget about them shortly after and lock them in our cupboards.
Now for the past couple of years I try to give gifts which would be used year round and still not look boring.
This year my ideal gift is going to be silk scarves for all my friends. I am going to make these scarves myself with great care. Being a big fan of simplicity and neatness my scarves will be white in color so they can be unisex. This type can easily be worn with a blazer, skinny jeans, or an oxford for a casual yet professional look anytime of the year.
Hope my friends like my idea as I want them to remember the message of Christmas by wearing these scarves year round.
Winter and Christmas celebrations are incomplete without the construction of a Snowman. Making snowmen is a recreation everyone enjoys.
If there is snow outside and you want to enjoy some hand freezing fun time then follow these simple steps:
Props needed:
Snow – Carrots or cherries – Stone or coal -
Wood sticks – Buttons – Hat – Scarf
Steps:
1) Rollout a very big snowball for the lower body of the snowman
2) Rollout a smaller ball for the middle section
3) Rollout another ball smaller than the other two for the head.
4) Place the three balls on top of one another so the biggest is at the bottom, the second largest in the middle and the smallest at the top
5) Use carrots or cherries to make the nose
6) Make eyes with stones or coal
7) Place wood sticks around the torso to make arms
8) Stick buttons vertically around the belly to look like a sweater
9) Top off with a hat on the head
10) Tie a scarf around its neck
Da Da Da the Snowman is ready!
There are a numerous ways to tie a head scarf. Try some of the following styles or invent your own.
The Dutch Crown
The Bun Scarf
Rossette Scarf
A Kelly Wraps
Braid Style
A Snood Shawls
The Butterfly Scarfs
Rapunzel Shawls
Jerusalem Twist Scarf
Ponytail Scarves
Ribbon Style Scarfs
Gypsy Wraps
The Crown Scarves
Eid 2009 dates have been announced marking Nov. 28 as the day of celebrations and prayers. Muslim all over the world are looking forward to celebrating eid ul adha with their loved ones.
Everyone wears their best clothing and visit friends and family.
Women enjoy eid time the most as it gives them an additional chance to indulge in their lust for a bigger wardrobe. They shop a variety of clothing items ranging from scarves, dresses, shoes to anything their purse allows.
New designs of abayas are introduced in the market each year near the eid season as the demand is highest as this time of the year.
The trend for women’s scarves is also high as they fall under the hijab category and are mandatory for all Muslim women. Women search for the best available shawls and scarves including pashmina and silk.
Another important part of eid celebrations is feasting. Lavish and extravagant meals are prepared and everyone is invited.
Eid is a time of celebration and festivity for Muslim all over the world. Eid ul fitar marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and eid ul adha is celebrated at the end of the pilgrim hajj.
Eid is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year as all friends and family get together and join in festivity. Everyone anxiously waits to know when is eid so they can exchange gifts and greetings.
Scarves and shawls have become a popular eid gift item as eid this year happens to be during the winter season. Demand for wool, pashmina and silk scarf of all sorts is on a high trend. People enjoy giving and receiving gifts according to the weather and scarfs make a wonderful present as it is suitable for the young, elderly, men, women and all.
We as humans have always adapted any mode of popular dressing of that particular time and enjoy making it our current style.
One of the most fashionable wear of all times has been the “scarf” and all generations have used it as an accessory of adornment. It has served as a reflection of social and economic status and as a necessity of desirable clothing.
Scarves combine knitwear with warp and weave reflecting ethnicity on one hand and rebellious sporty trends on the other end. In short, they make you create your own individual look and style by mix and matching fabulous patterns, shapes and colors to make you look beautiful.
Today, the scarf industry is a highly profitable business growing at a tremendous rate and has become a major component of the international fashion industry. The rise of world-renowned fashion houses and fashion magazines has brought about new attractive styles of shawls and scarf accessories. Pashmina and silk scarf have become a-la-mode and are used for a variety of purposes be it protection from the weather, birthday presents or as Christmas gifts.
Walking around malls I have always been attracted to accessory shops. I’ve always enjoyed looking through racks of small everyday objects and thinking of how they can be brought to some other use other than the purpose they are made for. For example I’ll pick up colorful finger rings and try to use them as napkin holders.
But most of all I’ve always been attracted to scarf shops and stalls and enjoy using them as gift wrappers. Scarves are cost effective and eco friendly as compared to conventional paper wrapping as they can be reused. They make amazing wrap sheets and can be used to pack gifts of all size and shapes.
I use all sorts of scarves and wraps including cotton, pashmina, wool, lace, fur, jute, linen, silks and chiffons for my wrappings depending on the object to be wrapped.
My generally preference is a plain color silk scarf for small and delicate objects as silk adds royalty even to the oddest of things. For bigger presents I use larger wraps and shawls so they provide a good covering as well as stand the weight of the stuff inside.
Having a keen eye for scarves I always end up buying inexpensive yet interesting scarf colors and patterns. For example a light blue flannel scarf with small white polka dots would be an ideal wrap for a baby boy’s birthday gift. At times I just wrap my gifts in simple pieces of packing scarf and at times I ornate them with additional accessories like ribbons, lace and pins. Another example would be wrapping Christmas gifts in a Santa print scarf and adding small bells on it.
So next time you want to wrap a present try to pick the wrapper from your wardrobe and give your gift an additional value!
As winter is synonyms with Christmas so are gifts with a Christmas tree. For centuries people have shown their affection through the exchange of presents. Shopping takes a high during winters as all go shopping for themselves as well as their loved ones.
The Christmas tree becomes the main attraction of every private as well as public place. Everyone enjoys decorating it and wants their tree to look the best. Bells, balls and light hang everywhere lighting up the gloomy winter atmosphere. Christmas carols are heard everywhere and jingle bells makes you feel like jingling too.
Once the initial phase of selecting and decoration a tree are done the focus shifts to making massive gifts and placing them beneath the tree. Shortly after presents of all shapes and sizes start appearing and filling the base till the big day approaches and the mountain of gifts are opened.
The entire family takes part in this fun gift opening activity and admire each other’s gifts no matter if it is as big as a diamond ring or as little as a silk scarf. The main objective is to exchange love and enjoy the warmth of Christmas.
Everyone follows fashion and trends but not everyone can copy ‘style’. Style is unique to each individual and reflects how he or she carries an outfit. A scarf is a very simple accessory which when worn properly can help enhance once personality.
There are many different ways of wearing scarves and shawls depending on the occasion and mood. Women’s scarf come in a variety of size color and material. A simple pashmina shawl can be worn as a neckwear providing protection against the cold weather in a trendy manner. Likewise a silk scarf can be tied as a hair ribbon or a bandana.
Think of all the unique ways to wear a scarf and create your own style.
Various materials are used to make scarves. Some of these materials are so soft and shabby that they have to be stiffened by starching. Starch can be applied to any material such as soft cotton, linen or even silk if it needs stiffening. Starching is a simple method requiring two basic techniques of starch cooking and ironing.
Laundry starch is easily available in the market in the form of spray starch, liquid or powder.
Spray starch is the easiest as you simple have to lightl spray the starch over the scarf and gently iron it.
The second form is liquid starch which has to be diluted with lukewarm water before dipping clothes into it.
The last and the traditional method is powder starch. This is available in the market under different brand names but you can also use normal cornstarch used for cooking. Preparation for this is a little time consuming but the results are quite satisfactory. For a single scarf you will require:
2 heaped tablespoons of starch powder
&
2 liters water (1 liter boiling & 1 liter cold)
Method:
1) Mix the starch powder in a cup of warm water and stir it into a smooth paste
2) Add the mixture to the boiling water stirring constantly to avoid lumps and cook for 2 minutes on low flame
3) Turn off the flame and after cooling add the cold water and stir swiftly till a smooth milky concoction is made
4) Dip the scarf fabric into the prepared liquid
5) Sun dry to achieve better stiffness
6) Iron on medium heat and enjoy neat and stiff scarves.