Elenitsa's Handmade began in 2019 from the back corner of a garden shed. It was built on the hope for a more thoughtful future, and the belief that discarded materials could be re-imagined into something meaningful. Since launching in 2020, Elenitsa's Handmade has created a range of handcrafted items and given new life to hundreds of glass bottles that would have otherwise been thrown away.
"I never leave his house without a bag full of can tabs that he’s collected for me."
What was originally intended to be an art print and jewellery store soon found an unexpected new path when I began working in weddings and events. At the end of each celebration, once the music faded and the guests had gone home, what remained was a striking sight. Piles of empty glass bottles, each one having fuelled the evening's festivities, now waiting for their inevitable demise with the waste collectors. After each shift, I found myself looking at them and thinking the same thing - there had to be more for them than this.
Growing up, I was always drawn to the overlooked and the discarded. My childhood bedroom had a drawer filled with what most people would call trash. I kept milk bottle lids, plastic tubs, wooden sticks, scraps of foam, and so much more. I would make bird houses from ice cream tubs and model cameras out of cardboard rolls. To me, this 'rubbish' was a collection of possibilities waiting to be reimagined.
I credit this mindset largely to my Greek Cypriot grandfather, my Papou, a skilled joiner with an incredible ability to repair, repurpose, and reinvent. I spent hours watching him work, fascinated by how easily he could turn a handful of materials into something both useful and beautiful. He has his own collection of scrap bits and bobs, often gifting me items that I might craft with. When I was young, I created a mixed-media fish for him using tin can tabs, packing paper, foam, and paint. It's still displayed in his living room today. Even now, I never leave his house without a bag full of can tabs that he’s collected for me.
The name Elenitsa’s comes from the nickname my Yiayia and Papou call me. It's an homage to my Greek heritage and the people who shaped how I see the world. Their influence is at the heart of everything I create. Elenitsa’s Handmade is built on the idea that beautiful, high-quality items can also be sustainable, thoughtfully made, and have a positive impact on the environment.
You may notice a Mediterranean influence throughout our collection of jewellery and prints.
My family have always instilled in me a strong sense for preservation and resourcefulness. We reused jars and tubs, repaired our clothes, and squeezed the last drop out of every shampoo bottle. In my family, choosing sustainability is about living responsibly, and being aware of your impact on the world around you. That perspective continues to guide my work today. When creating handcrafted and upcycled items, I aim to create pieces that are not only unique, but made to be used, appreciated, and treasured for years to come.
Today, I leave my grandparents’ home with a bag of tin can tabs in one hand and a box of empty bottles in the other. I’m proud to have become the family’s unofficial waste collector, and even prouder to transform those materials into the handmade glass pieces that define Elenitsa’s Handmade.
