Crafter in The Spotlight 31 - Itsy Bitsy

Hello Crafty Folks,firstly let me wish you all a fantastic & fabulous 2017! Today, I am here to feature an extremely talented crafter who probably needs no introduction! It’s none other than Dr Sonia Suprabha Venugopal !

The ENT surgeon who has received the best ENT award from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in the year 2002, took to crafting to de-stress during her Post graduation at AIIMS! Dr Sonia is extremely creative, energetic & an inspiration to the Crafting Community!

Despite her busy schedule, Dr Sonia manages to find time to craft, blog & also is usually the first one to comment & encourage fellow crafters & bloggers! J Way to go Sonia!

I have interacted with her on a number of occasions & i find her to be an extremely nice person as well, a complete package indeed! J It looks like Dr Sonia has passed on her creative genes to Prisha, her daughter who is already quite a famous little crafter! J

Paper Crafting is what this crafter loves the most but is not restricted to it & is keen on trying out other forms of craft as well!

What is Dr Sonia’s tip for fellow crafters, her favourite quote, how would she contribute to crafting world if she had magical powers?? To know all these & to know more about her interesting journey & to see a step by step project of hers, please read the interview & leave your comments for her.

Here are excerpts of my interview with Dr Sonia Suprabha:

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy : Tell us a bit about yourself & your background? 

Dr Sonia Suprabha : I am an ENT Surgeon hailing from Kerala and now happily settled in namma Bengaluru! Have been a die hard Itsy Bitsy fan right from the day I stepped into the Banashankari branch of Itsy Bitsy many years ago!

RC: How did you get into crafting?

SS: During my post-graduation at AIIMS Delhi, we had extremely strenuous duties often clocking 48-72 hrs at a stretch and I found it really hard to unwind post duty. One day I picked up an emboss painting kit from a local fancy store and found to my delight how relaxing art and craft could be! Since then crafting has been a proven way for me to de-stress and relax!

RC: What is your favorite type of craft?

SS: Papercrafting, but I love to dabble in a little bit of everything!

RC: What are your favorite products at Itsy Bitsy?

SS: The huge range of papers.

RC: If you had magic powers, how would you contribute to the Crafting world?

SS: Though for me personally crafting is strictly a hobby, there are so many people for whom crafting is a profession. If I had a magic wand I would love to help these small businesses flourish and thrive.

RC: Your prized possession in your craft stash from Itsy Bitsy?

SS: My Big Shot and all the dies I have picked up from Itsy Bitsy over the years.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

SS: I don’t have a fixed style of crafting as I am happiest when I try out new products and projects!

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

SS: Hehe this is the question a lot of people from our crafting industry have asked me! I don’t have a fixed routine and due to my professional commitments and home scenario I have to utilize short stretches of time and so a simple card may take a whole week to complete!

RC: Tips for people who want to craft?

SS: Enjoy crafting per se and keep aiming to improve. You don't need wildly expensive materials to create a masterpiece and don't feel guilty about shopping for craft supplies!

RC: Your all -time favorite quote?

SS: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

Here is a gorgeous project by Dr Sonia & step by step description:

Sharing a simple mini Christmas Tree made out of the most basic of craft supplies ribbons!

You can use ribbon of any width depending on how large a tree you want to make. Here I used  red and green 1cm wide satin ribbon and cut it into strips around 2.5 cm long.

You can use a scissors or a nifty tool a picked up from Itsy Bitsy called a Ribbon cutter to get a clean un-frayed cut ribbon edge. To stick the ribbon you can use a Glue gun or Silicon glue. Also shown in the picture is one of my favorite tools from Itsy Bitsy a Star Foam punch. Itsy Bitsy Foam punches are fantastic to quickly cut out shapes from foam.

Twist and glue the ends of the ribbon.To form a cone,cut out a  piece from a  semicircle of card stock.

Glue or staple the Cardstock into a conical shape and stick the pieces of ribbon using Silicon glue or a Glue gun. Stick a small pencil inside the cone and insert it into a bottle cap with the help of clay

Here are a couple of Dr Sonia's other awesome creations:

Handmade Paper flowers made using Spellbinders dies, Handmade paper and Pollen from Itsy Bitsy

Altered bird house tea light holder with Thai clay flowers and leaves made using Thai Clay from Itsy Bitsy

3D spinning pop up card made using Sizzix dies, Heat embossing supplies, DCWV papers from Itsy Bitsy 

Altered Key holder using Peacock chipboard, Handmade roses made using colored jute sheets from Itsy Bitsy on an key holder from Itsy Bitsy 

Altered Shadow box using Sentiment stamp, Spellbinders dies, Sizzix dies and Heat embossing supplies from Itsy Bitsy. Shadowbox also from Itsy Bitsy 

Closeup of Handmade paper flower made using Spellbinders dies, Handmade paper and Pollen from Itsy Bitsy

Party Favor foam flower baskets made using Spellbinders dies, Craft foam from Itsy Bitsy 

Many congrats Dr Sonia for being the CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT – ITSY BITSY

You will receive Rs.500/- Itsy Bitsy gift voucher 😊 😊 & a Crafter in the Spotlight badge, which can be proudly displayed on the side bar of your blog and other platforms. Looking forward to many more creations, Happy Crafting!