new year's resolutions (or: not a domestic goddess)

I'm not really one to make new year's resolutions, but in the past few weeks I've thought about some things I'd like to try this year. Or at least in the next few months - let's be realistic...

One of my non-resolutions is that I try to take better care of myself. I think this is something we all should remember, actually... It started as a promise to myself to cook more. I actually like cooking and baking, but was a bit shocked to realize I haven't eaten many home cooked meals in the past year. It began with working hours which seemed to leave no room for cooking (well, I also had only 10 minute breaks, not really enough time to heat and enjoy a decent meal), and after I've moved I've just eaten at the university cafeteria most days, and felt too knackered in the evening to cook more than boil water for instant porridge (which I like). The sorry state of my so-called kitchen doesn't encourage me a bit. So, cooking more, and hopefully, eating more healthily will be my goal. I'll have to make some new friends to invite over for dinner, as I'm always more inspired to cook if I don't have to eat alone.

After making the cooking resolution I thought I might as well do something for my general well-being (the healthy food would help here, of course). I've promised myself to tackle my sleeping issues, which go a way back - maybe I'm not meant to spend my life tired all the time, after all - and other, long neglected issues as well. I feel a bit self centered saying this, and unsure of whether said things are important enough for seeking help. But I hope all that will make me less self centered, in a way: a better friend, a better listener, more open to my friends and less deep in my little no-sleep universe (lack of sleep really does make me socially disabled).


I think my cooking skills would be miraculously refound if I had the apron in the photo, designed by a Finnish designer Tiia Vanhatapio for Artek. Though that apron surely has to be worn with some sexy high-heeled peep toes....


photo from fashionFINLAND.com

too tired to think of a title

This is what I've been doing, so nothing special going on here.

I've also been getting Christmas food cravings - I already bought Annas Pepparkakor (they are the best store bough I've found) few weeks ago, and the other day I was craving for glög (kind of mulled wine) and the dish very close to rice pudding we eat in Finland usually on the Christmas Eve (or at least, my family does). It's less sweet though, no vanilla, and we eat it as the main dish, hot & sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. And we call it porridge. Must sound crazy to everyone who's used to rice puddings... Traditionally one almond is put in the porridge, and the one who gets it will marry in the next year / get lucky some other way.

Maybe it was the snow that got me thinking of glög and all. It's all gone now, though - well, I don't have to decide whether to get winter tyres for my bike or just stop cycling. But just today I was thinking of my nephew, who's going to be two in three months (already! can't believe that) and then I realized how near Christmas is. Better do something about it. No self-made presents this year at all, but maybe Etsy will come to help!


Now I'll stop babbling - here are some links for you to look at while I sip glög and try to get back to work:

I found Kris Atomic's blog just today. I like it even better because the first thing I saw was lyrics from a song I like. :)

And she reminded me (one of her posts did, that is) about Robert Ryan. I've been in love with his beautiful and amazing work for a while, but didn't knew he had a blog too. And here's his shop.


Have a good week, y'all! (As I'd say if I spoke with Southern American accent. That's what I've been studying about. [by the way, just last week I was told I write American English and speak with a British accent. Hmm.])

svea choklad

This tin is a flea market find, from Helsinki in October. It's really beautiful, with all kinds of butterflies round it (everyone's different, and there's also their species in Swedish and Latin), and quite large - about 22 cm in circumference. I probably found it only because my friend J was with me; he seems to have good flea market karma. Some people do, they always find something nice - like miss A, who is the queen of fleamarket finds - and some don't. I don't usually find anything special, or maybe it's also the fact that I want the stuff I buy be too special for it to come home with me, cheap or not.

On the lid it says 'AB Svea Choklad Norrköping'. Does Svea Choklad still exist, Swedes out there?

I still don't know what I'm going to keep there - but clearly that should be something really nice.

seen in helsinki

Right after Kristy* commented how sunny it looked around where I live, it`s been nothing but rain, rain, rain. Or mostly, anyway. Plus I seem to be getting a cold - but I`m planning to fight it, there`s no way I have time to get ill right now!
*Here`s a warning if you go see her blog: she`s been baking lately, and just looking at those photos will make your mouth water - so be prepared to get a yearning for something sweet and chocolatey!

A couple of weeks ago I saw these Pantone mugs displayed in the window of a store called Pino (Finns, they have a web store too!). I got an urge to buy them all and display them nicely on an open shelf...








Been travelling back and forth between Tampere and Helsinki, plus getting accustomed of being a full time student again (I love it so far!), but will be getting back soon.

happy day

Things that made me happy today:

-a good night`s sleep
-sunny weather
-surprisingly good Indian-esque veggie dish at the university café
-my cousin promising to loan her bike to me (and it`s light blue! cute)
-getting some practical things done, like buying and hanging a pendant light - it certainly does a difference
-the scent of apples in the air when I came back to my apartment in the evening
-my new favourite spoon by Hackman; I happened to see it while looking for something else, and had to get a frog-spoon for me and a fox for a certain someone... (couldn`t find the information on their English site)


you can see me in the pic too! that wasn`t intentional...

I love that big cup. I use it for coffee on special days, especially those days I have time to make café au lait and read magazines in the morning, maybe even eat a croissant if I feel like pretending I`m in Paris or something - though Finnish croissants are nothing like the ones in France. Or I eat yoghurt or even cereal from it. Can`t remember who`s the designer of the cup though... I bought it from Design torget in Stockholm a couple of years ago, and still regret I didn`t buy a sky-blue one too. (Okay, I did have extremely little money at the time. But still.) It`s surpringly thin and light for being such a large cup, and I`m always worried it`l break - that`s why it`s only for special days. Or days you need to make special with choosing a special cup. :)

lazy monday

my new totally cool lego ring


Meeting Miss H for some record shopping (we both bought Jenny Wilson`s cd - I wonder how the guy in the record shop guessed we`d seen the gig ;) ) and coffee*. Enjoying the afternoon sun and sitting outside watching people busily buzzing by. Popping in several small & nice shops. Finding red shoes at sale (over 50% off, and I`ve been looking for red shoes - too good to pass).




I happened to find this thermos for 2 euros from Fida (a charity second hand store). I think their prices are usually rather high, at least in the shop near me, but this really was a bargain. It seems to be unused. The strawberry glasses are thrifted too, I got them as a birthday present a year ago.


De Rit organic honey waffles are my favourite!


label still intact

Inspired by our shopping tour today, I thought I`d share this link with anyone who`s interested in design-related things and visiting Helsinki and haven`t found this yet. Design District Helsinki is a site where you can find information about stores, galleries and restaurants. Not every place worth visiting is there, but a lot of them are. Quite many stores selling young Finnish designers are included too. Också på svenska!



*I want to adopt the Swedish term fika. Finnish has no one word for describing the concept, but we have execution down pat! Finns too drink lots of coffee. Even the most ordinary day can have a hint of festivity in it if someone suggests: Let`s go have coffee! ...Mmm, I think it`s time for some (Swedish) coffee and those waffles...

ends & beginnings

Today`s my last day at work. Then it`s bye-bye shoe shop, hello vacation! Starting tomorrow I`ll have about five weeks to do just what I please (including getting a new apartment, taking care of a bunch of stuff you need to do when you move, packing, and actually moving).

On one hand I feel like I could`ve continued working for a couple more weeks. Even though the work itself didn`t feel that satisfying (I worked in another shoe shop before this for years), the people I worked with were mostly nice. Some of them really nice, in fact. And I could use the money for sure - in fact I spent yesterday second-guessing my decision to quit this long before my studies begin.



In reality (and I`m trying to assure myself) I do need this vacation. I feel like the summer has flown by without me noticing and been really stressed out. I`ve been feeling poorly for a while for no obvious reason and I honestly can`t remember the last time I woke up and didn`t feel tired. So I`m telling myself it`s okay to take some time off even if I do miss some of the 'girls' in the shop already. Why is it so hard to enjoy the vacation without guilty conscience?

Oh, I`m not planning to do nothing. In addition to do all the things I have to do, I`m planning to read a book (at least one), spend a lot of time outside, take nephew with me to a park for a whole day, have a Settlers of Cataan -marathon with P & M, buy a bicycle at last, eat more strawberries, have morning coffee in an outdoor cafe near me, just hang around and enjoy Helsinki at it`s best, and visit a couple of other places. Enjoy having no time table. And try not to worry about things that I`m not doing.





On another note, in the photo above is what I got from J, one of the really nice people at work. She`s the best. J is taking a year off school, in addition to selling shoes she makes replicas of period hats (for example, she seems to do A LOT of things - I feel such a slob compared to her). She even has her own super cute logo. And she`s one of the reasons I`d been glad to stay in my job were I not moving.
The brooch is made from old wellies (the center with the bear print is rubber), ribbons and light reflective ribbon*. I`ve admired J`s similar brooch many times, and now I got my own! I just love it. I think this will embellish my coat come autumn, but I`d really like to wear it with a chic dress for a party!

*I don`t know a correct English word - in Finland it`s commonly used e.g. in jogging suits and children`s outerwear; it allows the drivers see the pedestrians better in the dark. You know we have many dark winter months here!

zipper love

This is one of my two brand new rissarossi brooches. Made by Taija Leinonen, whom I kind of know (she`s a friend to a friend, or two friends actually, and a nice gal). While in Oulu I indulged in some serious shopping - the sales prices there were so much lower than in Helsinki, I had to really - and found a really nice green dress that just screamed for a rissarossi to go with it. So I mailed her and asked if she had some in stock, and in a week I got not one but two delivered straight home!

As you can see they`re made of zippers, recycled ones actually - she gets them from dressmakers who change old zippers and then save them to her. Her brooches are available in Secco Shop in Helsinki and in their web shop too. They`ve got all kind of great stuff made of recycled material, check it out! Taija`s brooches are also sold in Musta kana in Oulu. I think.




The other brooch already got to go to work with me and the aforementioned dress. I asked for a dark brown one and then one colourful - didn`t ask for a specific colour since of course bright colours are harder to get - and I got a lovely green one.
For all non-Finns and for ignorant Finns too (like I was), rissa means a zipper (maybe in northern Finland - I hadn`t ever heard it before) and rossi is a brooch.


The weather was rainy and cool on Monday, and it seems it`ll rain for the whole Tuesday too. I have three more days of work - hope the sun will come back for my vacation!

Found this blog via Karkovski. Great photos & I love the furniture in her bedroom!

Have a good week all, whether working or vacationing.

reading is sexy

Today I worked only until four - usually I get off at 7:30 or eight - and on the way home popped in to the second-hand book shop in my building. Yes, I live above a second-hand book shop, and a good one too, I`ve heard it`s one of the best (if not the best) in Helsinki. And it`s easy to believe, the owner, a quiet and amicable old man (at least he seems that way) often has even brand new books for sale at a reasonable price, the books don`t cost much and he seems to give a little discount for every student-looking person entering the shop.

I spent about 7 minutes in the shop, and managed to find the following books:

*Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
*Putkinotko by Joel Lehtonen (a Finnish classic)
*Only in London by Hanan Al Shaykh (in Finnish)

The first two are paperbacks, in good condition, and the last is hardback and looks as good as new - and all this cost me six euros. Three books in seven minutes - do you see why I try not to go there often?* Books in Finland are quite expensive, by the way - I could maybe find a very thin paperback for six euros in a (not-second-hand) book store. I think normal price for a new, hardback novel would be about 25 euros. Well, I guess that`s what we`ll get for having a very good public library system.

*One might ask if it is possible to own too many books. The answer is, yes it is, at least if you don`t have the means to pay for a house with a fairly large library of your own. Having seen how two serious book lovers move together and try to squeeze their collection in to a 50 sq m apartment, I`ve vowed myself to restrict book shopping. I like to see the walls of a room from the book shelves. Another alternative is to have means to pay for a house with a fairly large library - but with me it`s leaving home the way that does not pass the book shop.


I know where some money not used for buying books could go to: this great shirt by Sarah Utter. I think I`d like mine in pink, but there are other styles and colours too. Hmm, my birthday is approaching...


Next: some exciting news!


(the photo is from Oulu)