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 delighted to introduce & feature yet
another Crafter this week ! This week’s crafter in the Spotlight for October
2016 is “APURVA CHAWLA” ! An Assistant Professor in English Literature, this
talented crafter got into crafting when she took a 2 year break from college to
look after her son.
She is very passionate about Scrapbooking &
loves making Scrapbooking Albums! Simple & Clear she says is her style
& her creations are neat, beautiful & appealing! What really inspires
Apurva, her tips 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, please read the interview
& leave your comments for her.
Here
are excerpts of my interview with Apurva:
Rashmi
Closepet, MD, Itsy Bitsy: Tell
us a bit about yourself and your background.
Apurva
Chawla: I live in Chandigarh, the city beautiful. By profession, I am an
Assistant Professor at Government College, and teach English Literature and
Language to undergraduate and post-graduate students. I have a six year old
young boy who keeps me on my toes in the evenings. I love spending time with my
family.
RC : How did you
get into crafting?
AC : I took two
years leave from the college to look after my child. That was the time when I
rediscovered my childhood passion and creativity and gave it structure and
shape.
RC : What is
your favorite type of craft?
AC : Scrapbooking
is my all time favorite. Making scrapbook albums of different themes, whether
big or minis, is my passion. Gift boxes of different shapes and sizes are yet
another favorite. I love learning new crafts all the time.
RC : What are
your favorite products at Itsy Bitsy?
AC : Well, it’s
hard to mention specific products because so many are my favourites. The ones I
buy regularly are DCWV paper packs, stickers, buttons & stamps. There are
many products which are my dream buys at Itsy-Bitsy, like Shapeabilities Dies,
Crate Paper Packs and epoxy embellishments.
RC : What
products from Itsy Bitsy you think are must have’s for a crafter?
AC : Well, I
think a paper trimmer and a scoring tool are very essential to crafting.
Whatever paper and embellishments we use, what gives the product an appeal and
professionalism is the crisp folds and neatness.
Then,
a good quality cardstock and designer paper is a must have. There should be no
compromise on quality of the material used.
RC : What
product would you like to see at Itsy Bitsy?
AC : I am happy
that Itsy Bitsy cares about a crafter’s needs and wishes. The very feeling that
I as a crafter am very valuable for Itsy Bitsy motivates me all the more to
explore my creativity. I would love to see Graphic 45 papers, echo pack paper
collection kits and Martha Stewart & EK success paper punches on the
shelves of Itsy Bitsy. I would be the first one to grab them from the store, I
bet.
RC : You draw
inspiration from?
AC : It is a
tough question because there are so many crafters whose YouTube videos have been
my teachers and guides so far. I would say with pride that I have drawn much
inspiration from Ginger Ropp (My Sisters Scrapper) & few others.
RC : What are
your other interests?
AC : When I am
not crafting, I am busy writing poetry & short stories, both in Hindi and
English. As I mentioned earlier, I love spending quality time with my son.
Since, I am in the middle of my Ph.D research, I like reading about my topic of
research.
RC : If you had
magic powers, how would you contribute to the crafting world?
AC : First of
all, I would stretch the day and night to 48 hours, so I could get more time
for crafting. Secondly, I wish I could buy anything I want with the blink of an
eye. That way I could create endlessly with a variety of good craft supplies.
And also, I wish that I could meet my gurus of crafting world (those I
mentioned earlier) to learn from them and knowing them personally.
RC : Your prized
possession in your craft stash?
AC : Of course,
my MS Scoring Board and DCWV paper packs and my good old DELI paper trimmer. I
just cannot imagine making anything useful without these. I am glad I have
them. And yes, a big carton of different kinds of embellishments that I’m
hoarding and keep buying off and on.
RC : How would
you describe your style of crafting?
AC : I like
working with pastel shades and also brights when it comes to themes like
birthdays and vacation. I would say that my style is clear and simple. If you
see my products, they don’t have very intricate designed covers, rather
simplicity is their virtue. Yet, they are self explanatory, in the sense that
they appeal to the eye for their neatness and sturdiness.
RC : How do you
organize your time for crafting?
AC : Where there
is a will there is a way! Although my days are spent in the college teaching,
and evenings with my adorable little boy, I extract some time during nights for
crafting. My passion does not let me sleep until I have created what I aim to.
I totally and madly love scrapbooking.
RC : Tips for
people who want to craft?
AC : I would
suggest that one must have the basic tools of crafting like a paper trimmer and
a scoring board. The adhesive should be of very good quality, because that
holds all the pieces of a product and keeps it intact. There should be
absolutely no compromise on the quality of the raw material used. Once you possess
all these basics, you should feel free to explore your own style of crafting,
irrespective of the dominant trends. Then only, one can work passionately
forever. One should be a good learner, ready to acknowledge the inspirations
and guides.
RC : Your all-time
favourite quote?
AC : “Love is
the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that
lies at the heart of creation.”
Rabindranath
Tagore
Here
are a couple of Apurva 's awesome creations:
Many
congrats Apurva 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!
