Wrapped with love

I'm delighted at my latest development with my new wrapping paper. I've been working on this for a few months on and off and finally I'm happy with the design and outcome. The wrapping paper will be available for sale through various retailers from around mid september. Check the Laikonik website for stockists, www.laikonik.com.au





This project has been a labour of utter love for me. All my products are made with love but this one was special. Firstly I saw the wrapping paper sheet as a canvass for a big folk art design. Secondly I've always been inspired by the embroidery on a collar of a particular mens coat. It's a traditional Polish coat and the embroidery has never ceased to draw my attention and amaze me. I've always wanted to do something with it.





The wrapping paper design features elements of it as well as a fragment of a decorative butter mould. It's incredible how things used to be treasured in those days. That someone would go to the trouble of decorating and carving a wooden butter mould and then pouring the butter in, letting it set and serving it on some special occasion. Just imagine how much care would have gone into all the food being served and the table cloths ironed and the cutlery polished if just the butter was so beautifully decorated.

I will be using the design for the wrapping paper on other products amongst other things I'll be making small notebooks and propably other bits and pieces just because I won't be able to help myself. I'll add them to the blog as soon as they're done.

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some recent personal projects...

I've been going manic lately decorating anything I can get my hands on. We live in a rented property but I have been devising a way to get the landlord to let me paint a mural on one of the walls. Over the last few days I have been adorning all sorts of things in Polish folk art designs. In some way it has been a kind of cultural therapy for me. I always feel that my work connects me to my Polish roots which I sometimes miss living in Australia. Doing little projects like the ones below is a way in which I feel I revisit some distant Polish village from days gone by. No doubt it may sound a bit odd but to me creating something just for the simple pleasure of the task is very comforting. It's kind of like going outside for some fresh air. I'm including some recent favourite projects below...

These are some new paper cutouts I did a couple of days ago. I love paper cutouts mainly because of the symmetry which I am addicted to. I think I will dedicate a post one day to the importance of symmetry in my work. Paper cutouts are a very important and popular element in Polish folk art. They are used mainly as wall decorations in traditional homes. I am also planning on turning the paper cutouts into a Laikonik product one day. If you'd like to see some other amazing paper cutouts have a look at Elsa Moras blog http://elsita.typepad.com/ She is incredibly creative and her work is so inspirational.




Here is my latest craze: gourds. I have had these sitting in a basket at home for many years and only the other day did i pick them up and decorate them. I love the result and am now desperately searching for a gourd farm in Australia where I can buy some more. I'd be very grateful if someone could recommend where I can buy gourds from?



This is our bedroom lampshade. It has been white for a very long time and I have been eyeing it since I bought it, wanting to put something on it. Here is the result. I used fabric markers for the design.

And lastly I found some gorgeous bamboo spoons at a cafe recently. I couldn't stir my coffee with them and then just throw them in the bin so after buying four coffees for myself and my partner I brought these beauties home. Naturally they quickly became part of my "Decorated Objects" family.