syko

Flea (or was that flu) market day

This winter really won't come to an end! It has been snowing for two days and I have a nasty head-cold and am coughing and sneezing away. I was really in need of some Flumarket therapy (ha-ha). 
I am always on the hunt for good cotton fabrics, if you find sheets you get a lot of fabric for the money and I was lucky today! The green fabric is made of that thick cotton sheet quality they don't make anymore and a great shade of green! Dots, stripes and checkered fabrics are always good to have. The yellow gingham fabric is a whole duvet cover so that's lot of fabric! The milkglass bowl will be added to my collection, I previously had this one and two is a collection, right?

The embroidered tablecloth is beautiful, however discoloured, broken and stained so it will be great for my fairy-angel dolls. I also got a roll of cute good-to-have wallpaper and an blue retro Christmas table-cloth for my tomte stuffies!  

Big E has asked for a reading chair for some time now and this faded beauty had a note on that said "GRATIS" (for free) so I took her home! E will love to sit there and read. I am happy to say that most of our furniture is second-hand. Yesterday I bought a cupboard for our kitchen too that "just needs a little fixing", so does this side-board that now hosts my little plant nursery.

Just look at that detail! You can't walk away from a piece like that, can you? Especially when it's 35€. I love small town living, yes I do!

Have you made any great flea market scores lately?

 

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!

 

 

Gudrun Sjödén

When I heard that Gudrun Sjödén was going to open a shop in Helsinki was very happy, I've always enjoyed visiting her colourful shops in Stockholm. I got excited when I noticed I was going to be in the city the grand opening day. Gudrun is a true inspiration, I think! She has been selling her clothes by mail-order (later also on-line) and in shops since 1976, that's my whole life time! All this time she has stayed true to her particular style making colourful and comfortable clothes in natural materials for "real women". Gudrun Sjödén has created a strong, personal brand that stands out in the fashion industry, a great achievement today. Above all I think she has showed us that you can do things your own way! 

I took some snap-shots in the shop, it was a challenge, because it was CROWDED, I wasn't the only one who wanted to meet Gudrun :)

 

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?

I'm a ma-ma-terial girl!

I'm pretty amazed I haven't quoted Madonna here before, I have been humming that song all day! These incredible, yummy fabrics arrived today from Sew, Mama, Sew! Right in time to make it to the flaps for my exhibition quilt. It will become a splash of colour!

And some more material love! I did a little swap with Milja at a fair I was selling at last weekend and got this lovely 100% ecological yarn. It is made from waste from a factory that produces clothes from ecological cotton and hemp. The quality reminds me of linen. I was going to give it all to mum for mother's day, but I think I will have to keep one skein for myself. I would like to make one of these, wouldn't it be pretty in bright colours?

 
Milja also makes these amazing ecological dish clothes under the label Kierti. Be sure to take a look if you're in Finland, the site is in Finnish only at the moment.

I got something else in the mail today too, be sure to check back tomorrow on Thursday if you want to see what it is and maybe participate in a give away!

 

Syko fabrics!

 
Today they arrived! My first Spoonflower fabrics. The apples are great, but the Spring tree is perfect! Sadly I didn't order more than a fat quarter of it so I will have to think before I start cutting in it. It would make a beautiful Summer dress for my girl so I will have to order more later. Each tree is 11 cm (4 1/4'') high. The background is off-white.

  

The apples are more orange than the original, but I can live with that, colours always change in the printing process. One apple is about 3cm (1.18'') wide. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but both fabrics are quilting weight cotton so I want to combine them with other fabrics, hopefully I will have more sewing time next week...

I have put the fabrics up for sale at Spoonflower, the more they sell of my prints, the cheaper it gets for me to buy more of them, so I guess it's a good deal.

I've spent a lot of time with little e this week, he had some problems breathing, was huffing a lot and got us worried so we've seen the doctor and got some medicine that seems to help him. Today they xrayed his lungs just to make sure he is OK. We've got asthma in the family so it might be that, I just hope it doesn't get worse and that it will disappear with the flu season. I'm so ready for Spring!!!

 

Lovely mail and new beginnings

Look what arrived from the lovely zukzuk shop today! I thought it was time to continue my Etsy art collection with a new home to decorate and all. I've got a few lovely prints already and my aim is to get them framed and hanged this Autumn... Which I have a feeling will be very busy with fairs and workshops and hopefully some new goodness for the shop. And as soon as I have managed the dead-line I have next week I will start working on a new card collection. I have always loved this time of year,it 's more like a new beginning than a new year, I think. Especially this year when Big E is going to real school, a new school with lots of new friends. I have promised myself to enjoy all the goings on and try not to get stressed. Because I love what I do! How are you today?