Interview with INGERMAAIKE from Norway,Travelling Around Europe 4 - June

This Month we are going to Scandinavian part of Europe , NORWAY to meet with dear INGER aka Ingermaaike
I am sure most of EST  (Europeanstreetteam) fellows know her and her amazing FELTED creations !

Flower of felt MADE TO ORDER

Last week Inger was in Istanbul. We met with Inger in a dinner organized by Kris aka evihan. We had very enjoyable dinner, it was really big pleasure to meet "face to face" with  a super natural and straightforward  woman as Inger :)

Summer cloud nuno scarf

Let's learn more about Inger and her country Norway !

Tell us a bit about yourself , your daily routine: My days are simple and quiet mostly, I walk my dogs, create something,read a little, spend some time on the net. Nothing much spectacular or noteworthy. I love the silence of where I live. I can go walking for hours and not meet a single other person. The air is fresh and green and the sky is bluer than I have ever seen anywhere else.

Your horoscope : My horoscope isTaurus, but I have to admit that I do not believe the time at which I was born has any bearing on my character...my genes and upbringing are what make me what I am.

Your favorite foods: Turkish and Indonesian food are the most delicious!

Your favorite musics: I am no great music lover, but if pressed for a choice my all time faves are the Finn brothers from NewZealand.

Your favorite films: Anything by Tim Burton, I love films with a bit of a dark side pleasantly packaged in colorful humour.

The most thing you like ? - the most thing you hate ? : I love very much happiness and laughter and absolutely hate narrowminded negativity. Finding a problem is easy to do most people are too fast to think there is no solution and then moan about it..better spend that energy finding an improvement.

You are from an amazing Country, Could you give us Top 5 Reasons to visit  Norway ? We would like to hear your recommendations, please be our guide!

Norway is not a country you visit for the food, many ancient buildings or huge cultural offerings. They are to be found of course, but in limited supply. The land itself amply makes up for this by being utterly spectacular. Built up of rugged mountains and deep fjords you will find wilderness a plenty here. Far north the tundra and near permafrost can be found, hardly a tree you see on the windswept plains.

Close to where I live we have waterfalls, wild rivers for rafting, quiet lakes for padding and fishing, mountain trails that are well marked stretching from here to eternity. Across from my home on the other side of the river is the famous pelgrims route from Jerusalem via Santiago de Compostella to Nidaros.

Deer and elk are frequent visitors, there is even rumoured to be a bear living around these parts. Sheep run free all summer to be collected just before the frost starts.

6 Months of the year we are snow covered and cross country skiing is a national pasttime, trails are prepared that stretch for miles and miles. Close by we have 3 downhill skiing resorts which are frequented by those tired of the endless waiting lines in the Alps.

People wishing to be indoors and abhor getting dirty Norway is not the place, love of nature,wildness and a healthy stamina are required for enjoyment to the fullest.

There are 4 major cities in Norway well worth visiting, they are tiny compared to most cities in the world, but clean, safe and boasting wonderful architecture of the well known Norwegian wooden houses.

Let's talk about your art!

When and how did you start making felted creations? I started felting about 7 years ago after following a workshop. This one workshop gave me a good basic understanding of the mechanics of felting and from there on I just experimented. Searched far and wide for the perfect resources and supplies tomake soft felt that moves.

Fallen leaves felted scarf

Where can your creations be seen? On flickr, etsy and on my blog you will find many of my works and if you are interested in learning yourself you can follow classes on  http://craftedu.com/

When and how did you first become interested in your medium? Fiber has always been a big love of mine, any fiber. And if you take it to its widest interpretation also wood and leather can be included.

Did you have a formal training in your medium or attend any courses? One workshop and endless experimentation have led me to where I am now. I am hard to teach, far too stubborn ....

What do you enjoy most about working with your medium? I love the feel of fiber in my fingers, seeing how my skill improves. Learning is my passion!

Where do you find your inspirations for what you create? Nature is my muse, she is all around me. When I look out my window I see color,texture and shape as only nature can create, these I try to emulate, to create works that evoke the feeling of the magnificence of my country's nature .

Handmade indie artisan felted wrap skirt

Tell us a little about one of your favorite creations:I have no favorite, every next creation is my new favorite..

Handmade nunofelted summer wrap

Would you please tell about your creative space and studio set-up? For now the kitchen table is my space but soon I will have a huge barn to work in, start workshops and set up my tools.

What advise would you give someone starting out in this medium? Dare to use your imagination.

Custom made felted crown.

How has your country’s Culture influenced your art ? Not so much the culture as the nature which is all around me.

Are there any artist that inspire you or that you admire? I am not very much at home in the art world, but Klimt (http://www.gustavklimtcollection.com/  )has always had a special place in my heart. I love the colors and shapes used.

Anything else you wish to share? Life is fun, laugh,dance and be merry. It will make others happy too which is the best gift anyone can give.

Thank you so much for this great interview dear Inger, it was really pleasure to know you! If you would like to see Inger's  other great creations, please have a look at her magical shop : http://www.etsy.com/shop/ingermaaike

Interview with LABSPACE from Italy -Travelling Around Europe 3

This Month we are going to Italy to meet with  a superwomen Rachel aka Labspace  She is just in her 39, she is a mom of 5 children, she is very dynamic and energetic, and her bag designs are awesome!

SHAR PEI - little bag for iPhone           

                  

RAGGEDY CUSTARD and CREAM - little bag for iPhone

Let's learn more about Rachel and her amazing country Italy!

Tell us a bit about yourself , your daily routine:

Hello, my name is Rachel, I am 39 years old but I still feel like I am 18, and I think that my physical aspect is somewhere in between the two. I have been blessed with an unusually varied background, ethnically, geographically and culturally-speaking: Chinese mother, Swiss father, and Italian husband.

I speak 5 languages fluently (French, Mandarin Chinese, English, Italian and German), have lived in 5 different countries (3 continents), married my sweetheart whom I met when I was 17 and we now have 5 children and are still rocking the world! I wish there could be a 48-hour day so that I could have triple the time to do all my things and STILL sleep 12 hours (oh, how I wish...!)

My typical weekday: I get up at 7 in the morning and turn into the human alarm-clock for the rest of the family. They all answer “oh could you please come back and call me in another 5 minutes?” and when I get stressed my husband goes “Oh just relax will you”--- can you guess the effect on me? Good! So I needn’t tell you! Thank goodness we can joke about it afterwards. I switch on the PC and whilst I wait for it to get started, I brush my teeth, tie back my hair, slap on the first clothes I can find and help the little ones get ready. I try to check my email, sites, weather forecast in 5 minutes flat... and sometimes get lost in navigation! The eldest children turn up with all the school papers they should have had me sign the day before and other boring requests, or other last-minute news like “I won’t be home for lunch today OK?”, then if there isn’t fresh bread I run out to get some. I sew a seam whilst I walk past my worktable (which is bang in the middle of everything, ‘cause it’s the only way I can ever get any sewing done)

Workspace of Labspace

Meanwhile the three eldest are out the door and my two younger ones are stuffing their faces with cereal instead of the fresh bread I just bought. I pack some snacks in their schoolbags, burn my throat with a mug of hot tea, get the hiccups for eating my bread too quickly, and go drop the children off at school. Then I’m off to work. I am an architect, I have a partner and we redo appartments (see our website: http://www.hg2.it/  ). I love my job, I can manage my hours with a certain amount of flexibility so I try to keep it all to mornings... and nights. So about midday my alarm goes off and I finish whatever meeting or sitework that I’m doing (I get so engrossed in it that I need to have an alarm to remember the time)

RE-DOING AN APPARTMENT

and head towards home, organizing food shopping and lunch along the way. Children and husband are all home for lunch, every single day! Some days I truly run out of menu ideas, but something has to be put on the table, so that’s that: somehow, I get lunch ready. It’s really good to always sit down to meals together. Afternoons, it’s a jigsaw puzzle of children’s activities: sports, invites, extra classes, catechism, teacher’s meetings, etc. and I have designed, I think, the most incredible graphical timetable to keep a grip on the situation. I have made copies of it just in case, because if I ever lost the Family Masterplan then it would be complete and utter chaos! In all the in-between moments (ranging from 5 to 30 minutes) either fit in some sewing for my Etsy shop, or PC drafting for my architectural work.

WORKING “IN-BETWEEN”

I go bellydancing twice a week in the evening, even if I am dead tired, because it really recharges my batteries.

BELLYDANCE

Evenings after dinner are another act of juggling, between getting the children to bed and trying to get my own things done. I sometimes stay up late even though I love to sleep, because there just aren’t enough hours in a day. Wednesday evenings in Rome there is a very special roller-blading event I love to attend even though I can rarely make it: all year round, from 9pm until midnight, it’s skating delirium along the streets of the centro with the Pincio group (check them out on http://www.pincio.com/  ) so if you are a sk8er be sure to bring your rollers when you come to Rome and join in the fun!

My typical Saturday: motorcycling time for hubby & I! He coached me completely 15 years ago because I did not like being a passenger (I am so proud that he is proud of me!), so we each drive our own bike, and dedicate this special time to ourselves, either just the two of us or with some biker friends. We head towards the countryside or track and just unplug from our daily routine.

BIKING

My typical Sunday: mass at 10 o’clock, in the afternoon if the weather is good we all go rollerblading, if not we chill out at home doing crafts or watching dvds or having friends around.

FAMILY ROLLERBLADING

Your horoscope : libra

Your favorite foods: Chinese, Japanese, Italian. I like just about anything except brains and kidney, but then again I love duck’s tongue and chicken-feet, Chinese-style--- and I know what you’re thinking.

Your favorite musics: Queen/Freddy Mercury, L’Aura, Abba, Green Day, Erasure, Tiziano Ferro, Pink

Your favorite films: “Cheaper by the Dozen”, “Das Leben der Anderen” (The Lives of Others), Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts”, “Sunshine”, “Splash” with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, “Forrest Gump”, Suzanne Bier’s “Once in a Lifetime” and “After the Wedding”, “Apocalypto”

The thing you like most? - the thing you hate most? : I most love the smell of my children and husband, the patter of rain on the roof, watching a storm from somewhere warm and dry, the crunch of wheels on gravel. I hate hypocrisy, laziness, cross-communication, bossiness. Andd sorting out the family socks! ::)))

You are from an amazing Country, Could you give us Top 5 reasons to visit Amazing ITALY ? We would like to hear your recommendations, please be our guide !
Here are my 5 main reasons for visiting our country:


1. The people (the warmth, passion, noise, tradition, humour)

2. The food (vegetables and fruit taste of sun, literally)

 

3. The weather (light here falls in rays of gold and dust)

4. The beauty of its islands, cities and landscapes

5. Art in all its forms

For a more intense taste of Italy, and some of the latest news on beauty and creation, come have a look at our Etsy Italia Team blog: http://etsyitaliateam.blogspot.com/

When and how did you start making your handmade creations?

I began to create ever since I was very young: my mother always made sure that we never lacked drawing and crafting materials, and she always encouraged us greatly.

Where can your creations be seen?
On my Etsy shop: http://www.labspace.etsy.com/
On my blog: http://labspaceworld.blogspot.com/
On my website: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/lab.space/

What do you enjoy most about working with your creations?
Letting my Thinking Hands take over: it’s like a sort of magic. I never quite know what I will be ending up with, I let the materials speak to me along the way. I love to “surprise myself”.

Where do you find your inspirations for what you create?
In the beginning I got inspired when I looked for something that did not exist, or did exist but is not quite as I wished it to be. So I tried to make it for myself. For example, that is why I started making clothes: what I found in shops was never QUITE right: too loose, or too short, or not my colour... then I began making little bags for iPhones because I wanted to hang my phone on me in a certain manner, but I could only find protective cases, sleeves or pouches without shoulder straps. Besides I had so much leftover material, sometimes quite small pieces, that I just could not bring myself to throw away, and now I had found a new use for them. The kick I get out of creating happens when I feel that everything is “falling into its right place”. More recently, through my participation in a couple of Etsy teams (EtsyItalia and EuropeanStreetTeam) I have found team challenges to be extremely inspiring and to take me in new directions.

Tell us a little about one of your favorite creations:
One of my favourite creations is a large one by one metre wooden board I painted with my children with acrylic paints, depicting the world, all its animals and seasons. It used to be a homemade coffee table with wooden stumps as legs and a crystal top to protect the painting, but everyone always sat on it and one day the glass cracked and the legs came off, so now I’m keeping it safely tucked away until I find the right place to display it. I love it dearly because we made it together.

Would you please tell about your creative space and studio set-up?

I very rarely can actually sit down quietly and steep myself in a meditative, creative atmosphere. Basically, I am constantly creating in the midst of chaos. I wish I could turn on my favourite music but the children broke the stereo (and I never fixed or replaced it) so I am usually making things with other sorts of background noises, such as: children bickering, Hello Kitty and Mister Bean soundtracks, someone else’s phone conversations! That is also because my so-called studio or rather, open studio space (haha!) is strategically placed bang in between one flight of steps and the next, so that I can keep everything under control. I thus never “retire” to create, and my creative process is quite like juggling: whilst the pasta is on the boil, or whilst I am waiting for one of the children to tie his or her shoelaces on our way somewhere.

Has your country’s Culture influenced your creations ?
Oh surely, definitely. All “my” countries have, I think, in some way or other, influenced my creations. Do you know the saying that goes “you are what you eat”? Well I think you also “create what you are”, I think creation is a distillation of what is within you and that of course is also to do with who you are, and where you have lived and live.

Are there any fashion designers that inspire you or that you admire?
This probably contradicts my previous answer, but no: I do not thnk that I can look to any designer in particular because I have always steered clear from fashions and trends as it were, and I do not have any direct sources of influence. That said, I am sure that influence rubs off nilly-willy and none of us can abstract ourselves completely from the culture we are soaked in, so my elaboration is perhaps a global, all-encompassing and subconscious one.

Anything else you wish to share?
I would like to thank my sister-in-law for introducing me to Etsy: it has opened up a whole new world to me! It is incredibly exciting and enriching to be able to share a creative passion with so many talented and fascinating people. It is a new learning experience. Also, thank you so much Sebnem for hosting me.

Interview :HEARTSHAPEDCREATIONS from GREECE /Travelling Around Europe with great Artisans

I have just started an interview series which is about travelling arround EUROPE, meet great creative artisans, learn more about them and their amazing countries!

Our first destination is our neighbour country Amazing GREECE!

We are going to Athens to meet with Maria from heartshapedcreations.etsy.com

She is a great polymer clay artist, she makes so pretty and cute polymer clay creations and her motto is “"Clay creations made from the heart"

Angel Piglet With Golden Wings Pendant

Let’s learn more about Maria and her great Country!

Tell us a bit about yourself, your daily routine:
I usually wake up at 09:00 and when I don’t have lessons (I study to get my Master’s degree in Business Administration), I study, spend time in Etsy or make my new crafting ideas come to life.
Your horoscope:
I’m a Scorpio! It’s funny coz everytime I mention my sign, people tend to freak out :-D I guess, Scorpios have a reputation of being rather “difficult” and some people react negatively towards Scorpios, coz they might have been stung in the past by one. Personally, I’m a nice and easy-going Scorpio unless you try to harm me or the people I care the most, then my sting is ready and armed :-D
Your favorite foods: 
 I’m very fond of pasta, home-made pizza and any kind of salads. Your favorite music:
I have always been listening mostly to Rock music. During the past few years, I listen to symphonic/rock metal, ambient and Celtic music.
Your favorite films:
There are lots of films that have engraved in my memory over the years. Some of my most beloved movies are: The LOTR Trilogy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Seven, The Phantom Of The Opera, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Coppola’s Dracula, Interview With A Vampire. I’m also very fond of cartoons… Ice Age, Ratatouille and Finding Nemo are among my favs.
The most thing you like? - the most thing you hate ?
 I hate hypocrisy in people, egoism and those individuals who approach the others in order to gain something. People who are true, respect themselves and the others are traits that I always appreciate

You are from an amazing Country, Could you give us TOP 10 Reasons to visit Amazing GREECE ? We would like to hear your recommendations, please be our guide :- )

Thank you!!! :-) Here are 10 reasons why someone should visit Greece:

Parthenon

1) Greece offers beautiful holiday destinations both in the summer and in the winter time that can be equally enjoyed whether you are traveling with your family or friends

2) To visit the numerous archeological sites

Heredos_Atticus                                                       Erextheion

 3) Greece is the birthplace of democracy and the Olympic Games

4) For the natural beauty of our country. Especially in the summer, having vacation in one of the many Greek islands will be a cherished memory that will stay with you forever

5) The hospitality and friendliness of the people

6) The delicious food

7) The warm and sunny climate

8) The nightlife

9) To watch theatre and music shows

10) To discover why so many people have fallen in love with Greece and would like to visit it again and again :-D

Great information about Greece, thank you Maria! Let's talk about your art...

What is your artistic medium?
Polymer Clay

Angel Bear Hanging Ornament

Where can your art be seen?

My work can be found in my Etsy Shop: http://www.heartshapedcreations.etsy.com/

And galleries with my work can be seen in the following sites:

http://heartshapedcreations.deviantart.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/39911550@N06/  

When and how did you first become interested in your medium?
I started working with clay a few years ago, completely by accident, as I came across this medium in a craft-store. That strong urge to buy some blocks of clay and experiment is something that I can’t explain even to this very day.

Did you have a formal training in the arts or attend art courses?

 No, never

What do you enjoy most about working with your medium?
First of all, I’m always excited with how ideas form into my head. There are many times when I have a brainstorming right before I go to bed. I usually take notes on my cell-phone or in a little notepad that I keep next to me before I sleep. Then, what I truly enjoy is creating something from a zero point. A little piece of clay can be magically turned into anything you can think of. This is what I love the most…seeing a shapeless material that is given life by working with your heart and soul to transform it into something.

Summer Bunny Polymer Clay Figure

Where do you find your inspirations for what you create?

My inspiration mostly comes from nature, animals and fantasy creatures

 Baby Seals And Penguin Polymer Clay Figure              Spring Witch Polymer Clay Figure

Tell us a little about one of your favorite creations:

My favourite creation is a little white sheep that was the first one I ever made. It has been my mascot ever since and that little guy always finds a place near me whenever I work to give me inspiration

Sheep Magnet Polymer Clay figurine

Would you please tell about your creative space and studio set-up?

Generally, I wish my working space to be as tidy as possible. I can’t concentrate or feel relaxed when there is mayhem around me :-) I want to be able to have everything I need within reach, therefore I have small boxes where I keep my blocks of clay, my beads etc, etc. I usually prefer a room that is well lit by natural light and I tend to listen to peaceful and soothing music while I work.

What advise would you give someone starting out in this medium?

As with everything new, it requires a lot of patience and practice. At first, the results may not look very satisfactory, but if it’s something you really want to do and put a lot of effort and time, you will start feeling more and more content by the outcome as you go on.

Anything else you wish to share?

I wanted to thank Sebnem for honoring me with this wonderful interview. It has been a real pleasure! Thank you!

-Thank YOU so much dear MARIA for this beautiful interview, and for sharing your artistic journey and great information and pics about Amazing GREECE!