Friday is my day: Silkstory

Today we will travel to mystical world of silk painting and stories told by great Lithuanian artist Zita from silkstory.etsy.com
Have a wonderful inspiring day!

Silk original painting. Morning. one of a kind art piece from europe

by: silkstory

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 (that keeps me going on gloomy days like this Friday).

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 (even when it’s a little gloomy outside – like today).

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.

Friday is my day: La Marquise des Anges

Today we will head to sunny and beautiful France and meet beautiful Sabine from lamarquisedesanges.etsy.com
She has a lovely little French boutique full of pretty things; embellished T-shirts, jewellery,accessories and house decorations. Enjoy your day!

CHAMPAGNE embellished women tee shirt size S, M, L , XL or XXL

by: lamarquisedesanges

around 7 am . the day is starting and I wake up calmly in my beloved bedroom . Not alarm clock for me. The moment my eyes are open and my feet are on the floor I am totally awake and ready for the day to come. I first open the fences and I grab my soft long cardigan , and my slippers, right in front of my bed. I go straight to the living room to say hello to my furry companions, to open the fences and to put some wood in the fireplace. I then kiss my sweet husband goodbye.

around 7.30 Then it is time to go to the bathroom. It is one of my very favorite place in the house. We moved in our "nest" more than one year ago and we have been working pretty hard to arrange. There is still a,lot to do . We have totally redone the bathroom from the floor to the ceiling. We made everything by ourself and we are very happy with the result . we wanted something peaceful...quiet.

After a shower , some make up , here what I look like :

Around 8.15 am . back to the kitchen-living-room - dining room (it is an open space). I already start cleaning and to tidy things around me while the water (for my tea) is boiling, and the bread is in the toaster (I LOVE toasted bread smell) . This is what my typical breakfast is : very hot tea, toasted bread or brioche with butter from Normandie and jam. I eat while watching the news.I have to resist from the temptation to swithc on the laptop but I make a pioint of honor to enjoy my breakfast to be in a good shape to start up the day.

now it is time to check emails, orders, messages more attentively. I just deal with the urgence and set up a priority list (in my head). time for some housecleaning. If things are not arrange and clean around me I can't really feel comfortable doing anything else. now it is time to spend some time on my emails, on twitter on the forums...

I finish packing the orders that have to be send today and get ready to go to the post office .

Then I drove to my suppliers to get the materials I need for the completed transaction I have had and to work on the new design I have in my head.

Friday is also the day I visit one of my favorite vintage place . here what I got today .

11.50 am I am taking HIRO my beloved border collie for his daily dogwalk. sometimes we just walk in the neighborhood but as I can't unleash him, I really prefer going in lovely places in the countryside. the good point is I don't have to go very far. as this lovely little village : we walk and play a little and we practise exercises too. This moment is very important and is a perfect way to make a break to a non stop day.

back home in time to check my mailbox : one of my favorite moment .

lunch time with a slice of quiche and some salad from my Father in law 's garden and a piece of cake . I baked them yesterday's evening as we had guests at home.

I always try to make all the things that took me out during the morning; so that I don't have to move again and I am more productive. I will now be sewing and working , working working.... from now on to 7 pm.

the ligh was pretty today I had some time to make a little photo shoot session for the upcoming euro week

around 5 pm. I just take little snack break : fruit. today it will be an apple.

I start fixing dinner around 7 pm while taking care of the internet aspect of my shop. Once my beloved JP is home we share a little one to one moment drinking a glass of rosé in front of the fireplace, chating about the day . After dinner, we finish preparing together we watch TV on the sofa, with the 3 four legged companions. I most of the time sew several hours, or work on blog post , advertising campaigns ...

around midnight to 1.00 am then I love reading a little bit before sleeping, as I need to calm down with the energy and passion I feel in my veins ....reading is a hobby since I am a little girl and it always manage to calm me down... I feel so well in my lovely bedroom, my husband reading by my side too.

good night ...

Friday is my day: Maari

I hope you are wearing enough warm clothes because today we will travel up above the Artic Circle, to beautiful and peaceful Northern Finland and meet Maari from maari.etsy.com
She is a ceramic artist who loves nature and raku.
Please visit and ♥ her lovely shop after the trip!

Wholesale Lot - Set of 10 OOAK Koivu Raku Birch Eggs - Assorted Colors - Shipping Included to USA, Canada and Europe
by: Maari

My Day Is Friday
I usually wake up at 6 A.M. I eat my breakfast and enjoy my coffee in a leisurely way while reading the paper. After reading the paper, I get on the computer and check my e-mails, etc. I leave for work around 8:30 A.M.
My transportation to work!
Just kidding!
I wanted to show you one unusual mode of transportation we use here in Lapland; the kicksled! It is an ecological way to get around without pollution or noise and a great exercise. It is made out of Finnish birch, of course! I do use mine occasionally, but not often enough. Today, I actually drove, because it was quite cold and crispy outside. The temperature was -22 Celsius (about -7.5 Fahrenheit). I live in Sodankylä, Finland, which is located in the region of Lapland 130 km (80 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The house in the background is my home and the trees in the yard are my "home birches" that are an endless source of inspiration for my raku art.
Kicksled up close.
Closer shot of the wintry birch trees in my yard.
I pass the Kitinen River on my way to work. The frozen river is a shortcut for many pedestrians. School children have their cross-country skiing gym classes on the river this time of year. There are several snowmobile paths there as well. I have even seen cars drive on the frozen river!
If I’m kicksledding, bicycling or walking I pass the Old Church on my way to work. It is a wooden church built in 1689.
If I’m driving I pass the New Church, built in 1859. Both churches are very close to my workshop, which is located in the "Church Park" area.
My workshop is located in the old fire station of Sodankylä. Hence, the big tower. The building will soon be demolished and I will need to find a new location for my workshop.
The front door of my workshop.
Inside my workshop where I have my workspace and a little shop.
Today, I’m glazing raku eggs that are part of my Koivu Collection inspired by birch trees, which we have everywhere in Finland. The eggs have already been ceramic fired and are getting their "Koivu" glaze now. "Koivu" means birch in Finnish.
Tiles, vases, owls and bells ready to be glazed and raku fired. I do my raku firing outside in my yard at home. I have a raku firing day just about every two weeks. It is always a very LONG and tiring day, because I have to make sure that everything that I have ceramic fired and glazed up to that point gets raku fired. I love the raku technique, because you can’t control the outcome of the final product.
Raku is multi-stage and laborious, where ceramics are fired outside in flames and the smoke of the kiln gives a captivating finish. After quickly reaching a temperature of about 1000 degrees Celsius (1800 Fahrenheit) the item is then placed in a tin container filled with wood chips, pine twigs or sawdust that catch on fire. The thermal shock causes cracklings that become black with the smoke. The item is then dipped in cool water or snow (we have a lot of that on hand in Lapland!), which sets the final design for the network of cracklings characteristic to raku, making each item a one of a kind piece. My favorite part of raku is the surprise at the end!
My Raku tile depicting the "Old Church" of Sodankylä.
Koivu Vases ready to ship. After the raku firing I sand any rough parts of the piece so it is smooth to the touch. The Koivu vase is my best seller. It is an especially popular wedding gift.
Today I'm getting a shipment of clay. That just about wraps it up for the work today. I need to go home and get ready for a trip to the cabin, which is about 40 km (25 miles) away in the middle of the woods with no accessible roads so we need to go there with the snowmobile.
On a snowmobile ready to go to the cabin for some rest and relaxation.
I took this picture on my previous trip to the cabin, but wanted to show you what it looks like in daylight. It is a one-room cabin with a loft sleeping area and a sauna. It has no electricity or running water and an outhouse for a bathroom. My husband built the cabin with his brothers. This is where we like to go to get away from it all to unwind. No need for a lot of room inside the cabin, because the nature that surrounds it is the only "living room" we need.
My "TV watching" for the night. Perfect way to end a long week. Thanks for coming for a visit to Lapland. Please come again!