31 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Father's Day 2017
Dad, thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for being there for my husband and children, always.
Thank you for being a sounding board, and for biting your tongue when I know you really want to say “I told you so”.
Thank you for giving me life and never letting me take it for granted.
And thank you for teaching me the importance of family and keeping my family together!
Love,
30 Tuesday May 2017
Posted in Father's Day 2017, Uno Alla Volta
In the handcrafted community, so many artistic traditions are passed down to children by their parents. This way, the younger generation can ensure that their ancestors’ legacies live on, and that these rich practices are not lost to the seeming convenience of manufacturing and mass production.
Today, we focus on our fathers. So many of our artisans carry on patrilineal traditions, from Alessandra and Elisabetta, your favorite handbag artisans, to the Battista family, who handcrafts our delicate glass Christmas trees. All of these artisans have made it their lives’ work to carry on the artistic methods their fathers passed down to them. Every day, with every deft movement of their hands, they honor those who came before them.
Here at Uno Alla Volta, while we may not be artisans ourselves, we still make it a priority to celebrate our fathers. We look forward to sharing our stories of love and gratitude from our team members in celebration of Father’s Day.
Terri S. Alpert, Founder & CEO
T.Alpert@unoallavolta.com
27 Saturday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
Coastal lighthouses have been lighting the way and guiding mariners safely since the 1700’s. Ron, our Connecticut kaleidoscope artisan, recreates these landmarks from turned hardwood and the finest mirrored prisms. Pay homage to your favorite beaches around the country, including:
Ron produces his kaleidoscopes from his studio in Connecticut, where all the woodworking is done from raw stock and includes front-surface mirrors, floral designs and other kaleidoscopes with a wide range of functions.
He is constantly broadening his product line with new, imaginative kaleidoscopes. He envisions kaleidoscopes as a link to childhood for many adults and enjoys watching the expressions on those who look through his treasures. His work has won awards from Connecticut and Florida and can be seen in many galleries and museum shops.
Find Ron’s whole collection of coastal kaleidoscopes on his artisan page.
Click to read more of our artisan moments.
24 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
Father’s Day is June 18th, and we have a wonderful selection of unique and heartfelt gifts to tell the fathers in your life just how much they mean to you.
If his passion is putting, he’ll love this solid, lead-free pewter money clip from our Nova Scotia artisans.
In the shadows of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico sits a century-old adobe ranch house where artisans handcraft gentlemen’s accessories of rare beauty like this patriotic money clip.
Woolly Mammoth Tooth Pocketknife
Created from a section of a 10,000-year-old woolly mammoth tooth discovered in Siberia, our handcrafted lock back knife features a rust-free, 3″ long blade comprised of sixteen layers of high-carbon stainless steel.
For over sixty years, one workshop has been turning out some of Italy’s finest walking sticks. This turned wooden shaft is topped with a wooden horse handle, each cast in oxolite, a special material used for fine wildlife sculptures.
Our Nova Scotia artisans craft this pewter golf bag bottle opener from solid lead-free pewter.
Each anchor bottle opener is handcrafted by our artisans in a small harbor side village in Nova Scotia. Each bottle opener, crafted of lead-free pewter, is hand-finished and polished to a gleaming luster.
Our Illinois artisan handcrafts this golf inlaid wood keepsake box of American aspen. To create this box, hand colored wooden inlays are placed in this ingenious golfer design onto an easy to slide dovetail lid which reveals the inner compartment filled with 6 golf tees.
Leon Nussbaum’s Onyx and Mother-Of-Pearl Cufflinks
Leon Nussbaum, our London silversmith, creates dramatic sterling silver pieces evoking the themes of bygone eras. A devotee of both Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles, these gleaming cuff links feature onyx and mother of pearl in a stunning checkerboard pattern.
Personalized Cask & Crown Wine Barrel Serving Tray
This handsome tray is handcrafted from recycled wine barrels and can be personalized with your name. The sturdy band and handles are crafted from wrought iron.The laser-etched wording adds a nostalgic pub feel.
Click here to find more Father’s Day gift ideas
21 Sunday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
With Memorial Day approaching, now is a time of remembrance to reflect upon all that our veterans and active duty soldiers have done for us. We all know brave soldiers in our lives, whether they are our husbands, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters or friends. Many of them share their stories with us of their duty near and far, and the reverence and respect we have for them is unwavering.
There is never enough we can do to show just how thankful we are to our troops and veterans. This year, we can show our appreciation with a display of our American pride, whether it is with an American flag glass chime we hang with respect or patriotic jewelry we wear with pride.
At Uno Alla Volta, we say you can do it all. Celebrate the veterans and troops you love with a meal filled with patriotic dishware. Our friends, Weronika and Jacek, paid tribute to our great nation with this exclusive Americana collection. In their buzzing workshop in Boleslawiec, Poland these ceramic artisans hand-paint vibrant symbols of the United States – stars, bows and heart-shaped flags – with carved sponges and fine brushwork. These are perfect for a summer barbeque, your morning coffee, or for baking a classic American apple pie.
See the whole collection here.
Wear your pride with Kim’s Millefiori Freedom Hearts jewelry collection, which includes a necklace, earrings, and a brooch. Kim, our California artisan, creates this American flag design using a millefiori caning technique. Patterns are created by layering different strips and shapes of colorful polymer clay that are then stretched and pulled into long canes. Each cane is sliced into thin cross-sections, which reveal the intricate patterns. Every millefiori clay piece showcases glass bead accents and gold-leafed edges.
Decorate your home in remembrance with an American flag glass chime. Our Indiana artisan hand-selects colorful glass to create each patriotic wind chime. Once selected, each piece is cut and fused in a kiln to remove any sharp edges, and then put through a special annealing process to ensure strength.
Garden with pride with Margaret’s patriotic watering can. In a celebration of liberty, Margaret of Virginia hand-paints each patriotic watering can in a meticulous, seven hour process. Once the design is complete, she bakes each one to ensure the decoration can withstand the elements. This beautiful piece can be used indoors or out, and is as fun and festive as it is functional.
Capturing the beauty of the USA’s red, white and blue, our floral artisans in Baja, California handcraft this lush Americana wreath of natural celosia, ammobium, and eucalyptus arranged by hand on a heart-shaped natural twig base.
Thank you to all who have served and all who are serving in the United States military. We salute you all for protecting the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Click here to find even more patriotic treasures.
17 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
Here on the shoreline of Connecticut, the temperature is rising, the sun is shining, and summer is right around the corner after a characteristically unpredictable New England winter. It’s no surprise that people along the coast are as eager as ever to start making their long-awaited trips to the beach!
Welcome in the sunshine with handmade sea-themed collectibles, perfect for the home or the beach. You don’t need to live in a beach house to feel summer in your home! Live like you’re on the beach with our beach-themed stemware, such as Amedeo’s sea life glassware of Verona. Choose from seahorses, dolphins, mermaids, turtles or anchors, and complete the collection with a coordinating vase.
Serve your favorite summer snacks on this pearlescent seahorse tray. Our artisans in the Philippines use Capiz shell, a delicate and highly iridescent shell gathered from locally harvested “Windowpane Oysters,” combined with enamel to create each decorative seahorse tray. To finish, each piece is carefully airbrushed in great detail to create the life-like aquatic animal portraits.
Pretend you’re on the beach as you sip on your morning coffee or afternoon tea with JoAnn’s sea themed mugs featuring a mermaid or the message “Life’s A Beach!” During a mid-life transition, JoAnn decided to leave her high-stress corporate job and follow a lifelong curiosity for pottery. Her risk paid off, as she soon discovered her talent for creating colorful, whimsical stoneware. Today, in her Pocono Mountains studio, she hand-throws each mug on a wheel, adds hand-cut details and a handle, then fires, glazes and fires each one again to create her customer favorite mugs.
15 Monday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
Dear friends,
The lure of the sea – what is it about the sea and all its creatures that beckons us so? I am grateful to live on Connecticut’s beautiful shoreline just a few miles from the beach. Yet I find this primal pull is shared by all – no matter how landlocked.
The sound of the waves lapping at the shore…
The feel of the sand between our toes…
These moments of inner peace.
At the earth’s edge, we gaze off into infinity. We feel our own individual significance in our connection to all the universe. Yet, simultaneously, we comprehend that we are just a single grain of sand in this vast splendor. Picking up seashells, uno alla volta,
I remain your loyal friend,
Terri S. Alpert
Founder & CEO
I find such peace when snorkeling. Join me in the waters of Hawknest Bay in St. John, USVI, as I follow one particular sea turtle, coming up to the surface for air, and then diving down again.
I hope these brief 60 seconds bring you a little bit of the serenity I experienced in the moment.
12 Friday May 2017
Posted in Uno Alla Volta
Our artisans of Arezzo, Italy use an intricate process to bring these exquisite animals to life. First, they study the animals in their natural habitats, sketching out and designing the shape of each figurine, then handcraft a wax prototype with meticulous attention to detail. Once the design is complete, each figurine is cast in sterling silver and adorned with hand-painted details in colorful enamel to create realistic definition and lots of character.
Saturno Solid Silver Miniatures
Even more impressive than the impeccable form of each casting is the texture created by the rich enamels. The iridescence and striations in the colors create realistic fur, bringing these beloved animals to life with every stroke. Each miniature is so lifelike it looks as if it may begin to crawl across your palm at any moment.
Solid Sterling Silver Saturno Miniature Mama Cat
Find more Saturno treasures here.
10 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Mother's Day 2017, Uno Alla Volta
Mom is a strong woman, always a good soul with a forthright attitude. It’s in her nature to speak frankly and honestly without crassness or ill temper. As the child of German immigrants, she carries some of that forwardness and integrity indicative of their culture. One always knows where Mom is coming from. They can also be certain hers is a fair, objective, carefully thought out opinion. Unless it’s about tattoos. (She is not a fan!)
However, it seems also she is the one who passed much of the creative gene on to me, leading to my life as a working artist. Family vacations were documented by her adept eye. Her hand made the paintings and frames in the house. The book cabinets and other woodworks are also her creation.
She set quiet examples instead of telling me what to do. As a teen, I watched as she struggled with working a full-time job while going to college, often falling asleep on her study books. All-in-all, she is one of my inspirations of how to seek a good life.
Now, I am a blessed, lucky man. I’m surrounded by a wife is also a truly awe-inspiring supermom, a sister who makes me extremely proud with her little one, and my mother. One who I look to as a sage in much the same way same I did as the boy who looked up at her as his loving Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.
-Nick, Photographer
08 Monday May 2017
Posted in Mother's Day 2017, Uno Alla Volta
Uno Alla Volta is celebrating Mother’s Day this year with stories and memories from around the office.
My mom’s grandmother came from Slovakia, and although she brought with her very little English, she did bring along an incredible pierogi recipe. This recipe has been passed down through every generation of women in my family, and although I have been enjoying these pierogis for decades, I only very recently learned how to make them myself. My mom passed the torch on to me, and I hope to keep this tradition alive in the generations of my family to come!
My Family Recipe for Slovak Pierogis
Dough:
2 ½ lbs flour
1 egg
1 cup water
2 pinches salt
Mix and knead dough, then cut into circles with the lid of a cup.
Filling:
2 ½ lbs potatoes to peel and boil
Mash with cheese to create a thick consistency.
Directions:
Put potato filling on each circle, and pinch closed into a half-circle shape. Boil 8 minutes until they float. Let cool, then fry in butter – the most important part according to my mom! Make sure to watch the pan as the butter browns to avoid it burning.
-Carrie, Marketing & Public Relations Assistant
