Crafter in The Spotlight 36 - Itsy Bitsy

Hello arty-crafty folks,

It’s Thursday & I am back again introducing yet another talented crafter and her crafting skills. This week’s chosen one is Vidhu Thareja, who is pursuing an interesting career as a freelance translator.

Vidhu who has a degree in B.Ed has diverse work experience & has previously worked in the insurance sector for eight long years.This talented & organised crafter who says crafting is in her genes is totally committed & dedicates 4-5 hrs a day for Crafting! Way to go Vidhu! J

In her childhood, Vidhu drew creative inspiration from her mother and grandmother and as time flew; her knack for crafting helped her learn lot of art and craft skills on her own.

How did Vidhu get into crafting, what inspires her, what are her tips for fellow crafters, her favourite quote, how would she contribute to the crafting world if she had magical powers? Read answers to all these questions to know more about her interesting journey and catch a glimpse of a step by step project by Vidhu in this interview & leave your comments for her.

Here are excerpts of my interview with Vidhu Thareja:

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

Vidhu Thareja: I am Vidhu Thareja and I am 46 years old. I have masters and B.Ed degree. I have done diploma in translation and I am working as a freelance translator also. I have worked in insurance sector for about 8 years but left my job for some reason. I took it as an opportunity of doing something, which I really wanted to do. It was my dream to do something of my own and here I am.

RC: How did you get into crafting?

VT: Crafting is in my genes. From my childhood days I had seen my mother and grandmother knitting and doing embroidery. Initially for me, it started as a hobby. In my school days, during vacations I had started learning embroidery and knitting as a hobby to spend time in a productive manner. I had learned all the stitches on my own. I will give credit to my mother, who always encouraged me to do something new. 

RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

VT: Different forms of art and craft fascinate me. Decoupage and Sospeso are my favourite. I love to work with Clay and Glass colours.

RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

VT: My favourite products at Itsy Bitsy are Chipboard Embellishments, Flowers, Glitter Foam sheets, Pattern paper, Decoupage paper and Napkin, Handmade paper, Decoupage Glue and Silicon Glue.

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

VT: Everything handmade should get appreciation. If I had magical powers, I would love to create a platform where skills of hand will never be considered expensive.

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

VT: My prized possessions in my stash from Itsy Bitsy are chipboard embellishments and satin paper. I love to use satin paper from my box, it gives a very rich look to my creations.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

VT: I can describe my style of crafting as ‘made with love’. I like to be organised and neat. I like to learn different techniques till the time I am confident about what I am doing. I also avoid moving from one technique to another in a hurry.

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

VT: My day starts by helping my mother with household work. Every day I devote 4 to 5 hours to crafting. As I do not have a big space to work in, I try to work in an organised manner.

RC: Tips for people who want to craft.

VT: Tips for all the crafters, especially for the beginners are; whatever you want to do, do it with love and passion. Learn from others and never hesitate to ask your co-crafters and seniors. Be confident but never over-confident.

RC: Your all-time favourite quote?

VT: My all-time favourite quote is, “Work hard till you succeed”. I strongly believe that if you work hard, your work will give you recognition. For me it is already beginning...

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

Tutorial of Decoupage Mobile Hanger:

I have chosen this MDF Mobile hanger for this project

For this project I wanted to use pattern paper so I chose this beautiful pattern paper.

Then I applied Gesso with the help of sponge brush. After the first coat I waited for a while to let it dry.

I then cut the pattern paper according to the size of mobile hanger.

Then I took Itsy Bitsy Decoupage Matte Glue and applied it evenly on the base. Now the next step is to decoupage. I took my cut out pattern paper and placed it on the glued surface. Slowly adjusted the paper and pressed it with hands so no bubble is left between MDF base and paper. If you want, you can use flat Sponge or Decoupage Spatula.

Let it dry for some time. To give a neat look to the sides, I scrapped it with sand paper.

For sealing my decoupage I have used Decoupage Glue Glossy. My decoupage paper is shiny, so I chose the glossy variant. I  used a flat brush to apply it.

Now, It was time to colour the sides with a flat brush. I used metallic shades in combination with my paper.

The next step was to embellish my product. Chipboard embellishments and flowers are my favourite. I used Chipboard in Bird design and Flowers of Little Birdie brand from Itsy Bitsy store. I coloured the chipboard with combination of paper. For pasting I used Silicon Glue from Itsy Bitsy.

In the end I pasted some half pearls.

Product is ready for use.​

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

Many congrats Vidhu 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!