Archive for May, 2010

Inspired Development :)

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

We are always throwing around new ideas and working on product development. Making inventive toys is challenging and fun at the same time. We need to combine theories of children’s development, environmental ideology and our fundamental elements, surprise, humor and challenge. How can we do better and where do we start?

We have a happy industrial designer, Adalheidur Thorolfsdottir, or Heida as we call her, working on product development. She is preparing the ideology for our new baby line that grows with the child. It looks and feels great and I can´t wait to see the end result. Are you wondering what her inspiration might be? Take a look!

The designer, Heida, took those pictures when visiting Isafjordur in the western part of Iceland. It is a beutiful fishermans village but she was inspiried to make baby toys! :)

Mobile

This kind of looks like a baby mobile, but is a collection of odd looking old things that probably had some genius purpose.

This one - a stomac from a fish and was used to felt wool. I have no idea how they did it but I am curious to travel to Isafjordur and try to find someone that can tell me more about it. It is something about felting in airtight bags, like we do today but with plastic bags. I might just try this!

The World's First GPS?

This is actually one of the first GPS´s. It was filles with fish oil and left hanging at the side of a fishing boat. When in trouble fishermen would put it into the water where it would leave a path of oil that helped other ships to find the lost one. A simple way to be inventive! SO inspiring :)

World Fair Trade Day Recap

Monday, May 10th, 2010

These are busy times at fafu.

Last Saturday was World Fair Trade Day, which we celebrated downtown Reykjavik with a lot of happy drummers and passers-by. The whole summer will be filled with events to raise awareness about Fair Trade in Iceland, so for those of you who live in Iceland, check out our Facebook page as well as the Changemaker Iceland, but they are in the forefront of organizing the campaign.

World Fair Trade Day 2010 in Reykjavik Iceland

Drummers in Reykjavik on the World Fair Trade Day 2010

Heida the Fafu Girl

Heida, the Fafu Girl, getting pictured in a huge Fair Trade sign

Heida wearing her fikra costume

Heida wearing her fikra costume

This week we are working on product development of the book about the Fafu’s as well as a new toy for babies in collaboration with a very talented industrial designer. We will tell you more about both projects very soon.

Until next time, keep a smile on your face and try to have some fun. It makes life so much better! :)

Thorunn

2010 World Fair Trade day

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Next Saturday, May 8th, will be the 2010 World Fair Trade day.
Iceland is sadly not doing as well as it could in fair trading. Certified products are avalible in few stores and companies using fair trade for production are very few.
But what does that mean? That we can only do better!
WFT day 2010 in Reykjavik is organized by a great group of people, calling them selves the Changemakers. They will gather in Austurvollur at three o’clock in the afternoon with a drum circle and have lots of fun promoting Fair Trade. Fafu is joining them with our kids wearing costumes and dancing to the drums. We will be sure to take pictures and post them as soon as possible! :)
If you want to know more about Fair Trade, you can start out by watching this video and then visit the Fair Trade Foundation website.