I'm going to say the word - but very quietly .......

Now its getting a little colder at nights and we've started having fires - the earliest we've EVER started, I might add - I'm feeling a little bit excited about ....... oh no! she's gonna say it ....... Christmas. See? I wrote it very small so you weren't too appauled at the mention of it! I was getting a bit desperate I have to say. Searching through the tags on Etsy it seems that everyone's products would make good 'christmas' presents. BAH! Tag properly will ya! So, this week I'm combining my Christmas Quest with Shopping List Saturday. Two birds with one stone .... fantastic!
This week I'm featuring Makalewakan. A mixed media artist and ex-interior designer living in a remote part of France. She uses natural, found materials to make her decorative home accessories. Maka Le Wakan is Sioux for 'the earth is sacred' a name that perfectly reflects the nature of her gorgeous things.

Maka La Wakan on Etsy

As I search for people to feature by images alone I'm aware that this is the second person that I have featured who lives somewhere where nature creates an enormous impact on their lives and what they create. A while back I featured Willywaw who lives close to the elements on Rhode Island. MakaLeWaken lives in a remote area surrounded by old volcanoes, lakes and forests. Perhaps these environments are so embodied in their work that I'm subconsciously picking up on them. Interesting, eh? But I digress! Living an hour from the nearest shops as she does, MakaLeWakan has had to learn to be imaginative to say the least. No popping out for a pint of milk! Her evenings are often spent infront of the fire creating her gorgeous, gorgeous things. Using wood, twine, blackeyed beans, pulses, beans and other imaginative, tactile and visually pleasing ingredients she produces curtain ties, hanging decorations, buttons and more. I am thrilled to have found some Christmas things with no glitter, no reindeers, no teddys with Santa hats *shudder* -we should all get back to a more natural way to live. How fabulous to take your children into the woods to search for things to make your decorations with! Right now the garden centre up the road from me is part-way though it's four month long assembly and presentation of 'The Christmas Display'. It is a vile collection of glittery imported baubles and freakish jiggling battery-operated Santas. Terrifying. What a waste of money when there is so much beauty right under our noses. You will learn that I have a lot to say about children and how they are not being taught to play without gizmos and gadgets! Watch out readers! (Read an earlier post). At my sons' (I have three) school they have a 'Forest Classroom' where once a week they pull on wellies and squelch off into the woods. They do all sorts of 'non-p.c' things with saws, sticks and matches. I have a necklace made from the roughest purple wool EVER and a slice of bark with feltpen christmas tree drawn onto it. My son was 5 when he brought that home for me. He was so proud to give it to me and I wore it too (itching quite a bit in the neck area I might add). Well, you have to, don't you?!

I hope this post has given you a few things to think about, lots of read and a fantastic shop to investigate. Also do visit the other Saturday Shopping Lists - either using my sidebar list or by popping into the originator of this project Fancypicnic where she lists them also. Happy thinking, reading and investigating!