Etsy Euroweek 2011 - Another shop from Sweden

Hi

A few more days to go in my quest to promote all 50 European countries as part of Euroweek. This morning is the turn of yet another shop from Sweden - Lottalosten http://www.etsy.com/shop/lottalosten

I'm Lotta Losten and i live in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I got in to jewelry making about six years ago. I was studying theatre and my dream had always been to work as an actress. At my school there were also art classes. The pupils there had lovely art shows and I always felt a bit jealous of them. When they made something they could keep it that way forever. When you have a play it's new every time you go on stage. I love that about theatre but I really longed for something more lasting.


All I had to work with at home was a copper wire. And a piece of chrystal from an old chandelier. I wanted to make a leaf, with veins. And maybe the chrystal could be a tiny droplet on the leaf.


And that was my first earring.


I love how copper wire can transform into anything if you use your imagiination.
The things I can do today is so much more advanced than the ones I first did. That's really beautiful to me: That process when your hands learn more and more just by doing. Imagine what I can do in ten years!


I take a lot of pride in my work and the fact that all my designs are my own. No one has taught me how to do this, it's just me, my fingers and my brain. All my jewelry is made entirely by hand and every single piece is unique.

I still love the theatre and I'm hoping that I one day can combine my love for making jewelry, my acting and maybe even photography. That would be the best job ever!

During Euro week I offer a 10% discount off all items in my Etsy shop!

Etsy Euroweek 2011 - Another shop from Hungary

I have come across another Hungarian shop during Euroweek that I want to promote. The shop is called  Fibrillaria - http://www.etsy.com/shop/Fibrillaria selling lovely handspun organic yarns - Wow , just what I need !

This is their story

Our names are Cheryl and Roland Magyar and we live on an organic farm that we call Echo Tanya in Ópusztaszer, Hungary. We process the wool of the native Hungarian Racka sheep, a lovely coarse long-wool breed that we are trying to introduce to the world of fiber artists, both within the country and abroad. For the time being, we are processing the wool of local farmers, until the day we finally are able to afford our own flock - the pasture is ready and waiting!

It is very important for us to have as minimal an impact on the environment as possible. All the fiber we process is done without the use of electricity, in essence it is done by hand - everything from washing with the water heated up on our wood stove, to picking, carding, spinning, weaving and felting. It is a beautiful event to turn a raw fleece into a work of art!

Etsy Euroweek 20110 - A day in the life of......

I am still promoting Europena Etsy shops this week as part of Euroweek.

Today we are going to look into the life of the owner of SilkStory http://www.etsy.com/shop/silkstory a shop based in Lithuania. Please take a look at the items in her shop , you'll be amazed!

Morning 8am - I wake up and that is the first thing I see – the view from my window. It’s springtime officially now, yet the view tells me that there’s still some waiting I need to do. At least it’s warm inside my flat, and thus I rush to the shower thinking that in a few month’s time I’ll see beautiful sunny mornings through my window every day.

8.30am – Coffee time. It’s time to drink a cup of coffee and think about the new day and all the things I have to do and those that I might do (if I get some time). One teaspoon of sugar, and maybe a piece of bread or a tiny sweet biscuit – that’s a combination for a good start of the day! And so in half an hour I’m ready to do some serious work. 

8.40am – Breakfast. As I said, some bread will always make a day brighter. Especially when it’s soft and fresh!  and some eggs, too. I feel much better after breakfast. 

9am – Work begins. That is my studio room, and the tools that I use (I made them myself after constant dissatisfaction with the ones I bought). I make sure I get enough light whenever I paint, so my big window always helps.

10am – Still working. Well, actually I don’t know whether I can really call it ‘work’, because I enjoy it very much and it keeps me relaxed and dreamy. I am very concentrated when I work, but at the same time, I am calm and thoughtful. I hardly ever know what my imagination will produce until I finish the painting. Let’s see what happens this time... 

11am – The painting is now coming to life. A magic lizard has inhabited the silk scarf. 

My muse. Knutas, the cat, always stays close to me when I paint so that he could witness new silk stories with his critical eye. Of course, he always brings me inspiration. 

3pm – The scarf is finished, I am ironing it and contemplating the first half of the day. I think the colours are really lovely and dreamy, and I am quite happy with my day’s work. What do you think?

3.30pm – I hang the scarf next to the window so that I could see the afternoon light playing in its crinkles... I just like the effect of light and the see-through silk. I look at it for a few minutes and imagine the summer breeze blowing into my room through an open window. I know I need to be patient, and that summer will definitely be here in two month’s time, so I smile and continue with my day’s work. 

4pm – Dinner time! I cook for my family and try and make the dinner as healthy as possible. I choose the organic products and I put some honey (which I brought from the countryside) on the table for dessert. 

Dinner table looks colourful – I do like colours in everything! They just make your life beautiful, I believe. 

4.30pm – My family is having dinner together. I really value those precious moments, which are always nice, fun (we all share a good sense of humour!) and peaceful. 

The cat seems to be hungry too. He knows where I hide his food and he tries to take some. Of course, I will give some food to him (despite the fact that he has had some already!) because, as I said, it’s family dinner and he’s a part of the family too. 

5.30pm – The evening falls upon my little town and I go for a walk to meditate and to think about the day. It’s Friday after all, and I know that the weekend starts tomorrow. I’m thinking about all the things I could do...I look for inspiration in the faces of people that I pass by, I try to absorb all the colours of the evening in this early spring. It’s a little cold, I walk faster than I would if it was summer, but my walk is nonetheless pleasant and full of ideas. There are some stories that try to get told and I keep them in my head until I reach home and then I put them on the paper. I will paint and let them inhabit new silk scarves tomorrow morning. 

Thank you for spending a day with me and my stories. Stay warm and peaceful.

Zita."