Crafter in the Spotlight – Asha Jain

Hello arty-crafty folks, hope you are having loads of craft fun! This week, I have a talented Bangalore crafter, Asha Jain sharing her story with us in ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’.

Asha is a home based entrepreneur who calls herself a crazy, passionate crafter who loves paper crafting and is discovering the world of mixed media and decoupage techniques. For her, crafting is the best form of stress buster and a great way to relax.

Read along to find out how Asha, started her craft journey, her favourite craft forms, her most desired arty-crafty wish, her memorable experience at Itsy Bitsy, why does she think handmade is the way to choose and much more. Do not miss out the step by step project by Asha and do leave your loving words for her in the comment section.

Rashmi Closepet M.D Itsy Bitsy: What are your favorite craft forms?

I love paper crafting in terms of scrapbooking, album making, CAS cards, photo frames, and am slowly getting into mixed media, and decoupage.

RC: If you are granted an arty-crafty wish, what would you ask for?

AJ: I would ask for an unlimited crafty stash from Itsy Bitsy.

RC: How did you come to know about Itsy Bitsy?

AJ: When the first IB store opened in Banashankari, a very close friend referred it to me, knowing how crazy I was about crafting!

RC: Tell us about your most exciting shopping experience at Itsy Bitsy.

AJ: Shopping at Itsy Bitsy is an all time exciting affair for me. That’s the only form of shopping I love. But among all, one awesome time was during the ‘Clearance Sale’ at the Banashankari store, I had a gala time, shopping for myself and fellow crafty friends.

RC: What craft products attract you the most?

AJ: I’m usually attracted to all kinds of crafty products, especially from IB, but the most exciting ones for me are products related to paper crafting.

RC:  What is your ideal crafting time in a day?

AJ: These days crafting has become a rare joy with my infant around, but I generally craft at afternoons and late nights, with peace and silence all around.

RC: What are your ‘Can’t live without’ craft essentials?

AJ: I have a huge stash procured from the store. Some I tend to carry them around to my mom’s house. They are my inks and stamps. Apart from that my scoreboard, cutting mat, and my die machine are my foremost essentials.

 RC: How long have you been crafting?

AJ: I’ve been crafting since high school.  There were some basics that I followed. I always preferred giving something handmade rather than store bought, and hence began my crafting journey.

RC: Which 3 words describe your crafting style the best?

AJ: Elegant, shabby and vibrant.

RC:  Any inspirational tips for newbies and craft enthusiasts?

AJ: Don’t hesitate to try something new, because there is nothing that is ‘wrong’ or ‘incorrect’ in crafting. You always create a ‘masterpiece’! I feel it’s the best form of stress buster and relaxation

RC: Any tips for fellow crafters to help them organize their workspace better?

AJ: Even if your workplace is small, lots of products can be stored using large boxes. I use large plastic storage boxes in which I keep similar products, like chalk paints, resin, all the pastes, paints, splashes, sprays etc.

All my inks are stored in an open cabinet stowed in my cupboard.

I have very limited space, no dedicated craft area, but all products are stored well due to this organization.

RC: What inspired you the most in your creative journey?   

AJ: As I said earlier, I strongly believe that there is nothing right or wrong when you are creating something; it’s just a masterpiece every time. The mistakes we make, can be rectified and use it to our benefit. Hence, that is my strongest inspiration to go ahead.

Apart from that, I draw inspiration from all possible sources that help in defining my project (like projects on the internet, DT projects, objects around us, etc.)

RC:  According to you what’s the best way to overcome a creative block?

AJ: According to me, when stuck with a creative block, take a small break to refresh the mind. Starting work after a break gives a fresh start to creating and automatically helps in finding solutions to the creative blocks.

RC: Why do you think people should continue with ‘Handmade’? 

AJ: When we create something handmade, along with our time and effort, we are giving it a personal touch by putting our thoughts to it. According to me, this makes every handmade project special and unique.

RC: Other than crafting what do you enjoy the most?

AJ: Apart from crafting, I love listening to music, enjoy cooking and sleeping!

RC:  Which are the product categories you check out most often for new arrivals?

AJ: Previously it would always be the paper and scrapbooking category, but now mixed media, paper crafting and other forms are interlinked and hence I personally prefer taking a look at all the categories in the new arrivals section.

I take this opportunity to personally thank the entire Itsy Bitsy team, from the managing directors to the staff behind the scenes. You are all doing a marvelous job!  You have given us such a huge and vast platform to explore our creativity with the wide range of products at such a pocket friendly prices. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, says a crazy crafter to her dream store!

Here is a Step by Step project by  Asha Jain

TUTORIAL

I have prepared a small pictorial tutorial of a mixed media scrapbook layout I created for my princess. I’ve named it ‘Hello Sunshine’!

**all the products used are from the store.

  • First I took a cardstock, a matching pattern paper, and adhered them. I distressed the edges of the pattern paper using my scissors. Then I took a burlap piece, a corrugated piece, a purple cardstock and a pink paper and layered them together as shown. Used a trim from my stash and pasted at the top.

  • Next, I used a stencil and the Little Birdie Mixed Media Paste and created designs as shown using a palette knife. Allowed it to dry completely.

Don’t worry about the imperfections, they add to the beauty of it.

Once dried, I used Color Splash and Gold Alcohol Splash in different shades to highlight my stenciled design.

Next, I sprayed the lime shade of splash on 2 chipboard leaf pieces and covered a chipboard sentiment with metallic paint (Shimmery Sherbet). Then adhered the pieces accordingly.

Then, I arranged the pictures, flowers, sticker embellishments as required and stuck them using the new craft glue from the store.

I added some more flowers, embellishments, chipboard pieces etc. and when I was happy with the layout, splashed some white acrylic paint for the final touch.

This is how the layout finally looks.

Thanks for reading through. Have a crafty day .

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

 

Many congrats  Asha  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!

 

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