Swap and bookmarks

Hi friends!!!! I have been visiting my parents and in-laws in Karnataka. So I have been missing in action from the Blog land....I have not been able to post anything or check out other blogs ..... But now that I am back, I going on a visiting spree to everybody's blog :D

Today's post is a picture heavy post :D

These are the book marks that I made for the Swap of last month.... by Swap Central India

I am loving this whole swap idea!! I am getting to learn and create so many new things every month because of this swap :)

During the diary swap I made a few extra diaries ... and during this book marks swap.... I have gone crazy and have made lots and lots of book marks :)

Will be posting them very soon...

 This is a simple paper book mark.... I have used some punches here....

This one is made of lots of ribbons and a few beads

My favorite one!!! I love the glass beads and the butterfly in this :D I  could help but made one for myself too :D

This one is made of ice-cream stick-pop-sickle.And I have done some Quilling on it.

Two tiny birds....

Paper clip bookmarks and quilling....I have made many book marks like these.... Will be posting them soon

Spotlight 2 - Rajeswari

Welcome to the second episode of  SPOTLIGHT !!!

Today's guest is Rajeswari  from Diapermum!!!

I was searching for a few crochet flowers to show to my mom and ask her to do them for me when I came across Rajeswari's Blog....
If you love Crochet, home decor, then this is the place. I love her writing style too.. its quirky, funny and engaging.

So lets welcome her... Drumrolls please....
Here comes Rajeswari.....

Hello Rajeswari!! Tell us something about yourself.

               

A former run-of-the-mill IT consultant from Bangalore, currently I am a full-time home maker for my 2 adorably cute and incessantly demanding children. If this wasn't enough, my superior fraction (better ½) is sometimes most of the time even more demanding. The journey of my chaotic life is currently passing through Hong Kong.

When and how did you start blogging ?

Come New Year and resolutions are galore. I too had one resolution - to BLOG. Being an arty type of human being my house, life, art work is generally in a frenzied state of motion. I decided to bring some order into at least my art life through a blog. Started blogging in early 2012, February to be precise (did procrastinate for a month though). My creative desires always had an outlet, but now I use Blogger to showcase it. You will find lots of crochet decor items made to enhance the love and warmth in my home, crochet wearable for little ones, dabbles of paper crafts, home improvement ideas, scrap booking and sewing projects amidst my ramblings in space and time.

You have a very unique blog name....Tell us the story behind it.

One thing you will always find in my purse – any guesses? Not mini make-up kits like most Hong Kongers but diapers J Being a mom of a 3-year old girl and a 1-year old boy diapers are a must have in my bag. You have all heard of Super moms and multi-tasking moms and this-and-that mom. But I am a diaper mum and since my blog is my very own space, it mirrors my thoughts – http://diapermum.blogspot.com. Plus all the good names were already taken by bloggers world-wide and I had to do with this .

Ha ha...Diaper Mum is definitely interesting and catchy.  Tell us your source of inspiration, (a blog or person or anything).

Color, motion and DIY always inspire me. Nothing can beat the personal touch of a hand made item. The Internet age has really bought the world on one big stage. I find daily inspirations from fellow crafters and bloggers all over the world.

A few blogs which have truly inspired me and given me the confidence to start blogging –

v  Lucy from Attic 24 – Her choice of colors and writing is true eye-candy. Here blog -http://attic24.typepad.com/

v  Matt and Dennis from http://accordingtomatt.blogspot.com. Both of them are gifted people and every piece of their work is perfection.

v  Alice from http://crochethealigandraymond.wordpress.com/. She too is an artist, an amazing photographer and an even awesome crocheter and knitter.

Thanks dear for this info... I can find many more crochet designs for my mom now!! So can others .

Do you sell your items? They are soo beautiful!!

Assets currently held are Mr. Smiley, Miss Sunshine, yarns, hooks, paper, buttons, beads, over flowing cupboards of crafty stash and a full time helper. Liabilities are a pigeon-hole sized home, banker who doesn’t do a thing on this own and perennial shortage of time. The priceless (semblance of) balance in all our life is my current revenue. On a more serious note, I do plan to turn my passion into my profession and start my own line of crochet items for sale. Currently my products can only be viewed on my blog. Would love to start taking personal orders .

All the very best Rajeswari , whenever you plunge into business, I hope and wish you success. But do you have any ideas or any advice for other? 

Not sure about business tactics but can say something about blogging as blogging has helped me learn a lot and also earn a lot of appreciation. Be true and honest in what you do and the result will be beautiful .

Simple yet true!!! What are your future plans regarding your blog?

Future plans for my blog include a whole lot more of crochet items and some scrap booking and paper craft too. Also want to get back to more of hand embroidery and sewing projects. Hope time will be waiting for me.

All of us will be waiting for your future projects and all the very best Rajeswari.


Come back again on 15th September and check out who will be under the spotlight .

P.S. - If you have missed the first episode of Spotlight, click here and read about Dr. Sonia.
P.S.S - And if you are interested to come under the Spotlight, do mail me or message me.
P.P.P.S. -  You don't have to be a follower of my blog :)

Teacher's Day Card

These are the cards that my daughter made for her teachers for the Teacher's Day :)

The Pop-up flower!!

Close up of the card :)

Stone to Photo Frame

Hello!!!!!

Yesterday I was just experimenting with paper, watercolor and nail paint ... and my daughter who was sitting beside me and watching me said, Mom!! When I grow up, I want to be like you.... Create things like you do...

It was such a simple sentence and yet it makes all the difference to me.... She has always admired her friends' mothers who work and often asked me why I don't go and work in an office....

Occasionally when I go out and teach in any summer camps or art workshops she is more thrilled than me .... coz she wants me to go out and work like her fiends mothers.... So when she said this yesterday, you can imagine how happy I am :) :) :)

She may want to be something else tomorrow and day after tomorrow she may want to become something else.... But I will never forget what she said to me  :)

And now coming to today's post.... My inspiration is here. As soon as I saw this , I wanted to do it...

All you will need is a stone and wire.... paint is optional...

I am soo loving this... Next time I am going to do the same using a bigger rock and am going to keep it natural and yes... a family album should fit in it.... so I guess it should be a tree instead of a branch..... I am getting soo many ideas.... see ya ...bye...

Linking it to Lulupu's challenge This used to be.........

Paper Boxes

I have some happy news to share!! Have you seen my earlier post of the 2 boxes ? I won two prizes for that box!!! Yippieeee!!!!!!

Am soo happy !! The first one was in Shopping our Stash and the other in Craft Punked!!! Thank you all for the lovely comments !!!! 

Now to today's post... I made a third Box to make the set complete... I always love a set of three... Whenever I make something it is mostly a set of threeee. 

The biggest box is 8.8cms by 8.8cms.

The medium one is 3" by 3"

And the smallest one is 7cms by 7cms

I have already posted this photo on my Fb.... but was lazy to Blog about this one ...

I love creating things and browsing the net and admiring all other people's work... But when it comes to blog I tend to a bit more lazy..... I have been busy doing a lot of things lately but no patience to blog about it.... Maybe its the blogger's block ... and hope to overcome it soon.....

I have been doing a lot of qilling, drawing, Water painting and yes  Oil painting!!!

I am doing Oil painting after a gap of 3 years.....

Am doing a lot of experiments lately... trying new things and learning new things.... which are out of my comfort zone..... But am loving this phase... I donno  when this phase will end but until then ..............

P.S. Don't forget to come back on 15th of this month for the next episode of Spotlight!!!!

Quillography

Here is a quick post....

Quillography 'A'... I made this last month... No... Actually I made it in July :) I am a bit forgetful...Though I thought of adding a bit of something here and a bit of something there, I let it be simple.... Gee ........that's me .... I love simple things....

A Side image

Linking it to Make it Monday

Spotlight 1 !!! Sonia

Hello Everyone!!!!

Today I am launching a new event on my blog called SPOTLIGHT!!!!!
Come and visit my blog on the 1st and 15th of every month to check it out :)

Though I have been on Blogger since 3-4 years, I didn't blog seriously and I even when I started this blog, I was not much serious about it..... Slowly I began to read others blogs and a whole new world opened in front of me....
I have learnt a lot of things from this Blog-world ... I made quiet a few friends on the way whom I can respect and cherish....
So this is my effort to introduce such talented bloggers/artists to others.... And hence the name SPOTLIGHT.......

And Here is my first guest.... I am not soo good with the words... so I will let my guest do the work, while I lay back and relax ;)

Drum rolls Please.....

Here comes Dr. Sonia from Cards, Crafts and Kids project!!!!

Many of us know her... She always has some sweet words for all of us on our blogs..... I don't know how she manages time to comment on all of our blogs.... But she does that sweetly....
Most of her crafts are Kids-friendly... at the same time very beautiful!!!! She puts all her heart into the art she does ... you can see that in the detailing that she put in each of her work.

So Sonia tell us something about you and your family and your profession.

Well I am an ENT Surgeon by profession and I immensely enjoy my work though it is hectic and taxing at times. As a person I tend to obsess and worry about lots of tiny details be it a surgery, a dinner party, my daughters school projects etc ,etc. After I started crafting I found it was the perfect escape route to calm and distract my mind in a creative way!!

Yes Blogging can be therapeutic .... 

I blog at http://cardsandschoolprojects.blogspot.com.

When my daughter started going to playschool I had to make a lot of school projects for her and found so few theme based ideas on the net so I started the blog to share whatever simple work I made for my 2 year old’s school. Slowly this evolved into a full fledged hobby for me and I have shared all kinds of crafts on my blog from glass painting, interactive cards, edible crafts ,3 D papercrafts, clay crafts.

Wow !! You are a true Multitasker !!!!
And you seem to manage all the fronts with such ease !!!

Tell us about your source of inspiration?

I am constantly being inspired by bloggers. Often it is the blogger friends I follow and many a times it’s a new blog. You yourself have been a source of inspiration by the varied type of crafts you do. 

Thanks lots Doc!

I also love my blogger friends who take time to drop by my blog and encourage me..I hold these people in the highest of esteem as they are the ones who keep me blogging and who keep on inspiring me!

Your works are amazing!! Do you own a business or are you planning about it? I am sure if you do something like that you will be an instant hit!!

I don’t craft professionally as for me so far its strictly hobby and a way to relax from my professional duties as a surgeon.

And Ha Ha! I am way too attached to my crafts to sell them [ often I can’t bring myself to gift them too!!] as often so many sentimental memories are attached when I make a craft with my kiddo and especially if I made it with stuff friends gifted !

I know the feeling ;)  Even I used to do the same thing when I started to craft.... Even now I can't part with my paintings and drawings..... Though I don't mind much about my crafts...

Hey Doc!!! You have soo much experience in crafting can you advice other bloggers about business tactics and where do you source your items from and how you plan about selling your products and so forth, so that it will help others too.

If you are a craft blogger and you plan to get customers online the key point is search engine optimization. We all google for information and inspiration. Simple things such as a proper blog name, good informative post titles and captions for photos is often all that is needed for a craft blog to click!

Another thing would be to have a good relationship with your clients especially if you sell crafts or craft materials online. Many Indians including myself are not very comfortable about buying online so simple things such as acknowledging receipt of the client’s money, mailing or texting the courier details would go a long way in assuaging anxieties and building a business relation.


Thanks Doc!! I hope everyone benefits from all your advice.. including me .

About sourcing items…I tend to buy locally 98% of the time ….after all we should support the local market!! Most of the time I just drop in to local fancy stores and pick up beads and pearls but my favorite shop for craft supplies is Itsy Bitsy Bangalore!

Wow !!! What a noble thought about promoting local suppliers. And thanks for the tips for both Bloggers and Suppliers.
And next time I am in Bangalore I will surely visit Itsy Bitsy....

Do you have some future plans for your blog or some big project lined up?

Planning to write about various crafting tools starting with a series on Paper crafting tools .

I will be looking forward to all those post regarding craft tools beside your regular crafts... All the best doc!!!!

Come back again on 15th September and check out who will be under the spotlight .

P.S. - And if you are interested to come under the Spotlight, do mail me or message me.
P.P.S. -  You don't have to be a  follower of my blog :)