Fancy angry birds on a key?

How often do you come across somebody with hamburgers for earrings? Not very often, unless you’re in a burger chain with an image branding plan on overdrive. So, when you do meet somebody like Shilpa Mitha  who sports such a pair, extended conversation is inevitable. What’s more, she discloses that it all began with a lust for a pair of burger earrings.  With her roots in the arts already instilled by her artist mother, Shilpa discloses that she decided to go ahead and attempt to make a pair of burger earrings for  herself. She says, “I had already tried to create things with paper. I use a technique called ‘quilling’ and I’ve managed to make a realistic paper impression of a guitar and even a piano.”Over the next two months, friends started to make some fancy requests, ranging from chocolate bracelets to a cookie pendant and as recent fad would have it, the very addictive ‘Angry Birds’ on a key chain! Her primary products are modelled in clay and she specialises in creating custom pieces, richly crafted and coloured as per request.The sprightly 24-year-old explains that creating a single piece fashioned out of clay, may take over two hours to mould, and that’s non-inclusive of the delicate paint job and varnish after, that may take a whole week to dry. She reveals, “In fact, I was a sound engineer quite briefly, but with orders pouring in after I put up a page on Facebook, this definitely seemed more interesting to pursue.” Apparently, these days the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach as well! Asked whether she is a good cook, considering the detailing of an extensive miniature buffet display that she has created, Shilpa smiles, “No, but I certainly can eat!”The conversation takes a turn towards her more unusual requests and oddly enough, it seems bikinis and stethoscopes are a favourite dangler for people’s key rings. She adds, “I think the most difficult piece to do was a miniature pilot that I was asked to create for a friend of mine. She actually gave me a photograph and requested that I try to bring in a resemblance.” Other human look-alikes on the list of clay miniatures, include a valentine-themed couple sitting on a bench and the entire line-up of Chennai-based band, Crossroads. Shilpa gestures to the creation, “I wanted to try something different and a friend said, why don’t you try a band. So I said, ‘Why don’t I try yours?’”For the moment, this clay boutique of ideas and often sentimental requests are passed around through word of mouth and Shilpa’s Facebook page, ‘Sueno Souvenir’. She hints at the comic route next, “I received a few orders recently for Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield, so I know that I’ve got my hands full with the next project.”For more details, contact 8754566165.