Q&A: Sinikka of For My Darling

This week's Q&A is with Sinikka of the Etsy shop For My Darling. She grew up in a farming family and never had much money, so she learned at an early age that if she wanted something trendy, she had to make it herself. Cut to today, when she is filling her shop with amazing felt cake toppers, bags and critters made entirely from materials she finds at the flea market (she felts old sweaters and such in her washing machine). I just love the texture and the way she adds just the right amount of embellishment to each item. Scroll down to read more.


Where do you live? I grew up in Finnish Lapland, but now I live in the south of Finland, in a small city called Pori.

What made you decide to create items from upcycled materials? I never made any decision, I have always worked with old, used materials long before it was trendy or was called ecological. It is my passion! I couldn't do other wise. I love old fabrics, knitwear, yarn and supplies. They fire me up! And it is like a miracle to see how an ordinary looking pullover turns into a beautiful, fascinating material, which always tempts me to give it a new life.

What's the best part about running your own business? The possibility to run it anywhere and anytime. That you are not bound to any timetables or deadlines. Everything is in your own hands. To say it in one word; the freedom!

What makes your products different than the ones we could buy at a mass-market store? They are absolutely unique, because using upcycled materials and buying them from flea markets as I do means I hardly ever find the same things twice.

Out of everything in your Etsy shop right now, can you pick a favorite? My favorite was sold yesterday! But there is another a little similar one still left; the wool rooster. It is made of a Benetton sweater. When I saw the colours of that sweater, I instantly knew, what to do from it.

What's the best part of your day? Definitely the time I can spend in my study. It is silent, I am alone with my tools and materials, and my dog is sleeping on the floor. I just wander in my thoughts and ideas, work in peace, no hurry, no timetables.


And thank you to everyone who's entered the Williams-Sonoma giveaway! It's been so much fun to read about all of the favorite baked goods. If you haven't entered yet, you have one more day so get to it!