a new sewing toy

apparently i was an extra good girl in 2009, because look what else santa got me for christmas:  a SERGER.

notice how it came pre-threaded? how thoughtful.

i had been debating for well over a year on whether or not to get a serger. my current sewing machine (a husqvarna viking emerald 718) wasn't exactly cheap, nor exactly trouble free, so i've been hesitant to invest in another piece of machinery without a serious need for one. besides, i already have a basic overlocking stitch on my sewing machine, so i was getting by.  also, i had originally been mainly looking at husqvarna viking and pfaff sergers, and they were too expensive for me to justify buying (they began at about $600-$700, i think).

so, recently i started investigating some lower end brands, such as singer and brother. singer seems to have a pretty bad reputation these days, so i focused my attention on brother. i read a lot of great reviews about this particular model, which were affirmed by a friend of mine who also happens to own one. also, the price is amazing- the current price on amazon for a brand new model is $191.75.

at this point, i should probably mention that the most i've done is take the serger out of the box and take pictures of it to show you.   however, i would also like to mention that i am already horribly impressed by this machine. why?  well first of all, it's compact and fairly aesthetically pleasing. secondly, look at all the information it comes with: 2 cds, and two instructional pamphlets:

all my $750 husqvarna viking sewing machine came with was a tiny little booklet that has been more or less useless.  now, i've only gone through one of the instructional booklets that came with the serger, but after seeing how comprehensive it is, it has left me with high hopes for the cds and the machine itself. 

i didn't mean for this to be an anticlimatic post (you know, since i'm already raving about a product i haven't even used yet)- i just really wanted to share my joy over the new serger with everyone. unfortunately, it doesn't look like i will have any time to play with it any time soon. the past few weeks and the coming several weeks are going to be absolutely crazy busy (you may have noticed that my shop is still open but more or less stagnant). 

i will be sure to share some of my serger adventures (and list new items on etsy) once things slow down again. 

globetrotting adventures - finland iii - marimekko

downtown helsinki is relatively small. you could probably walk through it in 30 minutes. maybe more, maybe less, depending where you start from and where you think downtown ends. regardless, it's not large. yet, there are three marimekkos downtown (there used to be four). two are even on the same street. aside from their stand alone stores, their products can also be found at all the department stores, and even at the local grocery store. marimekko is the only brand i have ever come across where it's possible to find the same design on your clothes, bedding, mouse pad, coffee mug, umbrella, tv, paper napkins, upholstery, purse... the list goes on.

with such a presence in the market, it's no wonder that marimekko goods can be found in nearly every finnish home. marimekko, like some of the other finnish brands such as iittala/arabia (also one of my favorites) is fully ingrained into finnish culture. and as i am sure you are fully aware of by now, it has completely sucked me in.

pictures from one of my several visits during our trip below.

oooh.

ahhhhh.
eek.
i broke down and bought one of these bags (the big one toward the bottom). don't worry i had a gift card.

!!!!!!

o.m.g.

i. spent. a lot. of. money.

happy new year!

globetrotting adventures - finland ii - christmas star pastries

one of the most traditional foods during the christmas holidays in finland is the "tähti torttu", or star pastry. the husband and i have always called them christmas stars. it is basically what an american would call a danish, with jam (plum) in the center of a puff pastry. with ready made ingredients, this is a very simple and delicious treat that finns enjoy during coffee time between christmas eve and boxing day.

to make these tasty treats, all you need is ready made puff pastry from your freezer section and some plum jam (and an egg for an egg wash). plum jam is something i have never come across in the u.s., but many other jams would make an appropriate filling, such as apricot, blackberry or raspberry. in finland, this pastry is so common that you can buy the puff pastry in pre-cut sheets with instructions on how to make the pastry on the box.

merry christmas

merry christmas from finland! hyvää joulua suomesta!

photo taken in tuusula, finland

globetrotting adventures - finland i - christmas markets

since the husband and i do a fair bit of traveling, i thought it might be fun to write blogs on some of our globe trotting adventures. this series will be about our current trip to finland. i say "series" because i am hopeful that i will write a few entries during our stay, but this could just be a case of me being overly ambitious (again).

anyway, seeing as i am an etsy shop owner, it is almost needless to say that i really enjoy visiting crafts markets. and in another life, when the husband and were living in finland, i was able to visit different craft markets with some frequency, as they were/are pretty abundant.

two of my favorite markets in finland occur during christmas time, and they are the tuomaan markkinat (st. thomas' market) and wanhan joulu markkinat (old student house christmas market), both located in downtown helsinki with a couple of blocks of each other. i was really happy that we were able to arrange our finnish winter holiday to include time for these markets (and yes, we actually chose an earlier departure date just to ensure i wouldn't miss out on them).

at st. thomas' market, each vendor has their own cute little red "house", lined up together in two neat rows facing each other, down this mini park strip in the middle of downtown helsinki, known as the "esplanade". the middle part of the market spreads out in to a circle and then slims back down into the rows. the vendors sell all kind of things, ranging from ready to eat hot food, jams and honey, baked goods, salted and pickled herring, wet-felted goods, needle-felted goods, hand-made soaps, lotions, christmas ornaments/decor, clothes etc. i really enjoy tramping up and down the esplanade peering at everyone's goods, although it's difficult to be thorough when it's 10.4F (-12C) outside.

below: my one purchase at this market, a jar of sea-buckthorn berry jam. this berry is only found in parts of europe and asia. alone, the berry is supposed to be extremely tart, but as a juice or jam (meaning with lots of sugar) it is DELICIOUS.

the old student house christmas market is held in an building that is owned by the university of helsinki student body, and used to be the student union. the administration has since moved to a different building, but they still use this one for various events, such as this annual christmas market. i personally prefer this market over the st.thomas' one, partially because it's indoors, but also because the goods are a little more design oriented. there are a lot of metalsmiths, felters (finns do love their felting), knitters, sewers, and many other kinds of artisans. LOOK at all the different vendors!

i purchased a christmas ornament, a "christmas fairy". i already have one from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend from a couple years ago from this series. the artists does something new with the series every year.

this was an impulse purchase, but my most prized one yet- a wrist pin cushion, by muumuru.com. their website is pretty empty at the moment, but they were super kind and added a bow on my pincushion's head at my request, and also named her for me. her name is gunhild the grey. i know this sounds ridiculous, but i LOVE this pincushion. she is SO CUTE.

i fear that in the next two weeks i will shop so much that i will single handedly be responsible for a spurt in the finnish economy. good for them, not so good for my wallet. i have a tendency to go a little shopping crazy while i'm in this country. must be something in the water...

felt christmas stockings tutorial

   

in recent years i've taken up the habit of making some of my inlaws' christmas gifts. last year we sent everyone my "extra shopping bags" (as seen in my shop). this year we thought it would be fun for me to make everyone stockings, since no one in the husband's family has them- stockings are not a finnish tradition. it was an enjoyable diversion from my normal sewing- and the most challenging part was simply the design.

the materials i used for 5 stockings:

1/2 yard 72" red felt (easily made 3 stockings with leftover scraps)

1/2 yard 72" charcoal felt

matching thread

the materials i used for the stocking decor:

scraps of white, red, and charcoal felt

grosgrain ribbon

one giant red button

modern kids

yesterday i had the pleasure of meeting another etsian, the owner of modern kids, a super talented lady who also lives in the houston area. she makes absolutely stunning little girls clothes with gorgeous japanese fabrics.

just so there isn't any confusion, let me mention now that i do not have any children. admittedly, i've never even been that interested in having them, so i've never given a whole lot of thought regarding gender preferences. but if given a choice now, i'd want a little girl, just so i could dress her up in these pretty dresses. i'm really not joking.

this one is my favorite:

and this one is super cute too:

her dresses are even more beautiful in real life, super soft, and lined. lined! the craftmanship is really outstanding (can't you tell how in love i am with these clothes?). if you happen to have a little girl, i strongly suggest you visit modern kids. all her clothes are custom made to order. just think how cute your daughter/niece/granddaughter would look in one of these dresses!