Looking good on paper

Forget paper cut-outs. It seems Chennai’s craft-happy have taken the medium of paper crafts from commonplace to a distinctive city-nice. Innovative designs, hand-crafted and light-weight, these works of art have people often marvelling that they are created from paper at all, once the product is done. And although these trinkets are not resistant to water, multiple layering ensure durable creations that aren’t too heavy on the pocket. 3D quilling is her callingTwenty-five year old Shilpa Mitha says most people who contact her for miniature paper artifacts are guys who want to impress their girlfriends. And with realistic models that range from a box of wrapped chocolates to a dainty white poodle to even a grand piano, none of her male clients in courtship have been let down just yet. She says, “I like to call it 3D quilling because so many people mistake the chocolates that I create for real ones!”As friends poured in their requests, Shilpa decided to create a Facebook page, ‘Sueño Souvenir’ to exclusively showcase her work and take online orders. The biggest sellers, she reveals, are chocolates and musical instruments. “So far, I’ve made eight miniature pianos and these are the most difficult to create because the keys alone take five hours.” And then there is detailing like the pedals at the bottom, a tiny notebook for musical reading and even candle-sticks on request!What has been her biggest challenge so far? “I attempted miniatures of the seven wonders of the world,” Shilpa confides. “So far, I’ve made the Taj Mahal, the leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower.” Product prices: `200 - 500Shilpa conducts paper craft and clay workshops. For details, contact 9962513195Desi Crafts with 10 fingersDeepa Sekar, who is well known for her paper brand ‘Ten Fingers’, says it all started with doodles for her son’s school work in kindergarten. One thing led to another, and before she knew it, she was inviting eager tiny tots from her neighbourhood to model her colourful earring creations in order to showcase them on her Flickr album on the web. Following a number of inquisitive requests, Deepa states, “I decided to get serious and sent out a commercial portfolio of my designs to retail outlets in the city.” Honestly though, she adds, “I prefer the interaction at exhibitions because the kind of feedback I get when the products are on display, really helps me design new ones.” From snazzy loud danglers, pendants and intricate leaf patterns, Deepa reveals that her style statement is varied and largely desi. And how did she come up with the name of her brand? She responds, “Oh, actually somebody asked my four-year-old son what his mother did,” and laughs, “He said,  ‘She makes things with her 10 fingers!” Product prices: `100 to 350Deepa Sekar can reached at [email protected] jhumkas and name tagsFormer IT employee, Nazia Hafeez was getting restless in her spare time at home. She says, “I left  my job last year to be a full- time mother,” and adds “but when my 2-year-old would go to sleep, I would search for something to keep myself occupied.” And that’s when paper crafts came into the picture. Nazia recalls, “It started when I saw a quilled diya on a Diwali card.” Intrigued by the workmanship, she involuntarily started looking out for paper craft material on shopping trips. She states, “I found various kinds of quilling strips and tools that I wasn’t aware of, like a crimper, fringer, advanced quilling needles and so on.” Three months into experimenting with the craft, this engineer-turned-paper craftsman has everything from funky jewellery –  rainbow colours and jhumkas to name tags and greeting card embellishments.In fact, after viewing her products on her Facebook page Rolly Polly Creations, Nazia got an order for a traditional Maanga maalai’ all the way from Britain! Her most ambitious project yet? “I’m working on an A4 sized quilled face of Steve Jobs,” she says. “My husband is a big fan.”Product Prices: Tags (`25-50) and Earrings (`40-300)Nazia Hafeez conducts paper jewellery workshops. For details, contact 9840761282