GUEST BLOGGER OF THE MONTH-NOVEMBER

Hi friends,
this months guest blogger is ramya from Art platter.She is new to me,i got a mail form her some time back n when i visited her blog i was really impressed.She is a versatile crafter with lot of different works in her blog,and she has lots of simple tutorials too.So check it out what she says about herself n her art journey,over to ramya..

1.Please feel free to introduce yourself and share a little something about yourself.

Hello, I’m Ramya and I live in Chennai with my folks. I am working as a Management Consultant after my Post graduation in Management from a Business School in Bangalore.

Used to be (still is) the kind of person who keeps scribbling in the corner of textbooks during class hours. I have now taken this to the next level by seriously getting into crafts and reading on art.

What started with pencil scraps, chocolate wrappers and match sticks for the ‘Art From Waste’ competitions in school has now changed to polymer clay, duplex paper and kundan stones. The materials used have changed, not the inclination to experiment!

2.Do you have a blog?when did you started blogging?share some of your blogging experience with us.

Oh yes... My very own blog, which has now become a dear friend - Artplatter.com was launched on October 2010. At that time, I was still writing about whatever I came across, or any art related topic that fascinated me. Slowly I started making tutorials on various crafts and started connecting with various talented people in the world of blogging. The best day was when I received my first comment - I was just so happy to respond!

3.When did you discover the crafting talent in you?

I can’t remember really!... Maybe when I was 6 or 7, if not earlier.

5..For how many years have you been in this field of art n craft? Share some memorable moments with us.

My most memorable moment was when I used to make designs and sketches of jewellery in my 4^th standard, my friends used to comment even then that I could take this up as profession. Since then I’m in the pursuit of honing my craft skills.

6.Is crafting is your profession?If yes,what makes to choose it,do you think is a good profession in India?

I wish I could turn it into my profession very soon. And I’m working my way towards it. With the kind of rich heritage that India has, I am sure there could be a no better place in the world!

7.In what type of crafts/paintings you deal with,which is your most favorite work?

I do anything that fascinates me: Paper crafts for kids and adults, pot work, polymer clay work, glass painting and so on. My favourite although is flower making.

8..From where did you get your ideas/inspirations for your art?

Everything around me is an inspiration – the world we live in and the ‘world wide web’!

9.What do you consider as your strength and weakness in crafts?

The will to experiment and my mom who never asks me to enter the kitchen are my key strengths! So I’ve got a lot of free time once I’m back from work. I consider myself still a beginner and so there is still a long way to go – an exciting path ahead awaits.

10.What is your success mantra?

Well, as I said, still a beginner, but I guess getting featured on Kavi’s Kalalayaa Art Club is Step 1 of success. So in that case, the mantra is Kavi and the passion I have towards crafts. I can just spend sleepless nights in the company of fabric colours and adhesive.

11..Which is your favorite art works of yours till date and why?pls share us the picture of that art.

One of my favourites are these hibiscus flowers which I made by recollecting the process an art teacher taught me when I was in my eighth grade.

12..Who is your favorite crafter and why?Do you have any role model?

My favourite crafter is Inna of Increations. She truly is a Quilling Ninja. I love how much she experiments with quilling. The kind of perfection and the depth of her creations are just so inspiring.

13.DO you have any dream project?

Oh yes. I have many, to list a couple of them – one is to do a ceramic mural covering half of the living room wall at my home. A large quilled painting is something which is also in the pipeline.

14.What is your future plans in crafting?

Very soon I plan to start a whole segment on handmade cards. Right now I am working on a few designs. Lamasa Crafts after that.

15.Thank you so much for spending some time to answer my questions, finally please share some useful tips for new budding bloggers.

• Be passionate about what you do.
• Nothing is too small. Start small and dream big. After all, crafting is all about turning something simple into something fascinating.
• Remember to Have fun!

Do you want bethe next feaureted blogger here?E-mail me you blog link to kavi_kalalayaa@yahoo.co.in

GUEST BLOGGER OF THE MONTH-OCTOBER

Hi all,
my guest blogger for this month is priya from Color conceptions.She is a multi-talented lady,and a chennai blogger,yay its nice to meet people from same place through blog land which otherwise would have not happened.
Read through her interesting interview,and she shares a special tutorial for making a felt flower here.Finally,leave some love for my guest,and if you are interested in being a featured blogger here,please mail me to kavi_kalalayaa@yahoo.co.in with a link back to your blog.Do not leave the interest in the comment section,i am unable to get the link to some of the blogs,so mail me and i will get back to you.

1.Please feel free to introduce yourself and share a little something about yourself.

Hello, I am Priya from Chennai, India.. I am married to a handsome husband and a mom of 5 year old adorable boy.My hubby is the best critique of my works and if he likes it, I know it is a hit!!I had been working with a reputed software company but had given up the job for my kid and to pursue my interests.I like to try my hand at any art or craft and my interests keep changing often..:)

Now,I love blogging..oz I get to meet lot of people, make some friends and witness huge talents and have fun!!

2.Do you have a blog?when did you started blogging?share some of your blogging experience with us.

Yes..!!Started my blog in Nov 2010 and here is my blog ColorConceptions.I had wanted to start a blog for longtime..But did not have time.. After I quit my job last year, I was browsing and visited many art and craft blogs.They are my real inspirations , that urged me to start a blog immediately. Kavitha’s blog was one of such early inspirations.Blogging is all about getting inspired and inspiring.It is fun and great way to connect with people having same interest.. !!
In this journey,

3.When did you discover the crafting talent in you?

I could nt say exactly when…as early as I could remember, I had been passionate about arts and crafts.And every relative and friend of mine would have atleast one of my works with them.. :).

5.For how many years have you been in this field of art n craft? Share some memorable moments with us.

I remember, I used to take my drawing book everywhere and drew car,bus..etc and whatever I see, when I was 5.Later my drawing interested subdued and my craft interests raised its head till school days..Then was busy with studies, job, marriage, kid.. till I forwent my job..:))

6.Is crafting is your profession? If yes, what makes to choose it, do you think is a good profession in India?

As of now, it is a hobby! Would love to take it for a profession. But I doubt, me becoming crafting professional any sooner !!

Crafting can be good profession , provided you are much dedicated , know the pulse of market ,give your best and value for money to the customers ,meet deadlines. Teaching crafts can also be taken up as profession.

7.In what type of crafts/paintings you deal with, which is your most favorite work?

I mostly make cards now, as you can do one in a jiffy(for regular blogposts J) , does nt need lot of patience, get to try a lot of new techniques. At times, my painting interests come back and do 1 or 2 paintings.. I make Tanjore painting, Acrylic painting, glass painting,Coffee painting,ceramic painting,Mehandi,quilling, soft toys,decoupage, Kerala murals, M-seal mural, epoxy mural and many of that sort…I love my Tanjore paintings the most.

8.From where did you get your ideas/inspirations for your art?

I get inspirations from magazines,blogland and google .Ideas can pop up from anything,anytime,anywhere..!! I just put in the back of mind, what I need and go on..One fine moment, yurekah! The bulb glows and that is when I get my ideas..

9.What do you consider as your strength and weakness in crafts?

My Strength is , when I am seriously into some craft/ art I give full attention and enjoy making it to the core! Weakness is, when I lose interest, I set aside the project and God knows when I will work back on it!!

10.What is your success mantra?

Give your best and enjoy doing it!

11.Which is your favorite art works of yours till date and why? pls share us the picture of that art.

Tanjore paintings are my most favorite art work till date and this Yaal Ganesha is so special.I wanted to try a not so common piece, once I saw the sketch, I jumped into making it.( Yaal is a musical instrument used centuries ago and our tamil poets describe," its music is the sweetest of the sounds.."!!)My in-laws are hoarding it now!.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDRpvtK4lEoA7jHo1T5VxWGNo7poNrO0_AW4Uish9wt45e_EyAFPHYO0sz8vl2vXYv11uFiCJ8RuTsFkqg4CDhJ62JwPL5o3N_VcpqwTLIpftalobh-_6QOb_YcMcJx7g6oHVGegvUsHO/s1600/tanjore+Ganesha.jpg

12.Who is your favorite crafter and why? Do you have any role model?

There are so many of crafters, Indian and foreign, who are my favorite….coz, I find something good in each one of them.. Most Favorites are of them are Jennifer Mc Guire, Gina K, Dawn McVey,Niki Estes,Teresa Collins,Kristina Werner

13.Do you have any dream project?

Interior decorating my dream home is one dream project!I have so many.. If I complete all of them , I will be the best artist/crafter in town!! J

14.What is your future plans in crafting?

My future plan is to open up a shop to sell my art/craft works.. But I have nt set a deadline for it yet!!

15.Thank you so much for spending some time to answer my questions, finally please share some useful tips for new budding bloggers

Thanks Kavi for choosing me as a Guest blogger!, I really enjoyed answering the questions too...

Try learning simple things first.. when you are comfortable, move to next level.

Try different techniques and see what you excel in! Make it your style.

Give out your best in whatever you do.

All the very best for budding crafters and thanks for reading patiently about me..:)

I thought I would make a tutorial common for both card makers and crafters.. So here I am presenting you the Kanzashi flowers..They can be made in satin cloth, ribbon,velvet and paper too..

Take felt in 2 colors(can be done in single color too)

Cut small squares with it.. need not be perfect, you can also try with circles.. it gives a different flower :)

Fold the squares in half

Join the below two ends

Secure the folds with safety pins

After it is done for all the 8 pieces, Sew them one by one ,removing the pins

Sew together the last petal with the first one and knot it below

Fill the center with button or brad or any other embellishment. Finally, the Kanzashi flower!! Is nt it gorgeous?!!

Here is some of the beautiful works from priya..

GUEST BLOGGER OF THE MONTH

Hi all,
i have promised to make the guest blogger feature a regular one during my blog anniversary celebrations,that was back in june.Somehow i couldn't materialize it,and finally i decided to start it from september.And again it took me so long,that its going to be month end,he he,better late than never:).What took me so long and made me prolong it is to make this question paper,ha ha,..yeah after thinking a lot i finalized these,..because i wanted it to be interesting as well as useful:).

So the first person who dared to answer these questions(first time is quiet difficult you see;))is Ujjwal from handmade with love.She is very well know for her CAS style,and stamping,so here comes my first interview,...(insert dramatic music;))

1. Please feel free to introduce yourself and share a little something about yourself.

Hello, I’m Ujjwal living in Pune, India and am seriously addicted to Craft- making, admiring, hoarding and most defiantly buying ( things that I don't need but MIGHT need :D ). I got married to a wonderful guy 1 and a half yearss back and life has been a beautiful journey ever since.My husband is most supportive, encouraging and ever so patient with my crafting needs(I am not sure if its the same when I go on my crafting shopping spree!)

I have been into card making and crafting since I was a small kid but it got serious when I discovered blogging a couple of years back and started my own blog in Feburary 2010 and there has been no looking back. I have met some very talented people..made wonderful friends and learned a lot.

I was a full-time working software professional but never really loved my job( except for the part that it paid and I could buy all the crafting goodies :D) because my heart has always been in crafts. I took a break from full-time job after I got married to spent more time with my family. And now I keep thinking if I should or should not go back to my full-time job and haven't reached a decision yet :)

I am glad to have been given the opportunity to be featured here today! I am looking forward to all the friendships, fun and crafting!

2. Do you have a blog?when did you started blogging?share some of your blogging experience with us.

Oh yes, I am addicted to blogging. I have been maintaining my personal blog Handmade with love since February 2010. I think the great thing about blogging is that it enables you to meet so many new people who share the same passion, learn new things and make friends. It also helps you maintain a presence in the virtual world and share what you do best :)

3. When did you discovered the crafting talent in you?

I have been crafting as long as I can remember. It started as a competition between me and my elder brother when we were little. My elder brother was exceptional at sketches and I was always jealous and wanted to do as good as him. And slowly I realized this is where my heart lies. Later, my elder brother quit sketching and found his love in sports (cricket to be precise :)) but I continued with crafts and card making and here I am today (and if you really want to know about my brother, he is a marketing manager for an IT company now:)).

4. For how many years have you been in this fied of art n craft?Share some memorable moments with us.

As I said, I have been into arts & crafts right form when I was 7-8 years old. I loved to paint and sketch. I have been very active with arts & crafts throughout school. Participating in competitions, school fares and stalls, preparing educational charts in school were some of my favorite activities then. I continued my love of crafts throughout 6 years of college, creating cards for family and friends and maintained a sketch book at all times :) I lost touch for almost a year when I started working and but then picked it up again when I discovered blogging :)

5. Is crafting is your profession?If yes,what makes to choose it,do you think is a good profession in India?

Not really, although I would love for that to happen one day. There is nothing better than doing something you love and also get paid for it :)

But I think it will take time in India for people to realize how much effort goes into hand-crafted items and what they are worth. Although people appreciate what we do, very few show interest in purchasing and promoting them. Its a long way to go.

7.In what type of crafts/paintings you deal with,which is your most favorite work?

I am mostly a card maker but I enjoy experimenting with different ideas and techniques. I have tried my hands at scrapbooking, altered items, Murals, Coffee Paintings, Madhubani paintings, Ceramic paintings, Acrylic Paintings, Warli Paintings and lots of other things. Although I do not sell my paintings yet, my parents and my in-laws are proud owners of my paintings :)

8..From where did you get your ideas/inspirations for your art?

I get inspired in lot of different ways - magazines, fabric prints, other blogs, and even watching TV. Sometimes I get inspired by a particular color combo, sometimes a sketch, a technique and sometimes by a particular tool. There's no limit to where you can find your inspiration in. All you have to do is think crafts and you can draw inspiration from anything you see.

9.What do you consider as your strength and weakness in crafts?

I think my strength lies in "less is more" approach. I mostly create clean and simple cards. Not that I don't admire other styles, I really do but I guess I am not good at layering stuff and adding embellishments :) Maybe someday I will learn to do that too :)

10.What is your success mantra?

hmm..am I successful? Do not know but I think I just love what I do and I do it with all my heart.

11..Which is your favorite art works of yours till date and why?pls share us the picture of that art.

One of my recent favorites is this card. I love the bright happy colors, all that hand-stitching :)

12..Who is your favorite crafter and why?Do you have any roll model?

I admire lots of crafters but don't have a roll model as such. Few of my favorites - Jennifer Mcguire, Vicky, Yvonne, Cristina, Teri, Emily to name a few :)

13.Do you have any dream project?

I do not have any dream project at the moment but if I can get to complete all the cards I have on my mind, it would be no less than a dream come true :)

14.What is your future plans in crafting?

The short term goal is to get published. I would really love to see my cards in prints. But I haven't found the motivation to submit yet. Maybe soon.

15.Thank you so much for spending some time to answer my questions,finally please share some useful tips for new budding bloggers.

Thank you so much for taking time to read more about me. My tips for the new crafters/bloggers would be:

- find your style and stay with it but do not be afraid of experimenting at the same time.

- Blogging and available craft supplies and techniques can be a little overwhelming in the beginning and you might feel a little lost. But just try and learn one step at a time and you will belong here soon.

- Don't jump on buying expensive craft supplies all at once. Take your time and decide what works best for you and then invest.

Hope you enjoyed the interview as much as i did,last but not least here are some of the lovely creations from ujjwal.Do leave some love for my guest:)







So do you want to be feautured here as guest blogger?its simple,just mail me to kavi_kalalayaa@yahoo.co.in,but before that here are the few simple things that required to be a guest blogger:

• You should have a blog(of course:)) which should be at least 6 months old.
• You should have completed at least 50 posts in your blog,bcoz when people reads the interview they will definitely visit your blog,so at least quiet a handful of things should be there in your blog for them to view.
  
• You should be a regular n active blogger.
  

Happy crafting,

GUEST BLOGGERS-DAY 6&7

Hi all,
welcome to the final day of guest bloggers post,as i said yesterday you are going to meet two guest bloggers today because of blogger interruption.Sorry for the delay,again blogger went crazy and from morning i am not able to upload photos,after trying for hours,finally i made it up.
P.S:I really love introducing such talented bloggers here in my blog,do you think i should i should continue this at least monthly once?let me know.
Before that i have a question for you all,the "Coloring challenge" is getting over today,but i heard few says they love to participate,but they dint get time.Do you really like to partcipate and dint do that because of shortage of time??et me know in the comment section,if i get a handfull of response i will extended it for one more week.

So,the first guest for today is Karthika fro "How to be creative,if you are not blessed with one".I recently stumbled upon her blog,and what caught me immediately is her blog name,interesting huh??She is very good in quilling(i know there are loads of quilling fans here:)),and she has some interesting things in her blog,..over to karthika,..

About me:

My Name is Karthika Sen... and I love crafts of all kinds.. the end ;)

Interest about Crafts :

My Interests are Quilling, card making and Acrylic painting....This interest has flourished in the last 12 months after i left my job. And I'm having lot of fun.

Blogging Experience -

I have been blogging for almost an year. My experience is quite exciting and interesting. I have known quite a number of interesting people in the internet, and a few of them have followed my blog. I had visitors from different part of the world which is the most exciting part. I have learned so much from them too. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about crafts: "it goes on."
Here is some of her beautiful quillings,..






The next guest blogger is Romina from"Romina's creative crafts".She is one of my good bloggy friend i like her way of making personalized gift with good gift wrapping.Over to romina,..

About me:
i'm romina.i'm a fashion designer by profession bt a crafter by passion

My blogging experience:
well i'm too new to it but its been good so far,its given me confidence & belief in my work.and it has given me good friends !!

My interests in crafting:
I guess it comes from within ...u cannot force this...it HAS to come from within.....&after 9 yrs of being a homemaker after working as a fashion designer,its my biggest stress buster too...! it makes me feel COMPLETE. sheer bliss.

Here is some of her beautiful works,..







Thank you all for leaving such wonderful comments for all the lovely guest bloggers,i hope you all enjoyed the guest bloggers post and the anniversary celebrations too,..tomorrow i will back with some interesting thing for week 3,so stay tuned and i am sure you all going to love it.

Don't forget to leave your comment,you migh win a scrapbook kit from my CRAFT STORE.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE COLORING CHALLENGE GOING ON IN MY BLOG,A RANDOM LUCKY WINNER WILL GET SOME COOL PIE LANE PRODUCTS.ENDS THIS SUNDAY,MAY 15TH.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE FINAL HUGE BLOG CANDY TOO.:)ENDS ON JUNE 8TH.

GUEST BLOGGERS-DAY 5

Oopss,.blogger went down yesterday and spoiled all my plans,,grrrr,..now all the orders are confused for the guest bloggers post and i lost all the comments on the previous post,.Ok anyways happy that its restored today,so you will meet two guest bloggers tomorrow.

Today guest in my blog is ashmita fro 'Indian scrapper'Ahe specializes in vintage style and i love her dimensional cards a lot,.over to ashmita.

My name is Ashmita Das i am a trained Media Professional. But since i married an Army officer who gets transferred to a new place every once in a while i cannot have a regular job. So, to keep myself occupied every free moment i get i do crafts. I have always been an avid crafter but since i got married 4 years back i started to scrapbook and that is how my love affair with paper craft started. I love making cards as well as scrapbooks and also scrapbook mini albums. Beings an Indian by origin here the crafting has not boomed like in the other countries so most of the crafting equipments are not available here. We (other Indian crafters and me) mostly rely on etsy and ebay for our purchases but still things can be very expensive. But i make do and necessity being the mother of invention and also i believe creativity and talent and the zeal to make beautiful projects makes up for the absence of all else because i have the passion and love for it. I have attached a few of my projects where i have used ribbons. I have learned macramé and embroidery so i bring a lot of that into my paper crafting projects too. I am very fond of the distressed look and vintage style and most of my projects generally are inspired by them. There are so many things you can do with paper and ribbon and i love to constantly try out new techniques and ideas. I am self taught trying to accumulate knowledge from all the bloggers from across the globe and not to mention Google and YouTube.

Take a look at some of her dimensional n vintage card,..i am sure you will love it.





Don't forget to leave your comment,you migh win a scrapbook kit from my CRAFT STORE.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE COLORING CHALLENGE GOING ON IN MY BLOG,A RANDOM LUCKY WINNER WILL GET SOME COOL PIE LANE PRODUCTS.ENDS THIS SUNDAY,MAY 15TH.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE FINAL HUGE BLOG CANDY TOO.:)ENDS ON JUNE 8TH.


Happy crafting,

GUEST BLOGGERS-DAY 4

Hello all,
the guest blogger for today is aditya gupta from 'The craft zone'.Well,what should i say,his paper models are out of world,just amazing,so no words:)).Over to aditya gupta.

About me:
I am Asstt. Professor of Human Resource Management in a Management College at Shahjahanpur. Art and Craft are my passion and I do it to get relieved from my regular work.


Blogging experience:

I have started Craft blog recently but my other blog My world and My Feelings (http://adityastar.blogspot.com) is now around 5 year old with over 500 posts and also it has got Google Page Rank 1.


My interest in crafts:
As I told earlier in my profession that I do craft to get relieved from tension, but my craft work is not only limited here, I love to try new things and also love to learn new stuff.



Well have a look at his amazingggggggg works,i still cant believe these are made with papers,..To see more of his paper models visit his face book page.





Don't forget to leave your comment,you migh win a scrapbook kit from my CRAFT STORE.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE COLORING CHALLENGE GOING ON IN MY BLOG,A RANDOM LUCKY WINNER WILL GET SOME COOL PIE LANE PRODUCTS.ENDS THIS SUNDAY,MAY 15TH.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE FINAL HUGE BLOG CANDY TOO.:)ENDS ON JUNE 8TH.




Happy crafting,