ANOTHER SMALL VICTORY

Yesterday we were fortunate enough to get some sun which I enjoyed with a small Sunday stroll outside. I noticed that the constant rains of last week which I - thank you very much - got to experience rather well and in detail in the harbor did bring a lot of good with them as most of the snow has melted by now. And it seems life has conquered after all (well yeah pretty much like every year) as, behold:

Our very first flowers are blooming!

And all you central Europeans and other lucky bastards that have been able to sit outside in parks and plain cardigans for a couple of months already can stop rolling your eyes, this is a big thing over here!


I would've tried to snap a more photographically correct picture of the crocus but I had such a terrible hangover headache that I could not keep my head down for more than a couple of seconds at the time.


Also, filled the home with fresh flowers and new plants for the balcony. This means tipped over vases, water on the piano and puke with flowers bits in it as my cats, Lulu in particular, can be real assholes when it comes to plants, but I still keep trying. And it will at least look nice a little while.


Busted!


Busted again!


Well these ones were at least speared over the night, so far so good...

ABOUT SOME STUFF

(Yes, I know, I am among the more creative out there when it comes to headlines.)


We actually have two more rooms in our flat; the study and the kids' room, but they were not tidy enough to snap pics of.
(They are to the right in the pic, before our bedroom. The birdie-bathroom is to the left.)

Anyway, I intended to write about the armchairs and the wallpaper and other things quite many of you have asked about in the previous post about home already , but wasn't up to it then. So here goes now instead:

The wall paper is called Ken Kiuruista Kaunein ("Who is the Fairest of the Nightingales") and was designed by Birger Kaipiainen in the 1950's. It comes in a four colour variations and has a sister design in Kiurujen Yö ("Night of the Nightingales"). You can get it at Tapettitalo. They have an English translation of the site, and maybe, maybe, it could be possible to order abroad also.


My make up table cost me 20 euros from the finnish auction site Huuto.net, along with the stool. I also got our living room table trough that site. The stool was just a frame to which I build a seat of some left over wood from the renovation and a piece of foam, some fabric and ribbon. The lace is cut from a waxed cloth. The string shelves in the living room I spent a small fortune on, but the one here in the bedroom and the one in the study I got from my grandparents (they left one here in the flat for me) and from my mom and dad's garage.


I have the same waxed lace cloth on the shelves in the wardrobe too. I have received a lot of request to show pictures of my wardrobe during the years. Here's just a tiny sneak peek; I keep my clothes in here but also on a rack and then in the mini walk in closet in the study (among with lots of burlesque outfits and props, winter clothes and summer sandals, tools and other more undefined items…). The bedroom closets are original; I repainted them white on the outside and painted them soft pink on the inside and changed the old not-so-functional shelves into an Elfa drawer system.


(Bonus cat and cabinet radio-pic.)


A lot in our livingroom happens to be old and vintage, but the arm chairs are in fact not. They are a classic model from Finnish furniture comapy Asko that has been produced since way back. I am not sure if it has been in production constantly, but anyway, it is at least now. The chair is called Helena. It comes in a wide range of fabrics; I originally wanted a pair in a soft woven gray fabric, but one such would've cost more than the two deep red together so red it was. And better that way actually. There is also a similar chair called Richard in a classic fifties design with more patterned fabrics.

AT HOME

The bright light shining in trough the windows (that still are waiting to be washed) at as late as six in the evening is a sign that spring has not only begun but h´been here a while already. The weather however disagrees.

As the light was rather nice at the same time as something rare occurred; the flat was almost tidy; I decided to take some pictures of home. There has actually not been that many since the renovation was finished.


I intended to write a bunch about tapestry, furniture and revamping items but you know what - I'll leave that to another time!

And yes, I still only have two cats, but they really do manage to be everywhere all at once.

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW : WEDNESDAY EVENING

I'm talking a little bit about shoes and posing in three favorite pairs in the latest number of Trendi magazine.


I've caught some sort of virus cold, giving me an annoying headache and making me terribly tired. Just as I had a few days off work and intended to do lots of stuff. Damn! Apart form a visit to the doctor and the store I've been resting at home and playing the piano with Lulu, mostly Satie.


I was feeling something fresh and spicy so I made us a nacho salad. With mixed green salad, beans, hot salsa, home made guacamole, sour cream, some cheddar and lots on nachos. For a vegan version skip the sour cream and the cheese, it works alright without. One can also change the beans to soy meat.


It really annoys me that many nothern bloggers have been whining on about spring this and spring that and how we all hope it will come soon for quite some time already. Well, I kind of do that too I'm afraid, a little at least. So; spring bla bla blah I got myself a springy little plant today.

A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

last weekend we went out to the farm to celebrate Eddi's eldest sons birthday. Eddi goes out to there almost every weekend but due to shows and works I rather seldom come along. This time however I made it and I spent two days baking and fixing for lots of people in the kitchen. Which actually was rahter nice as I don't have the time to cook that often. I was also hoping that the sheep would have had their baby lambs during the weekend but they were not due quite yet; the sheep were jut really big, hungry and going BÄÄÄÄÄ all the time. We intend to do a little more fixing up in the house later this spring so I guess I'll get my chances to check out the little lambs then!

STUFF I GOT AT HELSINKI VINTAGE

Pardon my French but I could not come up with anything more creative in the headline up there...

A table lamp for that corner specifically as it always lacked something. (As one can see form the picture, one thing it does not lack is cats.)


A little glass surfaced pinstriped 50's flower table, one of those you could see in my Helsinki Vintage post. I originally intended to put the lamp on it but it sat better on the other little table (which is bought form the same guy earlier btw), so maybe I will use this one as a flower stand instead; that's what it is intended for in the first place. Although right now it serves as kitty stand.


And a little basket. I have quite a lot of baskets and bowls lingering around at home, that tend to fill up with just whatever but bowls and baskets are quite easy finds and that my hands tend to grab. My sister said this one would at elast be really good for when I have three apples around but it actually only fit two.


I got Eddi a pair of 60's deadstock sandals. The brand is Fredrik which is also Eddi's name! They were a little bit too big though and he was not that thrilled about them. (Yet, he'll grow in to them.)


He was however very much more thrilled over the cheerleader suit I got from Americana (which looks surprisingly good on!) but a little disappointed to hear that I do not intend to wear it around town. One might catch it on stage at some point though...

A FINAL TOUCH

Been trying to bring on the warmth -I listen to Hawaiian guitars and we went out for (a lot of) tiki cocktails, but it didn't help - it's just getting colder and colder here! (But it was a good excuse to have lots of tropical drinks.)

Dress - 1950's vintage from Love Miss Daisy

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW : VALENTINES EDITION

♥ Happy Valentines! ♥

THE JAFFAS

Some years ago I mentioned the Jaffa posters here on this blog; soda advertisements from the late fifties and early sixties that made the billboards again in a retro campaign a few years back. I've always wanted these posters and for some reason I kept on wondering how to get them until it last summer struck me - what the hell is wrong with me? Few things are ever further than a google away!
(Yes, really, sometime I am so old school I actually forget about the internet and think I have to find stuff in real life.)

A few minutes later two of the Jaffas where on their way home to me.

The posters are made by Erik Bruun, one of my favorite Finnish graphic designers (I really love this one too for example :). They can be ordered from his shop.

IN THE VASE

Since I rather seldom have fresh flowers in the house during this time of year I put some fruit in a vase instead. A small fun variation to the fruit bowl. It suits the Christmas holidays but also winter in general I think.

PREPARATIONS

I'm at work in Siberian weather loaing like hell until midnight, but yesterday and this morning I prepared a lot of things and put ourselves in the Christmas mood!

With a martini and some Sinatra we decorated our small Christmas tree last night.

It's actually the first Christmas tree I've had since I moved away from home a decade ago!

I usually pack a lot of my gifts in old newspapers - saving money, saving nature. Normally I go for the daily papers I've read at home, but this time I picked up some free chinese magazines in my local supermarket (apparently Tapiola is full of Chinese readers?). I make the cards out of lace-like cake paper or left over gift paper from last year.

If you have no idea of what gifts to give, a pretty bowl (from the flea market/super market/fancy store, however you like it) filled with fresh fruit would at least be appreciated by me.

I baked heaps of gingerbreads! Spelt gingerbreads with a hint of orange and another set with almonds.

Eddi wasn't totally happy with being dressed in my apron, having to mix the other dough. But he did enjoy eating it later on.

Saved some for ourselves, while the rest is meant to be decorated and given away.

The decorated ones turned out surprisingly ugly though. For a while I considered saying it was Eddi's kids who baked them. Disappointment. But well, I'm good at a lot of other things! And they do taste good.

I also gave myself a little Christmas present!I had already give up on receiving these before the holidays, but then the delivery boy arrived only minutes before I was on my way to work. Ave Maria was playing in hte background when I opened the parcel. It was a very beautiful moment.

And very beautiful shoes!It is however minus 20 C outside so I won't be wearing these beauties for some time. Well, except for indoors.

Bonus cat-in-the-box!

How are your Holiday preparations coming along?

Ok, Edit : it's almost minus thirty, not 'just' twenty.