Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikitha Yelchuru.
Hi Nikitha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Paper Sweetly began in 2012 with a single strip of paper and a question: how much beauty could be coaxed from something so ordinary? Quilling, the centuries old art of coiling narrow ribbons of paper into intricate forms, gave me my answer. What started as a few custom commissions for people searching for something they could not find in a store quickly became a quiet obsession.
For several years the work lived in the margins of my life, in evenings and weekends, shaped by word of mouth and the steady pull of the next idea. Each commission taught me something new about structure, color, and restraint. By 2016 the studio could no longer be a part time affair. I stepped fully into the practice, and Paper Sweetly was born.
The philosophy behind the work has never changed. The world is brimming with patterns, an innate architecture hidden inside even the most chaotic environments. I use quilling to translate those patterns into tangible form, whether a pair of earrings light enough to forget you are wearing or a framed composition that unfolds slowly across a wall.
Today, from my home studio in the San Jose area, I create paper jewelry, large scale wall art, and bespoke commissions. Every piece is coiled, pinched, and composed by hand. Paper Sweetly now reaches collectors across the country through papersweetly.com, Etsy, wholesale partners on Faire, and art shows throughout the Bay Area. More recently I have turned toward teaching, through kits and workshops, because the moment a first coil blooms into a flower deserves to be shared.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth is not a word I would use. The first hurdle was perception. Say the words paper jewelry and most people picture something delicate to the point of disposable, a pretty thing that will not survive a rainy afternoon. Changing that required me to think like an engineer as much as an artist. I spent years testing papers, sealants, and findings before arriving at pieces that are featherlight yet remarkably durable, water resistant, and comfortable enough for daily wear. Trust was earned one conversation at a time, often across an art show table.
The second challenge was learning to honor the value of handmade work. A single pair of earrings can represent hours of coiling and composition, and in the early years it was tempting to underprice that labor. Setting prices that reflect the time, skill, and materials in each piece, and standing by them, marked a genuine turning point in my confidence as an artist and as a business owner.
Then came the leap to full time in 2016. Overnight I became the maker, the photographer, the shipping department, the bookkeeper, and the marketing team. Expanding into multiple sales channels meant mastering unfamiliar systems, usually by trial and error. There were slow seasons and long nights. What carried me through was the same thing that began it all: the quiet, almost meditative joy of sitting down with a strip of paper and watching a pattern come to life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a quilling artist. My medium is paper, cut into narrow strips, rolled into coils, pinched into petals and points, and assembled into compositions of surprising depth and detail. I carry this ancient technique into contemporary life through wearable art, including earrings and necklaces, framed wall pieces, DIY quilling kits, and commissioned works created in close collaboration with clients.
Everything I make begins with pattern. The overlapping geometry of petals, the rhythm of a mandala, the hidden order inside what looks like chaos. Quilling allows me to build these forms one layer at a time, so that each piece carries both precision and a distinctly human touch.
What distinguishes Paper Sweetly is that the work is designed to be lived with, not merely admired. My jewelry is made from 60 percent recycled, acid free paper, sealed with a water resistant acrylic finish, and finished with hypoallergenic surgical steel or sterling silver hooks. The result is a piece that feels weightless on the ear and holds up to the realities of everyday wear. Every element is shaped by hand in my San Jose area studio.
I am most proud of the community that has grown around the work. Paper Sweetly pieces now live in homes and jewelry boxes across the country through papersweetly.com, Etsy, wholesale partners on Faire, and Bay Area art shows. Through my DIY kits I have the privilege of placing the craft itself into other hands. Watching someone complete their very first quilled flower remains the most rewarding part of what I do.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Long, unhurried afternoons spent making things with my hands. I would gather whatever was within reach, scraps of paper, spools of thread, anything with color, and turn it into something new. Even then I was captivated by pattern before I had the language for it: the repeat in a length of fabric, the way petals nest inside one another. Looking back, I suspect I was quilling in spirit long before I ever picked up my first strip of paper.
Pricing:
- Paper earrings: $38 to $50
- Framed wall art: $200 to $2,500
- DIY quilling kits and supplies: $6 to $47
- Custom commissions welcome, priced by project
Contact Info:
- Website: https://papersweetly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papersweetly/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papersweetly
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@papersweetly7316
- Other: papersweetly@gmail.com
