In these fast-paced times, there are occasions where we may feel the need to gather our thoughts, or even express ourselves in private. For that, the best way is to jot down all the points and assess our priorities calmly and in a reasonably logical manner. This is where the habit of journaling and planning comes into play to make our lives a little less chaotic.

PRETTY CRAFTY TALES, a brand started by Prajakta Hardas in 2018, is here to make all your journaling, planning and crafting needs delightful, meaningful and memorable.

Having started this handcrafting journey when she was still working in a full-time job, Prajakta is a big DIY fan and used to make her own planning stickers. They were so catchy that her friends encouraged her to start a home-grown business in the same category. Thus, PRETTY CRAFTY TALES was started and one pretty thing led to another.

In India there are limited options available and most retailers stock stuff that is very common and sometimes not catering to your unique style and needs. Prajakta, however, creates and curates completely unique, handcrafted and hand-picked products. There are tiny word stickers for journaling, colourful themed planner stickers, bright and cute polaroid style journaling cards, pretty notepads, intricate die cuts, themed flip books, embossed papers and a whole lot more!

Making the task of organizing a schedule, writing down introspective thoughts, verses, plain notes and even highlighting priorities in an easy, attractive and fun way with stationery and craft supplies – this is the core offering of PRETTY CRAFTY TALES.

Workshops to help you start your journaling journey

The simplest of tasks are also something we can do so creatively.  PRETTY CRAFTY TALES makes that possible by helping first timers with workshops to get them started on their journaling journey. The beginner-friendly workshops are not just helpful, they are even therapeutic! It consists of types and styles of journaling, planning, supplies to be used, how to create content, mock layouts and a lot more interesting stuff! Follow PRETTY CRAFTY TALES to learn more!

Making note of growth   

Having brought delight to an ever-growing number of customers and with the many positive reviews that continue to come in, PRETTY CRAFTY TALES is now focusing on making its operations more professional. It plans to cut down on response time to orders, add more products to its inventory and enhance the entire online shopping experience by making it more immersive and relevant to customer demands.

The team has hired photographers to ensure that the products are showcased in the best possible way. There is also a team in place to make the digital market outreach on its social media handles more effective. Their Website Newsletters come with benefits of free digital downloads of cute designs, creative inspiration, behind the scenes and exclusive discount codes!

The collective impact being that the brand is now more visible and generating a happy buzz in the journaling and craft space.

Click here https://www.instagram.com/prettycraftytales/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D to discover more!

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The Paradigm Shift From Traditional Paints To Aerosol Spray Paints

The pandemic had hit several industries, especially automobile and construction. During the lockdown, consumers took up DIY projects utilizing aerosol paints designed to be used on a wide range of surfaces like metals, plastic, wood, glass, and masonry. Spray paints started becoming popular every day because of their usage in enhancing the look of vehicles and home improvement. People purchased these spray paints because of their extensive coverage without brush strokes. These are much prompter than the brush primers and are appreciated for higher shelf life. The demand for paint sprayers is majorly driven by the industries such as automobile, manufacturing, construction, and marine. 

Painting Your Space With Incredible Colors Of Novelty

Banna Spray Paints, the pioneers with expertise in 2 decades of aerosol production and spray paints manufactures a complete line of industrial and automotive spray paints. Headquartered in Bangalore, the brand offers an eclectic mix of colours and provides products that suit a wide range of needs and applications. 

Their colour spray paints are known for easy usage, stupendous quality and quick drying ability. This allows users to complete projects much quicker (3-5 minutes vs 6-12 hours). Their products are also recommended for their safe attributes like zero CFC and environment-friendly nature. All their aerosol cans are made from tin-free steel and coated on both sides with a polyester polymer removing the carbon footprint of aerosol spray by 50%. 

They also offer high-performance coating paints having effective anti-corrosive and rust preventive strength to protect many surfaces from water, chemicals, salt, and other corrosive contaminants. They are specifically designed for application directly to rusted or other metal surfaces to stop seasonal rusting. 

The Founder’s Journey & The Roadmap Ahead

Amogh Vishwanath, a chemical engineer from the University of Ohio and the founder of Banna Spray started the venture at the age of 25 years. Having a family-run business & catering to the automotive sector, Amogh always wanted to create a niche market in the B2C space. Be it the slightest scratch on the car or the wood polish or any home improvement requirements, the brand is always up to customise products as per client’s needs. They have developed around 1700 shades for automotive industrial use. It has a humongous customer base of 80k – 90k customers and the customer traffic on its website and appreciative testimonials greatly vouch for the massive trust and customer satisfaction. 

Presently the brand operates through physical stores and recently launched its online shop featuring hundreds of sprays for graffiti, automotive and industrial use. Their products are also accessible through Instagram & Facebook pages, and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon & Flipkart. It envisions expanding its distribution channel in years to come with rising demand Pan India & globally. 

Website: http://www.bannasprays.com

Instagram Link: https://instagram.com/bannasprays?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://thebusinesspress.in/

Indulge in the irresistible allure of stationery, where pens dance across crisp pages and colors spring to life with each stroke. BOHEMIAN ALLEY, understands the deep-rooted love for art, stationery and journaling.

Recognizing the younger generation’s inclination to express themselves in unique ways and their conscious preference for sustainable products, BOHEMIAN ALLEY was launched by the mom & Daughter duo – Nimisha and Nidhi Modi. They came up with the concept of utilizing leftover waste fabrics from Kurti manufacturing units to create handmade stationery through upcycling. The resulting products are entirely handmade, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. With its diverse array of products catering to journaling and art enthusiasts, BOHEMIAN ALLEY impresses DIY enthusiasts with its extensive collection.

Check out the bestselling Bamboo Lock Diary that opens like a door and comes with a bamboo stick to keep all your creativity secured. The vintage Leather Gemstone Strap Journal too has a style of its own. The Patchwork Journal with its amazing array of sequins, intricate threadwork, and hand block printed fabrics is a love at first sight sort of thing. Apart from this the Triangle Diary and Oyster Diary sets stand out for their unique shape. The office set, a compact all in one stationery set is a must have at the workplace.

They also offer a lot of cute art accessories like stickers, washi tape sets, picture frames, bookmarks, handmade paper sets, scented candle packs, glitter packs, shoe cover sets, seed pencils, zip folders, envelopes, stamps and wax seals, pressed flowers and more.

Since its launch in October 2020, BOHEMIAN ALLEY survived the pandemic and came out stronger. The talented woman duo have used their artistic imagination combined with astute business acumen, to carve a really successful niche for the brand. 

For Nimisha who loves all things bold and unconventional, BOHEMIAN ALLEY is more like a dream come true, a tale of passion finding expression in a multitude of things that can help make life a little more beautiful and a little less stressful.

Growth created by upcycling with truly sustainable style!

Blending wonderful journaling and stationery elements with adorable art, plus adding that amazing sustainability angle to every product has seen BOHEMIAN ALLEY catch the fancy of a whole lot of customers. The quality, the art, the finish, and the price all have kept customer entranced and wanting more. No wonder the brand has fulfilled more than 2500 orders so far. It is seeing its customer base in India grow steadily. They are seeing a spike in orders even Internationally via Etsy.  

The vision for the next five years is to see the business scaling up and the team dispatching around 1000 orders a day. Opening a full- fledged operational office, hiring a team and making the enterprise flourish to a point of making it a self –sufficient, are all critical milestones in the long-term game plan.

Click here https://www.instagram.com/bohemianalley/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D to explore their range of products!

Check out their website – https://www.thebohemianalley.com/

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://thebusinesspress.in/

“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”. – Leo Tolstoy

India is known for its diversity in culture, spread across its states. We find different types of handmade goods and artworks made by artisans and craftsmen in different parts of the country. However, the prowess of Indian artisans and craftsmanship remains unmatched globally, and these families holding onto generational wisdom of artistry still struggle to make ends meet and sustain their livelihoods. This is also why the traditional craft industry in India is currently struggling to sustain itself and remains vulnerable. Many non-profit organisations and NGOs are however changing this reality by actively promoting their craft and also providing a platform for their talents. Corporate gifting is becoming a popular trend among organisations, helping build relationships with employees, and customised goods have paved the way for this business. This has the added benefit of supporting the artisans who make it. 

Chhoti Si Asha – Where Social Responsibility Makes The Core Of The Business

Chhoti Si Asha is a non-profit based in Chandigarh that works towards providing craft-based livelihood opportunities for women from rural backgrounds living in and around Chandigarh by leveraging the indigenous craft knowledge that the women get from their villages. Launched in 2009 by Gagan Chawla and co-founded by Jatinder Singh Mann, the brand primarily manufactures craft-based handbags, stuff toys, handcrafted games and handcrafted home accessories. They also undertake white-label production for brands that want to outsource manufacturing for craft-based products.

The brand brings that ray of hope & positivity into the lives of several women artisans with indigenous craft knowledge by empowering them with an income of their own and supporting their livelihood. The brand helps them in upskilling their craft, makes them quality conscious, develops market-driven products using their craft and then provides them with market linkages. These market linkages are provided via exhibitions, D2C selling through their website, B2B selling, white label production and Institutional sales.

Going The Extra Mile In Curating Their Entire Collection

The uniqueness of the brand lies in the customization they bring to the clients. All their products are designed keeping the market need, aesthetics and the craft knowledge of the person/cluster who produce the product. A lot of their design process has been collaborative where buyers and producers interact and customize products as per their needs.

Sharing the insights of the founder, “Our products are craft-based and designed with sensitivity towards the market need, aesthetics and the crafts person working on it. Our belief is that practising a craft keeps a person grounded and so the next generation also needs to respect and maybe learn the craft being practised by the women. So, we have designed some products keeping that in mind for children especially the urban children who are not aware of these rick crafts. We have snakes and a ladder done in embroidery with Kantha work at the back and tokens made of crochet, ludo done with patchwork and Kantha work, memory game done using the craft of crochet and a memory game is done with fun animal-based motifs of phulkari.”

The Inspirational Journey To Chhoti Si Asha

Gagan, a software professional working in the U.S. for a few years moved back to India and volunteered to work at the grassroots level. Having settled in Chandigarh, she started working with the street children to make a better connection with the city. The business side started when she was working with the grown-ups in the community of street children and was helping them with vocational training. The boys took training in sewing post which they utilized their skills to make bags for Punjab University. Gradually women from the neighbouring areas volunteered and started creating unique designs one after the other and so much was their expertise in creating that for a long time, that the brand did not have a design team in place. Gagan shares, “We love the organic aspect of how our products came into being and this is the reason why each product of Chhoti si Asha has a unique name. Each product is either associated with either the person who gave the idea or the person who made the first design. The project started with minimum funds and we invited the whole city of Chandigarh to donate their waste to us and we made products using the waste. Our first exhibition was Kabaad se Jugaad”.

The Brand’s Market Reach & Presence 

The brand ships all across India and also some products in the UK, US and Canada. Some of the major clients include Universities like Ashoka University in Sonipat, Thapar University in Patiala, Punjab University etc. The other leading corporates it caters to include Infosys, Tata Mahindra, Marriott and many more.

The brand has proudly served 1000+ customers and envisions becoming a product and service-based brand. They aim to make their own products and continuously provide meaningful livelihood opportunities to their artisan community enabling making rapid market connections.

Instagram Link: https://instagram.com/chhotisiasha?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://thebusinesspress.in/

Indian handicrafts have always been hugely popular with art lovers from across the world. Each piece is a depiction of the country’s glorious past, manifesting the extraordinary skill and unique cultural identity of the ethnic people who make it. Owing to their amazing durability and stunning beauty, Indian handicrafts are greatly cherished as pieces of home decor, gifts, souvenirs that elevate our home’s beauty with their unmatched appeal.

Launched on February 2023 by Amit Pramanik, The Heritage Artifacts is a digital platform that aims to showcase and share the immense talent and extraordinary craftsmanship of Indian artisans with the whole world. The newly-launched venture is passionate about spreading awareness about Indian handicrafts and expanding into the global market.

When asked about the broader vision of the company, Amit explains “Our target is to make Indian handicrafts popular across the globe. Though there is a huge scope in this industry, it’s still an unorganized one, with everyone from village artisan to local seller being considered an owner here. We are attempting to create an ecosystem that would encourage our local artisans from even the remotest part of India to showcase their creations to the world. We want to source from the entire country. Be it home décor, clothes, shoes, accessories – We want to make a complete product profile of handmade items.”

Born out of love for India’s heritage and art

It was this massive love for Indian handicrafts that served as a driving force behind the creation of The Heritage Artifacts. When asked further, Amit says “Creativity and art were deeply ingrained in my mind even during my school and college days.

Being a NIFT post graduate further propelled this love as I got to see handmade products made using very basic material and very little technology.”

Amit’s full-time job restricted his dream of pursuing something meaningful in the handicrafts sector. However, when Covid happened and the world was locked down for some time, Amit got ample time to reflect and realign his life goals. He decided to quit his full-time job and return to his roots in India. Thereafter began his exploration of the handicrafts industry and that is how The Heritage Artifacts came into existence.

Home to India’s hidden treasures

The Heritage Artifacts celebrates and honors Indian heritage, crafts and traditions with its wide range of authentic, handmade artifacts, sourced from all over the country. Each of these items is a testimony to India’s astounding artistic diversity and the superior skill of our local artisans.

Most of the products are home decor items, bathroom and kitchen accessories. In another six months, the startup plans to include the handloom sector as well.

Get your hands on the beautiful kadam wood carved pen holder, traditional brass urli made by the expert craftsmen of Moradabad, charming candle and incense holder created out of soap stone or the ornate storage box with a majestic dragon carved out in walnut wood, straight from the valleys of Kashmir. Check out the authentic aluminum handicrafts, gold polished for antique finish and skillfully engraved by master artisans.

The startup is focused on providing the best of quality to its customers while ensuring fair pricing standards are practiced, that would promote the efforts of artisans and improve their quality of life. The brand follows eco-friendly practices for its products and day-to-day operations. Having served around 100 customers within a short span of its opening, the online-based startup is creating quite an impact!

Crafting a better future for local artisans

The future looks promising with its unique collection of exquisite products that are catching attention both in India and abroad. When asked about his future plans, the undaunted entrepreneur says “We intend to grow more and reach out to customers worldwide. Our focus is to bring India’s handicrafts industry to the forefront and give our artisans a strong platform in the overseas market.”

Website url – https://theheritageartifacts.com/

Instagram link – https://www.instagram.com/theheritageartifacts/

Facebook link – https://www.facebook.com/HeritageArtifacts

LinkedIn link – https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-heritage-artifacts/

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://thebusinesspress.in/

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” -Aristotle

The Versatility of Resin Art: From Home Decor to Personalized Gifts

Resin Art is considered an unconventional art style.

The distinctive quality that makes this art so popular is its versatility. It could be used as a wall art flaunting the blue ocean waves or even on bowls or jewelry. This vivid art is also seen on coasters, bookmarks, photo frames, keychains and many more. Talking about home décor, resin art is popular to spice up the look of any interior. From furniture to tables, clocks and wall hangings, resin art can be molded to beautify and amp up the look of every corner of the house.

Epoxy resin has completely revolutionized the way that interior design is done and introduced a new and creative element where interior designers and architects are using epoxy resin art to create stunning interiors that are not only inventive but also fashionable and elegant. Along with this, personalized resin art pieces are the perfect choice for gifting to family, friends, and colleagues.

Shradha’s Art Flair Adds A New Dimension To Gifting & Home Décor Through Resin

Conventional gifting has now transformed to out –of- the- box thinking & personalized gifts; something that relives memories for a lifetime. “Art Flair” by Shradha is one stop solution to all your customized gifting needs. Launched on 7th January 2020 by Shradha Lahoti, the brand curates handmade resin products and accessories and offers an abundant range of products. Some of their best sellers are resin furniture, wall hangings, geode resin wall clocks, customized newspapers, aesthetic vintage frames in wood or kiko glass frames.

Their myriad range also showcases some other unique gifting options such as resin coasters, journals & diaries, pop sockets, mobile covers and key chains, theme- based hampers and many more.

Untethering The Creative Side

Being an interior designer by profession, Shradha always wanted to merge her artistic flair with the furniture designing part. Having attended a regional art workshop, Shradha had the inner drive to carry her passion in art and painting to a professional level.

Shradha started initially with resin cover for a friend and it turned out really good, and this led to the ideation of her business. With the support and encouragement of her family, gradually the response picked up and her resin work in interiors also gave a boost to the start-up. Through viral marketing and expanding her product mix, she started getting immense orders from customers. Their marketing efforts focuses on getting repeated orders from existing customers and distribution of free sample products to get leads and conversions.

Entrepreneurship is the ultimate expression of individual freedom and empowerment, and with her business, Shradha wants to empower others to turn their passions and ideas into a business.

From a nominal investment in 2020, the brand envisions to take it to a bigger level in future. Being only present through Instagram page, the brand has fulfilled multiple orders and in near future with physical studio in place, the sales are anticipated to take an upsurge.

Instagram Link: https://instagram.com/art_flair16?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://thebusinesspress.in/