The Flying Finns

For the next few weeks I’ll introduce you to some of my favourites in Etsy, and in this week I’ve decided to offer you an elegant artist from Finland. Following introduction and extra pictures are from my fellow country men, all using Etsy as a platform for their art, but let me start with giving you more details about Maari and her art:

Maari, is a lady from Finnish Lapland who is using a raku technique on her ceramic designs. As she mentions on her Etsy shop: ”Unique raku art inspired by Lapland’s nature: birch vases, decorative raku eggs, Arctic animals, birch branch & bark tiles all handmade in my Arctic studio!“. Every one of her designs are unique, as are the nature’s creations, and all of the designs have their roots on the elements of Lapland’s nature – the unexpected and beautiful wilderness. Maari mentions on her web page that her biggest inspirations come from the colours, shapes and the materials of the nature around her. She also works with leather, stone and other materials.

One of my favourites in her shop is the birch eggs- and this is how she introduces visitors to her price winners:

“Which came first, the birch or the egg?

This witty raku egg set is part of my Koivu Collection. The source of inspiration for the Koivu Collection is the Birch tree, which we have a lot of in Finland. Almost every family has their own "Home Birch" in the yard, which "protects" the family, standing still while the wind blows and snowstorms rage. I created these birch eggs in honour of all the little birds that nest in the birch trees in my yard and wake me up each morning with their joyful songs.

Eggs symbolize fertility and life and make elegant favours for a wedding or a baby shower. “

I also picked these vases from her home page http://www.maari.fi/, they are just absolutely fantastic, bringing your home a breath of fresh, cool and mystical northern air.

I also wanted to add some other treats from the fellow Finns. When I think of my home land, I remember the forests filled with berries and other nature’s gifts– hence the berry style necklace from HappyDaysDesing http://www.happydaydesigns.etsy.com/

Designs which are useful but beautiful and even playful –hence the elf like design from Vaisto http://www.vaisto.etsy.com/.

We also are and have been the pioneer of recycling, having the gift of seeing beauty in used items. Tuuni http://www.tuuni.etsy.com/ has this gift of finding treasures from past, the gift of recycling and upcycling and releasing the past a new from of life- have a look at the wonderful pillow covers made by Tuuni.

I have an idea-join me!

Even though living our day to day life can be hard, even stressful and nerve racking at the best of times, we should come through with flying colours as long as we dress right, be polite to our neighbours, eat well but not too much, exercise regulary, remember the animal rights and global warming, our kid's collage funds and our pensions, and regular contact with family and friends. That's about it, I think.


I also know, I fail all this terribly most of the time. If I can achieve most of these tasks in one week, by Friday I will at least fall flat on my face on top of chocolate cake and complete non-educational tv-program where celebreties have to eat live bugs.


This week has been hard one, not just because I could not watch the last episode of mentioned tv-series, but because all real life plans seemed to fail on me. Again. This has sent me to dark moods, black clothes and to much cake. Even my polar bear husband has understood this, and kept his distance. Looking back, I know there should have been things I should have done differently and by concentrating only on my own problems I have selfishly shut out the outside world. This is the moment where my idea jumps in: as we are closing on Christmas, I've decided to make someone else's life easier, sort of Pay it Forward style. So hereby I challenge all of you to do the same. Let's spend the next 3 weeks quietly helping others, going the extra mile, either with concrete help, and/or prayers; just to make someone else happy! Let's just concentrate on others, the rest will follow. Leave your note of your good deeds on my comments, My 6 year old son will choose the Kindest Act (Remember child will see the truth) and I'll announce the Kindest Act on the last week of this year. The Kindest Act will win one of these mobile phone cases!



Remember treat others as you wish to be treated yourself and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. And as my son says "it's not about winning it about taking apart" !!

Gingerbread men

I had a panic attack; Christmas is only 5 weeks away! In my mind I'm still living in October...hmm... This also means I'm only 5 weeks away from gingerbread men, cinnamon buns and chocolates...You can not eat them before, as it only spoils the Big Days! So on 24th (yes we celebrate Christmas for 3 days by Finnish tradition), on Christmas Eve, one starts to enjoy, and by 26th one can not face another gingerbread man for another year!

Hereby I offer our family tradition for your service, make them and enjoy, just follow the lead of Lukas (shown on picture making them)
The Recipe for the Best Thin Gingerbread Men

You need:
200 g butter
2.35dl of sugar
1.5 dl of syrup
1 dl cream
7.5 dl of flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of cloves
1 tsp of allspice
0.5 tsp of ground ginger

Melt the butter in the same bowl you'll mix the dough in. Mix the baking soda with small portion of flour. Add the seasoning (ginger etc), sugar, syrup and cream to the cooled down butter. Mix the ingredients well together, to make sure none of the seasonings are clamped together. Add the baking soda mixture, as well as rest of the flour by gently mixing or even rather spooning the flour in to the dough. Cover the dough and the bowl with clean towel and plastic bag and leave it in a fridge to set until following day.

Day 2: take the dough to room temperature, put oven on to 190 degrees. Start moulding the dough, portion at the time with rolling pin, to a thin flat disc, press gingerbread men out with the mould of your choice, add men on oven tray and bake for 5-10 minutes until dark golden brown. Decorate if you wish, with icing sugar mix when men have cooled down.

Hint: moulding is easier when the dough is still cool

Hint 2: once baked, lay the hot gingerbread men on flat surface, on uneven surfaces like plates etc they’ll just turn wonky...

Hint 3: Eat plenty and enjoy!

Also, some knitting pictures as attached- latest customer orders, skull mittens and pink slippers.