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.

Autumn butterfly

Autumn is upon us! With very few bushes still in bloom we see less and less of beautiful butterflies. They will be all gone pretty soon. I took a picture of this beautiful butterfly in our front yard. It will help me remember warm days and beautiful colors of autumn!

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!

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!