MakerFaire & last weeks in pictures

These last couple of weeks have been really busy, with MakerFaire and all! I also participated to "pelotes soniques", a knitting event combining good musique and, well, knitting. I made the lovely necklace pictured in the last pic and a lot of yarn pom poms. It was so much fun! Hope you've been having good time lately as well!

MakerFaire!

Kiirettä on pitänyt viime viikot, MakerFairiin osallistumisen ja muun kanssa. Lisäksi osallistuin "pelotes soniques" -iltamaan Suomen instituutilla. Neulontaa ja hyvää musaa, mikäs siinä! Sain valmiiksi tuon alimman kuvan kaulakorun ja paljon pompomeja :) Toivottavasti teilläkin on ollut hyvä alkukesä!

Ecodesigner of the week: BlockBox

The last weeks I've been thinking a lot about how to make our appartment more functional. We're still renovating (update coming soon, I promise!) but we're getting to the point where we can really talk about the deco&furniture. I guess that's why this brand caught my eye, plus they have a cool intro video :)

"BlockBox® consists of industrial-strength composite panels made of recycled cardboard (and air!), which means that it’s not only extremely sturdy but also environmentally sound."

What do you think? I know these modulable are everywhere right now, but I still like them!



Ollaan viimein päästy rempassa siihen vaiheeseen, että voi miettiä sisustusta. Ja jotain järjestystä tänne kaivataankin! Tämä merkki sattui juuri sopivasti silmään, kun säilytysjutut on ollut mielessä. Näitä muunneltavia hyllyjähän on viime vuosina näkynyt vähän kaikkialla, mutta ainakin itte tykkään edelleen. Mites te? BlockBoxin versiot on tehty pahvista, ja ainakin hauskan esittelyvideon mukaan ne onkin melko kevyitä :)

Travel Guide to Prague

Let's continue with the european tour, shall we :) From Zurich I took an overnight train to Prague. I had never been to Prague before but I had only heard good things about it. I only stayed for two days but I'm already dreaming about moving there one day (although I have to confess that I dream about moving to at least 5 different cities!). But yeah, I really loved Prague. I mean, what's not to love? It's beautiful, it's cheap, and there are a lot of things to do.

I hope these tips might come handy if you're visiting Prague one day! as always, I'm gonna skip the normal tourist sightseeing tips as you can read about them anywhere.

Shopping at the Prague Fashion Museum

SEE & DO

- Prague Fashion Museum & Shop, Štupartská 3, 110 00 Praha 1
The cutest museum ever :) Only one small room, but it's filled with vintage clothing and accessories. Doubles as a vintage shops. 1 euro entrance fee.

- Mucha Museum, Kaunický Palác, Panská 7, Praha 1
If you love art nouveau you'll love this museum. It is the only official museum dedicated to Alphonse Mucha.

- DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Poupětova 1, Praha 7
Interesting modern art exhibitions. There's also a nice coffee place.

- Vinohrady
A beautiful neighbourhood, lot of interesting architecture. Many houses are of the art nouveau style so it's a nice area to go for a sunday walk. There are also several parks, for example Riegrovy Sad (near IItalská street), where you can also find a popular beer garden.

Café Modi + Cukrkavalimonada

EAT & DRINK

- Tricafe, Anenská 3, 110 00 Praha 1
Great coffee in the center of the town!

- Cukrkavalimonada, Lázeňská 7, 110 00 Praha 1 - Malá Strana
A great place near the Charles bridge. Try their grated apple + yogurt for breakfast!

- Café Modi, Myslíkova, Praha 2
Great coffee place, also serves breakfast, sandwiches etc.

- Bohemia Bagel, Lázeňská 19, Praha 1 - Malá strana & Dukelských hrdinu 48, Praha 7
Good bagels at a reasonable price

-Cafe Louvre, Národní 22, 110 00 Praha 1
café-restaurant-bar where even Kafka & Einstein used to go!

- Café Colore, Palackeho 740/1, Prague 1
a french-style cafe in downtown Prague. Like ???, it's maybe not one of the cheapest coffee places in Prague, but surely one of the best (and still way cheaper than any cafe in Paris!). I've never had as good pancakes as I had here. 

- Angelato Cafe, Rytířská 962/27, Praha 1 (Staré Město)
I ate so many ice creams during my two-day visite but this was the best! Great gelato is made from fresh, seasonal ingredients. 

Harddecore, the best design shop in Prague

PARAZIT + LEEDA

SHOP 

- Freshlabels Store Praha, Panska 9, Praha 1
Cool clothing, accessories etc. Near the Mucha museum. Extra points for selling keepcups!

- Harddecore, Senovážné náměstí 2088/10A, Praha 1
A design shop where many Czech young designers and independent companies showcase their products.

- PARAZIT FashionShop, Karlova 25, Praha 1 (courtyard)
Independent & young designer brands, a lot of upcycled products!


- LEEDA, Bartolomějská 304/1, 110 00 Praha 1
minimalistic Czech fashion brand

- Pour Pour,  Vinohradská 74, Praha 3
Clothings, accessories, home deco and gifts from Czech designers. A bit far from the centre but at the same time you can visit the Vinohrady area.

GETTING AROUND

- Tram & metro
Public transport system works fairly well and is rather cheap.

- Walking
Be prepared to walk A LOT if you really want to discover Prague! Bring your comfy shoes.

- Paddle boats
There are several places where you can a paddle boat and have your own boat tour on the Vltava river :) I've heard that the best view to the castle is from the river.

Sir Toby's kitchen and courtyard

+ STAY

- I stayed at Sir Toby's hostel which is truly one of the best hostels I've ever been to. It's a bit far from the center but I'd still recommend it to everybody!



SUOMEKSI

Vielä on muutamia matkaoppaita tulossa :) Zurichista matka jatkui Prahaan yöjunalla. En ollut ikinä käynyt Prahassa, mutta ihastuin kaupunkiin niin paljon, että haaveilen nyt sinne muuttamisesta! Tosin täytynee mainita, että sama unelma koskee useampiakin kaupunkeja.. Kuitenkin, toivottavasti näistä vinkeistä on hyötyä jos suuntaatte Prahaan lähiaikoina. 

Laittakaapa kommenttia, jos heräsi kysymyksiä! Onko siellä muita, jotka Praha on saanut valtoihinsa? Tai jos on lisävinkkejä niin kuulisin mielelläni!

Atelier Himmeli @MakerFaireParis today!

Just a small reminder - Join us today at Maker Faire Paris and learn how to make these cool decorations with me :)

MakerFaire Paris this weekend!

This weekend I'll be teaching how to make "himmeli", traditional finnish christmas ornaments, at the MakerFaire Paris. If you happen to be here come to say me hi! Below some more info in french. Have a great weekend and see you there!

Hei ja hyvää juhannusta kaikille! Meikätyttö ei juhlikaan tänä vuonna perinteisesti jussia vaan lähtee koko viikonlopuksi pitämään himmelityöpajaa Pariisin MakerFaire- happeninkiin. Voipi suomalaisittain kuulostaa tosi nurinkuriselta tehdä himmeleitä keskikesällä, mutta ite kyllä tykkään himmeleistä niin paljon että mikseivät sopisi joka vuodenaikaan :) Mutta jos satutte olemaan Pariisissa niin suosittelen tätä tapahtumaa. Alapuolella lisätietoa ranskaksi. Hyvää viikonloppua kaikille!

Si vous avez un peu du temps ce week-end, venez me faire voir au Centquatre! Pendant le MakerFaire Paris vous pouvez participer à mon atelier Himmeli et apprendre à fabriquer ces objets décos scandinaves traditionnelles.

Sinon c'est quoi au juste, le MakerFaire? 

Maker Faire, l’événement international arrive enfin en France ! Les 21 et 22 juin 2014, Paris accueillera sa première édition au CENTQUATRE-PARIS. Le public pourra ainsi découvrir le phénomène du Maker Mouvement au travers de démonstrations, ateliers et conférences. Les exposants appelés « Makers » sont des inventeurs, créateurs qui partagent la passion de la fabrication sous toutes ses formes  (couture, menuiserie, cuisine, impression 3D, robotique, physique, chimie…). Cet événement pour tous, est un moment d’échange unique entre les Makers et les visiteurs qui seront incités à participer à différents ateliers, selon la règle d’or : nous sommes tous des Makers !

à bientôt alors, et passez un bon week-end!

Travel Guide to Zurich

Let's continue our european tour! Last time I gave you my best tips to Strasbourg, and from there I headed with a direct train to Zurich. The train ride takes only a couple of hours, so you can definetily visit these two cities during the same trip.

I've visited Zurich once before, when I was 17. We stayed only for some hours and I didn't quite get why it was supposed to be such a great city. That time we only visited the main streets so I thought everything was awfully expensive. But turns out I was just visiting the wrong neighbourhoods! This time I had only one day to use as well, but I managed to see many interesting places and neigbourhoods. The different neighbourhoods (Kreis) of Zurich have all their own wibe, my favourites being Kreis 4 & 5. There are a lot of cool design and vintage shops, coffee places, bars, etc in these areas. I found a great map to Kreis 4 & 5 in one of the shops I visited , but I recommend you printing it in advance from here!

SEE & DO

- Altstadt (old city)
Grossmünster towers, Rathaus (the town hall), and many other beautiful buldings to see. Stroll through the pittoresque streets and go to buy swiss chocolate in one of the many chocolate shops.

And then the top 3 places I found in Zurich (they're right next to each other which is quite convenient!)

- Freitag tower, Geroldstrasse 17, 8005 Zurich
This tower/shop is a must-see. It's entirely build out of old freight-containers. You can climb up to the 4th floor and enjoy the views! At the same time you can check out all their cool upcycled bags.

- Frau Gerolds Garten, Geroldstrasse 23/23a, 8005 Zurich
This place is a bit hard to describe, but there are nice restaurants, a big terrasse, design shops etc. Really interesting place just next to the Freitag tower.

- Viaduct Arches, Viaduktstrasse, 8005 Zurich
An old railway viaduct turned into a modern shopping center. There are also restaurants, a market hall, and just next to the Viaduct there's a big park.




EAT & DRINK
Note: I didn't test that many places since I only stayed for a day. If there's any good places you know let me hear them! Also, I found Zurich a bit expensive for eating out, so I actually bought some stuff from a grocery store and had a small picnic at a park, which was also really nice.

- Café Noir coffee roastery, Neugasse 33, 8005 Zurich
A great coffee place close to the railway station. 

- Don't forget already mentioned Frau Gerolds Garten and Viaduct Arches!

SHOP 

- Changemaker, Markgasse 10, 8001 Zurich
One of the best ecodesign stores I've ever been to. Many well-selectioned brands and everything is well displayed. 

At Viaduct Arches

- Senior Design Factory, Viaduksstr. 31, 8005 Zurich
Funny knitting asseccories, if you know some german you can also take a knitting class!

- Caritas Secondhand, Im Viadukt, Bogen C, 8005 Zurich+ several other addresses
Modern vintage shops with ok prices.

- Nudie Jeans Co, Viaduksstr. 27, 8005 Zurich
Ecologically responsable jeans, clothes and accessories

At Frau Gerolds Garten

- Junglefolk, Geroldstr. 23, 8005
A funny caravan full of ecological clothes! Open only when it's sunny.

At Kreis 5

- Bogen 33 Möbel & Accessoires, Geroldstrasse 33, 8005 Zurich 
Nice selection of vintage furniture and home deco

- Walter, Geroldstrasse 15, 8005 Zurich
Another cool furniture shop

- Lilli Tulipan, Josefstr. 18, 8005 Zurich
Home deco, accessories, DIY materiel, cards... They seem to have absolutely everything in this colorful shop!

- Dotti's - Lovely Vintage + Labels, Josefstr. 144, 8005 Zurich
Cute vintage store, carries also a selection of vintage wedding dresses & asseccories

- Beige - Swiss Styling, Josefstr. 10, 8005 Zurich
This brand produces almost all of their products in Switzerland. Worth checking out!



GETTING AROUND

- Walk
Walking is the best way to discover Zurich. Even in one day you can see many neighborhoods just by walking.

- Polybahn funicular
If you want to see the university buildings but you're too tired of walking, you can take this cute red funicular. CHF 1.20 for a ride.

- Boat trip
This one I didn't try but you can take a boat trip to discover lake Zurich. You can choose if you want to spend only a couple of hours all almost the whole day on a boat, there are several route options.

Ok, that was it! Have you ever been to Zurich or would you like to go? Next up, Prague!




SUOMEKSI

Euroopankiertue jatkuu :) Eli ylhäällä muutamia vinkkejä Zurichiin. Ja hei, huikkailkaahan jos teille tulee mieleen jotain hyviä paikkoja, pitää käydä sitten seuraavalla kerralla! Oletteko joskus käynyt Zurichissa tai onko suunnitelmissa? Ja muuten, seuraavana on sitten vuorossa Praha!

Ecodesigner of the week: From Somewhere

Seeing this post reminded me that I've yet to blog about the UK-based brand From Somewhere. Founders Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci are doing a great job bringing eco fashion to a new level, and their collaborations include brands such as Topshop and Speedo. Their newest collection has a nice 90's wibe (I never thought I'd say that!) but it remains true to their style. 

From Somewhere is a designer label that works primarily with pre-consumer surplus from the manufacturing houses and textile mills of the luxury fashion industry.

The label is a pioneer in combining sustainable thinking with fashion-forward design; bringing quality and craftsmanship to “exquisite rubbish.”"

What do you think of their newest collection? I hope you'll have a great week, see you later!

Täältä sain hyvän muistutuksen siitä, etten ole vielä blogannut brittimerkistä From Somewhere. Brändin perustajat Orsola de Castro ja Filippo Ricci tekevät hienoa työtä ja tuovat mielestäni ecodesigniin ihan uutta ulottuvuutta, ja From Somewhere onkin tehnyt yhteistyötä niin Speedon kuin Topshopin kanssa. Tässä uudessa kokelmassa on jotenkin makea ysärifiilis (enpä olisi ikinä uskonut että tuonkin pääsen sanomaan!) mutta silti merkki on tyylilleen uskollinen. Mitäs te tykkäilette? Ja hei hyvää alkavaa viikkoa kaikille, toivottavasti se tuo mukanaan vain hyviä juttuja!

All pics & quote From Somewhere

Ecodesigner of the week: Aurélie Chadaine

So, as I told you we visited Lille in the beginning of the week. So I thought it would only be appropriate to bring forward a designer from the Northern France this week! I actually spotted Aurélie Chadaine at the local magazine while visiting, and I would have loved to visit her shop in Roubaix. Unfortunately it was closed the day we visited Roubaix, but it was still a good tip!

All these beautiful handbags are made out of factory surplus leather. Isn't that amazing? 

There's not that much info available in english in the website at the moment, but I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about Aurélie Chadaine in the becoming years. The brand only started last year, and these photos are from the second collection.

What do you think? I like the simplicity of the products and the styling of the photos, how about you? Have a great week-end you all, here in Paris it's a gorgeous weather and I'm heading for a picnic right now!

Kuten todettua, kävimme pikareissulla Lillessä tällä viikolla, joten mikäs sen sopivampaa kuin valita paikallinen suunnittelija tämän viikon esittelyyn. Bongasin Aurélie Chadainen esittelyn matkan aikana paikallisesta lehdestä, ja olisi ollut mahtava käydä katsastamassa putiikki. Valitettavasti se ei ollut auki sinä päivänä kun me oltiin Roubaix:ssa, mutta siitä huolimatta olen tosi tyytyväinen että törmäsin tähän merkkiin!

Kaikki tuotteet on valmistettu tehdasylijäämästä. Aika mahtavaa, vai mitä?

Tällä hetkellä nettisivut on lähinnä ranskaksi, mutta olen aika varma että tästä merkistä kuullaan vielä lisää. Nämä kuvat ovat nimittäin vasta toisesta merkin kokoelmasta, Aurélie Chadaine kun aloitti vasta viime vuonna!

Mitäs te tykkäätte? Itseeni vetoaa tosi paljon tälläinen simppeli mutta jotenkin tyttömäinen tyyli, ja lisäksi pidän kuvien stailauksesta, mutta mitä siellä ruudun toisella puolella sanotaan? Mutta hei nyt suuntaan hetimiten piknikille, Pariisissa on viimein kesä! Hyvää viikonloppua kaikille!

All photos: Aurélie Chadaine