Saturday, April 27, 2013

DIY seedling pots - tee-se-itse taimiruukut

DIY seedling pots - tee-se-itse taimiruukut
Remember my post about the different ideas for seedling pots (here)? Well, this is what it became last weekend :)! Today we'll be planting with the kids, so I figured I will post BEFORE photos rather than AFTER. You know, when those little dirty fingers start planting the seeds ;).

DIY seedling pots - tee-se-itse taimiruukut
For these I just used some old (dirty such!) pots, that's why the paint is already cracking a bit. I thought it would look nice, let's see! I'll post some pictures a little later when we actually have something growing in the pots!

Wouldn't they look pretty for example on the window of your summer house kitchen?

Have a beautiful, sunny day (with some flower, of course ;))!!

DIY seedling pots - tee-se-itse taimiruukut
***
Keräsin tänne blogiin pari viikkoa sitten erilaisia ideoita tee-se-itse taimiruukuille (täällä)! No, tällaisiin päädyin viime viikolla! Eikö ole aika sööttejä? Ajattelin laittaa tänne nyt tällaisia ENNEN kuvia ruukuita, ennenkuin pienet multaiset sormet pääsee tänään istuttamaan siemenet.

Käytin näihin jotain vanhoja ruukkuja, savisia sellaisia, joita löysin tuolta pihavarastosta. Ajattelin, että ne näyttää hauskalta, kun tuo maali alkaa lohkeilemaan. Katsotaan, miten 'hauskaa' on sitten, kun kaikki maali on varissut pois ;). 

Mutta eikö olisi aika suloisia vaikka mökkikeittiön ikkunalla?

Kaunista aurinkoista päivää kaikille!!



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Feel-good home creation - what is she talking about?

Ethical home decor - Samantha Holmes blanket, and Kikoi paper pearls made of reused ice hockey tickets






































It's not very clear, is it?  Let me try to explain. It is actually about ethical home decor, just not hard-core such.

When I was little, our mom would sow and knit our clothes herself - she thought that self-made and hand-made is ALWAYS far better than anything manufactured. It is more valuable, it is better quality, there isn't as much waste, and so forth. Anyone, who really loves doing things with their hands, will always make it at least 'good enough for him/herself'. He/she wouldn't waste anything, because what would be the point? The material cost is directly away from his/her own pocket. Furthermore, all scrap items will find some use in some other work, it is never just simply thrown away!

This was also very clear when we were living in the far-east and traveling around during our holidays. She would always support the local handicraft culture by purchasing one of many hand-woven baskets, silk paintings, hand embroidered textiles and clothes and you name it (I really had to BEG for her to buy me pair of those pink plastic tennis shoes rather than hand-made leather shoes)

I've inherited this thinking, loud and clear, and have transferred it to Weranna's product selection. And - if things are manufactured in larger scale for one reason or another, Weranna's products are manufactured under ethical standards, - and even if not written officially on paper, they are being met.

And no, I am no hard-core in this. I've never seen anything good coming out of going into extremes. I simply don't believe this world is there yet. In the store I've tried to tell as detailed as possible where the products are from and why I've included them into the selection.

We need baby steps.  We need to support those brands which really are trying to do their job on this front - smiling, not judging anyone, but offering an alternative and really believing themselves that this is the only way to sustain this beautiful Planet Earth to our children. Do you agree?

***

Hyvän mielen kodin luomista - mistä se oikein puhuu? Lyhyesti sanottuna sitä voi kutsua myös sanaparilla 'eettinen sisustus', mutta ei äärimmäisyyksiin vietyä sellaista.

Ei ehkä täysin selvää? Yritän selittää.

Kun olin pieni, äitimme ompeli ja neuloi kaikki vaatteemme (ja sohvanpäälliset, ja verhot ymseliyms.) itse - hän ajatteli, ja ajattelee toki niin yhä edelleen, että itse- ja käsintehty on AINA parempi vaihtoehto kuin teollisesti tuotettu. Se on jo itsessään arvokasta, se on laadukkaampaa eikä roskaa synny yhtä paljon. Kukaan, joka pitää siitä mitä tekee ja on ylpeä siitä, ei päästä käsistään mitään, mikä ei kelpaisi minimissään ainakin omaan käyttöön. Ja eihän olisi mitään järkeä heittää pois mitään, jota voi käyttää johonkin muuhun? Aina voi tehdä tyynynpäällisen tai päiväpeiton kankaantähteistä tms.

Nämä äitini periaatteet olivat myös erittäin selviä, kun asuimme Kaukoidässä - tuliaiset reissuilta ja torilta oli aina paikallisten käsityöläisten tuotoksia: koreja, silkkimaalauksia, kirjottuja kodintekstiilejä tai vaatteita. Jouduin todella RUKOILEMAAN, että saisin ihanat, pinkit muovilenkkarit niiden käsintehtyjen nahkakenkien sijaan (onnistuin saamaan ehkä puolen vuoden jälkeen, mutta ei ne nyt niin mukavat olleet jalassa, älkää kertoko äidille).

Olen perinyt tämän ajattelun, ja yrittänyt siirtää sen mahdollisimman kattavasti Weranna'sin tuotevalikoimaan. Kyllä - meiltä löytyy myös teollisesti valmistettuja tuotteita - mutta siinä tapauksessa olen varmistanut, että tuottajat itse uskovat eettisyyteen valmistusprosesseissaan, ja/tai tuotteet on valmistettu kestävistä luonnomateriaaleista. Tällaisia yhteistyökumppaneita ovat esimerkiksi Cottonhut ja Rice. Aivan ihania, eettisesti käsinvalmistettuja tuotteita edustavat puolestaan Samantha Holmes ja Kikoi. Muutamia mainitakseni.

Ei, en ole tässä hard-core. En ole koskaan elämässäni nähnyt mitään hyvää tulevan äärimmäisyyksiin menemisestä. En vaan usko, että maailma on siellä vielä. Kaupassa olen joka tuotteen kohdalla kertonut mahdollisimman kattavasti, mistä tuote on ja miksi olen sen ottanut valikoimiin.

Tarvitsemme pieniä askelia. Voimme aloittaa tukemalla niitä liikemerkkejä, jotka ovat aloittaneet työn tällä saralla - hymyillen, ketään tuomitsematta, vain tarjoamalla vaihtoehdon ja uskomalla, että vain näin voimme jättää tämän kauniin maailman lapsillemme. Oletko samaa mieltä?




Sunday, April 21, 2013

DIY cushion covers - tee-se-itse tyynynpäälliset



DIY cushion covers

Okay...one of those days when the whole blog posts decides to disappear...

I thought to dye some fabric for new cushion covers to our summer house terrace yesterday. Thought really it would be a fast process, but no ;). But don't they look nice? I wanted to use some old sheets that aren't used anymore.

DIY cushion covers

I am no hobbyist even on the field, just wanted to try how it will turn out. I've just looked at the fabrics (worn them more or less all my childhood when living in the far east as a child) , and thought that this is how it must be done. I tried 2 different methods: The first one (above) - I just tied some knots to the sheet with proper thread, and sank the whole thing into the dyeing solutiong. The second (below) - I dipped only the knots to the solution, and quickly, so the color is even lighter. Beginners luck: I think they both look fantastic :)!

If you want to try yourself, don't do like I did, do like I planned to do it....what a mess! Really. After both of the sheets were happily in the washing machine (don't remove the knots!), I poured the whole bucket full of the dark blue dyeing solution down the drain. Looked down, and watched a beautiful blue lake developing at my feet. SHIT!!! The drain was blocked. Doing this in the wash room, there was a nice pink carpet on the floor. Also a pile of clothes waiting to get into the washing machine. You may guess the color of those items currently?

So actually - dyeing itself was very fast and easy - the cleaning job afterwards took some effort....

DIY cushion covers









And - the season is starting - and this wouldn't be Weranna's blog, if there wasn't more flower in the photos :).

DIY cushion covers

DIY cushion covers


***

Tänään on ollut vähän löysä päivä yhden lapsen fillarointia opettaessa ja tässä auringossa maatessa, mutta ehkä tämä blogi tässä syntyy vielä luvatusti tämän päivän aikana...Ajattelin eilen värjätä kangasta kesämökin uusiin tyynynpäällisiin - joka ikinen vuosi täytyy olla jotain uutta, vaikka väri pysyykin samana (SININEN SISUSTUS!!). Eikö tullutkin aika kivan näköisiä? Halusin käyttää värjäykseen vanhoja lakanoita, joita ei enää käytetä, ja ajattelin, että tämä on sellainen nopea projekti. Arvatkaa oliko?

Kokeilin kahta eri tapaa - ekassa tein narulla nyyttejä kankaaseen, ja upotin koko hoidon värjäyslitkuun (ylempi tyyny). Toisessa dippasin vain nyytit litkuun (alempi). Vasta-alkajan onnea: molemmista tuli aika kivan näköisiä.

En todellakaan ole mikään ammattilainen tällaisessa, en edes harrastelija: halusin nyt vaan kokeilla, kun olen ihastunut tuollaisiin tyynyihin tällä hetkellä. En tietenkään lukenut edes mitään ohjeita. Olin vaan kattelut kankaita ja ajattelin, että näin sen täytyy syntyä.

Jos haluatte itse kokeilla, olkaa (päinvastoin kuin minä siis) supervarovaisia! Kun lakanat pyörivät (nyytteineen, huom!) pesukoneessa värjäyksen jäkeen, ajattelin kaataa tuon ämpärillisen sinistä lientä viemäristä alas ja mennä puuhaamaan toista hommaa. Satuin katsomaan alaspäin, ja siellä aika mukavan värinen sininen järvi levisi jalkojen ympärillä. Lattiakaivo tukossa, jesh! Tosi kiva. Kodinhoitohuoneen pinkki matto ja lattialla ollut seuraava koneellinen - sinisiä.

Kyllä vaan - itse värjäys oli nopea homma - sen jälkeiseen siivoamiseen menikin sitten moninkertainen aika. Mutta eikö ne siniset lattiasaumat tulekin ihan kohta muotiin ;)?

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The trendiest color of 2013: Monaco blue


http://issuu.com/werannas/docs/werannas_summer

I've beent talking about the major trends of the interior world in the blog, mainly focusing for some weeks now on the rise of the natural colors and materials, which I've named Earthy. Now I will be continuing with some color trends...guess...yes, BLUE!

When Paulina was sending me ideas how to present our summer products at the beach, I immediately loved the idea of a beach tent. No, not one of those plastic/nylon ones that fly away with the wind if you don't carry a bunch of concrete bricks with you - but a real DIY tent. (I also made one of hay poles for the kids last summer, when going mad with the rain, read about it HERE).

In my childhoold we lived many years in Vietnam. We lived on a camp on the coast, close to the port city Haiphong.  During the long summer season, every Sunday we would drive to the Do Son beach and spend the whole day there. 3 small kids from Finland, can't really even think what it COULD'VE done to our skins.

But no...we actually went camping every week! My dad would set up a tent, made of wooden poles and a white sheet, every single time. We had water grass mats under the shade, and there my little brother would take his afternoon nap, the whole family would have lunch or a snack and when it was too hot during noon time, we would all somehow fit under (except my dad, who had the darkest skin for a Finn) and read books or play cards.

After the long day at the beach, we would drive to a certain hotel in town, order lunch (stuffed crab, fried fish) and play in the yard for the next 2 hours to wait for the kitchen to prepare it from fresh ingredients (yes, one time a crab got loose...).

Only later like this, it is amazing to think what our parents did for us when we were little. Let's do the same for our kids, shall we <3?



Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tape on tape






This was one of those moments I was running through a hardware store (this time Clas Ohlson, which is anything but a hardware store, of course, but somehow I still categorize it like that in my head) and saw a wooden measurement tape at the cash register for 5 euros. And the image of a star came immediately into my mind (which of course I have seen somewhere, but just can't remember where...). Just have to see, if the tape really turns into a star! I don't know if I made it to the car even to try.

And it did! Isn't it cool?

































Which one do you prefer - the one washi-taped:















































Or the plain one:


Saturday, April 13, 2013

DIY seedling pots



Have you taken out the necessary seeds, and bought/prepared the little pots for this year's seedlings? Well - my mom (of course) has started this long process, and I will be happy to take those ready seedlings to my care during summer :). I wrote about this last summer http://www.werannas.blogspot.se/2012/07/herb-table-inspiration.html, and probably will have some new experiments during the coming season, as well ;).



I have to admit - I don't like those little plastic jars on your south side window, even though they are not there to stay. Rather I would be prepared to spend some time to make something cute myself, or use something recycled.

I gathered below some favorite DIY seedling pot ideas from Pinterest (you can find all these, and much more from http://pinterest.com/weranna/craft-ideas/ ). THESE ARE NOT MY IDEAS, RATHER WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THESE WITH YOU. The links to the original blog posts and photos you find in the caption:

These wonderful ideas from http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2011/08/mason-jar-wall-planter.html and http://www.flickr.com/photos/larkingabout/3842210618/
I didn't take the obvious ones, like making the little pots out of newspaper (those are really nice, as well, I just couldn't make them stand - and you will need some plastic thingy underneath, cause how will you water them? So I dropped that idea). But using baby food jars, or other glass jars you tend to recycle frequently during a year, and some hardware store stuff you can make a perfect vertical 'garden'. Or just use your old Twinings tea containers? I think I would have tens of these from my childhood if they weren't thrown away.

http://cfabbridesigns.com/craft-projects/forcing-spring-in-a-can/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/karin_a/2398146450/in/faves-64148767@N00/

How about digging out some old cans (or new, just perhaps buy some sweet corn to the little ones ;)), get a hammer and bang them to a suitable form, and afterwards paint them with your favorite colors. Or why not use a drawer for this purpose? Here used for spring flowers, but why not for herbs and seedlings? Would look as nice, and would not require so much space, either!

The white pots from ashabbymomentintime.blogspot.com and the black ones from welke.nl

 The above...my very, absolute favorites. Painting small jars with chalk coal paint...LOVE.

***
taimien istutus, keittiöpuutarha, yrttitarha





Sunday, April 7, 2013

Earthy decor inspiration

Earthy interior inspiration

This home, located in the northern Stockholm and featured in number of interior magazines, is probably one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen live. It is truly a home, no question about it, but also a visualists haven. Where ever you turn your eye, it catches something inspirational. 

I've written couple of years ago using logs in a city home - admittedly in an extremely skeptical way (now I just can't find the post!!). Well - today it just seems like a perfect idea ;). I have them myself, only painted white, but after seeing the above version, now I could actually think of just peeling them and putting some lacquer on top. And wheels, so I can roll them around as side tables!

Just got 2 other ideas, as well - wait 'til the summer. There is plenty of material at our summer house, if you remember from last summer... This lady of the house needs to take down some trees (read: asks the other family member to fix it somehow ;)) every year, because they grow, and then there is no sunlight (well, there isn't really anyway, but would be nice to enjoy those 3 beams we usually get each summer) on our terrace. In the eastern part of Finland you don't need to think of getting any shade on the summer house so it doesn't get too hot indoors - no problem with that. Where was I?  Got too inspired again...





This gorgeous home. The home was just featured in an excellent article by Seija Killström/Paula Kukkonen in Anna magazine in Finland just before Easter, 'like candy' the title said. And the home truly, truly is.

I would love to post here some more images, but the quality is so bad they wouldn't do justice to this beautiful home...Getting ready to buy me a proper camera. Perhaps today even!

***
maanläheinen sisustustyyli, puupöllit sisustuksessa, tee-se-itse ideat