Kanelstrand in Russia

Thursday starts with a wonderful surprise! My organic bracelets have been featured on the huge and very tasteful fashion website Мода-блог. Now, if that isn't lovely!

The Russian editors of the site are getting straight to point, saying that nowadays mass produced jewelry is totally out of fashion simply because it has no soul and lacks uniqueness.

Click on this link to read the whole article, translated in English, and to get inspired not only by my bracelets but by the creations of masters from all over the world.

Easy Organic Living

I must admit I don't speak French, neither do I understand it but still I can admire the romantic home decoration ideas of Marie Claire Idées!

Photo: Patrice de Grandry | Design: Camille Soulayrol, Anne Ventura, Marie-France Annasse

Repurpose old planks or anything else you thought of throwing away but do it with imagination and there you have it - a cozy home with history!

Photo: Patrice de Grandry | Design: Camille Soulayrol, Anne Ventura

Hello Spring!

Spring has been officially here for about a week now and to celebrate it, I am talking part in the "Green Pop Hop" market (an eco and spring themed event) organized by Poppytalk Handmade. The market will be open from March 28th to April 22nd, 2011 so hurry up and check out my beautiful bracelets!

If you feel like reading about a day of my life in the forest, come by to the Poppytalk blog to read my guest post!

Turn Out The Light

Today is Earth Hour! The event taking action against climate change, which started in a single city - Sydney, Australia - in 2007, has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change.

Earth Hour 2010 was the world’s largest ever voluntary action with people from all over the world. Participants from 128 countries across every continent came together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the planet.

Earth Hour’s iconic global ‘lights out’ event has seen some of the world’s most recognized landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge, Table Mountain and Sydney Opera House switch off their lights.

Be sure that the lights will be out in our studio tonight, 26 March at 8.30pm (local time) because eco-minded as we are, we want to share the positive action and be a part of the global celebration of the one thing that unites us all – the planet. You too, turn your lights out, and think of how you can prolong this action beyond the hour.

Together our actions add up.

Scandinavian Charm

European week is in full swing on Etsy! My Thorn bracelet from the Enchanted Forest collection is featured in this lovely treasury devoted to Scandinavian charm.

Discovering Europe

From March 21 through March 27, 2011, Etsy is celebrating the European art and artists of Etsy with special home pages full of products from Europe, events, information for doing business globally, and much more.

During European week, I am glad to have my bracelet Enchanted Forest Dew added to a wonderful alphabetical treasury in celebration of Europe.

Three favorites

Three of my favorites from the nominations in the Jewelry category on Håndlaga. The finalists will be announced on 30th March, hopefully my Freyja Impressus bracelet will be one of them.

1. Mitt navn er Tanabåt by Tanatanja

2. Bird by Iben

3. Shadow of a Dream by MONOme

Creative Competition

An interesting and creative competition is going on right now in the Norwegian handmade blog world, and more precisely on Håndlaga 2011, where you can nominate your own work or the works of other people you admire in several different categories like Jewelry, Clothes, Redesign, Accessories, Pictures, etc.

Nomination takes place between February 25th and March 18th. You have to enter a comment with a link to the product you wish to nominate and write who created it.

A panel of judges will review all nominations and pick ten finalists in each category. The finalists will be announced in the blog on 30th March, when the voting begins! Anyone can vote.

Voting is open until 12th April, and the winners will be announced on  14th April, There are really nice prizes, as promised by Håndlaga creators.

I have got five nominations. The first one is my Freya Impressus bracelet, which you can buy on etsy. It is competing in the Jewelry category.

Photo: Kanelstrand

The second nomination is the lovely felted desktop bowl, called Furulunden Elf.

Photo: Kanelstrand

The third nomination is my photograph-painting Midgard.

Photo: Kanelstrand

The fourth one is my cabled cardigan, knitted from pure Icelandic Álafoss Lopi.

Photo: Kanelstrand

And the fourth nomination is for my Strawberry hat.

Photo: Kanelstrand

Well, wish me luck and drop by on the Håndlaga 2011 blog to vote!
 

Up in my studio

My studio is a warm and cozy place with a big window overlooking the pine forest which gives me inspiration every day, regardless of season or hour. From here, I can hear the waves when they are not as gentle to the beach and I can surely smell the fresh air.

Photo: Kanelstrand

Sometimes a curious Blue Tit comes in to check on my work and we perform the already established ritual of flying around the whole place, talking in our strange, invented inter-species language; maybe stopping for a second to check for some crumbles and finally tweeting goodbye. See you tomorrow.

And then, when I am left with my knitting and felting I open my mind to all moments spent in the forest, on the beach - at sunrise, at sunset, and all the forms and colors come out naturally and twirl, and combine by themselves on the bracelets.

Welcome to my studio, where reality and imagination come together to create a piece of jewelry - unique, appealing and sustainable.