Weranna's showroom

We've had our showroom, located in a renovated 1950's house, open for the past 2 days for the Finnish press to come and FEEL our products. Such wonderful personalities, such good discussions! I was so happy to see so many showed up - to those of you out there - thank you <3.

Not so easy to decorate with many products and 3 color schemes to choose from, but I think we managed quite okay with our garden veggies/pebblestones fusion theme ;).

Basically all the furniture you see in the photos is either second hand or upcycled or self-made or some strange FUSION version of the above ;), and it turned out nice.  And you know what? Looking around me here really makes me SMILE. There's a story behind every piece, and that makes me very comfortable.

Yes, I could very well live in this house. And be very happy.

***

kierrätysidea, tuunaus

Home Spa mys

Getting a bit chilly already, isn't it? This morning, when taking the kids to school and daycare, you really wanted to have something warm on.

I don't know about you, but when it starts to get chilly, I start thinking of warm baths and candlelight rather than taking a quick shower. In Swedish there is a perfect word 'mys'. I think the word itself is related to hugging or something, but is used more as an atmosphere. For example, every Friday evening we have 'Fredagmys' with the kids. We cuddle on the sofa, eat pop corn, watch a family movie and drink Coke. Perfectly, absolutely 'mysigt'. And an ABSOLUTE catastrophe, if for some reason we can't have it.

Isn't a warm, quiet bath a perfect 'mys' then? I think so. In Weranna's Home Spa section you find mys to all parts of your body - wonderful, soft bathroom mats, sponges, bamboo towels. Even the room scent (so delicious you can't even imagine) adds to the 'mys'.

Mysigt shopping, my friends <3!

***
kotikylpylä, kylpylätarvikkeet, bambupyyhe, kylpyhuoneenmatto, kylpyhuoneen sisustus

Heather hues

Are you one of those who always eats the best part of the cake first, or leaves it last? Or perhaps don't even think at all which part is the best or the least best ;)?

Well, I always leave it last...like now this 3rd color trend palette for this fall. Don't you just LOVE these colors?? Different hues of pink, purple and violet...they are such energizing colors on a Tuesday morning when you've been woken not-so-voluntarily at 4 a.m...

I am also quite impressed by the photo I've named 'accident' - probably a thousand mistakes when a professional looks at it, but I think it is the best photo I've ever taken ;).

We have lots of products in the shop fitting this color palette - I will be making collages this week so you get the idea what one has in her head when doing the purchases... ;)

***
syksyn värit, väritrendit, syksy 2012, kanerva

DIY dishcloth

We spent yesterday evening with my sister, and the total 6 children of ours, while the hubbies were running the DN half marathon in Stockholm (go, boys!!!). And my sister said at some point - when I was sitting and crocheting some baby booties for a Xmas something  - 'Riikka, I really envy you for having the time to knit and crochet'. And I thought hmmm....how DO I have the time? Well, I am quite fast after doing it for 30 years or so, for one. That doesn't count in this discussion, as she is probably even faster than me. I don't watch TV (and if I once a month do, I knit while watching). I don't read books (I should, the 'to read' list is getting too long...) and most of all - I knit EVERYWHERE. Perfect when visiting friends, sitting in the train, at the airports, in the plane...

Oh  - and if you see someone crocheting on the Norwegian flight 06:40 am from Stockholm to Helsinki, come and say hi - that would be me :).

Why on earth a dish cloth?? Well, they are pretty!! And when living in the States, I loved the way my family used the wash cloths, as they were called. You use it once, and you stick it into the washing machine. You don't have it there in the sink and on the tap and where EVER for days and weeks like common in Scandinavia.

As promised, below you find the simplest instruction of all time for a dish cloth. If you've done at least some crocheting, you'll finish one in less than 1 hour. If a little more, in 30 minutes. If you wish to purchase the needed Novita Hanko yarn with 50% recycled cotton and the bamboo crochet hook 6,0 mm used, you can get them from the shop. We'll send you the Knit Hit Kit knitting bag together with your purchase :).

For 2 dish cloths you need 1 roll of Novita Hanko yarn and a crochet hook size 6,0 mm.

***
virkkaus, virkkausohje, tiskirätti ohje

Paris blues

Feeling blue ;)? Well, to be honest, a little. I've mentioned some time ago that one of our children isn't well, and sometimes, as the symptoms are worse, the little darlings mommy feels VERY blue. But luckily she has her feel-good little business which always brings a smile to her face :).

Last week in Paris - really wasn't feeling the least bit of blue, just saw it everywhere around me! The doors and the store displays...it truly is here, isn't it?

And - visiting the Maison&Objet fair - I was so very proud of the fellow Finnish entrepreneurs displaying their wonderful businesses. Such positivity splash! Such blue and white female energy! You know brands like
Balmuir, Kotonadesign, Iittala...Ahh. Had the best fair ever. Did some Christmas shopping, as well...found a new Dutch supplier. Why always Dutch, I wonder?

As you may guess - it will be lots of blue things this week - thought to have, perhaps, a blue give away (just need to figure out a reason first..;)...) and also give you instructions for a simple simple BLUE crochet work. One of those 40-minutes-and-done projects.

They sky is blue today, and I'm wearing blue, and now need to start preparing for my trip to Finland....byeee my friends....

***
sininen, sininen, sininen sisustus

Carrot soup action

It all starts with pouring a glass of white wine...well, it does. After you've self-picked the organic carrots in the pouring rain and gone absolutely bonkers in the 'pumpkin tunnel'...carefully you've, of course, chosen to wear white tennis shoes...

Somehow I find it strange that I every now and then blog about food - I am really no cook. I am merely a food maker. But this carrot soup is something the whole family loves. It is based on a Turkish lentil soup recipe, just without lentils...guess why? With lentils the color turns kinda greenish I-am-not-mentioning-what-it-looks-like-soup. The lentil soup is really delicious, as well, but not for blogging...

There's really no official recipe - you peel some onions, potatoes and carrots and cut them into reasonable pieces. Then you warm up some oil in a kettle, and cook the veggies in the oil until they start becoming tender. Add some chicken stock (like 1 l or so) and boil until the veggies are well done. Add lots of parsley, or alternatively dill. Use your mixer, add some cream or cream cheese (or both) to taste and warm up again to boiling. Voilá! Done.










































I love burlap - perfect if you are bringing a plant over as a gift - I use a plastic bag under so watering is not an issue, and tie a piece of burlap on top of it with some sisal yarn. Can be used for anything, and it really looks pretty!

When my husband came home, he was so happy to see the dinner ready, all cozy and nice...until I say 'don't sit down yet!! Need to take the photos first...' Well, I KINDA did prepare everything for him...sort of.

You see those metal thingies under the candles? They are exactly what you think they are - old custard molds. Found some new kind of use for them :). Nice to use around Xmas time, as well, you'll see.

Lovely evening I must say - and no, our kids don't like the green thingy in the middle of the soup. Mommy carefully removes every particle to her own plate before calling 'food is ready...!'

***
porkkanakeitto, porkkanakeitto ohje, porkkanakeitto resepti, syksy, syksyn värit

Pumpkin and earthy hues

Yes...when one has too much to do, she starts to play with the camera and the color picker functionality...I give absolutely every credit of this idea to build this kind of color palettes from photos to Jessica behind Design Seeds, but really just wanted to try it out this month with the wonderful color trends.

And give you a hint on what kinds of tools the professionals (not me, I might add...) use to build the color palettes for a living room, for example...

I mentioned some time ago NCS (Natural Color System), which has categorized and coded, I don't know, THOUSANDS of color tones. It is based on a horizontal color circle (yellow, red, blue, green) - yes, we know green shouldn't really be there, but it is ;), placed somewhere on a vertical white-black axis.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? The more black you have, the darker your color is, the more white, the lighter. And every single color is coded! Guess who's logical mind loves THAT :)?

Well, it of course takes a bit of the 'magic' away from the thinking 'the interior designer had a great eye for color...' phrase, but it helps you to understand, why this yellow-green combinations works, and that one - not at all. And why all the colors work just wonderfully in nature...

About the tones above - just to tell you how it works (and for me to see if I got it anywhere right with the tones with plain eye...) - for them to be a perfect match, they should be found on a same page or at least vertically on the same axis...

Well, that dark brown I picked from the picture is a little off, too much red in it, but otherwise - quite okay, wouldn't you say?

***
värit, värikartta, kurpitsan värinen, syksyn värit, syksyn väritrendit 2012