Finnish Design Blog

Congratulations to Sirpa T. (Berkeley, CA) and Judy T. (Cloquet, MN) who each won a
glass bird by Iittala in a drawing held at the FinnStyle booth at FinnFest. There were over 700 entries in the drawing for chance to win either a Common Redpoll glass bird by Oiva Toikka or a Cotton Candy glass bird by Anu Penttinen. The Common Redpoll was Toikka’s official bird for FinnFest 2008. The Anu Penttinen collection was released this year by Iittala.

I thought I’d post several photos of our special guests who stopped by our FinnStyle booth at FinnFest last week. It was a real honor to have three prominent figures in the Finnish community participate with us. Many thanks to Beatrice, Osmo and David for taking the time to visit and sign their works. FinnFest 2008 was a great success!

Our FinnStyle booth at FinnFest 2008 in Duluth, MN.

Beatrice Ojakangas is a well-known chef and author of over 25 Finnish/Scandinavian cookbooks.

Osmo Vänskä is an acclaimed conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.

David Salmela is an accomplished architect whose original designs and buildings have won multiple industry awards.

FinnFest 2008 has come and gone and what a time it was. The excitement started last Wednesday and ended last night with an estimated 7,000 people taking part in the Finnish celebration. FinnFest definitely offered a chance to “learn, celebrate and grow” Finland as there was something for everyone. The five day festival in Duluth (Minnesota) was filled with a variety of renowned speakers, talented music acts, delicious Finnish food, even a fashion show and of course plenty of booths to shop for your favorite Finnish merchandise (i.e. Marimekko accessories, Aalto vases, Iittala glassware). The festival was highlighted by an unforgettable ceremony with the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, speaking and receiving an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Our friend Angela (at frozenreindeer.com) has posted a great recap of her FinnFest trip, complete with many photos and video clips! To read and see more of the sights and sounds of FinnFest 2008, please visit FinnFest 2008, Flickr, Duluth News Tribune and the Frozen-Reindeer blog.

(pictures courtesy of Angela @ frozenreindeer.com)

FinnFest 2008 is officially underway in Duluth, MN, at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Our retail store, FinnStyle, is in attendance so please be sure to stop by booth #70 and say hi. FinnFest (July 23-27) is packed with five solid days of great events this year. Some of the things that FinnishGifts/FinnStyle are bringing to the table is the opportunity to meet with three of the most prominent members of the Finnish-American community, Osmo Vänskä, Beatrice Ojakangas and David Salmela.

Osmo Vänskä is the revered conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and has recently received a Grammy nomination for his classical works. He will be available to visit and sign Minnesota Orchestra CDs on Saturday morning at 10:00-10:30 AM.

Beatrice Ojakangas is a Duluth native and well-known chef and author of various Finnish and Scandinavian cookbooks. She will be signing her cookbooks on Friday from 4:00-4:30 PM and Saturday 2:00-2:30 PM.

David Salmela is an accomplished Minnesota architect whose original designs and buildings have won multiple industry awards. David will be available to sign posters, photographs and the book, Salmela Architect, on Thursday at 1:00-1:30 PM and Saturday between 10:30-11:00 AM.

As we continue in “sharing the spirit of Finland” (this year’s FinnFest 2008 tagline), all of us at FinnishGifts.com are excited to release this year’s limited edition FinnFest 2008 Oiva Toikka glass bird prior to the July FinnFest date for our collectors!

Every year Oiva Toikka designs a commemorative bird for the Finnish-American gathering. Oiva has a strong bond with the U.S. and he seems to relish this annual design challenge. This year is no exception as his world-renowned talent has brought us the stunning Common Redpoll.

The Common Redpoll is a limited edition piece as only 1,250 of these Iittala glass birds were produced exclusively for FinnFest 2008.