Felt Art Exhibition and Christmas Bazaar at VillaRosa, Orimattila FINLAND

Villa Roosa is a beautiful exhibition building originally used as wool felt slippers factory. They have organised 14 summer exhibitions of modern textiles and visual arts.

Now felt art exhibition and Christmas bazaar is open in Villa Roosa, during 28.11. - 20.12. 2009.
Open daily 11:00-18:00, Sun 6.12. 11:00–16:00.

Downstairs showroom presents Felt Assosiation's selected exhibition, "The atmosphere of the winter", college students' felt mats, and more.
Admission fee of the exhibition: € 4
children under 15 years: € 2, children under school age: free.

The Christmas bazaar invites you throughout the exhibition period! Assortments, especially felt makers' felt products, products of local artisans, plenty of art books and cards, and AikaFeltWorks' items are also there. Christmas cafe is open as well. Free admission. Come along!

Villa Roosa
Käkelänraitti 4
16300 Orimattila
0400-757 607

Event: handicrafts from Finland at kirpputori, Japan

kirpputori is a small and lovely select shop selling commodities from Scandinavian countries from antiques to modern handcrafts, located in Nishi-Gotanda, Tokyo. The area where the shop is an office town, and the shop is found suddenly like an oasis in the middle of grey and busy urban landscape.

"kirpputori" means flea market in Finnish. The shop owner, Kaori travels to Finland and other Scandinavian countries a couple of times a year, visiting real flea markets to find acquisitions, and also meets craft manufacturers to see their workshops for better understanding of their creations. Her way is slow but so much congenial that I feel very nice to work with her. She came to visit my studio in Rovaniemi the last year as well.

kirpputori is having an event, being titled "Käsitöitä Suomesta" (handcrafts from Finland), from November 9th till 23rd (Sunday closed). She collects birch baskets, felt goods, wooden jewelry, pottery, hand-prints and so on for this event. All the works are made by hands slowly and carefully with love. Aika Felt Works' one-off bags and original goods are also there. This time I made a new felt work for this event; a kettle-holder. This is like a sister product of my Coasters made of merino wool and knitted wool lace felted together. There are olive green and purple colors.

One of the one-off bags, the photo up is the Winter Bag. I made this bag making fur patterns of reindeer which is one of the common animals here in Lapland. So this is a kind of fake fur of reindeer made of 100% wool;)). This bag is to men's liking as well so this could be as a Christmas present for your partner.

Feel free to visit kirpputori because the shop owner is a good speaker of English! She can suggest unique gift ideas to you with plenty of stories of her collection.

kirpputori
2-26-9
Nishigotanda
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo, JAPAN
open 11:00 - 20:00
Sundays closed
Tel&Fax +81 (0)3 3491 1300

Osampo Bags go to Department Stores in Japan

Osampo Bags are being sold in following department stores in Japan:

21. Oct. - 10. Nov. 2009 TAKASHIMAYA Shinjuku Store / 10F ma piés
25. Nov. - 1. Dec. 2009 ISETAN Shinjuku Store / Scandinavian Fair
9. - 15. Dec. 2009 MITSUKOSHI Nihonbashi Main Store / Scandinavian Fair
16. - 25. Dec. 2009 MITSUKOSHI Nihonbashi Main Store / Christmas Fair
18. - 26. Dec. 2009 JR NAGOYA TAKASHINAYA / Scandinavian Fair
19. - 25. Dec. 2009 HANSHIN Umeda Store / Scandinavian Fair

Red color of Osampo Bag is available only in these department stores. Enjoy shopping!

Osampo Bag is on sale at WEBO (Japan)

Osampo Bag is now on sale at WEBO in Kobe, one of the biggest trade cities in Japan.

WEBO (interior and life-style shop) was set up by young director, Shunsuke Imura, in 2002 that has excellent collection of furniture and design products.

WEBO has also an online store. Osampo bag is here!

Here you can find a map of WEBO. If you are in Kansai-area, just drop in!

WEBO
Address: 3-15-3 Shimoyamate-dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi,
Hyogo, 650-0011, Japan
Open 12:00～20:00
Wednesdays closed.
Tel: +81-(0)78-391-1359

NEW! Folding Bag and Osampo Bag

I have worked to develop new felt items since last April. I made 4 designs and 2 are now in production - Folding Bag and Osampo Bag.

This is the Folding Bag, as the name tells, it is possible to be folded and packed into the box behind.

Why folding? - maybe because I am a Japanese:)) I think that a product had better be compact to fit in a limited space, and also had better have 2 or more functions so that you don't need every single product for each purpose - so does this bag. This bag can be a self-standing box as well. That is why the handles are fixed inside.

Starting from the theme of "folding", I made several models with paper at first - like "origami" and "furoshiki" (a complete square cloth to wrap and carry things), by folding and unfolding, repeatedly in many ways.

Finally I found the way - turning over. The diagonal cutting lines are folding lines, and by turning it over, the bag gets tension being open. I was excited to find the way, that was a small invention. I love the moment when I find a solution in my design. This is adictive!

Apple green and gray colors are available. Made of 3mm thickness of 100% wool industrial felt.

Then these are the Osampo Bags. "Osampo" means walking and strolling in Japanese.
The bottom can be folded. Yes, this bag has the same concept as the Folding Bag. It becomes thinner by folding the bottom without damaging the front form.

I often go for walks, and always felt uncomfortable to have my cell phone, wallet and keys in my pockets. I don't need such a big bag, but just a small bag that the minimum things that I need can be in ... so this is the bag I wanted.

I found this bag is easy to ride a bicycle, too. Use this bag to go for a walk, small trip from your office as the second bag, and choose the color according to your feeling!

Apple green, gray and light brown are available. Made of 3mm thickness of 100% wool industrial felt.

>> Buy the Folding Bag on Aika Felt Works Webshop
>> Buy the Osampo Bag on Aika Felt Works Webshop

Aika Felt Works Autumn Collection

Following the Summer Collection, the Autumn Collection of Cross box and Coasters are now on sale on  Aika Felt Works Webshop.

The coasters are made of wool lace which is machine knitted by Maria Keskipoikela / Oukku, and soft and fine merino wool, being hand-felted together. Each piece has slightly different look.

The Cross Boxes are also made of merino wool. This box can be used for keeping keys or a mobile phone, or jewellery, but if I can give you a tip of use: If you have dried flower from this summer, put it in the Cross Box and add one drop of aroma to it and keep it on your night table, and enjoy yourself at autumn night!

>> See the Coasters on Aika Felt Works Webshop
>> See the Cross Box on Aika Felt Works Webshop

Aika Felt Works in Habitare (Helsinki) and Tokyo International Gift Show

Products of Aika Felt Works are now exhibited in Habitare 09 in Helsinki, during 9.-13.9.2009.
Rovaniemi Shop by Rovaniemen Kehitys Oy shows and sells collection of design goods from Rovaniemi and other areas around, and Aika Felt Works takes part in it. New products, Folding Bag and Osampo Bag are also on show.

Find the products at:
Stand 2c41
Rovaniemi Shop
by Rovaniemen Kehitys Oy

Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre
Opening hours:
Thurs. 10. Sep. 1 pm - 7 pm
Fri. 11. Sep. 1 pm - 7 pm
Sat. 12. Sep. 10 am - 6 pm
Sun. 13. Sep. 10 am - 6 pm
Trade hours:
Wed. 9. Sep. 9 am - 7 pm
Thurs. 10. Sep. 9 am - 1 pm
Fri. 11.Sep. 9 am - 1 pm.

For more info: Habitare 09

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At the same time, new products of Aika Felt Works are presented in Tokyo International Gift Show during 8.-11.9.2009, under cooperation of INOPPU Co.,Ltd.

Find the products at:
Stand WEST 3056
Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight)

For more info: The 68th Tokyo International Gift Show

Visit us!

Find Aika Felt Works' products at Okra in Helsinki

Felt products of Aika Felt Works will be on sale at Okra, an art and craft shop in Helsinki, from Sat.1.8.2009 till Sat.31.10.2009 (for 3 months).

Summer collection of Aika Felt Works is on sale in August, and Autumn collection will be sold in September and October. Please drop by Okra to explore the world of Finnish craft and design!

Art and handicraft shop OKRA
Unioninkatu 26
00130 Helsinki
puh: (09) 624 250
Open:
Mon–Fri 10–18
Sat 10–16

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Aika Felt Works Webshop Summer Collection '09

Beautiful, vivid orange and cool, light blue are chosen for the theme colors of Aika Felt Works Webshop's summer collection 2009. Now Cross Boxes and Lace Coasters are available with this season's theme colors. The summer collection is limited production until 30.Aug.2009. If you like the colors, don't be late to get them!


>> Go to Aika Felt Works Webshop

Webshop opening sale! Cottagebag is now 20% OFF!

It's been already 1 month since Aika Felt Works Webshop was published. Everything seems ok, and now I would like to offer the first sale!

This bag is designed for traveling to a cottage by a car. The idea is based on cottage culture in Finland.

The size is decided to fit in a trunk of a car.
The holes of handles are big enough to be held by your hands with gloves on for the winter time.
Newspaper and magazines can be just in the bag, so you can also use it as a magazine rack.

Normal price is 87,00 € (without VAT 71,31 €), and now it's 69,60 € (without VAT 57,05 €)!!
The sale ends when the bags are sold out. Please have a look!

>> Go to Aika Felt Works Webshop

Sale at Viilla Roosa

Villa Roosa, Orimattila, Finland
13.6.-9.8.2009

Some items of Aika Felt Works (Slippers, Cottage bag, Cross box and more) are on sale in a shop along with a summer exhibition of Villa Roosa in Orimattila, at old woolen felt shoes factory in this summer. Works in the exhibition are Finnish textile art and visual art. Come around!

Monday closed
Open 11:00-18:00
Entrance fee : adults 6 Eur
Käkelänraitti 4
16300 Orimattila
tel. +358-(0)400-757 607

Aika Felt Works Webshop OPEN!

Aika Felt Works Webshop has been opened on 9.6.2009.

Aika Felt Works is situated in the north Finland, Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle, creating industrial felt products as well as one-off handmade felt works.

If you are looking for unique gifts for your important persons, or searching for ecological and natural items for your life, please come and see!

>> Go to Aika Felt Works Webshop