Hello and welcome to Camp Happy Heart!
Camp Happy Heart is a small fibre art studio in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada owned by Heliinä Murray (Swerdlyk).
My specialty is hand knit and stuffed monsters and other fantastic creatures. I also create soft, fabric heirloom dolls.
You can find my hand-knit toys for sale at the Baggage Building Arts Centre gift shop at the waterfront Marina Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario or by sending me a message through email or Facebook.
I have been engaged in a wide range of arts and traditional crafts, such as textile and fibre arts, woodworking, pottery and ceramics, as well as painting, sketching and writing, since a young age. The past decade I've dedicated the majority of my creative time to hand knitting colourful, whimsical toys and art dolls and learning the skills to create heritage lace shawls and Scandinavian traditional stranded mittens. As well, I've recently finished a ten year, long term photography project being a study of mycology along the shores of Lake Superior at Flatland Harbour near Thunder Bay, Ontario.
My pieces have been displayed in both the first and second City of Thunder Bay Annual Fibre Arts Exhibition. In March, 2017, I had 3 pieces plus about 30 art dolls on display. My hand knit Celestarium won the People's Choice award. In March 2016, the first year for the Exhibition, I had 4 individual pieces, together with 2 multi-piece installations, on display.
In August of both 2016 and 2015, I presented knitting demonstrations at the Annual Canadian Lakehead Exhibition in Thunder Bay. I've helped organize the local annual World Wide Knit in Public day event every June for the past several years. In June 2015 I put organized the International Yarn Bombing Day exhibit which showed at the Baggage Building Arts Centre, together with creating a multi-piece installation for World Wide Knit In Public Day. I also taught classes on knit toy making at a fibre arts related retreat in Rochester, Minnesota in June 2016.
In May, 2015, I took part in Mochimochiland.com's Project Gnome Diplomacy. In 2012, I took part of a collaborative project to design and create a knit decoration along the theme of "ugly knitwear/sweater" for the CBC van to be shown in the Christmas parade. The design was comprised of dozens of knit scarves sewn together to create a toque for the van. After the parade, the toque was taken apart and the scarves donated to charity. One of my scarves was also raffled off, internally, by the CBC to raise further money for charity.
My favourite things to create are the ones you see on this website.
Get to know me better at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Camphappyheart/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camphappyheart/
Contact Me:
Email me at: camphappyheartstudio at gmail dotcom
Or send me a message on Facebook or Instagram.
