CHENNAI: Imagine receiving a box on your birthday, that looks like a minion and as you open it it just pops out various layers with beautiful memories that you shared with your best friend. Wouldn’t you be surprised? Soulful Presents, a venture which was started a year ago, by Madhumidha Selvakumar, an engineering graduate, brings you such quirky gifts. She didn’t know this was her calling until one day when she finished her course and realised she did not want to pursue a job in Biotechnology. “I was very frustrated after my course and I started this as an experiment where I would try out different craft techniques. That’s when I thought why not start selling these as well,” she smiles.
She makes explosion gift boxes, scrapbooks, cards and even albums, all by hand. She gets orders from across the country and has sold over 150 explosion gift boxes. “When I started Soulful Presents, the response was not that great; only my friends would buy from me. But soon the word spread and now I am getting lots of offers,” she says.
Scroll through her Instagram page and you will see why these presents are so special. From SpongeBob and Minions to Batman and Harry Potter-themed explosion boxes, she can make anything! “The themes are customised. Cartoon themes, camera, bike theme are common. Very few opt for a plain coloured box,” she explains.
Ask her about the process of making these boxes and she says that the most important thing to keep in mind is the measurements. “The base of the box is a plain. I add pattern paper depending on the theme. Each layer is then stuck inside the base keeping in mind the measurement, number of photos and other detailing such as decorations (stones, ribbons, a small teddy bear!) and messages” she elucidates. Her father supports her in this venture and helps her out buy getting her eveything she needs.
Madhumidha believes that a woman can do anything at any point of time and her inspiration is choreographer Anusha Swamy. “She is a model, dancer, crafter, painter...she does everything. That pushes me to do something unique as well and that is how I started following my heart,” she smiles.
The boxes are priced between `450 and `2,500 and the scrapbooks between `700 and `4,000. Although most of the orders come for birthdays and anniversaries, she has made presents for love anniversaries and Raksha Bandhan too.
Checkout her Instagram page: @soulfulpresents