PARADISE

I've played this song here before and now I'll play it again; Badding's Paratiisi is a little bit like rautalanka in the sense that you can never play it enough. It's about a summer's day, sort of.



This time perhaps played to celebrate that today it finally felt like spring!
Or that I just saved 250 euros buy NOT buying that Kitchen Aid blender I went out to get. (It actually was ugly now that I saw it the second time.) But that means poor little tired-from-Saturday-night me will be without a Sunday smoothie.

Badding, who drank himself to death in the late eigthies, wasn't exactly a pretty boy and did not elad a happy life, but he sure could sing and make music Finns like. Valot, as you've heard some Sundays ago is also one of Badding's.

psst! If you have a good clue on a nice blender that looks good hand'em over! Warings mint green one would be nice but I have a small creepy feeling it won't work over here (damn you US and youd different power system!) and pulling a cat-lamp won't work in order to get smoothies... Thinking of a Kenwood I know one can get in cream colour, but seems to be hard to find over here as other people obviously only want them in black red or white...

BLACK ON BLACK, BUT -

- with some springy vibes underneath!

It might be minus a fucking lot right now, but the sun does warm during the day; everybody is determined that this is the last cold before spring sets in. We might get let down and disappointed on that one, but I did a little boost however and added some spring vibes to the otherwise over all black. (As seen before, I always associate spring with mint green and coral, mostly.)

And yes, I wear skirts in minus twenty C, as I have my tips and my tricks. It's the anatomy of dressing when really cold put into action!

SOME RANDOM THINGS I BOUGHT MYSELF WHILE CHRISTMAS GIFT SHOPPING FOR OTHERS

I'm ill at home and have been staring at that shelf for most of the day now. A japanese silk-covered jar I don't know what to put in yet, a bon bonier I have cotton pads in and mint green shades. Now it does not feel like the most up-to-date thing to do to buy sunglasses in December when the day is only 5 hours and 53 minutes long. But we are on the winning side however, going towards this, so one could say I was just being positive, looking forward. And they are mint green for heavens sake!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE, OR TO HASBEENS?

First I'm going to tell you something and then I'm going to ask you something.

The telling: I'm completely fucked in the head.

To start with I blame the internet, my paypal account and then a bunch of other facts, phenomenons and whatever. The thing is, I just can't stop wanting stuff, not only believing but knowing I need it/that/those/whatever, trying to make my wardrobe complete; perfect for any occasion. You know, one part of life such as it is seen upon nowadays is a constant search for the perfect something - the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect partner, the perfect hand bag, perfect black skirt, foundation, mascara, every day shoes, life you name it... The longing for all things perfect and then even a little more prefect is something of a challenge we create upon ourselves but also something being fed to us all the time in magazines and commercials.

Well, enough about blaming society for my materialistic cravings as the thing here was about me and my f:d up head, plus, for the moment I actually have the perfect home-in-the-making and a pretty perfect partner (plus perfect lashes done so skip the mascara and I've given up on the black skirt). But, as it seems, not the perfect easy going shoes for summer. As that is clearly something everyone needs. And one fine day when I should have been out in the park enjoying the sunshine but instead sat down by the wonderful never-ending world of the internet I found the perfect ones:

Swedish Hasbeens candy coloured sky high sandals. That at least in my book look comfy enough for the so called every day wear.

But but but. I have a whole box of -yet-to -unpack-and-nowhere-to-put-after-that-shoes (not sandals though! Very few such!) at home. (Not to mention clothes, still a couple of suitcases in waiting. And strangely though, I think I have less and less to wear day by day. How can it be?)

Well anyway, I may be fucked in the head but the sandals are still pretty sweet aren't they? And one pair more wouldn't hurt. Plus my comfy everyday summer shoes so far have been a pair of red H&M peeptoes, well serving their 19 euros since 2006, now falling apart. I mean, these even come in mint green! (Even though I do think one pair of mint green shoes are enough, believe it or not. Might go for pink or natural-shaded ones instead).


Hmmm.

So, now over to the questions: since the apparently much hyped Swedish Hasbeens still are a little bit on the more expensive side I'd really like to know if they are comfortable. That would pretty much be the whoel point of purchasing. I sort of think that if you pay more than 150 euros for a pair of shoes comfot better come with the price - that works for Minna Parikka shoes at least, but you can never be sure.(And no, lower heels are out of the question. I don't think the sky high ones look that high anyway.)
So any experiences on the sky high ones?
Or hasbeens in general?

And does anybody know about the sizing? I read they are rather small but their size chart seems to be pretty regular, almost bit on the bigger side. I've been measuring my feet over and over here at work, even standing on a ruler and the result indicates I should go for a 36 but that would be one size smaller than my normal one and I can't really trust that.

Well over and out, let's see if I end up with a pair or if I find something else more necessary and interesting before I click Buy.

FINALLY!

La la la la lallalla!

HOW CANDY CAN YOU GO?

Very candy; I'm matching the colours of my new kitchen:

I think it's alright to dress super pastel and candy-like to the verge of getting a toothache if you break it off with some darker colour, like here, deep red. And after a week of wearing a paint-covered old Iggy Pop t-shirt it felt great to break that off with something totally different, even if it only was for a moment.

Now it's back to the tee and a whole lot of wall paper!


The skirt and the bag are vintage from Q's Daydream, the top is from Freddies of Pinewood.
(The hairflowers are from Tiimari, cut of their branch and tucked in my hair roll and I think you all know the shoes.)

A DAY ON THE MEADOW / ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU...

Yesterday I took the bus (only 15 minutes during rush hour, very important for me to point that out now that I'll be moving away from the inner city. It's the bus-thing you know.) and got off at my stop-to-be, surrounded by it's white flowers.


Bugs are cute in natrue, where they belong. (As in Not in the house!)
The way down to the new home. You'd never believe one of the most heavily trafficked high ways in Finland runs just around the corner. Our building is behind the trees, in front of the large meadow. The sea is to the right.
I pretty much grew up around here you know.


I sat down on the meadow for a while...
...and then I lay down before going in and renovating my behind off me the rest of the day. Ah, summer!


Oh yeah, and I almost forgot the mention : I got my green shoes!


...

(Well,
I guess I can squeeze in a couple of more pictures of the shoes and a quickie on how I actually got them:
So here's the story : Stupid girl who should think about everything else than shoes feels she has to get the green pumps and emails stupid Vagabond Finland who say these shoes were never brought in to the country (since stupid Finns can't appreciate the good stuff she interprets). She then emails evil Vagabond Europe who say the shoes will never ever be on the online store in size 37 ever again. Persistant shoe-girl does not give up but tracks them down at nice German shop who happen to carry them but not in size 37. Nice German shop has a wish list and silly shoe girl clicks it and receives an email one week later that the shoes are now in stock (lying evil Vagabond)! Nasty German shop does not ship to Finland not even though hopeful shoe girls emails them in very polite German and kindly asks. Obsessed shoe girl does not give up but get's a little help from wonderful Frollein in Berlin who orders the shoes herself and then sends them to mint-green-obsessed-shoe-girl in Finland. Oh, the wonders of the internet, now they are on her feet!End of story.)

So, back to the meadow. At the and of the day, very tired and very dirty after hours of work, I took the bus home (8 minutes downtown).

VARFÖR? DÄRFÖR!

My life is full of things right now - my calendar is booked until December (! or Februay 2011 to be precise); we have arenovation coming up and otherwise there are a lot of big things going on in my mind. Sometimes it helps to erase all of those and concentrate on something totally different and less important. Like a pair of shoes (well at least it's a great excuse isn't it). So here's a wellfare country problem for you:

I spotted a pair of mint green Vagabond pumps online and directly dismissed the thought of buying them as I already have plenty more than enough of shoes, but then it struck me - is this it with the shoes? Does this mean I just won't get any new shoes, like, eh, ever? Then I happily reminded myself that my old rule still apply; no new shoes unless in a new colour. (It's not an absolute rule since one is entitled to have more than one pair of black and red shoes, at least). Plus surely every woman needs a pair of heels matching her refrigerator? Well, at least if it is mint green!


Now the only problem is stupid Vagabond Finland didn't have the guts to ever take in the shoes in this colour to the stores. And it seems they are sold out everywhere in my size online. So now a lot of happy size 37 bitches all over Europe are running around with my shoes on them (how dare they!).

This bugs me out like hell. I like the shoes, tried them on in black; they're comfy and has the same shape as a pair of 40's pumps I got from my grandmother but were too small, but they are not the most fantastic shoes in the world. Although right now it still feels like a mission for me to get them. Why? Well - just because. Because I can't have them, which made me reflect over the fact how easy it is to get things these days; I think we are quite accustomed to getting what we want as consumers (unless you loose a bidding on ebay of course :) Of course I do not always get what I want, not even when it comes to those things that money can buy as I am not made of it and do set some boundaries on how I use the money I have (yes I know it's hard to believe when reading this blog...). But a lot of things are so easy to get nowadays, nothing but that magical little click away and off to the post office we go to pick it up or pop by the store. And now I can't have these! Damn.

I will most likely get over this great loss rather soon, but until then, if anyone spots a pair of these green ash palma pumps in size 37 let me now ok? (Or I might just buy them for that German shop that carry them in size 38 and use them with socks or have the clobber somehow shrink them a bit. I can be quite persistent :)

LATE EVENING CUPCAKE

I spent the weekend baking for a 9- year old's birthday party. I was planning to also explore my new camera a bit but baking cakes, cookies and cupcakes for more than 20 persons didn't leave much room for that. (Except for this shot of my blueberry cupcakes, with green toffee frosting, later in the evening.)

YES PLEASE.

In general I am not very fond of listing things that I want to have and shout that list out on the internet. But of course it is no news that I do like a lot of pretty things, and just because I don't list them all the time doesn't mean there aren't things I dream about every now and then. But because it's my birthday soon I thought I'd give it a go, in case some kitchenware manufacturer or apple sellers would be reading this and be in a generous mood...

Since world peace and a 1967 Ford Mustang most likely are out of the question (and apart from constantly craving dresses and weekend trips to European cities) these are some things I dream about for the moment:

A mint green Smeg! Even though getting one such would require a bigger kitchen and therefore also a bigger flat (plus a cream coloured oven and cream coloured dish washer from the same line to match my future cream coloured cupboards), which I unlikely will receive for such an insignificant birthday as my 28th(and probably no other B-day either :) I still keep on wishing. Because one day I will have all that! (picture)



The Minna Parikka ginger bag in powder blue...and pretty much any Minna Parikka shoe too, but I guess I should add that I absolutely have no need for new shoes for the moment, but oh what the hell, I wouldn't mind!


A lomographic camera so I can take artsy-fartsy photos!(cat pic from here)


A new mac: mac book pro. Doesn't have to be in 24K gold though, but hey, why not?

I also wished for a bow trench, waterproof shoes and a nice umbrella but I took care of those things myself already.

(Ps. Smeg suppliers and mac-men, did you get the hint? Thanks in advance, appreciate it.)

PASTELS

What's wrong with me? While considering myself to be the girl who generally goes for black I now find myself craving (as you may have noticed) for sheer pastel colours and floral prints. Blame it on the upcoming spring, blame it on me being influenced by lovely blogs over the years. Oh well, pretty it is either way.

Some spring-y items from two of my all-time favourite brands; a babyblue floral dream from Vivian of Holloway and another lovley summery dress from Trashy Diva. And why not throw in some peachy Parikkas, silky lingerie and fluffy accessories while I'm at it?

From left to right:
Fifites Halterneck Rose Garde Blue Dress from Vivien of Holloway,
Pirouette tulle necklace (that I'd wear in my hair...) Etsy / DeliciousSoul,
Peach Harlow Lingerie Set from What Katie Did via PandorasChoice,
Circle Skirt Day Dress from Trashy Diva and
the Raquel Shoe in powder pink by Minna Parikka.

I'm also drooling over this pair of denim dungarees, from Tara Starlet (also included in my all-time favourites); to be worn with my toffee coloured pumps an my hair rolled up with a scarf around it. They also come in full-lenght and I can't decide which one'd be better, jumpsuit or trouser version?



But but, for the moment none of these items are neither in nor out of my budget since I don't have one; I am not getting anything new! But,I do have a couple of floral fabrics in my closet waiting to be sewn into something, and I have an amazing rosy dress still unworn until it's premier in slightly warmer times!

Oh, and not to forget; if you order a springtime dress from Vivien of Holloway now yo get a matching bolero included! Worth checking out...