THAT SCARF-WRAP THING

I have a new scarf that works very well as the kind of belted shawl-cardigan that you've seen me do before. Which is quite practical in winter too, indoors. For outdoors I just fold the shawl/scarf up over the shoulders to fit under the jacket. 

AlthoughI didn't get his one just for fun; I lost my usual scarf that I wear for everythingwhile out on town. One minute there on the top of the pram while shopping (it's so damn hot inside the stores here you need to layer off a bit), the next gone. Sad. It was a very nice scarf. And as it was shit cold I had to get myself a new one immediately not to catch all kinds fevers and colds on my way home (at least i felt so). Which was harder than one would've thought as apparently the rest of the world want's those knitted tube-thingies only. But I got a bit luck in my misfortune and found this one in the end,  on discount as well. And to be honest it almost works better than the previous one for wrapping like this. But I'm still quite pissed about the fact that I lost the other one and probably because someone took it.

The skirt is the winter-one made by me, the boots and belt vintage and the shawl from Accessorize.

And yes I am outside in the snow without a jacket for a while here for no other apparent reason than the one that it would make more interesting blog pictures. A bit ridiculous when you think about it (especially since I said I needed to get a new scarf not to walk home from the bus without one and here I am outside with no jacket. Not that it's that cold at all anymore. It was totally alright). But then again I guess not that many would've thought about it unless I would have mentioned it. I always have to spoil things like this, heh.

TILE PORN

The same craftsmen that have been building the kitchen in the countryside house switched to the empty space behind the kitchen, turning it into a bathroom. I have great dreams for the tiled floor.  Some ideas are of course out of range -you know, kind of like they have had this same guy painting them by hand them since the 1800s and made by very special clay that only he knows how to handle or something so that they are priced accordingly, the way that you can only afford to put them in a tiny tiny space unless you live in a mansion and the price per square meter is totally of no difference-but let's see what we can come up with...

 

(Image sources: Remodelista, Houzz, Marrakech Design, Stiltje,  Original Style Victorian Floor Tiles, The Kitchn)

FROM THE DEEP DEEP WOODS IN THE NORTH

The fairy tale illustrations of John Bauer had a huge impact on me as a child! The (not that big and dark albeit rather similar) woods on the island in the archipelago where we spent our summers easily turned into the deep deep forests of his with all it' strolls, elves and  huldras, princes and princesses. We had a poster of the little boy and the troll on the wall in my grandmother's cabin and I have spent several years falling to sleep staring at it.

Bauer was born in the late 19th century and began his career painting and illustrating int he early 1900's; his style being very contemporary for that time. He was renowned for his work and was already then thought of as Sweden's foremost fairytale illustrator. His little boy- and princess characters were inspired by his son and wife. John Bauer and his family drowned when a boat they were on sank in the big Vättern lake in 1918.

KNITS ON KNITS AND SO ON

I am now at the point of winter where anything clothes-related gets pretty boring, because it's all the same and just goes on and on, stockings here and extra tops there and blah blah. And on with the jacket and the boots and the mittens and scarves and so on. Although new for this year: dress the baby! And time it so he does not get too hot and start crying when it's your turn for a go, or, the if done the other way around; so that you don't get all sweaty in your gear when dressing that shouting little caterpillar. (Apparently my boy would prefer to be au naturel most of the time; it's such a big tragedy every time any clothing needs to be put on.)

Well anyway here's a winterish outfit; my grandmother's old cardigan, kintter top from Indiska and skirt made by myself. It would be pretty alright if one could actually go out just like this like you see in some old pictures, ice skating in just a knitted sweater, but, well, we all know that's not the case. Come again in later March or so!

RAW FOOD IS GREAT BUT PASTA IS AWESOME

We've been marathon watching The Sopranos with Eddi and that series makes me so hungry for anyting pasta. I made us a version of the oh-so-social-media-popular avocado pasta (which original recipe for that very version in question you can find here -use a translator.)

In this version I use, apart form the avocado, garlic and fresh herbs, some creme fraiche (or like here , russian yoghurt) and feta cheese.


And have that with double tomatoes as in both fresh cherry tomatoes and sun dried ones.
Pasta ♥

I have however made a raw version inspired by this dish too, with lightly steamed stripes of zucchini and carrot, the mix sans the dairy products and macadamia nuts on top. Delicious, that too.

(And yes, this dinner was made in our renewed kitchen at the farm! Almost ready, but not ready enough for pics quite yet...)

FROM FOUR CHAIRS TO FIVE

 
I found a black wooden feeding chair for little monsieur to match the black vintage ones we already had.

I know I there are two more of the big black chairs, I just have no idea where I have them for the moment; they have been in my my ex fiancés cousins basement storage, my sister's flat, her ex boyfriends flat, and if all six managed to move together trough the years they are now hopefully to be found in my father's rental storage space. Not that we will need one or two more quite yet of course. But I suck at relaxing in the moment and kind of see Dag driving a car already; he will so need that bigger chair in no time. Mmmmhmm but back to 2013, yes, yes. I'm very content with the feeding chair. And so is Dag, it makes him very happy to sit up high with the others.

NOT YOUR EVERYDAY PAIR OF BUNNY SLIPPERS

Pfeiffer and Angora heels by Minna Parikka.

The Charlotte Olympia kitty wedges and heels.

Louis Vuitton zebra and giraffe sandals.

Loubotin lion paw heels. Crazy much. And a bit ugly actually.
(But fun too. Although I wouldn't pay shitloads of money for a pair of fun shoes. Not even though they have a heel covered in glitter).

Ducks. Kobi Levi's animal shoes again are quite fun too, and interesting, but I wouldn't pay shitloads for just interesting either. 

Last but not least, high heeled bunny slippers by Streetzie.  Luv.

(The image sources that are not from the designer/supplier are linked.)

CORNER / MIRROR

My view from where I lie in my bed at the countryhouse;.

(Which also reminds me we really have to get the skirting boards in place!!)

A SHORTER HEM, A SMOKIER EYE

I have a knitted dress with a hem shorter than the ones I am used too when it comes to dresses (with a cut) like this.  It's like one almost feels a bit different wearing a new lengt. (The buttons and label say Gucci but I have my doubts, but then again what do I know. It's from this one strange shop in Tapiola with totally random lady-like items and fluffy ball gowns.) 

I also made a somewhat smoky eye make up and had paler lips than normally. So I felt I looked all different.


But then I took some blog pics and turns I look just the same as always.

FORGOTTEN ONES

Was dusting off my make up table (guess how many times per month year I actually do  my make up by that table? Hah! Too few...) and spotted my pendants I have lying in a big sea shell.
I like to gather pretty things around me but once I place them out all nice to admire I tend to leave them as they are and forget to wear them. 

The enamel locket is from etsy, the gold bird locket has a no-longer-working-watch inside and is via ModCloth, and the camée clock was a gift from Ina. I've decided to try and get better wearing my jewelry (- I started last week already wearing a frame necklace I had forgotten about for the past years).

But jewelry is not the only thing forgotten in my little beauty corner. I have had a small ridiculous  collection of pretty lip balms too in a glass bowl just collecting dust... But the thing is, if I throw them away I will just start collecting some other things to be forgotten in that bowl. You know how it goes don't you? I refer to some things at home that look good in their placed positions but never leave that spot forced stillebens. That's what some of the cute jars and pretty tea cups on the shelf in the kitchen turn in to too...  

TURQUOISE AND ROSES

Our little Best Of 2012-competition is over and the winner of that one is Rockabilly Redhead!
(Her fav was the belly triptych.)

 She will receive a vintage toiletry bag I picked up at Hoochie Mama Jane.


Plus a jar of my coco-cocoa balm (an updated version of this balm).

Have a great weekend all of you!

THE ART OF WINTER DRESSING

I bought this Marimekko dress almost by accident last winter when I was pregnant.
Impulse shopping is not always just an unwise way to spend money, stuff up your wardrobe and destroy the planet - sometimes it can lead to very useful pieces. I don't actually do that much of impulse shopping, but I have some items that I have bought without planing to do so ahead or giving it that much pre-thought. And in my case those have often turned out to be pieces I really use a lot.

I got the dress in the largest sie they had, as I wanted it to fit my belly all the way.  I could have managed with a few sizes less in the end too I noticed, but this is the kind of dress that looks pretty much the same in all sizes and it still works belted for a normal belly as well. And it buttons up for nursing. So I've been able to wear it still, around the year. Well worth it's Marimekko price.


But a thin cotton dress worn just like that won't of course work on it's own most of the year up here in the North. It would get too cold.

As it is among my most linked posts I think you remember me writing about winterizing summer dresses
, and the importance of layering and layering again; the anatomy of dressing when really really cold. Here's the winter dressing post for this year then!

If you wear a cotton dress in winter the dress is merely a detail, kind of an acessory, a coating to what you actually wear. It's what underneath that counts. And on top too, as you have to be able to take something off when you go inside in order not to melt down to a pool of sweat (we have quite stiff heating over here and tripple windows) - cardigan(s), the coat (preferably of the longer kind if you wear something like this), socks and boots and so on yadi yadi.

So, under the dress I have an underskirt. It is mostly for "cosmetic" reasons, to prevent the cotton dress from sticking to the rest and looking all weird. It's not really that warming. But every layer counts.


Underneath that I have another dress! Stretchy, tight, comfy and in cotton. (This one with a nursing pocket in front too which comes in handy at these baby times.)  If you are of the kind that gets real freezy add a slip or top underneath still.


Wearing double stockings also warms up. Or tights plus stockings. But for me one pair of thick stockings (mainly wool or knitted cotton) usually is enough, as far as the mercury stays above minus ten c. But here's the little important trick! People always joke about grannies and their wool pants. But that's what keeps the warmth! You can actually get those from somewhere, but a pair of hot pants or so works just as well. I have some wool stockings of which I have cut the legs off. Comfier and easier to do it that way adding high socks to go, than stuffing two pairs of stockings onto each other.

So that's it! Out to fight the cold in a summer dress, no prob!
(If you're going to go all smartass and say "why not just wear trousers" then think again, you can only stuff so many layers into a pair of pants, but when it comes to a dress, options are pretty much endless. I actually find it warmer in skirts and dresses!)