Hello arty crafty friends! Let’s begin the month of March with the inspiring story of a talented crafter Rupneet Kaur from Chandigarh. A freelance HR professional, Rupneet runs a boutique from home besides being a full-time crafter.
For Rupneet, crafting has been a childhood affair. Drawing inspiration from her mother and her childhood visits to the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, Rupneet believes in the beauty of combining different crafting techniques and trying newer forms. She thoroughly enjoys upcycling with decoupage and mixed media art forms
Let’s find out more about Rupneet’s journey, how she got into crafting, her favorite Itsy Bitsy offerings and what she would like to do, if given some magical powers. Read further to catch glimpses of a step by step project by her. Don’t forget to leave some love and best wishes for Rupneet in the comment section below.
Rashmi Closepet M.D Itsy Bitsy: Tell us a bit about yourself & your background?
Rupneet Kaur: Tell us a bit about yourself & your background?
I am from Chandigarh, India’s first well planned and an extremely beautiful city. As a HR professional, my career started in the education industry and currently I work as a freelancer. I also run a boutique from home and supply specialized handcrafted range of Phulkari embroidered cloth, made by women in the villages of Punjab. By doing this, I wish to make an effort to help and uplift the rural women and promote and retain the rich cultural heritage of Punjab in my own little way. My crafting journey started while I was in Bangalore for a short while and thereafter I haven’t stopped or looked back.
RC: How did you get into crafting?
RK: Crafting has been a childhood affair, with basic school time co-curricular activities and creating home décor pieces. My mother has been my all-time inspiration with her upcycled projects and fabric paintings. As a child, my visits to the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, where all the sculptures are made of out scrap and waste material, really inspired me. I draw a lot of inspiration from anything and everything around me and experiment with new art forms.
RC: What is your favourite type of craft?
RK: I enjoy doing various art and craft forms such as sketching, painting, quilling, and embroidery. Recently, I have fallen in love with upcycling, decoupage and mixed media that keeps me occupied productively.
RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?
RK: All your new launches become my favorites, from the Crackle Medium and Texture Paste, to Picket Fence, Illuminated Miniature lights, 3D Stickers, Galvanized Tins, Chalk paints, Stencils, Napkins and Textured papers. I already have hoarded all these supplies from the store!
RC: If you had magical powers, how would you contribute to the Crafting world?
RK: I shall wave my magic wand and wait to see all the crafting wonders become alive! I shall let my magic wand choose and see what happens.
RC: Your prized possession in your craft stash from Itsy Bitsy?
RK: I have dozens of prized possessions in my craft stash from Itsy Bitsy. The Texture paste, Picket fence, Decoupage Napkins and Chalk Paints are a few to name!
RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?
RK: I love what I do and keep trying new styles. I enjoy the fusion of techniques and do not stick to just one style and go with the flow.
RC: How do you organise your time for crafting?
RK: I craft for a considerable amount of time during the week with no crafting routine. I believe you need not organize your time when you love your work. Yes, it’s true that a few projects take only a couple of hours, while others would take days to brainstorm ideas, design, find the right supplies and then create. But crafting for me is always FUN and keeps me going!
RC: Tips for people who want to craft
RK: “Do what you love, and it will love you back”. Be unique, keep experimenting and try out simple things – learn the basics and the rest follows!
RC: Your all -time favourite quote?
RK: Kahil Gibran quoted and I repeat, “Work is love made Visible”.
Here is a gorgeous project by Rupneet & the step by step procedure:
Take a sneak peak at Rupneet’s Decoupage step-by-step project of a Cute Little Hut Box!
Supplies used from the store:
- A cute hut shaped box
- Paints and Primers: Itsy Bitsy Texture Paste, Chalk paints – Snow white, Sailing Sky, Misty Fog, Driftwood, Camlin green and pink paint
- Embellishments: Picket fence, Illuminated lights, 3D stickers
- Sealants: Decoupage Glue, Silicon glue and Varnish
- Decoupage printed napkins
- Others: Sponges, brushes and sandpapers
Step 1: Rub a sandpaper on the wooden base of the house very lightly to smoothen it.
Step 2: Apply a coat of Texture paste (thin down a little with water) on all sides of the house like box and sand it once its dried out for a smooth finish.
Step 3: I have chosen this Pretty Windows Napkin which is gently torn to fit the corners and front of the box. Separate the layers (ply) of the napkin and glue it with Itsy Bitsy’s Decoupage glue. Use dry brushing techniques with Chalk Paints (I have used Driftwood) to create some feather like strokes on the front panel of the hut. Seal the napkin with another layer of Decoupage glue.
Step 4: Paint the base in green and top it with Driftwood Chalk Paint. Use a Brick Stencil and texture paste (from Itsy Bitsy) once the paint dries. You can mix a little pink color to the texture paste to make the tiles pink.
Step 5: Once completely dried, apply 2 layers of Decoupage glue and Varnish, and rub with sandpaper in between the coats for a smooth finish.
Step 6: Lastly add some embellishments to decorate your hut. I have added much loved Picket Fence, Boutique Elements and Illuminated light.
Here are a couple of Rupneet’s other awesome creations:
Many congrats Rupneet 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!