Christmas 2015
Bring the magic and spirit of Christmas into your home and let it be filled with beauty, love, peace and joy. After 24 days of preparations everything is set for the Christmas Eve. The smiles, flavours and special memories will be remembered forever. Make your dreams come true in your home!
1 Enjoy Christmas preparations. Liina Harju painted Jouluruusu pattern with watercolours. 2 Whatever you do, do it with passion. 3 Studio ceramics – a perfect gift for a friend. 4 Great ideas for a festive table setting. 5 Christmas recipes to wow your guests. 6 Christmas spirit in the living room. 7 Don’t forget to take a break. 8 Bring the beauty of the forest on your table. 9 Remember your sweeties. 10 Wrapped up in wrapping. 11 Feel at home. 12 Choose handmade treasures for Christmas. 13 Decorate your home. 14 Bake and play. 15 Caramelized delight. 16 For the lovely surprise visits. 17 Create a forest feel in your home. 18 Cherish the light and warmth. 19 Special treats for special persons. 20 The birds need us. 21 Gift ideas for wilderness lovers. 22 Treat yourself to a Christmas sauna. 23 Lay your head on the pillow. 24 Slow down and enjoy Christmas.
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Enjoy Christmas preparations.
Liina Harju painted Jouluruusu pattern with watercolours.
Pentik’s designer Liina Harju surrounded herself with wintry, festive and abundant flower arrangements, and grabbed a paint brush. She wanted to capture the frosty appearance of the flowers, leaves and berries on canvas with watercolours. The northern coldness may sometimes highlight the beauty of plants. Harju thought what kind of a Christmas tablecloth she would want to use at her grandma’s house. It should have warmth, because the most important people in the world would sit around it. It should also bring out the table setting nicely and look good in candlelight. Jouluruusu arose from those thoughts.
Anu Pentik is a happy and productive woman who loves Christmas and everything new and bold. People often ask her about combining work and passion, so now she wants to share her thoughts with us. What it takes to turn your passion into your life’s work? It all happens step by step. You always have to pursue higher quality and better performance. When you employ a large number of people, the responsibility becomes a motivator. How would you encourage people to believe in their skills? Nothing comes easy. You have to jump from one rock to another and push forward with determination. Even if you are going through a rough patch, you have to believe in yourself. There will be twists and turns along the way every now and then, but you have to keep on going towards your goals and dreams. Travel, study, learn and find inspiration for your passion. How have you been able to combine work and leisure? My work at Pentik has always been a passion for me, and my family has often had to take second place. We are one big family here at Pentik. Today I started at five in the morning to design pieces for my exhibition. Now at nine o’clock I am making breakfast for little girls. I am happy with my position – I don’t have strict working hours. What would you do, if you weren’t a designer and artist? I would help socially excluded young people. I would like to work with the young and teach them healthy values through handicrafts and nature. I’ve even studied education, and naturally I use my knowledge when I’m with my godchildren and grandchildren. What excites you most about Christmas? New recipes and table setting ideas will get me excited. I make new Christmas tableware for my family almost every year. I’m always happy when everyone is feeling good. But you have to plan everything beforehand: the Christmas sauna, dinner and activities for the children, for instance. I started to plan next Christmas already in the summer. I am definitely a Christmas person and I enjoy creating a special atmosphere. We always have reindeer dishes instead of a traditional Christmas ham. Last Christmas was wonderful. There were 16 of us at Pentik’s art mansion. Two more girls will join us this year, so it is going to be even better! Next page: Anu Pentik’s Christmas table setting from last year. The book Me yhdessä tells you more about Pentik family’s celebrations. The book is available in Pentik’s online shops and in Pentik stores.
2 Whatever you do, do it with passion.
3 Studio ceramics – a perfect gift for a friend.
Studio ceramics are made in Pentik’s factory in Posio, and they are decorated by hand. Decorative Studio ceramics will give a touch of beauty when you need to jazz up your home. Studio ceramics are durable and dishwasher safe just like our other ceramic products. They are a perfect choice for serving Christmas delicacies that you have cooked yourself.
4 Great ideas for a festive table setting. T채hk채 collection is designed by Minna Niskakangas, who wanted to create a festive white pattern in an interesting way. The elegant pattern blends art nouveau with the modern feel of present day. The white tablecloth brightens up the whole table. Choose beautiful candles to top off the setting.
5 Christmas recipes to wow your guests.
Beetroot carpaccio with goat cheese 4 beetroots 1 tsp pinch salt to boiling water 150 g goat cheese Salad rocket Balsamic vinegar Marinade for beetroots: 0.5 dl olive oil 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Juice of half lemon 1 tsp pinch salt 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper Boil beetroots for 20 minutes or until al dente. Cool the beetroots for a moment under running water and peel them. Cut them into thin slices with a knife or a cheese cutter. Prepare the marinade. Mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and spices. Pour the marinade over the beetroot slices and let them marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Put the beetroot slices, goat cheese slices, salad rocket on a plate and decorate with balsamic vinegar. Spoon over a couple of teaspoons of the marinade.
Green pea soup with champagne (Crème Ninon) 200 g frozen peas 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp butter 6 dl vegetable stock 1 dl cream 1–2 dl champagne or sparkling wine Salt and black pepper, from mill to taste Sauté the onions in butter in a sauce pan. Add peas and the vegetable stock. Boil for 30 minutes and puree with a hand blender. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add cream and champagne just before serving. Passion fruit baked alaska 1/2 l vanilla ice cream 2 egg whites 1/2 dl sugar 4 passion fruits 4 biscuits with cocoa filling Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Crumb the biscuits in ovenproof coffee cups with a tablespoon. Split the passion fruits and scrape the flesh into a bowl. Whip the egg whites to into foam. Add sugar and whip the foam until it is hard (does not spill even if the bowl is turned upside down). Take the ice cream fro the freezer, cut it into four parts and put them into the cups over the biscuit crumbs. Drizzle some of the passion fruit flesh over the ice cream, but save the most of it for sauce. Spread the egg white foam evenly over the cups. Don’t leave gaps on the edges or the ice cream will melt. Put the meringue cups on a baking tray and bake on the middle rack for 2 minutes or until the meringue begins to colour. Don’t let the meringue burn or the ice cream will melt. Decorate the cups with passion fruit sauce. Try other flavours as well: raspberries, chocolate or pistachios.
6 Christmas spirit in the living room.
Beautiful candles, pillows and other small details create an inviting living room atmosphere. Lasse Kovanen’s Tonttu pattern is a perfect example of setting up a subtle and classy Christmas mood for your home.
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Muista pitää Don’t forget lepohetkiä. to take a break.
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Bring the beauty of the forest on your table.
Metsikkรถ ceramic ware are perfect for your Christmas table. The Finns love their forests. These ceramics made in Posio bring the beauty of the forest to your table all year round. Designed by Minna Niskakangas.
9 Remember your sweeties.
10 Wrapped up in wrapping. What could be more fun than making pretty gift wrappings? The gift impresses your friends and family even before it is opened.
11 Feel at home.
Use lights and textiles to set the Christmas mood for your favourite places at home. Don’t hurry. Just enjoy the Christmas spirit.
12 Choose handmade treasures for Christmas. Our candle factory in Posio manufactures beautiful and high quality candles in various colours. The stearin is melted in pots that have been used in Posio school kitchens, and the candles are smoothed with a flat iron. Each and every candle is made by hand.
It feels wonderful when the house is (almost completely) clean and you can adorn the whole place with old and new Christmas decorations.
13 Decorate your home.
Hint! If you like bold patterns, accompany them with lighter decorations. It goes both ways. .
14 Bake and play. Never stop playing. Indulge your inner child. Make colourful icing for gingerbread cookies: 1 egg white c. 3 dl icing sugar 3-5 drops of lemon juice or vinegar Food dye Sprinkles Carefully separate the white from the yolk. Whip the egg white lightly. Add lemon juice or vinegar and icing sugar until the mixture is ready for piping. Then add the food dye little by little, and stir in between. Decorate the gingerbread cookies and let the icing dry. Hint! Decorated gingerbread cookies are nice gifts for teachers, childminders and workmates.
15 Caramelised delight.
Caramel apples 4 apples 8 tbsp butter 6 tbsp brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon A shake of cardamom and clove A handful of pecans, chopped 1/2 dl pine kernels Wash the apples and insert wooden sticks as shown in the picture. Melt the butter and sugar on a frying pan. Cook until the mixture becomes golden brown. Add cinnamon. Dip and turn the apples into the caramel until they become soft. Add a pinch of cardamom and clove to taste. Mix the pecans and pine kernels, and dip the apples into the mixture. Omenapuu is designed by Lasse Kovanen.
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16 For the lovely surprise visits. Prepare for Christmastime surprise visitors and keep ingredients on hand for some quick and easy baking.
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Create a forest feel in your home.
Cheer up your table setting and home decoration with a beautiful piece of green forest. K채py collection is designed by Lasse Kovanen, and it fascinates with its delicate drawing.
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Cherish the light and warmth.
19 Special treats for special persons.
If you keep a selection of special delicacies on hand, it will be easy to pack snacks for an ice skating trip or find presents for Christmastime visits.
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The birds need us.
Sometimes it is better for birds to spend the winter in their nesting environment than make the arduous migration journey. Winter feeding helps birds to pull through the winter. For example, a blue tit has to eat many times its own weight to survive a cold night. If birds get plenty of food during the winter, they will be better prepared for nesting when the spring arrives.
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Gift ideas for wilderness lovers.
22 Treat yourself to a Christmas sauna. Forget the Christmas rush, stop for a while and take a sauna.
Pentik’s sauna fragrances and soaps are made in Finland, and they contain plant-based high quality ingredients. Shampoos are suitable for all hair types and the liquid soap can be used on the whole body.
23 Lay your head on the pillow.
24 Slow down and enjoy Christmas. The greatest joy of Christmas is to think good thoughts – for no particular reason.
Store contact details and our new online store at www.pentik.com. Find us on Facebook: Pentik Oy and Instagram: pentik_official.