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.

New Year, New Beginnings

We've returned to the normal routines of our ordinary life! It actually feels good to be back at home, and to jump back to normality. Having said that, our lives never occure to be normal. This week we are dog-sitting (last week it was combined house-horses-dogs-sitting) for a 6 months old puppy Max, whose owner has gone on holiday. He keeps running riot around our older dog Charlie. I can forgive all the accidents, including the smelly ones, but Max has now commited the cardinal mistake of attacking my stacks of yarn, and that is a mistake that is not easily forgiven. My hopes to get a new dog addition to our family have vanished nearly completely- I would not have patience to deal with the mess just now. That is unless someone introduces me to a puppy who hates yarns and wool, my son's toys and hubby's shoes- oh and who automatically knows the toilet issues too! Having said that, I do really love them, bless their smelly socks!

I will also confirm the winner for my Christmas Pay it Forward competition- Sue is the winner and I wish her Happy Birthday as well as plenty of blessings for the surgery on 18th of Jan!

Regarding the knitting, I do have some new ideas. As a mum, my child's safety is always in my mind. When in Finland I noticed most of us wearing a good old safety reflector, and I thought to add some reflectors to my accessories as an extra additional bonus and safety measure. First item is out, second is waiting for a model to arrive and help me out (my son profoundly refuses to model for girly hat, and I can not fight with that).

These are some logistic I found from this web site http://www.laxodesign.ch/, they also have some stunning reflector styles & models on sale including the ones I've used myself.

At night, the human eye only works at 5% of its usual capacity, which is a frightening fact and makes road safety measures all the more important. With a reflector our visibility can go from 100 to 300 metres with high beams and from 20 to 150 metres with low beams.
A person dies on our roads every 97 seconds – a simple gesture like wearing a reflector can help us stay safe and reduce the number of fatalities.

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" !!

Yesterday I was The Mother of the Year. I woke up with joy and serenity in my heart, took dog out, fed my son, floated around the house like Stepford Wife, drove to school in car filled with mine and neighbours kids singing Abba (bear in mind this was 7.30 am) on top of their lungs, floated effortlessly around absolutely erratic Greek traffic without loosing my temper at all (which is a achievement itself, and I should earn a medal just doing the traffic without loosing my temper, as in a good day the National Road, and Iraklion town is like driving in a war zone), came home, did 3 loads of washing, baked and cleaned the house (even the cracks on floor tiles which can only be done in all fours!!!), had a power walk, picked son from school, took mine and 3 other dogs to beach for a run and after all that did some knitting to my Etsy shop. I know, I know, I did surprise myself with this all, but I knew I had talent somewhere! After all that family effort, I decided to accept my friend’s invitation for a girl’s night out –to go and watch New Moon in cinemas. Film did not do justice to the book, but hey, at least it was filled with pleasant scenes…

This morning I’ve returned to reality, I and son are still in pyjamas, house is a mess and I’m spending all of my Loving and Caring Mother time in Etsy instead. I did come across with few lovely items though, have a look to my fellow Finnish artist Karuski’s shop and especially to this handbag: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30087693
How funky is that! I just love it, the colours and the style and tone of it; it’s a prober ladylike bag, there to make your evening that much more pleasurable! It wouldn’t matter if you were in boring party, I’d be happy every time I’d just glance that bag!


I did give these as a hint to my hubby for my Christmas present, have a look at the other one at one9designs' shop, a fellow CAC member.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=35268426
This stack of rings would also make my day! So basic, understated but so pretty.

I think hubby took my hints well. And at least I did show my true colours yesterday (today he is out and about, so my pyjamas can stay on, and all the rubbish can be cleared later), and by all books he has to show his appreciation somehow! Having said that, my Stepfordniness pops up only once a year, and it leaves even me in awe. I should spread the effort evenly for better results, but hey that would be too predictable, I like to keep him on his toes….

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.

Living with polar bear

This week has flown by! This is because it's been the first week since our move to new house, and we are all trying to find our bearings, and the tricks there is in the older houses. Also partially because I’ve really tried to study, and concentrate to this course about accountancy, with no luck I’m afraid…It has become clear that me and mathematics do not agree with each others.
I have managed to grasp the basics, but every time I try a new exercise I get confused. Why mathematics can not be as simple as on knitting or visiting the bakery- one chocolate cake, two chocolate cakes…. If you have any ideas how to help me with basics of accountancy, please feel free to contact me!


I have also finished off a few new orders, white ones made with traditional style, with Novita pattern, and brown ones with Garnstudio pattern and Novita yarns. I have concentrated all my efforts on these knits, as my dear husband, who has been a valuable asset (read a hand model for men’s gloves) has stopped smoking. This has meant that our 1st week in new house has been as pleasant as living in a zoo with wounded polar bear. Bless him, he is trying really hard, week 2 is nearly done, but I’m ready to attack him with 10 nicotine patches while he is a sleep, just to make our life easier...So if there is anyone out there who knows tricks to accountancy and grumpy husbands, please contact me urgently!

Greek lightning!

Just when I thought my lige was settled after previous uprooting and relocation, we're hit by Greek lightning!Ou landlord gave us 5 days to move out; his brother needed a home, our home. After four sleepless nights and attempts to find a new home we finally, on last minute found one (finding a new place which would accept a family with pets, and also one that we could actually afford was not an easy task)! Praise the Lord!

Our new home is actually better what we've had before, and after all the hassle with broken heater, knackered hot water boiler and no cooking facilities, we've managed to conquered the move and settle in! I missed last weeks blogg update, as I did not have access to internet either, obviously due to the move, so please accept my apologies re this.

Anyhow, I've attached a picture of our new drive/path into our new home. Poor Charlie the Dog gets tormented by local cats- they keep appearing behind our windows just to drive him potty!!

Amongst all these manic circumstances I've unravelled my stress levels with knitting, and here are my new items for our shop, Merry Berry Christmas socks, Clever Blue mobile phone case and also latest customer order for brown gloves, made with Garn Studio pattern Z-434, and Novita Nalle yarn.

p.s:When checked into Etsy, came across this seller InspiredbyMarie and item wood burned sign: Welcome to Nuthouse! Brilliant, that's what we need!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32164599