Monday, April 30, 2012

Juhlat - Celebration







































































The most important in celebrating is spend time with your friends and family. What comes with it is just bonus. So relax and enjoy - try to make it easy - do it together. Like Kinfolk people. So beautiful parties and people. They have a splendid manifesto ...and lovely photos. Haven't really read their magazine yet but planning to and of course looked very carefully through their website. 


Here's what I think. It's not about money. Maybe the idea is that everybody takes part...and bring something to eat or for decoration or some good drinks or some good music, nice tablecloths - mix everything and don't care if you don't have everything in perfect harmony. Eclectic - let it be fun! If it feels too dangerous - choose a color and go with it. If color is too boring take a theme. But if these all are seen and done - make a trip to your old childhood photo album. Choose one pic and make your party theme like the feeling you have when you are watching that photo...


Have a lovely celebrations!




Sunday, April 22, 2012

Keskeneräinen - My ongoing projects

"I have to have time to do this and that, but I just don't have the time." How often you've been thinking like that? How many wonderful things has been forgotten and undone. I've been thinking like that so many times until last autumn - I decided that I have to have time and if I don't - I'll make it. So I've been quite a lot at home in weekends and started different kind of trials. It's been worth it. When I'm working at my daytime job, I'm at least 8 hours per day connected to some kind of machine...computer, camera, flashes...so it's wonderful to only use your own hands. I can feel different kind of materials in my hands...okay, I might use sewing machine, drill...but still the idea of doing something my own... and I've noticed that it's important to me. Make my own decisions - it's fun to say the final word...the result can be awful or great - what ever it is - you can only blame or thank yourself. Now this kind of doing feels really refreshing. Would you like to do it? ...You know even if the first ones would be disastrous - who cares - I didn't - try again or try something else. And if you can't make something ready or good enough, maybe that is what it should be - unfinished.  You will find your way... I believe or I have to believe because I've already taken the first step. And the best thing is - I don't know where it will take me. It's a adventure. Come along!


Se ei ole askartelua tai käsitöitä eikä puutöitä vaan se on kaikessa yksinkertaisuudessaan universaalia piipertämistä. Minä piiperrän. Toiset projektini ottavat siivet alleen ja toiset tekevät pakkolaskun puuhahuoneeni kauimmaiseen nurkkaan, jonne ei tosin huoneen työpöydältä ole kovinkaan monta neliömetriä…mutta kuitenkin. Ajatus saa lentää vapaana tuon tuostakin – se on tärkeintä. Ja joskus joku työ jää vain kesken. Se ei vain kehity mihinkään. Ehkä sillekin tulee oma aikansa ja paikkansa. Ja vaikka sille ei koskaan sellaista tulisikaan, niin silläkin on kuitenkin oma merkityksensä – keskeneräisenä.


Have you seen a lamp shade?




Waking up birds and butterflies




Earrings - Let's play Bingo!




Grandmother doesn't live here.  But I used her old pearls to make new earrings.  




Cherry blossoms - I never get bored with








Mosaic - the slowest friend of mine

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Myöhäinen Brunssi - A Weekend Brunch

This weekend we had a late brunch. I recommend. 
We had a little bit different plans but this is how it turned out. 
Can't complain. Brilliant way to get more power to start a new work week!










Totally wrinkled table cloth










say cheese










whitefish - i think










salad with seeds in a corner










homemade juice - redcurrant










rhubarb-strawberry cake - gluten free and dairy free 



































Have a sweet and colorful week!


Saturday, April 14, 2012

James Farkut - Finnish Vintage James Jeans

vintage jeans - James jeans


















This is a true story of how silly a vintage fan I can be. A big auction was coming and I found out that there were some fabulous never used 1950-60’s vintage clothing. I went to see them and I found children sized James jeans. Wow! For your knowledge James jeans is legendary and iconic Finnish jeans trademark. First they were called James Dean but when Dean died in 1955, they changed the name to James. That time you could see these cool jeans on Finnish rock stars like Danny. But when the next generation grew up, they didn’t want to wear same kind of jeans, which their parents did, so that was a beginning to the swan song for James jeans. It was Mattisen teollisuus which made these Finnish legendary jeans. In 1990’s L-Fashion Group brought James back with low profile to supermarkets. 




lovely label

































































But let’s go back to my auction story… After I found these lovely jeans, I made a bid and I got the box I wanted. But because of large number of boxes I went through, I had remembered wrong and I had chosen wrong box that didn’t have James jeans. Oh my…! I was so disappointed…and I didn’t understand how I had remembered so wrong! But at the same time it occurred to me that I wasn’t alone collecting my bid. I started thinking that I had seen one lady organizing huge number of these boxes when I collected mine and then a thought came to my mind. Could I ask her if she could change something from my box to these James jeans, which I really remembered and which she had in her boxes. And there were more than one pair of jeans so I could ask and it wouldn’t be so bad…so I went back. And when I saw her again - she really looked familiar. I recognized that she was the owner of one lovely vintage clothing shop...which is a really sweet place. So I asked her…if we could do the change. I wanted them badly. It was a really funny situation. Almost embarrassing. And first it was awful but we talked about the matter and after weird beginning - we got an agreement that she looks my box through and if she finds something interesting she can change James jeans to me…but she didn’t find anything!  (great)…then she asked if I want to buy them from her. Well, if you go to the auction…and you end up buying from somebody else’s bid, it is evident that it’s not cheap! But I had to get them - so I did. I paid more money only because of having been stupid. Well, can’t complain after I got a second chance and I was happy and she was happy.




Can you imagine that I got a second chance? Funny things happen and I have to admit that it was great to talk with her. She is pro shopper in auctions. And I’ve been thinking, how fun it is to tell my godson (when he’s a little bit older) how I got those James jeans for him…auntie is a little bit foolish but didn’t give up! That is the main point in this story – don’t give up. As the box lady said…it was the right decision to come and ask…you never know…but if I hadn’t asked…I’d never know and I would be thinking that I should have… whatever. The most important thing is that now I have a wonderful gift to my lovely godson – James jeans - he will have the most coolest vintagest jeans eveeer!


Have you ever made a wrong bid or have you bought something that you really don't need...?
Here are little sneak peeks to some other clothing which were in the box….they are also quite nice!






















































Jamekset! Löytyivät huutokaupasta. Luulin huutaneeni itselleni oikean laatikon, jossa olisi sellaiset aidot ja käyttämättömät. Mutta sepä olikin väärä laatikko. Tämän havainnon jälkeen löysin itseni tilanteesta, jossa olin neuvottelemassa toisen huutajan kanssa hänen laatikoissaan olevista James farkuista. Ehdotin vaihtokauppaa mutta laatikossani ei ollut mitään mitä hän olisi halunnut. Lopputuloksena päädyin siis ostamaan kuvien Jamekset kummipojallemme tältä toiselta huutajalta. Ei ollut aivan halpaa mutta sen väärti. Ja minkäs sille mahtaa, jos on itse mokannut - niin siitä saa myös sitten ihan itse myös maksaa. Mutta ei harmita laisinkaan. Juttu tuokio tämän vintageliikkeen pitäjän kanssa oli loistava ja loppujen lopuksi sain sen minkä halusin...ja paljon muuta. Muutama kuva laatikon vaatteista. Kaikki ovat siis käyttämättömiä 1950-60-lukujen vaatteita.  

Monday, April 9, 2012

Pääsiäismatka - Easter road trip


This is a photographic essay of our Easter road trip to see our moms in Western Finland. We found lovely grove and rapid and I found out that my mom's orange tree is 47 years old and that it has grown from fruit seed which was bought at a grocery store in 1965. I was amazed. I knew it was quite old but 47 years that was surprise. Spring in Finland is just beginning. We have harsh light and it reveals everything which has been sleeping under the snow.


Tämä on kuvaessee matkasta äideille pääsiäisenä. Kevään kova valo paljastaa lumen alla nukkuneen luonnon, joka on heräilemässä uuteen kasvukauteen. Äideillä on hauskoja harrastuksia. Toinen keräilee kiviä ja toinen maalailee posliinia. Ja itselleni yllätyksenä tuli, koska olin täysin unohtanut, että äitini olohuoneessa kasvava appelsiinipuu on 47 vuotta vanha. Se on kasvanut vuonna 1965 kaupasta ostetun appelsiinin siemenestä. Hullunkurista. Todellakaan en voisi kuvitella, että nykypäivän kaupan hedelmien siemenistä kasvaisi yhtään mitään. Ja aika hurjan hieno onnistumisen tunne on äidilläni ollut, kun on saanut siemenen kasvamaan. Puhuimme, että ensi kerralla voisin ottaa oksan puusta ja yrittää kasvattaa siitä uutta puuta. Voi olla mahdotonta mutta voihan sitä aina kokeilla!


Willow in the sun




























Snack





























Run-down old gas station. Or it was before big chain of stations.



Pines and the blue sky with sweet clouds.






Run-down house next to the road. I wonder what kind of history it has.





Pheasant's feather at mom. She also collects stones.






























Old-fashioned lace in a window at mom.





Barn in the middle of field. In Finland you can see a lot of barns 
when you are driving through the countryside.
































Barn close-up





Coltsfoot - first spring flower





























Someone's road to home





























Red is the color of the countryside






























My love and power lines































Our destination -  Mommola rapids





























There was a grove next to rapid. Beautiful.




Mom walking with her green colors




Mommola rapid





























On the way back mom's place -reflection of us and the road





























Mom's hobby - porcelain painting. Rose vase and below there is the table cloth made 
by mom's auntie. Crafts run in our veins. 




Orange tree. My mom has grown it from an orange seed bought at a grocery store.
It's very old tree because the year when the orange was bought from grocery 
store was 1965. So orange tree has been in my mom's living room 47 years.
It has lot of  thorns - oranges are safe.




On the way back home































Sunday, April 1, 2012

Suunnittelija ja kuvittaja - Lovisa Burfitt - fashion illustrator and designer



































Upeaa ja mielenkiintoista designia ja suunnittelua -
Lovisa Burfittin kuvittamat Rörstrandin Mlle Oiseau  kupposet tarttuivat matkaan saman tien, kun ne näin viime vuonna. Oikeastaan ostin kolme, että on varaa rikkoakin. Arjen aamupalan sulostuttaja ja aamukahvin koti. Tänään päätin tehdä Burfittin mukin kuvituksesta mood boardin. Liekö linnun laulu korvissa vaikuttanut päätökseen ja tulkintaan. Tummat kohtalokkaat sävyt luovat kivan kontrastin tulvivalle valolle. Ja aivan loistava lause maanantain iloksi meille kaikille: Today I am a bird...  


Oh so wonderful design by Lovisa Burfitt. Mlle Oiseau Mug for Rörstrand is fabulous. I bought this mug sometime ago - last year and actually I bought three because sometimes we break these precious things...anyway after that I've enjoyed it's beauty at breakfast table and evening tea. And today I made a mood board of this Mlle Oiseau Mug...and you might notice that it was great fun to photograph this mug for me. Maybe it was bird singing in the morning or April but this decision took me to black and white with only one color. These dark shaded pictures makes interesting contrast to bright and shiny spring day. I think it's so lovely to have pretty things around you especially on monday morning at breakfast time. And it's good to read then carefully: Today I am a bird...  






































Have an inspiring week!
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