Rainbow Valley

2012-01-23T16:00:00.001+02:00

Time is running out of my hands. I haven't felt like pouring bits of me into this void of nothingness. This isn't a complete good-bye, though. Occasionally, there are more imporant things to do than write a blog. Especially if one has nothing to say or show. I have grown to have different kinds of interests than what this blog is about. I would love to do more photography, but it isn't really possible. I'm just tired. But happy, yes.

Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Farewell until I have something real to say.

2012-01-22T21:04:00.001+02:00

Oh please, people, why haven't you voted for Pekka Haavisto? Why Väyrynen? Edit: YAY!!!!!! :--)

The Nonexistent Existing House no. 202

2012-01-03T03:06:00.002+02:00

In the city of Liège, in Belgium, there is a peculiar house. Or rather, was. When I happened to walk past it on a sunny and warm April's day, it caught my interest and I photographed it. A lady came out of the house next to it and wondered why I was taking photos of it. I must have told her that I find the house very interesting indeed. She then recounted the story behind it, but I cannot really remember anything. Who says I am supposed to understand Belgian French, anyway? The curious thing is that it was only a facade. There was nothing there. A peek through the keyhole, and you would only see trash.

Accordingly, life is sometimes quite similar. People trying to hide the emptiness behind these lugubrious facades of theirs, not giving you anything, not able to confide in anyone. It is a shame, really. What is there to lose, what is everyone afraid of? Do not hide, be courageous.

Looks are deceiving. (Also sung in the song She Moves in Her Own Way by the Kooks, haha.)

This is the song I listened to back then, oh, the feelings that go with it. They are quite timely now, as well.

Ce petit coeur qui ne bat pour personne
Ce petit coeur qui ne bat que pour lui
----
Ce petit cœur qui passe tout son temps
A s'écouter et à se regarder

2012

2012-01-01T14:24:00.001+02:00

Happy 2012, folks! Rather than vintage and ruffles, in 2011 I've been drawn to more modern and somehow refined stuff. Sometimes a bit androgyne or masculine even, quite contrary to what I 'normally' wear.

I've found use for all kinds of old things, like this ancient cable knit sweater of mine. I'm also wearing my Dr. Martens again. No matter how I tried, I was just unable to straighten that collar. Sorry about that. This is the last outfit from 2011. It's from our Helsinki trip, I went shopping with Karen before I went to the opera with my family. Naturally, I had to change for something more suitable, a little black dress in this case.

2011-12-28T01:54:00.001+02:00

I've been quite a lazy blogger, mostly due to the fact that I never wake up before 1 p.m. and that it gets dark real soon after that, and because I wander about in my pyjamas at least till 4 p.m. Then it's already quite hopeless to get any decent photos. But I promise there'll be something next weekend or so.

Actually, I wanted to ask you something. I haven't done those traditional blog posts such as a question & answer post or a video post, so is there something you'd like to ask me, or do you want to see me blabber about something stupid? Just fire away, I'd like to do something different. Suggestions, please!

Source unknown.

Hyvää joulua!

2011-12-25T02:17:00.001+02:00

Merry Christmas! Gud jul! Joyeux Noël! Feliz Navidad! Häid jõule! (These all are languages I speak or have studied, how lame am I....)

The über cool glitter straw star, no idea where it came from..

Et moi, je disparais

2011-12-24T01:15:00.000+02:00

Lostlostlost and disappearing. Fumble.

Parties

2011-12-05T23:23:00.003+02:00

It has been a week of festivities. On Wednesday we had an Independence Day Ball (the real day is tomorrow, congrats Finland!) and yesterday we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday. I wore my brand-new IvanaHelsinki dress. There isn't too much to say about the party, because I'm so tired, but we had quite fun, especially with this book of knits from the 90s. Terrific.

This wasn't too good, though. I like Pommac better!

This must be the cutest little plate ever made. It's by Arabia and from what I gathered it's a unique piece.

A me-overload, alright, sorry!

Turku II

2011-12-02T21:32:00.001+02:00

Here are some photos of Turku. I find it a beautiful city, at least there are many interesting buildings compared to my hometown..

Maikki.

I've practically been living in stripes this autumn.

Life is great but confusing.

Chisu - Muut

Ja me ei olla niin kuin muut
Jos taivas vuotaa
sen haava umpeen suudellaan
Me ei olla niin kuin muut
kun kauas juostaan
Mä pidän sun kädestä kiinni
En päästä irti

Turku I

2011-11-28T14:55:00.002+02:00

The best of last weekend:

- seeing Rubik live
- visiting friends in Turku

I came home from Turku wearing this braid my friend Maikki made. I just couldn't undo it so I could wear it today as well.

And today's version, sorry about the crappy webcam photo:

I wish I knew how to do this braid myself.

2011-11-22T18:26:00.006+02:00

Into the Wild is a film that has very much affected me and my thoughts. To me it is an utterly beautiful, but a sad story. I've come across many opinions on it and Christopher McCandless, but I don't want to criticise him — I think he had to do what he did. His thoughts and values are admirable, but, of course, quite radical, and what ultimately happened is tragic. Nevertheless I think very highly of him.

Eddie Vedder - Rise. The soundtrack of this film is almost unreal beauty to me. The lyrics, melodies, rhythms, everything is perfect. I feel so stronly when I listen to these songs.

"You are really good. I mean, you're like, a hundred thousand times better than like any apple I've ever had. I'm not Superman, I'm Supertramp and you're super apple. You're so tasty, you're so organic, so natural. You are the apple of my eye, ha!" You gotta watch it on YouTube.

Eddie Vedder - Society

Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun

There's just one thing that greatly annoys me. Every time I see Emile Hirsch with glasses on I think of this guy we call "the man with the cat shirt". Damn Eeli spoiled this for me forever, he shouldn't have mentioned it!

Most of the photos from here, some from tumblr.

Hair Inspiration

2011-11-11T18:27:00.141+02:00

Hair buns are the best thing on Earth (on men as well). Braids are nice, too. If you want the original source of a photo, just click on it.

It is incredibly hard to find photos of men with hair buns. I mean, the kind of buns that I think look good on them. But here's a photo I secretly snapped in London last year, you can barely see that the guy in the middle is wearing a bun..

2011-11-07T23:43:00.004+02:00

Eilen vietin mukavaa sunnuntaita ystäväni Riinan kanssa. Heitettiin kunnon läppää ja käytiin kaikissa peruspaikoissa, joissa nyt yleensä tapaamme käydä. Suurin piirtein näissä vaatteissa tallustin, paitsi että saumasukkahousut(!) ovat uudet (ja niissä on jo nyt resorin kohdalla reikä, jota en varmasti tehnyt itse...) Kuvat otti Ruut tänään akademisk svenskan jälkeen koulun viereisessä autiotalossa. Olikin hauska tunti, jolloin löysimme vahingossa mielenkiintoisen sanan sanakirjasta. Enhän minä enää muista, mikä se ruotsiksi on, mutta suomeksi se on lanttopää. Tarkoittaa kuulemma lievästi koveraa päätä, ja liittyy biologiaan. Me kuitenkin keksimme sille muuta käyttöä, ja tästä lähtien se, joka ei tottele, on oleva lanttopää.

Niin, minä ja Riina olemme aloittaneet blogin, This Music Sounds Better at Night, jossa esittelemme kunnon musiikkia. Ainakin omasta mielestämme sellaista.

Tässä nyt niitä tönkköjä posetuksia. Minä kun niin mieluusti olisin kameran takana enkä edessä.

Tämä taisi olla "seesteinen katse kaukaisuuteen", ahahhah.

Tässä ne saumat sitten on!

Mekko on rakkaan Miiani Amerikan-tädin, Lindan vanha, ja takki Helmi Otsalla -blogikirpparista.

Suomeksi kirjoitin siitä syystä, että teki mieli, ja myös siksi että Academic Writing ja muut jännät kurssit imevät kaiken englannin mukaansa. Täytyy säästellä.

In English: Nothing important, I just felt like writing in Finnish for a change, mainly because I have courses such as Academic Writing, and Exploring (or Exploding, if you wish) Grammar. My friend Riina and I have a music blog, This Music Sounds Better at Night.

A Candle's Fire

2011-11-05T00:39:00.002+02:00

Beirut - A Candle's Fire

Halloween Marilyn

2011-11-04T23:56:00.003+02:00

Alright, here we go, this was my Halloween costume. The one and only picture of it happens to be quite bad, sorry. Too bad you ca't see my back and legs, they were quite.. bloody.

Me and My Girl

2011-10-30T09:11:00.001+02:00

I think she looks like her name was Irene. You might recognise that it's a Gibson Girl, but from now on I'm going to tell everyone who asks that she's my first female lover, as a wise person suggested. It's made by Sailor Andy from Legacy Tattoo, thanks a bunch! These are not very good photos, but they give you an idea, hopefully.

2011-10-24T00:54:00.001+03:00

There's a ghost in this house
She once lived in this house

The Immediate - A Ghost in This House
A Ghost in this House

Thank you, Annina, for your patience, I had fun shooting with you!

Autumn Best

2011-10-18T01:24:00.002+03:00

My favourite things this autumn:

- finding pretty, red clothes. A velvet 50s frock, can one ask for more? Oh, and I also have a red cloche hat. C'est parfait !

- re-discovering System Of A Down
- reading The Little Prince. I've never ever read it before, and I now have my own copy of it in French

- going to the forest and picking mushrooms with Mum

- the song Laws of Gravity by Rubik
- lying under the starry sky with your friend. I saw four shooting stars, but my friend didn't believe me because he didn't see any!

This was written inside the copy of The Little Prince that I bought in a used-book store. In English it says, 'I adore you and I will never forget you'. That is why I find it incredibly sad that the book was in the shop in the first place, even if the reasons of the person this book was given to could be entirely innocent, or they could have died or something. But I keep seeing a contemptuous individual who just gave the book haughtily away. Let's not think that way.

- the phonetics course I took proved quite [ɪntrɛstɪŋ]. (For your information, I'm not sure if that's the one and only way to spell it phonetically, but I checked it, just to be sure.)
- watching Downton Abbey

- friends that give you their coats when you're cold

Please tell me what has made you happy this autumn.

The National - Baby We'll Be Fine

2011-10-16T13:56:00.003+03:00

It's time for Autumn Break! It's quite nice to have time to read, watch TV etc, even though I have a take-home-exam and a Swedish summary to do.. Some time ago I finished a sewing project. I had a 50s pattern for a blouse and some liberty print fabric. At first I wasn't too happy with it, but it's actually quite a pretty top, anyway, and I've been wearing it almost non-stop.

Yesterday I met up with Marianne, we hadn't seen each other since France! Fun times.

The boots are by Vagabond, they embody what one can want from a pair of boots, not least because they remind me of Little My from the Moomins.

I've tried to learn to make some kind of a roll with my hair.

Rubik - Sun's Eyes

See you in a while with a bunch of photos!

2011-10-09T03:41:00.001+03:00

Nothing could be more perfect at the moment than Beirut.

Beirut - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille

Beirut - Cherbourg

Beirut - Elephant Gun

I love Zach Condon, I love life, I love food, I freaking love playing basket ball. That's it, good night and thank you. :--)

2011-10-06T12:07:00.002+03:00

Kyborgi asked for some Paris tips, especially concerning vintage shopping, so here are some of my favourite places, I'm just going to list them first and then show what I've bought in these stores!

La Caverne à Fripes

This is a heavenly place where I saw the most beautiful 50s dress of all times. I didn't buy it, but I should have. The prices range from 5 euro (a scarf I bought) to quite expensive prices, but I think it might be worth it. You can find old vintage dresses, and some newer stuff, too, e.g. Moschino or Burberry trench coats.
25 rue Houdon, metro Pigalle

By Flowers is another favourite of mine.

The owner of the shop is a really nice man (not the one in the picture, though he's real nice, and so is the girl who works there) who has a Finnish wife, and every time I went there he asked whether I'm from Sweden or Finland, and he used to tease me sometimes. :D He didn't believe I spoke French!
86 rue des Martyrs, metro Pigalle

Free p Star

Free p Stars are rather cheap. I once bought a 60s dress for 10 euro. They have vintage as well as second hand.

8 rue Saint-Croix de la Bretonnerie, metro Hôtel de Ville, Saint-Paul, Rambuteau

61 rue de la Verrerie, metro Hôtel de Ville

20 rue de Rivoli, metro Saint-Paul

Kiliwatch & Hippy Market

These shops are rather alike. They have lovely bags and shoes, and well, all kinds of nice things. There are more Hippy Markets in Paris than just one, I think there's one in Montmartre.
64 rue Tiquetonne (Kiliwatch), 3 rue de Turbigo (Hippy Market), metro Étienne Marcel

So here are the things I've bought in these places.

This jacket is from La Caverne à Fripes.

So is this scarf that is worn by this very mousy-looking character...

A dress from Free p Star.

Kiliwatch is where I purchased these trousers.

And these shoes are from Hippy Market.

Lastly, these shorts are from By Flowers.

There are plenty of places I could recommend you. Vintage shops in Le Marais (there's for example Vintage Désir) and Montmartre (e.g. Fripesketchup) are worth visiting, and then there are of course the flea markets, like Clignancourt where there are pretty nice things, when you find the right place. From the 1800s till 2000s, I'd say.

Well, eh, if you have any questions, just ask me!

2011-10-01T19:42:00.001+03:00

Bette Davis eating ice cream. What an elegant lady.

System Of A Down - Chop Suey!

I didn't remember SOAD was this great.

I've taken a lot of photos lately, but they still need to be edited. I hope to do that soon!

La France et ses merveilles

2011-09-25T23:49:00.005+03:00

A year ago I moved to France. I have very contradictory thoughts about my time there. For some reason I've had an urge to listen more to French music, to watch French movies and so on. I especially miss talking in French! I do not miss France, though. Not the least, or that's what I tell myself. Honestly speaking it's the crappy host family I do not miss a bit. But I still crave for a happy experience there. One day I'm going to get it. I'm gonna live in one of those (less) fancy apartments in the 5th or 18th arrondissement, visit Shakespeare & Company every day if I want to, or drink wine au bord de la Seine.

Here's a huge bunch of pictures I haven't shown before.

Notre Dame. I never climbed up the dome and I really want to do that.

My way too girly outfit one fine spring day.

Marianne.

One of the few really snowy days in Paris.

The Alps.

Le Louvre.

I laughed so hard when I first saw this one. Lara turned around and then there was a giant bubble attacking.

And the day we turned into rascals. There's a funny story about that espresso cup, but I don't know if I dare tell it. Well, it kinda might have possibly gotten stolen. Not by me though! But I was an accomplice.

That's my France for you.

Here's a song by a French artist that I love. At least I think he's French because of his name. He's not very famous or well known, but I do think he should be. Just listen to this beautiful song and you'll know why. It's the man I stumbled upon at the metro station that one winter day.
Tipsy Toes (EP) by Sea-Legs

2011-09-18T01:59:00.002+03:00

I've been kind of lost with my photography lately. My mind is full of ideas, but then again, I see so many photos every day that I'm beginning to question their authenticity. Are they really mine? I think I need a complete break from seeing other people's photos, then I could perhaps create something of my own.

Bare with me.

(I love the flare. I only need to get some real photos, now.)

Why on earth haven't I listened to Rubik earlier? They're brilliant.

Rubik - Laws of gravity

2011-09-08T22:42:00.001+03:00

Firstly, I want to thank you for your lovely comments. It really means a lot to me. Shortly put, I've been through so many changes this year, some of them more radical than others. They have short of exhausted me and taken all the inspiration in blogging. To me, interaction, communication and general connection with my readers is important. Sometimes I've felt that I'm talking to a wall here. Of course a blog is also for your own, personal pleasure, but I don't need Rainbow Valley for that anymore. It's more about sharing thoughts with interesting and nice people, as you all are.

Here's a little something from the (probably) last sunny days. This is my lovely 50s tennis top. I really like how it's kind of sailor inspired.

The skirt isn't as old, it's from the 90s. :D

And someone you've never seen before, my little doggie.

2011-09-06T20:06:00.003+03:00

It is most wonderful to have an aunt who gives you Clipper tea for your birthday.

P.S. Is there anyone who reads this blog anymore? Otherwise I just feel like quitting, I'm quite tired at the moment and don't feel like writing in vain. I do like blogging, it's just not outfit blogging that I'm really into at the moment.

2011-09-05T22:27:00.001+03:00

I stumbled upon the French market in Helsinki, when I was, quite conveniently, wearing an outfit that one could describe heavily influenced by Paris. What a happiness I felt when I saw real French people! In Helsinki! Talking French! Oh, là là. C'était parfait. (I was known as the Parisian when our teachers were learning our names...) Oh, and now I'm officially not a teenager anymore. I'm old!

What I wore was a Marimekko shirt and the skirt I made myself.

This detail on Bulevardi really struck me as a Parisian decoration.

Here's an art installation that I truly love. We had this in my town like five or six years ago, and then I read that it'll be in Helsinki, so I had to go and see it. So creative. It's by Kaarina Kaikkonen.

George Brassens - Le Parapluie

2011-09-02T16:29:00.001+03:00

Quite contrary to what I said in my last post, I happen to have an ouftit post in store. These are three of my favourite things combined. I absolutely adore that Shakespeare & Company tote, it's a dream come true. I've become a tote person, for real. The blouse is from American Apparel.

2011-08-31T22:53:00.001+03:00

I just wanted to tell you that things might get a little quiet around here for some time. What I want to do is write about things in a different way, and because of that I have started another, anonymous blog that I will concentrate on. For some reason I have a feeling I couldn't do it in Rainbow Valley, because, you know, you already have your assumptions of what you'll read here, and that's something I can't provide you with right now. I feel like listening to the soundtrack of Into the Wild by Eddie Vedder, or Iron & Wine, and analysing, being a little more poetic and intriguing, and anonymity is something I need for that.

I have created a tumblr, too: http://anniina.tumblr.com/

Les femmes qui fument, ça m'intrigue

2011-08-11T15:46:00.001+03:00

There's always been a place in my heart for smoking photos. I do not encourage anyone to smoke, though. Thanks, Riina.

2011-08-10T16:31:00.016+03:00

A couple of years ago one could have thought they had timetravelled to the 60s when they came to my house. Nowadays I barely listen to 60s music, since I've found so much great, new music, like Noah and the Whale, Pony Pony Run Run, Regina Spektor, Architecture in Helsinki, Beirut.. But this day is entirely and completely devoted to the Swinging Sixties! What do you guys listen to?

Another thing that's been on my mind lately, well, all spring and summer, is tattoos. Once I get my paycheck I will run to schedule an appointment.

we♥it

I can't wait.

The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society

Small Faces - I'm Only Dreaming

Herman's Hermits - Dial My Number

Simon & Garfunkel - A Poem on the Underground Wall

Lulu - Love Loves to Love Love

This one comes with the video, the guys look too wild not to be shown.

I do recommend watching live videos of 60s bands. It is another kind of experience compared to modern music shows and interviews. Besides, seeing 60s youngsters dancing in those London clubs is something spectacular.

2011-08-08T02:45:00.003+03:00

I haven't been wearing that much vintage this summer, mainly because my old clothes don't fit me, which is extremely annoying. I hope to see a change in this. But here's a 50s frock I bought in the States. The print is the cutest I've seen in a while!

I hardly ever photograph Helsinki, but here's some architecture. I've had this major distress about architecture these days. Why do people keep on building ugly things? Why is it so damn hard to understand that buildings could beautiful, like this one here. Please explain me, if you get it. I don't.

The print has some kind of little people, flowers and hearts in it.

We also went to Porvoo in order to celebrate my cousin's confirmation. It's a rather beautiful little town.

TTFN!

2011-08-03T02:40:00.007+03:00

I had a rather busy July. Well, actually it kind of wasn't busy, but full of nice things with the best people, you know those little adventures. More on that some other day, but now I'll show some of my summer favourites.

I found the tribal pattern jumpsuit in a thrift store called Buffalo Exchange, which is in Portland, OR. I just had to get it. Isn't it quite funny looking?

Then these owl earrings from Forever21. I really love all owl things at the moment.

I found this H&M hoodie cape thing in a flea market. I love it to pieces! It's perfect!

Karen has been keeping me company for a few days!

The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes

USA, part II

2011-07-15T03:15:00.004+03:00

Without further ado, the rest of my US photos! After Almira and Yakima we finally headed to Portland, OR, where we stayed most of our holiday.

I'll start with our trip to Cannon Beach, which was one of the two absolutely perfect days. I couldn't have been happier then! At first we had quite lousy weather, and just when we had finished packing up and meant to leave, the Sun started shining and we decided to stay. I didn't bring my beach suit thing for nothing! It's by Laura Ashley, got it from my hostmum.

Can you tell me what's happening with my legs? They look so strange..

A Root beer bottle! I'm not a fan of Root beer, but I love the bottle.

Here's Hunter, the kid who played frisbee with us, flying his cool kite. Actually, I flew a kite for the first time in my life this day. And swam in the Pacific Ocean, too!

We saw such neat stuff there, sea stars and everything!

This was already our other beach trip, we went to Agate beach and visited Yaquina Head lighthouse.

And some seals! Just look at that smile.

The other perfect day was when we went hiking! And we hiked 7 miles, phew. I'm not sure about the names of these falls, but we drove the Historic Columbia River Highway and saw lots of falls there!

I loved these two days.

There would be so many things to tell! Well, first and foremost, Portland is the vintage city. Honestly. You will surely find almost anything you hope for! I found this great antique slot machine, but, alas, it would have cost me 350 bucks.. I couldn't quite afford it. I didn't take any photos of the city on our shopping day because we were dying of heat! But here's a snapshot Eila took when we went to Saturday Market. There was Portland Pride then and it made me smile! Well I guess I could show you some of the photos Eila took with her phone.

Hehee, Miia and me in our new t-shirts! And the cake I baked!

(We played Angry Birds all the time.)

The magnificent sand castle city!

I just can't wait to get back to this country.

One of my current favourite songs (and my ringtone). Pure love.

USA, part I

2011-07-01T19:46:00.003+03:00

Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Now I'm back from my vacation, and I just have to say it was great. I think I might still have jet lag, even though I thought I don't, but since I haven't been able to choose the photos to show you earlier than this.. Believe me, I've tried, but I was always too tired. I decided to start from the beginning, even if I have to spend two hours choosing my photos. I also considered doing this outfit by outfit, but this way I can also explain what we did, even if I'm not wearing any special clothing in all of the photos. Let the story begin!

So, exactly three weeks ago we arrived at Seattle, after having travelled at least 24 hours (train, waiting, aeroplane, waiting, aeroplane...). As a considerate man, Miia's dad decided to wake us with the hotel telephone, after assuring the night before that we don't have to get up early. I can tell we weren't too exhilarated about that. But that way we got to see a bit of Seattle, we went to Pike Place Market and saw the delicious bubble gum wall nearby.

On our way from Seattle to Almira we stopped at various places, for example to see a wild horse monument called Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies.

I had never seen the prairie before, so it was truly interesting. Almost no trees, and just fields, fields, fields. We went to Almira because of Eila and Patrick's work, and stayed a couple of nights with the Short family. I was glad of the opportunity to have a glance at American family life both in the country and in a city. Everyone was really friendly, contrary to some of my experiences in France. But one thing I always wonder is whether Americans always mean what they say when they, for example, promise you accomodation whenever you want to come, or tell that you speak English very well, without a foreign accent. I especially hope the last claim is true, since I had to change my accent completely! You might have noticed that I'm a sucker for England..

Another funny experience was going to church there. I couldn't take it seriously and I had never had so much fun in a church! All the singing, clapping, and shaking hands with people (I still don't understand why we did that?) was just out of a movie. And the potluck after the service was quite yummy.

This jail building was awesome, can it really have been a jail once? I hope Miia doesn't mind me using this photo, but I think she looks like a perfect criminal.

Visiting Almira was something different. It's one of those towns that is full of closed stores and empty buildings. There's only a couple of blocks of houses in the centre, and the other residents have their farms a few miles away. Like I said, I had never seen the prairie, which was kind of weird. You could see the fields till the horizon. I didn't take many pictures of that, because it's hard to understand if you don't see it yourself.

This is one of my favourite, simple outfits at the moment, I love those tennis shoes.

To be continued!

2011-06-16T07:25:00.002+03:00

Still alive and breathing, despite those little monsters crawling all over me, in Almira, WA. See you in 10 days!

Flower Dresses and Red Shoes.. And, US Tips Needed!

2011-06-05T18:03:00.002+03:00

Yesterday (was my blog's 2nd anniversary, how strange!) I went to my brother's End of School Year Celebration, because he finished comprehensive school. Onnea, Aksu!

Afterwards we took some photos, here are the selected few of the good ones. There weren't that many of them, because we can't stop goofing around. :--)

Do you remember this café? In the photos above you can see it from the outside. I sent the owner a postcard from the Alps, and I'm really glad it made her happy. She's been showing it off to my brother and father, and I guess nearly everyone, because my dad told he had heard that the café owner and my old headmaster had had a conversation about me while I was in France, my headmaster saying "She won't come back now that she's there"! I find it so hilarious. Of course I'd come back!

And this is here because Akseli loves photos of me where I'm genuinely laughing. He made me go to this outhouse, I hope Mum doesn't find out because it was her dress that I was wearing..

Yesterday I also went on a one night boat trip with Akseli and Dad. We had this beautiful rainbow!

So, now. My brother Akseli, the Murhpys and I are going to the States next Friday! Yay! We are heading to Portland, OR, where Miia's father is from. If someone has tips for Portland, like vintage shops, flea markets, hairdressers or whatever (any good tattoo artists there?), please share them with me! I would have loved to go to San Francisco or New York, too, but next time, hopefully.. I don't really realise this is actually coming true. We had been playing with the idea for so many years, never thinking we'd really do it, but now we're going! How incomprehensible.

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-30T01:53:00.004+03:00

I thought it was time to tell I'm still alive and breathing. I've been home for two weeks now and it's great. Life's getting back to normal - like, not really doing anything. I do miss some kind of activies, but I guess I should just enjoy not working because I'll most likely complain about it in July. But it is just a bit annoying being home when nobody else is around, and not having anything to do.

I haven't been feeling very creative with my blog lately, and I'm sorry for never posting new stuff. I promise I soon will. But since I've been wearing either the trousers from my last post or my vintage Levi's shorts, there's really not much to show. I've been home studying and studying and studying (and apparently in vain again, what a surprise), went to Helsinki and saw some great people, came back home and that's it. I'd love to take some photos, but I think I'll wait for the inspiration. In the meantime I'm just going to read different books in my bed in the middle of the night. Tonight I'll start John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire. I also enjoy listening to Regina Spektor. What a lovely woman. I've come across many very attractive women lately, just a little sidenote. It's nice to see people with nice styles. Now good night, I think I'll be posting something in a few days again.

t

The new blog header is by Sari, just as my owl tote bag. :) How do you like it?

2011-05-04T00:16:00.004+03:00

A good thing about Paris is that I never have to think what to wear. For example, I've only worn this hat once or twice before, because I feel that Finland is a country where everybody stares at you if you make the mistake of not wearing what everyone else is wearing. And a lot of stares have I gotten, there, with my vintage dresses. But now that I'm used to wearing what I really want, I'm not going to give up. Stare-free Finland 2011, here I come!

These trousers are my absolute favourite thing right now. I instantly fell in love with the colour and the cut. They are extremely comfortable, and just perfect.

One of the things that made my weekend was a Vappu (May Day) picnic in Buttes Chaumont, in (almost) Finnish company. I had made sima, a meadlike drink, with Marianne, because that's what we usually have for Vappu, and to our surprise it turned out good, even if it was the first time we made it!

I just love this photo of Roosa. And her sunglasses.

I think this lopsided moustache is where we stop this time around. Have a nice week!

2011-04-28T00:59:00.002+03:00

One of the things I never got around writing was my trip to Versailles with Miia and Eila. Well, now I've been there again, but this time with... my mum and brothers! I've been lucky with my visitors, even if there are some I would gladly have welcomed, but now it doesn't really matter since I'm going home in two weeks. Can you believe it?! I can't.

I first went to Versailles in mid-March. It was all grey and there were neither leaves nor blossoms, but this time it was in full bloom!

The world's cutest Miia!

And a not so cute gorilla (wo)man. (It's an animated gif, hope it works..)

And look at this! Doesn't it really make all the difference?

Apparently I'm not being too creative with my photos, taking them in exactly the same place..

Äiti. ♥

Our traditional pissis photo.. (Well, I don't know if chav is the right translation, but I guess you know the phenomenon anyway.)

Finally I, too, got to do something I haven't done before - climbing up the stairs to the dome of Sacre Coeur!

Hanging around with Brad Pitt... Some people say my brother resembles him, decide for yourselves!

I'm just so happy now. I had the greatest Easter holiday with some of the best people on this Earth. :-)

2011-04-05T17:40:00.004+03:00

Spring has come to Paris. The season of love, as they call it. I assume it is the time of the year when one is supposed to be full of life and happiness. It does make me glad, but it certainly has not made me less tired. I have not found the courage in me to write this blogpost. Night after night I have tried, but in the end I was too exhausted to know where to begin. I have held it back for too long, there are even more things to tell, and I do not feel like writing what I meant to. Not now, at least.

One of my little joys in life is that my hair is finally long enough for a little bun. Jolly, is it not?

Based on my recent posts (or, my posts while living in France) you might think I always complain. I think that is the thing that prevented me from writing. I do not want you to think I am always on a bad mood, or find every single little thing worth complaining, it is just that for me, writing is much easier when I am feeling blue. When I am happy, I do not spend hours thinking about my life. And since there have been good days (no need to write), and bad days, when I was all exhausted, it led to this circle of not writing.

Six months gone by, six more weeks to go. It is time to go home, alright. I will miss Paris' little delights, such as my dear Shakespeare & Company, and for sure my friends (luckily most of them are Finnish, so I will see them more often than for example the German ones. But I cannot wait for you to come visit me!), my favourite vintage shops in Montmartre.. But mostly I think these months were a waste of my time. I have had to suffer because of being too kind, and ended up staying even if I wanted to leave.

As if I did not have enough worries already, I have been let down by someone I thought was different. Why do people say something, and then act the contrary? Even if the person was reading this, I do not know if they would recognise themselves. It is bittersweet to find someone who is strikingly similar, for instance when it comes to general interests in life, and afterwards be let down. It would be just fine, if they said they do not want to be friends, or what ever the problem is, but this kind of behaviour is not fair. Without going to further details I just have to wonder why some people find the simple task of answering, or writing back, so difficult.

P.S. I am selling a pair of Minna Parikka ballerinas!

P.P.S. Before you think otherwise, I want to say that I have the best brothers, mum, dad, friends and readers. :-)

Paris Tips, II, And First Visitors!

2011-03-25T03:25:00.001+02:00

Hello, hello! Sorry for the long break - I didn't have the internet. Now the torture month is over and I know a little bit more about what's going on in the world. Internet isn't my whole life, but when you're living abroad, it's kind of important when you want to contact your family or friends..

Speaking about friends, the Murphy girls came to visit me in Paris! I can't remember the last time I laughed so much! Eila trying to speak French when she really, really can't ("qu'est-ce que bus, aller!"), cheesy jokes, eating desserts, desserts and once again, desserts. I wanted to show them all my favourite places in Paris, and here we go!

We started our tour with the beautiful Starbucks near the Opera, and afterwards we headed into a La Cure Gourmande shop near my school. If you feel like offering yourself a special treat, go buy a couple of their biscuits, or why not a lollipop, it is definitely worth the money.

On Saturday we took a different path. Saint Michel is one of the areas I like the best, and thereabout you will find the best bookstore in the whole world. Every time I go there, I find a book I want to buy (got Rilla of Ingleside for 2 euros!). Voilà Shakespeare and Company.

I hope you won't die of the flood of photos. Now it is time for me to go to sleep, but I will tell you about the rest of our weekend in due time!

Winter Winds

2011-02-25T01:30:00.001+02:00

Snow, silence, solitude.
Three precious things I had been longing for. The only sounds I heard were the wind, and the silently falling snow. For a moment I was free from my constantly haunting thoughts, of confusion and bewilderment, joy and uncertainty. I tend to lose my way and get lost in my head, surrounded by the same dreams and illusions that follow me through the day. The plain skill to stop thinking is what I lack.

My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy,
They have no borders, no boundaries.
They echo and they swell
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell.
Down from Berkeley to Carmel.

Yesterday, on the contrary, was one of those beautiful days when you are happy to be able to think, have conversations with yourself (the result of leaving your diary in the city) and inhale some fresh mountain air. I had to stop listening to music, otherwise I could not have fully enjoyed the overwhelming beauty around me. This is one of the landscapes you have to see and experience yourself. It makes me sad that I can't capture the beauty the same way with my camera that I see it in front of me.

In two days a train will take me through France, bypassing little villages with their churches and cottages, back to Paris. Lately I have become to notice that I enjoy being in Paris. It is slightly a shame, since I do not have a lot of time left there. Where did all the time go? I have not even visited half of the places I should have. I will surely miss a great many things once back in Finland, but, currently, there is one thing that I yearn for in Paris - waterscapes.

My mother once said that lakes are a part of her soul landscape, whereas my father prefers the sea. I am very impressed by the mountain landscapes in front of me, and I guess there are people that love cities and their landmarks more than anything else, but I, too, am drawn by water. Of course, in Paris, there is the Seine, but it simply does not come across with my soul landscape.

I also have to have space around me. I have to see the horizon, which, alas, hides itself behind the Parisian buildings too often. As much as I love big cities, they do not all give me the sensation of ultimate freedom and happiness, heavenly, even. It is a sensation that fills me up when I climb on a hill when the sun is about to set, but there is still enough light to see everything beneath you. The beautiness seduces and seizes you, leaving you thinking that everything is possible, just as it should be.

Please, tell me about the places that make you feel this way. I would be delighted.

2011-02-10T23:54:00.001+02:00

From time to time there are periods in life when you notice you're wearing something as if it was your uniform. The things you love. Something that is you.

Cardigan by Mum ♥
Skirt by me
Blouse H&M
Boots & Bag Minna Parikka

2011-02-05T00:52:00.011+02:00

Meet my newest vintage find, this jacket, it is. I really like it.

And my new best friend, the Owl, made by my cousin.

P.S. I fell in love on Tuesday, when I heard this man playing at a metro station. Isn't he good?

2011-01-29T20:48:00.000+02:00

I just remembered why I love the 50s. O Spring, wherefore art thou?

Photo source: myvintagevogue

Paris Tips, 1

2011-01-18T22:54:00.006+02:00

Long time, no see! Two weeks ago I left Finland♥ for France. Unfortunately I can't say it's been the best start for a new year, but how could life be a misery when you've got.... Princess Crepe! I thought I'd start sharing my recommendations for Paris, and here comes the first one.

Some time ago I visited Le Marais for the first time with my friend Laura. We walked about, and she remembered she had to show me something. Well, at first I couldn't believe my eyes. I found myself in front of the funniest place I'd ever seen: the all girly, princessy and pink Princess Crepe. It was closed at the time, but we knew we would have to go there one day. Now we've made it a Tuesday Tradition, so every Tuesday after school we head to Le Marais, to the best creperie ever, which is kept by two(?) japanese women. They were so cute in their outfits, but I didn't dare take a photo.. Their prices are reasonable, and their menu even better! For instance, today I ate a crepe with Nutella, whipped cream and strawberries.. It's so funny to see people walking by, everybody stares inside very amused.

The background music is japanese pop!

I, of course, had to be properly dressed for the occasion - don't you think that my new, pink 60s dress was just the right one to wear? I bought it in Free 'P' Star, but that's already another story.

The prettiest umbrella stand if you ever saw one.

Sorry about the all wrinkly dress, but I'd been sitting all day!

Those teddybears, honestly..

The address of the Princess Crepe is

3, Rue des Écouffes, 75004 Paris
the nearest metro stations are Hôtel de Ville and St. Paul. It is open 13-19, except Mondays and Thursdays.

Reminiscence

2010-12-31T16:01:00.002+02:00

This year I have come across a great many new things. I've met great people, both in Finland (hello to my Fintage friends!) and abroad (hello to my friends in Paris!), found many lovely bands, such as Pony Pony Run Run, Hurts, Mumford & Sons, Chisu, The Kooks, Beirut.. Life's been mostly good, sometimes marvellous, it's the little things that make life great.

What I should still learn to do is appreciate myself (hopefully you feel I appreciate you, though, because I do :). I mean, for instance, not being ashamed of your opinions or things you like. I like thrifting, 60s music, vintage dresses, old films, Disney classics, Charlie McDonnell, Heartbeat, Gossip Girl, Robot Unicorn Attack, Harry Potter books, Inception, Jude Law, good food, old Christmas carols, watching pointless videos on YouTube, L.M. Montgomery, Fanny & Alexander, ABBA, Moomin muggs, Around the World with Willy Fogg, hairbows, Minna Parikka shoes, drinking tea at the Murphy's, doing crazy stuff with my brother, Nyt-liite ("Päivi Räsäsen mielestä kirkosta eroaminen on homojen hommaa"), Katharine Hepburn, and what is there to be ashamed of in all this? I'm full of people saying what one should like, or that you're so embarrassing in doing this and that. Who cares if you're a little silly sometimes? I'm going to do my best to stop caring about other people's opinions so freaking much, and I can tell that this is a big thing for someone who's pretty much never had the courage to just be who they are and standing proudly behind their own opinions, that's what everybody should have the right to.

Therefore I proudly present my own stuff from 2010.

Just click on the photos if you want to see them on Flickr.

And then about something I've learnt to do, sewing! These are all my creations.

Then I wanted to ask something. In general, do you like to see my photography, or would you prefer to see more outfits? At the moment taking outfit photos is a bit difficult, so I'm kind of forced to show you mostly my photographs.

If anybody is interested, I'm selling some vintage dresses on Huuto.net:

a stripy 50s dress

a vintage dress with a lovely lace collar

and the skirt

That's pretty much all I wanted to say this time. Happy New Year to everybody!

2010-12-29T03:11:00.001+02:00

Greetings from a cold and snowy Finland. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and that the new year will be good.

Don't you just love my Christmas baubles, I bought them in Paris before I came home.

I'm kind of in love with my new lens, I really like the bokeh it produces. I was supposed to tell you about my favourite Christmas songs but I think I'd better leave that to next Christmas now. :-)

I've been here a week now and in a week I'll be leaving again. I'm not actually really looking forward to going back to France. What do I have there? A couple of friends, some of whom don't even bother to stay in touch..... Luckily some do, though. But I've realised that my life is better here, I can really do things I like, when I want etc. I have everybody here. I thank everyone for the letters they've sent me, that means a lot to me. Keep on writing!
During this week I've laughed a dozen times more than in the three months I spent there.. Kind of sad, really.

Anyway, things are never as bad as they sound, but the prospect of leaving home and everyone behind, again, doesn't really make me happy. Please, do visit me in Paris. I'll welcome anybody. :)

2010-12-12T23:20:00.002+02:00

Good evening! I've had such a bad day that I find it difficult to start writing. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to show you what I see on my way to school (and my winter coat)!

(Too) early in the morning I arrive at Gare St Lazare. This painting is by Claude Monet, image from Wikipedia.

Behind St Lazare by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Then I pass by the big department stores, Printemps and Galeries LaFayette.

After that I'm almost at school, but I still have to walk by the Opera.

And voilà, after school I'm back in good old Triel.

I found this vintage coat in a flea market in my hometown in Finland. Isn't it lovely? The hat is my grandmother's old from the 50s, gloves and bag Minna Parikka.

Vive La Finlande!

2010-12-07T01:53:00.005+02:00

Well, well, I had an outfit post planned for you, but because my camera started flashing some kind of an error thingy I had no chance to take the photos. I really hope the camera won't break down completely or something.

But, since today (or now actually yesterday) is the independence day of Finland, I thought I'd show you some Finnish beauty (nature as well as wonderful people). Beware, a massive photo attack coming.

(We still have to take the perfect cigarette photo, but after that you'll stop smoking, alright Kunnon Karri!!)

My dear brother Akseli who I miss terribly.

Hope you don't run into our lovely friends in Turku, Maikki! ;)

Born-to-be graceful ballet dancers.

Just listen to this. For me the lyrics are also very important, so if you're not a Finn, I don't know if it has any meaning to you, but the music is really beautiful, too. Sibelius is the best.

I usually don't post Finnish music because some of you wouldn't understand the lyrics, and the Finnish music I listen to has usually clever lyrics that are not just any nonsense, but now I have the perfect reason to post my Finnish favourites.

Suomi. ♥

Tristesse

2010-11-23T01:13:00.005+02:00

I love:

- strangers who say "Bonjour" to you on the street

- funny little boys who wave at you when they leave the train

- friendly waiters and waitresses

- IKEA (I bought a very big box of gingerbread biscuits, they were so good!)

Click!

I don't like:

- French winter

- Starbucks' prices
- creepy people who follow you and keep on insisting that you can't have anything better to do than have a coffee with them

- always being the one who asks somebody somewhere. Fortunately this doesn't happen often nor with many people, but it makes me feel bad and awkward and I really think they don't want to see me, and maybe it is so. But I'll keep waiting.

Click!

I have never done much street photography, but I guess when I go to Paris a couple of times in a week, I should really do it and try to get better.

A perfectly lovely song.

Lost, Found and Awkward

2010-11-16T15:18:00.003+02:00

Really hope you like these photos. Firstly, the forest is apparently dangerous and going there is forbidden (but why was there a galloping horse and a lady with two dogs, then?) And secondly, after the photoshoot I was all scratched and sweaty. Some of them are on Flickr, too. And oh, that's one of my two Vivetta dresses, you've already seen the other one. :-)

It's Such A Wonderful Life

2010-11-02T02:06:00.003+02:00

The weekend was rather sleepless, but otherwise really good! On Friday Roosa and I went to see Hurts. I had actually never heard of them before Roosa told me about the concert, but luckily I decided to go, because now I have found a new, good band to listen to.
Friday night was rainy. The next time when I'll spend an entire night in Paris, outside, I will definitely wear wellies and remember to take my umbrella!

Photos above from Roosa's blog!

Saturday night..

.. and the morning after when I walked home from the train station of the neighbouring town. I found a lake last week, it's full of swans! I will have to go back there some time.

Kohtaamisia

2010-10-26T00:59:00.021+03:00

Do you still remember what I wrote a while ago, when I was given a blog award? The ninth thing was "Nice and silly little things in life" and then there were a couple of examples. Well, what happened yesterday certainly belongs to the list. It's a long story, but I will have to start from the beginning. And I just noticed I can't write English anymore, this text is probably full of mistakes!

I met up with two friends and our plan was to visit Notre Dame. I really like churches because of the atmosphere, and they are so beautiful and usually smell good (at least Orthodox churches!). We didn't climb up to the dome, because it was closed for an hour, so we took off to Sacre Coeur.

Isn't that just the loveliest graffiti?

Rebekka and Eve took quite an early train home, so I decided to go home, too, since the weather was all lousy. I think I sat waiting for the train at Gare St Lazare for half an hour when I saw that the Sun was shining again and decided to head back to Notre Dame in order to climb up to the dome.

When I got there they didn't take more people to the queue, so I started wandering about and ended up at Hôtel de Ville. After a couple of minutes a girl sitting next to me asked if I knew why the building is famous. I had no idea, expect that I thought it might have something to do with the revolution. We chatted for a while and then she asked whether I had plans for the night and told she was going to the Louvre, and as I had nothing arranged I decided to go with her. It turned out she's from Sweden! For some reason I had assumed her to be American. :-D

However, it was almost closing time when we got there, so instead of the Louvre we continued on walking, talking and taking photos.

Me and my new friend Sandra! (Okay, I look like I don't have a chin..)

I can't even tell how refreshing it was to meet her just like that. Surprising things like that are exactly what I want more in my life. I'm really glad I didn't take the earlier train home! One little change of mind can be crucial.

I stole the photo of me from her blog!

Olen aina pitänyt itseäni hyvänä leipurina, ja erityisen ylpeä olen aina ollut pullistani. Lauantaina leivoin ensimmäistä kertaa pullaa täällä, ja ne onnistuivat oikein hyvin vaikkei tyhmästä ranskalaisesta kaupasta löytynytkään kardemummaa. Mutta. Kukaan ei syö niitä! On ne kuulemma niitä syönyt, mutta kummasti ne ei laatikosta vähene ja oon tänäänkin syönyt itse kymmenen pullaa. :--D Itsetuntoni koki ison kolauksen nyt. Miksei ne halua syödä mun pulliani??? Kotona ne menee aina nopeasti ja niistä tykätään. Tää oli tosiaan mun tärkein uutiseni jonka halusin suomeksi kirjoittaa, eheh. :--)

2010-10-18T23:30:00.001+03:00

Bonsoir! (I have an outfit post for you, yay!)

Today I had school, so I went to Paris. The mornings are cold now, but in the afternoon it's usually quite warm, so it's hard to decide what to wear. Here in France, in the land of strikes, there is again a strike, and I had to take a really early train, but on the contrary I had time to take some morning photos.

I really can't help loving all these beautiful buildings!
And then my shabby outfit photos! I only spent about a minute taking these because I was in a rush to get home, so forgive me the quality. Luckily I found a place where I could put my camera and the photos turned out to be acceptable. :-)

I wore one of my favourite jackets, it's thrifted but originally from H&M, and the beret I bought today (I had to get a red beret!), a skirt by me, Maxine bag and heart gloves by Minna Parikka.

And, finally, I'll tell you what's up. Unfortunately I can't say that this has been the best time of my life. The family is not a monster family, and au pairing itself isn't hard, but there are some things that bother me. I have intended to say something, but luckily when we talked yesterday the mother herself had realised a few things, and maybe I won't end up lonely and friendless, after all, because that's really what I thought would happen if things didn't change. I'm their first au pair, so I'm sure it's hard for them to know how to act and organise everything, too. But, honestly, I'm also a person and I need to have time for friends, too, and time to get out of the house every once in a while. Today I woke up depressed, and that is, if anything, really sad. But now that I have spent a good day it was so much nicer to come home (mind you, this place feels nothing like my real, beloved, dear home, but it's my home for the time being). Hopefully things will get better. :-) Now that I started writing there would be so much things to say, but I don't have time for that. I really must go to bed, because for the past three weeks I've been dead tired.

P.S. Ajattelin ruveta kirjoittamaan jotain pikkujuttuja myös suomeksi. Mun suomeni on aina ollut aivan surkeaa, mutta en halua sen huonontuvan entisestään, nykyään kun ei kauheasti tule suomea puhuttua. Erittäin huonoa huumoria tiedossa siis, lähinnä suunnattuna _Kunnon_ kavereille, Jumalaäidille, Hyeena-Bobille, Aksuraksulle ja muille kuomille (öö ja toivottavasti joku teistä lukee tätä, etten turhaan nolaa itseäni muiden suomenkielisten edessä..) Tietysti tässä on muillekin luettavaa, mutta jos tuntuu siltä että jotkut jutut ovat aivan käsittämättömiä ja huonointa juttua ikinä, se on sitä _kunnon_ läppää sit. P.P.S. Pierre-Pascalin etsintä jatkuu yhä!

2010-10-10T23:41:00.001+03:00

(I have another version of this photo, but unfortunately it's on the computer that's in Finland, so I can't show it to you. I took these photos with Miia in September!)

Today I had a nice day in Paris with Roosa and Laura. I'm too exhausted to write anything, but I'll try to cover that up with a couple of photos. And, I hope you will be patient with me not posting outfits very often, but I don't really have that much clothes with me.. Only about 1/5 of my wardrobe, anyhow.

Last, but not least, a boyfriend for Riina's dummy lady:

La France

2010-10-01T17:27:00.001+03:00

Bonjour! This is just a quick post to tell you guys that I'm still alive. I can't access the Internet very often at the moment, but I live in the hope of getting the connection soon.

Today I had a day off, and I visited Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a nearby commune. The green dress is by IVANAhelsinki, and the cardigan I'm in love with is SelectedHomme (not femme!) from a flea market back home.

You can see the Paris skyline from the beautiful park where I took the outfit photos.

Any one of you live near Paris? I would be very glad to make new friends!

Helsinki Vintage & My New Favourite Designer

2010-09-21T23:58:00.003+03:00

I had a great weekend in Helsinki with many things to do! On Sunday I went to Helsinki Vintage for the first time. It was nice to meet some friends from Fintage, both old and new ones! Greetings to you all. :-)

Here's what I wore! The hat and the dress are both my grandmother's old, the handbag vintage from London, the cardigan by mum ♥ and the flats Minna Parikka, which were too big for my mum so she gave them to me. I only asked to borrow them for the event so it was a surprise she gave them to me!

The picture above was taken by the lovely Ina, thank you!

I didn't end up buying any vintage, though. Instead I bought something from the lovely Mirkka Metsola. I actually wrote a blog post about her in the winter. I love the photos of her A/W 10/11 collection, even if you can't see the clothes properly. You can see "better" photos in her blog!

This is just a sidenote, but this photo (from Hel-Looks) is my main autumn inspiration. I saw the gorgeous piksi at Helsinki Vintage and loved her outfit so, but I didn't dare say anything to her. How I wish she still posted photos to flickr..

Well, this was a mess of a blog post, wasn't it.. I've caught the flu and my head's not working properly. Plus, I'm leaving for France on Saturday and I'm actually really sad about it. Of course it'll be really cool and fun there, but I just love my family and friends too much. :-( So, this is my last blog post in Finland! Next time I will show you France from my point of view!

2010-09-15T15:29:00.003+03:00

I was reading the newspaper and there was a piece of a wonderful Finnish photographer, Pentti Sammallahti. Luckily I'm going to Helsinki this weekend (it's time for Helsinki Vintage!) so I can go see this exhibition, I'm so looking forward to it. Here is some of his work.

The source.

Did She Ever Exist/Of Hope and Despair..

2010-09-07T22:30:00.007+03:00

I have thought of starting a 365 project. But I don't believe that forcing myself to take photos every day would be a good thing. I don't really like to take photos without any idea for them. Sometimes it's okay, but I like concepts. I will, however, be taking more photos and would really like to hear your thoughts and comments on my photography.

P.S. Two of the photos above can be found on my Flickr.

Birthday Outfit & A Blog Award

2010-09-04T14:35:00.006+03:00

I started the day with a lovely brunch at Miia's. I love the Murphy family, they are my favourite neighbours and good friends. Miia was kind enough to take photos of my birthday outfit. The skirt is made by me and the cardigan is by Soaked in Luxury.

Now I'll go baking because I'm waiting for some birthday guests! Oh, and I'm on Lookbook now.

I was given a blog award by the lovely Riikka. :-)

The rules:
1. Post who gave you this award.
2. State ten things you like.
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment.

1. Reading

I like to read. Nowadays I start my mornings by reading my favourite newspaper (and I love NYT-liite and Kuukausiliite!!), then I check my favourite blogs and usually there's at least one book that I'm reading. I can easily spend hours "studying" on Wikipedia, for example history.

2. Singing

I'm not the best singer in the world but I believe, however, that 12 years of playing the viola means that I have some musical talent. I like singing so much more than playing any instrument.

3. Andean Music

The pan flutes, the funny rhythms, the beautiful melodies.. I can't describe how this music makes me feel. It's a mixture of yearning, freedom, and ultimate happiness. I love how there are songs that clearly have Spanish influences, but some of the songs are totally different. My brother has this most perfect vinyl record by Los Incas, but unfortunately I can't find any of the songs on the Internet. Edit: I just bought the CD on the Internet!!!

4. England

Okay, you can't have missed the fact that I simply love England. I don't even know why and when I fell in love with England, but my love has never wavered.

5. Dresses

I just realised how much easier it would be for me to own only dresses instead of skirts. I don't have enough nice blouses and cardigans that would go with my skirts. Sigh.

6. Sailing & wooden boats

When I was small we would spend the summers sailing on our boat. Well, it's not a boat with sails, just a beautiful wooden boat where you can sleep. It's nice to sleep in a boat and wake up on a rainy morning when you can just stay in the boat and read a book.

7. Languages

I always liked language lessons. There are so many languages I'd like to be able to speak, for example Italian, Icelandic, Croatian.. I have studied five languages, but I only consider myself fluent in English and Finnish.

8. Films

I like all kinds of films from The Notebook to Star Wars. My all time favourites are Disney classics and I'm extatic because of the Beauty and the Beast DVD release this autumn! Usually the films I like best are set in the 1800s or the 1900s and they tell a lovestory. Some of my favourites being for instance A Very Long Engagement, Dead Poets Society, Bringing Up Baby, Some Like It Hot, and Alfie (I love Jude Law), can you recommend me a film?

9. Nice and silly little things in life

The moments when you suddenly realise everything's alright and you're happy. Random compliments from strangers. Chatting with a friend in the dead of night. Reading about a monkey that can play Pac-Man. Making friends. Wondering how the most beautiful music piece by Jean Sibelius(!) can be dedicated to the factory that I can see from our windows.

10. Tattoos

I don't have any tattoos, but I might get one (or more) someday.

I give this award to:

Vykort till min syster

pretty thief wears this

Minsquin

News Announcement & Autumn Stuff

2010-08-30T00:21:00.002+03:00

Hello folks! One might think that the reason for not blogging is extreme rush, but the truth is quite the opposite... Summer is turning to autumn, everybody else is starting their studies and I lie on the sofa stressing about autumn clothing. In my opinion I always look shabby from September till May because I don't know how to dress. This year, however, I have found some items that will hopefully make autumn and winter easier to stand. (But I do have some 'problem clothing', I'll tell about that later!)

1. The mustard yellow cardigan. I am known to dislike yellow a great deal, but now I've fallen in love with mustard yellow. I think it makes every outfit interesting, even if the other pieces aren't so miraculous.
2. The grey trousers. I was really happy to find these in the flea market, they are so comfortable! I think they look slightly better with heels, but I was travelling so I didn't feel like wearing heels.
3. The brown brogues. Everyone needs a pair of brogues, right?

So, about the problem clothing! I don't know what to wear with these skirts, and I don't want to choose the easieast colour, black. And then the hat that I'm wearing in one of the photos above. I really love it, but I've tried all my outfits with a beret, too, and to me everything looks better with the beret. Maybe the bowler hat is too 'masculine' for me.

Last but definitely not least, I think it's time to fill you in on something. In the spring I told you about my plans, but they have seriously backfired (but the reason is actually happy, not sad!) So I had to come up with something else. I'll spend 9 months in France (near Paris!!!) as an au pair. What makes me even happier is that a friend of mine will be there, too! I just hope both of us will have nice families and a great experience. :-)

Red, Pink and the Golden Hour

2010-08-17T00:30:00.009+03:00

Lazy days, dressing in pink and red and the evening Sun are the best.

2010-08-11T17:26:00.010+03:00

Hi guys! I'm back from my Finland tour. I've been trying to write this post for a few hours now and I don't know where to start. The photos will speak for themselves, and if I am able to clear my head I'll tell you what I've been doing.

So, in reversed order! On Monday my brother, one of my second cousins and I went to Suomenlinna. It's such a beautiful place! I mostly wore this dress when I was in Helsinki. It is selfmade, and has its faults, but I think it's perhaps the best of the dresses I have sewn.

Isn't this building beautiful? And the colour, oh.

And here is something very surprising! My bathing suit. It was such an ordeal to find a nice swimming suit that didn't cost like 100 dollars. I couldn't dive because of the lipstick! :-D

And then about Mariehamn. I know I have too much photos in this post, but I didn't want to make two posts because these photos don't deserve their own post. :-D

Unfortunately it was mainly grey and rainy there, but there was a little sunshine for us, too!

Maikki and me in a medieval castle!

Peacocks are such gorgeous animals.

I have millions of photos of the houses of Mariehamn, but can you blame me?

"Du dansar som en gudinna!" is perhaps the biggest joke ever, considering that I was worried people would die at the sight of me when I was dragged onto the dance floor.

2010-07-31T23:48:00.017+03:00

Now the four weeks of working have passed, and I'm on holiday! (Even though I might work every once in a while when needed.) But, anyway, my friend and I will leave for the Åland islands on Monday. I have never been there, so I guess it's high time. After that I'll go to Helsinki, so I won't be blogging for some time. That's why I'm making this post with some of my summer photos for you to view. :-) I hope you like them! Clicking on a photo will take you to my other flickr photostream.

2010-07-25T15:34:00.001+03:00

Let me present one of my favourite dresses. Unfortunately, it's not even mine, but mum's. But she lets me wear it if there's a chance. :-)

Vintage Picnic And Homemade Ice Cream

2010-07-22T20:33:00.011+03:00

Well, first of all, those things in the title have nothing in common. I'm just bad at making up titles.

So, there's this Finnish vintage forum called Fintage, which is a great place to discuss vintage things. We had a picnic meeting in Tampere on Sunday. It was such fun too see those people!

The straw hat, the dress and the jacket are all my grandmother's old clothes. The shoes are from a local antique shop. Photo credits go to Jirina and Lassi.

And then about the latter part of the title. Yesterday I finally got around to making ice cream! I did it from the beginning, all by myself! No ice cream machines were used. I definitely recommend trying to make ice cream, it tastes much fresher than the super market ice cream that is full of preservatives etc. Hm, that wasn't exactly baking, but I don't have any other tags for making food!

2010-07-17T19:43:00.001+03:00

Today my brother had his confirmation party. Or, actually not, because he's not Lutheran but Orthodox. But, anyway, we still have parties like those of the Lutherans.

I was wearing one of my two IVANAhelsinki dresses, of which I have shown you neither. They are both green. Isn't that strange? I never buy anything green. This one is from the Lonely Tiger collection. The shoes are from Primark and the bow headband is from Dorothy Perkins.

And here are the cupcakes I baked for the party. :-))

On A Carousel

2010-07-07T23:51:00.007+03:00

Yesterday a little roadtrip to Helsinki took place. While Taija and Riina were listening to Converge and Lighthouse Project, Sanna and I went to amuse ourselves to Linnanmäki. Before that I bought a 60s mod dress! :-)
This is actually not the kind of carousel photo I would really like to take, but, here it is. The next time I see a carousel I want it to be darker, there was too much light 10:00 pm. And no stupid trees blocking the view. I had to crop the photo quite a lot because of all those things. :(

You can find it here.

2010-07-04T21:21:00.007+03:00

During the last week of my holiday (before August) I've been..

..on a little adventure, not wearing the best possible adventure clothing.

(On our adventure I spotted a house with beautiful windows. )

..reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the London Tube map being my bookmark. When the book was published in July, 2007, I was in England, so I bought my copy there. :-))

..watching charlieissocoollike videos. Don't you just love his singing voice and accent? Well, I do.

He's brilliant!

I'm sorry that I haven't replied to your comments in the earlier posts yet, I've been too busy with so many "important" things. I'll have to check if there were any questions. But now, anyways, I'll go swimming! It's really, really hot in here, so it's nice to jump into the lake!

2010-06-28T20:36:00.026+03:00

I am a bow maniac. In my opinion there is nothing cuter than bows. Today I wore my bow dress, bought a bow headband and a red hairbow (and when I was in London, I bought a bow headband and bow heels. But that wasn't enough for me). I was really lucky with this dress, actually. It's from eBay, and I couldn't believe my luck when I realised that I had actually won the auction.

I bought this bag in London, and the shoes are by Vagabond.

Thanks to Miia for taking the photos, again. It's much more fun to have her to take the photos than just use my tripod and autotimer.

What I also did today was bake this strawberry quark pie. It's one of my favourite recipes, and if someone wants to know the recipe, I'll be more than happy to share it. (My mum's friend is here and she told me it's extremely delicious: she has eaten three pieces, so take her word for it!)

The recipe:

1 ½ dl sugar

1 dl wheat flour

4 dl oat flakes

150 grammes of melted butter

Mix the sugar, the wheat flour and the oat flakes. Then add the melted sugar. Butter the pan and put the dough in it. Set the oven to 200 Celsius degrees. I usually put the pie in the oven for five minutes, then take it out, add the filling and then put it back to the oven. After adding the filling put the pie in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Then put it in the fridge for a couple of hours and then it's ready. :-)

The filling:

2 dl whipping cream

500 grammes of quark (according to wikipedia it's also known as curd cheese)

As much strawberries as you like

Whip the cream and mix it with the quark. Use a blender to make the strawberries into purée. Then mix the strawberries with the quark & whipped cream. Add sugar according to your own taste.

2010-06-26T20:03:00.002+03:00

Happy Midsummer Day! I don't know why, but Midsummer's Eve is (almost) always a rainy day. It was raining cats and dogs! And I missed the local bonfire for the first time in like 10 years! But I guess I'll survive.

Today we celebrated my great-uncle's 80th birthday (why am I always telling about my great-uncles? Well, I happen to have many great-uncles..) and I wore this dress, which is his sister's old, in other words my grandmother's.

As you can see, I was born a model.. Yeah, right, I always pose like an idiot.

I spent a couple of days in the countryside, at Miia's grandmother's. The place was full of mosquitoes! So I'm quite happy to be back home. But just look at the beautiful scarecrow that Miia and I made! I've been spending so much time with Miia that I almost think she's really my little sister. :-)

And the magic mirror made us look like this. Aren't we just pretty!

See The Sun

2010-06-22T01:30:00.000+03:00

Sleepless nights. Or perhaps this is a dream?

Photo by me.

2010-06-19T01:36:00.012+03:00

Oh, England, how I had missed you. Alas, time went by too fast, and I don't know when I can go back, but it won't be another three years this time.

I guess I needn't say the trip was great. I managed to take two good photos (in my opinion), and I'll just show them right away. The others are just tourist snapshots. It's rather rare for me to say that I really like a photo of mine, but now I can say that without hesitation. The beautiful park is Hampstead Heath.
I definitely recommend a larger view on Flickr, (or here).

You should have seen these lads walk. I just loved, loved, loved how they went past me and walked to the edge of the hill. I hope they didn't see me photograph them countless times. Full view.

I'm quite tired now, with only two and a half hours of sleep last night, since we took an early flight, so I'll just let the photos tell the most of our trip.

Eating a most delicious strawberry cupcake in Hyde Park!
There was a beautiful rose garden in Hyde Park.
Me and my dearest Miia.
I was really disappointed when I couldn't get through the brick wall. :(
And of course I had to take (mostly bad) photos of Big Ben.

Once again, I left my heart in England.

Black & White Photo Inspiration

2010-06-11T20:01:00.012+03:00

Some wonderful photos I came across.

Can somebody give me tips how to do your hair like Jean Patchett's in the last photo?

I'm still in need of good London tips! I'm leaving for London on Monday. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be blogging then, so we'll see next weekend. :-)

The first two photos are from this flickr photostream, and the last two photos are from myvintagevogue.

P.S. Now I know what I forgot to mention in my 100 facts! I want a pen pal! Any volunteers?

2010-06-06T20:27:00.006+03:00

I had my graduation party yesterday. I'm not one of those who don't like family parties - on the contrary, I do like to see my relatives, and I really liked my party yesterday.

I made the dress myself, with my mum's help. The pattern dates back to 1957, it was in one of the sewing magazines I found. The only thing that's vintage in my outfit is the golden lyra on my student cap. It belonged to my great uncle, who was killed during World War II. He graduated in 1935. But, something scandalous happened during my party! Some guests from that side of the family came and told they had my great uncle's lyra with them! Whose lyra is on my student cap, then?! This is a mystery and we are greatly amused by it. :-D Detective work is going on!

I actually wanted a puffy hem, but we didn't have enough fabric. But I think the dress is okay!
One of the first two photos will be the photo of my Thank You Card for the guests, which one should it be?

The head master said that it's a tradition in our school to leave flowers on the soldiers' grave, so I left a rose for my great uncle.

Here's his graduation photo. :)

And this is my granny's graduation photo! She wore the same golden lyra that is supposedly my great uncle's, but as I told you, this is a complete mystery, because there's no one left to ask! :-D

2010-06-04T20:05:00.008+03:00

Hello folks! You know what? It's my blog anniversary today! :-D Not that it's a big thing, but I did this 'A Hundred Facts About Me' thing for this event. Even though I only came up with 50 facts.

Here's the outfit I had on today. I think it's really cute, even if I say so myself. :-D But I can't help loving that 50s blouse. I'm wearing H&M capri pants, a pair of ballet flats, and my Maxine. The lovely scarf is unfortunately my mum's.

That's not my house! My brother loves that little house, it's for sale, actually. Too bad he's only 15 years old, he can't buy it!

So, here are my facts. If you have a blog, I'd like to read your Hundred Facts. But, if you don't have a blog or don't want to do this, I'd be more than happy if you left some kind of comment about YOU. I want to learn something about my readers! Especially from those who never leave comments. At least Google Analytics says that after every blog post there are far more readers than only the amount that leaves comments. So, don't be shy, and please introduce yourself!

1. I often feel bad about things other people would never feel bad about. Like in an 'aww' way.
2. If there's a confectionery product I like very much, they will stop manufacturing it soon. :(
3. I will go to London in June!!!
4. I love a certain little girl a lot.
5. She used to call me Nanniina, but now she has learned to say Anniina. That makes me sad!
6. I use exclamation marks too much. I would like to use them about after every sentence, but I try to control myself.
7. I only buy designer clothing when the price is discounted.
8. My dog is very cute and a little pathetic when he comes down the stairs.
9. Two years ago, this time of the year, I had just got my first IVANAhelsinki bag.
10. I had also seen the film Les Choristes for the first time, and I was crazy about Jean-Baptiste Maunier and his singing voice.
11. Monopoly is the best board game.
12. One of my favourite French words is parapluie.
13. I am easily depressed if I have an idea for a photograph but don't know how to create it.
14. Other people's exceptionally beautiful photos depress me sometimes, too.
15. I find Holden Caulfield (from the Catcher in the Rye book) a fascinating guy.
16. It annoys me a little that the Beatles outshines many other 60s bands. There are so many as good, or better (in my opinion), bands as the Beatles.
17. The only person with whom I can talk about 60s music is my uncle. And we don't even see that often, so I really need someone to chat with me!
18. Simon & Garfunkel's A Poem On The Underground Wall is perhaps the most beautiful song ever, the lyrics, the singing, everything is perfect.
19. I don't usually like songs because of their lyrics. The melodies mean more to me.
20. But the few Finnish bands I listen to have great, a little strange lyrics. I can't listen to any mediocre babble lyrics in Finnish.
21. I'm good at baking buns. Come here and I'll bake them for you! :-)
22. If I ever get children, and a girl, I'd like to name her Fanny. But I can't because of this. Whoever came up with these stupid other meanings ruined a beautiful name!!!
23. Our old collie was actually called Fanny.
24. I'm desperately trying to reach 10,000 plays on last.fm.
25. I want to find a place like Hester Gray's garden in some forest. Hester Gray's garden is a wild garden of an abandoned house in the Anne series by L.M. Montgomery.
26. But there aren't, at least here, forests where flowers grow. Except for one place where there are Lilies of the valley.
27. In the summer I would like to grow a rose passage, like a little doorway to our garden.
28. I want a Ford Model T from the early 1900s.
29. I still wait for my letter from Hogwarts. Hahaha!
30. I love Andean music (music from South America, from the Andes, naturally.)
31. I hardly ever cry when I watch films.
32. But when I watch Heartbeat and a main character dies, I CRY.
33. My enthusiasm for 60s music originates from Heartbeat.
34. La vita è bella (Life is beautiful) is one of my ultimate favourite films. (I even cried when watching it.)
35. I'm terribly afraid of bears.
36. I dream of my own Gilbert Blythe/Teddy Kent person (again L.M. Montgomery) with the looks and accent of Ed Westwick, Jude Law, or Gregory Peck.
37. Rilla of Ingleside is my favourite book of the Anne series.
38. Walter Blythe is my favourite of Anne and Gilbert's children. He is fascinating, just like Holden.
39. I love SWINGING! (edit: ah, I didn't have a clue of the other meanings of this word..)
40. I'm already waiting for the next time I go jogging with my friend, because we go swinging each time we jog.
41. This friend is half American, and I will go to the US with them the next time they go there.
42. Salmon is the main reason for not being able to become a vegetarian. I love salmon.
43. I like Disney classics a lot.
44. In my opinion this is the best thing ever (I read it in an entrance exam book): Some children in Sunday school thought they were singing about a cross-eyed bear called Gladly, when they really sang "Gladly the cross I'd bear." Isn't that just hilarious!
45. This thing in the Diana camera manual was close second:
'8. You don't have to know beforehand what you've captured on film..
9. ...and you don't necessarily have to know afterwards, either.' I think that 9. will be my destiny with Diana!
46. With this friend of mine with whom I'm going to London and to the US, we have this sort of.. well, come to think of it, a roleplay thing. We are two sisters belonging to a noble family, living in late Victorian England. My name is Elisabeth Ninette Wulfthryth Ambrose-Myerscough and my sister's is Abigail Clairence Lynechette Ambrose-Myerscough. Aren't our names just beautiful! :D We have a servant called Ida Rottenham. And yeah, I'm soon 19 years old...
47. My ex-boyfriend thought that the Minna Parikka Ginger bag is ugly. If I ever get a boyfriend again, he had better not to think it's ugly!
48. I love Back to the Future films!
49. I know I just complained about the Beatles. But I have to say that 'A Hard Day's Night' is one of my favourite films. I just saw it the other day and I loved it!
50. My younger little brother and I always speak really ungrammatical Finnish. We make intentional mistakes when we conjugate words, and I love our language.