Crafter In The Spotlight 7 - Itsy Bitsy

Hello friends!! Itsy Bitsy brings you "CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT" – a unique way of encouraging and appreciating the talented crafters. We recognize talented crafters week after week, turn the spotlight on them & feature them in our "CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT"! We love what you talented crafters create & are amazed at each of your unique creations every single day! We love the way you use Itsy Bitsy products & give life to those products.

We are very excited to announce this week’s “CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT” - July 2016 – PRIYANKA JAIN ! We are very excited to announce this week’s “ CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT” - July 2016 – PRIYANKA JAIN ! Having graduated in Finance, this talented crafter has always loved crafting & in 2011 decided to make it her profession! :-) Art Journalling & Mixed Media are her favourites & her works are very vibrant, colourful & tastefully embellished with her treasured flowers! :-). 

She has been an active participant in Itsy Bitsy Crafters Café & we would love to see many more creations from her in the future! She will receive Rs 500 voucher from Itsy Bitsy & a " CRAFTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT" badge .
CONGRATULATIONS Priyanka Jain! Wishing you loads of success on your creative Journey.

Here are excerpts of my interview with Priyanka:

Rashmi Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy : Tell us a bit about yourself, your background? Where are you originally from?

Priyanka Jain : Hi. I am Priyanka Jain, have done my graduation in financial markets. I reside in Mumbai. Have my own gifting business. I love making SCRAPBOOKS cause I love capturing memories.

And as for now I am currently doing my wedding shopping. (lol- getting married in December.)

RC : How did you get into crafting?

PJ : Since a young age, art and craft has always been a hobby and a passion for me.

I had done various crafting classes in my childhood like quilling, origami, papier-mache, drawing, charcoal painting. And I used to make handmade gifts and scrapbooks for my near and dear ones. It was then in 2011, that I decided to take my interest in crafting to a next level and chose to be an entrepreneur with the support of my family.

RC : What is your favourite type of craft?

PJ : I like crafts in which there are no hard and fast rules and regulations. I have always wanted to do what I feel like. So my favorites would be mix media and art journaling. It always comes from your heart.

Just take your brushes and paints and start creating.

RC : What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

PJ : That’s a real difficult one. Whenever I go to the kurla shop at Mumbai, my fiancé has to literally drag me out of the shop. I love all the products but if I had to choose one it would be the handmade boutique flowers. I seriously hoard them.

RC : What products from Itsy Bitsy do you think are must have’s for a crafter?

PJ : The embellishments, flowers and the chipboards and the paper stack. And their currently added stencils, super favourite!

RC : What product would you like to see at Itsy Bitsy?

Since I love Itsy Bitsy flowers, I would love to see more handmade flowers.

PJ : I would also want to see more mix media products and more distress inks.

RC : What do you do to make your workplace inspiring?

PJ : Art journal quotes as they always inspire me to do a little more. My art journal pages depict who I am.

RC : What are your other interests?

PJ : I am a part time teacher, so I enjoy teaching kids. I also like reading and traveling.

 

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

PJ : I would use my magic powers to create more shops and boutiques in India like Michaels, where it would be more easy and accessible for crafters to get all the stuff they desire under one roof.

Or probably create a shop where you get free craft goodies. (lol.. because as we all know crafting is an expensive hobby.)

RC : What is your most treasured possession in your craft stash?

PJ : The Itsy Bitsy handmade boutique flowers. I can never get bored with them. Really my utter favourite. I think I have mentioned it a lot of times now. Lol. It really hurts when I have to part away with my flowers. 

RC : How would you describe your style of crafting?

PJ : I love vibrant colors. Anything that catches the eyes. I also like to form a cluster on my art work to create a focal point.

RC : What do you do when you’re suffering a creative block?

PJ : I would rather take a break, sip a coffee, go out, travel and start with a fresh mind, which surely helps. I would also watch more online videos that inspire me to overcome a creative block.

RC : How do you organize your time for crafting?

PJ : I always used to work post lunch. That’s the apt time for me, as mornings and evenings are a little busy.

But now since wedding is on the cards, I hardly get any time to get crafty. But I promise I will get back on track. Can’t do without crafting. After all, it’s my first love.

RC : Tips for people who want to craft?

PJ : Just follow your heart. Do whatever you like. Create your own signature patterns and style. Get inspired and keep inspiring others.

JUST KEEP SWIMMIMG sorry CRAFTING.

LOVE,

PRIYANKA JAIN.

MY FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/justforyoucreation/

Here are a couple of Priyanka’s awesome creations :

Many congrats Priyanka 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.

Also, visit our Youtube channel to view & to know more about this crafter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZK6uA7bEiE&feature=youtu.be

Looking forward to many more creations, Happy Crafting!

Pay Less, Craft More!

Hi Folks, A very good morning to all of you! We bring good tidings! In fact great tidings actually J

We have slashed our prices heavily and now offering Low Prices Everyday!

CRAFT MORE, PAY LESS is our new mantra!! It’s a Craft Retail Revolution! 

Itsy Bitsy started as a small 400 Sq. Ft. store in Banashankari 2nd stage, Bangalore in 2007.

Our goal was to be a one-stop shop for all Art & Craft supplies. Back then, a store completely dedicated to Hobby, Arts & Crafts was unheard of. All of you, our customers welcomed us & supported us enthusiastically! Today, we have 15 stores, 10 in Bangalore, 2 in Delhi, 1 in Mumbai, 1 in Hubli, 1 in Goa, 1 coming up soon in Chennai & there are more in the pipeline!

Your encouragement has given us courage & strength to open more stores, source aggressively & come up with a better & bigger range! We now carry over 20,000 Art & Craft supplies under one roof! 

YOU have helped us reach this point & now it is time for us to give it back to you!

So here’s the GOOD NEWS!

WE HAVE SLASHED OUR PRICES, BIG TIME!!!

To give you some idea, here are some of our new pricing facts (prepare yourself to be amazed!!):

• 7000 products priced at or under Rs. 49/-
• 10,000 products prices at or under Rs. 99/-
• Huge range of stickers priced at Rs 10/- (yes less than the price of a chocolate bar)!
• Wide range of Quilling strips starting from just Rs. 10/-
• High Quality Ice – cream sticks (Popsicle sticks) 100 pcs at just Rs. 29/-
• A fantastic range of High Quality beads at only Rs. 1.50/- gm (In our Bead Bar)
• Large range of full size papers starting from just Rs. 10/-

You may think we have gone crazy with our prices. But, hey, who doesn't like a CRAZY BARGAIN??? And the best part, this is not a sale; these prices are here to stay! With our new pricing, it looks like a SALE EVERYDAY!

This is probably the first time ever, a brick & mortar retailer in Craft Industry has slashed prices to give value everyday and that is exactly why we call this a “Craft Retail Revolution”.  Our prices are no longer retail prices, they have become almost like “WHOLESALE PRICES”!

Our goal is to be a “Craft Value Store” offering value to every craft enthusiast! We feel greatly blessed to have all your support & say a BIG THANK YOU! J

Here's how we have achieved it:

• When we had only 1 store, we could only buy small quantities. You have helped us grow to a point where we can buy large quantities. Large quantities help us negotiate better prices. We want to pass on these savings to you!
• We have come up with lean & mean methods of production with improved efficiency (in case you are not aware, we manufacture a large part of our merchandise ourselves). We want to pass on these savings to you!
• We are a creative company & have come up with innovative ways of cost reduction in supply chain! We pass on these savings to you as well!
• We are a socially committed organisation currently employing large number of rural women. We believe by doing greater volumes, we can employ greater number of women! In spreading the word & helping us achieve our goals, you will also be contributing to this cause every time you buy at Itsy Bitsy!
• We believe we are not an everyday Retail store anymore but more of a “Craft Service Retailer” where we source, produce, pack & put on shelves quality products at an affordable price!

Crafting is great for all ages, so our mission is to make high quality Art & Craft supplies affordable for everyone!!! 

Seeing is Believing!  So come to Itsy Bitsy & be a part of this Craft Retail Revolution! These prices are not just limited to our brick & mortar store. You can just log on to www.itsybitsy.in & shop on our website at these amazing prices! 

We sincerely thank you once again for being a member of the Itsy Bitsy Crafting Community & seek your continued support in this new endeavour of ours!!!

Happy Crafting! J

Team Itsy Bitsy

Starters Guide: Premium quilling strips!!!

Hi folks,

 This is Dr.M V Pratyusha from Pratvam Progs. I am a dentist by profession and a love crafting in my free time, which now is mostly the weekends as my postgraduate studies is keeping me busy.

It was really great, when I was contacted by Itsy Bitsy to try their new premium quilling strips. I said “yes” instantaneously.

 Before I jump into reviewing the new premium range of quilling strips, let me tell you that I am big buyer of itsy bitsy quilling strips since they started the range and for my quilling strips stash they are my one stop solution. I loved the strips as they were made from real good quality paper. But the only problem with the normal strips range was that they were not of uniform quality i.e there were some strips that would be made from a higher GSM paper and some were made of lower GSM.

But yes improvement is constant and thus Itsy Bitsy has come up with their new range of premium quilling strips under the quilling essentials banner.

                              My first impressions of the Premium strips: Excellent quality which is uniform. The thickness of 80 GSM is maintained all through the range of strips. I love the colours. Even when kept in sunlight for a few days the colour didn’t fade. The strips that I received were of 11.25 inches of 1,2 and 3mm widths 50 strips in a pack. The length of 2 and 3mm strips has been increased and the quantity also has been increased in the present new packaging. The 1mm strips remain 11.25 inches in length though due to manufacturing constraints.

These strips can be used for quillography as well, after doubling up on the strip which is quite easy. Doubling up of the strips can be done by using Glue along the length of one strip and then placing the other strip on top of it and then pressing them. Left aside for 5mins, the strips can be used for typography.

I am sure you all will love the new range of strips. Why don’t you give it a try? You can order them online at www.itsybitsy.in or just walk in to a store nearby.

Here are a few sneak peak’s into the projects I made using the premium quality strips. Do come back to look at the finished projects.

Here’s thanking Itsy bitsy for trusting me and being patient with me J

Will be back with my projects soon :) 

Disclaimer- This is my personal opinion and is in no way influenced by anyone. Itsy bitsy sent samples for try out only. Unless stated, all photos are the work of Pratyusha and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.