Crafter in The Spotlight 51 - Itsy Bitsy

Thursdays are special because I get to share the story of a talented crafter every week. Here I am once again, with our 51^st ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’. This week the focus is on Sonal Shah, a crafter who is originally from Gujarat but has made Bangalore her hometown now.

Sonal discovered her fondness for arts & craft while helping her kids with their school art and craft projects. Being in Bangalore, she got a chance to explore and learn about variety of art and craft styles and about talented people in this field.

How did Sonal 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, discover more about her interesting journey and catch a glimpse of a step by step project by Sonal in this interview. Don't forget to leave your comments for her.

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

Sonal Shah: Hi everyone, I’m Sonal Shah a part of Bangalore’s large migrant population originally from a small town in Gujarat who flew in during the crazy IT rush. A Homemaker with a crazy joint family who have always encouraged and helped me to do what gives me joy. Over the years my passion and interest in craft and art has grown leaps and bounds.

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy:  How did you get into crafting?

Sonal Shah: With two young kids in school, arts & craft were an integral part of their curriculum. Spending time with them and helping them with their projects was the source of my discovery towards my interest. Being in Bangalore, I was exposed to multiple varieties of artists and crafters. As time flew by, I was exposed to various avenues of art such as Warli art, glass painting, quilling and my recent favourite decoupage.  

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy:  What is your favourite type of craft?

Sonal Shah: That’s a tough question for an artist! Guess it would be Glass Painting and De-coupage.

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy:  What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

Sonal Shah: Itsy Bitsy has the largest array of pattern papers and handmade flowers which can be used with great diversity. I can spend hours in store ideating with these!

  

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy:  If you had magical powers, how would you contribute to the crafting world?

Sonal Shah: I would want to take the joys of crafting to every kid in the world as I believe one discovers themselves while crafting.

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

Sonal Shah: A huge and colourful collection of handmade flowers, which I keep adding to my stash. These flowers are the topmost on my list every time I visit Itsy Bitsy.

 Rashmi Closepet:  How would you describe your style of crafting?

 Sonal Shah: Any art with a lot of colours attracts me. My eyes are always open for new and funky art in any form.

   

Rashmi Closepet:  How do you organize your time for crafting?

Sonal Shah: For me any free time in hand is crafting time. Even while I’m not working on a project my mind is thinking about the next new adventure.

Rashmi Closepet: Tips for people who want to craft.

Sonal Shah: Don’t wait for someone to push you, or expect magically time to be created for craft in today’s crazy action packed lives. We are so lucky, in the modern world, we don’t even need anyone to teach and guide us personally… with one click, ‘Youtube’ videos are available for any topic under the sky.

   

 Rashmi Closepet:  Your all-time favourite quote?

 Sonal Shah:  “Creativity is sharing a little bit of your soul with the world.”

Here is a gorgeous project by Sonal & step by step procedure:

Decoupaged key holder (supplies from Itsy Bitsy).

a.    Handmade paper  
b.    Jute sheets
c.    Handmade flowers (blue and cream)
d.    Mod-podge

Step-1:

   Here I have taken a MDF base key holder from my stash

Step-2:

 Adhered the handmade block printed sheet to the MDF surface with mod podge. Sealed the paper with the mod podge.

Step-3:

  Decorated the base with the burlap sheet.

Step-4

 Arranged handmade flowers from Itsy Bitsy to form a pleasant pattern.

Step-5

  Added a few more embellishments from my stash to enhance the project and give it a theme.

 Here are a couple of Sonal's  other awesome creations:

 Buddha key holder using stamps from Itsy Bitsy.

 Wine bottle decoupage enhanced with brick wall effect using chip board embellishment

Mixed media canvas with my all-time favourite handmade flowers.

Decoupage Box using stencils from the stores 

Decoupage key holder decorated with the chipboard embellishment

Many congrats Sonal 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!

Crafter in The Spotlight 41 - Itsy Bitsy

Hello arty-crafty folks,

Thursday is here again! Today I will introduce you to another talented crafter for our weekly ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’. This week the lime light is on Sini Anoop, who is originally from Kerala but has lived in Goa for many years. Along with being a passionate crafter, Sini is a Ph. D. in Marine Science. Currently Sini is pursuing a career and also keeping her creative passion alive.

Sini’s love for crafting dates back to her school days. Even as a kid she liked making creative things from anything she could lay her hands on. Trying out all sorts of craft techniques thrill Sini.

For Sini, any time is a good time for crafting; she utilizes her free time for her craft endeavors. All craft supplies at Itsy Bitsy woo her and she would like to see her favourite craft store Itsy Bitsy all around the world.

How did Sini 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, discover more about her interesting journey and catch a glimpse of a step by step project by Sini in this interview. Don’t forget to leave your comments for her.

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

Sini Anoop: Hello, I am Sini married to Anoop and we have a cute little son who is 5 years of age. I am basically from Kerala, but I have lived my life in Goa and relocated to Kerala only after my son’s birth. I have a Ph. D. in Marine Science and was working as a scientist in NCAOR (National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research). After the birth of my son, I decided to quit my job to give him time. After a 6 year break, I am back to work as a Post-doctoral fellow in Marine Biology.

RC: How did you get into crafting?

SA: I don’t remember how I got into crafting, because I have been crafting since the time I remember. During school days I would eagerly wait for the craft period and would never want that period to end. I remember catching hold of any crafty thing and trying to make something out of it. During those days crepe paper flowers were my favourite. My father always motivated me, since he knew how much I loved doing it. After my graduation, studies took a front seat as I was busy with my Ph. D and research work. It was only after the birth of my little one that I got back into crafting and have been crafting and learning new techniques for the last 3 years. I am lucky to have an adoring hubby who has always supported me with my passion for crafting

RC: What is your favourite type of craft?

SA:  There are no favorites for me, as I love doing all sorts of craft. Whenever I come across any new technique, I just can’t wait to try my hand at it. However, recently I have been bit by the quilling bug and I enjoy it thoroughly. J

RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

SA: That’s a tough question because all the products at Itsy Bitsy are awesome; be it chipboards, pattern papers, dies, embossing folders, stamps, stencils, decoupage napkins, ribbons and you just name it.

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

SA: Open an Itsy Bitsy store in every part of the world. What more does the crafting world need? Awesome products at awesome price to pursue their crafting dreams!!

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

SA: Dies and embossing folders from Itsy Bitsy, the stamps and the cute punches, the sparkling embossing powders, the colorful quilling papers ….woo… literally everything from Itsy Bitsy.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

SA: I love experimenting and trying new techniques. I believe that the more you craft, the more you learn and improve and ultimately you excel.

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

SA: For me, there’s no particular time for crafting, I craft whenever I am free and specially during night hours and weekends.

RC: Tips for people who want to craft

SA: Any craft you make, do not hesitate to display it to others and especially fellow crafters. Their comments and advice will help you improve your work and help you learn new techniques too.

RC: Your all -time favourite quote?

SA: “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

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

3D QUILLED WALL DÉCOR

Materials required:

Cardboard for base, quilling tools, quilling paper and modpodge

Take a cardboard (here I have taken a round one- Cakebase), stick the background paper (Thick Craft paper) onto it. Draw the main outline of the sketch.

Make different quilled shapes, and make flowers and leaves out of it. To give a shine, I have applied a coat of modpodge on the flowers.

Start arranging the flowers and leaves on the sketch, once your satisfied with the layout, you can apply glue and stick them on to the base. Give an outline to the birds, and start pasting the quilled shapes on the birds to complete it.

Give an outline to the heart (visible section) and branches by sticking the quilling paper vertically. Fill the branches with quilled shapes. Finally stick the remaining flowers and leaves and complete the wall decor.

Here are a couple of  Sini's other awesome creations:

Many congrats Sini 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!

"Home is where I am with you" - A Mixed Media Layout

Hello Friends,

Remya here with a mixed media layout.

What is mixed media? For me; it is a place where we can use available mediums and embellishments to create something beautiful, which you would cherish.

Here a cake base has been recycled. It can be painted using Paint brush and acrylic paints. But this time I tried out Spray paints from Itsy Bitsy. Itsy Bitsy has got a wide variety of spray paints and I chose brown to get a rustic feel. You can see it has given a rustic look to the background all together. 

Caution : A point to be noted while spray painting is to ensure that you paint only the substrate and not the grills and surroundings as I did. :) Keeping couple of sheets of newspaper behind would really help the cause.

Next came the background papers. I chose a vintage brown colour - Burnt Sienna to go well with the rustic texture given to the background. Tore the edges randomly and dabbed with brown acrylic paint. This gives a burnt look to the edges. Wound twine around the length of the paper for a texture.

In search of a focal picture , I ended up with a cute little picture of Mom and Daughter. I decoupaged it to a canvas board. The  edges were again dry brushed using Mont Marte Dimension paint  ( Pearl Yellow). This is one paint I would recommend all of you to try. The rich , creamy , velvety paint will steal your heart away. It gave such a golden shimmer that I ended up smudging the edges of my background Pattern Paper too.

Once the base was finalized I stuck them up together using silicon glue. Now this glue has become my "all time" favorite. I lost track of the things I have fixed using it. 

Now lets move to the embellishment part. Everyone those who have visited Itsy Bitsy would agree with me that we are spoiled by choices on the varieties of embellishments it has in store. Wanting the substrate and the embellishments to be in perfect sync with each other, gave a coat of dimension paint to the chip boards (flowers and damask) too. 

Flowers are something to die for. Itsy Bitsy has a huge collection of flowers, again spoilt by choices available. I arranged them till I was happy with it. Stuck them up with the Silicon Glue. Even gave a sprinkle of micro beads for the rustic effect.

A few close up pictures given below for you all to see the details.

Hope you all enjoyed this detailed picture heavy post till the end. See you soon with something new a wonderful .

Materials Used :

Spray Paint

Dimension Paint: Mont Marte - Monastral Green

Dimension Paint: Mont Marte - Pearl Yellow

Pattern Paper

Brown Color - Burnt Sienna

Silicon Glue

Thread / Twine

Canvas Board

Modpodge

Chipboard - Damask

Chipboard - Flower

Flowers - Canvas beaded Petits

Flowers - Rustic Zinnias

Beads 1

Beads 2

Hugs

Remya

To check my previous blog posts with Itsy Bitsy - click here