Needle felted toys, mini birds and animals by Natasha Belova

Amazing needle felted miniature birds and animals by Natasha Belova. Each felted animal is a brooch and could be pinned to a jacket or a coat. The colors are amazing and the craftsmanship is of the highest order. All these pins and brooches could be great small gifts for your loved ones. In addition to pins Natasha makes toys. Each toy is needle felted of wool and other natural fibers and has a personality of its own.



Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Natasha and I live in a small city Zhukovsky in Russia. I work as a graphic designer in a local company. I've always loved to create with my hands. When I was in my twenties I used to sew and paint. I've discovered the magical world of felting many years ago and have been experimenting with felting ever since. I've started hand making small needle felted toys and pins about three years ago. They were small gifts for dear friends at first. Later, I began selling my felted animals at shows and through local shops.



In 2014 I've finally decided to open my Etsy shop znmystery. When I have free time (mostly after work) I make miniature bird and animal pins and brooches.



What are your main sources of inspiration?

I always get inspired by nature that offers such a wide variety of species in all shapes and colors. Nothing can compare to the world around us! My owls, finches, hedgehogs, rabbits have all been modeled on amazing birds and animals that live in nature. I try to spend as such time outside as possible. I love to travel, to take strolls in local forests and parks. I'm into mushroom picking that is quite popular in my region. I use only natural and organic materials for my pins, brooches and toys. Wool, silk, cotton, linen are an integral part of nature. By using them I try to pass a small part of nature on to whoever buys my birds and animals.

Hand embroidered accessories by Galaborn

I'm sure many of us own one or two hand embroidered pillows or wall decorations inherited from our grand mothers. Often times hand embroidery brings memories of the past and something old fashioned. However, nowadays hand embroidery got a new twist. A few very talented and creative artists made hand embroidery fashionable again. One of them is Gala of Galaborn who lives in São Paulo, Brazil.



Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm originally from Russia. Some time ago I moved to Brazil with my husband and that changed my life completely. I feel like I belong to the whole world now and can pretty much live in any place. I started my on-line shop a few years ago. Having an on-line shop gives me a lot of flexibility. I can plan my own day and yet I'm able to do something I really love.



How did you start?

I started with making gifts for my friends and family. People I know really loved my items and started ordering not only small hand embroidered accessories but home decoration pieces as well. The word spread around and before I knew it I was hand embroidering items for my clients. The time has come to open my own shop. I believe that each piece should not only be beautiful but unique. It has to have its own character and style. I've graduated from an art and design school in Russia and my training helps me a lot.



What inspires you?

Folk ornaments and crafts inspire me a lot. Sometimes my friends come up with a new idea and share it with me. I very much love what I do and this positive attitude somehow makes me very creative and productive. I know that eventually every piece will find its owner and will be mailed to a place far away.



I really like to work with natural fabrics and yarns like cotton and linen. They are so great to work with. They basically radiate positive energy and are a real thing. Most of my embroidery is done on thick cotton by cotton threads. I try to use only natural and eco friendly supplies. My buttons are made of wood or coconut shell. They have unique designs and shapes as I pay a lot of attention to details. I very much believe in handmade and in every item being totally unique and special.

Greeting cards embroidered and cross stitched by AleksandraRoo

As the holiday season is approaching we will be looking for greeting cards for our friends and family members. There are great artists out there who hand embroider and cross stitch greeting cards turning them into art objects. One of the amazing greeting cards' artist is Aleksandra of AleksandraRoo.



Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
Originally I am from Russia, but today I live in a beautiful American city Pittsburgh (go Steelers!) with my husband Buzz and our precious Maltese Chewy. Me and my husband met 4 years ago and since then I couldn’t imagine my life without him – I had to travel half way around the world to find my best friend and my love. I am an Early Education teacher by day (I convert terrible twos into little individuals), and a craftoholic by night.



How did you start?
There was a time when I had 24 hours a day to myself. I wasn’t able to work nor go to school at that time, so I decided I will teach myself graphic software, something that I was – and still am – so passionate about (my dream was to make 2D animation films). I learned Photoshop and Illustrator, and was fascinated by what you can do with colors. I think my love for crafts started just then. I found myself crocheting, making wire jewelry, quilling, scrapbooking, cross stitching, sewing (you name it, I’ve done it). I think I’ve found a creative volcano inside me that was waiting to erupt. I couldn’t decide on what to focus my attention, so I kept on going. 4 years later I find that the best creations I make are the ones that combine two different crafts in one finished product.



What are your main sources of inspiration?
Minimalism has been my very early inspiration (thanks to my older brother Vladimir). I love being able to send a strong message by using only few (yet enough) elements in my cards. I often like to use a single element and let one’s imagination do the rest. Being an Early Education teacher I know how important it is not to give away all the secrets at once and let children figure out the rest – something that a grown up definitely can benefit from, as well.
My two year old friends are my great source of inspiration also: genuine, honest, and joyful. I can not create anything but greeting cards filled with happiness.

Along with my minimalistic nature, I am an extreme perfectionist. I constantly try to have my finished products looking polished, clean, and simply perfect. If something doesn’t look right, I start from the beginning. I am very harsh on myself when it comes down to my crafting (and everything else, really). But I know one thing - it all worth the time.

Colorful hand made bird brooches by Moloco

From time to time I come across amazing artists who make unique and special hand made items. This time bright and colorful birds of different shapes and sizes caught my eye. They are so happy and positive that it's impossible to ignore them. Colorful birdies turned out to be felted brooches created by a talented artist Marina of Moloco.



Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Marina and I'm from Kiev, Ukraine. I work as an architect and designer but my true passion is hand making. I sew and stitch in my spare time creating different accessories out of natural fibers. To decorate I add embroidery of my own design.



I've been creating my little birds for some time now and have accumulated many birds of different designs and colors. At some point I've decided I have to share all my little birdies with the world and opened my own on-line shop. My birds are for people who love and appreciate unique handmade things just as I appreciate handmade creations by so many talented artists around me.



Many items that surround us in our everyday life inspire me. I find my inspiration in architecture, landscapes, beautiful interiors and traditional embroidery.
My favorite fibers are felt, wood and cotton. Natural fibers are the best to work with. They are so pleasant to touch and beautiful to look at!

Embroidery and stitching on unconventional materials by STEDI

So many wonderful artists work in traditional techniques of embroidery and stitching. Some of the best items were inspired by folk ornaments and designs, others by pieces by great artists of the past and present. Yet it's not often we come across an artist who creates her embroidery and stitches on unconventional materials like wall racks, shelf key holders, bed headboards. I've recently got to know Lena of STEDI who does just that.



Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Russia. For the past 13 years I've been living in Utrecht, Netherlands. I'm a fashion designer by training and spent many years working for different fashion labels. These days fashion design is all about computers and I love being able to actually make things with my hands. As a designer I like to combine different styles, fibers and objects. I like to try out new ways of decorating every day objects we are so used to.
Traditionally embroidery is applied on different fabrics. However, if one has necessary tools he or she can embroider pretty much anything.



How did you start?

We started adding embroidery to simple items everyone has in his or her household. When I add embroidery to coat-hangers, small shelves, racks they turn into different objects with their own style. Such objects radiate new energy and add style and coziness to every home.
Our first ever embroidered item was our bed. My husband came up with a design and I embroidered its headboard. The idea was to create a country style bed with embroidery made of raw wool threads of different colors. Although the original ornament was pretty simple, the bed turned out to be a great addition to our bedroom. Since then we worked on numerous objects using different stitching and embroidery techniques.



What are you sources of inspiration?

My family helps me a lot in creating my embroidered objects. My husband who has some technical background helps me with his knowledge of different types of materials and textures. My children inspire me to create my designs. The name STEDI is actually a combination of my children's names: Stefan and Diana.
I get a lot of inspiration from just looking at old embroidery patterns.



What are your plans for the future?

I constantly come up with new ideas. Small embroidery holes I make to let thread through gave me an idea of a new design. I enlarged those holes and started wrapping them in bright threads. Such bright holes look very contemporary and stylish. I'm currently making a few items embroidered in that way.
I plan on developing my metal embroidery techniques. The combination of metals and fiber threads looks very unique and fresh. This process is extremely difficult and time consuming but the result is always fantastic!
I try to recycle and upcycle as much of my materials as possible. There is no need to by new wood panels when one can always use pieces of old furniture or scraps from large furniture producing companies.



While hand making my unique embroidered pieces I get very happy and inspired. I believe that my clients get much of that happiness and inspiration from my objects incorporating them in their everyday life.

Hand embroidered jewelry by Skrynka

Many countries have deeply routed traditions of folk music, art and dance. It's amazing to look into how people used to live centuries ago and how they tried to make their lives bright and beautiful by decorating their homes with traditional ornaments. I find Eastern European folk art quite unique and inspiring. I've recently come across a fantastic artist Natalka of Skrynka who creates distinctive and beautiful hand embroidered and cross stitched jewelry and home decor pieces.



Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Natalka. I live in Ukraine. I've been sewing, knitting and hand making items since I was a child. However, embroidery is my main passion. I may occasionally fall in love with a different technique or fiber but I always come back to my main obsession which is embroidery and cross stitching.

I'm a mom of a 2 years old and try to share time between my family and my business of making folk inspired jewelry. I dream about developing my business into something feasible one day. I would love to travel, see the world together with my family or even move to a place next to the sea. It's all in the plans for now. I hope one day I'll be able to combine my dreams and aspirations with my business and family life.



How did you start?

I started embroidering and cross stitching when I was a small child. I used to embroider large images but my true passion was always unique Ukrainian folk ornaments and patterns. I dreamed about combining folk embroidery with contemporary art and craft.
Soon after I had my son I decided it's time to turn my hobby into a business. I started making cross stitched jewelry and home decor items. Most importantly people like what I create. It's such a great pleasure to make items that actually inspire other people and make them happy.



What are your main sources of inspiration?

My main source of inspiration is traditional Ukrainian ornaments and patterns. I collect pictures of old traditional folk dresses such as blouses, skirts, festive towels, etc. I often visit our local museum of ornamental and folk art. I also collect books about old and traditional home decorations, designs and Ukrainian medieval clothes.

Each region has its own distinctive patterns and colors. I've noticed that nations living on different continents sometimes have somewhat similar ornaments and patterns. I keep finding similarities between Ukrainian folk embroidery and embroidery of native Americans and Mexicans.



What fibers do you work with?

I mostly work with natural and eco friendly fibers. I prefer to work with linen fabrics, wool felt and rarely with eco-friendly manufactured felt. To create my jewelry pieces I use lead-free and nickel-free jewelry making supplies. I take it seriously and have an equipment set up at home to check levels of different metals in my supplies. It's always better to double-check suppliers and make sure items I use for jewelry making are lead and nickel free. I myself have very sensitive ears and, thus, always use only non-sensitizing ear hooks for my earrings.



Our planet is suffering from over development and over use. I believe that we should all be concerned about the future of our planet. Even small improvements we could do to make our life more eco-friendly will benefit our planet and us as a result. I strongly believe that by buying hand made items people not only get high quality and unique things made with love but help individual artists and their families to keep their creative process alife. It makes a big difference for everyone!

Art clock by Anna Gaponova

We all put a lot of effort into making our homes look beautiful and cozy. There are so many ways to add color and style to our living room or our kitchen. I’ve recently come across a very talented artists Anna Gaponova from ArtClock. Anna hand paints wall clock to create unique and special art objects.



Q: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Anna and I live in Kharkiv, Ukraine. I’ve always been into drawing and painting. It all started as a hobby but later painting became my profession. My clocks are not just art objects. I paint on wooden plates and turn them into real clock that can serve both as a functional decoration and a piece of art.



Q: How have you come up with an idea of painting on clock?

I’ve painted my first clock two years ago. I had an old vinyl record at hand and decided to turn it into a wall clock. The process of painting and creating new clock-faces turned out to be so exciting that I’ve been making clocks ever since. Within time I substituted vinyl to wood and all my clocks have a wood base now. Since every painting is different and unique I hand cut all wood pieces myself. I don’t want to outsource anything and make sure every part of the clock is done the way it should be done.



Q: What inspires you?

I find my inspiration in folk, native ornaments and decorations of different peoples living all over the world. African, Mexican, Indian patterns and color combinations always serve as a huge source of inspiration for me. Everyday encounters can make me start thinking about a new image for my clocks be it a unique color combination or music accidentally overheard in a street.

My stylized drawings of elephants, turtles and fish serve as symbols of peace, love and happiness. I very much hope these images truly bring positive energy and luck to homes they settle in.

Thank you, Anna!

Unique and beautiful paper art by Anatoly Vorobyev

Paper is a unique material. It’s fragile, delicate on one hand and flexible, versatile on the other hand. Art pieces made of paper look timeless and amazingly beautiful. I’ve recently came across a unique artist Anatoly Vorobyev who works with paper and creates one of a kind paper cut silhouettes, shadow boxes and art paper cutouts. His art work is so beautiful and exclusive that I couldn’t resist posting an interview with Anatoly on my blog.



Q: How have you started your paper cutout adventure?

I first developed an interest in making origami and modular paper sculptures in 2009. Later I’ve switched to paper cutouts. It’s an ancient technique that has been known for centuries. Over time many nations have developed their own unique styles and approaches to working with paper. I’ve got so fascinated by the possibilities provided by a simple sheet of paper. We often associate paper with books and publishing and rarely think about it as an art object.



Q: What amazes you in the process of cutting paper?

I love to combine traditional styles and techniques creating something completely new and unique. It’s such a joy to see how step by step a plain and pure piece of paper is turning into an art object. I like to experiment, mix and try something new. Every step of the process is aesthetically very rewarding be it drawing a silhouette or cutting a piece of paper.



Q: What are sources of inspiration?

I spend a lot of time outside and nature is my major source of inspiration. Plants, birds, animals make me thing about my future designs. Folk ornaments, vintage lace, mythological creatures and characters of favorite books, music, movies are great sources of inspiration as well.

When I see an interesting ornament or a unique pattern I start thinking about paper and how this object could be turned into a paper cutout or a shadow box.

Anatoly, thank you for sharing!