Craft designer Shonta Noel has always been one for details and has been making customized greeting cards, invitations, party supplies and accessories through her business Crafted by Chey for two years though her passion for this kind of art goes as far back as she can remember.
“It was a birthday card ordered by a real good friend of mine. I remember exactly what it looked like and I was quite proud of myself but when I compare it to the work I’m doing now, I could definitely see the improvement,” Shonta said when asked about her first piece.
And though The Scene had no visual of the first card she had made, we did get a glimpse of a few of her current ones. These range from darling little cards and invitations for baby showers, toddlers and children celebrating birthdays, to exquisite ones for weddings and anniversaries, and the kind that do not need a holiday, but say ‘For Someone Special’ or ‘Thinking of You’. With the day for lovers just a few days away, Shonta’s work is cut out trying to finish ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ cards.
“I’ve always thought that having a creative parent played a big role in the way I’ve turned out. I didn’t start this thinking or knowing it would be where it is now. I just wanted to make invitations for a graduation hang I wanted to have but I somehow ended up making cards instead and here I am now, creating much more. The main risk in this for me is splitting my time up further since I haven’t left a job because of it nor did I empty my savings because of it but what I have done is take some of my study hours away from my courses,” she said.
Shonta is a second year University of Guyana student pursuing a degree in business economics.
It may be Shonta’s perseverance that saw her pursuing her passion but according to the young woman she owes it all to her mother, Sonia Noel, who, while inspiring many others around Guyana, the Caribbean and parts of the international world has made a greater impact on her life. Shonta said of her mother, “I can’t help but be clichéd with this one but [my inspiration] has to be my mother. Her endurance and resilience inspire me each day to do better than I did yesterday.
“Craft is my therapy. It relaxes and pleases me to see a simple idea blossom into something beautiful. You know when you love something so much that you don’t want to sleep but you end up sleeping because you get to wake up and do it all again? That’s me with craft. It can take hours upon hours or even days to complete an item but I’ve learnt to be patient and that the first idea isn’t always the brightest. It allows me to challenge myself even more because there are some ideas that arise but then I’m left asking myself ‘how are you going to do this?’ but I get it done. It has also allowed me to understand more how critical deadlines are.”
Shonta loves challenges and according to her she loves taking on a project that may seem impossible and make it a reality.
Apart from loving the challenge of making cards, party supplies and accessories, she is challenged by time management “I have some extremely hectic moments which sometimes cause me not to go to bed until 7 am but I don’t mind because I love and enjoy what I do.”
Being one to always to put her best foot forward and strive for perfection, Shonta shared an experience: “When I first started, I once forgot someone’s order and only remembered when they messaged the morning asking what time they can pick up. Let’s just say my hands got busy as soon as I put my phone down. This taught me that my memory was even worse than I thought and that I needed to improve my system of writing orders in a book alone, now I write them in a book and place them on my craft room’s wall.”
A decade from now Shonta plans on Crafted by Chey being bigger and better and the one place people will be running to for their customized invitations, cards and gift accessories. “I know it isn’t the only thing I’m going to do as much as I love it. I’m reading for a degree I’m going to have to put to use whether it be to manage my own business or consult…. I will do both. Actually, I might not physically be doing this in 10 years, I should have a host of employees helping me to develop my business further. If that doesn’t happen then I wouldn’t have learned anything from my degree,” she stated.
The craft designer, apart from creating her own line of crafts and being a university student is a volunteer at Come Alive Network Inc.
She enjoys a good Soca fete, baking, teaching, and loves spending time with her nephew especially taking him to the zoo. And though her time is taken up with her long list of ‘things to do’ she also enjoys spending time with her nine dogs.
Crafted by Chey is home based at the moment so interested persons will have to order online: via Instagram @craftedbychey or via Crafted by Chey on Facebook or Whatsapp or call Shonta on 668-3019.
