Creating success around the world

Welcome to the Creating Around the World BlogHop, which introduces to the artsy and creative people around the world.


The hosts for this month's Blog Hop are,

Suzy from the USA
Jill from Australia
Leigh in the UK

Deepthi in Asia ....That's me :)

Hey welcome all to creating success around the world blog hop. This is my last week as a host and I enjoyed this a lot :).
Today's guest is very special . She had interviewed me a few months ago and it feels great to be interviewing her :)
Hi Janelle!! Tell us about you.







Hi everyone and thank you Deepthi for inviting me here. It feels great to be on the other side of the interview today. My name is Janelle, I'm from the Philippines and I share my projects at my blog, Of Pinks and Fairy Tales (http://ofpinksandfairytales.blogspot.com). I have a full-time job, and a toddler, but I spend every free time I get working on whatever craft I'm into currently. I share my projects over at my blog. I already went through several craft phases: paper craft, sewing, decorating, crochet... name it and I have probably considered it at least once. When I find myself with more free time, I try to prepare tutorials for my readers. I'm currently into digital scrapbooking, so if you visit my blog now, you will see that almost all of my recent posts are about the layouts I make and share on different digital scrapbooking forums. But my old projects and tutorials are still there, and you can browse through them if you're looking for some inspiration.

Yes your blog is totally filled up with digital works nowadays :) 
 Tell us something about your country .



Have you guys heard about our recent tourism campaign slogan? "It's more fun in the Philippines." And I can seriously vouch for that. Almost all provinces can boast of some tourist attraction: white sand beaches, caves, waterfalls, forests and a lot of festivals. You can go surfing, hiking, island hopping, relax at a first class spa resort with a beautiful view of pristine blue waters of the Pacific.

I admit though... it can get a little hot here. Ok, a lot hot! Like right now because it's summer here. 

Right now it's too hot in India too. 

What kinds of things do you like making or craft projects you like working on?

It changes :) I mentioned already that I must have gone through several craft phases already. For a time I did paper crafts... and I bought a lot of brass templates for embossing, parchment and ink for parchment craft. I got tired of it after a while. And then I started making bead jewelry. This one I turned into a business and I had my online store, Designs by Janelle, for about 2 years. That went really well. But inspiration started to dry up and I slowly lost interest so I closed the store eventually. Then came sewing. I bought my first sewing machine in 2010 and my inspiration to start learning was my daughter. I wanted to learn how to make dresses for her. I think that went well too.. I know my sewing still needs a lot of improvement but I'm happy that I learned enough of this skill. And then I went into crochet. When Rachel of Maybe Matilda had her crochet-along last year, I eagerly joined. I learned enough to follow some patterns, but after working on projects for a while, your fingers tend to stiffen and sore. So after finishing some projects for Christmas, I decided to give it a rest... and during that rest, I ventured into digital scrapbooking. And I'm still so much into digital scrapbooking now.  

What inspires your creations?
Easy. My daughter. Almost every craft I ventured into after I had her was for her.

 


Wow That was quick!!!!! And with soooo cute a daughter like yours, one could be sure that your crafts will turn out beautiful!! 
Do you sell your creations? If so, how? Where? And is it profitable?

I  used to sell the jewelry I make, when I had my online store. And that business was doing well. But making stuff to sell and running a store can take so much time and that I don't have much of anymore, since I work full-time and I have a daughter now, so right now, no, I don't sell anything. 

 

What mistakes have you made or lessons you have learned in your crafting?

You have to like what you are doing. I have started several projects, just for the sake of trying something even if I'm not that interested, and I don't finish them. I now have several unfinished projects stuffed in every available space at our house.

 



What, to you is success? Have you achieved it yet, or are you on your way?

towards success?
To me success is being happy in the path you choose to take and given that definition, I think I can say that yes, I consider myself successful in terms of my job, my family and my crafting.

So what's next? (future craft plans or plans for your blog?)

I honestly have no idea! Haha! My interests can change very rapidly but right now, I'm happy with my digital scrapbooking. I joined the Creative Teams (CTs) of 3 talented designers and they keep me busy working on layouts for their new kits. Plus I love joining challenges at different forums and it makes me really, REALLY happy when I win something. So right now, this is the path I choose to take.

All the best Janelle!!! Visit her blog here. So come on everyone!! Link your post to this blog hop and visit new places and make new friends!!

Creating success around the world

Welcome to the Creating Around the World BlogHop, which introduces to the artsy and creative people around the world.


The hosts for this month's Blog Hop are,

Suzy from the USA
Jill from Australia
Leigh in the UK

Deepthi in Asia ....That's me :)

And today's guest is Tejal from India. Hi Tejal!!!
Tell us something about you and your country

I am a homemaker by choice, physiotherapist by profession, and a card maker and scrapbook maker by hobby. I am from India, currently settled in Ahmedabad. But have spent time in Karnataka while doing my graduate studies, born and brought up in Mumbai, so am a mix of all 3 cities. Mumbai has made me what I am, my food habits are totally Karnataka/Andhra inspired and Ahmedabad is where my hobby is being nurtured..So each city has a significant role in my life.  

Wow !!! You have lived in soo many places .... and you have gained a lot of experience from your stay...Tell me what do you create? 

As I mentioned, I’m a card maker by choice..That is my favorite mode of expression. I love making cards for friends and family... But I became a scrapbook maker by accident. A friend asked me for one, and I loved making it so much…the whole process of conceptualizing an idea, customizing it to the her needs, and adding my own whimsical touch to it too…so much so that I’ve made and sold more Scrapbook albums than cards.

I do like to have my hand in many pies! I did take a course in Parchment craft, do a bit of fiddling around with some beads and pliers…I love making mobile charms, scrapbook charms, metal book marks and key chains…whatever suits my fancy at that moment.

What inspires your creations?

I get inspired from everywhere…most of my favorite places to search for inspiration are Pinterest Boards and Google Search. Its amazing what you can find, and whom you can be inspired from with a simple Google search (In my world, you can never underestimate the power of Google search..I ask Google questions that 10 years back I would ask my mother…but Google will never replace my mother! J) Also I love picking out designs from fabrics…I love to check out home décor stores for fabric designs!

Do you sell your creations? If so, how? Where? I am sure many of the readers might want to know ...And is it profitable?

Yes, I do sell my creations. Most of it is by word of mouth or from one friend to another.. Also I do have a blog where I put in my cards up for sale.  (blog url – Tejalscardshop.blogspot.com

I don’t believe the term profit applies to something you do with love…you can never be compensated enough for the time that you put into it…sometimes, I don’t even recover the cost of the materials, but it doesn’t matter. The highest currency in this kind of a hobby is appreciation and the feeling of joy that comes from knowing that someone somewhere smiled a smile bocz of my gift/card/album. That is my highest currency.

I agree with you Tejal. 
What mistakes have you made or lesson you have learned in your crafting?

It wouldn’t be a journey if I didn’t make any mistakes, didn’t take a fall or didn’t learn a lesson. When I started out, 6 yrs back, it was strictly my hobby..And every crafter was a friend always ready to help out. In the recent years, the race to prove that you’re the best in the field has grown tremendously. And politics has arrived and is here to stay. And it ruins the joy that crafting used to bring.

I have made the best of friends and have lost many friends too… It does hurt, but I still  trust people, just not blindly. And I can thank my stars that I learnt my lessons in time.

I guess this is life and we learn a lot from such experiences...:( 
What, to you is success? Have you achieved it yet, or are you on your way towards success?

Success is elusive. Today I may have reached a certain stage , a certain level that I’d hoped to reach 5 yrs ago…but today, I feel I need to reach some more higher…so no matter what level I reach, I’ll always want something more for myself. But thanks to the grounding that my father gave me, I know that If I’m not happy where I am today, I’ll never be happy no matter where I reach…

So whatever stage I am today, I’m happy. I have just 5 friends that I can confide in, I’m happy. I’ve not sold many items, but I’m okay… as long as I know where I want to go, and I’m headed in that direction, I’m happy…and as long as I know I’m happy, I know I have succeeded.

Yes happiness is success :) So what's next? What plans have you for your future?

Future plans involve doing what I’m doing right now..craft and more craft…but yes, I’m going to try to involve more styles, try something new every day..and hopefully set up exhibitions, maybe teach and spread the love for paper and inks and stamps.

And thank you Deepthi for giving me a chance to ramble my heart out!! {Big hugs}


Thanks Tejal !! :)Hope you do more and more beautiful work and all the best for your future.
You can contact her over here

So come on everyone!! Link your post to this blog hop and visit new places and make new friends!!

Creating Success Around the World

Welcome to the Creating Around the World BlogHop, which introduces to the artsy and creative people around the world.

The hosts for this month's Blog Hop are,

Suzy from the USA
Jill from Australia
Leigh in the UK

Deepthi in Asia ....That's me :)

Today's guest on my blog is from Malaysia. My first international guest!!!!
I came across her blog recently and I loved her Quilled work and all of her Quilled cards.....

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Hi Miyyah!! Tell us something about you and your country....

Hi! I’m Miyyah, from Malaysia, and the blogger Miyyah@Kertas (www.miyyahatkertas.blogspot.com). I’m in love with paper-crafting ever since I learned how to foldpaper, and recently becoming obsessed with paper quilling. I’ve started craft-blogging since 2008, and have met lots of other Malaysian (and non Malaysian) craftersonline. Malaysian online craft community has been growing fast these years –and with supports from local craft/indie market scenes in the country, I dobelieve that the beauty of handmade (and home-made) crafts will be morewidespread. Malaysia is also famous for its handmade crafts like batik painting, wood-carving, ceramic-moulding, songket-weaving, potteries etc. So of course, it’s a great country to live in! :)

Wow!! So much is going on in your country and around you....What do you create?

My main interest lies in paper-crafting and my favourite craft project is quilling. I love everything related to paper and can’t wait to explore other different types of crafts as well.

All your cards are just soooo beautiful!!! What inspires your creations?

Everything around me - nature, people, words, colours etc. Everytime I see something interesting and unique, the first question that pops inmind is “Can I quill this?” (especially when I see something unique and creative on window displays!).  I guess I see everything around me in swirly motions.

Ha ha!!That is the reason your Quilled works are so fantastic.

Do you sell your creations? If so, how? Where? And is it profitable?

I used to sell them online, but due to time constraints, I’m not selling my works through local vendors. I guess it’s more towards self-satisfaction than making your artworks profitable – although side incomeis always welcome.

What mistakes have you made or lessons you have learned in your crafting?

I’ve learned that you need to have your own style when crafting. Trying to find one and having people recognizing your work at firstglance is not an easy task to do, but it’s not impossible either. In my earlyyears of crafting, I got inspired a lot from other crafters, and was heavily influencedby their works. Not that it’s wrong, but the fact that I have so many of theirworks influenced in mine that I tend to lost my own point of view. These days,nothing feels warmer than having someone looked at my artwork and canimmediately recognize my style.

What, to you is success? Have you achieved it yet, or are you on your way towards success?

Each of us needs to have aims and goals in life.  But even when you’ve achieved that certain goals, there will always be some new ones. Thus, to me, success is something that isn’t static and  always evolve. Hence, success to me is simple the satisfaction of being able to do what you love, and love what you do. I’m blessed that I love what I do on daily basis (teaching) and  am fully happy to be able to do what I love too (crafting). I’m always looking forward to achieve my current goals,and also looking forward to create some new ones.

So what's next? I mean what are your plans for future or plans for your blog?

I plan to explore more on different types of crafts, andwould love to focus more on on the exploitation of paper as work of art. I also want to explore and experiment on how I could incorporate the beauty of Malaysian culture into my crafts. I don’t have formal background in arts (I teach English!), so I hope to be able to take up designs courses to improve my work. One will never stop learning, and I’m always looking forward to learn new things from everyone.

Hope you do more and more beautiful work and all the best for your future.

You can contact her at her blog and her facebook page here


So come on everyone!! Link your post to this blog hop and visit new places and make new friends!!

Creating Success Around the World

Welcome to worldwide blog hop,Creating Success Around the World which introduces you to the artsy and creative people around the world...

The hosts for this month's Blog Hop are,

Suzy from the USA

Jill from Australia

Leigh in the UK 

Deepthi in Asia ....That's me :)

Hannah in New Zealand 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's guest is a bit different from regular bloggers.....You might be thinking what would be that..... So let me introduce to you the fabulous Dr Pritesh, a scientist and an artist from Pune, India from Quilling Me Softly . Yep she is a scientist!!! Wanna know more??!! 

 

Tell us something about you and your country ? Though I am from India too I would like to know your views....... 

Hello, I am Dr. Pritesh from India, a scientist by educational training and a self-taught artist. I come from India, the country that embodies all that is fine, aesthetic and colourful. It is impossible to list all the art forms practiced in India but I will still try, madhubani paintings, warli paintings, thanjavur paintings, mehendi art, pottery, stone sculpting, wood carving, pashmina weaving, jute art, silk weaving........you name it, India has it. Having grown up in a family where nearly everyone practiced some form of Art in their spare time, it was but natural for me to catch up. With a mother who excelled at embroidery, cooking, stitching and singing, I had a role model to look up to. In spite of doing my Bachelors, Masters and eventually Doctorate in Chemistry, my love for Art (and passion for practising it) never left me. I have meddled with various forms of art, namely acrylic painting, b/w and colour sketching (specially portraits), Rangoli, embroidery and now Quilling.

 

 

Wow !!!! You have tried so many different forms of art!!!! What do you create? I mean what are you really interested in?

I am a slightly whimsical artist so I pick up a random Art and practice it, sometimes it is sketching, sometimes Rangoli.....it varies and depends on my mood really. I am specially fond of making Rangolis, sketching people and paper quilling. Paper quilling is the most recent acquisition to my skill set and I truly enjoy the rolling paper taking up myriad of forms and breathing life to otherwise mundane perception of paper.

We can see that you enjoy quilling very much...You creations are just .... amazing!!! So much of patience and delicacy......and so much of work...... What inspires you?

My creations are usually inspired by the idea flashes I get from time to time. I am constantly thinking of Art and how I can convert something I am looking at into a work of Art. In that sense, I am a 24x7 artist. Often, these creative sparks are ignited by my husband, who in spite of not practicing Art has an eye for the unique. Apart from his suggestions, Mother Nature is my biggest inspiration. The flowers, the leaves, the animals, the scenery that she has created remains unparallelled and I, in my own humble way, pay a tribute to it by copying it in my creations.

Do you sell your creations? If so, how? Where? Is it profittable? I am all ears......

I have recently begun selling my creations, mostly through my personal contacts so far. I never thought of Art as a career before but now, I am into it full time. Being an artist after having been a scientist for nearly a decade is a huge change and my learning curve it steep. It has been profitable so far but I have a long way to go. I do have an Etsy shop but I haven't been keeping it up to date. Most of my sales so far are through personal contacts and are customized designs. Facebook has been a lovely platform for meeting people who have both appreciated and encouraged me.

You have so many works to your credit....I want to know if you have made any mistakes or lessons you have learned in your crafting? I know ....I have made quiet a few......

I am too new to have made mistakes or learnt much from Art as a profession but ya, there have been times when I have been agitated by the acts committed by certain pilferers who are more than ready to take credit for the work I have done. I am a firm believer of sharing knowledge but some people take undue advantage of my online presence and download content from my blog. The very same content then reappears elsewhere under their name as creators and I have often got to know from others that such things are happening. I have had to take immense care with water-marking every single image I upload. This is tiresome but, unfortunately, necessary as well.

Ya I know what you mean.... Sad things like these happen and I have been thinking of that watermark thing for sometime now ......

What to you is success and have you acieved it or are you on your way towards success?

To me, success takes on a definition depending on the context. When I was an artist for hobby, success was doing better than I did the last time. But now that I am an artist for a profession, success has an added dimension of financial gain. If I am able to make a decent living out of Art, I would consider myself successful. I certainly have achieved some degree of success but I think it is a journey that never really gets over. Success is in redefining one’s goals and achieving them as time goes.

 

Well said......So what next...I mean what are your next goals and objectives?

I intend to teach crafts to school-children (and other age groups as well). Apart from that, I want to have my own store some day, where I can display and sell my creations. I also intend to teach underprivileged children these crafts and provide them a decent means of employment as artisans, as opposed to the menial jobs they might otherwise do. I have started on this path with our maid’s son alerady having learnt basic quilling. I hope to be able to employ many more of such unprivilaged women and help them improve their lives.

All the best Pritesh for all your goals and objectives.....Thank you for taking out time for this interview. 

You can visit her at Quilling me softly and her Facebook page over here.

Do you want to meet other creative people around the world or want to be interviewed and featured on my blog then hop on and link your posts to this blog hop below......and do mail