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The idea for Yolkstar Ornaments was created from an experience I had living in Ukraine. I had been looking for a particular ornament I had seen the year before to send to my daughter and to my surprise a week later after I mentioned it to my students, one of them handed me the ornament I was seeking. He found it while touring of a small factory that made ornaments. My wife Lyudmila and I toured the factory some time later and talk with its owner about the idea of creating and producing our own collection of mouth blown and hand painted glass ornaments.
A year later in 2008 we exhibited the beauty and artistry of our producer's own mouth blown Ukrainian hand painted glass ornaments along with ours to an American audience for the first time in Denver, Colorado. The acceptance was phenomenal. It inspired and encouraged us to continue our life's great adventure by traveling the back roads of Ukraine and find other distinct hand made products produced by skilled artisans.
In spite of the hardships living in Eastern Europe, the craftsmanship that is found is unequal. All items are made using all natural green renewable wood. No product is mass produced on an assemble line. You can't help but feel and sense that each item has been made with loving human hands every step of the process. Every product tells a story of its artist's inner character, which is filled with love and hope and an indelible spirit and bond that continue to keep alive traditions that have been past down from one generation to the next living in harmony with nature.
Living on both continents allows us to be able to seek out and discover some of the very best one of a kind handmade product from Ukraine and the rest of Eastern Europe and present a forum to showcase these extraordinarily talented and gifted artisans.You are invited to check back often because there is a lot more to come.
~ Randy and Lyudmila