Hoarding...

I am the kind of person who has a big big trouble throwing anything away. A bit like my granny: I just think you can use everything somehow again in some point in the future and in ways that you don't know yet. I know, sometimes it goes to far...

But this time for example I found an old mini skirt that I can't use anymore. (Don't ask why...) So, tadaa! This is what I got out of it.

All in all three different pairs of earrings from one mini skirt.

Hoarding reminds me about this crazy haunted house "flea market" in Helsinki. In the area called Linnunlaulu is an old house where lives an old man who used to run there a people's commune in the 60's. Now he lives there alone and he has filled the once beautiful and still prestige building with stuff literally from the floor to the ceiling. You can hardly even walk along the thin path between all the crap, and for sure not without getting claustrophobic. I have never seen anything like that!

So, this man runs there a flea market on weekends, though nobody dares to go in. I did it once and I learned that the owner comes from the same city as me. He even remembered my grandfather. And by the way he himself assured the house is truly haunted. But if you ever happen to walk around the Töölönlahti and happen to see a small sign saying "Kirpputori", I recommend you should visit there just for the experience. It is scary.

From the chain I bought from this haunted house I made earrings that almost reach the shoulders.
They give you the spooky gold shivers when they once in a while lightly touch your neck...
Picture of the house by Markus Jokela/HS.

Products by RokRokInc.

Zipper earrings

Chain Earrings

Make Munich Fair

The Make Munich fair is now successfully done. It was great two days and it was even more wonderful to notice that people are really inspired by crafting. At our workshop table it was busy all day long, amazing creations were made and joy was shared. We, that is me and my "partner in crafting" Paula, on our behalf got a huge amount of new ideas and interesting contacts. Superb!

And what I learned from others was that I still have to wait for the 3D printing technique to improve. It seems that for my purposes it would still be too slow and expensive. I actually wouldn't even really need it as I am for upcycling but nevertheless 3D printing is generally very fascinating.

Guests (left) and Paula (right) at our Make Munich recycling jewelry workshop.
From the chaos emerged always something beautiful.

Marina

Marina from Ukraine fell in love with the brand
new "Grannies" pendant. It is a really cool
contrast with the grandmom glasses
and a young chic girl.

Make Munich 20.-21.4.

Next weekend I'll take part in the first Maker Fair here in Munich, in Tonhalle. There we’ll share trends and innovations in 3D printing, DIY, hacking, tinkering and crafting. And of course I'll have my DIY Crafting table there as well. So, come and Do It Yourself!

Join the event in also in Facebook.

Postpalast 12.4.

Yesterday I was at the Midnightbazar night flea market at Postpalast here in Munich. The organizer is the same as in Reithalle so otherwise it was quite the same as Reithalle but the venue was much cozier. And the Jukebox Munich was delightful as always! ...Cute boys singing pretty so that can't go wrong.

Fei's new RokRokInc. items: red leather bracelet
and black cat brooch. Totally perfect for her!

Here my other reviews of flea markets in Munich:

Diakonia Kaufhaus
Nachtkonsum Zündapphalle

Nachtkonsum Tonhalle

Midnightbazar Reithalle

Mädelsmarkt

Great crafting music

...I have to comment right away as I recently remembered again Red Hot Chili Peppers and these legendary pieces of music history. I just love the early RHCP!

I remember the last horrific trips as a pre teenager traveling by car to somewhere with the family. Luckily I had my white and purple Walkman tape player and Red Hot Chili Peppers preventing my head from exploding, haha.

HERE SOME OF MY FAVORITES:

Fight Like A Brave

Catholic School Girls Rule

Knock Me Down

Diakonia Kaufhaus

Today I visited in my favorite recycling shop in Munich: Diakonia Kaufhaus at Dachauer Straße 192. The Kaufhaus is quite big and spacious. Their main business lies in furniture recycling but they have also music, kitchen ware, glassware, some clothing, sewing equipment and children's toys and games.

Diakonia Kaufhaus is not a trendy second hand shopping experience but what I like in this shop is that it's always clean, comfortable and well organized. The workers are nice and warm and the stuff always in good condition. The price rate is usually reasonable and sometimes it might be possible to ask for a multibuy discounts.

The other shoppers are mostly hearty people as well. For example today an older lady asked me if I can sew because I was going through the buttons (as usual). As I told that in fact I also do knitting, crocheting and crafting, our discussion went further from the lack of nowadays handicraft tradition in Munich via my grandmother to our porcelain repaired teeth. Lovely!

Christoph, my favorite employee with my favorite products
in my favorite second hand shop.

Here my previous reviews of flea markets in Munich:

Nachtkonsum Zündapphalle

Nachtkonsum Tonhalle

Midnightbazar Reithalle

Mädelsmarkt

 

Nachtkonsum 6.4. @ Zündapphalle

Yesterday Nachtkonsum had an exceptional location: Zündapphalle. This hall was twice as big as usual and totally freezing. No heating so it was as cold as outside, hrrrr.... And usually this time is wouldn't a problem but now it is the coldest spring here for ages.

Marja-Maija joined me with her awesome upcycled denim cellphone pockets and small bags.
I was freezing as I was finishing my table but luckily I had my winter jacket on!

All in all I like all the night markets in Munich but in addition to the awful coldness there was also couple of other disadvantages in this location. First of all you couldn't hear the music everywhere so there wasn't really party feeling. And secondly there were maybe just a little too many sellers and overflowing offer in products.

I bought this from M-M. It is perfect to my style, I love it!

Here my other reviews of flea markets in Munich:

Diakonia Kaufhaus

Nachtkonsum Tonhalle

Midnightbazar Reithalle
Midnightbazar Postpalast

Mädelsmarkt

Cassette tape pendant

Cassette tape pendant is very simple to make.
You just have to find a tape that you like!

For tape pendant you need 1 cm split rings, 2 pliers,
a drill, 2-3 cm drill bits, (spray paint) and chain.

HOW TO MAKE A CASSETTE TAPE PENDANT

1. Drill 2-3 mm holes to the tape both corners but not quite to the edge so that the chain will hang straight. I make the holes about there where there are the holes already.
2. Put in 1 cm split rings. Split rings in order to make it last better.
3. Add the chain. I like to use a bit chunky chain to balance the heavy pendant.

Making spray painted tape pendant will take the whole day
because you need to let the paint get dry between layers.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO PAINT THE TAPE

1. Choose a cassette. It has to be just plastic without any paper.
2. Drill the holes and insert the split rings.
   (Already now because you don't want to mess the paint later.)
3. Clean the cassette.
4. Spray both sides with plastic primer and let dry.
5. Spray both sides 5-10 layers of color (depending how thick layers you make). Let dry at least 30 minutes between the layers. (I have used again the rim spray paint with little sparkles, because it gives a nice finish and is most wear resistant.)
6. Spray both sides with paint protection spray and let dry.
7. Add the chain.

Painted tape pendant by RokRokInc.

Tape pendant by RokRokInc. 

 

Disco Ensemble

Here the weeks Finnish music tip: DISCO ENSEMBLE. The band plays indie-punk-electro-pop and has a good thing going on. They are on the road this summer and play quite a lot also in Germany for example at the festivals.

Earlier this year they played here in Munich as well and we were there of course. The bar was packed (partly from Finnish fans) and people seemed to be really taken away by their electric energy.

You can listen to the songs in Spotify. My favourite is Videotapes from the first album. Also Second Soul from the newest album is a gem.

Spade Is The Anti-Heart is their most recent single.

Shopping vintage and "vintage" clothing in London

So, what I found from London was two jackets. They both are from Brick Lane second hand markets. For the jeans jacket I paid faaar to much (£45) but for the army jacket I paid only £5. Still I'm happy about the jeans jacket as well because I finally found just the right material for my jeans vest. It is the right color, hardly used, small enough and of course Levi's. Bigger and more used ones I could have gotten for £20-25 but as I am so short legged I feel that tight upper part fits me better.

I seem to have this little perversion to 90's style. Maybe I am trying to feel like
15 years old forever. Anyhow, here's two new modification projects.
...As if I wouldn't have unfinished projects enough.

Around the Spitalfields and Brick Lane, as well as at the Camden Town Stable markets, you can find tens of second hand stores. But the thing with the vintage markets and shops in London is that they sell everything as vintage but actually most of them are just recycled clothing. But they surely always have vintage prices.

I found some cool stuff and of course some of the best items are real vintage. But I am totally not going to pay for used T-shirt £18 or square pattern shirt £20. Only the shoes were maybe in more sensible prices, it makes more sense to pay £20 for leather shoes than a pullover.

Street art somewhere around the Spitalfields/Brick Lane markets area.

Even though I am 100% pro recycling, it is stupid to pay more for a recycled product than what you would have to pay for an exactly same product but new. So, in this case I am going to wait that I will find something similar from the flea markets here in Munich or elsewhere.

If you are looking for a vintage shopping experience with more realistic recycled clothing prices I recommend the Colours shop in Berlin. (They also have the vintage part with more pricy stuff.) ...I'll visit Berlin in June so more about Berlin second hand shopping then. In the meanwhile I found: Top 10 vintage stores in Berlin.

Minja

Minja loves vintage style and she dances burlesque as a hobby so
the RokRokInc. old school wooden dice earrings fit her just perfectly.

My rock bar list, London

About bar hopping in London I have to say that it is impossible and pointless to try to visit all the good ones at once since there are so many and they are so scattered around the city. Maybe it is still worth pinning some places to your map so that you can stop by if your way happens to pass some place.

In front of the Cargo Club...don't go in there.

HERE'S MY LIST OF ROCK BARS & GIG VENUES IN LONDON:

direction: SCHOREDITCH - ISLINGTON

Strongroom

Paper Dress Vintage

Roadtrip

The Relentless Garage

The Fallen Angel

Slim Jim's Liquor Store

Rattlesnake

Filthy MacNasty's

Islington Academy

direction: CAMDEN

The Underworld

Dingwalls

Black Heart

Elephants Head

Dublin Castle

The Hobgoblin

Purple Turtle

Boston Arms

Barfly

Joe's

Aces and Eights

The Blues Kitchen

Not an interesting pub actually but always as funny!
Behind the Dirty Dicks is the Cock Hill...buahhahaa...

O2 Brixton Academy is a great concert venue because
it has a descending floor and so, also we hobbits can see!

Piece of Munich in London

Here we are, back from London. It is though always nice to be home. The weather in London was darn cold so we ended up doing mostly bar hopping. We checked out maybe twenty bars in two and a half days. We found some good ones and popped in also in some shitty ones only because we were freezing and needed some warm up. All in all, many liters of beer consumed!

In Paper Dress Vintage Bar/Boutique we found something very cozy and familiar: Löwenbräu beer!
It seemed somehow that also other beers from Munich are in and hip right now.
And of course, the RokRokInc. tape chain got some compliments!