Asta Bybartienė - sustainability in handcraft
The first step towards Asta's own business was made in 1989 when she tailored her first slippers designed for her son. All the material necessary for the slippers was taken from the furniture restoration company that Asta worked for at that time. After that, all her family began wearing slippers made by Asta.
In 2000, Asta started to sell her slippers in the market during the weekends. Since she was working in furniture company "Lauksva", all of the slippers had to be made late in the evenings after Asta had finished her work.
As a consequence of the world's crisis in 2009, the load of work in "Lauksva" decreased, therefore, Asta left the job. However, she did not stop selling her own slippers. Once, her husband and she went to the fair called "Kaziuko mugė" for the first time which took place in Kaunas. They both had a good experience there and they liked it. After that, they started showing interest in commerce during various festivals taking place in different cities and towns. Since then, selling slippers has been Asta's and her husband's main occupation.
Asta and her husband built small sewing studio in their yard. They buy merino's wool fabrics, natural leather and they produce natural house slippers which are decorated with original ornaments. During the weekends, the family continue commuting to various fairs where they sell their production. They are very glad, because they receive very good responses from their customers.
In 2000, Asta started to sell her slippers in the market during the weekends. Since she was working in furniture company "Lauksva", all of the slippers had to be made late in the evenings after Asta had finished her work.
As a consequence of the world's crisis in 2009, the load of work in "Lauksva" decreased, therefore, Asta left the job. However, she did not stop selling her own slippers. Once, her husband and she went to the fair called "Kaziuko mugė" for the first time which took place in Kaunas. They both had a good experience there and they liked it. After that, they started showing interest in commerce during various festivals taking place in different cities and towns. Since then, selling slippers has been Asta's and her husband's main occupation.
Asta and her husband built small sewing studio in their yard. They buy merino's wool fabrics, natural leather and they produce natural house slippers which are decorated with original ornaments. During the weekends, the family continue commuting to various fairs where they sell their production. They are very glad, because they receive very good responses from their customers.
Yolanta from Bulgaria
Yolanta Tzenova is a hereditary coppersmith master. She is one of a few women, practicing this craft.She has imbibed the mastery of her father since her early childhood years. She graduated from the Art School of Ceramics and Glass. Then she specialized engraving and supplemented her knowledge and abilities by taking lessons in drawing. She has been working as a coppersmith since 1984. She is very successful on the Bulgarian and international market. Private collectors from USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia, etc. are buying her works. Good pieces of coppersmith mastery are of high value nowadays and this is how this craft has preserved itself.
Yolanta transforms the metal with her hands into beautiful pictures with complex floral and animal ornaments that express the strength of life. She is a contemporary author who is building a bridge between the old craft and modern art, seeks new forms of expression, and transforms the craft into art. The coppersmith master produces art souvenirs of copper, icons, pictures, cards, plates and constantly develops her artistic searches. The basic technology used by Yolanta Tzenova is hammering by hand, making use at the same time of some new instruments and materials.
Yolanta transforms the metal with her hands into beautiful pictures with complex floral and animal ornaments that express the strength of life. She is a contemporary author who is building a bridge between the old craft and modern art, seeks new forms of expression, and transforms the craft into art. The coppersmith master produces art souvenirs of copper, icons, pictures, cards, plates and constantly develops her artistic searches. The basic technology used by Yolanta Tzenova is hammering by hand, making use at the same time of some new instruments and materials.
"Everything for knitting". Larissa from Estonia
I've chosen Larissa
to give me an interview not by accident. Larissa, as many other women in former
Soviet Union, had higher engineering education, worked as an engineer and any
piece of clothes she needed she could knit with her own hands. She knitted not only
for herself, but also for her family as well as for friends.
In 1990s, however, hard times came for most of these women: engineers lost their jobs. Larissa became a housewife and during 8 years didn’t work. But this wasn't the life she liked and wanted for herself, therefore after 6 years she started to suffer from depression.
But the solution was found: after 2 years she took a bank credit and opened a small shop called «Everything for knitting». It happened 11 years ago. Nowadays Larissa already provides several more women with work and as shop expanded, in addition there you can find everything for embroidery as well as for any other kind of needlework. In her shop there are a lot of samples showing what can be made by hands, including accessories and bijous. All this stimulates women to create their own exclusive products for themselves or for presents, or someone, inspired by Larissa example, open their own business!
Written by Jelena Parfjonova
In 1990s, however, hard times came for most of these women: engineers lost their jobs. Larissa became a housewife and during 8 years didn’t work. But this wasn't the life she liked and wanted for herself, therefore after 6 years she started to suffer from depression.
But the solution was found: after 2 years she took a bank credit and opened a small shop called «Everything for knitting». It happened 11 years ago. Nowadays Larissa already provides several more women with work and as shop expanded, in addition there you can find everything for embroidery as well as for any other kind of needlework. In her shop there are a lot of samples showing what can be made by hands, including accessories and bijous. All this stimulates women to create their own exclusive products for themselves or for presents, or someone, inspired by Larissa example, open their own business!
Written by Jelena Parfjonova
GOKCE YEDİDAL-Successful Businesswoman in Ankara/Turkey
Yedidals shop "Gojeko" was established in March 2008 in order to leave a cleaner world for future generations, to educate children and young people about environmental issues, to raise awareness of consumers to reduce plastic bag use, and to provide alternative products such as tote bags. She has a variety of products such as aprons, kids bags, t-shirts. She designs all her products.
For more information please visit http://www.gojeko.com/
Yedidals shop "Gojeko" was established in March 2008 in order to leave a cleaner world for future generations, to educate children and young people about environmental issues, to raise awareness of consumers to reduce plastic bag use, and to provide alternative products such as tote bags. She has a variety of products such as aprons, kids bags, t-shirts. She designs all her products.
For more information please visit http://www.gojeko.com/
Undine Myja, "the herbal witch"
The monastery in Buch (Germany) is inconceivable without the herbalist Myja Undine. She not only ensures that in the monastery the gardens bloom again. In the calendar of the monastery she is constantly present with her events on herbs. Her profession is engineer-economist but the herbs move more and more into the center of her life.
She began this great love quite by chance. After she was suddenly unemployed in 1998 she should - within the state employment creation measure – organize an exhibition in the monastery with the title “The fascinating world of herbs”. The special issue never let go of her again. She jokingly referred to herself as “herbal witch”. The three thematic herb gardens clearly bear their signature. To maintain the herb gardens it was required not only to gain numerous “herbal donation” but Undine Myja had to acquire extensive knowledge and gain a certificate of competence. Since 2006, the mother of two grown-up daughters deserves now with her own unique knowledge of herbs their livelihood. Her appointment to the queen's herb of Erzgebirge confirmed that the chosen path is correct.
The certified herbal specialist Undine Myja patient passes her knowledge on herbals through lectures, tours, seminars and courses. Her big dream is once to write a book in which she reports on her experience and knowledge on herbs. But for that she does not have time right now. "It will be possible when I'm old and wrinkly," she said and rushes again from herb shop in the garden. (Photo: Fördervereins Kloster Buch e.V.)
For furhter information please visit www.kraeutervielfalt.de
She began this great love quite by chance. After she was suddenly unemployed in 1998 she should - within the state employment creation measure – organize an exhibition in the monastery with the title “The fascinating world of herbs”. The special issue never let go of her again. She jokingly referred to herself as “herbal witch”. The three thematic herb gardens clearly bear their signature. To maintain the herb gardens it was required not only to gain numerous “herbal donation” but Undine Myja had to acquire extensive knowledge and gain a certificate of competence. Since 2006, the mother of two grown-up daughters deserves now with her own unique knowledge of herbs their livelihood. Her appointment to the queen's herb of Erzgebirge confirmed that the chosen path is correct.
The certified herbal specialist Undine Myja patient passes her knowledge on herbals through lectures, tours, seminars and courses. Her big dream is once to write a book in which she reports on her experience and knowledge on herbs. But for that she does not have time right now. "It will be possible when I'm old and wrinkly," she said and rushes again from herb shop in the garden. (Photo: Fördervereins Kloster Buch e.V.)
For furhter information please visit www.kraeutervielfalt.de
Two succesfull Czech Women who created conditions for people´s creativity and self-realization via hand crafts and other activities
Emilie Strejčková (1919-2009), decided to renovate devastated huge estate in Prague 10 and founded Středisko ekologické výchovy in 1994 Center for Environmental Education Toulcův Court where many holistic activities are happening since that time.You can do there what you would like to do: Handcrafts, riding horses, take care of home animals. Programs are organized for small children, teenagers, adults, seniors and women as subject who teach or object who could learn something new and funny. There is also beautiful small shop with handcrafts. For more information please visit www.toulcuvdvur.cz.
Emilie Strejčková (1919-2009), decided to renovate devastated huge estate in Prague 10 and founded Středisko ekologické výchovy in 1994 Center for Environmental Education Toulcův Court where many holistic activities are happening since that time.You can do there what you would like to do: Handcrafts, riding horses, take care of home animals. Programs are organized for small children, teenagers, adults, seniors and women as subject who teach or object who could learn something new and funny. There is also beautiful small shop with handcrafts. For more information please visit www.toulcuvdvur.cz.
Olga Havlová and her Committee of Good Will
Olga
Havlová (1933-1996), the first wife of the president of the Czech Republic,
established the Committee of Good Will on 12 April 1990. In
the spirit of the Charter 77 Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly
Prosecuted. It's main aim is to defend the rights of people with physical
disabilities and people who due to their long-term unfavorable health and
social difficulties are not fully self-sufficient. Committee of Good Will
gives them chance to self realize also via hand drafts. The products of
handicapped people are sold in the shop at Gold Street at Prague Castle. For more information please visit www.vdv.cz.
Women & Art
The story of Monika from Italy
This is the story of Monica who is managing an online shop about craft & hobbies. From 2003 organizes courses for privates and firms, provides consultancies, and creates and realizes craft artistic products as angels of tape, snowman, flowers with ribbons, decoupage, stencil, Biedermeier, angels long lags, puppets jars, Christmas on the spoon and angel garden.
During the workshops and the training courses she suggests and provides which are the materials for each one of these original handy-crafts above mentioned, and she explains in details how to do it step by step.
Monica manages her own job selling her handy-crafts directly done by her, through web resources and participating to several open markets on the street, when they are organized in several town during festival or during for instance Christmas time in order to promote the handy-crafts activities in our local area.
Furthermore, Monica works for some shops of the surrounding area providing them her handy-crafts under request: for instance a shop can ask for her 20 dolls, within a certain deadline and she satisfies these orders, so she can compensate occasional selling (as those coming from the website or from the open markets) with other way of selling, in accordance with her available time, to be share with family needs and her usual job too.
This is the story of Monica who is managing an online shop about craft & hobbies. From 2003 organizes courses for privates and firms, provides consultancies, and creates and realizes craft artistic products as angels of tape, snowman, flowers with ribbons, decoupage, stencil, Biedermeier, angels long lags, puppets jars, Christmas on the spoon and angel garden.
During the workshops and the training courses she suggests and provides which are the materials for each one of these original handy-crafts above mentioned, and she explains in details how to do it step by step.
Monica manages her own job selling her handy-crafts directly done by her, through web resources and participating to several open markets on the street, when they are organized in several town during festival or during for instance Christmas time in order to promote the handy-crafts activities in our local area.
Furthermore, Monica works for some shops of the surrounding area providing them her handy-crafts under request: for instance a shop can ask for her 20 dolls, within a certain deadline and she satisfies these orders, so she can compensate occasional selling (as those coming from the website or from the open markets) with other way of selling, in accordance with her available time, to be share with family needs and her usual job too.