Crafter in the Spotlight Kirti Gupta

Hello arty crafty friends! Another month comes to an end but it’s extremely inspiring to see your fervor for crafting and enthusiasm to celebrate the success story of fellow crafters. This week, in ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’ I bring you the story of a passionate crafter from Bangalore, Kirti Gupta.

Kirti was born and brought up in Chandrapur, a small town in Maharashtra but currently lives in Bangalore. She is a full-time homemaker and an ardent crafter. A post graduate in Law, Kirti worked as a lecturer at SNDT Women’s College, Mumbai. Kirti’s admiration for art and craft goes back to her childhood days. Handmade albums are her forte but she also loves to experiment with different craft forms and creating new things.

Given some magical powers, she wishes to conduct free craft workshops to spread the joys of crafting. Let’s find out more about Kirti’s journey, how she got into crafting, her favorite Itsy Bitsy offerings and her favourite quote. Read further to catch glimpses of a step by step project by her. Don’t forget to leave some love and best wishes for Kirti in the comment section below.

Rashmi Closepet M.D Itsy Bitsy: Tell us a bit about yourself & your background?

Kirti Gupta: Hi All! I am Kirti Gupta, born and raised in Chandrapur, a small town in Maharashtra. I am a post graduate in Law and before actively working as a crafter; I was a lecturer at SNDT Women’s College, Mumbai. Art and Craft has remained my passion right from childhood and I used to eagerly wait for summer holidays to learn something new. I cannot recollect sending a readymade, off the shelf card, to my husband (then boyfriend) in our 8 years of long distance relationship. He received only handmade cards, filled with love. Even after marriage, the world of craft and I have remained inseparable. I always look for ways to experiment and create something new. I can proudly say that craft is an active part of our family and my little 6-year old son is also well versed with craft related terms like scrapbook, layouts, quotes, zig markers, guillotine cutters and more!

RC: How did you get into crafting?

KG: I was always into some form of craft. However, during my pregnancy, I decided to preserve the lovely moments forever and compile my experiences, journey and pictures into a handmade album. I posted few pictures from the album on social media and got unexpected responses, appreciation and numerous enquiries to check if I do it professionally. I gave it a shot and prepared a similar memory Photo-book for a client which, led to another and more. So, while I never planned to pursue this area, probably my love for craft pulled me in and has kept me going so far.

RC: What is your favorite type of craft?

KG: Paper crafts!! I am a proud Paper Crafter and handmade albums are my forte. I love the way these albums help us preserve various stories and how one can relive those moments and of course not to forget the style and elegance!! I am sure everyone can connect with these feelings. The album made by me for my son is a big HIT in the house!! My son loves to see how he was as a baby and it helps him and us, walk down the memory lane.

 RC: What are your favorite products at Itsy Bitsy?

KG: Now that is impossible for me to answer. I call ITSY BITSY “a crafter’s paradise” and the list of my favourite supplies is endless – Flowers, Chipboard embellishments, Stickers, Stamps, Pattern papers, Dies, Alcohol Splash sprays, Metallic paints and more.

RC: If you had magical powers, how would you contribute to the Crafting world?

KG: It is a dream of every crafter to be able to reach out to a wide audience, but one might not have the bandwidth and resources. Thus, if I had magical powers, I would love to organize and conduct Free Craft Workshops to spread the joys of crafting!

RC: Your prized possession in your craft stash from Itsy Bitsy?

KG: Flowers and chipboard embellishments are my most prized possessions. They are simply gorgeous and most frequently used by me in my projects.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

KG: I would call it contemporary. I like to keep my projects in line with newest craft supplies and the latest trends!

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

KG: With a family and a notorious boy to take care of, prioritizing time becomes a difficult task. To maintain balance, I dedicate the first half of my day to crafting and working on projects. I feel blessed to have an Itsy Bitsy store nearby, from where I can quickly pick up things any time. I believe you can always make time for what you love and for me crafting has never been a task, it’s always been an experience.

RC: Tips for people who want to craft

KG: First, start with something that is loveable and enjoyable for you. Try to identify what you connect best with, whether it is paper crafts, baby albums, mixed media or any other form, and start experimenting with it. Second, keep learning and explore newer techniques. Over a period, you will start getting a hang and will be able to visualize how to make your projects look better. And if you haven’t started yet, just visit an Itsy Bitsy store, you will surely get inspired to create something on your own by using their amazing range of craft supplies!

 RC: Your all -time favorite quote?

KG: Keep moving forward!!

 Here is a gorgeous project by  Kirti  & the step by step procedure:

Take a look at the step-by-step procedure of Kirti’s Treasure Box Album

First things first…Visit Itsy-Bitsy to get the following materials all under one roof!!

  1. Black card stock
  2. Little Birdie 12×12 Printed Linen Paper Pack – Watercolor Floral Ballet
  3. Craft board
  4. Chipboard shapes
  5. Double sided tacky tape – Red
  6. Regular double-sided tape
  7. Handmade Flower Packs of your choice and according to the project’s theme
  8. Sparkling embellishments
  9. Metal Charms
  10. Others: Glue, Scissors and Cutter

To make this mini treasure book, cut out pieces of craft board of the following dimensions:

  • 8X8 inch- 1 piece
  • 8X4 inch-2 pieces
  • 8X5 inch-1 piece
  • 5 inch- 4 pieces
  • 8×3 inch-1 piece

Step 1: Take a big piece of black cardstock (24×24 inch) and arrange cut-out craft board pieces to form the base of your mini treasure box. Arrange the pieces as shown in the picture. My idea here is to form a mini box with flaps and close the top opening with a scrapbook lock.

Step 2: Use strong double sided tacky tape to secure the craft board pieces in place. The important step here is to cut the extra black cardstock neatly to form the cover of the treasure box.

Step 3: Cut the corners of black card stock diagonally as shown the picture.

Step 4: Now cut the extra length till the first corner fold and slit the cardstock horizontally to form cover folds for the centre craft board piece.

Step 5: Repeat the same process from all the four sides. Now stick all the cut folds. Cover the entire craft board with base cardstock in such a way that the folds are free without any hindrance.

Step 7: It’s time to add some life to the treasure box and what’s better than wonderful pictures! You can put pictures according to number of folds (this project will accommodate nearly 10 of them). I have also added one small pocket to hold some messages and greetings.

Take a long rectangular piece of black cardstock (22 x 5 Inch) and mark it at 4 Inch (starting from the left-hand corner) to form 5 equal fold layouts. The last one is to be marked at 2 Inch to fold it upwards.

Step 8: Cut out pattern papers from Little Birdie’s Watercolor Floral Ballet Linen Paper Pack and stick them onto the black rectangular piece as shown. Embellish further with handmade flowers, die-cuts and chipboard shapes.

Step 9: At the top of my mini treasure box, I have added a scrapbook lock instead of ribbons to give it the feel of treasure box.

So here I leave you, with the pictures of my final project to decide how it has turned out!!

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

Many congrats Kirti Gupta  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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