Sailor Tie Top - Tara Starlet (I love love love), Culottes - old H&M, Lace kneesocks - Norlyn, Shoes - Fabbri
My dear friend K just turned 28 and held a tea party today with lots and lots of cakes, macaroons and mini cupcakes. All home made, all delicious.
K loves pink and candy so I gave her a gift with pink and candy on my mind. And I dressed up thinking pink and candy. And 1930's, sailors and sailorettes.
I don't like to read long texts on a screen. I kind of of think that applies to everyone else (even though I know that it really doesn't) so I mostly try to keep my writings short. In order to avoid too much scrolling I'll answer the questions received so far now alrady.
Here's some Soft Sunday music to go along with the reading (or scrolling in case you don't give a F):
-I have always wondered what it is you really work with? I work as a freelancing graphic designer, I do random commissions, but I also frequently work with a textile and apparel company together with my friend K. We do product planning, sketches and package design. I also work in the harbor as a cargo supervisor; we load and unload ships and I see that everything goes as planned. It's kind of blue collar.
Have you lived in Budapest? What did you do there. -I studied graphic design in BP in 2003 at MIE; Magyar Iparmûvészeti Egyetem, which I believe is nowadays called MOME. My mentor told me "Budapest has a great nightlife, so don't take too many courses". I took his advide.
Any photoshop secrets or other editing tips and tricks you'd like to share ;)? -Remember to save versions in between! And well, play around with adjustement layers etc. You learn a lot by doing and trying. And google up and read threads and forums.
How do you take such gorgeous pictures?! -Heh, by taking many. Out of ten there should be one usable :)
Do you use hair extensions or is it ur real hair? -Nips, it's all my own!
What's my favourite Food: I like a lot, but tapas and meze dishes with good wine always works for me! And sushi. Band : I used to say Interpol but nowadays I've distanced from it. I like rautalanka (and surf) the most, so bands that play that well! Most people find it rather geeky :D Book : perhaps Orwell's 1984 Movie : Depends, it used to be A Clockwork Orange. I don't really have a "number one" of anything, I like so many different things in different ways.
Do you work out? -Too little these days - I used to work out six times a week at the gym, with yoga and savate (you get a little manic by doin it too often so that's not good either). Nowadays I go swimming about once a week and then try to squeeze in some hot yoga once or twice a month... I'm trying to make time for savate again, but haven't done it even once this year.
What languages do you speak? -Swedish (mother toungue), Finnish, English, French, German. Some elementary Hungarian that I keep on forgetting more and more about. Since I speak Swedish I can get by on Norwegian and Dansih, it kind of comes as a bonus. I'd like to say Estonian too but I'm so bad at it I'm not sure it counts.
What do you usually eat during the day? -Sandwiches
What is your favourite bar&club in Helsinki? -For easy dining and wine Bar No9, otherwise perhaps Bar Loose. Right now all places seem a but dull. Autumn depression perhaps.
Are you one a diet or think what you are eating? - I eat whatever I want but in general rather healthy. I always have to have some uncooked vegetables with every meal. It feels great not to avoid anything anylonger, I don't care about carbs or calories.
Are you vegetarian? -Yes, I've been quite a strict one but I have fish and eggs nowadays.
When did you became so stylish, have you always dressed that way? (oh thanks :) -I've had different styles, some more some less stylish I guess but I've always paid attention to both details and the whole.
What kind of style you had when you were a teenager? - Black black black and slightly bohemian, after which I became something of an arty psychedelic hippie girl.
Height & weight? -165 cm, I don't weight myself that often but something around 63 kilos I think.
How did you get the idea to start performing burlesque / How did you get involved in Burlesque performance? -I've always loved the look of burlesque but it wasn't until I saw it live for the first time a couple of years ago (and Paula who was there with me told me "you have such a burlesque body!") I started thinking "I could do this!". Friends and friends of friends were also interested and we put together our group. Burlesque is new in Finland and the scene small, so it was easy to join in, we were definitaly in the right place at the right time!
What educations do you have? -I'm a Bachelor of Arts, my major was graphic design. I studied painting before that for a year.
Do you have a boyfriend? -Yes.
What's yout name? -Ulrika
I would love to know the story behind your "förlåt mig" tattoo -I took it after my previous relationship, when we broke off our engagement. It's says forgive me for his sake as well as my own.
Do you promise to answer me if I send you an email and ask about where to go and what to see in Helsinki if I ever end up there? -Yes. But it might take some time before I answer it and you can remind me if it takes too long :)
How do you manage such a hectic lifestyle with freelancing, sewing, your job at the harbor, and burlesque and still manage to -look absolutely fabulous? (thanks again:) Basically I never have any free time. Even if I take days off there is always something I should be working with... The good thing with my harbor job, and one of the main reasons why I'm still there, is that I have every third week free but still get paid for the whole month and have full vacations! That helps and also makes it pretty hard to quit.
Have you ever seen the comic Fritzi Ritz? - No, but now I have :D
Any tips on how to get the lipstick stay on your lips and how to avoid chapping at the same time? -Hmm, I have sensitive skin and my lips get dry or irritated from time to time. I wear a fat cream from the pharmacy (like Bepanthen) during the night and put chapstick (like the blistex tube that doesn't really "stay on" the lips but) on in good time before the lipstick. Sometimes I just paint my lips with liner and put vaseline on for a more "lipstick look". (you need to bite it off a bit and add some more colour afterwards for an even result.) Have you tried changing to a more moisturizing lipstick? The Gosh soft n' Shine lipbalm has so much colour that it works more as a lipstick but is still pretty moist.
I'm not really an arrogant A hole. But I am rather unorganized. And very busy. I tend to forget to answer questions I get in my comments. Sometimes it can take me a long time to answer blog related mails written to me too.
So I thought I'd do this thing were you can ask me anything and I will answer almost everything!
This is my sneaky-suspicious look when I say, ok, go ahead and ask then.
I'll answer a couple of questions/requests I remember now straight away 1. Make up I get lots of questions about makeup. But the thing is, I will never do a makeup tutorial - there are tons of youtube tutorials out there that go for the same look and they're all pretty much similar to each other. I do the same make up almost every day, just make it heavier and add some glitter for shows. And in the end you still have to see what suits your own face the best.
But I will do a post about makeup; which products I use and some tricks I rely on, that I promise!
2. Photos "I'm always curious about whether you take all your own photos and how you always manage to get the lighting so spot on? " Well, first of all I have a pretty good camera. Not a great one, but an OK that can take great pics if you do it right. If there's not time nor good light for getting it right, I fix the photos in Photoshop afterwards, Levels, Curves etc. Basically there's nothing I can't do in Photoshop, although I prefer to get away as easily as possible. (Well as you can see the photo above has some more playing around than just levels and curves - sometimes that's real fun too - especially if you should be working with something different than making yourself look all 1939 for example :) I indulge quite a lot what I like to call "forced photography" -heheh- as I have my sister or a friend take some pics for my blog ("You have to take some pictures for my blog now!"), but I do take many of them on my own too.
That's it. If you post a question here during the weekend and perhaps the beginning of next week too I promise I'll answer them all by next weekend in a post!
Oh, and if you come here a lot and react a lot and I have forgotten to link you let me know!
I've been ill the whole week and have spent my time here at home reading, drinking lots of tea and (yes! yes! finally!) organizing my desk and drawers ...and also, doing lots of online shopping. That's why I will never have space in my wardrobe - as son as I sell something away new items come in. Oh, materialism, oh vanity! (And that's why I'll never be rich either. But at least I'll die well dressed.)
A pair of boots I ordered late on wednesday night arrived today already, brought straight home to my door! What more can a little piggie-flu girl ask for?
(the cat will, of course, be in the box the same second I take the shoes out of it...)
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah! The Melissa Ashanti flocked boot. Water resistant. Me likes.
Yeees. Rainy days, here we come!
The fact that I now own a pair of water resistant shoes for autumn make me very very happy. It's like I never really believed I could actually have a pair of pretty shoes that can master the nasty weathers to come. Plus that they're vegan too. I ordered mine from Luis Via Roma, and the FedEx home delivery was included in the price! (Well, with the range -and price- of the other items in their store, I'm not surprised.. :)
Sometimes I may wear something which makes me feel real preppy and active and almost makes it easier running here and there and everywhere to take care of tasks and errands one has around town. For me it may be voluminous skirts that go puff-puff when I walk and shirts in fresh colours that does the trick one day (but perhaps something totally different the next). This time it was exactly that, and I got tons of things and jobs done.
The photo is a bit over exposed and you can watch an even more overexposed video of our most girlie burlesque number here. Me on the other hand have been exposed to some germs or cold, I have the flu and will be spending most of my time in bed this week doing nothing. Atchoo.
(The skirt is Miss60, the bag vintage and the rest plain ol' H&M)
You know how the story goes. You meet. It's either love at first sight, or then an interest slowly developing into something more. But either way, if everything goes well you get one another one fine day. You go on adventures together, as well as go through everyday life.
But, at some point you notice that things are not like before. You don't see each other that much anymore. You don't long for each other like you used to. You may have grown apart (literally). You realize you never go out together. You find new points of interest. You might even find it hard to believe you actually spent so much time together back in the days. You may seem so different from each other now. And even if feelings might still be warm, there just comes a point where you, even if it may hurt, have to take the guts to take action and say it out loud: I just don't see a future for us anymore.
I have done it. In other words, I'm selling some more things away in my other blog!
My saffron colored skirt that should rather belong on a parade girl spinning a stick along with red jackets, white boots, trumpets and elephants (or on you :) than just hanging in my closet. My most wonderful bowed dress and my sandals that say True love! I will go through some more breakups during the weeks to come so stay tuned.
A lot of illustrations today tend to have this folky, decoratvie vibe to it. I'd dare to say Klaus was among the first, if not the very first one, to start the trend.
Tonight we'll participate in the Books & Burlesque Happening, as part of the Night of Arts. You can draw us and a bunch of other burlesque boys and girls during the Dr. Sketchy's sessions in the window of Suomalainen Kirjakauppa from 18.00 to 22.00. Afterwards there will be shows in the bookstore!
Tomorrow it's time for Burlesque Goes Kapakka at Vanha, from 21.00 onwards. There is no entry fee since the happening is part of Art Goes Kapakka! We'll do a pinup vintage and retro lingerie fashionshow at 21:30, after which we do two half hour burlesque sets at 21:50 and 23:30. Gunmolls & Gansters play in between and Sweet Jeena and Her Sweethearts treat you with some swingin' tunes after our last show (and you might catch a glimpse of us doing some slight rockabilly-a gogo on stage too :)
So, if you're around Helsinki you'll know what not to miss!
(Bonus pic for a glimpse of the hair-do. All rolls rolled upwards, towards the head):
Hi, this is the weather blog reporting. This week it seems I will only be able to discuss the subject of the fact that I can't decide weather it's still summer or early autumn. (yey!)
Well anyway, it was rather chilly in the morning so I did a two-in-one by hiding my messy hair in my beret and saving my little ears from the nasty wind in the same time. You know I love my beret so I was a smoewhat happy to wear it again after its summer break. In the afternoon I fixed my locks and went to watch some dinosaur skeletons to the zoological museum and gladly put the beret on again. But by then it was hot as hell and my head started sweating and I felt stupid but the beret had already made my hair flat underneath so I couldn't take it off anymore. (=Vain welfare country problem.)
But after the skeletons (I just love the word skeleton. S k e l e t o n !) and dinner it was all chilly and fine again. End of story.
(Dress - Sans noblesse, Belt - random ribbon tied into a bow, Bag & beret - vintage, Shoes - ois, Cardigan - old) -I have a strange pose and the pic is blurry but you can't always have it all you know -
Still in the limbo of the summer and autumn in-between. Hot one minute, cold the niex. But almost unnoticeably I've already strated dressing darker. (And I'm continuing the 'making-skirts-and-tops-look-like-a-dress'-thing. Not that there's any point with that really since skirts are skirts and tops are tops, dresses are dresses. But, whatever, it's fun anyway)
The ribbon around my waist was originally part of a rather psychedelic polyester jacket, found on a flea market and sold away long ago already. The jacket may be gone but the ribbon stayed and nowadays wear it in my hair or around my waist. (Versatility points added.) It always gives me this kind of folk-y slavish vibe.
The end of summer is somewhat always sad, even warm and perfectly fine sunny days feel like one is sort of fooling one self, since autumn is just around the corner. Not that it's all that bad, as I have stated that autumn kind of is my favorite time of season.
As the weather now has varied from cold, windy and rainy one minute and pretty nice and hot the next, and with rather chilly mornings I'm slowly starting to get into that autumn mood - over romanticizing the image of walks under colorful trees and clear skies, wrapped in big scarves, legs covered with warm stockings (you know, all those thing you are happy to get rid of as spring turns into summer...), wet leaves on the ground. My colours of choice change from pastels into classical september-y ones like plum, petrol, okra and brownish shades. These autumn vibes got even stronger when I went to pick up a parcel with some H&M things I''d pre orderd one hangover morning in June - tweed shoes, headbands and knits.
So, if I'd go all fashionista I'd say these were some of my autumn favorites for the soming season. (I don't really talk like that no but I guess I just said it anyway.)
Yey! We made it into the AGK Festival Top 10 and my face made it into the mag ;)
The yearly Helsinki Festival as well as Art goes Kapakka festival (which could be translated into something like “art hits the pub”), with lot and lots of happenings, kicks off about now. And we are part of it : ON the Night of Arts, Friday 21st, we’ll model for a Dr. Sketchy’s session togheter with some other local burlesque boys and girls in the window of a bookstore downtown (Suomalainen Kirjakauppa by Kolmen Sepän Patsas)! Afterwards we’ll do a show inside the store.
The day after, Saturday 22nd, it’s time for the Burlesque Goes Kapakka where we'll do two long sets in between the bands. You'll hear garage rock by Gunmolls & Gangster and rockabilly by Sweet Jeena and her Sweethearts. The evening starts with a burlesque-y pinup fashion show featuring Miranda Lingerie and accessories from Hoochie Mama Jane. (And us :)
Here's a sneak peak of the things you'll see...
There'll be some crazy Wild West action (Photo: Taina Kerttula)
And a trip to the Finnish country side some 50 years ago, with daisies, strawberreis and rautalanka! And much much more.
I love stop motion animations! (And pasta and spaghetti westerns as well :)
But there's also something terribly wrong with me since I (like mentioned before...) just can't enjoy these without thinking about all the work behind it and that gives me a slight headache. And makes me a bit jealous too.
It's less worse going back to work after your vacation if you bring the coolest coffee mug ever with you.
Not only does it have Elvis on it, it also plays Elvis.
(That makes pretty much and pretty often of Elvis throughout the day so it might not remain the coolest mug in the world forever though... or no wait, yes it will.)
Me and my sewing machine have produced the ultimate wiggle dress!
Originally made for a show of mine, it also works great as a party dress and fits like a glove, with buttons all the way up and a soft leopard lining. (But, to be honest, I can't call myself a genius though - I had to add fabric three times in order to be able to fit in and fasten it, which after some minor (read: major) swearing actually turned out rather nice with three fancy seams in the front that looks totally "meant to be". And I have to pin it to my bra I order not to flash too much of what's inside of it... )
Minna Parikka on Bulevardi. Visit recommended if you are in Helsinki.
What's good news for you may not always be good news for your wallet, but thumbs up either way- Minna Parikka has launched a collection of knitwear and gloves! The items showed up in her store today, and can be admired on her site and webshop soon, along with the autumn collection of shoes. I picked up the collection brochure today, and no need to add that I'm drooling over a lot of the content in it...
Cardigans and jumpers, dresses and skirts. It was really hot and humid today so I wasn't in the mood for mohair and wool, but there sure is a long red zipped dress that I got my eye on for colder days...
And gloves! Oh so pretty but for the price of a plane ticket to, say, Budapest...
A peak of the designer dressed in her own creations. (And a mini-peak of me in the mirror. Don't know why I had to point that out but anyway, mini peak of me.)
Minna's store beats any candyshop anytime:
Oh, oh, oh!
The sale is still going on in her shop and online btw and some of the items are heavily reduced so maybe worth to check out!
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah! The Melissa Ashanti flocked boot. Water resistant. Me likes.
Yeees. Rainy days, here we come! 
The photo is a bit over exposed and you can watch an even more overexposed video of our most girlie burlesque number here. Me on the other hand have been exposed to some germs or cold, I have the flu and will be spending most of my time in bed this week doing nothing. Atchoo.
My saffron colored skirt that should rather belong on a parade girl spinning a stick along with red jackets, white boots, trumpets and elephants (or on you :) than just hanging in my closet. My most wonderful bowed dress and my sandals that say True love!
Hi, this is the weather blog reporting.
Headband -New, scarf - Grandma's old.
Shoes - New, Stockings-old
There'll be some crazy Wild West action (Photo: Taina Kerttula) 
And a trip to the Finnish country side some 50 years ago, with daisies, strawberreis and rautalanka! And much much more.
It's less worse going back to work after your vacation if you bring the coolest coffee mug ever with you.
Minna Parikka on Bulevardi. Visit recommended if you are in Helsinki.
Cardigans and jumpers, dresses and skirts. It was really hot and humid today so I wasn't in the mood for mohair and wool, but there sure is a long red zipped dress that I got my eye on for colder days...
And gloves! Oh so pretty but for the price of a plane ticket to, say, Budapest...
A peak of the designer dressed in her own creations. (And a mini-peak of me in the mirror. Don't know why I had to point that out but anyway, mini peak of me.)
Oh, oh, oh!
