Hello dear arty crafty folks! This week I will share the story of a gifted crafter, Neena Kumrawat, with you in ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’.
Neena is from Khurai, a small city in Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh. A freelance interior designer turned into a fulltime crafter and homemaker, her story is truly inspirational. She not only manages her kids and the household chores, but also runs her own crafting studio from home and undertakes workshops along with finding time for experimenting and creating her own techniques. She is immensely fond of vintage and upcycled craft forms.
Let’s find out more about Neena’s journey, how she got into crafting, her favorite Itsy Bitsy offerings and what she would like to do, if given some magical powers. Read further to catch glimpses of a step by step project by her. Don’t forget to leave some love and best wishes for Neena in the comment section below.
Rashmi Closepet M.D Itsy Bitsy: Tell us a bit about yourself & your background?
Neena Kumrawat: Born and raised in Khurai, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, I am a passionate crafter, a homemaker and a doting mother of two children. I studied Interior Designing from Indore and settled there after marriage. Although I did not have a lot of exposure to art and craft in my childhood except school craft activities, I was always inclined towards crafting.
RC: How did you get into crafting?
MT: As a freelance interior designer, I have styled and designed home decor items such as mirrors, murals and wall clocks along with furniture, for many clients. After my second child, it was difficult to manage long outdoor visits and hence I switched back to my first love that is crafting. Thereafter, I set up my crafting studio at home.
RC: What is your favourite type of craft?
MT: Crafting for me is not just about decorating things. I want to infuse my creativity and merge craft with home utility products and furnishings. I absolutely love vintage and upcycled craft.
RC: What are your favourite products at Itsy Bitsy?
MT: I love Itsy Bitsy’s newly launched Chalk Paints for their smooth and raw finish, Crackle Medium for its awesome results and Tinted Metallic paints for their gleam.
RC: If you had magical powers, how would you contribute to the crafting world?
MT: I will be extremely happy if I can do 5% of the amazing work that Rashmi Mam and Harish Sir are doing under Itsy Bitsy. It will be a dream come true, if I can provide a source of income to people who have various crafting skills.
RC: Your prized possession in your craft stash from Itsy Bitsy?
MT: My entire stash from Itsy Bitsy is my prized possession. I would soon love to grab my own Dream Cut Machine.
RC: How would you describe your style of crafting?
MT: I love to experiment with various styles and develop my own techniques. I also draw a lot of inspiration from many other expert crafters.
RC: How do you organize your time for crafting?
MT: Living in a joint family and with 2 kids, it is slightly difficult to give extra time for crafting. I try to complete all my orders, workshops and projects when kids are at school. My mother is my biggest inspiration – she always finds time to do what she loves and I am on the pursuit for the same.
RC: Tips for people who want to craft
MT: I would like to tell all my fellow crafters to follow their heart and do what they love. Each of us is blessed with immense talent and qualities; all we need to do is to realize it and walk our own paths. Let’s not blindly follow anyone else.
RC: Your all -time favourite quote?
MT: My all time is favourite quote is simple and straightforward – “Follow your dreams “!
Here is a gorgeous project by Neena & the step by step procedure:
Step 1– Take a chopping board (mdf based). Cut chipboard in brick-like shapes and glue alongside the edges close to the curve of the handle.
Apply a coat of Itsy Bitsy’s Mixed media paste, (dilute it a little to use as gesso) and let it dry.
Step 2 – Paint the brick cut-outs and some corners with brown acrylic paint and let it dry.
Step 3 – Now apply a thin coat of Little Birdie Crackle Medium over the portions painted in brown. Paint with brown chalk paint on top of the crackle medium to get the desired cracked look.
Step 4 – Go ahead and decoupage the board, add a note pad, decorated it with twine and chipboards. Your lovely distressed chopping-board writing pad is ready to flaunt on your table.
Here are a couple of Neena’s other awesome creations:
Many congrats Neena 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!
Absolutely amazing…??