Winnings and Gifts from the Crafty World

Thrills of Crafting!

Before I start sharing new projects in 2016, I want to express how amazing this crafty journey has been for me. I started this blog as a way to chronicle school projects I made for my daughter and to share the occasional cards I made.

         5 years down the lane..this  blog and my blogger friends have come to mean so much to me.It gives me such solace from  life's everyday stresses! Crafting has helped me to make friends outside the healthcare community and my family circle and for someone who is quite private and rather shy it sure means a lot!!

          The utter generosity of the crafting community never ceases to amaze me!And in this post I am sharing some of my winnings and gifts from the crafting community [my last post in the same theme was in November 2015]

Isha

          I won this huge haul of crafty goodies from the generous and immensely talented Isha during her blog giveaway!There are so many goodies that I have not got around to using even a fraction! I have inked up the gorgeous Joy Crafts stamp in this Floral Card!

Ike

           I won the beautiful book with CD during Ike's giveaway. She is an immensely talented crafter and draws so beautifully !! She sent me the cute card and gift all the way from Greece!

Ike

          I loved the cute cat face she drew inside the card...such talent!! And she is such a generous soul she hosts her own Challenge called Ike's world Challenge ..be sure to check it out...you too can win awesome prizes!

Ike

         The crafty world is full of generous loving souls and I won this lovely stamp set and festive washi tapes from the Indian Craft Shop Lulupu [run by the talented and generous Karuna] when I was tagged by my crafty blogger friend Jaya in facebook! I am not very active on facebook and I take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful crafters who keep tagging me to win giveaways along with them!

Lulupu

          I dont purchase  a lot of craft supplies online but I am in no way a frugal crafter...I spend like crazy in physical stores and during sales! Recently crafter and store owner Maninder had a tempting sale at her craft shop Rainbowkraftykari and look at the goodies she sent me as a gift for a small purchase I made from her! Thank you so much Maninder!

Maninder Kaur

    If you are an Indian crafter you must have come across the utterly talented Mansi Gupta. She creates the most amazing 3 D flowers and has a way with dies and stamps which can literally take your breath away!
        And here is the "droolworthy" card I got from Mansi!!

Mansi Gupta

       A couple of us crafty bloggers from my city of Bangalore try to meet up every couple of months..sometimes we have fun swaps too. I got this beautiful mini-album from Remya!

Remya

        This was the first time I had got my hands on a mini album though I have seen many online. It was fascinating to see the little book unfold as you can see in the picture below.....awesome isnt it!

Remya

             Some time back I had written a review about the amazing Artistry Inkpads ...that post was wonderfully received by the crafting community and I was so pleasantly surprised when the owner of the company Shilpa Kenia sent me more gorgeous inkpads to play with...Thank you so much Shilpa....I love your products !

Shilpa Kenia

            There are crafters for whom many of us have a deep respect for and whose creations we marvel over. Papercrafting and the love of recycling and making interactive cards  forged a mutual love between myself and the immensely talented Pooja who surprised me with this gorgeous New Year Card...Thank you so much Pooja...my kiddo was so thrilled to see her name too inside the card!!

Pooja

            Many of you may be familiar with the popular Unstampabelles Challenge hosted by the generous Susan. I love her Challenge and I was lucky enough to win this gorgeous embossing folder for participating in the Sun theme Challenge ! Susan also sent me a beautiful handmade card all the way from Australia...Thank you so much Susan...I so loved the design and the wonderful coloring on your card!I will treasure this for life!

Susan Unstampabelles

           The paper crafting community in India is very small and there are hardly a handful of stamps being manufactured in India. Most craft supplies are imported from the USA and other countries making papercrafting an expensive hobby. I like to encourage local entrepreneurs in the field in whatever small way I can ! I was lucky enough to win this beautiful stamp which is made in India under the banner Peek a boo designs and designed by Vidushi Saraf.

Vidushi Peek a boo Designs

Wish you all success Vidushi.

Sudha Kalra

        Some crafty friends go back a long way....my friend Sudha Kalra whom I have  known in blogland for close to 5 yrs sent me this cute penguin tag/ ornament and some lovely embossing tools ! I have an obsession with crafty tools and Sudha correctly guessed I would love this set which is one of the popular items in her craft shop. I will soon post a formal review of these beauties!

Winnie and Walter

           In October during the World Card Making Day week I went on a wild card making spree and was lucky enough to win a 50 dollar voucher from Winnie and Walter.I wish to Thank  my blogger buddies Hussena and Paru who helped me as otherwise I would have wasted on shipping charges without knowing Winnie and Walter generously give free international shipping on winnings! Along with the goodies I ordered I got some gorgeous sequins and this sweet handwritten note ! Dont you just love a company who takes the trouble to write a handwritten note!

Winnie and Walter

          December 2015 was particularly memorable for me as I got to meet a dear crafter friend Priya Sivaraj and spend hours chatting to her and shopping at her shop in Chennai.I was so touched by her hospitality  ...she went to all the trouble to cook a grand lunch for me and drove me around in peak traffic hours [ which is a big deal considering the kind of traffic we have in our big Indian cities!]

Priya Sivaraj

          As a parting gift Priya gifted me a big set of Akashiya Sai watercolor brush pens , gorgeous huge tubes of puffy paint [ for my daughter!] and the longest scale I have ever seen!I was speechless !

From Rajni Chawla

         On Christmas eve  I got to meet and spend hours with one of the most talented and popular crafters in India.....literally a Crafty Goddess if I may say so !Rajni Chawla is so hugely popular and in demand in the  crafting circuit that she travels several times a year to different cities in India to conduct workshops in a wide variety of papercrafting techniques!

        I think whatever adjective I use to describe Rajni Chawla's work will fall short as her work is breathtakingly beautiful  and mesmerising!My photograph of the wonderful works of art she gifted me and my daughter doesnt capture a fraction of their true beauty.

With Rajni Chawla

       Thank you so much Rajni ji for accepting my invitation to come home for dinner!!It was amazing meeting you in person and talking to you!

         The seasoned crafter will agree that our crafting community abounds in similar stories  about the  crafting world...the thrill of winning a challenge or giveaway, receiving a RAK, meeting a crafty friend or craft celebrity!
        And if you are a newbie crafter, I hope my post gladdens your heart to know you have entered the beautiful world of crafting where friendships are formed across the oceans and where a little wisp of paper or a tiny golden sequin can bring a smile to a weary heart!