She makes Christmas-themed decors from polymer clay. Be it bells, stockings, or mistletoe, Preethy Vijay is your Santa! A momtrepreneur, she created her own label ‘Pretty Creations’ two-and-a-half years ago. Aiming to keep spirits high after the floods, she has come up with accessories and dust plugs — red, green, white, silver and gold in colour. Preethy has also created festive decors like images of Santa Claus, bells, candy stick and Christmas trees. “I wasn’t doing much for almost a month due to the floods. I wanted to get back on track and keep the spirits high. Christmas is all about gifting and I thought it should be made special.”
Having worked on more than 400 orders, she says that she understands clay and is confident that any shape can be made with it. Her clay works include customised birthday candles, magnets, photo frames and key chains. “I started working with polymer clay very recently and I enjoy every bit of it,” she says.
Preethy customises pendants and accessories according to her clients’ needs. “Sometimes they send pictures of their dresses and ask me to customise products according to the colour combination. It’s interesting to create new designs and work with colours,” she says.
Preethy’s husband and her mother support her passion and talent. “I grew up watching my mother make beautiful craft and that’s how I got inspired and learned the art,” she says. She credits her husband for being the main reason behind the venture. “He encouraged me completely,” she shares.
So how does this momtrepreneur juggle between her daily chores and passion? “I work when my son is at school and while he is asleep in the afternoon. I enjoy managing both. Sometimes he helps me with my orders,” she laughs.
From the first piece she did with clay — “A ball! The instructions on the cover said that it was bouncy clay. I made a ball out of it,” she laughs, to the miniature models of cartoon characters she finds, Preethy is all about experimenting. “I create models using the toys he plays with as a reference. The first one that I tried was an angry bird,” she recollects.
With a clientele of over 500 from India, she says that there are over a 100 people who are frequent customers. “Themed candles are a major hit and people outside India place orders in bulk. Usually their relatives in Chennai collect them from me,” she says. “There was a time when I spent `30,000 on materials. But it’s an investment. I stock up materials which can be used for every order.”
Preethy also makes miniature models of people and bikes. “I take about a week to complete a miniature because I work on it in parts. The finish and details are important and I make sure I do a perfect job,” she says.
Prices depend on the clay, customisation and labour. To view her Christmas collection, visit Pretty Creations on Facebook. For details, call 081974 67047.