Featured artist: Yelena, LenaMer. Boho and steampunk jewelry

Yelena from LenaMer is a great artisan jewelry designer and a silversmith from Israel. Her favorite styles are steampunk and boho.

She loves to play with shapes and textures, colors and materials. Her works are unique and inspirational and if you already own a piece made by her you will want to get another one.

It has been 4 years since we published an interview with her here on this blog  so we were interested in what's been happening since. We contacted Yelena and are happy to see that she is working hard on creating new beautiful designs.

Here is what she told us about herself and where she stands right now:

It's been four years since my last interview. I remember that time as if it was yesterday: after several years of silent watching, I finally found the courage to open my Etsy shop and share my favorite designs with this crowd of amazing and talented people obsessed with the same passion of creation and appreciating the uniqueness of handmade. It was a difficult and scary step to take, as the process of jewelry making was always very personal and intimate for me. 

It begins as an idea, or, more precisely - an echo, a shadow of a thought, that slowly forms into something more tangible and then gets transferred to a paper. Sometimes it took months for this thought to transform into a real thing. And to share something so personal is never easy. But I met a group of amazing people who were incredibly supportive and helpful. They answered my questions and gave me tons of great advice and just hugs when I needed them. I am very grateful to our wonderful Russian Artist Team! :)

Today, I feel much more comfortable with my Etsy shop. Through those years I had some ups and downs, I met a lot of talented people, began to teach once again, tried some different styles and techniques and learned more about myself. As of now, my main feeling is that only the sky is the limit, when I really want to achieve something.

Currently I keep working on my "Copper and Silver" collection. Another piece of news is that I have a brand new site. You are welcome to visit, and this is my new post about my studio: www.lenamer.com/blog/tour-my-workspace

Interview by Tanya socksandmittens

It's time to celebrate!

Are you ready for the holidays? Did you decorate your house already?

Our team members are working hard on their Etsy shops but also finding time to make their houses beautiful. Here are some photos for you to see, along with some ideas and recipes:

Buying some new holiday ornaments became a tradition already in Yulia's family (bysiki). They love handmade and vintage toys the best.

 

Through the years, Yulia and her husband collected enough interesting toys to decorate a few of  holiday trees so Yulia can choose the decor style she likes this year and use the rest of her ornaments and toys to decorate the rest of the house. This is a great way to have a new holiday look every year!

Marina (softknitdreams) also lives and works in Moscow, Russia. While this winter is not too snowy there, she keeps her holiday spirit bright and knits cute warm hats for those who love to catch those white fragile snowflakes with their mouth.

We are talking of kids of all ages :)  

Galina from tobestudio knits the cutest fashion sweaters while getting ready for the Holidays.

Elena (DizArtEx) from Estonia will decorate her home with handmade stained glass snowflakes. Isn't it pretty?

Here is two lovely Christmas recipes for you from Italy to try this holiday season.

One is baccala, a traditional Christmas dish for some regions in Italy. Salted cod (baccala) baked with potatoes, vegetables and sprinkled with cheese on top, sounds really good during this cold weather, doesn't it?

For full recipe please visit Katrin's blog (katrinshine)

Warm and aromatic apple gluhwein is Milly's  (millyscolection) favorite this year. The best part, it's non-alcoholic recipe so it can be made for the whole family! Her recipe: clean and slice the apple, lemon and orange, mix it with an apple juice, cinnamon and clover. Cook on a medium heat until boils, then turn the heat off and cover. Let it stand for about 40 minutes, reheat and add some honey. Enjoy!

  

It's summer in Australia right now so Sveta cherrygardendolls will also decorate her holiday tree with flowers along with traditional decor:

Here in USA we love the holidays and we love to celebrate. We are busy with our daily lives but we find time for the holidays in our hearts. So we decorate, we gather with family and friends and we love to be home for the Holidays. We love handmade decor together with store bought items. The holidays makes everything look so pretty!

Christmas in Arizona can be white or not, depends of where you live, so we decorate accordingly: 

We love our Christmas trees! Albina aroundbeads makes her cute tabletop trees from beads and happily shares her technique through her shop on Etsy.

Albina and Tanya socksandmittens are getting together from time to time to exchange some ideas on jewelry and home decor:

For A Holiday Tree cross stitch necklace tutorial please visit Tanya's blog.

Happy Holidays from Russian Artists Team on Etsy!

How to make a simple teething ring pendant crochet necklace

This teething pendant made by Jana (nihamaj) might be a perfect gift for a new mom and for a little one. It will work perfect to keep little hands busy and not pinching while nursing.

 You will need:

 Fabric yarn. I use baby or organic cotton because babies like to taste it.

Wooden ring.

Scissors

One bead. I use wooden beads, but you can use stone or plastic bead. If you use plastic, be sure that it is safe and the paint does not peel off !

Tape measure

Crochet hook 

Crochet a simple chain about 35"/ 90 cm long. 

Fold it in half and insert the folded end into the ring. 

 Slip the other two ends through the loop made by the fold and tighten it. 

Slip the bead down to the ring and tie a knot above the bead to hold it in place. 

 Then tie a knot with the two loose ends to connect them into a necklace. 

Your pendant is ready. You can wear it short or long by adjusting the knot on the ends.  

By Jana (nihamaj)

Jewelry

Russian Artists Team shops in Jewelry category
(in alphabetical order):

Arctida

AroundBeads

Beautyland

CallOfEarth

  CitrusCat

Dariami
 
LenaMer

Lirigal

lovelytrifles

luxurybyvera

NESWeddingGarden

OksanaPiven

  ReComputing

SFBeads

TomBjornDesigns

tonyautkina

WineCountryLife

Acessories

Russian Artists Team shops in Accessories category
(in alphabetical order):

allmadewithlove

HansHolzkopf

HeartyGift

katrinshine