BureBure family came back home from wonderland - ICELAND. My husband and the oldest son Azuolas agreed that this country should be on the “must see” list. Some people call it "moon" land on earth and this phrase describes it straight to the point. Wool felting workshop went great.

We are different and our feet are different. This is the reason why mass-produced items do not fit us and thousands of new pairs of shoes end up in a dump. So when standardised products disappoint, it is time to find those, who listen to individual needs of a customer - craftsman.

It’s spring. It’s greenery and nude. Sprouts and blossoms, first sunbaths, early morning dew. Soft tip-toes on the grass and colourful wool.

Everyone can make slippers! You just need some wool and a little bit of soap, water, love and knowledge.
We’ve been felting slippers for a decade and holding training courses for 8 years already. We offer short, beginners’ workshops as well as advanced level explicit trainings, which combine theoretic and practical tasks. You don’t need any special preparation for BURE BURE courses since we provide students with all the equipment and materials needed. If you choose our programme, you can expect to finish a first pair of slippers on the first training day.

Our team loves travelling abroad! We have international trainings experience and are interested into meeting new people. Therefore, if you are not able to come to our studio, invite us to your country.

Main lecturer of trainings - BURE BURE establisher Inga Samusiene. For groups of 10 students or more, Inga’s husband Kestutis Samusis joins her.
Trainings can be held in Lithuanian, English or Russian languages.

We waited for so long to say – enough, it’s time to celebrate. And now, when this time has finally come, we want to wish you all Merry, Cozy, Unforgettable Christmas! See you next year!

Yet, we’ve chosen animals to be pictured on top of slippers for their symbolic meaning in Baltic Christmas customs too. In the past, Baltic people used to believe that there is one night during the year (yes, Christmas night) when animals can talk and forecast the future. Thus, our ancestors carefully followed the rule not to go outside on Christmas night so that they wouldn’t interrupt conversations. Of course, there were always some curious people who wanted to listen to animals speaking but they were warned not to do that on intent, since animals could get angry and reveal their death date.

We’ve finally found time to decorate BURE BURE studio for Christmas. The highlight of our “artwork” is my three-year-old daughter’s Vasare snowman, which she made out of two felted bean bags and a ball. Vasare chose pieces of bright, electric blue wool to create eyes and hair and a little bit of red wool for lips. Next to the snowman, we placed BURE BURE felted slippers with deer ornaments so that snowman wouldn’t feel alone. Finally, felting table was covered in colourful wool leftovers since we never throw them out. By the way, we already think about creating beautiful clothes or carpets from them in the nearest future!

Last week I had a guest in my felting workshop - a vibrant woman Ruta from “Barono vila” homestead in Anyksciai district. Not only Ruta brought some great wool, which inspired me to design new slippers, but also told a lot about the place where she lives, surrounded by wild deers and does, and got me interested in visiting her after Christmas when the madness of giftsmaking, wrapping and sending to you worldwide will end.
In 2012 Ruta’s family started another activity: to grow sheep of an old Gotland breed, which originated in Sweden and up until now is rare in Lithuania. Gotland sheep are known for being black-headed, having no horns, very short tails and interacting with humans with particular friendliness and curiosity. They were recognized worldwide after “Lord of the Rings” saga shown up since cloaks of little hobbits were made from their wool.
Speaking of which, (yes, I never forget wool) Gotland sheep has soft, silky hair with a subtle gloss, which can’t be eliminated even after strongest dye. Because of the diversity of natural grey shades, no wonder why it is popular among eco-friendly felting community. I immediately started to imagine cute and curly Bure Bure slippers collection. Some of new examples are already finished, check them out - Little Lamb Organic wool kids slippers and Booties for children!

Back in the days, in Baltic countries, where Christian customs were strongly mixed with ancient tribal beliefs, Christmas Eve played much more important role that it does nowadays. The longest night of the year was significant for countless number of rituals and prophecies performed between dusk and dawn.
Prophecies were extremely popular, especially among unmarried girls. Often their home accessories used to become medium, which connected our world with spiritual dimensions and helped to reveal future.
I guess there’s no need to repeat that two biggest interests for young girls were guys and shoes. Thus, shoes have always played an important role while trying to forecast love and relationship.