Seasonal Greetings from Guy Kistka – February 14 Valentine’s Day

Our whimsical mascot Guy Kistka is celebrating the Feast of Saint Valentine and spreading the love of pysanky.

Every February 14 candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from?

According to history dot com the story of this saint is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient pagan tradition. Does this sound familiar? Sounds like valentines and pysanky have something in common.

At least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred, have been recognized. Like pysanky legends, there are legends surrounding Valentine.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

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A Pysanka Poem Worth Sharing

Discover the magic of pysanky one poem at a time in our monthly sharing of these words arranged purposefully with meaning, sound, and rhythm.

Just as Baba’s Beeswax inspires and encourages beginners, experts, and anyone interested in Ukrainian egg decorating, these featured authors connect us to tradition and inspire us to new possibilities.

We hope you enjoy reading Creation and Love, by the late Connie Daubert. This poem came to our attention in March 1999 from a like-minded egg artist. Although centred on egg decorating, it could very easily apply to writing pysanky:

As I am working on an egg,

I do everything in my power
to make something that will be pleasing to me.
When it is finished and I sit back to look at it,
a feeling of satisfaction steals over me.
I love that egg!
It becomes one of my treasures
that I don’t want to part with.
It is my creation!
Now, I can make inanimate, unthinking objects
with great pleasure.
Then I consider and look up to my Creator.
Who creates living, breathing, reasoning persons!
(that can, in turn, make other things!)
If I can become so deeply involved
and sometimes can hardly tear myself away
from working on my creation,
how much more interested He must be in His creation!
He is still at work on us.
His aim is to finally bring into being
a caring,
persistent,
dependable,
optimistic,
appreciative,
reasonable,
fair,
and sensible creator!
How very much He must love us!

#PysankaPoems #pysanky #UkrainianEasterEgg #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

Ask Us Anything About Pysanky – technique

Tools, technique, tradition and more . . . . ask us anything about pysanky. To share our knowledge, our team of experts at www.babasbeeswax.com draws on not only our heritage, but also over 30 years teaching pysanky to all ages and levels of experience since 1991. Today's dialogue is on technique.

Question  – What happens to pysanky made with full eggs over time?

Answer – Over time the insides of the egg (the egg whites) will dry out. The yolk dries out as well, but not completely.

We believe that pysanky is fun and we embrace “Panya Pysanka”, our cool, hip, and whimsical mascot character. See her here in our “Ask Us Anything About Pysanky” post and elsewhere on social media to see how we promote pysanky.

#PanyaPysanka #AskUsAnything #JoanBrander #BabasBeeswax

Take a look. Read a book!

Discover the magic of pysanky, one book at a time. Have a look at Pysanky in the 21^st Century featured on our YouTube Channel (Baba’s Beeswax / iluvpysanky) | Book Preview Playlist and see if it'll fit into your library. Here’s the YouTube link https://youtu.be/eNVjnYerskw. Then head over to your local library to look for a copy.

We met the author of Pysanky in the 21st Century, Helen Badulak, at the 2008 Pysanka Symposium in Washington, DC. She had a beautiful display of her work and spoke eloquently at the event.

[click here to go to 2008 Pysanka Symposium and Book Launch in Washington, DC on YouTube]

The book is full of gorgeous photography! The author acknowledges that she put together this design book not only to preserve her original designs and color combinations for future pysanky artists, but also to uplift the spirit of each person who flips through its pages. Especially noticeable is the voluminous ostrich pysanky she has created.

This book is a huge 230 pages with dimensions of 11" x 8.75" x .75". We love it and so will you!

 

#PysankyBooks #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

Creative designs from Baba’s Pysanky Boutique – Easter Blessings

Creative designs from Baba’s Pysanky Boutique – Easter Blessings. A trio of nested pysanky celebrates the coming of spring in our Easter Blessings Collection of face masks, apparel (more than just T-shirt), gifts and novelty items for your home or office (greeting cards, mugs, etc.). May the blessings of Easter bring peace and joy as you celebrate the coming of Spring in this collection of apparel, gifts and novelty items.

See the Collection here. https://www.cafepress.ca/babaspysankyboutique/17219836

#CafePress #pysanky #UkrainianEasterEgg #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

Stand With Ukraine

Ukrainian Canadian Congress BC Provincial Council and Vancouver Branch are issuing a BC and Vancouver-wide Call to Action for Sunday, February 6th, 2022, to continue the Canada-wide Stand With Ukraine campaign. We want to turn Canada blue and yellow from coast to coast to coast and show our support for Ukraine at this time of unprecedented escalation of Russian aggression on its borders.

There will be a Vancouver Stands With Ukraine car rally at Queen Elizabeth Park (4600 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2Z1). Meet at 12:30 PM at the upper parking lot (next to Bloedel Conservatory) for a short demonstration.

The car rally starts at 1 pm, when cars decorated with Ukrainian and Canadian flags and posters “Stand With Ukraine”, “Vancouver Stands With Ukraine”, “Say No to Putin”, and Support Ukraine” will drive by City Hall in Vancouver and through downtown. A smaller group will return to the City Hall after the car rally to hold a covid-safe demonstration. Have your Ukrainian and Canadian flags ready, as well as vyshyvankas and posters. Take photos of your local community standing together for Ukraine.

Those who cannot join the car rally on February 6th are invited to take photos with Ukrainian and Canadian flags and Stand With Ukraine signs and post them on social media. We are stronger together!

#StandWithUkraine

Friday Funnies – Kaboom!

Today is Friday and who couldn’t use a little pysanka humour to start off the weekend? Discover the magic of pysanky one joke at a time! Credit for this one goes to ©1990 Glenn McCoy

 

#PysankaHumour #BabasBeeswax

Ask us anything about pysanky — how to say "pysanka" and "pysanky"

Ask us anything about pysanky—tools, technique, tradition and more . . . . To share our knowledge, our team of experts at www.babasbeeswax.com draws on not only our heritage, but also over 30 years teaching pysanky to all ages and levels of experience since 1991. Today's dialogue is on tradition.

Question  – How is pysanky pronounced?

Answer – It's not "pie'san-ky". isten to an audio file here  

We believe that pysanky is fun and we embrace “Panya Pysanka”, our cool, hip, and whimsical mascot character. See her here in our “ask us anything about pysanky” post and elsewhere on social media to see how we promote pysanky.

 

#PanyaPysanka #AskUsAnything #JoanBrander #BabasBeeswax

Creative designs from Baba’s Pysanky Boutique – I LOVE egging

Celebrate your love of egging with our I LOVE Egging Collection of face masks, apparel (more than just T-shirt), gifts and novelty items for your home or office (greeting cards, mugs, etc.). This unique design is also featured on a variety of gifts and novelty items.

See the Collection here. https://www.cafepress.ca/babaspysankyboutique/17224252

#CafePress #pysanky #UkrainianEasterEgg #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

My nod to Chinese New Year

 My nod to Chinese New Year. Happy New Year — Gung Hay Fat Choi 恭喜發財. Stay healthy — Shen Ti Jian Kang 身体健康

Friday Funnies – eggshell walls.

Today is Friday and who couldn’t use a little pysanka humour to start off the weekend? Discover the magic of pysanky one joke at a time! Credit for this one goes to ©2003 Mark Parisi

 

#PysankaHumour #BabasBeeswax

Ask Us Anything About Pysanky – technique

Tools, technique, tradition and more . . . . ask us anything about pysanky. To share our knowledge, our team of experts at www.babasbeeswax.com draws on not only our heritage, but also over 30 years teaching pysanky to all ages and levels of experience since 1991. Today's dialogue is on technique.

Question  – How can I protect my pysanka?

Answer – Many people use varnish. If you want to reduce the environmental footprint of this component, use a light coating of vegetable oil instead.

We believe that pysanky is fun and we embrace “Panya Pysanka”, our cool, hip, and whimsical mascot character. See her here in our “ask us anything about pysanky” post and elsewhere on social media to see how we promote pysanky.

 

#PanyaPysanka #AskUsAnything #JoanBrander #BabasBeeswax

Creative designs from Baba’s Pysanky Boutique – all you need is love, and a pysanka

Love, Love, Love. LOVE is all you need in our All You Need Is Love, and a Pysanka Collection of face masks, apparel (more than just T-shirt), gifts and novelty items for your home or office (greeting cards, mugs, etc.). Show your love for the pysanka with apparel in this Collection. LOVE is also expressed on a variety of gifts and novelty items in this boutique.

See the Collection here. https://www.cafepress.ca/babaspysankyboutique/17221124

#CafePress #pysanky #UkrainianEasterEgg #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

I stand with Ukraine

I stand with Ukraine and am expressing my support for Canada taking a leadership role in support of Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.

Since invading Ukraine in 2014 and illegally occupying Crimea, Russia has waged a war of aggression in the east Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk. This war has cost Ukraine over 13,000 dead, over 30,000 wounded and 1.5 million internally displaced people.

Russia is again threatening a further invasion of sovereign Ukrainian territory, moving a significant amount of troops and military hardware to Ukraine’s borders and occupied Ukrainian territory.

I believe that Canada and our NATO allies must respond with unity and resolve to Russia’s increasing threats against Ukraine.

#StandWithUkraine

Friday Funnies – egg dyeing contest!

The truth behind egg dying. Today is Friday and who couldn’t use a little pysanka humour to start off the weekend? Have you heard about the World Theatre Day? These colored eggs certainly have. Discover the magic of pysanky one joke at a time! Credit for this one goes to ©1998 Mark Parisi

 

#PysankaHumour #BabasBeeswax

Ask Us Anything About Pysanky – tradition

Tools, technique, tradition and more . . . . ask us anything about pysanky. To share our knowledge, our team of experts at www.babasbeeswax.com draws on not only our heritage, but also over 30 years teaching pysanky to all ages and levels of experience since 1991. Today's dialogue is on tradition.

Question  – What is a pysanka?

Answer – Ukrainian Easter egg made the traditional way with beeswax, kistka and dyes.

We believe that pysanky is fun and we embrace “Panya Pysanka”, our cool, hip, and whimsical mascot character. See her here in our “ask us anything about pysanky” post and elsewhere on social media to see how we promote pysanky.

 

#PanyaPysanka #AskUsAnything #JoanBrander #BabasBeeswax

Tuesday Tips for pysanky — your eggs

Learning pysanky is easy, fun and affordable. Continuing in our bi-weekly series we have Tips and Troubleshooting for eggs, beeswax, kistka, dyes, candles, pencil guidelines, removing beeswax, emptying your eggs, varnishing your pysanky, using a drying board, displaying your pysanky and more . . . .

What’s your learning style? is it listening (we have a podcast “Pysanka Power Podcast”), is it watching (we have a YouTube Channel “Baba’s Beeswax” or “iluvpysanky” with multiple playlists), is it doing (we have a tutorial “Teacher Guide”), is it online (we have digital resources including “ZOOM” meetings), or is it reading (we have unique publications from Canada and elsewhere). We’ve been doing all this and more since 1991 and just celebrated our 30th anniversary!

Today’s tip is on choosing eggs and inspecting them for noticeable flaws. Do not use thin, bumpy or creased shells. Larger size eggs tend to have thinner shells. Hold eggs up to a light source to find hairline cracks and weak spots in the shell (this is called “candling”).

Our team has you covered. You can trust the experts at Baba’s Beeswax.com. Our Mission is to provide you with everything you need to make beautiful pysanky the traditional way from pysanky supplies and kits to workshops and books. Our Vision is to inspire and encourage beginners, experts, and anyone interested in Ukrainian egg decorating to discover the magic of one of the great traditions of all time—PYSANKY!

 

#BabasBeeswax #TuesdayTipsAndTroubleshooting #PysankySupplies

Creative designs from Baba’s Pysanky Boutique – Love with a pysanka

Surround yourself and others with love in our Love With A Pysanka Collection of face masks, apparel (more than just T-shirt), gifts and novelty items for your home or office (greeting cards, mugs, etc.). You’ll be in love with the apparel in this Collection. The creative design is also featured on a variety of gifts and novelty items.

See the Collection here. 

https://www.cafepress.ca/babaspysankyboutique/17219957

#CafePress #pysanky #UkrainianEasterEgg #BabasBeeswax #JoanBrander

Friday Funnies – I’m a Ukrainian chick!

Today is Friday and who couldn’t use a little pysanka humour to start off the weekend? Discover the magic of pysanky one joke at a time! (source unknown)

 

#PysankaHumour #BabasBeeswax

Ask Us Anything About Pysanky – safety

Tools, technique, tradition and more . . . . ask us anything about pysanky. To share our knowledge, our team of experts at www.babasbeeswax.com draws on not only our heritage, but also over 30 years teaching pysanky to all ages and levels of experience since 1991. Today's dialogue is on safety.

Question  – What are safety precautions for using candles?

Answer – Most of all, use your common sense when working around life fire. To learn more about safety when writing pysanky, download this free handout from Baba’s Beeswax Fire Safety Fact Sheet https://www.babasbeeswax.com/X-pdfFiles/Fire%20Safety%20Fact%20Sheet%20copyright%202019.pdf.

We believe that pysanky is fun and we embrace “Panya Pysanka”, our cool, hip, and whimsical mascot character. See her here in our “ask us anything about pysanky” post and elsewhere on social media to see how we promote pysanky.

 

#PanyaPysanka #AskUsAnything #JoanBrander #BabasBeeswax