Friday, April 30, 2010

My creative space


 I didn't have a camera yesterday, but I so much want to share this photo with you. 

I had an obsession that I have to have some old leather suitcases for keeping my knits in it and transporting them to different craft fairs. 
Besides the practical aspect they just look beautiful and nostalgic. 
However, it wasn't easy to find one. People who has them, are not so happy about selling or giving them away, unless the suitcase is broken. Or if they do, it costs a lot more than I'm willing to pay. 
A month ago I took my old clothes to charity shop and there they were! Two brown leather suitcases, almost identical, but one is a bit bigger than another. 

I had to pay only $5 for two suitcases. The shopkeeper said they would throw them away a day later, because no one wanted them for 2 years! Can you imagine how happy I was? 
I was looking for suitcases for ages and they just stood in a shop, two houses from my home and waited for 2 years to be found.

See more creative spaces in kootoyoo's blog! 

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Creative Estonia : innovation in Villatee blog


I don't know where I've been living, but I found this very inspiring Estonian blog just today and fell in love. Please visit Villatee even if you can't read Estonian, because photos are worth to visit.

Sometimes I'm sad that I have a full time job in newspapers. Why? Because unemplyed people can participate in the project that helps them to start working in crafts. I've heard a lot of positive comments about the course and a lot of people from their group have made real innovation in traditional crafts.

Heli from Villatee is one of them. She took regular Internet data cables and covered them with traditional Estonian national dress patterns. See how cute they look now!

Sometimes I don't understand where people take that kind of ideas? Yes, I can knit, I learned it from my mother years ago and I'm thankful for the basic knowledge I got from her, but there are times when I feel that I have a lack of creativity and imagination.
Once in a while I think I should recycle more and use old things for making something new, but then I hit the wall again: fine, I have some old sweaters, but what to do with them? Maybe I'm just pushed too much into stereotypes? Maybe I afraid too much that the result is not good? Maybe I should just try, even if the result is not the best at first?

Don't worry, most days I'm happy. Today I'm happy too. I like what I create. But somedays I feel that I was somewhere far away when great fantasy were spread around the world :)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Kalmer the teddy bear


 Do you remember my little niece Kaisu? She just celebrated her first birthday.
Kalmer the teddy bear had to be made for her birthday, but I didn't have an opportunity to finish it on time.

Making him was quite a challenge for me, because I haven't done toys before and I thought I never will. Tiny legs and hands plus clothing were finished in a week, next to other project I had to make.
I like the result and Kalmer (my coworkers gave him a name. Although I thought he looks more like a girl, they desiced that a boy's name is more suitable for him) will get some more bear friends soon!

Pattern is my own.
I will list him to my Etsy shop soon!