OUTFIT OF THE DAY

hat marks & spencer, cardigan zara, playsuit matalan, bag ralph lauren, for saddle shoe dyi click here

We have enjoyed some incredible, never could have imagined, weather during the past week. I have enjoyed some lazy days in the park with good company, some refreshing drinks and lots of sunscreen. On Saturday I wore the most summery outfit so far. Last year this playsuit didn't even make it out of the closet as it never got warm enough! Let's have many more of these please!

p.s. three more days and then we're off to San Francisco!

MEMORIES FROM A ROADTRIP part 4

I realized this week that I completely forgot to post the remainder of the pictures from the trans 'merica roadtrip from four years ago! I figured I should post something before I leave for the long awaited trip to San Francisco next Friday. I'm so excited!
In the last post I was reminiscing about our visit to the Black Hills, Deadwood and Yellowstone. Our next stop was Glacier National Park in Montana. This came to be one of the most memorable parts of our trip and I still think the park is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. We were lucky enough to meet some people who showed us around and even took us white water rafting. On my birthday we spent the evening outside around a fire, playing guitar, singing and having a good time. It's still the best birthday I've had! Happy 22-year-old-me.
From Glacier we headed towards Seattle. I'm not sure why, but none of us seem to have many pictures from there. Seattle was a haze and full of confusion. It must have been a mixture of having spent two weeks in the woods, the plains and other rather deserted areas and finding a strange Scandinavian hub in Ballard. I think none of us were quite ready to face the city when we got there. We quickly continued our journey to Portland. Portland is the first place I ever visited in the US and one of my all time favorite cities. I was so happy to be back! We arrived just in time for last Friday. The streets were full of musicians, performers and stalls selling art & craft. We also visited the rose gardens and the Japanese garden on the hill. We made our way down the Oregon coast towards San Francisco. I remember the views were breathtakingly beautiful and the fog from the ocean created a quiet and mystical atmosphere. San Francisco is another one of our stops that I don't remember much of. We only stayed for a day and a half, so I guess we didn't even have time to do much. I think the most memorable part of our stay was when our hostel caught fire late at night and we had to stand in the street in our pj's. Besides that we went to Fisherman's Wharf, took a turn in Golden Gate park and rode the tram. I remember having such high expectations and our visit not really meeting them. And that's exactly why I wanted to go again and spend some more time there. I really do think I'm going to love it!
Our second to last stop was Las Vegas. We stayed there for two nights and enjoyed the 115F/46c weather, the slot machines (no luck there) and the general craziness of anything and everything happening round the clock. Our five-week journey across the US ended in Los Angeles. I'll remember it as the city of endless traffic and excellent cheesecake and the place where we dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. We saw so much on this trip. I still cherish every moment I spent driving across the country. Although the cities we visited were great, I'm happiest about having experienced the vast nature, driven over mountains and hiked in the national parks. I will never forget those moments. More of them to come soon I hope!

Memories from a road trip part 3

Memories from a road trip part 2

Memories from a road trip part 1

ETSY LOVE: RIVER LUNA

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copyright River Luna

I'm completely enchanted by these watercolor paintings and art prints by River Luna. These feathers are so so pretty. Perhaps I'll put one on my birthday list...

ON LEAVING LONDON

 It's probably time to scribble down some things that have happened and will shortly happen in this little life of mine.

Three weeks ago I made a decision to move back to Helsinki. Even now I don't really know what to say. I know I should feel happy and I do - I get to start a new chapter in my life and it is such an amazing opportunity. But happy is not all I'm feeling. To be perfectly honest, happy doesn't even reach my top five emotions. The long silence about all of this is caused by fear of the unknown, tiredness, stress, relief, excitement and a hint of denial. Leaving a place I have called home for seven years along with a job I love and friends I love even more is a lot to take in. On top of this it's all the small things that make up my everyday life. Everything is going to change.

It all started when our landlady told us that she was going to sell our flat. I had been toying with the idea of moving back in the fall anyway, so I pretty much just decided to do it now and do it quickly. I loved the idea of having the summer off from everything that requires responsibility, schedules and early mornings. So that became the plan - move back at the end of June, take it easy for a month and then, then find a job. JOB. Oh how that three-letter word has kept me up at night, worrying.

Someone once said that moving back to where you're from is a hundred times harder than moving away. I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. Of things that could go wrong. Of me not finding a job, not having a home of my own, not adjusting. And all this while being, let's face it, pretty much penniless.

Despite all my fears I know this is something I need to do right now. I have been gone for so long that I don't even know what it's like to live in my home country. I want to find out. I also want to give my relationship a chance to work in a 'non long distance' situation. In a year's time I might look back on this time, smile and realize that my worries were all in vain. I hope that will be the case.

For now, I'll be melancholic for just a little bit longer. A couple more days of adjusting to everything that is happening. Then it's time to start making the most of my last weeks in London!

SMALL HOME THINGS

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1. my vintage and hand made flower crowns

2. my first ever record (picked this up on the street in Philadelphia) and an old wedding photo

3. dyi animal picture frame (I got the idea from Stars for Streetlights - a fantastic diy blog)

4. porcelain bowls with a Native American print

5. Lewis Powell, 1865 (I love these pictures that were taken of him three months before his execution. There is nothing more to it)

6. my belt collection

7. my new vintage dress

8. bridesmaids bouquet hanging from the door to the garden

9. mason jars

These are some small random things in my home that I really like. Most of them have no designated place in the house but perhaps that is the charm. I have been thinking about my home a lot lately and how much it means to me. We were given notice a while back by our landlady who has decided to sell the flat. We already knew this would happen and for several reasons moving out was relevant, but when the moving out date (27th June) gets closer I start to realize how much I've enjoyed living here. This move has also triggered other much more significant life changes that I'll be talking about soon. I'm just trying to get used to the fact that everything will change. Whether it's for the better or worse is completely up to me and that is scary indeed. But right now and for another month I can fully enjoy this little corner of the world, from picture frames resting on chairs shoe boxes to belts hanging from a cowboy hat.

LOOKING DOWN

I noticed that I've managed to create a little collection of iphone pictures looking down at my shoes over the last five months. Here's the rundown.

KEEP AN EAR OUT FOR JD MCPHERSON

Hmmm...what more can you ask for!?



JD McPherson - North Side Gal from Rounder Records

SAM & PATRICK'S VINTAGE INSPIRED WEDDING DAY

I finally got around to going through all the wedding photos from Sam and Patrick's fantastic wedding day. It was so much fun and such a great experience to be part of. Here is a little summary of how their special day went down. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who helped make this day so memorable!

photography - all pictures with the exception of a few pictures of decorations were taken by Ben Moore Wedding Photography.

venues - Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Hampstead, London
            - The Garden Gate Pub, Hampstead, London

outfits - bride: dress made to measure
           - groom: trousers, waistcoat, shirt and tie RRL
           - bridesmaids: red dresses Shabby Apple, blue dresses ASOS
           - groomsmen: jeans Levi's, waistcoats Topman