Etsy Paper: Tell us a little about yourself.
Sky Goodies: My name is Misha. I'm a graphic designer. I'm married to my classmate from design school, Amit Gudibanda. He's a product designer. Together we started a design firm called Sky Design 10 years ago, and 3 years ago we started Sky Goodies. We live in a little village inside the bustling mega city of Mumbai, with our six year old daughter, Ashi. We work from a little cottage which is our office and studio, and we have a small team to help us manage the growing business.
Etsy Paper: When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Sky Goodies: We opened the Sky Goodies Etsy shop in 2013. We started listing paper printables for DIYs in our Etsy shop, by September 2013.
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| Favor Box |
Sky Goodies: We design and create paper giftables. The majority of these are DIYs, which one can print at home or buy in physical form as pre-cut and pre-creased kits. We love making happy colourful products which can be used after making, or given as handmade gifts. We also make whimsical hand-drawn 'doodle' planners and notebooks. All our products aim to make the owner happy. My husband and partner, Amit, works out templates and I work on graphics. Although our work overlaps a lot, and we depend on each other for feedback and inspiration.
Etsy Paper: How did your shop get its name?
Sky Goodies: The word ‘Sky’ had special meaning for Amit and me; starting our careers traveling in Mumbai local trains, jam-packed with people; it was all bearable as long as we could catch a glimpse of the sky through a window. ‘Sky’, to us, represented freedom and space, without limits. Our first venture was named simply, ‘Sky Design’. ‘Sky Goodies’ was our second venture, keeping ‘Sky’ from before. ‘Goodies’ refers to the attractiveness of our products, and ‘the goodies’ is also what our friends call us (short for our last name, Gudibanda).
Etsy Paper: Name the top crafting items that you cannot live without.
Sky Goodies: I need lots of colorful paper, craft glue, a craft knife, ruler and a small pair of scissors at all times. A black ink pen is great to doodle ideas with, in a smooth page notebook. I carry a notebook all the time to sketch in.
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Sky Goodies: Paper is available easily everywhere: that's the best part. It is inexpensive and comes in a huge variety of colors, patterns and finishes. When I was young I didn't have access to DIY kits or hobby sets, but my father always gave me lots of waste paper from his office, and that was my playground. I love the smell of fresh paper and the feeling and texture of it. I like making paper products because it can be moulded into many forms. I also like the fact that paper has a limited life and you need to handle it with sensitivity and care. If while making something, you go wrong, there is no 'undo' button. One has to deal with the setback; it's great learning for children as I think the ability to deal with failure is important for happiness.
Etsy Paper: Are you a clean or messy crafter?
Sky Goodies: I am an extremely messy crafter (and person!). While I like my designs to be precise and perfect, I cannot function in clinically neat places. My desk is full of color, odds and ends I have collected, notes and reminders to myself, and all kinds of pens and tools for paper crafting. I am a squirrel when it comes to paper and hoard all kinds of it. While cutting and pasting I clean up a part of my desk but it soon becomes a mess again. I try to be neat but have made my peace with the mess, as I like the chaos of color and it helps me think. I have 5 notebooks going on at any point and mostly can't find 3 of them :) but it's nice to come across old ideas suddenly and get inspired about something else.
Etsy Paper: Is there a certain color or motif that you are repeatedly drawn to?
Sky Goodies: Yes. I love colorful Indian Street and Pop Art. Like old Hindi film posters which were hand painted. Or colorful firecracker packaging printed cheaply and showing bizarre motifs. I love the intricate quality of ornamentation in Indian art. I also love matchbox art, because it surprises me with it's craziness and whimsical character. They use fully saturated colors and bold combinations. All of these find their way into our products.
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Etsy Paper: What have you learned the most about life from your craft?
Sky Goodies: I have learned that I am happy while making things that give others joy. The letters and reviews from customers telling us how they enjoyed the paper crafts with their children and families; how they made handmade gifts for loved ones; these are very valuable to us. Earlier we worked for many years on big, important and glamorous corporate and advertising projects; the projects were successful and the business was great, but the work did not make us so happy. Making small paper toys is far more fulfilling because I know they create joy for their owners. I have therefore learned that giving and making are probably the two most important parts of being happy in life.
Sky Goodies has a style so unique. The items have a way of showing the personalities of Misha and Amit. Take some time to browse their shop and possibly create your next printable craft.
Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper
Team Captain
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