Made with love: Izhevsk hand-made

Khalida Bakhmetova: sofas for cats

“I have been making sofas and cat beds for about a year. I sewed the very first sofa for my cat Roma (in the photo I’m with him), he approved and immediately went to sleep on it. Then I made a crib for my mother’s cat. There was an idea to start making custom-made exclusive sofas for animals – as an additional income. It takes about a week to make one sofa or bed, because I make them slowly, in my free time. I buy materials in Izhevsk sewing stores. I choose fabrics of only the best quality, so the finished products are not cheap. But the greatest pleasure from my work is moral. I am pleased that cats love my sofas, because I really love cats. “

More works by Khalida are here.

Ekaterina Solomennikova: jewelry made from natural stones

“I have been creating jewelry from natural stones and beads for about a year, before that I embroidered pictures with a cross. I wanted to start making money on a hobby, but I didn’t know how to do it. Once I went to the “Creator” department, where they sell stones and beads for jewelry, and asked the sellers how they make jewelry. I began to create jewelry myself, to try different techniques. I devote five to six hours every day to my hobby. There are many shops in Izhevsk where you can buy handicraft goods, but some materials have to be additionally ordered from online stores. In the process of creating jewelry, I get great pleasure, because it is a creative process. And when customers and loved ones like what I do, it gives me an incentive to create even more! Jewelry for me is an additional income, but I hope that in the future it will become the main one, I want to develop in this direction. “

You can find even more works by Catherine here.

Polina Stepanova: scrapbooking

“I am in school, in the 9th grade. I learned about scrapbooking a year and a half ago: the teacher suggested making a scrapbooking card for my mother on March 8. We were given a list of everything we needed: paper, napkins, glue … I was very intrigued by what would come of it! After March 8 it was Easter, then – my friend’s birthday … I confess that I tried to copy the first works from strangers. Later, style began to appear, experience was accumulated. I began to share this experience with others, to conduct master classes. This summer was perhaps the most intense and fruitful. But I, like any creative person, have “stagnation”. I don’t have to sit down to work for a month, but I can make 10 postcards in a couple of days. In terms of finance, this hobby is not very exciting for a student, so I try to look for cheaper online stores, I buy some of the materials in Izhevsk. It is more difficult to work on order than on inspiration, so it is still difficult to call it earnings. I just try to develop and make new interesting acquaintances with creative people. “

More works by Polina can be found here.

“I am a student studying at UdSU. I have been making soap for about four years. It all started with a desire to make an original gift to one girl. Long puzzled over what to give her … And then in the bathroom of a friend I saw a bar of soap in the form of chocolate. I asked him to do the same for me, and instead he gave me a huge box of flasks and paints and told me how soap is made. He was already fed up with this occupation. I tried it – it worked. So he became a soap maker. I do not have a permanent work schedule. There is an order or a mood – I cook, no – I don’t. It’s simple. The cooking process itself takes 20 to 40 minutes. Therefore, quite large batches can be made per day. For me, this is both a hobby and additional income. There have been no problems with materials in recent years. There is at least one store in Izhevsk that can provide everything you need for soap making. First of all, I get moral satisfaction, since this is a creative activity. And soap will come out better if you make it with soul and love! But even without a material component, nowhere – getting income from what you love is doubly pleasant. “

Vladislav Panteleev: soap making

More works by Vladislav can be found here.

Alena Kuznetsova: knitted toys

“I am a seamstress by profession, at the moment my mother is on maternity leave. I learned to knit a long time ago, at the age of six. She started playing toys at school, in the eighth grade. But before I made toys only for gifts to friends, relatives, colleagues. Six months ago I decided to try to knit toys for sale. Needlework is rather my hobby. I spend two to three hours a day on it, depending on the availability of orders. It is not difficult to buy materials in Izhevsk, I take yarn and accessories in one store – the prices are reasonable. I enjoy my work, and through sales I manage to recoup the money spent on materials. “

More works by Alena are here.