KUMA Ya

my new studio!

2010-05-03T14:38:00.005+03:00

wow!

i got a new studio! the one i really really fell in love with!

great location!

just a right space!

nice view from my corner.

nice girl to share with! ( she is a fashion designer making pretty clothes. )

we have a small kitchen and sauna, too!

thanks beruta for crossing your fingers!

potential

2010-04-22T12:59:00.003+03:00

a month ago, i lost a studio.
sadly, we all had to move out from there.
it was indeed a pity thing. i looked for a new studio...but got no luck.
so, i started to think i may not need a studio for now....may be not necessary to make things for a while.

then, here it came! J passed me a free studio info.i went to see the place today. it was an ideal place!!there are still many other people coming to see the place, and the owner will pick one to share the studio. hopefully, she will take me in. let's see....

Düsseldorf

2010-04-07T14:11:00.003+03:00

i was in Dusseldorf for this Easter.

saw beautiful and unique stained glass at churches.

never seen this unique glasses at old churches. great combination!

waiting for spring

2010-03-21T08:42:00.003+02:00

more light out but still spring is not yet even close here.
i am longing for green leaves and flowers to come out.

new boxes are ready to go to the shop. but i have no time.

feel like traveling

2010-03-07T08:27:00.005+02:00

those pictures that i took from our trip in japan, a few months ago.
oh, i feel like traveling again to somewhere. can not wait to fly.
now here is not that dark anymore, but still winter is a bit too long....

brought new boxes

2010-02-19T19:45:00.002+02:00

my new glass boxes can be found at Norsu Galleri.
check them out!

NORSU Galleria
kaisaniemenkatu 9
Helsinki
www.norsu.info

new glass boxes

2010-02-18T18:31:00.005+02:00

last month, someone bought my hanging lamp shade.

i went to her place and put up the shade. she was happy what she got in her room, and i was happy to see her happy.

silly me, forgot to bring my camera with me on that day. so photos were not taken.

here are some new glass boxes. they will be soon at the shop in Helsinki.

have you bought Xmas gifts?

2009-12-16T19:46:00.002+02:00

give small jewelry boxes for someone special!

name/date can be engraved on the box, too.

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 32Helsinki

food + photos exhibition

2009-12-05T19:20:00.003+02:00

young chefs made unique food and those food and ingredients were photographed and shown even more unique way by photographers.

there were those photos and of course, food to taste!! yummy!!

the members from the don Johnson big band also came and performed.

then i found harri koskinen!! and had short talk with him. he let me to show his photos on my blog! thanks!

nice evening.

this is for you

2009-12-01T18:22:00.002+02:00

this is for my dear friend.
you may receive it in shortly.

ORIGAMI BOX

2009-11-24T07:58:00.005+02:00

went J's studio to use a sand blasting machine.

He said "You used to work for me, you are free to use my studio anytime! welcome!"

how nice of him.

i remember him always as a good boss.

oh, yes, please find those little boxes at Onéa design shop

Onéa design shop

fredrikinkatu 32Helsinki

greenhouse

2009-11-17T08:43:00.004+02:00

small greenhouses are now available at Onéa design shop.

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 32Helsinki

new studio

2009-11-13T18:21:00.006+02:00

moved into a new studio!

sharing with other friendly artists.

right in the center.

how nice!

a cushion at home

2009-10-16T07:26:00.004+03:00

one day, i found a wrapping paper on the floor and there was a cushion on the armchair that i have not seen it before.

V said that he bought the cushion, cos this he designed and found it at the shop.

he sometimes talks bitter about his job. but seems he has fun projects comes and goes.....

lucky him!

food & arts

2009-08-14T09:57:00.005+03:00

a few days ago, food & arts collaboration event was held at this gallery in Helsinki.

my dear friend S made some sweets for this event and ther were served on my collection plates.

guests were happy tasting unique food and sweets from "art" plats.

nothing to do with kuma ya but...

2009-07-27T17:28:00.005+03:00

it is almost as a joke, but V is a ceramics instructor.
anyway,
he made those salt & pepper shakers.
wow! they look super!

a repaired box

2009-07-13T11:39:00.002+03:00

this box came back to me.

this lady bought it from the Onea design shop while ago. then as she dropped it on the floor, it got broken. so now it came back to me to be fixed.

felt so nice that someone want it to be repaired, not just dump into the trash can.

now it got fixed and going back to the lady.

take care!

on the boat

2009-06-10T07:39:00.002+03:00

i was on the boat with S (jewelry maker) and M( kids clothes maker/designer).

our sale on the boat went super crazy at the end. S said " i wish i can sell like that every events!"

great to hear.

many thanks for S and M! coming all the way to the boat!!

happy coincidence

2009-06-04T06:01:00.004+03:00

it has been a month, since i started to work at this place. i enjoy SO000 much working here.

something to do with design/crafts and something to do with japan! what a great combination !

it was such a miracle coincidence that this company found me.

one shop used my photo on the net without asking me. then my info linked somewhere.... then some reason, this company got know me and contacted me.

that how i end up working here.

looks like inevitably things happened.

testing and tasting

2009-04-19T18:33:00.004+03:00

the other day, me and S (a chef) went to N's studio ( a ceramics designer) and got some sample plates for the food ＋ceramics ＋cartoon event.
today, we made a few sample menu and served them with N's plates.

this event would not be held in this year. we have still plenty time to think about the menu.
and i may going to make a few glass/ceramics piece.... ???? this i did not expected but it may be a good challenge to do.
anyway, it is great to work with S. a very inspiring person.

cute~!

2009-03-29T21:05:00.005+03:00

i saw those handmade baby shoes already last year at Onéa design shop. i fell in love with. since then, i have always thought that i would purchase then when my friend got a baby!

finally, the time came. H and M they are expecting a new baby coming in may. oh yes! finally, finally, i got a chance to buy the baby shoes!

they are packed well in a cute box, too!

Onéa design shop

fredrikinkatu 32Helsinki

me ＋food

2009-03-27T20:00:00.004+02:00

V came back from his 2 weeks holiday in peru. during those 2 weeks, i found out that my life is pretty simple without him.
less laundry to do for a week. less dishes to wash for a day. less menu to cook for a each meal.

after his return, we went to eat out for our anniversary. oh yes, we have each other ! and we have anniversary.
every dishes were very pretty and looked like piece of art, indeed.

to me, food and art relate each other.

in the autumn, there will be some kind of event. the event consists of food ＋ceramics ＋cartoon. for some reason, i am going to be an chef assistant for this day. really exciting to plan this for food. someone said " but you are glass maker..." well, i have no funny feeling of being as a chef assistant in this project. food is art!

before and after

2009-03-24T19:26:00.009+02:00

Onéa design shop has moved and opened a new shop in early this month. it locates on the same street but a different location.

when the shop was still under renovation, once i went to the shop and helped painting the display showcase. (did i really help??) place was then very empty.
that time, i heared E (Onéa design shop owner) spoke her mother language; norwegian with her norwegian friend. beautiful language! indeed, sounds pretty close to swedish as some swedish friends previously told me so.

the new Onéa design shop has many fresh items for spring!
please go and check it out.

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 32
Helsinki

hand mirrors

2009-03-22T16:26:00.002+02:00

they are handy hand mirrors.

japaneses hand printed Origami were trapped in between glass and mirrors.

previously, some finnish told me they can be more japanese-looking. also some lady said " do japanese use those hand mirrors? we do not have such a habit. they are pretty though..."

oh, i see!! these were very interesting points!

i tried not to emphasize "japanese" too much. but intended to apply japanese paper in pretty and stylish way....but yeah, non-japanese may prefer them to be more "japanese-looking" even paper can be with Mt. Fuji and geisha girl prints on them....????

also, yes, i have not really seen some girls check their make up with their hand mirrors. (in japan, many girls DO check their face in the hand mirrors)

so when i brought those mirrors last year to the Onea shop, i did not expected they would be sold well.

however, great things is that people found those mirrors at the Onea shop. (thanks! and thanks for Onea shop!)

....so i made them more!

white

2009-03-09T20:15:00.006+02:00

yesterday, i thought spring is coming.

then this morning i saw white view out from my window.

yes, snow!

but actually, snowing days are pretty. really pretty.

i bought rubber boots this winter. they are wonderful things, i should have bought them much earlier, indeed. i do not mind working in raining days nor showing days. i even run in snow, kick off snow and stamp puddles. silly things but fun.

cat x 3

2009-03-08T16:46:00.005+02:00

you may guess that i like cats.
well, i like dogs more though.....somehow i got into printing cats on my boxes.

this photo was taken around 16:00 only with natural sunlight. yes, sun stays this long now!
yeah!! spring is coming.
i waited for this to come so long!

hello again!

2009-03-01T13:25:00.005+02:00

new jewelry boxs i made for Onéa design shop.

they look pretty feminine ..... somehow very spring looking, too.

long time no blog!

2009-02-03T15:50:00.002+02:00

oh, yes, i have a blog! it has been a long time!

i made some glass with lace pattern on them.
looking wonderful.

in japan, i bought some new parts for my new work. exciting to make some new work.

memories

2009-01-11T08:42:00.004+02:00

more photos from japan.
during my visiting in japan, my grandmother gave me some of her jewelries. those 2 rings in the photo are especially special one that she gave me. those 2 rings were made out of her mother's (my great-grandmother) japanese ornamental hairpin "Kanzasi". the pink one is a coral and the green one is jade. they are beautiful and cute!
i still remember how i spent time with great-grandmother. i am still attached to he even she passed away very long time ago. when i received those rings, i felt my great-grandmother came back to me. great gifts.

year 2009!

2009-01-07T08:32:00.003+02:00

i and V were in japan for 2 weeks. oh, super great time i had with my friends and my family.
we were in tokyo, kyoto, nagano and nagoya. thanks for all my friends who made time to meet me. also, my friends from canada were traveling in tokyo while i was there. it was great to meet them again.

we saw Mt.Fuji. once from the airplane, and twice from the bullet trains. beautiful, indeed.
it was too short stay, i already miss everything from there.
see you all soon again!

hyvää joulua!

2008-12-20T20:05:00.005+02:00

my friend's little girl made those cute piparikakku ( ginger cookies). i can not eat them. they are too cute to be eaten.

we are going on holiday. flying to the sunrise country.

have a nice holiday, everyone!

stars!

2008-12-13T07:45:00.009+02:00

Xmas star ornaments i made for Onéa design shop. pretty!
soon Xmas comes. i am not that interested in "Xmas" but excited for Xmas holiday.

looking for Xmas gifts??
Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/index.html

painting exhibition

2008-12-05T08:26:00.006+02:00

last night, we were at our friends' painting exhibition opening party.

their exhibition was hold at suomenlinna, a small island. we took a boat to go there; felt like going on a small night picnic.

there were some people who i wanted to meet for long time. oh, i had such a great time with super kind people!

recently, i try to speak finnish and this has opened up a whole new world for me. a big difference is that no need to find people who are willing to speak in english with me.

i feel great thanks for finns; they are so patient with my poor finnish.

studio opening party

2008-11-30T09:15:00.008+02:00

my friend N.N had his studio opening party.

we have met each other such a long time ago. did we meet in 1997 or 78? that time, i visited finland with my professor in canada. we were both students then, now he is a hot fashion designer! i am a big fun of him.

after all his remarkable success, he is the same humble and sincere person.

for some reason, i was very touched and inspired by his studio party. it was a wonderful night.

ARIGATOU N.N.

Xmas shopping

2008-11-29T09:27:00.003+02:00

i managed to go to Xmas event at Onéa design shop.
it was very cozy.
many thanks for E for organizing this!

Onéa design shop
http://www.onea.fi/index.html

get better soon, please

2008-11-26T09:54:00.009+02:00

last week, i was at my friend's group exhibition opening. i thought i would find some friends who i studied with. but there was nobody i knew, except my friend who invited me. i realized it has been a while since i graduated....

this week, i have been sick. i am rolling in bed for a whole day. only once i was out for the hospital. though i am taking medicine, this is not helping me much. to cure my fluV makes Miso-soup in the morning, but it seems this also not working. i have a terrible sore throat so that i can not breath well and keep on waking up in the middle of the night. no good, no good.

tomorrow, Onéa design shop is having a event. i hope i get better and can go there.

Onéa design shop

http://www.onea.fi/index.html

moving back to Kellari

2008-11-22T20:29:00.009+02:00

as my life style changed, it has been a bit difficult to travel to my studio in the countryside.

i loved to be there and i enjoied being there. but it is time to move on.

today, i and V were there to clean up and bring my belongings out from there.

V said "this's so nice place!!" yes, i know, it is a wonderful place!

it is indeed pity to leave off from here.

only distance was not suitable for me, now.

i said many good byes and thanks to the building when we drove off there.

it was a special place with many many memories.

my working place is now back in "kellari" where i used to do my glass works.

a year ago, it was not too fun to work alone at Kellari.

but now my situation is so much different from then. so i am not feeling bitter about coming back here.

more like feeling positive about this change.

new change and new start for me.

Joulu tulee

2008-11-20T07:23:00.004+02:00

Onéa design shop is having a event on 27th of this month.
go and find some nice Christmas gifts for your friends and family!
please, please!!

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/index.html

event on 27th of November

starting from 16:00 until 19:00

clear sky

2008-11-05T19:34:00.004+02:00

today was a lucky day. i got out from Jukka's glass studio 30 minutes earlier than usual.

usually, it is already dark when i get out from work. 30 minutes makes landscape so much different!

pink and dark blue sky above me.

jukka gave me such a positive comment on my glass polishing job.

i was feeling so happy on my way home.

something new

2008-10-21T12:46:00.007+03:00

oh, it is getting cold!

lately, i am spending less time at my studio.
by happy accident, i started to work (but as "harjoitella") at J isotalo's glass design studio, 3 days for a week. it brought me a whole new experience! wow!

at his studio, we speak ONLY finnish! oh, this is something totally new!
what a surprise! me speaking in finnish! i even did not know that i can do this.
thanks for J isotalo!!
yeah, really i made a great discovery in myself. yippee~~!

lanterns

2008-10-11T22:03:00.006+03:00

lanterns for Onéa design shop.
one with giraffes. and the other with balloons and helicopters.
lovely!

someone asked me where i get those animal & balloons images.
well, i do not buy them.
i make fuzzy drafts with hand-drawn and V makes final image with PC and makes stickers.
then, i print (?) images on glasses by using those stickers .

wow! what a great cooperation!

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/index.html

good sign

2008-10-07T15:46:00.004+03:00

we spent our weekend in the countryside. drove 4 hrs to go there, long way but beautiful autum view.
nice to be out there. baked bread and pizza. yumm!

those are again for Onéa design shop. my friend who visited me last night, saw those boxes and said " woww! Cuuuute!!"
yes! that the good sign.

Onéa design shop
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/index.html

strange thing

2008-09-30T15:34:00.007+03:00

it has been such a nice weather. trees are so beautiful at our studio yard.
i got a cold, but in this weather, i feel still O.K.

a few days ago, i had such a funny experience at this office.
as you may know, my name is a very typical japanese girls name, but it's a name for boys in finland. strange thing is that my japanese family name can be finnish, too.
very often finnish get confused by my name.
such as.....
-when i showed up for the Dr appointment, Dr told me " it is not your turn" ( cos he was expecting a boy-mika)
-booked tickets comes with Mr.

and so on.

but the other day at this office, it was the strangest one. i was asked " is your mother or father finnish? mika is a finnish name!"

that was the strangest one ever.

i do look so asian....
hei, if my mon/dad was a finnish, they would not give a boy name to a girl.

i guess KUMA YA is a good way to give an idea for people that the artist is not a finnish... maybe.

nice to see it

2008-09-24T14:59:00.007+03:00

the other day, i visited Onéa design shop and happened to see a girl buying my work!

oh, super!

------------------

Onéa design shop

fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki

http://www.onea.fi/index.html

a great autumn day

2008-09-20T20:11:00.013+03:00

me and V visited my (our?) friend H and her family in the countryside. we had planned this a week ago. though this week has not been a nice weather, the weather today was great! and colors of trees leaves are wonderfully beautiful! it was great ride.

i picked up some apples from our studio garden yesterday. i thought of baking an apple pie for H. but i found out i have no milk at home. ( and nearest shop opens from 12:00 on saturday) i did not bake anything, but brought apples. then i saw an apple tree at H's garden with apples! oh, boy!

almost 4 months since we saw H and her family last time. but once we started to talk out, in shortly things are perfectly filled in between us . how nice.

beautiful weather and nice time we had with them. a great autumn day. thanks H!

apple trees

2008-09-10T14:51:00.004+03:00

our apple trees in our studio yard got apples! they ripened and are ready to eat.
great thing, great thing.

we are thinking about making an apple picking party, a few weeks later.
who would like to come?
gonna be fun!

happy wedding !

2008-09-07T10:17:00.009+03:00

orders for wedding gifts.

one for an architect couple. the order was made through Onéa design shop. i was told to make a house candle holder for 2 candles. symbols for " tow moving into one house. "
i see, how sweet!

and the other one was ordered by my friend who is going to attend a wedding in this month.

i thought wedding season is gone already with summer. but, i guess not.

my friend J told me his happy news. i am honor to share his news together! it made me big smile!
i guess i should make one house for J, too.

film crew !

2008-09-02T18:48:00.005+03:00

a film crew was shooting something around the corner from our studio. and they used our studio as a "resting place." their food on the table. strange ( fun) to have this crew!

it is getting cold. yes, winter is coming. i can smell it...

i started to take yoga lessen.
breathing in and out. feel so right to do.
my mother used to do yoga. she took me to her lessen, i was then a little child and watching my mother, eating some mother-made cookies beside her.
by doing yoga, i remembered my mother and her yoga lessen. i am probably the same age as my mother in my memory. can not believe it!

be simple

2008-08-18T07:34:00.002+03:00

here are new jewelry boxes, available at Onéa design shop.
one with the scooter and the other with rabbits. can you see them?

my works are getting more and more simple. i feel so natural in this way.

Onéa design shop ( inside of the sielunpeili galleria)
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/ ( not yet ready)

a jewelry vitrine

2008-08-14T08:31:00.004+03:00

Onéa design shop ordered me a vitrine for jewelries.
the shop owner E gave me the size and her image for the vitrine.

a very simple form with a door!
hope she liked it.

!thanks E for giving me this exciting project!

Onéa design shop ( inside of the sielunpeili galleria)
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/ ( not yet ready)

outdoor show

2008-08-11T20:34:00.007+03:00

i was at this outdoor show last week.
my friend K used to work for this event and brought me in.

it was not the perfect summer weather though it was O.K.

i met an old lady who used to live in japan and came back to finland 20 years ago.
she said " i forgot japanese" but she spoke very well.
she gave me her contact and we exchaned a few emails already.
how nice!

i like writing emails and letters.
letters are specially nice to send and to receive.

some months ago, i met an old gentleman on the train to my studio.
he run into the train and sat across from me. he looked around as if he was making sure if he got on the right train. then he asked me " is this going to kirkkonummi?" he asked me in swedish but i somehow understood so i answered him back in finnish and he spoke me back in finnish.
then we talked little bit of this and that. then we changed our language to english.
he spoke his hobby. as he is almost same age as my grandmother, he recalled me my grandfather.

at the end, he gave me a book that has an article of him.
he wrote my name and his name and address on the book.
during this summer, we have exchanged 3 letters.

treasure every encounter, for it will never recur...yes, in deed.

welcome!

2008-08-06T20:10:00.007+03:00

the other day, i got a call and was asked "Are you still doing the one day lesson ?" and i welcomed them by saying " sure, sure! welcome!! "

3 girls (?) came to do the one day lesson. talking and making and making and talikng. got know a bit of each other. it was fun! great time.

the cats house

2008-07-28T18:02:00.009+03:00

i made afew vitrines for Onéa design shop. those vitrines are made of glass and box shape but the shop owner E calls them as "house." so i made a vitrin with a house shape, this time.

i acid-etched cats images on the walls and on the roof. you see? foggy and fuzzy cats walking around on the glass house. there are 3 of them.

this cats house is now at the Onéa. please go and check it out!

Onéa design shop ( inside of the sielunpeili galleria)
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/ ( not yet ready)

a new shop!

2008-07-18T18:10:00.009+03:00

Onéa is a new shop in helisnki, they opened recently!
they have neat and lovely handmade items and fair trade stuff. AND have MY house candle holders, too.
please visit there for summer shopping.... and check my items out, too!

Onéa design shop ( inside of the sielunpeili galleria)
fredrikinkatu 28 Helsinki
http://www.onea.fi/ ( not yet ready)

a travel to the south

2008-07-08T00:53:00.009+03:00

i was in Estonia for 4 days.
as same as my last trip to Sweden, this trip was also short but full of fun.

only 1.5 hours on the boat! easy ride to there, indeed.

spent time with my friend M.

went to an outdoor music festival in the countryside with M, S and other friends who i saw them last time 5 years ago!! great to meet them all!!

staid at M's parents house. her mother made us cottage cheese!! so fresh. ate it with the mother-made berries jam. yum-yummmmm!!
M's mother baked us wonderful cakes, too. sweet of her.

at last, visited M's studio in Tallinn. she also works with glass. she got a great view to the old town!! M took me to some glass suppliers. unfortunately, i could not find the glass sheet that i was hoping to find there. but fund out that glass sheets are less expensive there than in Finland. according to the shop girl, Finnish glass artists often come to buy glass sheets to Estonia. i see, i see.

house, house, house!

2008-06-27T22:31:00.005+03:00

look what i made. they are SOoo cute!

i probably like houses this i noticed now.
i enjoy the bus ride to my studio. cos i see nice wooden houses on the way.
today at the book store, i was looking at the book calls "the minimalism house" ( it was really a great book!)

yes, you see i like houses.

NORSU Galleria

2008-06-22T21:33:00.007+03:00

just before the midsummer, i handed in my works to NORSU Galleria in helsinki.

yes, my glass boxes can be found there. great!

----------------------

NORSU Galleria

kaisaniemenkatu 9

Helsinki

www.norsu.info

cute little things

2008-06-17T20:33:00.006+03:00

a lady came to my studio.
last year, she bought Xmas gifts from me. and now and then, she buys my houses for her friends and relatives.
she bought again those houses for today as her summer gift for her relatives.

each house were packed well into a "paper house".
oh, my little things! i feel as if i am giving them up for adoption. (this i always feel for my works' departures)

farewell!!

caught my eyes

2008-06-16T21:51:00.007+03:00

inspirations for you and for me.

from sweden.

feel relaxed and refreshed

2008-06-13T13:00:00.009+03:00

a great trip i had.

spending time with my friend H was really great.
we talked this and that and that and this, everyday until midnight. i probably put her tired of talking and listening... hope not...

visited many galleries and craft shops in stockholm.
saw impressive and fresh works.

went to her studio.　
the location really took my breath way.
the bay is in front of her studio!
it is not too far from stockholm. i specially enjoyed the bus ride to there.
there was 3 ? 4 ? times the bus went over the bridges and was crossing the bay.
wonderful summer view!

H's studio is in the old ceramic factory where it used to be a well known ceramic factory. but the factory got closed and became empty. now many artists rent there as their studio.
great idea!

the last picture is the flower from her studio. kindly blossoming.

i feel refreshed after this trip. my energy is charged 100%.

going on board

2008-06-07T11:14:00.008+03:00

as i have been feeling stuck in many ways, i told myself to go out and take a new breath in.
well then, i am flying to sweden from this coming monday! yes, i am flying not on the boat!!
it makes this trip more exciting...maybe.

there i meet ( and stay at ) my friend H who is a ceramist.
my last visit to sweden was 4 years ago! and have not seen H for 3 years??
i am so exciting to meet her and update our news.

my last time in sweden, i and H visited H's friends place in the countryside and we went to strawberry picking. that was fun.

this time, we may go and visit her other friend's studio & shop in the countryside.
also i am hoping to visit manos, it is a swedish ceramist karin's studio & shop. but manos opens only from thursday to saturday. i am leaving on thursday... let's see if i can make it.

it is a rather short trip but it fulfills me enough, i am sure of it!

from a magazine

2008-06-05T08:16:00.010+03:00

this picture is from the magazine "KODIN" not the newest one but from feb 2008.
i happen to found this magazine the other day.
look at the window! (sorry it is not a very clear one)
it gripped my eyes. this work is just like the one i had in my mind! the window design and style is very similar to mine. and on top of this to bring the stained glass into the living space, this is what i really REALLY want to do in the future. hopefully in very near future.

there was an article about the stained glass window. the house locates in holland and the stained glass windows are originally from 30s. it has been there since then!
oh yes, i see de-stiji influence on the window design...like piet mondrian's painting??

how nice work.
modest but effective.
the stained glass is not only for church windows nor with the flowery design.
they can be simple and stylish.

hope someday (soon) i get a chance to make a work like this.

had a special weekend

2008-06-02T17:56:00.007+03:00

here are the lamps in the day light.
as it was a cloudy sky today, not the best day to shoot photos. anyway, i took them and here they are.

hei, there was not much fun in my days lately.
the long winter is gone, but i am still feeling empty.

well, though last weekend was something special.

last weekend, i and V went to V's aunt's place for the graduation party.
the aunt got an indoor swimming pool and a trampoline in her yard. me, V and V's youngest cousin, we all hopped and did funny dance on the trampoline. we did trampoline for almost 3 hours! then, we dived into the swimming pool!
the swimming hall was a cool building. it looks like a greenhouse; made of a see-through acrylic board. then there's the pool with 5m wide, 20m long and 2-3m deep. not too big but perfect size for us.
3 of us played a beach volleyball in the water, dived many times from the pool side. it was real fun.
oh yes! i felt myself so light and free on the trampoline and in the water.

to be honest, it was one of my best day in this year so for.

a simple thing (like just hopping on the trampoline) can make my day so special.

i wish i have a trampoline and a swimming pool at home for this winter.
as here we have such a long and hard winter.

pale, subtle = dull color

2008-05-28T22:12:00.005+03:00

a lamp again!
a chic lamp.

i love pale/subtle colors. i call those as "dull color."

happy birthday!

2008-05-26T09:37:00.007+03:00

this is a wall hanging that i made for my friend V. she became 3 years old!
i enclosed V’s B.D party invitation card in between clear glasses and weld with color glasses as its frame.

the card was made by V’s mother H. through the invitation card, i imagined how they might made it together.
H is one of my ideal mother figure. H enjoys being with V and really carefully watches every small step that V makes. it is great to see how they are together.

in my childhood, my mother often baked a strawberry tart on my birthday. she knew i ever liked whipped cream and the strawberry tart with custard was the only i could enjoy from her recipe.
since then, whenever and wherever, i find a strawberry tart, i always remember my mother. i even could recall the image of my mother baking a tart and her baking book with the tart recipe and photos.

i liked V’s invitation card that especially made by H.
hopefully, V keeps my gift safely. someday she pulls it out and flashes back her memory from her 3 years old B.D party.

a salmon pink lamp

2008-05-23T20:49:00.009+03:00

i went to the glass supplier, the one i hardly go. my last visit to this shop could be a few months ago. but as soon as the shopgirl found me, she asked me " are you still looking for this glass ?" she showed me a sheet of white glass with feathers pattern on it. (that's how i see it)
i asked about it last time, then the shop told me that they do not deal with it anymore.
since then, i could not find this type of glass anywhere around here.
oh yes, it was great to find it again. how nice of them to remember me and my request!

also i found and bought a sheet of glass with very subtle salmon pink color. and made this cylinder shape lamp with stripes, again.
likely color combination from me.

studio mates showed up. we planed to grow vegetables in our garden.
yo-ho!

a craft shop in helsinki

2008-05-21T21:27:00.008+03:00

here is the shop "ARTISAANI" where they carry my glass boxes.
the shop is near the big white church. if you are in helsinki and happen to be around this corner, please stop by! they have cute and neat stuff.

ARTISAANI shop info
Unioninkatu 28, helsinki
http://www.artisaani.fi/

B.D party @ studio

2008-05-19T08:14:00.006+03:00

i had my "pre-birthday party" at my studio. my real B.D is actually coming this week.
as i am expecting to go to other friend's B.D party this weekend, i held my B.D party a week earlier.

yes, my age is not what it says on the cake. it was baked by my friend S, she is a kind girl who made me some(?) years younger. how sweet of fer.

the party went fine.
nothing like a big party, but a small cosy party i wanted to have.
so i did not invite many people. just some friends who i consider as close friends and who i really want to know more were invited.
after all, there were 10 grown-up (includes me) and 2 babys ( 0 & 1 year old! young!)
started from 12:00 and end 18:00. so little one managed to join the party.
ice hockey match finland vs sweden was the night before my party. so people staied up late night and came to the party with hangover(?). we staretd off with drinking tea and very end of the part, we opened 2 bottles of bubbly wine. how modest and healty party......

thanks for my friends who came all the way to my countryside studio.
it was so sweet party! after the party, i went to bed with a feeling of love and happy.
thanks for my friends!

A CIRCUS lamp

2008-05-16T07:14:00.007+03:00

a colorful cute lamp, i made and named it as " circus lamp."
creats really nice shadows on the wall, look!

i am planing to make an another "circus lamp" with a cylindrical shape.
it will be a nice one, too!

Mr J's ANDON lamp

2008-05-13T20:44:00.006+03:00

this lamp was J orderd.

he chose glass colors for it, and we planed it together little bit of this and that.

today i brought it for him.

he likes it and that made me feel SUPER happy.

thanks, J!

ORIGAMI lamps

2008-05-09T21:43:00.005+03:00

i made lamps with the combination of Japaese ORIGAMI papers and glasses.

great!

great photos

2008-05-09T09:06:00.004+03:00

a photographer S took my work photos.

great job she did!

I LOVE THEM!

THANKS S!!!!

one day mobile lesson

2008-05-06T12:04:00.012+03:00

it has been a wonderful weather. makes my days happier.
friends came to see me at the studio. how nice of them.

i have been thinking about giving one day lessen at my studio. however, i did not have a gut to start to do so. just was thinking and thinking.

then, K encouraged me and finally, i made a first step....made a sample.

glass mobile !

little houses with color glasses and tiny mirrors.

super cute!!

sun light reflects on the mirror and makes beautiful reflections on the wall and on the floor!!
turning and moveing slowly and leaving beautiful shadows everyweher in the room!!

sweet!!

one day mobile class ( may and june)

you can make a mobile with 2 houses ; mirrors and color glasses (red, blue, yelow, green, pink and purple)
your class date should be booked at least 2 days in advance by email.

for booking and questions: email me at kumayalasi(at)gmail(dot)com
date: anytime between 10:00 to 17:00 in may & june.
required time: 1~2 hours
place: at my stiod in espoo, near kauklahti station ( detail address will be sent by email. )
fee: 20 e ( includes material fee)

flowers

2008-04-29T07:24:00.004+03:00

our studio yard is now filled with flowers!
the top pictire from the window right next to my working table.
following two pictures were taken from the side of the building.
sweet smell is all around our yard!

spring came!

2008-04-25T08:11:00.005+03:00

this week has been so beautiful spring weather. finally and truly, spring came!
i waited for it for a long time. it is really high time to have this weather here!

because of this weather, i am often just looking outside through our studio windows and enjoying the sunshine and spring smells.
plus, very often having a tea break by the window.
i became such a slow worker.

many and many blue flowers everwhere around our studio yard, smells sweet all over the back yard. great spot to be.

i made small flowers. they go well with the weather!!

more to go

2008-04-18T17:11:00.002+03:00

the other business gifts are also ready to go.

i love the package. ( i designed!)

again, thanks for the company, great experiene to do this.

thanks for J, helping me for printing!

ready to go

2008-04-17T07:44:00.008+03:00

those are the business gifts i amde.
finally, they are packed and ready to bring to the company.
hope the company likes them.

thanks for the company, giving me this opportunity.
and thanks for J, helping me out for printing the package!
V made the package design. great job!

a girl M from singapore had contacted me regarding my glass keys.
her unexpected kind email made me such a wonderful feeling!
i am NOT a person who can do many things at same time, so it takes time for me to do things one to the other.
well, but now i get back to you M very shortly! please wait for me.

good things and bad things

2008-04-12T10:46:00.004+03:00

it has been overcast weather this week; caused my mood swing.

feeling up and down.

even not receiving emails made me feel down.

well, but there are things that made me feel happy, too.

yesterday, i had a fisrt-time visitor to my studio!

a friend H came to visit me.

H and i have been friends for over 10 years, wow!!

we started to live in canada around same time, and we lived in the same town, went to the same school and took the same course for a while.

oh, yes, she was the first person who told my name spells the same and read the same as finnish typical boy's name. ( my name is a typial japanese girl's name though. )

our life styles have changed a lot as compared with the time we met in canada.

our common language, too..?

after knwoing each other for over 10 years, we spoke english for all our past years together. but yesterday, we spoke in finnish. WOW!!

thanks for visiting me, H!

i made an another panel for our window.

today, finally sun came out.

i love it!

ANDON lamp

2008-03-30T17:28:00.007+03:00

my friends who are checking out this blog have asked me to make a table lamp.

K got a new job and she orderd me a table lamp to congratulate on her new start. how sweet of her!
and other friend J also orderd me a table lamp.

K and J do not know eache other, but as if they have talked about it together, their orders are pretty similar to each other. it is funny.
what they wish for their lamp is a table lamp with simple form.
something like "ANDON" ( japanese oil lamp; made of wood frame and covered with a papaer)
it is quite rare they both came up with this ANDON idea.

anyway, i started to plan and made a sample of the ANDON lamp.
K and J's lamps will be something like it....?? what do you say K? J?

a princess mirror

2008-03-29T10:35:00.005+02:00

this is a princess mirror that i named.

grinding small glass pieces into round shape takes some time. but it is surely worth of doing it.

pretty pink glass was given as a farewell gift from my stained glass teacher in japan. on my last day at her lessen, she gave me a few glass sheets, and this pink was one of them. saying " you can play with them untill you find a sheet glass shop in finland"

she was a great teacher and with good sense of humor. we stay in touch by sending postcards. ( not emails!)

the priness mirror is pretty on the wall as well as against the window.

if you have a spare mirror and want it to be a priness mirror, you are very welcome to contact me. ??

thanks for Ms M!!

2008-03-27T22:28:00.007+02:00

this company in finland gave me an opportunity to make their business gifts.

orders are business cards holders and candle holders with freiendly-green and with a bird ( as thier logo) on them.

meeting with Ms M from the company seems went fine.

many many thanks for Ms M for giving me such a great opportunity!

a craft shop in tammisaari

2008-03-27T20:41:00.011+02:00

lastweek, on the way to V's mother's cottage, we stopped by at tammisaari where my works are sold in the craft shop.

tammisaari is a cozy small town with cute and old wooden houses and the beautiful bay.

most peopel in this town speak swedish. that maybe the reason that being in this town makes me feel that i am traveling somewhere abroad.

since tammisaari is one of my favorate place in finland, i always wanted to have a reason to go there frequently. so i am very happy that my works are there in the craft shop.

i remember that the sale contract papser that the shop gave me was only written in swedish. yes, there was not even finnish!! and the salesperson casualy asked me "do you know swedish?" it was really sensatiolan thing for me, because i do not have at all " able to speak swedish" kind of look.

the shop holds many lovely craftsman works ( includes mine!)
when you visit tammisaari, please drop by!

the craft shop info

address: gustav wasas gata 6

on a sunny day

2008-03-22T12:46:00.009+02:00

there are windows next to and in front of my working table.

often there is a sunny spot on my tabel, and sun light makes glass look even more gorgeous.

my friend J told me that after seeing my studio in my blog, he started to imagine himself in this place. he has not yet been here, but just traveling his mind to here.

yes, this studio is such a place that fills people's imagination.

here are more photos!

we have a play ground in front.

a view from my working table.

from our room, there is a door to our back yard.

picture was taken from the back yard. our working room is just go up some flights of stairs.

we would spend more time in the back yard in summer.

i can not wait!

a colorful window

2008-03-21T08:50:00.007+02:00

our flat locates in the pale box-ish housing area.
so we mainly see row of those dull and unattrative flats through our window.
when we moved into this place, we talked what we can do for this view we have. and i suggested V that i will make a nice glass panel that can over the part of our window to blok the housing view.

however, that time i was so tired from moving back to finland and i was feeling up and down.
did not have energy for making things yet.

some months past, one weekend, i suddenly pulled a big paper and started to draw the plan for the window.

V was very happy. after seeing me up and down, he was simply happy for me doing thing with joy. and he was super happy when the window was made.

sunshine in this morning.

it looks even nicer in such a day.

the package

2008-03-12T17:18:00.005+02:00

planning a package for my work is always challenging and exciting.
my special assistant V helps me to make the package for mt work.
V is a very talented for a graphic and has a good color taste.
i make a draft and V does a graphic and printing, making my plan into a real.
this works perfet.

this time, our projet was to make apackage for my keys.
here is what we made.

i LOVE it!

a lamp again

2008-03-11T21:26:00.005+02:00

last week, i made the same lamp again.

i LOVE it!

new starts

2008-03-05T20:25:00.006+02:00

finally, i moved to the new studio.
today was a wonderful weather. it was really a perfect day to move into a new studio.

we got a beautiful old fireplace with ceramics tiles.

from now on, i am going to make things from here.
very exciting.

glass boxes

2008-03-04T10:43:00.024+02:00

right before i left japan, i found a paper shop where they have a huge collection of beautiful japanese handmade Origami papres (handcraft papre). i bought some Origami papers and keep neatly in the file. occasionally, i pull the file out from the shelf to look at them and wonder how i could make the most out of those beautiful papers.

finally, an idea came out and i made a glass boxes with Origami papers.

there is a japanese handmade Origami paper in the bottom.

i made several different types of those boxes with Origami papers. ther are so cute and happy look. as well as boxes without Origami papers are pretty.

keys to start a bright day!

2008-02-26T18:05:00.007+02:00

some weeks ago, i made a bunch of keys.
they are small, clumsy and cute. each of them are very special to me.

it was sunshine this morning and a few keys hanged against the sun made a colorful shade on the colorless wall.

when i made a package for those keys, they are ready to be at the craft shop.
by then, i enjoy looking at them at home.

candle holders

2008-02-21T20:36:00.009+02:00

Some small items for a craft shop.

I made a smal house shape candle holder.

The sun stays longer than before, but it may always nice to have candle lights at home, right??

A lamp

2008-02-14T22:01:00.008+02:00

Lamps are attractive object.
To make them are also exciting work to do.

Here I made a small lampshade which got a bit nostalgic looks.

The yellow glass has pressed flowers pattern on it. It is so pretty and fit well for the lamp.
I like it very much though it is for sale.

an ideal studio

2008-02-08T16:35:00.001+02:00

Even though I have a studio very nearby my home, I have been looking for another studio.
Having a studio next to the home can be an ideal. But for me, I totally became “stop-at-studio.” This is a comfortable life style, but can be dull life. That how I feel and have started to find a new studio somewhere else.

A few days ago, I met a friend from Uni. She mentioned her studio in a beautiful wooden house in Espoo. The wooden house used to be an art school, but it moved and it became empty. Now she and her friend rent together the part of the first floor; 2 rooms with a kitchen.

Today, I went to visit her wonderful studio.

Her studio is a real ideal place.
It is the beautiful wooden house with neat garden and the studio space got many windows!
Really a nice place!
Started to dream about me working in this studio with friends….

Great thing is that she suggested me to join in her studio.
Yes! Yes!! Great!

well, one thing that I must consider is that it locates a bit far from where I live.
I am very obsessed by the idea of working in the beautiful wooden house studio. But better to chill out and think twice!

Let’s see if I take this wonderful studio or not.

the first post

2008-02-07T11:49:00.001+02:00

This is my memorial first post.
I am not a creative writer, thought I consider myself as a creative person.
Hopefully, here will be more to show and write.