Crafter in the Spotlight Nisha

Hello Artsy Craftsy friends!

I’m back for our Thursday session of ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’. Today, a talented crafter Nisha Sethia Dugar will tell us her story. Nisha calls herself an enthusiastic D-I-Y girl, interesting isn’t it?

Born in Rajasthan, broughttup in Kolkata, Nisha is now settled in Delhi. She has mixed crafting interests. Miniatures, decoupage, doodling, mosaic, DIY’s are her favourite.

How did Nisha get into crafting, what inspires her, what are her tips for fellow crafters, her favourite quote, how would she contribute to the crafting world if she had magical powers? Read answers to all these questions, discover more about her interesting journey and catch a glimpse of a step by step project by Nisha in this interview. Don’t forget to leave your comments for her.

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

Nisha Sethia Dugar : Hi, I am Nisha. I was born in Rajasthan, bought up in Kolkata, got married and have been staying in Delhi for more than 10 years now. I did Home Science from J.D.Birla, Kolkata and studied Fashion Designing from INIFD.

A full time Mom and enthusiastic D-I-Y girl, I also love to read, travel and organize my home in better ways.

RC: How did you get into crafting?

NS: As early as I remember drawing and Mehndi classes were my first after school activities. It was mainly because; my mom loves applying Mehndi and wanted me to learn it too. Then, I remember, I learnt making soft toys and gifted one to almost everyone in the family. However, I always wanted to create new designs and shapes in them. Then my creative learning continued and I learnt different styles of painting from stained glass to oil, mural to mixed media and many other art forms. My Mom’s place is still full of my art work. My parents always supported me while I was learning new skills.

It was during my Kid’s 3rd birthday in 2014, for which I planned and executed everything; I thought of taking my love for Art and Craft seriously. However, I did not know what to start with, how to do and exactly where exactly to start.

RC: What is your favourite type of craft?

NS: I always Love D-I-Y! I and my son both enjoy it. Nowadays, I am more into making miniature clay work or doing decoupage and yes Zentangle doodles are great stress busters for me. I love doing mosaic too. These all are my favorite art forms right now.

RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?

NS: Do I really need to point out? How can you ask a kid in a candy store about its favorite candy? I and my son are always excited to enter the shop and raid it?. He too loves exploring and gets something new every time. I love the fact that Itsy Bitsy has everything under one roof. I buy anything that catches my eyes in the store and use it in my projects. I am eyeing the soap making materials from Little Birdie’s ‘Soap Up’ range these days.

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

NS: I would certainly ask people to stop laughing at crafters and would tell them to take their work seriously. Secondly, every piece of art is made by an individual and is not mass produced with machinery; so don’t judge the value of a piece by its material. It takes lot of hard work and thoughts to create each piece.

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

NS: Certainly they are Chalk Paints! The decorative paints are so versatile. Other than that, variety of decoupage glue, cut mosaic and most importantly my clay sculpting tools.

RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?

NS: I love to experiment and miniature world have given me that opportunity…. I always come up with something new. In one line, my work can be described as Colorful and Neat!

RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?

NS: My passion for crafting keeps me going. After finishing my household chores and other family related work I sit and work till my baby comes home at 3pm. After that it’s mumma-baby time. Then I work again at night after making him sleep. My husband supports me totally and at times makes me a cup of coffee too!!

RC: Tips for people who want to craft

NS: Just enjoy it. Do it full heartedly and everything else will come with the flow.

RC: Your all -time favourite quote?

NS: Patience and Practice is the key!

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

Take a look at the tutorial of Personalized Decoupage Stationery holder with clay work.

Materials required:

1. MDF stationery holder
2. Sand paper
3. Chalk paint
4. Decoupage napkin
5. Decoupage Glue
6. Foam Brush/Any Brush
7. Air dry clay
8. Acrylic colours
9. Clay Sculpting Tools
10. Paper Crafting glue

Instructions-

Rub sand paper lightly around the holder

Give a nice and even coat of chalk paint on one side on the outside and paint it inside too. Chalk paints are amazing to work with because of their consistency and easy flow.

Take your choice of Decoupage napkin, make sure to seperate the layers.

Apply a smooth layer of Decoupage glue to one side of the holder and put the napkin on it…take your time,  work with fingers or plain tissue.

Do the same with the other two sides also.

Once all the 3 sides are done… Let them dry for a while and then apply a coat of Decoupage glue on them.

Rub off the extra tissue with sand paper for a finished look.

I used pink acrylic colour and spread it with my fingers to give a smooth line in the corners.

Next, in white air-dry clay, add desired colours and mix them properly to remove all the air bubbles.

Here I am making a girl and naming her Alaina.

I designed the base with polka dots, made them with ear buds.

I sculpted the girl with hand and tools.

Once dry, apply a thin layer of varnish to protect from dust and for longer life.

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

Many congrats  Nisha 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!