Graceful Swan Origami

As many of you know. I strongly believe in reusing, recycling and upcycling, so it was heartwarming to discover RutisRoots on etsy. Ruti symbolically turns ugly ducklings into swans when she uses paper heading for the dustbin to create glorious 3D sculptures. Her graceful birds come in a variety of colors. Select a loyal swan to hold your nightstand treasures or become the eye-catching focal point of your desk.

Ruti has bowls in a variety of sizes available. What a wonderful presentation for hospitality mints, or my favorite, Hershey kisses! The designs she brings out in her bowls are amazing, and I continue to marvel at her creative genius, turning scraps of unwanted paper into remarkable works of useful art.

She also makes colorful magnets, which become perfect event favors, and has a line of note cards. This shop truly embodies upcycling in action!

Ruti folds her sturdy treasures in Israel, ships internationally, and can be found on Facebook. This charming lady was a featured etsy seller, and her interview gives further insight into her resourceful and imaginative spirit. If you are interested in a particular design and color, please contact Ruti. She will be happy to discuss your paper vision.

The Artful Gourd

Amazing – Simply amazing! Pyroengraved gourds are found at JRAGourdArt, a museum quality gourd art shop on etsy. I know pyrography or pyroengraving as wood burning. Jennifer has chosen to enhance the simple beauty and natural wonder of ordinary gourds with her intricate freehand designs, many of which feature Celtic symbols. She works with several gourd varieties transforming them into one-of-a-kind works of art. I had never seen canteen gourds before, from which she fashions exquisite hard shell purses.

When I showed this incredible artist to a daughter, she commented on how erasing must be difficult. Jenn’s Tree of Life bowl featuring her backyard friends, a squirrel and a number of birds, in a tree framed with beautiful Celtic weaves is a pyrography must see. She labored on this treasure for months.








The process of growing a gourd and preparing it as a usable canvas takes over a year. When properly dried, gourds can be worked on just like wood. Smaller artworks are available as precious Christmas tree ornaments made from egg gourds. If you shake one of these, you will hear the seeds inside!

Jenn patiently burns her wonders in Pennsylvania and ships internationally if possible. Find more of her unique work on her website. She is glad to take custom orders and will personalize a prized family heirloom just for you. If you live nearby, consider taking one of her gourd classes!

Gourdgeous Art

That's exactly what you will find at this charming Artfire shop, Simplygourdgeousart. Gourd artist Hilary Bell has created a line of delightful gourd birdhouses. She skillfully paints these one-of-a-kind gourd canvasses making each an eye-catching garden display, certain to become the artistic focal point of your backyard. Your little friends may not appreciate the artistry that has gone into decorating these homes, but the increased property value will certainly have them squabbling over the real estate.

Hilary has spent nearly a decade crafting with gourds, and thoroughly enjoys it! She creates impressive gourd bowls, bird feeders, and Christmas ornaments among other outstanding gourd items. She also enjoys working with glass and creates lovely magnets. Another passion is handcrafting wooden buttons out of fallen tree branches. What an exciting addition these rustic buttons would be to a hand-knit sweater.

Hilary works in Florida, ships internationally, and can also be found on Etsy. If you have a particular color or design in mind, she would be happy to take a custom order. These painted treasures are absolutely fabulous!

Turning Wood

Uncovering the hidden beauty in a block of wood seems like an impossible task, but here's an Artfire shop (shop has closed-go to his website) that performs this task with great regularity. Steve of Steveswoodartanddesign has discovered his passion, working with wood, and makes one-of-a-kind bowls, candle holders, and specialty items. He not only can find the beauty in a single block of wood, but he glues different woods together to create elegant collaborations of color and grain.

If you would like to have your wooden artwork made from a specific wood, or in a particular pattern or finish, Steve will be happy to work with you in creating your vision. Trained in graphic design as well as woodworking, he is up to the challenge. Each of his unique art pieces is numbered, hand signed, and dated.

Steve crafts the heirloom pieces of tomorrow in California and ships internationally. His unique creations are found on his website.