All posts filed under: CRAFT

Explore Local Handmade Crafts

The Lady Who Makes Cuddly Crochet Dolls | Ashibo

Published by Shweta Rao

Someone wise once said, “There are two kinds of people in the world – those who love dolls and those who don’t yet know that they love dolls.” A doll’s journey to being born in its maker’s imagination and then later in our world begins decades earlier. It begins with a gathering of a lifetime of seemingly unrelated skills, which then one day collide and end up in complete and total creative harmony. And then slowly and steadily, dolls carry millions of children across the world into a world of sheer happiness. Today we met up with one such talented maker, Ashibo who has been creating some super cute handmade crochet dolls. Cute and stylish (just like the lady who makes them), it looks as if the dolls await to tell us a story, and Ashibo is their chosen medium. Were we right or were we just making things up in our minds? We asked Ashibo to help us answer. What was the inspiration behind creating these beautiful crochet dolls? Well, I have always loved knitting …

Cute Naga Dolls Handcrafted by Artist Ikali Sukhalu

Published by David Sangma

Say hello to Ikali Sukhalu! She is a 29-year-old fashion designer from Nagaland, who has reached fame as the creator of ‘Lil’ Naga’ – a range of amazingly cute dolls that can lighten up anyone’s mood! She’s a graduate from Wigan & Leigh Mumbai in fashion technology and fashion business, and holds a degree from London College of Fashion. Her journey started in 2015 when she won NIAPA (North East India Academy of Performing Arts) contest. She also showcased her work “Tribal Trible” in the New York Couture Week in 2014. We caught up with Ikali and learned about her inspiration behind ‘Lil Naga’ – the range of cute dolls that depict Nagaland’s traditional tribal attire. Hi Ikali, what was the inspiration behind these Naga dolls? I saw them first in Hong Kong. There were these Chinese dolls and I thought it would be fun to try and make something similar but with a local twist. I started experimenting with them in my studio and voila! ‘Lil Naga’ was born. Each doll is wearing a Naga traditional …

Product Design & Photography | Meet Menuolhoulie Kire

Published by Roots & Leisure

Today’s incredible social media growth and its level of invasion in our private lives have driven most of the youth to feel the much-feared word – ‘FOMO’ aka Fear Of Missing Out. And although it can have a very negative effect on us, it can also play out positively depending on how we turn things around. FOMO is not about just peer pressure anymore. It is also about stacking up your career against everyone you know on the digital platforms. And it’s not surprising, that only pursuing our daily lives without pursuing other hobbies and interests is considered, if nothing else, boring. This time at R&L, we caught up with one such talent who is pursuing two careers and is scaling heights. We met up with Menuolhoulie Kire (M.Kire) from Nagaland who’s delving into two very creative fields – furniture design and photography. R&L : Hi. Tell us a bit about yourself! M.Kire : I am a dreamer and love to push myself to materialise new ideas. I did my Masters in Design from IIT Guwahati. …

I make Handcrafted Jewellery – Abenla

Published by Roots & Leisure

Say hello to Abenla – A beautiful talented artist from Nagaland, who makes the most exotic handmade jewelry. In addition to running her jewellery business, she also works with an NGO in the development sector (Fida International), serves as a part of an eldership team with her husband at a local church in Mumbai, and above all manages a home – just being the wife on the other side. Her handmade jewellery are characterized by unique craftsmanship and are replete with a mix of tribal and modern techniques – that are so distinct to her brand. To find such a distinctive voice, there has to be a fascinating story – which we were hoping to find out when we reached out to the designer herself. How did you get started? Did you get any formal training in jewelry design? Not really. I learnt most of the skills online. In fact this whole thing started when I was in college, when a friend of mine – Ran introduced me to jewellery making. I used to enjoy breaking things apart and making new stuff out of …

Self taught Baker who Bakes the Most Beautiful Cakes | Adila

Published by Roots & Leisure

Say hi to Adila – who is a self taught / family taught /food enthusiast / home baker – turned professional (but she says she’d rather be known as a Home Baker). She learnt her art pretty much between college and baking with her mother. But for a home baker with no professional training , we have just one word – Impressive! You will have to taste and SEE her stuff to agree. She is definitely one of the best in town. Let’s get to know her a little bit more . . . Tell us something about yourself . When and why did you start baking? Well, obviously I’m foodie. I love everything to do with food- starting from fantasizing and experimenting with new recipes to buying the choicest ingredients, the preparation, the presentation and of course eating it! “I started baking during my first year of college – all thanks to my mom who is an amazing cook. Everything she cooks turns into edible gold! She started out baking for friends and family and word spread …