Sepia Art Studio

Daughter of the Sea

I should have not come and write this post, or being in the cyber world at all... but then i finished this piece and thought to list it at me etsy shop.
The week has been filled with watching Cranford and new BBC's Sense And Sensibility telly show. The Sense and Sensibility is was not close as good as the actual film. I think actors means quite much...if you like them or not... But the music was BEAUTIFUL as was the place, where the cottage was in the countryside. I was very very inspired how the garden and inside of the house was filled with a garlands  created with a garden twine and treasures found from the seashore.
Ofcourse i had to try to create a "spirith of the sea" creations meself.

More and more i find, that i want to write and speak like in old days... this week i have learned the words dainty and amiable...ofcourse i have been acquaintance with these words, but have never discovered what they actual mean.
Cranford has been such an inspiration, i have seen it almost twice after i got it in last week... i have almost finished the Cranford book, and Elizabeth Gaskell's other book is waiting at the bookshelf.

Now i need to dash away and create something else...
I shall hope, that your days are filled with dainty moments...

Fairy Maidens Purse

For couple of days i have been creating this jewelry piece, inspired by faeries and faery tales.
I just had to use the little metal purse, to create a jewellery piece, which some faery maiden could wear.
The little purse is vintage and made in Japan. And it is truly a beautiful purse, indeed.
The flower chain is also vintage, and it looks like it would belong to the purse, but it was an separate piece.
When i was in Tunisia, i saw a beautiful necklace, where silver metal purse was attached, with a turqoise decoration.

{the story}

This jewellery purse belongs to the fairy queens maiden, who often carries queens little trinkets in this golden purse. The purse is made from a fairymetal, which glimmers like a sun. The flowers represent wood anemones, which are the loveliest flowers in fairy woods. The yellow rondelle pearls have been carved by wee goblins.

Music

Sometimes piano music can be so beautiful,
so achingly beautiful, that it seems,
that my heart wants to just jump out of my chest and fly away...

I have added few Philipp Glass <3 tracks on my playlist,
which just do so...
There is no words to describe the beauty of them.
I think lately my heart has been very sensitive for beautiful music,
i have not been able to listen much classical music because of that, but today i just had to.

the window into the nature

Look what i found from our yard today. An fragile baby bird, i believe that he belongs at the european  pied flycatcher family. From the mornings to now i have heard the baby birds chirping to each others, speaking with a language i can not understand, though i think they cry for food or just miss being near each other.
I watched several times how the baby bird tried to learn to fly. Last time i saw him, he had been able to flutter at the forest. I hope he will be safe in there.
It would have been wonderful to take him in to my hands, but i did not wanted to scare him. though he seemed to stay in a one place, when i was at his side.

I wonder why this "place" is so silent? Sometimes i feel that i am speaking to the "empty walls". Though there is no need to write anything, i would just want to know are you well, enjoying the summer, playing with the flowers...

I love how the studio of mine is calling me to create. I have never loved so much creating jewelleries than in these days...

inspired by the nature dreamers

An Butterfly Seeker

Here are few jewellery pieces, which i yesterday listed in my Etsy shoppe.

This jewellery piece is inspired by Victorian naturalist's and especially those beings who are interested about butterflies inspire this jewellery piece.
What can be more relaxing than seeking and admiring butterflies on a wild flower field on a summer time?
Maybe the woman on the photograph could have been a butterfly seeker, who painted them for a museum of natural history...

The Voices of the Forest

The forest was silent as the clouds passing by, except the beautiful voice of a blackbird. First, there was just a one tree singing, and then there was a whole chore of them, singing so beautifully, that no music could have been measured by it.
The wind was rustling the leaves of a birch. Near those birches, a woman was sitting upon a rock, covered by a green moss. On her hand, she kept an amulet, amulet of the woods, where was many tokens from her past and present: The key was an old token, which had been travelling with her all these years; the key belonged to a cottage middle of the sea and the forest. The piece of birch; an amulet from her favourite tree. The carved stone bird was a gift from a friend, who knew how much she loved the blackbirds; their joy and mystery. The charm under the key was a leaf of an oak, which was a memory from her past.
There was not a day, when she would have been without this necklace.

a Wind Birds Fairytale

The dove loved so much the wind and looking at the clouds, that she almost never would have wanted to come rest at the oak tree, which her nest was.
I was thinking about words, which would be one with a bird. A word “wind” came to my mind and immediately i begun to hammering it on a copper bird with a metal letters. Under the bird is a beautiful golden oak leaf. On the chain, i have attached some exquisite pearls, which look like part of a sky. The chain is colour of a copper. Upon the bird is a “Picasso” Czech glass pearl, which looks like part of a twilight sky.

the bird of the woods

How very lovely it is to see, that swallows are building a nest at the old barn on our yard. I can see them right here carrying bits after bits at the nest of his. Swallows have built a nest on our barn ever since i remember, but this summer was exception. I thought that they would not build a nest, since they did not arrived in spring in our barn.
About week ago, i saw that one of the fieldfares had built a nest on a gorgeous old grey alder tree. Every time i go to see the nest, i can see a fieldfare hatching the eggs, so very patiently.
I read that the eggs are blue with red speckles... i just wish i could see those eggs, or collect them if the birds throw them away. We can learn so much from birds, with just watching them...
The air is filled with sound of the birds and the tiny baby birds demanding food from their parents. There is many nesting boxes on our yard, couple of them have been occupied by European pied flycatcher.

The jewelleries which i have created in these few days, are truly created with a full heart. Reflecting my inner world with them. Few days a go i began to create jewellery pieces, which reflects the nature, birds, and myths of the forest, fairy realm, and sacred earth. Today i shall list few of these pieces at my Etsy shop, just few today and later more.
The bird charm is one of them, which you can see on the photos. It is a charm, which you can turn around and keep it in either way. Sky and Fly, are the words. The bird is colour of copper, but i have aged it to look earthier like. The colours of earth are more me and that is why i have aged the wire to "rusty shade".

I do hope that these summer days have brought to you many lovely blessings!

Etsy

Have any of you noticed that Etsy has not been working for few days?
Or is it just because of my internet connection...

ships passing upon the ocean

I have been very absent lately. I was trying to write in here few times, but the internet connection, which i used before was so very slow...
But here i am writing for you again. I am happy that you are there reading my journal., although i am not very active in here.

All this week i have been in a solitude, bit over week ago i came back in countryside. i have to say that sometimes i feel very lonely and miss my family, but i chose to be this way; i wanted to be here with the nature, since nature is part of me, not external being. I have done some garden works, the yard looked like a meadow when i came back, it took alot of mowing to make it more easy to walk upon. Probably i would have let it be wild, since mostly i prefer wild gardens...wild flowers everywhere. I still have to do a lot and lot of work, to make it as it was before i left, but i do love so much to do garden works!

The photograph above is taken in a hotel balcony in bizarte. Sometimes sailing boats where passing the ocean, i have always enjoyed to look the boats in the sea or ocean, there is something very freeing about them...how they pass the water with  a patience.
Sometimes i painted my journal pages at the balcony, read a book and wrote the journal. It was very windy on that time, and quite cold, although it was a summer in there.

We also made a trip in Tatouine, which is famous, since one of the starwars films has been filmed in there.
This place used to be a living place for Berbers. This place looked so earthy and cool to live. On the roads i also see homes carved on mountains. The scenery was beautiful in this trip, though there where five of us sitting on a back seat, so it was not very comfortable!

Well i shall send this journal page for you , before i save it for the later... that has happened so many times in this past week.

here again, in the land of thousand lakes

I slept few hours, after landing in finland at 3 am. i had a loooong night at the airport, since i could not sleep in there at all. At 7.30 am i took the bus at kotka, and here i am writing for you.
These few weeks have been fleeing so fast! I have seen such a wonderful things, which i will show you in these weeks. This journey gave to me a gift of inspiration, the stories of the sea has been occupying my thoughts while creating jewelry. i took almost al my jewelry supplies at this journey, and i am so very glad that i did so. the story of atlantis, water spirits and pirates, have been part of me during the journey. I shall show you these creations, when i finish them.

The photograph above is from our hotel room, where we staid when we where in Bizarte. The light was amazing there, so bright and vivid. I took many photos by the seashore there. I was disapointed, that the seashore was not filled with a seashells and seaglass, instead the shore was covered with a fine powder of pale sepia sand. But still i was happy to just sit there, and admire the beauty of the twilight blue sea.

 

{the ocean is calling my name}

Tomorrow i shall travel in Tunisia for a few weeks. I have not seen my parents after the Easter, when they left in Tunisia. Time flees so fast before us...and now the spring has turned to lush summer.
I have been travelling in Tunisia so many times, that i cannot even remember. First time i visited at my grandparents home in Medenine, when i was three or four. I have never showed you photos from medenine, but i will after my journey. Especially from our grandmother’s house.
Few times when i have been there i have not took much photos (one reason was that i did not have a memory card in my camera), but now it is a promise that i do. You can tell me what you want to see, maybe i can capture is with the lens!
i have an empty journal, which is waiting spilling words. For my “journey journal”, i only take simple writing & decorating supplies; pocketsize watercolour set, black pen and glue, that is it. i will collect bits and pieces from the journey and decorate my journal with them. I just wish that i truly truly write the journal everyday, take a moment in a day and write what i see, smell and breathe. I have noticed that writing a journal is important, not just for clearing the mind and writing little moments, which i may not remember later, but also for the next generations. You can never know who might be interested to read them.
Maybe i will write something between the days of this journey...share bits and pieces with you...

here

Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must not treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made the place around you.
If you leave it you may not come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.

David Waggoner

{beauty fills the days}

I have had a extra hard time to writing in here. Have been thinking of deleting my blog for countless of times... Sometimes it is better to be silent, than say a word. But i wanted to show you these photos i took from our yard & garden few days ago, just for you.
Flowers are so delightful and i want to fill my surrounding with them. vases are waiting wild flowers to be picked; buttercups and green leaves, branches of bird cherry. Some flowers are blooming in here, but not a lot. soon the apple trees will be filled with jasmine scenting flowers, which i adore! Bird cherrie trees are blooming and they are too beautiful to watch, utterly faery like.

deeply rooted

Wouldn't you love to have an treehouse on top of an ancient oak, or any tree?
That is one of wishes. Someday i wish to have an lovely little treehouse, where i could dream away and observe the passing birds.

Whenever i am in the nature i am the most happiest.
the flowers, the whispers on the trees; everything captures my heart.

This jewelry pieces name is "Key to the Secret Garden".
Inspired by the Secret Garden book of course!

This little faery boy listens your heart wishes and sends them to the stars...

among the faeries

Soft moss a downy pillow makes, and green leaves spread a tent,
Where Faerie fold may rest and sleep until their night is spent.
The bluebird sings a lullaby, the firefly gives a light,
The twinkling stars are candles bright, Sleep, Faeries all, Good Night.
~Elizabeth T. Dillingham, "A Faery Song"

When the weather is like it is today, have been for a week or so, i rather spend my time in outside with the faeries, than creating inside. Somehow i need to put these together, otherwise my art pieces come out very slowly. Even this piece took all together about an week to complete!

The spring is more than a summer; the tree leaves have been bursting open in such a time, that it makes my head spin... It has been never like this before...Like i have wrote many times, the leaves comes out usually in end of may. But i am very happy how nature looks so breathtaking, how can i choose which season is my favourite? thought the expecting in spring is surely wonderful, wondering and looking when the plants stop's to play hide and seek, when the flowers bloom. All this queenly green has transformed just in a few days! Just before May Day i climbed in to the hills, and saw the first leaves in rowan and baby birches.

Tomorrow i will  go at the village, to purchase some seeds. Since my family garden is long time mine (since my parents are still away, and my mother will be back in autumn), i will make this yard look like a faery garden, if i succeed with it... lots of sweet pea's, lavender, herbs, light blue flowers, violets et cetera.

ode to the nature

"unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, and imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. no painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does"
~ John Berger



the spring is moving me in a most softest way...
the first flowers and the rustling wind, the perfectly beautiful first butterflies. i wish i could fly with them, and see the world like the birds & butterfly does.
the spring is giving me a thousand wondrous gifts...
ideas and images, which i want to make come true.

honestly i can say that i had a pretty much a month dry phase in my life, with inspiration.
now it is coming back slowly slowly, like a butterfly.
inspiration is like a little bird, who flutters away, if i try too hard to capture it...

reaching out...

 I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
John Burroughs

to be visible to the trees

"nature is not only all that is visible to the eye...
it also includes the inner pictures of the soul"
~ Edvard Munch

This quote must be my favourite!
my heart ached from the beauty of it, when i read it.

here i am in a solitude in the country. i have never spent nights alone in here. i decided that i do not want to go in kotka in this weekend, although my other sister is living in their on my second "home". i try to avoid town life as much as i can...  i have found out that this is my true home, i have always felt that i am in home, when i am able to be with the trees and the birds. i thought that i would be scared to be here alone, the house of ours is on a place where is no street lights. but i feel serene.

my morning began with brewing cup of Victoriana Tea, and heading on our sauna cottage porch to observe the birds. i had my camera with me, but the birds where too shy to come out and play on a apple trees. after i took a walk on our "little forest" on the back of the cottage, i went to take some photographs from the birch forest, which is a minute way from our old house. birch is "the tree" of  Finnish people, and i do not wonder why. so breathtaking! i love this forest, full of white trees.

i can see on my eyes of the sou howl faeries celebrates in there and keep faery parties.

just few days ago i wished that i could see robins soon, and yesterday i did and even heard them singing, which i have not noticed before. they have absolutely beautiful voice, like little faery bells would be ringing.

Fern

"Here and there a tawny brook prattled out from among the underwood and lost itself again in the ferns
and brambles upon the further side. Save the dull piping of insects and the sough of the leaves, there was silence everywhere--the sweet restful silence of nature"

Arthur Conan Doyle

"sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out,
but to see who cares enough to break them down"
 

butterfly dreamer...i am

whole winter the golden butterfly dreamt from big things in her cocoon.
she dreamt from wildflower meadows and forget-me-not blue sky, with soft clouds passing by.
one spring morning when the sun rose from the sea, she decided that this is the day when i see my dreams.
she moved her wings, until she was free.

butterflies has a special place within my heart. first time when i went in a forest, a beautiful butterfly landed on my shoulder. butterflies are like particles of a soul, very innocent and pure. they look so joyful fluttering here and there, flowers to flower, trees to trees. they are magic.
few weeks ago i saw first butterfly, although weather is not that warm in here. i am sure the butterfly was too in haste to see the forget-me-not blue sky and soft clouds passing by.
spring is just beginning in here, trees are covered with buds (although usually they appear on may), which will open when there is enough warm.
i am waiting days when i can sit on our porch, create some jewelries and drink endless pots of tea.
i wish , that soon the fields would be filled with flowers and green, and butterflies would fly to greet me. otherwise  i am trying to live here and now, surround myself with beautiful things and be blessed by everyday miracles; the twitter of the birds, the wind on the trees, the sun on the fields... and i am grateful, that i can share these moments in here, middle of forests & meadows.

fairy tale nest

when does the rain stops, may i ask?? this is the fourth day, when sun is invisible.
all i can see from my wee studio window is the endless greyness... well, i have to admit that
there was a moment in morning, when drops did not fell from the greyness, and i had a change to take a walk to the beach trees, whom i have never met before so close. the trees can be seen from the windows, but the trees are so close our summer neighbours cottage, that i have never dared to walk there before. but now when they were not in their cottage, i took a leap of faith and walked to meet the trees.

some of the trees seem to be very old. my latest obsession is trying to find bird nests, have not been that lucky yet that i would have found one, which i could have took with me. i have been trying to search nests also from the trees.
probably that is the one reason why i have been begun to create nests from smoky grey wire. the photo on the right side is one of my "fairy tale bird" pendants, which i just listed on my etsy shoppe.

recently i have felt that i am somehow stuck. spring is the time of changes, and i feel that there will be changes in my life, in a way or another, or i wish there would be. why i otherwise feel this way... i have been trying to figure what it is exactly where i should concentrate on. recently i have been creating just jewelry. i would be very happy to  move on , and not feel this stuck.  but quiet times do teach us something very valuable, which may be seen just after everything is clear. maybe i should just not create for awhile, i have done that before, but now it seem hard to do so. i wish some joyful beginnings on my life...

alice's tea party

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. 
~Author Unknown

Today is my 27th birthday. i think the most wondrous gift was when i stepped outside the blackbird begun to sing, like it would have been waiting for me! i have been wishing to hear a blackbird singing, usually this happens in spring, since they do not sing in winter (though, one of my friends heard them in january). they truly have a breathtakingly beautiful voice.

the photo above is taken from my newest "alice's tea party" necklace.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. 
~C.S. Lewis

soar blue tit, soar

I love words, and i do collect them like naturalist collects plants or other things. I am also an name collector, always when i hear a new name i write it down...i have done this for about eight years. Mostly i love unusual names, those which are not very common. i love write stories, and that started the name and word collecting.
which are your favourite word or name? i feel like i am the daughter of dawn and twilight, so the word twilight is very magical to me. i also love surrender, since it is very powerful and when i think about the word or say it aloud, i feel an  feel of relief.  names like robin, willow and sage, raven are one of my favourites, keiju which is a faery in english.

i wanted to show you one of my newest creation., i just completed the rosary yesterday since i needed to find something to hold the tea dyed paper where i have written "soar". yesterday i did little shopping at the local hardware store and found resin, though it was not in the form jewelry makers use. the resin worked, though there is some bubbles on it, but i love the imperfect look of it.
the rosary is called a blue bird, inspired by joyful little tit's, who really are one of the most prettiest birds.

   

{blogs with a view}

ooohhhh...what i discovered today in a mailbox. a wonderful, mood lifting Somerset Life spring magazine.
Last summer i got an e-mail from Jenny Doh, and she asked if i would want to write an article about my blog. of course i wanted to! I had been d r e a m i n g big time from opportunities like this, that someday some mag would ask if i would want to be involved in pages. i am incredibly grateful and so very happy about this article!
I love Somerset Life so much, that i need to order the first issue also.  The mag is full of beautiful things, which give tremendous amounts of inspiration. There is so many loverly artists we know through blogging world featured in this mag like Andrea, Brandy, Corey and Jennifer.

the blessings of the spring faeries

the spring faeries have started to awake from their winter nests.
there world will be soon dazzling with spring maiden's glory.
i have been visiting few times in a "willow forest" which i can see from our windows. today i walk in there again, and take some twigs for my new little studio {where i just love create new pieces} and for the kitchen and everywhere else. usually i do not take twigs from the alive trees, but i think willow faeries do not mind... and i always thank the trees.

beautiful beautiful frost feathers.

this is the view from my new studio window in a countryside.
you can imagine, why i long so much nature...

my newest isnpiration: rosary jewellery with a twist. the other jewellery pieces i have done, have been just a way to come in here; to discover my own voice with creating jewellery.