Tag Archives: Ukraine

Little Wing Curiosity Shoppe

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The thrill of the hunt for treasure keeps me heading out to vendor malls, antique stores and thrift shops nearly everywhere I go. On Friday, I stopped by Little Wing Curiosity Shoppe and Thrift Store in Athens. They have been around since April. 

It’s neat, clean and organized with excellent prices on most things. There were a few things that seemed outlandishly priced but that happens. They had a 75 percent off Christmas sale that applied to a pretty little handmade art piece – an angel made of some kind of tin with a fabulous patina. Of course I brought her home and she ended up costing me just $1.25. I also got three wrought iron candlesticks and a pewter pitcher that will someday hold flowers. My total was about ten bucks and I was quite pleased with the haul.

Then I came home and looked them up online and I feel bad. Their website says they are working with Ukranians stateside and overseas to send much needed supplies for civilians and soldiers in Ukraine. Had I known this while I was there I would have either bought more or made a donation. 

Goodwill and Ohio Thrift are the prominent thrift stores in my area and they have almost priced themselves out of the game. I choose to shop thrift stores because you never know what treasures you’ll find and because I like the sustainable side of thrifting. I can afford to go to TJ Maxx and buy dishes or a new skillet but many people thrift because they are low income and don’t have the luxury of buying new when their kid needs a winter coat. Greed and people who thrift to flip for a profit seemed to have caused these organizations to lose their way. 

So I am thrilled to have a new option for my donations and am actually excited to take them some things while I’m cleaning out this winter. Not to mention, the people who run the place seem kind hearted and helpful. 

Little Wing is located on the back side of the Market on State Mall in Athens, Ohio. Just go around the corner on IHOP side and you’ll find them! They will be closed the week between Christmas and New Years but you can follow them on Facebook to find their hours, sales and updated information.

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

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The local library here hosted a Pysanky workshop this weekend. This is a Ukrainian egg decorating technique that uses dye and wax. They tend to use traditional folk designs that are intricate and colorful.

Our instructor has 39 years of experience with this mind boggling art form because her Ukrainian grandmothers taught her beginning at a young age. Her skills and patience are admirable.

We were first given egg shapes on paper to sketch our designs in pencil. Crayons were used to experiment with the palette and inspiration came from books and an assortment of eggs she had on display. Once we had our ideas together, we chose an egg and were armed with a lit candle, block of wax and a little tool used to draw on the egg with the wax.

Given my obsession with sunflowers last summer, it was logical to do something with a sunflower pattern. Not only is the sunflower the national flower of Ukraine, it’s a captivating example of how imperfections can be beautiful. I strolled through three sunflower fields last summer and my favorite flowers were the ones that were flawed.

Here’s my egg.

It is incredibly flawed and the sunflower imperfect but I’m still quite proud of how it turned out. I love the palette I chose and the design too. The execution leaves a lot to be desired as working with wax on a real egg shell is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done.

All the same, I managed to get it done and had fun in the process. It now is in a place of honor on my bookshelf, a pretty reminder that enjoying the creative process can be as rewarding as the outcome. Also a reminder that perfection is overrated and that imperfections can be beautiful.

I suspect and hope that this was not my last attempt. I will count on trying it again someday.

Here’s one more view of her gorgeous eggs.

Here’s something about imperfections from last year. I wrote about sunflower fields here, here and here. I would recommend finding one near you this summer! If you get a chance to try a new kind of art, I recommend you do that too!