Hello crafty folks! This week I am back with yet another interesting story of an ardent arty-crafty individual in ‘Crafter in the Spotlight’. It’s Tulika Kakkar from Pune sharing interesting facts about her creative journey with us today.
Tulika has been crafting since her childhood. She enjoys taking art classes for children and teaching them painting, sketching and crafting mainly aimed at – best out of waste. She discovered her love for mixed media and decoupage after coming across some YouTube videos and the Itsy Bitsy store near her home.
Tulika who is an interior designer is not a daily crafter but loves to work with her projects whenever she finds time during the day. She draws inspiration from things around her for her projects. She thinks the best way for a creative mind to overcome a creative blog is to explore the stash. She believes that hidden supplies may trigger a sudden inspiration anytime!
Read along to find out Tulika’s favourite craft forms, her arty-crafty wish, craft essentials she can’t live without, how she describes her style of crafting, what she enjoys most besides crafting and more. Also catch glimpses of a step by step project by her. Don’t forget to leave your loving comments for her.
Rashmi Closepet M.D Itsy Bitsy: What are your favorite craft forms?
Tulilka Kakkar: I have always taken art classes for children. Other than painting and sketching, I teach craft, especially best out of waste. It has always been the favorite among children. Making flowers out of egg trays, using toilet paper rolls or aluminum foil or paper from a wedding card to make something is always fun.
Few years back I happened to see some YouTube videos on mixed media. During that time an Itsy Bitsy store had opened in a nearby mall. I got my first supplies from there and till date it is continuing. Mixed media became my favorite craft form as it gave me total freedom to use so many mediums. In this process, decoupage became my second favorite. Not to forget my first love… acrylic painting. Card making has been my favorite since my childhood days.
RC: If you are granted an arty-crafty wish, what would you ask for?
TK: My long-awaited arty-crafty wish is to have a craft room in my home which is full of craft supplies arranged in a manner that I can see them and use them instantly whenever I want.
RC: How did you come to know about Itsy Bitsy?
TK: I was just wandering about in a newly opened mall after watching a movie when I saw the Itsy Bitsy store. It attracted me because of the colorful stationary items and the paints which were displayed in the store front. I am a person who has always loved shopping for artist paints. I entered the store that day and my journey still continues. In fact, 3 – 4 years back I forayed into my mixed media art because of that store.
RC: Tell us about your most exciting shopping experience at Itsy Bitsy.
TK: Yes, I clearly remember one such instance when I was just pondering over one or two products at the store, a lady with her daughter came. She was searching something for her daughter’s project. We just started having a conversation about different products and crafts and exchanged many ideas with each other. The lady invited me to her home for tea and thus began a new friendship.
RC: What craft products attract you the most?
TK : Stencils, chippies, wooden alterables, handmade flowers, metallics, chalk paints, colour sprays are few which I go for anytime!!
RC: What is your ideal crafting time in a day?
TK: Now this one is easy, I am not a daily crafter as of now. Being a consultant in interiors it takes a lot of time. As soon as I get time from my daily chores, either I start something new or finish the remaining projects. It can be any time of the day, evening or night. Something must stimulate me – maybe a project which I recently watched on YouTube, maybe a nice dress, some beautiful color, a design pattern on a bed spread or the beautiful sky or may be some backdrop in a movie.
RC: What are your ‘Can’t live without’ craft essentials?
TK: There are many in the list but the most essentials are the palette knives, my collection of stencils, gesso (both white + black), chalk paints, sponges, gels (both soft and heavy), varnish, stamps, decoupage items.
RC: How long have you been crafting?
TK: As far as I remember crafting was always there in me, right from my childhood days. My mother used to give me great ideas and made sure that I implemented them. I enjoyed the process and used to get many prizes in art and craft competitions.
RC: Which 3 words describe your crafting style the best?
TK: Explore, Abstract and Limitless!!
RC: Any inspirational tips for newbies and craft enthusiasts?
TK: Only thing is “Don’t Fear and start your gear”. Crafting is like an ocean. Be ready to explore as much as you want and still it will be less. Make mistakes – sometimes these mistakes work wonders.
RC: Any tips for fellow crafters to help them organize their workspace better?
TK: Being organized in this craft world, I would say is a difficult task. But still we should try our best to at least keep all our crafty stuff in a manner that we get them instantly when we want, and we don’t waste time searching them. Also clearing the mess is very important. I can tell you one of my secrets – most of the boxes in which I keep my things are transparent and many I have labeled. This really helps me a lot.
RC: What inspired you the most in your creative journey?
TK: Anything which makes me feel good inspires me. Nature has been my biggest inspiration throughout my creative journey. Being an interior designer, the aesthetic value is one of the important factors to be considered. That came naturally to me from my parents. As I said earlier, any design pattern on a dress or a curtain or maybe any YouTube video or any artistic wall piece etc. the list goes on, can be a point of stimulation and inspiration for me.
RC: According to you what’s the best way to overcome a creative block?
TK: The best way to overcome the creative blog is to dig into your stash. Anything which is long hidden or may be some color can get you going. Sometimes some newly launched chalk paint has inspired me and sometimes a very attractive decoupage paper. Yes, one more thing which one can do is to go for things like Art journals which are just something for you – where you can make mistakes, like or dislike and keep it for future references. Anything from it can inspire you and you can start afresh.
RC: Why do you think people should continue with ‘Handmade’?
TK: Satisfaction and appreciation are two things which are associated with handmade. When things are personalized they will be unique, made with love, and the person on the receiving end will always feel special. It’s the same as …whether you want to treat someone at home with your handmade food or else in a restaurant. The love that is put in making something with hand is will always be special and much appreciated.
RC: Other than crafting what do you enjoy the most?
TK: Being an interior designer, I enjoy the process of consultation, designing and replying to queries of my clients. Also travelling and exploring new places is my coveted wish which I enjoy very much.
RC: Which are the product categories you check out most often for new arrivals?
TK: The categories I check out the most are the different textures, pastes, chip boards, stencils, decoupage sheets, color sprays, sentiments, handmade flowers and so on.
Here is a step by step project by Tulika Kakkar.
I chose round coasters for this project. First, I used a sandpaper to rub and smoothen the sides of the coasters. Painted them with a thick layer of black chalk paint. (chalk paints from Little Birdie, Itsy Bitsy’s home brand are just awesome!)
As I wanted a subtle look, so I chose white chalk paint for the second layer.
After the paint dried, I applied candle wax on all of them. This step is needed to retain the black paint as I wanted to give them a vintage look.
Here comes the step where we will give that vintage look. With a light hand, I sanded them.
See how beautifully the black is peeping through the layer of white…giving that vintage/ distressed effect!!
Next, I used Little Birdie glossy decoupage glue and my chosen paper napkin (after removing the 2 ply) to decoupage the coasters. I made sure there were no air bubbles trapped beneath the napkin.
To colour the sides of the coasters, I have used black chalk paint. Next, I used Little Birdie’s gloss varnish to protect my coasters. It is an amazing product and dries very quickly.
I could have stopped here as the coasters were looking pretty already but I wanted something more. I had bought this resin and hardener from Itsy Bitsy stores about a few months back and had been longing to use it. Here was the chance to do it.
Resin has 2 bottles. One is clear resin and the other is the hardener. We need to mix them in the ratio 1:1 before using.
Pouring the resin over the coasters was a challenge. I had seen few videos, so was just doing what I had seen. Despite it being my first try with resin, it was worth it as I loved the final product.
Many congrats Tulika 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!
Congratulations tulika
Congratulations