I had only a few hours to shop in Reykjavik last week and I already told you about my favorite store. But Kulusuk Art—a shop that imports traditional Eskimo creations from Greenland—was also a very sweet find. They sell online but if you find something you love at the Web site, you might want to call to place your order and get a little background on the items because the Web site is in Icelandic. (Skype is the cheapest way to make international calls–it’s free to sign up, you pay a few cents to make a call to a land line. Iceland is four hours ahead of New York.)
I got one of these carvings (shown at the top) for my son Cole because they seemed just the sort of thing you marvel over when you are 12 and still treasure when you are old and grey. He loves it. I told him it was a talisman to keep him safe when his mother is away. He liked that, too. But it is really a carving of one of the spirits the Greenlanders believe in. Someone started carving them to explain these spirits to a foreign visitor in the early 1800s and that started a fad, which has since become a traditional art. You can see photos of the artists who create the goods in the shop here.
In addition to the carvings, the store has amazing fur mittens, shoes, bags, and other goods as well as some home furnishings—not all of it from Greenland. Check it out.
And, now, for something completely off topic: Did you notice that I have two giveaways going right now? I am just all that! I’m giving away a Sansa Fuze music player and three iPhone or iPod cases. I’m running the Ramdomater 9000 to pick a winner on the Sansa Fuze giveaway this weekend. The Otterbox phone case giveaway will run till the end of October.