LACE

I feel that I most of the lately time have been running around in my different versions of my "beatnik look" (sans the belly of course, but plus a lot of layers on top of that) - black is easy - as my days mostly consists of hanging out with Dag in-and outdoors, working when he's napping and running to rehearsals and to the gym after that. But otherwise when it's not the all black- or hobo layers look, many of my blouses and shirts have still been put aside due to motherhood, until a time when there will be less goo all over. So I've been wearing lots of basic cotton tops instead. Which sometimes feels a bit blah and too neutral. But they can be pimped up a little though, to better suit some of the other items I have, like the one I put cuffs and a collar on. And this one here! It's a basic organic cotton long sleeve tee, that I sew a lace appliqué on.


Probably best done by hand if you are patient enough - not me; I used a loose zig zag seam to fasten it. When the stitches are somewhat loose I'll be able to re-attach it to some other garment when the top gets too floppy. And to be washed by hand, or perhaps on the gentle program in a lingerie bag.


Fabric- and haberdashery stores sometime sell small lots of lace ribbons and appliqués at a nice price. I've tried to cut out my own from a lace fabric too. That gave me a headache. If you can't find any suitable lace there is of course always the trustworthy internet to rely on too.
I stocked up so there will be more lace on more stuff to come...

A NEW VIEW / THE ROSEY CURTAINS

Here we have the Marimekko Ruusupuu (the Rose Tree) fabric. It has, among many,  been a favourite of mine for a long time. (picture source)

So I got curtains of the fabric in the apartment I had before moving to where we are now. 

Then as I moved the curtains got chopped off to hang in the study.

And now they are hanging in the kitchen! 

As the result of an unexpected little catastrophe actually; I washed the yellow gingham kitchen curtains and they shrunk with some 20 cm... Argh! Because I (finally) am in cleaning-and-organising mode now I thus can't stand things being "not ready" and as I would have packed the rose curtains aside anyway for a kiddo-set of curtains for Dag I made a quick save and hung these up.

Funny how a little fabric can change the whole feel of a room! I really liked it with the yellow curtains, but I am starting to think that this is not that bad after all.

Btw another little funny thing,  Marimekko fabrics / patterns are probably one of few in which it is considered totally alright and normal (and rather fancy too as   'it is after all Marimekko' ) for someone to show up to a, say, wedding in a dress of the same fabric as your tablecloth. Hipsters and old ladies alike.

PS. there is a Finnish survey about blog readership popping up here (once per ip address) on the blog. In Finnish. Thus not useable for many of you, so choose the "ei kiitos"option then to close it.

SOME MAKE UP AND SKIN CARE FAVOURITES FOR WHEN IT'S COLD

A few of my favs for winter:

Most of the year I wear a powder mineral foundation, but in winter with the cold and dy air and the temperature switches that gets too dry for my skin. I use a BB cream instead, sometimes with some powder on top  (and oil up my face a lot). My absolute favourite fantastic love-it-to-dedath BB cream, which I've bought online (fromNaturisimo) before, is now finally available in Finland too (via Jolie)!

The magic cream is Iroisie's Soin Parfait Ultimate BB cream. The first time I used it I was afraid it was going to be a little too rosy-beige, it came on quite dark, but then suddenly it evens out perfectly. I've been totally amazed with it. So, I do use it other than in winter too, those days I just feel like cream instead of powder foundation. The cream is organic and natural.

For those days I want some more make up on, I brush some powder on top. I have the silk powder from Coleur Caramel which also is a natural make up line. It leaves a very silky sheer glow on the skin. I might ave to get a little puff to keep under the lid as I find it a bit hard to carry a brush around in the bag too, but ten again I don't need to refresh my make up over the day, as it stays on perfectly well very a very long time.

When it comes to skin care I mainly wash my face with coconut oil (sometimes black soap) and wipe it off with a tonic, then put some more coconut oil on over night. Or this, pure shea butter! My face becomes a little ball of grease, but that makes it so soft and smooth in the morning to deal with the freezing winds of outside. I use the shea butter for dry hands and elbows and so on too, and also on Dag's little checks (and butt cheeks too).

THE BLACKBOARD DOOR

We have a couple of doors painted with black board paint at home in the city apartment; the door in the older boys' room and then the closet door in the now-study (read: mess room) but-Dag's-room-to-be any day now. It's a quite fun way for kids to draw, because it feels a little like being allowed to do something forbidden while still being totally allowed and encouraged...




So far no artistic try-outs on any white walls or on the floor (and fingers crossed that won't happen either). Perhaps because the door is black and then that's the kind of surface you draw on, the others different coloured ones not as they differ so much. Well, let's see what happens in a year or two when the need for "artistic expression" and experimenting grown stronger.

Blackboard pant is not magnetic but I was wondering if it could work to paint a couple of layers with magnetic paint first and then top it with one coat of blackulrikaboard paint, to be able to put up funny magnets and notes and such (and therefor spare my mint green friend in the kitchen from too many dinosaurs and other magnetic crap)? Hmmm.

Over here at least Tikkurila have both kinds of paint. The paint dries pretty fast so the doors were ready in one day.