MamtaCrafts

My Resolutions 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:51:00 +0000

I believe that all goals are important, big, small or very small. We just need to write it down which makes things much easier & then carry it out. When we have it in writing, it clears our mind and we know how much time we should really put into it. Thus saving us time, energy, etc because time saved is time earned & then we can do whatever we want with that extra time.

One of my resolution is to make a daily plan & try to stick to it as much as possible. I know that it may not be possible everyday. When I write down what I want to do, the picture becomes much clearer than if I leave my life to the fates of time. So resolution 2012 is taking the horns of life in my hands & running my life, each day at a time of my 24 precious hours per day the way I want to mould it. I want to be able to carve my destiny rather than being a slave to an unplanned life. So I plan to live in NOW starting NOW.

Second, I'm going to give quality time to myself, my hubby & our baby. I think, the best way would be to celebrate each day with them, like one of my sweet friend Marianne says, "It's mandatory" :). When I say celebrate, I literally mean it because time spent loving is time worth spent indeed. I'm going to make a lot of cute crocheted stuff for my young one, read and educate myself more on pregnancy, read a lot of positive books.

Another important thing that I would like to achieve this year would be the completion & publication of my crochet book that I've been planning since the last 2 years. I already have a few physical designs made but nothing done beyond that. So, this year, I'm going to work full force into completing it & getting it published. Ask me the topic? It's a secret... you'll know it when the book is out.

Another related thing, I want to self publish atleast a 100 patterns this year. I have so many incomplete patterns that I've lost count & I seriously need to get my butt moving in doing this. Oh! & ofcourse, get copyrights on these patterns before I self-publish them instead of the other way around like I did for my other patterns. I wouldn't be a fool again to self-publish it & face copycats enjoying my hard work's worth claiming it as their own design. You can say, I'm pissed off, right? Well, yes I'm. But, I also say, what goes around comes around....

I intend to get rid of my unnecessary old things, try not to buy new things(unless necessary) & create a lot of free space. Last, but not the least, learn new arts & crafts in the time that I've saved after doing all the above mentioned activities.

So here's my resolutions for 2012, what are yours?

Bloodsport Paper Beads

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:46:00 +0000

Last night, my crazy, creative, childish mind and hands started playing havoc with colors. There were sketch pens, glitter glues in various hues, poster colors, acrylic colors, brushes , et al flying around in every imaginable corner of my home. Guess, what I was doing with them?

You think these beads are ART? Mwahahahaa. I was trying to destroy the colors at hand in the best possible way, my hands were all glued with glitter, so was my college style bag where a long spray of blue paint just splashed accidentally and on the dress which I had worn, a large copper glitter glue dot showed when I finished painting, out of nowhere. It was fun, I tell you & no, I was not trying to create art. Believe it or not, I painted and then smeared it all away, destroying my paintings on the beads to nothing but blobs of paints and I enjoyed it thoroughly, spreading different glues, paints, & all that I have in surplus stock.

All these beads were made while watching Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Bloodsport". I kinda think, that the fighting spirit must have got to me and whenever a neck, leg or hand was broken in the kumite, my hands must have felt like killing the bead and washing it in different colored blood (paint). The destroying spirit can be cool sometimes, expecially when the result is so fab and harmless, don't you think? ;)

From Creative Imagination To Tangible Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:26:00 +0000

We woman have an inquisitive, almost childlike curious mind. Why do I say this? Well, I don't know about you, but when I sell any of my fabrics and other supplies in my supplies shop, I always wonder what that particular thing would be used for? What idea struck someone to buy it? What that person around the globe must be thinking reading my sometimes imaginary stories and sometimes facts? How long this thing will travel just to be what it wants to become finally? Who will use the final product? Till how long will it live, maybe passing on as a hierloom for generations?

Take for example a fabric. Some may convert it into a dress, some may weave fantasies with it, almost telling a story by using a piece of this and a bit of that, a little of this and that and maybe a tad bit of mystery, magick. Wow! how fabulous the human mind, hands and existence is that it can create so much just out of a single piece of something and transform it into a butterfly of mysteries.

So to quench this ever present curiosity thirst in me, lol, I decided to contact my buyers and ask them what it will be used for. A lot of them have replied to me saying they're going to make this or that. Some have even gone way beyond and shown me pictures of their baby creations. And everytime I receive their message, I'm awed and speechless by the beauty of their minds, hands and feel a kindred spirit saying these are the people who have been given one of the most precious gift, "the Gift of Creation". I call them The Alchemist, the people with the ability to make gold out of something or in some cases, out of nothing.

Here is an example of true art, a primitive doll named Ophelia made with cotton khadi fabric that my friend Kelly bought from me.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83194376/ophelia-is-a-ooak-handmade-primitive

The body of Ophelia has been primmed with coffee and is made with khadi cotton fabric, the dress and sunflower are made with khadi cotton too.

Kelly creates lovely rustic Primitive dolls and one of a kind (OOAK) dolls for loved ones of those who have passed. If you would like to see more of her lovely work, please do stop by at her shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kswatson63

Thank you Kelly for sharing your sweet Ophelia with me and now with the world. xoxoxo Mamta

PDF Pattern Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:33:00 +0000

I wonder what you all etsy pattern sellers do if the buyer of your pattern does not receive it in their email even after you've tried sending it multiple times. I discovered this way a few months ago. I don't know how I forgot to share it last time, but here's what I do.

1) As soon as a pattern is sold, I send the PDF pattern via email to their email address.

2) I add a note in the transaction informing the buyer that I've sent their pattern to their email address, eg : ******@gmail.com

3) Usually the buyer convos back if they haven't received their pattern.

Note: Sometimes emails goes in junk, spam or bulk folders, but not always. Sometimes, it's blocked by a firewall on the buyer's work computer. But again, it may be an entirely different issue. We're pattern designers and we may or may not know the brains of a computer. So here's back to what I do.

4) I copy and paste the "Text" portion of the pattern to an "Etsy Convo" and attach pictures that I've used in the pattern in this convo.

My main goal is to send the pattern to the buyer in some way. It doesn't matter if all the pretty and fancy format is lost in the convo. Finally, what matters is the buyer is able to get the pattern and work with it. I hope this helps some of you Pattern Designer's who are faced with this dilemma often.

Silver The Carrot Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:51:00 +0000

Silver The Carrot Bunny a photo by Mamta Motiyani on Flickr.

In 2004, We got Manchala, our first pet rabbit. She was just a month old then. In 2006, we got her mate, Manchali and so began their journey in creating a circus of rabbits. Every 2 months, we were blessed with an addition of 2 or more baby bunnies. At one point of time, we had 14 bunnies in total in our small house. We thought, that the room was not enough for them. So we gave them all up to a family who has a large farm house.

Manchala was the queen of our home. I've a picture of her, but none of Silver. Here it is:

Manchali was the most possessive and doting male partner any rabbit could have. Some of their offsprings were black, white and a mix of both.

Silver, as the name suggests, was all white male baby bunny born out of love of Manchala and Manchali. He was shy, the quietest and softest of all bunnies. Worst of all, Manchali used to fight with him due to his possessiveness over Manchala. Most of the times, Silver used to lose and he ended up with a lot of pulled out fur.

Once, he was so afraid of Manchali, that he hid in the tiny space behind our sofa. We frantically searched for him and found him only after a few hours.

Once, Raaj accidentally put a pillow on him. That was the only time, we heard his voice in a shrill shriek.

When we gave up all our bunnies for adoption, Silver was still just 2 months old. So, in my eyes, he will always be a baby Silver.

The amigurumi I made is inspired by Silver. I've not added a mouth to him as he was always so quiet, he might as well never had a mouth. I added cute soft pompom tail to him as he was very soft (his tail was softest of softest). The way he stands, makes me think, he's going to take flight anytime now just to get away from Manchali. ;)

I made Silver for CreateCrochet Team Challenge "Spring 2011 Challenge" in "Easter" category. Just in time, Lol.

Swan Lake Ballet Interpretation Amigurumi

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:59:00 +0000

Two Of A Kind

Swan Lake Ballet Interpretation Amigurumi a photo by Mamta Motiyani on Flickr.

"Swan Lake Ballet" from the movie "Black Swan"

I saw this movie the other day and it got my mind completely expoded with ideas. We, at CreateCrochet Team have a challenge every month. This month, one of the sub- challenge for Spring Challenge 2011 was to interprete an art/ artist's painting/ work and create something unusual.

The moment, I saw this movie, I knew I had to interprete the ballet "Swan Lake" in the movie "Black Swan". Ofcourse, I didn't know how to interprete it in it's best light, then. But my hubby helped and I came up with 2 swans joined together as one.

The movie revolves around "Nina", a ballerina, who is chosen as the lead dancer in the role of the white swan as well as the black swan in the ballet. She is portrayed the shy, delicate kind of a person. On the other hand, she is being haunted by her own twin dark side. She experiences fear, sees black feathers coming out of her back, develops scratching marks on her body like birds scratch themselves. She is so immersed in the roles of swans that she becomes both the black and white swans in her mind. She doesn't realize that she is competing against herself and stabs herself thinking that it's her friend Lily. Once she plays the entire role, she feels perfect and complete.

It got me thinking that this is how an art(work) should be to an artist. The art and the artist become one and there is no way that anyone can tell the difference apart. Only then is it true art.

I made 2 swans, one a white and another black. But they were not complete in my eyes unless they were joined. In the movie, both were joined with blood(in my imagination). So I joined the swans with red yarn. Even though, they both are different swans, I visualize them as originating from a single source. Both may try to rear their heads from time to time showing that they won. This doesn't mean that the black or white is stronger than the other. But they won't be complete without the other. I just want ot portray that no matter how much a person says, he/she is pious/ white, there is always a dark side to that person and vice-versa. Only then a person become complete, perfect and One.

Crochet Dust Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:04:00 +0000

Crochet Dust Bunny a photo by Mamta Motiyani on Flickr.

I found this lovely pattern to make this bunny. But it was knitted. So I converted it to crochet.
www.ravelry.com/projects/Mamta/dust-bunnies

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dust-bunnies

Most of the items that I crochet is for selling. This is the 1st item after so many years that I made for myself. Feels gr8.

It turned out so cool and that too within an hour and actually won the Me challenge for CreateCrochet Team in Home Decor category. Yay!

Cotton Yarn Dyeing For Sara

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:13:00 +0000

Gosh! it feels like ages that I've done yarn dyeing. The last time was in 2004, it's 7 years back. Thanks to Sara, my new friend. She needed a beanie with the colors of a forest at sunset. I searched all my LYS but couldn't get the right shades. I had dyes for cotton at my place which have been with me for over 10 years now. See I told you, I'm a hoarder. ;)

So I just bought some white yarn and used up the white cotton yarn I won in a challenge. When I started dyeing I couldn't stop at just 3 colors, I dyed 2 different types of yarns: The cotton softer ones and the cotton cord ones.

I had bought some unloved cotton cord yarn in various faded shades. The road vendor from whom I had bought it had used these as a display in front of his shop. It was huge bunch of different colored yarn, but all faded in different places. I bargained and got these at a very cool rate. I knew, I could always dye it someday. And now, I'm going to make myself a rainbow bag with it.

I made both these yarns in hanks, but forgot how to dye cotton.:P I went to various sites in search of the right method. It was so confusing as they had used the chemical composition and what not. I just remembered that the dyes needed salt and water. But really, after so many years who wouldn't forget. Last, I came on this site where it says to use vinegar and salt.

Finally, I went into my kitchen and wore my scientist apron, Lol. I don't know how I did it in the end, If you ask me what combination I used, I would be a question mark. But the yarns came out cool(that's the magic of Mamta). I even checked them for color stability and they were good.

Here's my much talked about yarn experiment:

Soft Cotton

Stiff Cotton Cords

It's a total of 12 different colors. The cotton cords were in the colors pistachio, light blue, pink, lemon yellow, orange, red and lilac before dyeing. After dyeing, they turned to these different colors even though I dyed the cord and sofft cotton together for some of them. It's because dye looks slightly different on a previously dyed yarn.

& I used the last 3 colors of the soft cotton yarns to make Sara's beanie and is named "Forest At Sunset". :

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64612265/reserved-for-sara-forest-at-sunset-ooak

Thank you Sara for the yarn dyeing experience. Love you.

Mystery Shopping Ninja Paper Mache Pendant Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:05:00 +0000

Mystery Shopping Ninja

You might think what the heck I was thinking when I named this fellow here, "Mystery Shopping Ninja"? You see, when I stated creating this piece out of paper clay, I had no idea what it was going to be.no inspiration at all. My hands moved over the clay and a shape was born. It's when I started painting him, that it chose a face, again on it's own. I liked the name "Ninja" cause he looked like one to me. One of my friends who's a mystery shopper instantly said "Mystery Shopper". He thinks, breathes, lives and dreams mystery shopping. What else could I expect, Lol? so I named this baby, "Mystery Shopping Ninja".

When I was working in a call centre, I used to find it funny how some people used to wear their Id's in trains, buses etcetra to show off that they worked for "big shot Z biz " to the normal public. In most of the cases, these normal public are not even aware of such a company's existence or care a hoot. The irony is: These same "show offers"(new word) often chose to keep their id's hidden where it was mandatory at their work and show it off where it's completely useless.

My point is: If you're a Mystery shopper or a Ninja, this pendent can serve as such id. Ofcourse, please don't wear it at the place of audit or where you don't want to be discovered. Ha Ha Ha, I said it. There. You get my point. Think it, believe it, show it with pride!

Paper Mache Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:33:00 +0000

Last week, I had paper clay in my hands and came up with an idea to make jewelry out of it. It took me hours to make the series of jewelry that I came up without the use of any moulds. This is my 1st of the many designs I created ith paper mache:

Crossroads

Crossroads

Crossroads is inspired by the road signs called "Zebra crossing". It doesn't look exactly like the zebra crossing. This is the artist's impression of a crossroad with greenery in between for some breathing space which is lacking these days.

It is a pendant necklace made of paper mache. I recycled old newspapers to make my own paper mache recipe. The entire process from start to finish took days between making the shape, drying process, base coats and final acrylic color coats in various shades of green, black and white. I then attached a hand waxed mint green cotton cord to it. The cord closed with a knot which can be opened and closed to fit your neck size. The back of the pendant is painted white.
It has a lot of texture to it because no molds were used. I used my own 2 hands to give it's unique shape. Even though it has texture, I've made sure the the part that touched the skin is not rough.

Heart Gift Pouch

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:38:00 +0000

I'm proud to announce that I listed my first sewing pattern in Mamta. I have crochet patterns, know sewing , so thought, why not to list my sewing patterns too.

I made this pouch just recently all with hand. I didn't use a sewing machine to make it. But the pattern includes both machine or hand stitches pouch pattern/ tutorial. It comes completely with step-to-step pictures. I used simple materials such as a tissue fabric, tissue lace, a sewing needle and gold metallic thread to make it. But any material can be used. It will look fabulous in silk too.

In case, you're wondering where to buy it, please go under my Tutorials section. Stay tuned for more tutorials coming up. And yes, if you've something specific in mind, please feel free ot contact me.

Bambi Paper Quilled Pendant

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:21:00 +0000

I always love to gift people and try to find ways to do just that. When I got my 1st sale in my new shop MamtArts, I was thrilled. I wanted to gift something to my 1st buyer as a token of appreciation. But I didn't want to give her just about anything. I wanted to make a personalized gift for her. Her name is Bambi and I instantly knew what I wanted to gift to her. She inspired me to make this pendant.

Bambi

Being a fan of animation movies, especially ones made for kids, Bambi is one of my most favourite characters. So this pendant has double inspiration. This is a dedication to the movie "Bambi" too.

Bambi is 2 dimentional large paper quilled pendant made with strips of quilling paper in shades of a real deer/ fawn. The necklace is a string made of paper raffia secured in the end with a knot.

There are so many wonderful ways to get inspired and I thank Bambi for giving me Bambi. :)

Recycled Bandwagon

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:36:00 +0000

They say, "Old is gold". I say why not. Ofcourse, if you can turn the old things into beautiful gold(crafts), you're being an Alchemist.

If anyone would have asked me to use someone else's jewelry, clothes, used things, I would have made a face and said "No way, am I going to wear this." Well, this has changed. You can say that my perception has changed about the way I think about old items(but still not old wearables).

Thanks to the recycled, reclaimed, save the earth bandwagon, anything and everything reused is Hot, Hot, Hot. And, I think, it's actually cool since the same and same thing can be altered, revamped, changed and made into something made worth using. It can be used over and over again. This is leading to less productivity of that thing and more usage of what we previously thought of as junk

As a student, I used to give away my old books to the old newspaper vendors and never ever felt an ounce of guilt that I was not making an effort to save the earth. But now I do. Maybe, that's why, I'm in the process of using up all my old newspaper cuttings for my paper mache. Yes, and I just recently made this paper box out of a corrugated sheet I got when I purchased a new mouse for my PC + some cardboard tubes which were used as some of my yarn bases.

It's tough to part with something that you collected for over 15 years ago. But, for me, as soon as I make something out of it, that umbical cord is broken and I feel free. I don't want to own it anymore. I let it go without holding even a memory of it back.

Well, old items may have it's beauty. But some dangers too, as we don't know where the supplies for that particular item has originated from. If I would buy a recycled item (especially wearables), I would make sure to ask the seller about the supplies origin and whether it is used on a person.

What do you do when you've a pattern that stumps you?

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:00:00 +0000

This was a question that one of the team members from CreateCrochet Team asked. Here's my reply:

When a pattern is written, the creator uses his/ her imagination and words/ phrases and style, etc. There is a strong possibility that the decoder of the code(the buyer) might not understand it. I think, the best way is "Communication" between these 2 people. But, if not possible, there are always friends, family and even strangers who crochet who can help understand it.

If and when I have a trouble with a pattern, I experiment. I then go about doing what I want to do with it and play. It not only helps me not to be frustrated, but infact helps me relax and enjoy what I'm doing. It also helps me finish what I started as an adventure and end as an accomplishment.

I guess, we all are humans and we make mistakes. I create patterns. Even though I check it so many times to see if everything is correct, there still might be some error.

As a buyer: I would contact the seller and ask for his/her explanation. If necessary, I will provide feedback in any changes that needs to be done.

As a seller: I ask /invite my buyers to provide me a feedback about my pattern.

Paper or Plastic Raffia Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:21:00 +0000

If you've ever thought of working with raffia, you would know what I'm talking about. I've a colorful stash of both, Paper raffia and Plastic raffia. I always face this dilemma when I'm working on a new crochet project and don't know what yarn to use to make it if I'm given 2 choices.

I'm thinking of making a crocheted bag out of this stash. Here's my options to consider:

While plastic raffia colors looks bright, perky and sunny, paper raffia colors looks a bit dull even if I'm using a bright color like take for eg: red.

Plastic raffia shines, but paper raffia doesn't.

Plastic raffia is washable, paper raffia is not.

Plastic raffia tends to break faster, paper raffia is stronger in comparison.

Plastic raffia is a bit rough. Paper raffia is crunchy and not so rough.

Let me think about what to use for my project FIRST. I'm going ot use them both anyways ;)

How to create a Treasury on Etsy Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:38:00 +0000

Creating treasury is easy but is often misunderstood as the most difficult task by a few of us. Believe me, once you start creating them you can never get enough of them. Here's an easy tutorial on how to create one:

Go to:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/

Scroll to the extreme right on this page - Click on the link - "Create a list" as shown with an arrow in the above picture.

A new page will open up with empty slots for creating your own treasury.

Select a cool name for your treasury in the field named - "Title"

Describe your treasury if you want in the field named - "Description"

Write a tag in the space provided and click on "Add" each time you add a new tag. You can add upto 18 tags for your treasury.

The radio button for Privacy should be slected as "Everyone". If you select "Only You", that treasury will not be seen by anyone else other than you. You may select this option while you're updatting or editting your treasury.

Go to the bottom right of the page to select the Listing URL which will be the number just after
Listing # above the "Add to Cart" link

Fill in all the 16 boxes with different listing URLs and click on "ok" each time you enter a listing id inside the box

Click on "Save" after selecting 16 items for your treasury.

Voila! I hope this tutorial was easy enough for you to understand. Thanks!!!

Share the link of your treasury with you friends on Facebook, Twitter, Kaboodle, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, etc.

Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Week 3 Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:44:00 +0000

Read this week's Boot Camp article: http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=preview_message&fn=Link&t=1&ssid=12675&id=ai2ak9kqhbe4t2qtw9b6slanpo9kq&id2=2zj5aos5p6y1tkboah9qkmm720v1w&subscriber_id=bakziqnevlusxxdgpyhasklgisbkbop&messageversion_id=anmhdxtworlpldvrblihxsdbbwvtbin&delivery_id=ajijryohieyptmqqdgwzqszkfbqpbip&tid=3.MYM.ApL2.E5o.QXE..cn8.b..l.Bg.a.TK5tEA.TK5zRg.wIum6A
Hyperlinks partially read.

Fill in the Blank Exercise
Filled in the blank http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6648103&page=68

Six Success Secrets Exercise
Pending

Check in with your Boot Camp Buddy
Pending

Get a Head Start on Your Holiday Stock
Pending

Post in the Boot Camp forum thread:
posted here: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6648103&page=68

Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Week 2 Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:38:00 +0000

Read this week's Boot Camp article:
Done reading

Make a list of your most popular items:
As per Craftcult most hearts are:
rainbow hippie chick scarf pattern
macrame nklc
jazz pin pattern
red cherries pattern
zingy furry
turquoise delight blouse
scalloped bangle pattern
monster hat
tyre banlge pattern
witch pattern
mohair top
million lotuses pattern
4 petalled flower pattern
birdie pattern
poncho
8 petalled pattern
large rose pattern
shakira pattern

Brainstorm new work you'll offer this season:
Chunky winter wear: Have made some
holiday items: Halloween, christmas: To make some
Patterns for everything and everyone: Will finish 50 by the end of this week
Different and unusual Amigurami: Complete 3 by tommorrow
Breast Cancer awareness items: In progress
As per trends: Have made some : http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/etsy-success-merchandising-for-the-holidays-10652/?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Etsy+blog+post&utm_content=etsy_success_093010&utm_campaign=etsy_success_093010
Clothing For Men, Women, Children: Have made some

As per my experience/sales/local sales:
crochet tyre pattern
cherry blossoms
pifs - flowers
pattern million lotuses
lotuses
hearts
rainbow flowers
8 petalled flowers
bone beads
tinkerbell
4 petalled flower
Jewelry that I sold to Amola
Bikinis - red, net, pink, orange I sold to Amola, Adrian's bk
Bags- ht bag, my triangle bag, jhola bag, small pouch
Shiamak top

Find your Boot Camp buddy:
Done
Tara Smolinski of http://www.etsy.com/shop/spac

Post in the Boot Camp forum thread:
Check here: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6640708&page=62

Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Week 1 Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:26:00 +0000

1) Take the Holiday Boot Camp Pledge:
Done on thread and Facebook:
I, Mamta Motiyani, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

2) Vote for the Boot Camp Mascot:
Did it on the treasury: voted for "Lou"

3) Install Web Analytics:
Done previously

4) Write Your Holiday Mission Statement:
Check here: http://mamtamotiyani.blogspot.com/2010/10/mission-statement-for-etsyholiday-boot.html

Over & Out with Week 1. Now off to week 2 in week 3 actually, Lol!

Mission Statement for EtsyHoliday Boot Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:57:00 +0000

First of all, Thanks Danielle for such a wonderful idea. I'm inspired as much as you are with Seth Godin's ideas about the hierarchy of success. He says:
"As far as I'm concerned, the most important of all, the top of the hierarchy is ATTITUDE. Why are you doing this at all?"

I've had the honour of meeting great professors at school/college. One of them is Joshi Sir who always said "Even the word Impossible says I M POSSIBLE" and he made sure it got through in our thick skulls. Another great professor "Ms. Nalini Shah" said that if you strive for 70%, the possibility is you'll get 60%, but if you strive for 100%, there is always a strong possibility that you will end up with 99.99% . It's all in the ATTITUDE. If you THINK you can achieve less, there is always a strong possibility that you'll achieve NOTHING.

So, my mission goal is obvious: I will to achieve the most impossible thing that any seller aspires to do. I will have a complete sellout in my shop as on December 31st, 2010. I plan on selling atleast 1000 items in my shop by December end. That's my personal goal.

Ask me why I want to do it?
To show myself that I can do it, because I believe I can.

Now my mission statement:
"To make creations which will "Wow" the minds of anyone who sees it, to list the required number of items to complete my goal, to spread the love of handmade message with my creations, sharing them with the world and letting the Love grow from within me and around"

Now, my mission goal for my fellow etsians and team mates:
I'll share all the necessary steps I took for my shop and provide them with guidance if they need my help at anytime.

Want to know what a boot camp is? Check this out:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6648103

Name Defines Personality

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:45:00 +0000

I've written a few patterns before, which I forgot to add here. I won't add all those links. But, thought, I'd like to share my new one. I had a fun time naming her. It can be so fun to name the amigurami. What you see is finally an entire personality emerge out of a simple ball of yarn, a pair of cute toy eyes, a pattern and lastly by naming her. I had the name Eli, the elephant chosen for her before. But when I googled, I found there were so many babies crawling over the net, that I had to have her name changed to Echo. With it's small trunk, I definitely think, she can produce a small echo. What do you say?

Echo is a baby elephant who's looking for a friend. Don't ever be mislead by her enormous, innocent eyes. She's cute, tiny but full of mischief. She likes to play all the time. She has large ears, tiny trunk, wiggly tail and 2 cute pair of pink shoes. Wanna make her to play?

The Song Hero by Mariah Carey

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:07:00 +0000

The blog question this week is inspired by the Music Interpretation challenge for CreateCrochet Etsy Team

Which song most resembles you or your life? Why and how?

There are many songs that resembles me and my life. But the one song that touches my heart, soul and being is "Hero" by Mariah Carey. If you know the lyrics of this song, you'll know why. Let me put it down for you to read:

There's a hero

If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

(And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you ) *

It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

repeat ( )*

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time
You'll find the way

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

There was a time when I hated myself. At that time, a voice within me spoke to me and said that he loves me no matter if someone else loves me or not. Yes, it was a "He" and I don't know why. I've named this person my "Hero".

Whenever I'm afraid, whenever I'm sad, hopeless, all I have to do is look into my soul and talk to my hero. He gives me strength, he gives me the power to survive and strength to have the guts to face the world alone, no matter how tough it is. He is my best friend and so I never have to look for any other person as a friend, a guide. He speaks to me without speaking, in my mind, my intuition and he is always right.

I always visualize him as a man in a shining armour like a warrior or a king or a hero. Although, the amigurami hero that I created does not have a unicorn, I visualize him charging on a unicorn. He has the strength to carry me and so I cast all my fears and surrender to him, the hero that is "Me". There was an emptiness once when I didn't see him. But I never feel this emptiness anymore as I have a Hero in real life in the form of my hubby "Raaj".

If you noticed, I'm not selling this amigurami, just it's pattern. Why? Both me and my hubby love this song. I once sang this song to him as his birthday gift. and this amigurami is just another gift to him to show him that he is my "Hero".

Here's the youtube video:
Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vByOKe0Uk2w
Thanks Mariah Carey for singing such a beautiful song and giving me the inspiration for this challenge.

Past Memories Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:46:00 +0000

Blog Question for the last week from my CreateCrochet Team was:
Tell us a favorite story from your childhood?
There's a lot of stories that I would like to write about my childhood:
There are some things that I don't remember. But my parents and people from my neighbourhood used to tell me and tease me with it. My elder sister Alpa says that dad made Sira(a sweet dish) when I was born. An elderly aunty( In India, everyone who is more than 20 and married, is an aunty if elder to you) once told me that whenever I used to see her as a baby, I used to bawl like crazy, but once she removed her specs, I became quite. She also told me that I used to have funny names for things. For eg: Rice bread in India is called "Rotla". I used to call it "Dokla". My dad used to say that sometimes my hands used to freeze and I couldn't open my fists. So he placed ice cream cones in both my hands and I used to start eating it as if nothing happened. Then my neighbourhood didi(Elder but not married is a didi which means elder sister) always teased me. She used to say that my elder sister Purnima used to take an empty tin box, took 2 sticks and made a drum like sound. I used to dance saying, "Bhalu nache re" "Bhaalu naache re" which means "The bear dances". I was a funny little child.

I remember learning gardening. I loved growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and weeds too. Once I grew 2 peanuts and got almost 20 out of them. But a few were empty. I couldn't understand why. So I kept a watch and saw that there were 2 chipmunks who used to eat them up. Aa ha and here I thought why there were empty peanuts. I remember drawing my 1st Rangoli( a painting done with colors and food grains on the ground during one of India's holiday, "Diwali". My parent's home is near to my school and we have a big playground. During the summer, they put the story books on a huge sheet in sunlight so they stay crisp all year around. When I was 8, I used to ask them to read some. That's where I got the habit of reading. Then, when I was 12, I read my 1st romance novel(Mills and Boons) and I've been hooked ot it ever since. I can read almost 3-4 books a day if I'm not doing anything.

All of us(siblings) spent most of our childhood near my grand parent's(not our real, The grandma was Dad's aunt from mother's side). But we remember them more as our grand parents than our real ones. There were a lot of kids in my grand parent's neighbourhood. So many, that when we played together, there were atleast 30-35 kids to play together. I remember how we used to gather around in the evening during winter, have a bonfire in the center and played "Chinese whisper". it was so funny. The real whisper turned into almost a different whisper by the time it was blurted out to the entire group and we laughed till our tummy's ached.

During monsoon, all the guys and gals came together and played football in the mud. We all looked a muddy sight by the time we finished the game. I also remember, when once a year, all the elderly aunties played a
game of human chains(again in rain) with us. Just think, an entire group of 30-50 people forming a human
chain. Whew, I love it and miss it sooooo much.

I had a small boy toy with a suit when I was a toddler. I had named him "Mr. Halls. I really don't remember why. But I'm sure, there's a funny story behind it. I have no idea where he went. Then, when I turned 8, my dad gifted me a doll on my B'day. There was "Dolly" written on the face of the package. So I named her "Dolly". She's still with me. That's the same time when I started performing great in school and I got a small Buddha fable stories book in my tution classes as a prize. I still have that too. I never understood till recently why Buddha left his family to attain Nirvana. But I now know the answer. An uncle who stays in US named Kirit Uncle brought a huge brown teddy bear for me. Again, I named him "Teddy Bear".

My dad went to Kashmir for a holiday and brought a thick woollen jacket with fur on it for himself. I never let him wear it and it became mine from the time I wore it for the 1st time. It was so big, it touched my ankles. But I didn't give it up till I was big enough that it reached my waist. Every summer, once a year, my dad made mango fruit salad. Hmmm, it was sooo delicious. I miss the time when our entire family of six people had food together. Pappa used to tell me and Purnima that there's a rat on top of the ceiling. When we saw there, he used to fund our prawns(I was a non-vegetarian back then). We, sisters used to fight like cats and dogs for a single place to sit and watch TV, Purnima used to peel each grape, fruit or whatever before eating it as if she had all the time in the world. Phew! she had great patience to do that. Milan(My eldest bro) had difficulty sleeping. I used to do head massage for him and he slept instantly like a baby. Both of them, Milan and Purnima are cat eyed and fair. I used to feel so proud when I walked with my sister Purnima. It was like walking with a princess. Why? Everyone had their eyes on her from wherever she passed and I just loved it. Alpa and me, we both are dark beauties and more on the nerdy side. Alpa is so talented. She learns everything in a jiffy, does awesome crochet, pottery, knitting, is an excellent cook. Ask me, what she is not? And she is fast. I've learned a lot from her and thanks to her because she was the one who introduced me to earning with my crochet skills.

I learned late to make Roti(Indian bread) and I think, atleast 20-25 people taught me how to make it. It was funny since I always was great at making shapes with mud, I remember imitating how my Ba spoke and how dad used to act when he was angry. My mom says I was the quickest to speak and walk. Hmm, so eager to be a big girl and go walk out of that door to learn. She had to literally tie my leg. My teacher in school looked dangerous to me. So when my pencil fell down on the ground in school, I didn't pick it up fearing she would shout at me. That happened everyday. My mom got so tired of bringing new pencils everyday that she started tying it to a rope to my school uniform skirt belt. Lol!

I had a habit of talking to myself loudly. I don't even remember since when I had been doing this. But I loved it anyway and don't question it. When I was 14, I wrote my 1st poem about me being a butterfly. I just remembered that I took a glass jar once, poked holes in the lid and breeded caterpillars. One day, they all turned into beautiful butterflies. I watched the entire process of caterpillars, cocoons to butterflies in awe. I was more of a boyish type of girl and so loved catching tadpoles in marshy water with other boys. Yuck! They're slimy. We had a long municipal gutter near my grand parent's home. We used to make small paper boats, take an umbrella and a stick and had a paper boat race. The one whoss boat reached till the end of the gutter, won.

Once, a girl in my school was acting mean with me and started fighting with me. So I bit her hard and excaped homewards. Her mom fought with my mom and said that my mom was a Careless Mummy. Ofcourse, my mom beat me. Since that day, whenever we speak of that girl's mom, we refer her as Careless Mummy.

I remember my Dada(My grandpa) bringing toys and potato fries after work and we running behind him like small puppies, not for food, but for his love. All kids loved him. Infact, everyone loved him. I was a cry baby. Once, I was crying the entire day. My dada saw it and gave me 2 Rs bill to bring "Pepsi". No, it's not the pepsi that you think. Pepsi is made of ice and juice. It's kind of an icecream but not an ice cream actually. Kids love it. I loved it too. My crying stopped immediately. I went and brought 8 pepsis and had them all. When I returned to him, he asked me where the pepsis were. I said that I had it all and he started laughing so hard and I couldn't understand why. When he said that he had asked to bring it for everyone, I started crying again. He had to make me believe that he was making fun and it was actually all for me to make me stop crying.

He named us all, grandma, his son and daughter, me and my sibling, my parents, everyone. He gave us all a different names and spoke with us all in Hindi. Even now, we siblings speak in Hindi and not Gujarati that is our native language. I sometimes don't believe that this past existed. But the memories makes me realize they are and love and miss it both.

Sorry to whoever is bored with my story. But, I loved every bit of writing it and thanks to Loosethreads2 for this question for letting us refresh some of our almost forgotten great memories.

Inspiration and Muse

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:01:00 +0000

The CreateCrochet Team on Etsy has a weekly question and we answer it on our blogs to know more about each other. This week's question is:

What inspires you? What is your muse?

I'm a self learner. Most of the times, I pick up a book from a crafts shop and start making the crafts. A kind of person who even learns by looking at a craft and pick up the idea just by her intuition. Sometimes, I get inspired by dreams, things, internet, an idea or just anything. I may even get inspired by you. My muse is my Soul. I let it run free and it does the work of designing for me.

I'm never ever short of ideas or inspirations. Some people face times when they can't seem to get any ideas, inspiration or motivation to make something. For me, I just have to pick a yarn or any supplies and my hands seem to know what to make. I let it run wild like an animal who is actually wild but is domesticated for a long time. I let the ideas flow, make something, open it if I don't like it. I'm not afraid to make mistakes and so am always inspired or moved by an inner force to keep moving no matter what happens, good, bad or worse. I believe that if I'm not satisfied with something I've made, I can always make something that I like.

Sometimes, I do an exercise of the mind called "brain storming" which I learned in a leadership training programme. It's an awesome exercise where you give your mind a question, let it loose and let all the inspiration flow as it wants to, no judging,no stopping. It's like the waters in the Niagra Fall. You need to make sure you pen down all the ideas in a diary or someplace where you'll remember. No time to get overwhelmed. Once that is done, cool down and start working on those ideas. Of course, not all ideas will take form or turn into fabulous work of art. But, you've got all that you need in your mind and in your soul.

It's like the movie, "Matrix" where Neo has just to visualize something and it's in front of him. If you've read the book, "The Secret", the entire books means to tell the same thing. All your dreams, visualizations, aspirations can become a reality, if only you look deep enough and act on it.

Seasons Hmmm, Which one do I like?

noreply@blogger.com (Mamta) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:28:00 +0000

This week's question from the Createcrochet Team
: Which is your favorite season and why?
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

When it's summer, I want rain, when it rains, I want winter and when it's winter, I want spring. So my favourite season or I'd rather say seasons would the start of every season and the end of every season.

Why rain when summer:
Summers in Mumbai are hot, really hot, so I guess a good ol downpour would cool it off and make the earth smell like dark chocolate.

Why winter when it rains:
Who likes wet clothes with mud all over it and get your best clothes all soaked up? Winter is sooo cozy

Why spring when it's winter:
Who likes all the bald trees. Well, not all. But it's so lifeless. Flowers and bloom makes me want to fly on each one and drink it's nectar like butterflies do. I slike spring, but I want variety. So I won't say it's just spring that I like best.

I don't like more of it and I don't want too less of it. Wouldn't it be cool if the season changed as per my fancy? But here I'm stuck in the fancy of mother nature. so I'll settle for my choices and wish that someday it changes as per my wish.