syko

New cutting boards and some business thoughts!

p.s. If you take the time to read this post you get a coupon code at the end. Scrolling down is also allowed :) d.s

I think it's been two years since I first got the idea of having cutting boards with my appliqué prints made and now they are finally here! There are a lot of products that I could have made with my prints, but most of them do not fulfill the ethical and ecological standards and the quality I want my products to have. I want to feel as proud of the products that I have had made by someone else as of a product I made with my own hands!

And I am very proud of introducing these cutting-boards that arrived on our doorstep yesterday! They are made of quality material, that is birch veneer, by a family company who specializes in making trays and such. The cutting board has a durable melamine coating that protects the printed picture, so you do not have to be afraid to use your sharpest knife on this one!

This peas on earth cutting board immediately moved into my own kitchen! I think there will have to be another blog post about the peas that inspire me so much right now, because today I feel like saying something more about quality products and craft business.

Most of you are familiar with my postcards, it is the Syko product that is most well-known and liked by so many people, which I am very grateful of. I have many resellers that sell my cards only. I love to have a product that anyone can afford! And it is pretty cool to have your own postcard collection, who would have thought? Still, I consider myself a crafter and take great pride in what I make and do. Which is why the cards are printed on recycled paper by a small business in Helsinki, were I know people personally. The cards are important, because I try to make a living on this business and I think the people who are able to make a living solely on handmade products in Finland today are not many. Above all I want to make and sell stuff that puts a little (or a big) smile upon your face in your everyday life! And that, I think, can be achieved by selling happy and cheerful things, but also when you know that what you sell has been ethically produced!

So the post about my new cutting boards became a little talk about my business policies, I hope you enjoyed it :) And since this is business, so I would like to offer you free shipping on all orders over 15€ from my Etsy shop until Friday night with the code BOARD4U. 

Voit tehdä tilauksesi myös sähköpostilla! Det går bra att göra en beställning per mejl! order (at) syko.com

Two lost pillows came home

These two pillows have returned from a shop that I hadn't heard from in two years. I assume they have been tucked away in a cupboard for some time now. I had totally forgotten about them myself, so I haven't been crying over them! If you are selling handmade goods on commission in your shop, please give them some loving care, someone put their heart in making those things! I am glad I got my cushions back! The good thing is that these are both designs that I haven't made for a long time and they are going right into my Etsy shop! 

 

Arts & Crafts in Mariehamn

I spent a lovely sunny day in Mariehamn at the Åland Islands last week. I was asked to talk on the subject of social media for artisans and small business owners and was very happy to meet a group of inspired people eager to ask and discuss. It is a challenge to share your experience and knowledge in just a couple of hours, but I hope everyone went home with some new thoughts! Someone asked me to share my speech here, I'll give it a thought! My most important message however was and is, whatever you want to do you have to have the motivation to do it! Whether it is to blog or sell your stuff on Etsy, if you do not have a strong feeling that you want to go on this adventure, think twice! I believe you can do (and learn) 'anything' if you really want it, but to do something that you really wouldn't like to is stressful and eats a lot of your good energy! 

That was my little Sunday speech, now I would like to show you some pictures from Mariehamn!

SALT is beautiful shop run by a craft collective. It is situated by the sea in a new building inspired by the traditional red wooden houses in the area. I used to spend my childhood Summers at the Åland Islands and have always enjoyed visiting the craft shops. 

Goldsmith Titti Sundblom was working in the shop on Wednesday. Love those flounders! And these:

Made by Eva-Len Mattsson. 

Yummy strawberry print by Gunilla von Nandelstadh.

Beautiful ceramics! I haven't figured out who made the pieces in the first two pictures, please tell me if you do! The ceramics in the first pictures is by Mia Englund! The fun plate with the doodles is by Sussi Henrikson, there was a small exhibition of her work, I really love her style! The last picture with the window features work by Lugnet keramik. And yes! That is the frozen sea outside the window! This place is gorgeous!

I adore the work of Ann Granlund! And was very sad that I couldn't go wild shopping! Next time!

The sun is shining here by the coast of Finland so I am out for a sunshine walk! Take care!

 

 

Doodles and a speech

On Wednesday I will be talking to a group of crafters and artists about social media, Etsy and on-line marketing for small business owners. When I worked at the university I used to lecture on a regular basis, it is good to have that experince, no need to get nervous, I am quite looking forward to it and have enjoyed to jot down what I want to say! It helps a lot when you get to talk on a subject that is close and dear to you! I did a couple of quick illustrations. I don't want to spoil the suprise for the people I am talking to and post all my thoughts on the blog, but I thought I'd share these pictures anyway... Translations below the pictures!

Type 1 aka 'Everyhting used to be so much better'. People can blog away as much as they like, but I am just going to sit here and craft in my own corner like I've always done. 

Type 2 'I would like to, but I don't know how to'.

I know nothing about computers!?

Help! I'm far too old!

What happens if I touch this button?

Possibilities? Error 

At the (wrong) market.

GREAT SOCKS. BUY NOW.

Something is wrong with me!

My socks must be too expensive?

Is the quality good enough?

I need to sell them cheaper!

Maybe they don't like the colours?

Idiots!

Nobody understands me in this place!

I'm going to open up an on-line shop!

It's winter in Australia after all! 

 

Oh, Tannenbaum!

Here's a little DIY tip for those of you who do not have space for a Christmas tree! We have a very dull wall in our shop so I got this bright idea... S got inspired and brought some left-over material from the greenhouse she built last Summer, a few screws and voilá!

And then some lights and decorations...

Happy weekend!

At the craft fair

It's been nearly two weeks since this fair, but I wanted to share a few pictures from our stall. It is exhaustaing to do markets and I so much appreciate that I do not have to do it alone anymore. Next week me and the other KimaraCrafts girls have the last joint event this year, a Christmas fair (Naisten joulumessut, Wanha satama, Helsinki 5-9.12), I very much look forward to it! 

All set and ready for the first day at the fair!
During the last week I have been making more of these unique fairy-angels. They are all made from old faded and stained embroidered table-cloths, I have to take a family portrait of them all, before they all move away from home!

Last day of the fair, looking happy, but tired...

Now I am going to lit some candles, we have a terrible snowstorm blowing outside, brr!

Saagor & Sötsaker -- our little shop

I have been a little lost for words lately, or well, that is probably exaggerating, I always have LOADS to say about anything and everything :) I have been a bit overwhelmed about all the goodness that has happened irl lately so I have been avoiding this space a bit, I must admit. But I want to share it all with you! I'll start by showing some shots from our little shop Saagor & Sötsaker (sötsaker is Swedish for goodies, but also translates to cute things). Saagor (= sagas/stories) stands for the linen clothing from Saaga design that we sell in the shop. 

Our cosy knits and felt neckalces are made by Annika Baarman-Sundblom. Quilt by me!

Syko corner, still lots of Spring colours here, but I am working on it!

Cute forest friends from Peikonpoika have moved into my houses!

Thanks for popping into our shop! If you want to visit us in Ekenäs/Tammisaari the address is Gustav Vasas gata 10. 

See you soon (promise)!

What to wear?

Have you ever struggled with the question above? I have. I do know what I like and what I would prefer to wear, it's not that. But I hate to go shopping and to try to find my kind of clothing among the wear and tear fashion. So I am so very happy about where I have landed! 

I share my workspace with Saaga design, which is a local brand of well-fitted, well made linen clothes for real women. It is a joy to sell these clothes to women all ages and sizes in the little shop we have in connection to the studio. We are doing a shop redo next week, will show you pictures when we have made some progress!  

And I now know what to wear everyday! I love my linen dresses, they are easy to wear and I feel pretty and comfortable. This is my new favourite colour combination: pink and grey! I am making something in these colours in the studio, will show you later! Shop Saaga on Etsy.

After working alone for some time I appreciate the company of my new colleagues very much! They like coffee A LOT and inspired me to make this print. It is available in the Etsy shop. There will be postcards too soon!

What are you wearing today? Any new favourite colours for Fall?

Recycling factory 2012

This weekend me and my friends from Kimara attended the Recycling Factory market, a sustainable lifestyle event. The event attracts loads of people and it makes you happy to see how many people that are thinking about how they consume today. Everything that is sold in the market can be bought with a good conscious! We built our booth on Friday night, it took hours as usually! I love "before" shots and remembered to snap one!

And this is how our cosy home looked a few hours later, nearly finished...

This is our "candy table". With brooches by me and lace accessories by loru and rings by karuski.

I made a huge pile of word cushions and I still have most left and will soon have them up for sale on Etsy. The pretty white pillows are from tuuni.

It always feels a bit sad when a fun event comes to an end, I began to feel at home in this place!

Do ask if you would like to know anything about what you see in the pictures! If you are curious to see more, please visit us on Facebook!

Thanks to everyone who came this weekend! And to you who were too far away to come - I hope you have enjoyed looking at the pictures!

 

Kimara pop-up shop at Kinuskilla

Image credit karuski

Last Sunday I was very happy to spend the day with my friends from kimara. We had been asked to build a pop-up shop at Kinuskilla (page in Finnish), which is a charming café and shop in a converted old mill. I am the one climbing the ladder, I made a bunting from old, embroidered napkins that we are mounting to the roof :)

The owner of the café had lots of old doors, ladders and other props that we could use. It was very inspiring! I am so happy with how my cards look against the old door with the fading paint and my birds look so pretty flying on the wreath in the old window!

I also made a little bird bunting. And I finished my dream cushion.

Pretty lace earrings in candy colours from loru, vintage earrings from karuski and chalkboard plates from tuuni.

Rosa Viola, the fairy-angel, came along and was very excited to climb this ladder!

Prettyness from tuuni.

Jewellry from repurposed spoons from beloved.

Image credit Kinuskilla

And there's the whole gang: me, Päivi, Susanna, Tuija and Minna! Do like us on Facebook if you want to make sure to know where we pop-up the next time!

All pictures by tuuni/flickr, unless otherwise noted.