Our Artists

Cvetka Rezman

Cvetka and her husband live in the beautiful Savinja Valley where they raised their daughter and two sons.  She is retired from a management position and now fills her time with her crafts, gardening, and taking care of her elderly mother.

Cvetka is an expert in crochet, tatting, embroidery, and making bobbin lace. She enjoys pampering her family with her home cooking and baking, and also loves to vacation at the sea.

Robi Veselič 

Robi is a young blacksmith who has been engaged in a iron work for over 18 years, since he was 18 years old.  He manufactures custom made products such as candle holders, thermometers, fences, doors, fountain covers, flower stands, lamps, and just about anything the customer requests.

He lives in Marindol in the Bela Krajina region with his wife Anja and their 2 young daughters.

Andreja Lukanic Janezic 

Andreja discovered the joys of woodworking when her husband built a playhouse for their children, and she noticed the beautiful shapes and patterns in the leftover wood.  Since that time, she has collected wood and stones on her travels for use in her jewelry.  She uses only naturally fallen limbs and twigs, and does not harm any trees for her crafts.

Andreja is a geographer and former teacher.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and travel.  Andreja lives in Crnomelj with her husband and four children.  She creates all of The Slovenian Shop's wooden items.

Click here for Andreja's full biography.

Mihaela Štukelj

As a child, Mihaela learned to sew, knit, and crochet from her mother.  Although she continued practicing her skills into adulthood, she became especially interested in it about 7 years ago when she began making things for her newborn great niece.  It was then that she started using her talents to make items for sale to others.  All of Mihaela's products are made from natural materials such as wool, cotton, and leather.

Mihaela is retired from her career as a prison social worker.  She resides with her husband and teenage son in Tribuče where she was born and raised.

Tončka Jankovič 

Tončka was born and raised in Adlešiči.   She graduated from Faculty of Economics in Maribor, and is finishing a Masters Degree in International Business.  Living on the farm with family and grandparents has enabled her to learn many traditional crafts of Bela Krajina including making flax linen, processing hemp into thread and cloth, making pisanicas (Bela Krajina Easter eggs), and processing wool into felted, knitted, and crocheted products.  She organizes and manages handicraft classes on traditional skills for children and adults. Her woolen podritnik (under butt seat) was awarded the "Best Souvenir of Bela Krajina" in 2013, her XXL knitted woolen blanket received Arca Deli Award 2016, by European SAVE foundation, as a good example of a product from the rare breed Belokranjska pramenka sheep.
All her handicrafts products bear the quality mark awarded by the Slovenian Chamber of Craft and Small Business (Obrtno podjetniška zbornica Slovenije) – DUO Certificate (certifikat domače in umetnostne obrti).

Tončka's family manages a small campsite by the river Kolpa, called Stari Pod (translation “Old barn”) where she helps in restaurant, takes guests  boating, and provides information about swimming, hiking, traditional skills, and the natural and cultural heritage of the area.

Vesna Veselič

Vesna was born near Adlešiči in Bela Krajina.  She lives  near the beautiful river Kolpa, close to border with Croatia.  Initially, she worked as seamstress, but her heart was always happiest when she did hand crafts.  Now for more than 15 years, she has been following the traditions of Bela Krajina, which is known for handmade linens, embroideries (tkaničenje), and Easter eggs (Belokranjske pisanice).  Vesna lives on a farm with her husband Jože, who makes wicker baskets; her son Robert, a blacksmith; her daughter-in-law Anja; and two beautiful granddaughters, Nina and Naja.  Her daughter Brigita is married and living in neighboring village, but her Nuša and Mark visit their grandmother often.  There are always pleasant aromas coming from Vesna's kitchen when she is baking bread, cakes, strudel, drying fruits from her garden, or making jam.

Amanda Hanson

Amanda was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Central Washington University.  She became interested in the Slovenian culture because her husband is of Slovenian heritage.  She is a freelance artist and also teaches classes in watercolor and needle felting.  

Any art by Amanda will clearly state "Made in America."

Tanja Medic

 
Tanja was born and raised in Radovljica.  Along with being a co-owner of The Slovenian Shop, she's also a talented seamstress and baker.  She creates many of our handmade bags.  Tanja graduated from University of Ljubljana and works in the land tax office.  

Tanja enjoys country line dancing, camping, and travel.  She lives in her ancestral home in Radovljica with her husband Stanko, daughter Nika, and their dog Charlie.