deepthi udupa: Spotlight

Showing posts with label Spotlight. Show all posts

Monday, October 1, 2012

Spotlight 3 - Jill !!

Welcome to the third episode of SPOTLIGHT !!!

Today's guest is Jill. I came to know about her blog when I was interviewed for Creating Success around the world by Janelle. I love her upcycling projects and other stitching projects. Though I do not have much experience in stitching I would love to stitch someday....

For now let us welcome Jill........

Hi , my name is Jill and I blog over at Creating my way to Success. I live now in the beautiful Cairns, Australia - right next to the amazing Great Barrier Reef and stunning tropical rainforests. I am originally from England, but emigrated out here around 10 years ago with my husband, and we now have two gorgeous daughters.

I trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language, but now am a full time mum, and blogger -not yet paid employment, but hopefully one day I'll build it up to be!

My blog started out as a way to show off the things I was creating and selling at local markets with my friend. For both of us the blogs took over as what we enjoyed most, and now we both have independent blogs, and no longer sell at markets.

I write about mostly sewing, which is my creative medium - although now and then I do try other things. I love helping people to make things and have lots of free tutorials available for all levels. I'm gradually producing a series of tutorials for useful things to make in just 5 steps and 15 minutes in the belief that ANYONE can sew!

I particularly enjoy upcycling and using what I have to create. I have an ongoing linky on my blog where people can link up clothes upcycling projects and ideas.

There are currently over 350 ideas linked up, and the list is constantly growing - it's a fantastic resource that I was inspired to set up after I spent a month last year upcycling clothes every day from a pile I had collected over several years!

My blog title says exactly what it is that I'm trying to achieve - using my creativity to work my way towards success - both personally with my creativity and financially - in finding a way to earn an income doing what I really enjoy!

My blog has slowly (over 2 years) grown to the size that I am now beginning to make a little money from advertising. I have also started to make some of my patterns and tutorials available for sale.

I know my blog is still relatively small, and I am at the beginning of a long road on the way to growing it to the size of a profitable business, but I believe I will get there!

For anyone else wanting to turn their blog and creativity into a business, I would say go for it. I'm a great believer in chasing your dreams - and believe that anything is possible with

Persistence

and

Consistency!

I think you have to find your own path in terms of how you achieve this, follow your heart and do what you enjoy. I've tried copying what other successful people have done - and there is a lot to be learned in this method, but the most valuable lesson I have learned is that what works for someone else will not necessarily work for you!

As for future plans for my blog - I have lots of plans for more tutorials - both free and more complicated and detailed ones for sale.

I also have another large pile of clothes to be upcycled so there will be lots more clothes upcycling projects coming up too!

If you haven't visited my blog before - then do come over and say hello!

You can find me here at:

Creating my way to Success

Thanks so much for having me Deepthi!

best Jill

All the very Jill :) And if you are interested in learning stitching, head over to Jill's blog.

Come back again on 15th October and check out who will be under the spotlight .

P.S. - If you have missed any episode of Spotlight, click here .

P.S.S - And if you are interested to come under the Spotlight, do mail me or message me.

P.P.P.S. - You don't have to be a follower of my blog :)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Spotlight 2 - Rajeswari

Welcome to the second episode of SPOTLIGHT !!!

Today's guest is Rajeswari from Diapermum!!!

I was searching for a few crochet flowers to show to my mom and ask her to do them for me when I came across Rajeswari's Blog....
If you love Crochet, home decor, then this is the place. I love her writing style too.. its quirky, funny and engaging.

So lets welcome her... Drumrolls please....
Here comes Rajeswari.....

Hello Rajeswari!! Tell us something about yourself.

A former run-of-the-mill IT consultant from Bangalore, currently I am a full-time home maker for my 2 adorably cute and incessantly demanding children. If this wasn't enough, my superior fraction (better ½) is ~~sometimes~~ most of the time even more demanding. The journey of my chaotic life is currently passing through Hong Kong.

When and how did you start blogging ?

Come New Year and resolutions are galore. I too had one resolution - to BLOG. Being an arty type of human being my house, life, art work is generally in a frenzied state of motion. I decided to bring some order into at least my art life through a blog. Started blogging in early 2012, February to be precise (did procrastinate for a month though). My creative desires always had an outlet, but now I use Blogger to showcase it. You will find lots of crochet decor items made to enhance the love and warmth in my home, crochet wearable for little ones, dabbles of paper crafts, home improvement ideas, scrap booking and sewing projects amidst my ramblings in space and time.

You have a very unique blog name....Tell us the story behind it.

One thing you will always find in my purse – any guesses? Not mini make-up kits like most Hong Kongers but diapers J Being a mom of a 3-year old girl and a 1-year old boy diapers are a must have in my bag. You have all heard of Super moms and multi-tasking moms and this-and-that mom. But I am a diaper mum and since my blog is my very own space, it mirrors my thoughts – http://diapermum.blogspot.com. Plus all the good names were already taken by bloggers world-wide and I had to do with this .

Ha ha...Diaper Mum is definitely interesting and catchy. Tell us your source of inspiration, (a blog or person or anything).

Color, motion and DIY always inspire me. Nothing can beat the personal touch of a hand made item. The Internet age has really bought the world on one big stage. I find daily inspirations from fellow crafters and bloggers all over the world.

A few blogs which have truly inspired me and given me the confidence to start blogging –

v Lucy from Attic 24 – Her choice of colors and writing is true eye-candy. Here blog -http://attic24.typepad.com/

v Matt and Dennis from http://accordingtomatt.blogspot.com. Both of them are gifted people and every piece of their work is perfection.

v Alice from http://crochethealigandraymond.wordpress.com/. She too is an artist, an amazing photographer and an even awesome crocheter and knitter.

Thanks dear for this info... I can find many more crochet designs for my mom now!! So can others .

Do you sell your items? They are soo beautiful!!

Assets currently held are Mr. Smiley, Miss Sunshine, yarns, hooks, paper, buttons, beads, over flowing cupboards of crafty stash and a full time helper. Liabilities are a pigeon-hole sized home, banker who doesn’t do a thing on this own and perennial shortage of time. The priceless (semblance of) balance in all our life is my current revenue. On a more serious note, I do plan to turn my passion into my profession and start my own line of crochet items for sale. Currently my products can only be viewed on my blog. Would love to start taking personal orders .

All the very best Rajeswari , whenever you plunge into business, I hope and wish you success. But do you have any ideas or any advice for other?

Not sure about business tactics but can say something about blogging as blogging has helped me learn a lot and also earn a lot of appreciation. Be true and honest in what you do and the result will be beautiful .

Simple yet true!!! What are your future plans regarding your blog?

Future plans for my blog include a whole lot more of crochet items and some scrap booking and paper craft too. Also want to get back to more of hand embroidery and sewing projects. Hope time will be waiting for me.

All of us will be waiting for your future projects and all the very best Rajeswari.

Come back again on 15th September and check out who will be under the spotlight .

P.S. - If you have missed the first episode of Spotlight, click here and read about Dr. Sonia.
P.S.S - And if you are interested to come under the Spotlight, do mail me or message me.
P.P.P.S. - You don't have to be a follower of my blog :)

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Spotlight 1 !!! Sonia

Hello Everyone!!!!

Today I am launching a new event on my blog called SPOTLIGHT!!!!!
Come and visit my blog on the 1st and 15th of every month to check it out :)

Though I have been on Blogger since 3-4 years, I didn't blog seriously and I even when I started this blog, I was not much serious about it..... Slowly I began to read others blogs and a whole new world opened in front of me....
I have learnt a lot of things from this Blog-world ... I made quiet a few friends on the way whom I can respect and cherish....
So this is my effort to introduce such talented bloggers/artists to others.... And hence the name SPOTLIGHT.......

And Here is my first guest.... I am not soo good with the words... so I will let my guest do the work, while I lay back and relax ;)

Drum rolls Please.....

Here comes Dr. Sonia from Cards, Crafts and Kids project!!!!

Many of us know her... She always has some sweet words for all of us on our blogs..... I don't know how she manages time to comment on all of our blogs.... But she does that sweetly....
Most of her crafts are Kids-friendly... at the same time very beautiful!!!! She puts all her heart into the art she does ... you can see that in the detailing that she put in each of her work.

So Sonia tell us something about you and your family and your profession.

Well I am an ENT Surgeon by profession and I immensely enjoy my work though it is hectic and taxing at times. As a person I tend to obsess and worry about lots of tiny details be it a surgery, a dinner party, my daughters school projects etc ,etc. After I started crafting I found it was the perfect escape route to calm and distract my mind in a creative way!!

Yes Blogging can be therapeutic ....

I blog at http://cardsandschoolprojects.blogspot.com.

When my daughter started going to playschool I had to make a lot of school projects for her and found so few theme based ideas on the net so I started the blog to share whatever simple work I made for my 2 year old’s school. Slowly this evolved into a full fledged hobby for me and I have shared all kinds of crafts on my blog from glass painting, interactive cards, edible crafts ,3 D papercrafts, clay crafts.

Wow !! You are a true Multitasker !!!!
And you seem to manage all the fronts with such ease !!!

Tell us about your source of inspiration?

I am constantly being inspired by bloggers. Often it is the blogger friends I follow and many a times it’s a new blog. You yourself have been a source of inspiration by the varied type of crafts you do.

Thanks lots Doc!

I also love my blogger friends who take time to drop by my blog and encourage me..I hold these people in the highest of esteem as they are the ones who keep me blogging and who keep on inspiring me!

Your works are amazing!! Do you own a business or are you planning about it? I am sure if you do something like that you will be an instant hit!!

I don’t craft professionally as for me so far its strictly hobby and a way to relax from my professional duties as a surgeon.

And Ha Ha! I am way too attached to my crafts to sell them [ often I can’t bring myself to gift them too!!] as often so many sentimental memories are attached when I make a craft with my kiddo and especially if I made it with stuff friends gifted !

I know the feeling ;) Even I used to do the same thing when I started to craft.... Even now I can't part with my paintings and drawings..... Though I don't mind much about my crafts...

Hey Doc!!! You have soo much experience in crafting can you advice other bloggers about business tactics and where do you source your items from and how you plan about selling your products and so forth, so that it will help others too.

If you are a craft blogger and you plan to get customers online the key point is search engine optimization. We all google for information and inspiration. Simple things such as a proper blog name, good informative post titles and captions for photos is often all that is needed for a craft blog to click!

Another thing would be to have a good relationship with your clients especially if you sell crafts or craft materials online. Many Indians including myself are not very comfortable about buying online so simple things such as acknowledging receipt of the client’s money, mailing or texting the courier details would go a long way in assuaging anxieties and building a business relation.

Thanks Doc!! I hope everyone benefits from all your advice.. including me .

About sourcing items…I tend to buy locally 98% of the time ….after all we should support the local market!! Most of the time I just drop in to local fancy stores and pick up beads and pearls but my favorite shop for craft supplies is Itsy Bitsy Bangalore!

Wow !!! What a noble thought about promoting local suppliers. And thanks for the tips for both Bloggers and Suppliers.
And next time I am in Bangalore I will surely visit Itsy Bitsy....

Do you have some future plans for your blog or some big project lined up?

Planning to write about various crafting tools starting with a series on Paper crafting tools .

I will be looking forward to all those post regarding craft tools beside your regular crafts... All the best doc!!!!

Come back again on 15th September and check out who will be under the spotlight .

P.S. - And if you are interested to come under the Spotlight, do mail me or message me.
P.P.S. - You don't have to be a follower of my blog :)

deepthi udupa