Color Therapy

Finnish interiors magazine Avotakka ran an energizing article about color intheir March issue. In the color issue's green picture you can find Minttu’s design “Tuomi” (on the top of the mattress pile), and the black photo portrays “Välke” (canvas), a pattern designed by Salla. Both designs are part of Finlayson’s bedlinen collection now available in stores.

Tuomi for Finlayson

All photos by Finlayson

Recently arriving in shops from Pattern Bakery Studio, is a bedding design called "Tuomi" (Bird cherry" and has been made by lovely people at Finlayson.

Lazy beetroot pizza

Have to call it lazy, because could not be bothered to go shopping, but I just used what ever was lying around and leftovers in the fridge. This time it was beetroot, goat's cheese, rocket and pine nuts. The beetroot has to be cooked before adding it on the base, and rocket and toasted pine nuts after it comes out from the oven. Drizzle it with olive oil, salt and black pepper. This combination makes also a lovely salad!

Season's Greetings to All!

 

It's time for us to relax on our annual Christmas holidays. This year we have been happy to meet new customers and enjoy interesting co-operations, as well as continue with older relationships. It has been a pleasure to get to know you all, and we wish everyone a relaxing holiday season! See you next year!

To celebrate, here's a recipe for the mulled wine that was an inspiration for the decoration we made for Arabia's Christmas Village -design.

For two

Diluted-to-drink -red currant juice (many Finns have home-made red currant juice from Autumn harvest. You can also use lingonberry or cranberry juice.) Or you can make a white mulled wine with apple juice.

Optional: Red wine (or white) or other clear alcohol, such as gin or vodka

Pour the liquid in a saucepan so that it makes about 5 dl. I usually use half juice, half wine, but it's up to you. Or mostly juice and a splash of gin or vodka. Add spices:

1 Cinnamon stick
2 black peppers
2 star aniseeds
1 lime leave
2 cloves

Heat it up until it almost boils, take off the heat, put a lid on and let it cool with the spices for about 10 minutes. Sieve the spices and enjoy with holiday spirit!

Time to start making Christmas presents!

Instructions for knitted and crocheted dishcloths were published in the Finnish Moda-magazine 8/2012. Pretty, quick to make and useful presents for anyone you need to give a small gift. Also hand-made by yourself, what could be better? Thank you to Pukkila for tiles, Arabia for the table wear, Verso Design for felt products and Taito-shop Helsky for that lovely basket, made out of birch bark. The yarn used is from Finnish company called Kierti, and it is recycled hemp-cotton mix, made out of fashion industry's left-over material. I'm totally in love with it! Way softer than other recycled yarns I've tried, also good for making example nappy-pants, because it absorbs moisture so well, and hemp is naturally anti-bacterial. Though I've been dreaming of making a cardigan or tunic with it, just for me...

Once upon a time...

...there was these two cutie-pies who wanted to build their own house. Luckily for them, the Pattern Bakery-studio had just made these instructions for the Finnish Moda-magazine for a DIY-kids soft play house! Girl's clothing made of Pattern Bakery fabrics from Spoonflower.

Village Christmas

All photos www.arabia.fi

We are happy to present our collaboration with the lovely Finnish company, Arabia! For this Christmas 2012, we designed a pattern for their collection. It's called Joulukylä, Christmas Village, and if you look closely, you can find all sorts of stories, tastes and flavors in the design. Albeit it has the traditional Christmas elements such as ginger bread men, candles and fir trees, the execution is also graphic and modern. We were inspired by town Christmas fairs and a recipe for a mulled wine. If you promise to be good, we'll give you the recipe come December...