Holidays are the time when children can channelise their energy into creative activities that can bring out the best in them and also prevent them from wasting their time by doing something aimless.
Model Aditi Govitrikar feels holidays are a great time to let her kids get involved in something creative. While her son, Zian is only 20 months old, Aditi prefers to send her daughter Kiara to horse riding classes and art workshops. She says, "I make sure Kiara makes use of her free time to do extra-curricular activities.
Kaya Shewakramani, who runs Kreating Keepsakes in Colaba, is holding a workshop for children where they would be taught to create photo albums, scrap books or photo frames. Kaya says, "We have themes like Christmas, pirates, friendship and vacations according to which children can plan their albums."
Develop your skills here:
A make-yourself kit at Kreating Keepsakes will cost Rs.700.00

Sujata Chakrabarti and Chhaya Toshniwal

Scrapbook and Collage Making Workshop @ Keepsakes Design Studio, Ram Nimi Building, Colaba. Learn various scrapbooking and paper craft skills. Start with simple door hangers, then try your hand at photo frames, journal covers, bigger frames and photo collages which can be framed and put up on a wall. This workshop is open for children as well as adults. Call 22041173.

The story began when a few friends decided to spice up their memories by adding one liners and memory tags to their vacation pictures and baby photographs. This trip down memory lane became a joy ride that never ended, says Kaya Shewakramani, owner and promoter of Keepsakes Design Studio. Kaya was quick to realise that this pastime activity could bring a lot of smiles if she used her talent to create photo scrapbooks for others too. Now she helps people create their own "memory books" that preserve the past. According to her, once you organise your photos, life can simply be about eating, sleeping and scrapbooking! Plus, you get the added benefit of making new friends and expressing yourself creatively. Making scrapbook pages that effectively show off your favourite photographs is fun, and it's easier than you might think.

Album kits help you create fun scrapbook pages in minutes.

THE PROCESS

Kaya started putting together simple theme based, colour coordinated kits, which facilitated the creation of a photo collage, which could be gifted or framed to adorn bedrooms or to immortalise the memory of a place, event and people for future generations.
She explains that by doing this, we preserve every important memory. "When something is that precious to us, we never want to forget the details. So the moment journal, with its special phrases, creates an instant recall capsule, enabling us to travel back in time," she says.

THE STUDIO

Keepsakes Design Studio is the pioneer specialty studio for all your scrapbooking needs in India. They supply scrapbooking kits, embellishments and also focus on workshops and personal consultations in order to spread the techniques of scrapbooking and making memory keepsakes.
The creative team puts together colour co-ordinated album kits, to simplify your album making. It is so well put together that you can create a scrapbook page in less than 30 minutes. Simple page designs with a single photo or elaborate ones with many photos is a snap when you have Keepsakes' specialists helping you along with brilliant ideas and inspirations. You're also free to experiment with new techniques and layouts. The highlight of the whole process is that you get to design your own pages using expert resources "Plenty of layout resources are available for scrapbookers. So you aren't on your own when you sit down to create your first pages", remarks Kaya

Conveniently located at Colaba, the ambience and space is perfect for scrapbookers.

- Mini door hangers
- Frames
- Journals
- Photo collages (8" x 11") and (12" x 12")

THE ENTHUSIASM

Any thing and everything you need for your scrapbook, school projects or memory albums are available and it is a place that you can relax in and complete your keepsake project at leisure. Plus, you get the added benefit of making new friends and expressing yourself creatively. Conveniently located at Colaba, the ambience and space is perfect for scrapbookers. First timers can look forward to the fun events and workshops that are held regularly at the store. "We love fashion, we love food, we love art, we love good living, we love to travel, and we love people. Come be part of our world," Kaya beams happily.

The Workshops

- Scheduled workshops by appointment for parties and corporate events.
- Traditional scrapbooking demos and workshops.
- Craft lab special series - on all four Saturdays.
- Build an album in three sessions.
- Card Club-to make your own personalised birthday or festive cards.
- Use of workshop supplies.

Kreating Keepsakes

Want to congratulate someone or celebrate an achievement ? Or simply express your love? Head to Kreating Keepsakes, a design studio that specialises in making personalised gift items, arty photo collages and gift albums. Also don't miss the workshops on the art of scrapbooking that this label will conduct at the show.
DNA (click to see article)
TOI (click to see article)

WHAT'S ON
Midday, Mumbai
Friday, December, 5, 2008

Don't throw that movie ticket away

(click to see article)

DOWN MEMORY LANE
It could make interesting memorabilia to include in a scrapbook. WHAT'S ON dropped in at a scrapbooking studio, the first of its kind in the city, to know how you can preserve your memories?

SHIKHA SHAH
shikha.shah@mid-day.com

Your mind is a treasure trove of memories, but as old one make way for new, it's likely that you'd lose out on some precious moments. If you are eager to capture childhood madness, the fun-we-had-stories with your friends, or passionate moments with your lover, drop in at a scrapbooking studio that's just-opened shop in Mumbai. Kaya Shewakramani of Kreating Keepsakes Design Studio brings the concept of journaling to express your feelings and file your memories.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Your first move is to preserve what you see as junk, and are likely to trash. Movie tickets, menus of favourite restaurants are important ingredients to make an attractive scrapbook. You need to provide the designers at Kreating Keepsakes with some great photos and memorabilia, and pick from a variety of themes they have on offer. The designers use their imagination to capture your memories in a scrapbook.

In case you are a paper crafting enthusiast, you can pick up a theme-based kit and make the scrapbook yourself. They have workshops that you can register for to get a taste of what scrapbooking involves.

WE LIKED: The Lap Tray, a tray that's actually a thick photo frame that carries your memories, with a thick cushion attached to its bottom. You can place it on your lap to place your books on, when you study or work.

AT: 203/204, Ramnimi, 8, Mandlik Road, Colaba. Call: 22041173

PRICE LIST

Posterity's sake

Hindustan Times Café,
Mumbai, Friday, December 19, 2008
(click to see article)


For the sentimental and nostalgic, Kreating Keepsakes offers made-to-order scrapbooks. Kaya Shewakramani helps clients compile special moments. Clients could even give their design inputs. The scrapbook could be converted into a wall-hanging as well.

Happy gifting.

Kreating Keepsakes, Colaba. Call: 9821052927

Retail therapy
(click to see article)

Hindustan Times Café,
Mumbai, Friday, December 5, 2008

SHOP STOP

Kreating Keepsakes is a new concept studio, Mumbai's first ever Scrapbooking & Collage Studio at Colaba.

You can either place an order for a custom made collage, album and album cover, picture frame, etc. Learn the art of scrapbooking and creating your own collage or scrapbook with their DIY Kits. Albums and collages from Kreating Keepsakes make a thoughtful gift this season.

At the studio, you can learn to convert your photo memories into unusual wall décor pieces. You can get tips on how to customise the photo album, theme wise or chronologically so that your photos become your family heirloom.

Keepsakes Design Studio, 203/204, Ramnimi, Mandlik Road, Colaba. Call: 22041173

December 7, 2008 SUNDAY MIDDAY
Of hippo cutouts and beach themes
(click to see article)

By Fashutana Patel
fashutana.patel@mid-day.com

I was introduced to make n Bake at Atria by a friend. We sat there, she was filling in a fairy o a plate, I was painting a mug that I now lovingly call 'hideous mug'.
The point is that Make N Bake primarily caters to children, but I can think of quite a few adults who'd have more fun there than downing pints at a pub (or if not, place them both on equal planes).
The same applies to Kreating Keepsakes - a store and studio that fills almost every inch of its being with scrapbook paraphernalia.
Owner Kaya Shewakramani had always loved to chronicle family photos, so when she saw that scrapbooking was quite the phenomena in the states, she decided to venture in it herself.
Kreating Keepsakes works in two ways: you can buy either of these readymade kits: door hanger (Rs.150), photo frame (Rs.200), scrapbook (Rs.175), journal cover (Rs.400) and small collage (Rs.350) or you can enroll in for a workshop, it's Rs.500 for adults and Rs.200 for kids - that's excluding the cost of the kit.
So you bring the photos that you want to make the collage out of and proceed to choose how you want to decorate those. What caught my eye were the very cute hippo and other animal shaped décor, the beach themed kit and a lap tray (Rs.5,500) that has a glass panel for the collage atop a pillow - very pricey, but interesting. Also, they don't take cards. So if this is up your alley, take cash with you.

PAST PERFECT

The Indian EXPRESS
MUMBAI Newsline Wednesday, December 17, 2008
(click to see article)

Now a scrapbooking studio in Mumbai, to help you preserve your memories

SCRAPBOOKING may not be a huge phenomenon in India, yet. But walk into Kreating Keepsakes, Colaba, and you will be pleasantly surprised to see the number of people wanting to take it up as a hobby. This concept studio set up by Kaya Shewakramani is first of its kind in India introducted us to the world of scrapbooking and collage-making.
During her stay in the USA, Shewakramani took to scrapbooking as a hobby. When she moved base to India last year, she wanted to use her expertise to create something unique. And opening this studio was the most natural choice.

Scrapbooking is an interesting way of preserving memories - favourite childhood moments, tender moments of love, fun at college, vacations or those elusive 'firsts' in your life. All these can be conserved by placing an order for a customised album, door hangers, invitations, book covers and collage. For the more enthusiastic ones there are DIY (do-it-yourself) kits. At the studio, you can learn to convert your photo memories into an unusual, one-of-a-kind wall décor piece by working with the people at the store, or you can buy one of the kits and apply your innovative skills to create something on your own.
While creating a photo frame and collage is child's play according to the owner, making your own photo album is the most time consuming task. But tips on how to customise the photo album - theme-wise or chronologically so that your photos become your family heirloom-are pasted on the kit.

The most impressive service on offer at the studio is the series of three classes that covers the basics of scrapbooking as well as provides a general overview of techniques and ideas, for both children and adults. At Keepsakes there is something for everyone-door hangers (Rs.150 onwards), bookmarks and photoframes (Rs.50 onwards) for kids in the age group of eight-14 and theme-based collages and photo albums (Rs.600 onwards) for birthdays and anniversaries.

The studio, is also a hub for manufacturing and packaging of scrapbooks, scrapbook kits, journaling strips, embellishments and all ancillary materials that make the scrapbook layout attractive. While most raw materials are sourced from abroad, a few are procured from India. But the studio's constrained space is a huge drawback. Although the owner, has plans of expanding the venture, for now it doesn't have much space to sit and work comfortably. Also, those planning to buy their Christmas gifts have to carry cash along as the studio does not accept cards. But a visit to this studio is definitely worth it. After all, who doesn't want special memories to last longer.

PRIYANKA PEREIRA

CONTACT US: 022-66156669/ 66156667