Featured shop: Elukka from Finland

I just received a little package in the mail today from Finland. Inside, I found my new favorite necklace...a little house made from clay by Szilvia Vihriala at the shop: "elukka". The colors are amazing, so deep and rich...and the texture of the roof looks just like real shingles. Each house (the set I bought came with 4) is unique, with windows in different places. Here are a few pictures to show how gorgeous these items are!

Elukka doesn't just create houses...she seems to have a knack for creating canines as well...

From her description: "ELUKKA means "beast" or "critter" and that is exactly what I create: funny-looking animals, mostly dogs."

Here are my own pups modeling their new set of four elukka houses! (I told them to smile...but to no avail)

So check out this awesome shop from Finland...they are going to the TOP of my favorite shops list!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78786385/redsaggar-fired-rustic-house-pendant

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive."
- Gilda Radner

Today's Craft: Sgraffito

"Sgraffito (sometimes spelled scraffito) is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an outline drawing."

Another craft I got the privilage of learning this summer at Holden Village is the unique art of sgraffito. If it sounds a little like "graffiti", there is probably a good reason....in order to get the image you desire, you have to scratch the outside of your piece, whether it is a bowl, plate, or cup.

At Holden Village, this class was called "The Giving Bowls" because you don't get to keep the one you make! At the end of the snowy winter, the entire village starts making sgraffito bowls....they then take a pictures of themselves with their bowl, and write their email down on a slip of paper. A few months later, when I showed up, I received a bowl that had been made by the village pastor, and then the bowl I made will be given to another guest who arrives later in the summer. It is a pretty cool concept, and a great way to keep the thought of giving alive! Let's get started...

Materials:
Unfired pottery NOT dried to the point of greenware
Potters glaze
Sharp point for carving
Soft paintbrush for dusting away pieces of glaze

To begin, you will need to prepare a piece of pottery as if you were getting it ready to fire normally. However, to allow the piece to be scratched easily, you will need to keep the piece from drying out completely. Also, while the piece is still on the throwing wheel, apply a layer of glaze to the outside of the bowl, taking care not to get the glaze on the bottom where it will rest in the kiln. Keeping the bowl in a plastic bag will prevent it from drying out too much.

Handle your bowl very carefully, as the bowl is not as strong as greenware in this state. Next, begin carving with a pointed tool the areas you would like to remove. Instead of brushing the scraps away with your hand, use a soft paintbrush. This is keep your bowl from getting damaged by your fingers. For my piece, I wanted to recreate the central area of the village, with the mountains in the background. I made an outline of the peaks....

....and then removed areas bit by bit. I wanted to leave a little of the natural beauty of this mountainous village with the bowl, so I decorated the back side with local flora....

Daisies...

Ferns...

Trilliums...

Other artists hard at work....how can you not be inspired in a studio like this????

My mom's bowl...

Now that the bowls have been carved, they are allowed to sit and become "greenware", and are ready to be fired. Firing occurs in a gas-kiln, powered by the local stream, which is fed by the snow melting in the mountains around the village.

A few finished pieces, getting ready to find their new owners, the slips of paper inside are the email addresses of the bowls' makers....

And finally....after I finished my bowl (and gave it to Tara, the instructor) I received my own "giving bowl" to take home. The artist had carved a picture of one of the busses "Jubilee" picking up luggage at the dock...a fitting memory for a beautiful place.

"The value of a man resides in what he gives, and not in what he is capable of receiving" -Albert Einstein

Today's craft: Scherenschnitte

"Scherenschnitte: which means "scissor cuts" in German, is the art of papercutting design. The art work often has symmetry within the design, and common forms include silhouettes, valentines, and love letters. The art tradition was founded in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century, and was brought to Colonial America in the 18th century by immigrants who settled primarily in Pennsylvania."

During my trip to Holden Village this July, I got to learn the exciting art of scherenschnitte. This craft is simple enough to do just about anywhere, yet you can really get creative and detailed if you're looking for a challenge!

Materials you will need:
Scherenschnitte pattern (on white paper, preferably)
X-acto knife
Colored paper (thin)
Scrapbook paper
Masking tape
Rotary mat (the kind used in quilting)
Fine detail scissors
Glue stick
and perhaps a few band-aids...


Let's get started...

Once you have decided on a pattern, use the masking tape to affix it to your colored sheet of paper below. This will keep your design from slipping while you cut. For my first piece, I chose a girl riding her bike...perfect for summertime!

When you start cutting, be sure to start from the inside cuts, and work outward. This will allow the masking tape to keep your design in place until the very end. Also, the knife cuts best when you cut towards you....so there will be a lot of rotating of your design while you work.

This design doesn't have too many small details to work with, but the thin lines right next to one another were a little tricky. Make sure you don't damage your white pattern, because when you are done, you can use that for designs also:

Success!!

 

Now that you're done, handle your design very carefully. If parts have ripped during the process, don't worry, they can always be glued onto the paper when you are done. Find a background that accents your piece the way you like. Heavy scrapbooking material works very well, and is readily available.

When you've found your background paper, carefully spread glue with the glue-stick on the back of your scherenschnitte piece. Be sure to get all the little pieces if you have fine detail work. Then carefully lay your design on your backing paper, and place another scrap sheet of paper on top of your design. This allows you to put pressure on your work, without the risk of damaging your design. Once you have pushed down on your entire design, lift the paper, and you will have your finished scherenschnitte piece!

Here are some other pictures of scherenschnitte cutting in action!

The colored paper looks great mounted on white...

And the original white pattern is stunning on blue!

The detail scissors help when cutting out larger areas.

I think this would be a great Christmas tree ornament!

Same design on different papers...

My second design, I loved this piece!

It's not mounted yet in this picture, but I was just trying to see which background I liked better, the black...

Or the white...

In the end, we all had a lovely time learning a new (but very old!) craft! Here are some friends with their finished works of art!

Ready to do your own scherenschnitte? Many patterns can be found online, and this blog has some amazing ones that I want to try out: http://papercutting.blogspot.com/

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery." -Francis Bacon

The lazy cherry-picking days of summer...

When the dead of winter sets in and the thermometer drops below 0, let me remember these warm lazy days of summer, when the cherries drip from the trees in our orchard...

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.  ~Sam Keen

July trip to Holden Village, Washington

    Have you ever wondered what society was like, long before strip-malls, carbon footprints, and slow-food existed? Well the closest I can imagine is a quaint little place called Holden Village. Perhaps you haven't seen the road signs pointing the way, and that's because there are no road signs leading this way...in fact, there isn't even a road that will get you to Holden Village. First you have to take a boat ride 16 miles across one of the deepest lakes in North America, Lake Chelan.

Then when the boat drops you off, the faint of heart will be clutching their bags tightly as an antique school bus drives them up 11 miles of switchbacks. I mean switchbacks... But never fear, at least you will be riding in style...

Any hearty soul who makes it this far will be applauded as they step off the bus, greeted by a menagerie of villagers, who have gathered to see who has come to their village this day. On the day that we arrived, Holden was holding their annual 4th of July parade. The entire village dressed up in various attire, and stormed the main street, throwing candy to the young and old. Some made their own parade floats, while others used barely-running snowcats, reminders of the history of this place.

Why a village? you might ask...Let's see how well I can explain this....Holden Village was originally a bustling mining town during the 30's and 40's. After the price of copper dropped, the village became abandoned, and only a few caretakers stayed behind. In the late 60's, the mining company made a deal with the Lutheran church, and the entire village was sold for $1.00. Yep...a whole dollar. Since then, the village has changed in many ways, but still retains much of its' heritage. Villagers sleep in the same lodges where minors used to rest their weary heads, and all eat in the same dining hall. At night one can have fun bowling in the 2 lane bowling alley (but you have to go put the pins back up by yourself). Scoops is the ice cream shop, open each afternoon at 3:00, right when the hottest part of the day makes you wonder if air conditioning was ever really invented (because there is none in the village....no ice either).

This trip back in time is a yearly event for me, at least when life affords me the time to step back and relax. Of all the activities one can partake in at Holden, my favorite by far is the Craft Cave.....built into the bottom of one of the old mining lodges, it stays cool even during the hottest months of the year....come take a look...

Down in the craft cave lives every type of artistic expression possible. From giant kilns running off of the energy of the local stream, to walls full of weaving yarn, ready to be put in the loom.

This place has it all.

And what inspires all this creativity in a place that time seems to have forgotten? Well I'm sure you'll get a different answer for each person you ask, but it's hard to deny that the beauty and intimacy of the mountains might have something to do with it.

I loved finding this little quote, which someone had artfully framed with woven needles from a Ponderosa pine...

It reminds me that I should always work with joy, and never hesitate to stop, and enjoy the beauty around me.