Crafter in The Spotlight 34 - Itsy Bitsy

Hello arty-crafty Folks! As you all know, this Thursday we are celebrating Republic Day. So, I took the opportunity to bring you our ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’ a day prior. This week I take great pleasure in featuring TANVI SHAH as our “Crafter in the Spotlight”! Tanvi Shah a microbiologist by profession took to full time crafting in 2012 & hasn’t looked back since!

Tanvi’s love for craft goes back a long way to her school days. From the very beginning all kinds of papers fascinated Tanvi! She calls herself “addicted to paper and stationery”. She loves every aspect of craft that involves paper and cherishes every moment of her journey from a “paper hoarder to a paper crafter”. Making cards and transforming home interiors with decoupage are some of her favourites. Her mother was her first inspiration and next came “Itsy Bitsy”; a motivation for Tanvi to hone her skills and live her passion.

Tanvi loves exploring new styles of crafting with paper and has a keen eye for details. Although there’s no particular craft routine that Tanvi follows yet she feels her days are never complete without some crafting.

I have worked closely with Tanvi & have totally enjoyed my interactions with her. Tanvi’s creativity is complemented by great attention to detail, a keen, insightful & analytical mind! I cherish my association with her & wish her loads of luck on her creative journey! J

How did Tanvi get into crafting, what are her tips for fellow crafters, her favourite quote, how would she contribute to the crafting world if she had magical powers?? To know answers to these, to know more about her interesting journey and 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 Tanvi Shah:

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

Tanvi Shah: Let me first thank you, Rashmi & Team Itsy Bitsy for this feature. I started my blogging journey to participate in Itsy Bitsy Challenges! I also thank Team Itsy Bitsy for empowering thousands of women both - by means of employment in Itsy Bitsy & bringing joy with the products to many passionate crafters like me!

I am a Microbiologist from ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ settled in ‘Namma Bengaluru’ since 2007. My career started as a Lecturer & Researcher in Mumbai & I continued to contribute to Microbiology education until 2013.

RC: How did you get into crafting?

TS: I am a paper & stationery addict, while in school, I always dabbled with some craft especially during holidays. My mom is my inspiration, embroidery & crochet was her forte.

However, serious crafting happened with blogging only in 2012 with my decision to quit work. I was looking for alternatives to keep myself productively occupied & stumbled upon craft blogs, many from my own city. That’s when I discovered that the products I had hoarded from frequent visits to Itsy Bitsy are not limited to school projects! This opened the doors to the crafting world & the start of my creative journey, leading to the metamorphosis of a paper hoarder to a paper crafter! J

RC: What is your favourite type of craft?

TS: I love anything that involves paper - my passion being card making to transforming home décor items with decoupage.

RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

TS: Papers, papers & papers! ! I always have a ready supply of the Little Birdies Chipboards & Handmade Flowers.

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

TS: Oh! I wish to set up a “Crafting Institute”!!! A place with labs, libraries & classrooms to learn & to teach craft (Hope you get the HINT Rashmi J !)

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

TS: Of course, PAPERS & now Color Splash Sprays too.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

TS: I love experimenting & do not restrict myself to any style. My passion lies in attention to detail in what I create. I love playing with techniques & exploring all styles of paper crafting.

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

TS: Creativity is spontaneous & I do not have a fixed time in the day, though no day is complete without some crafting - be it reading blogs, colouring stamped images, pinterest or even surfing through online craft stores.

RC: Tips for people who want to craft.

TS: Just be yourself and take small steps to make it big! Understand the what, when & why of tools & products.

RC: Your all -time favourite quote?

TS: Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible & suddenly you are doing the impossible!

Here is a gorgeous project by Tanvi & step by step description:

Decoupage box

Materials-

Wooden/MDF box

Antiquities paper pack

Black gesso

Black acrylic paint

Decoupage glue & varnish

Mont Marte Metallic Acrylics

Sponge

Sand paper

Procedure

1.   Unscrew all hinges & locks on the box.

2.   Lightly sand the decoupage base to smoothen the surface.

3.   Apply a coat of Black Gesso & let dry. Sand the primed surface.

4.   Next paint only the edges of the box & sides (which will not be decoupaged, in this case the inner sides of the box). Once dry, sand again to get a smooth finish.

5.   Select coordinating patterns from the paper stack (I used Antiquities Paper Pack) & trim to the required size.

6.   Glue the papers on the box using Itsy Bitsy Decoupage Glue, one side at a time & let dry. Take your time & press the paper gently using a sponge, avoiding air bubbles. Seal with another layer of Decoupage Glue over the paper.

7.   I wanted to give a metallic finish to the box so as to coordinate it with the gorgeous colors of the paper I chose. For this I buffed Mont Marte Metallic copper on the edges of the box.

8.   Apply 2-3 coats of Itsy Bitsy Decoupage Glue to varnish the box. Sand between two coats for a smooth finish & let dry between each coat.

9.   Assemble the box by screwing back the hinges/locks etc.

Here are a couple of Tanvi’s other awesome creations:

Many congrats Tanvi 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!