Cinnamon rolls!

I am always amazed by trends that just come out of nowhere and just - well, make me do stuff, like buy things. Take cinnamon rolls=kanelbullar=KORVAPUUSTIT (sorry - the only right word to be used for this specific item). We moved to Sweden 3 years back (was it really that long ago??). Then was mudcake (kladdkaka här i Sverige) a must. It was served in all the cafes, and we were wondering, which joint offers the best ones.

Kladdkaka by kaikkiaitinireseptit

Kladdkaka by kaikkiaitinireseptit

Then - it was the carrot cake - morotskaka. Unfortunately (and fortunately) I was pregnant and on maternity leave during this trend, and I can almost say that at LEAST 3 kg - okay, 5 - came from carrot cake. We were selecting the coffee places based on the quality of their carrot cake!! And I got quite good at making my own - you know, how it always crashes in the middle, and then you need to put tons of icing on top to hide it (downside - less icing, when the cake itself got better!)

And now - it is cinnamon rolls. And why do I fall for these trends?? Really - I don't remember buying cinnamon rolls - well - EVER. Now when I drop into Gateau, it's not only the usual soya latte, but it is too often also the bullar in my paper bag! And talking about Gateau - their sourdough bread...almost as good as the one made by my brother-in-law, or my father-in-law. No, they don't have a competition, just happened to start almost simultaneously :).

But the cinnamon rolls...ahhh. Perhaps tomorrow?

***

minitrendi, hassu trendi, pitsiliina, korvapuusti, vanhanajan vakka

Maiti Nepal

I was in touch with my friends in Nepal again this week. Maiti Nepal touches the deep corners of my heart, and it is impossible to think of it really - ACTION is far more preferred.

Maiti Nepal was first introduced to me in 2009 by my Swedish teacher, my dear friend, who is in the board of Sweden Nepal Society. Having visited the country tens of times as a translator, as a tourist, as a friend and as a tourist guide, she was able to give insight to the faraway culture in a way that I don't think many can.

MAITI Nepal was born out of a crusade to protect Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labor and various forms of exploitation and torture. A group of socially committed professionals like teachers, journalists and social workers together formed Maiti Nepal in 1993 to fight against all the social evils inflicted upon our female populace. Most of all, its special focus has always been on preventing trafficking for forced prostitution, rescuing flesh trade victims and rehabilitating them.  Maiti's focus has always been on prevention of girl trafficking, a burning issue for Nepal.

More than 17,000 women and girls from Nepal become sex slaves every year. Many end up in India, China or other Southeast Asian countries, and roughly half of them are children.  Anuradha Koirala -- the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year -- has been fighting to end this sex trafficking for nearly two decades. Since 1993, she and her organization, Maiti Nepal, have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 women and girls.

Rehabilitation, although not literally possible especially with former prostitutes, is one major challenge they have accepted in their work. The practical steps would be to counsel them and provide non-formal education on health, laws, basic reading and writing. They are also trained to develop income-generation skills and provided Maiti's shelter until they are ready to stand on their feet. The campus is beautiful, and the wonderful people there would in my mind all deserve a trophy for their pure existence - both the workers, and the inhabitants.

Werannas Warehouse is participating in the funding of Maiti Nepal by reselling Lace flower blankets and cushion covers made by Maiti workshop. When visiting Nepal during the fall, I spent time in the workshop, as well as in Hospice to show the talented girls how to make crochet lace flowers.  They learned quickly, and the work is now supported by Mahaguthi, a local fair trade organization with good heart.

 I would love to tell you more about the visit, but I can't. I don't know how to describe the hope and the sorrow, the ice cold hands on a warm sunny day, the warm laughs and the eyes staring into the distance.

By purchasing one of these non-profit products from Werannas, you help Maiti Nepal to continue their invaluable work.

***
hyväntekeväisyys, sisustus, käsinvirkattu torkkupeitto, käsintehdyt sisustustekstiilit

Rustic loft interior

Loftenberg - two-level loft in Madrid, Spain

Going through my favorite blogs I ended up again in Loftenberg - ah, the beautiful lofts! Look at this one - all the elements are just right! 

 

And the bedroom:

And the other spaces:

Do I need to say more? It is just GEORGEOUS! So many interesting details - just absolutely LOVE it!

***
olohuoneen sisustus, ullakon sisustus, makuuhuoneen sisustus, eläimen talja

Photo shoot - delicioso!

 I participated the photo shoot of Cottonhut fair trade felt products from Nepal - why do I want to blog about this? Just to post here the delicisious images - I don't know what it is about this color combination of blue, pink and dark grey - my eyes just LOVE it!

Formex spring 2012 Part II

Formex the second day - we were overly excited to go through the handicraft and kids sections to see what's new for the coming Spring/Fall 2012 season!! The color circus especially at the kids section was fantastic!! Rice won, of course :), but we also admired Teddy Kompaniet (the cuddlies are a MUST to our kids), Jabadabadoo and many many more. What was disappointing? Well - after the 3rd kid in the toddler age, I find it hard to get greatly enthusiastic about the wonderful things offered to the little ones the way I did before! That made me kind of sad - but then again, perhaps our little boy doesn't suffer too much even if mommy isn't getting to his room the newest cute little shelves and tents and all that...But these lovely colourful toys from Rice, which work perfectly as kids room decoration, got a smile on our faces:

Horseez...

And some dogs...

And mouse friends...

What really really made me happy was that many brands were introducing hand-made toys, fair trade products, as well as textiles made of organic cotton. I am not a very big fan of organic cotton - if I remember right, I told the reason already some time ago? Organic cotton needs to be hand-picked. It is not the nicest work, and in my mind it is just fine the cotton to be picked by machines. Fair-trade cotton? YES!!

***
Lastenhuoneen sisustus, käsintehdyt lelut, sisustuksen trendit, sisustusmessut

Formex spring 2012 part I

Source

FORMEX is still going on in Stockholm, and we will be taking another tour today. The trends seem to be splitting a little for the spring, which is very much welcome. It seemed to be more and more ethnic, like batik above. Batik is beautiful - we may associate it mostly with the inexpensive beach wear we buy from India, Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia, but of course it is a true art form, as well. One of the very known batik artists is Dato Chuah Thean Theng, or just Teng, who is said to be the father of batik in Malaysia. When living in Malaysia, I had the great chance to visit his gallery in Penang. Unfortunately I haven't found images of his work which he had there, as it was pure fantastic!! His son was present during our visit, and was able to tell us a great deal about batik painting, as he is continuing in his fathers footsteps. If you would like to know some more, a couple of good links are

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik
http://www.joaniemitchell.com/

More trends? Some rust, well, a lot of rust :). The industry style is clearly moving to the falling-apart industry style...I love the authentic, but making new production and then banging it with hammers and having it outdoors for it to rust...hmmm. The style was extremely obvious in Tendence during the fall, and was now coming to Scandinavia, as well.

Personally I am more Tolix and Jielde kind of person, and I love the new TVs, radios, cameras and cars in an old package so to say. Olsson&Jensen had a beautiful cabinet with glass doors at their stand - romantic industry style is what you would call it, I guess. They had 20 pcs, and had sold out every single of them during the 1st hour of the fair!! I promise you will be seeing this piece in the home decor magazines during the spring.


What else caught my eye? The unbelievably beautiful home textiles by Fabric Copenhagen. I always appreciate when the owners or founders themselves participate the major fairs. We had a nice chat with Annette Egholm, the textile designer behind the brand. The textiles are produced in a family business in Northern Vietnam. Having lived 4 years in my childhood in Vietnam, they really brought a big smile to my sisters face, as well as mine. The softest soft Vietnamese silk, some velvet, and those wonderful buttons or knots which are so special for Vietnamese clothes and textiles - a perfect combination.

Here a couple of images of Vietnamese silk products

Source

Source

Well - this blog was more text surprisingly - let's make part 2 only pictures then!

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sisustuksen trendit, sisustusmessut, batiikki sisustuksessa

Hmmm...

Back after the fall - a busy such. It is no secret - starting to write this blog made me so itchy about opening finally the home decor store that I just couldn't resist. And there it is now in the web - and it is called Werannas Warehouse.

The dream I had had for years - the first business plans must be from 10 years back. But the work load - heh!! Let's put it this way - someone has learned how to manage with 4-5 hrs of sleep. And you know what? Enjoyed fully every moment of those hours awake!!

Anyways - I promised myself (and the others) - once the store is open, the blog will be continued, as well. But but but - it is tricky. How do I write about home decor without promoting Werannas Warehouse? If I do, You will get tired of me IMMEDIATELY. And most importantly - how to write a blog without promoting other stores and brands, which don't exist in Werannas Warehouse?? Well.

A decision: this blog will continue as it was. It will still be a flow of mind. You will have links to Werannas, but as before - to other sites, as well. Deal?

But here and now - there will be a post of Kenana Knitter Critters. I will be meeting with them, and You will hear the story. It is wonderful. The Owl, you know. (Sorry, I cannot resist!!!!)

There will be a post of Samantha Holmes. The alpaca booties. The story is as wonderful, and deserves to be told.

There will be a post of Rice. Especially the Raffia baskets from Madagaskar.

There will be a posts of some other partners of Werannas. But it is because these stories need to be told and spread. There are good people in this world. They make their living out of helping others, even good business. And that is just wonderful.

***
Reilu kauppa, käsintehdyt sisustustuotteet, käsintehdyt sisustustekstiilit, Werannan varasto