Undiscovered on Zibbet: Valerval

Sky in the cage
Valeria, of Valeria Beads is a new Zibbeter who is busily adding more each day to her shop. You can learn more from her blog: valeriabeads.blogspot.com

Valeria has created her own interview for us - a real rest-cure for Nifty!

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I was born in USSR in Kazakhstan. We did not have books about crafts, no computer to see how big is the world. My mom was always busy with something, crochet or knitting or macrame, sewing so we learned that from her but it was not enough. We learned how to do needle work and some construction work from my papa. I grew up and learned more hobbies. My main interest now is beading.


Nifty: I love the story that Valeria tells with this Crochet airy coral set - did you know that Christmas in Kazakhstan is celebrated in March?

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

When I was 8 I had a string of dark blue beads and wanted to have a treasure box. Me and my sister made a box from post cards! We would put lots of junk inside and on the top that blue string of little beads imagining that that box is filled with treasures. For years we were keeping those beads stringing them on 1 or 2 threads. We did not know what else to do with it. It is why I like weaving beads now as it was something I did not learn when I was a kid.


Elegant turquoise beaded necklace, lacy choker

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
Complicated things! I could string nice beads, add clasp to it or put charm on chain and call it jewelry, but it is boring. Almost everybody else can do that, but not every jewelry person can weave little tiny beads together and get an art, get them bloom turning them into flower, feather almost anything!

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
I like to do blooms of both as with seed beads it is possible, but I am probably fruit as they are higher from the ground usually :-)


Little steps

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
Cross stitch. I started needle work when I was in kindergarten. We would stitch a little napkin every birthday for my grandma. I never saw her use them. She is no longer with us, but once when I was making order in her house I opened one drawer and found all of our little presents to her. I cried. I did not know she dearly kept them all as she was very strict woman who was not spoiling us. I do cross titch sometimes, but not get patterns from store or web. I like to do something only mine. so I am making portraits by designing patterns. It takes about 6 months for one but I love to see how colorful threads are becoming something beautiful.


beaded Calla Earrings

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
I want people to be noticeable by wearing something different.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
I am not doing it for profit, I am doing it for joy

Thank you for sharing your inspiration with us Valeria - I am in awe of an artist who creates such beautiful work and then manages a shop in a foreign language! Check out Valerval and be amazed, as I was, by the lovely stories Valeria tells in her descriptions.