Just try cooking with one of Gauri Bansal’s wooden spoons without smiling.
Whether it’s burned with a beautiful henna or mandala-inspired design or a phrase like “All about that basil” or “Just dill with it,” you can tell the woman who created it has a warm heart and a playful spirit.
“Cooking puns are my thing,” says Gauri, owner of Prettyful Creations, a small Madison-based business specializing in burned-wood, handmade and functional items and customizable gifts.
While her spoons, cutting boards, coasters and wine caddies showcase a distinct style and sense of humor, Gauri wasn’t always a maker.
After growing up in India, she moved to the United States. In New York, she met her husband, got married and moved to Maryland, where they had their first daughter, Priya. The family then relocated to Wisconsin and had their second daughter Pramita. They’ve lived in the Madison area for the past eighteen years.
“My girls grew up here,” she says. “Wisconsin is home.”
While working at an office job, Gauri felt a creative tug and a yearning to find what she was truly meant to do. When a coworker introduced her to Pinterest, it was an aha moment.
“I could see millions of other people doing something similar to what I wanted to do,” she recalls.
And so she jumped in, starting with candle making. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it got her on the path of creating. And soon she discovered Etsy, which opened her eyes to additional creative pursuits.
Yet her greatest moment of inspiration came from home. While looking at one of Priya’s works of art, Gauri had the distinct thought: I want to wood-burn that.
Never mind that she’d never tried her hand at burning wood. She’d seen kits sold at craft stores and knew people did it. She felt she could become one of them.
“I cannot tell you why I wanted to wood-burn her art,” Gauri says. But she went to a craft store, purchased a kit, didn’t bother reading the instructions and got to work. “I was hooked,” she says.
Part of the appeal is Gauri has always been drawn to wood and metal. But she also loves the versatility of burning wood. It’s relatively un-messy and she can be as elaborate or simple with her designs as she desires.
She sometimes goes back to Pinterest to see what’s trending. But if she finds an idea she likes, she’s sure to put her own twist on it.
“I usually know what I want to do,” she says. “I’m not really good at too much trial and error. I want it to be done in the first try.”
Both Little Luxuries and the Glitter Workshop carry Gauri’s work, and she also sells at local craft fairs, especially during the holiday season.
And she’s a member at the Bodgery — a community workshop for makers, crafters and hackers — and often hosts workshops there. She recently held a fall coaster-making workshop, and her December 8 charcuterie board event is already sold out. She hopes to continue workshops in the new year.
As she thinks about the future, Gauri would also like to grow her presence in retail spaces and become a go-to for real estate agents and brides and grooms looking for beautiful, functional and custom gifts.
But no matter who ends up with one of her pieces, she hopes they bring joy and beauty to everyday objects and tasks. And she hopes they prompt moments of pause and appreciation.
“Cooking spoons are not always heirloom pieces,” she says, “but as you use them you can cherish them.”
– Katie Vaughn
Photos courtesy of Gauri Bansal, with second photo by Maria (Masha) Pavlova.
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.