Day of Kalevala - Day of Finnish Culture

Today, 28 of February is the day of Finnish culture. It is celebrated every year and it is also an official flagging day (we seem to have quite many of them in this country). At schools pupils may be doing some special things that are about Finnish culture, and many societies, for example, organise concerts, lectures etc.I must confess right away that we forgot to pull up the flag this morning, but maybe this post will compensate a little to that.

Day of Kalevala has its origins in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, that was compiled by Elias Lönnrot in 1835. It is a collection of poems Lönnrot collected in Karelia, East-Finland during his travels among peasants and common people. The published book had a huge impact on the patriotic feelings of Finns, then being a part of Russia. Many artists were struck by the poems and went to Karelia to search for inspiration and the "unspoilt mood".

One of the painters, who was strongly affected by Kalevala, was Akseli Gallen-Kallela.He took a very ambitious task and illustrated our national epic. Many of his paintings can be seen for example in the National Museum or Ateneum in Helsinki.Here is one example of his paintings for Kalevala. It is called "The defence of Sampo" (Picture is from the wikipedia site above telling about Akseli Gallen-Kallela)


















Other pictures I like to show to you today are my photos of a cookie / candy tin I bought from a thrift store a few months ago. I was looking for old buttons and this tin was full of them. Suddenly I realised there was a picture of dancers in Finnish national costumes on the lid. As I work with the national costume fabrics and find them very fascinating, I thought it would be great to have that tin, too, and I asked if it was for sale. For sure it was, said
the girl, and so I came happily home with lots of buttons AND a cute national costume tin.

Left is a picture of the dancers on the cover. It is probably about midsummer celebration and people are dancing in the traditional costumes. On the side there is a serene panorama of a landscape from North-Finland, depicting a late evening or night, when it does not get dark at all. This tin just oozes Finnish summer sentimentality from the times already gone. At the same time it is also very naive, even humorous. I guess I found the combination very appealing.



The costumes on the tin are real, existing national costumes. For example the girl on the left with a black waistcoat, green apron and reddish skirt is wearing a costume from South-Ostrobothnia (West-Finland). The girl with a blueish striped dress and a white apron is wearing a costume from Munsala, a Swedish speaking area in West-Finland.




On the side of the tin you can see a landscape with diverse wooden buildings. In this red house peasants were living. The fence is a typical, much used type all over the country, and still nowadays very suitable for many purposes.






You may wonder what that curious little house on a column means. It is a typical storage room used in northern Finland.
It was built on a tree trunk in order to prevent bears, wolves, lynxes and smaller animals to plunder food. When peasants went to fetch supplies there, they used a ladder to climb up. In Seurasaari open air museum in Helsinki there is an example of this kind of storage building.



Even the church and the bell tower are situated next to a lake. It is commonly said that an everlasting Finnish dream is to live middle in a town, next to a
lake and in a free standing house...

Bright Eyes, Sharp Brains

I´d like to introduce my new friend to you. He has such penetrating eyes, so he must be very intelligent. At least I assume so. But he is also very friendly. And he does not have a name yet...
Here he is:

















I found this plaster owl in a local thrift store and fell immediately in love. The owl is app. 18 cm high. One can also regularly find plaster dogs in thrift stores here, but their prices have sprung up quite a lot for some reason. Perhaps there are many people collecting them? For this little fellow I did not have to pay much, which of course made him even more attractive to me.

It was particularly nice to find this owl, because late one night last summer, just before I went to sleep, I was going to close the bedroom window. Then I heard a soft "oehoo-oehoo" voice coming from one of the trees just few meters away. There was an owl visiting our garden. I could also hear the owl several nights after the first time, so he probably liked it there for more than one night only. Maybe he had a good catch of mice or shrews?

Wallpapers uncovered 1

Wallpapers uncovered 1, originally uploaded by opri.

I am continuing a bit with the wallpaper theme. Here are some examples of old wallpapers we found in our house, when tearing off chipboard from the walls of some rooms. I think they might be from the 30´s to 50´s, but not quite sure. We have only some example pieces of these papers left, as they did not keep intact.

Wallpapers uncovered 3

Wallpapers uncovered 3, originally uploaded by opri.

We found this old / vintage wallpaper, when tearing off chipboard in one of the rooms. It has quite a big pattern that does not fit in one photo.

Wallpapers uncovered 6

Wallpapers uncovered 6, originally uploaded by opri.

We found this old / vintage wallpaper, when tearing off chipboard in one of the rooms. (same wallpaper as nr. 5, there are two kinds of flowers). This wallpaper was later covered by nr. 2, as you can see on the left of this picture.

Introduction By Himmu

Some days ago I was contacted by Himmu, who has recently started her blog Huoneen nurkka (meaning: a corner in a room). She writes about handicrafts, handmade things, her own projects, and she also introduces persons, who are crafters, artisans, artists etc. I was very happy, when she told she had featured my work in her blog. Thank you very much Himmu!

I also liked very much the flower she had made from reflective thread and attached to the hat she had knitted. These new reflective materials are such a clever invention, so versatile. One can be safely elegant in the dark. (Here in Finland it is important to wear some reflective material, if walking alonside the road in the dark, because there are no street lights or special pedestrian paths on the countryside. Therefore it is safe that the car lights hit the reflectors in time and the automobilists can detect people walking there.)

Himmu´s blog is in Finnish, so those of you, who can read Finnish, please find it here. And otherwise you can also look at the pictures! : )

Belle & Boo From Etsy

Last week I was in full excitement when I saw a parcel in my mailbox. There was my order from Mandy of belle & boo.
Mandy is illustrator, who makes truly ravishing pictures inspired by children and her favourite childhood books. I really love the way how she draws animals and children together in a warm and tender relationship. I was absolutely sold, when she introduced her limited edition (signed & numbered) gocco print Belle and Boos Lovely Day in her blog. I also got hold on a set of her adorable Boo tags. Mandy also included a lovely card in the package as extra. And can you imagine, the parcel arrived in two days from London to Finland. That is more than superfast, I´d say!! For me it remains now the task of finding a nice, suitable frame and enjoying the beautiful print.

Mind Gym

This is something I just have to show to you!
On Sunday I was searching for some cards in my storage boxes, when I stumbled upon this old game I received from Santa Claus when I was a child. Luckily I have some of those old games left and they are still very usable, not missing all the essential parts.

This was one of my favourites. It is very simple and very tricky, just as a good game should be.
It is called Fantastic Dominos (Fantastiset dominot) and it is an altered version of the old domino game.















Here you have one board that can be used on both sides (so you have 2 games in 1), and they have different patterns consisting of sort of spikes. Then there is a set of these black domino sticks, each of them has punched holes coordinating with the board patterns. The player should find the right solution by setting all the sticks on the board in the right position. All sticks must be used, of course. This can be played very well on one´s own.















I am not quite sure whether this Fantastic Dominos is Finnish or was it sold in other countries as well. If you know anything about it I´d love to hear! And of course it would be great to hear about those games you had and played with as a child. If you have any photos, please feel free to email me, maybe we can make a set for others to view.

By the way, I will not put this domino game back where it was. I am going to keep it on the table in our living room for more regular brain training!

A February Morning

With these pictures I wish everyone a happy weekend!

Juniper berries riping in abundance, 9:00 o´clock in the morning.


















Grass surrounded by hard, icy snow, 9:00 o´clock in the morning.













Frosty "landscapes" in a window, 9:00 o´clock in the morning.

Friendship And Shelter

Happy Valentine´s Day to everyone! Or perhaps I can say Happy Day of Friendship to you all, as that is actually how we call Valentine´s Day in Finland.

After several very foggy days the sun has come through and is shining very brightly, so I had a chance to take some pics in our garden.



















There are these two old aspens that stand side by side on one spot. They both have been broken by strong winds and therefore don´t grow any longer, but are rather in process of decay. When you look carefully, you can see some holes in the trunk, especially in the one on the left.



















Not being able to reach the skies any more, "that old couple" still kindly offers shelter and home for birds and other small creatures in all those small cavities and holes they have. It´s nice to watch that and we are not intending to get those trunks away, but just letting them go through their natural process.

Wallpapers

Today it´s all about wallpapers. Once in a while I browse the web site of Finnish Tapettitalo (House of Wallpaper). They have a vast collection of special wallpapers that are not to be found elsewhere. When renovating an old house, especially when it has a wood/log structure like ours, it is important to use old techniques and traditional materials as much as possible. The good thing is that Tapettitalo sells wallpaper that is manufactured according to old methods, so their products will be suitable for our house. Besides that, I think Tapettitalo´s collection is so versatile and beautiful that it is difficult to make decisions. (All pictures here are by Tapettitalo/Pihlgren&Ritola)

This wallpaper comes from the collection "Traditional" and is called Vadelma (Raspberry). If not sure for the rest of our rooms, we have in any case decided to buy this wallpaper for our "bakery" (we call the room that way, because there is a big old baking oven there that is heated with wood). I am so fond of this yummy Raspberry wallpaper!



















This is another favourite of mine, called Hyasintti (Hyacinth), also from the "Traditional" collection. This wallpaper is available in five colours schemes.



















One more example from the "Traditional" collection is this Karjalan kirjonta (Karelian embroidery)
It is inspired by an embroidery technique much used by women in Karelia in the old days. I think it is a clever way to transfer textile tradition onto a wall in form of wallpaper.



















Tapettitalo sells also wallpapers by famous Finnish designers like Birger Kaipiainen, Rut Bryk, Erik Bruun,
Tapio Wirkkala, Lisa Johansson-Pape etc. The following examples can be found in the "Designers Collection". The first one is a very intense wallpaper by Ritva Kronlund, it is called Avaruuslintu (Space Bird), here in blue version, but also available in yellow.



















Rut Bryk has designed this delicate butterfly wallpaper called Apollo (available in three colours).



















Annikki and Ilmari Tapiovaara designed this geometric 2+3 wallpaper in 1958.



















From Erik Bruun is this wallpaper called Linnaeus



















And last but not least, there are these supercute wallpapers Leikki and Metsola for children! Absolutely adorable, if you ask my opinion.































Tapettitalo happily ships their wallpaper also to other countries, so the collection is not only limited to Finnish customers. If you are in need of new wallpaper, you can ask for samples from Tapettitalo.
Happy browsing!

Book Sale Acquisitions

In January book shops start with sales in Finland. Some days ago I came home with these books:














First there is Lucinda Ganderton´s Creating Vintage Style - stylish ideas & step-by-step projects. This book is just chock-full of delicious pictures and ideas to carry out at home. I´m so glad I found this!


















I don´t know what it is with Swedish cookery book authors, but they simply write very appetising books. My favourite Swedish author is Anna Bergenström. In her books everything is perfect! The recipes are delicious, the photos are beautiful (most of them taken by her daughter Fanny Bergenström) and she writes in such a warm way about food and cooking, that it makes one feel very content. Unfortunately I´m not sure if her books are translated in English as well.


















And as if that was not enough of cooking and baking, I finally got also this book in my hands: tee hyvä kakku (making a delicious cake) from Finnish Sirpa Talka. This book has been praised in various magazines, and indeed there are many interesting recipes to be tried out. I will show you some results later, when I have made something.

Thank You For Making Your Day

Dear Marjolijn from Something White sent me an unexpected, but a very pleasant message. She wanted to pass the "You make my day" award to me. I am so happy about it, thank you bunches! Please visit her enchanting blog and discover so many beautiful things.















Because I am quite new here in the blogland, I cannot pass on the award to ten people yet. But I will start with four persons and their blogs:

Jess for her blogs Lobster and Swan + Record the Day
She has a very touching way of writing about things, and I admire her diary of daily collages.

Jenny for her blog Daisy Chain
I like to read about her colourful life - and special collections - in Down Under.

Kaija for her blog Paperiaarre
It is interesting to read how she writes about creating and making things. And her books are beautiful.

Bradford for his blog The Bedlam of Beefy
He introduces amazing finds, design items and gift ideas. Things I have never even dreamt of.

Runeberg Cake vs Shrovetide Bun

On the left a typical cake named after Finnish national poet,
Johan Ludwig Runeberg. On the right a Shrovetide bun filled
with whipped cream and marzipan.

Battle of Pastries

5 February is a special day in Finland. We then celebrate the birth of our national poet Johan Ludwig Runeberg, who lived in the 19th century. The celebration mainly consists of flagging in honour of Runeberg, and eating cakes that are named after him. Quite a nice way of celebrating someone, I think, especially because I like those cakes very much. (Please find the history of the Runeberg cake here and also take a look at the great design pieces of Tonfisk.)

This year, however, there is a problem. Sometimes it happens that Shrove Tuesday falls on the same date as Runeberg´s day, like today. For Shrove Tuesday we Finns also have a delicacy called shrovetide bun. It is a kind of sweetbread, risen with yeast, and filled with whipped cream and marzipan or jam. By the way, there are strong opinions divided between those, who insist their bun with jam, and those who consider marzipan as the only real filling in the Shrove bun. Finns tend to have an aversion to marzipan, I truly cannot understand that, as I am a fervent lover of that stuff. How about you, what is your relationship to marzipan? : )

But what´s the problem then with this all? I read in a couple of newspapers that many bakeries don´t sell Runeberg cakes and Shrovetide buns as much this year than they do normally, when the dates are different. This year most people either buy cakes or buns. The bakeries were guessing, which pastries would be more popular and would win the battle. Anyway, they cannot complain of my shopping behaviour, as I bought them both today!

And for those of you, who might be interested in trying to make a homemade version of the Runeberg cake, here comes a recipe. I can´t remember any more, which magazine published the recipe, but I´ve had it for ages and it is quite easy to follow. You can use the normal cupcake forms, either paper or metal and you´ll get app. 20 cakes, depending of course, how big forms/moulds you use. Good luck with baking!

200 g soft (not melted) butter
200 g caster sugar (ca. 2.5 dl)
2 eggs
2 dl fine breadcrumbs
2 dl finely ground almonds
2 dl wheat flour
1 tea spoon baking powder
(2 drops of bitter almond oil, not necessary)
raspberry jam (I prefer the homemade jam, if available.)
2 dl icing sugar
water

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius.
Beat soft butter and sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture. Add the eggs one by one. Mix the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, flour and baking powder in another bowl and then add gradually to the butter-egg mixture. (If you use bitter almond oil, you can add it now.)
Next form the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured working surface. Roll the dough lightly into a long "tail form" and cut it app. into 20 pieces (or less, depending how big you want the cakes). Put the pieces into the cupcake forms. With your finger, make a cavity in the middle of each piece and then fill it with raspberry jam. Bake the cakes in 200 degrees Celsius for about 15 min. (this maybe more or less, depending on your oven) Take the cakes out the oven, and if needed, you can add some more jam in the middle. Make the icing by adding some drops of hot water to the icing sugar, mix carefully, and squeeze a circle of icing round the jam.

I hope you´ll enjoy the cakes!

Tagged - 7 Random Facts

Already February, I hope you all have a good start to the new month!

Jess over from Lobster and Swan tagged me (already some days ago), and here I come with my revelations...

1) I know this may sound overreacted or exaggerated, but I am terribly afraid of being abducted by aliens. On the other hand, I would love to go to some strange planets to see aliens...

2) I am a total loser in mathematics, this is not exagerrated. Then, some ten years ago, I got interested in astronomy, but I can´t remember any longer, how it exactly began. Anyway, at a certain point I realised one
could have astronomy as a hobby without having to be a genius in maths and physics. That was very comforting.

3) When I was a child, we searched and collected beautiful, extraordinary and colourful stones in the nature with my
friends. We were quite sure our collection would be interesting enough to begin with our own "stone museum".
The museum never came into existence, but I still have some of those stones left that I found in the nature and
they are very precious to me.

4) Nowadays I very seldom go to the cinema. The reason for that is the extremely high level of volume being used
there. It really hurts my ears and I don´t find it a pleasurable evening out, if I have to put earplugs in my ears in
order to survive the cinema visit.

5) My skin colour is very, very light and I don´t get tanned, actually. Mostly I just burn my skin, if trying to get a
fashionable brown-bronze tint. As a teenager this was a complete disaster for me, I had a feeling that everyone
else was more beautiful and I just looked like a strange creature. Now, many years older and wiser (....laugh....) I´ve come to accept how I am, and I don´t even try to sunbathe any more, because I know it will not lead to

desired results.

6) My top favourite sci-fi series is undeniably Babylon 5! The most touching character in the series to my opinion is
Londo Mollari, a Centauri citizen and a truly controversial personality. In the last episodes his destiny was so
tragic, that tears were flowing freely, when I watched what happened to him.

7) Some years ago I had a considerable amount of shoes. There were times that I could not fall asleep, but was
feeling far too brisk. So, what to do? Then I realised that instead of "counting the sheep" in order to get to
sleep, I could try to count my shoes. And guess what, that worked! I did not even finish counting and I was
already in the dreamland. Nowadays I don´t have so many shoes, so I have switched to crossword puzzles.