Do you often like to merge fashion with traditional art? Do you wish to stand out from the crowd? Well, you have an online treasure trove that offers you a lot of unique items.
Welcome to ItsHandmade. in, a webspace that sells exclusively handmade products. The website is woven out of the dreams of a 23-yearold CA student Shreya Bajaj, a big fan of flea markets like Kitsch Mandi and Sunday Soul Santhe, who also aspired to do something on her own.
Her love for art and craft showed her a path that eventually helped her carve her own career and identity.
Stories of changed lives:
Delhi-based scribe Swati quit her job after marriage three years ago. Keen on doing something unique, she learnt the art of quilling (creating using coloured papers) by surfing over the Internet.
When people started finding the quilled items done by her attractive, she started selling them under the brand ‘Quikaari’. Shreya Bajaj, who happened to visit her ‘Quilkaari’ facebook page, shared with her the idea of online website ItsHandMade. That’s how ‘Quilkaari’ occupied a place on ItsHandMade.
“I like the website and the philosophy behind it. It is more than just buying and selling. It is about creating a community of admirers of handmade artworks. The buyers who visit ItsHandMade really know what they want. The items in my store have got good response. Some buyers ask for new unique products. I have received interesting comments that have helped me improve the products,” says Swati. She is a classical Odissi dancer and columnist.
Plethora of unique items:
The website showcases more than 30 categories — accessories to jewellery, stationary, arts and crafts, edibles and more.
Some items are beautiful; and you will be overwhelmed by the urge to possess each one of them.
How do you feel about wearing cute ear rings made out of colourful papers, or crocheting, or cloth? You can also send your most-cherished friend a birthday card adorned with quilled flowers and crochet work; decorate the walls of your home with elegant glass paintings or even own a colourful, water resistant, strong purse made out of magazine papers, on your long-anticipated day out.
Quirky soap gallery:
You also get a variety of handmade soaps including beer soaps, acne soaps, wine soaps and more.
Or you can go for the soaps shaped like apple or banana or grape clusters, for a ‘tasteful’ bathing time!
‘Upcycled’ products:
Most of the products featured are ‘upcycled’ - valueadded with or without recycling. The extra set of old plain glass bowls get a new avatar after being painted with various patterns and designs. The old wine bottles are upcycled to form lamp posts or flower vases. The ancient metal bucket that has lost its sheen has been painted to give it a colourful new look.
Super-cool products for kids:
Crocheted baby booties, various soft toys or hard materials like clay or wood, finger dolls that can assist you in narrating stories to your children, magnet stickers containing different colourful figures, small tailored or crocheted dresses for your little one’s Barbie dolls, animal-shaped pillow dolls - are sure to catch the eyes of your little ones and make them go gaga! There are nearly 200 sellers on the website now.
The creators on ItsHandmade.in are versatile, and you can ask them to customise the things according to your needs.
Expanding the horizon:
The website started the sales in February 2012. From two orders per day, the sale has gone up to more than 150 orders per month, with a turn-over of Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per month. Accessories and jewellery are the best-selling items right now.
Now that the business prospects from abroad have gone up, the It’sHandMade team wants to start International Shipping, Pay-by-cash and Gift Cards soon.
A match made in heaven:
Eesha Zaveri has a different story to tell. An alumnus of National Institute of Jewellery Design in Ahmedabad, she is a resident of Baroda. She sells her own brand of designer jewellery called ‘Eesha Zaveri Jewelry’.
She works with wooded and pottery beads, semiprecious stones and brass wires, to create exquisite trendy jewellery.
Eesha moved to Bangalore a few months ago, as she had to work with another silver designer. It was the time when ItsHandMade project had kicked off. She was approached by Shreya Bajaj, and soon a shop in her name was up on ItsHandMade.
“The website is different from any other online store. Here we can upload photographs on our own, write our own descriptions, and take the products off whenever we want to. The total control of our shop is in our hands. I really like it,” says Eesha.
She plans to move back to Baroda after next two-three months. Will the relocation be a problem to the online store on ItsHandMade? “No, not at all.
The website has a good network; the courier people come to me to collect the items. I just have to design it, pack it and wait for them to come. It is the same wherever I am,” says Eesha.