12 January 2013

Tales of a Librarian



I've been a very busy bee this week, there's been much to update about but simply not enough time! Here's an outfit from Thursday, with a light touch of the past. The blouse is vintage, the skirt is my latest second hand find, shoes are by Minna Parikka (unfortunately I couldn't wear them outside, the last time I checked the winter still rules this part of the world) and the paper earrings were a gift from Gloomy Moon. They're made of old, crumbling books, I love it when design and recycling unite!




Lately my bookwormy side has taken hold of me even more intensely than usual, I've gone through the members of my collection and lost my eyes between some of their lines. Here's three of my fairly new purchases, all bought mainly for their visual qualities. The pin-up art book was a surprise find and the other two were on my wanted list for a good share of time. Concept art from one of my fav games, spooky illustrations by the ever-so-talented Benjamin Lacombe and Gil Elvgren's classic pin-up gals, yummy! This is just what I need for my inspiration right now, as my days this month will be spent mostly with my big black sketchbook.




It would be a dream to find a HUGE and sturdy antique book shelf, but for now we settled on this one we got from a friend. It's the third one in this small household, we both can let go of many possessions but books are a tough one to give up. The new shelf swallowed most of our excess books that were piling up on the floor, saving us from drowning into literature. Well, drowning in the words of Gaiman, Wilde or Tolkien wouldn't be the most gruesome death imaginable. ;)

58 comments:

  1. Awesome, as always :)

    I have a question, could you tell me which measures your ball-closure-septum-piercing has? It just looks like the perfect size to me :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) I think the whole diameter is 1,3 cm and the metal is 1,2 mm.

      Delete
    2. Well thank you, I'll have my nose pierced too in the next few weeks :)

      Delete
  2. Oih, asusi on jälleen mitä kaunein :) Näytät itsekkin oikein säikyvältä kuvissa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Voi kiitos paljon! Se taitaa olla tuo vaalea iho mikä helposti säihkyy ylivalottuessaan. :D

      Delete
  3. There is a book on Alice: Madness Returns? Aaaaaaaaa, want it and want it now! Lol, my drawing spirit is waking up these days, so I'm probably going to spend the rest of the day searching for the book somewhere online :) You look gorgeous, as always, and your hair is especially amazing here :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, there is! It's been on my wish list for over a year, so it was about time I got it. It's great, especially if you enjoy concept art. :) And thanks so much for you lovely words!

      Delete
  4. What an absolutely perfect look ♥
    I think you would be a great stylist!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you so much! It might be fun to try styling someone, but in the end I believe everyone should create their style by themselves. :)

      Delete
  5. i want those books desperately! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. Replies
    1. Me too! It cost only about 1€, not bad at all. :)

      Delete
  7. Those earrings are really something special! What a wonderful idea to make age tanned books into earrings and giving them such a natural shape, they almost look like real shells from afar!

    I've had 'The Art of Alice Madness Returns' on my wish list for a good while also, it is a must have for fans of the game, someday I will own it! I finally got Benjamin Lacombe's 'Tales of the Macabre' last December after being on pre-order for a year! I feared I would never get my hands on it after they changed the release date twice! It is such a hauntingly beautiful book and I just adore all the mini Poe faces on the cover! ~♥~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, they are! And they're covered with a coat of varnish so that a little drizzle won't harm them.

      I've had the Tales of the Macabre on my mind for such a long time but I haven't been able to purchase it until now. I simply love Lacombe's illustrations, and of course Poe, the book is a great source of inspiration. :)

      Delete
  8. Upea olet, kuten aina! Mutta pakko kysyä, mistä olet tuon Tales of Macabre-kirjan hankkinut? Olen nimittäin itse kytännyt sitä jo hetken aikaa joka puolelta, mutten tunnu löytävän sitä mistään :( Ja se olisi pakko-ostos, sillä Lacombe + Poe= <3 Harmittaa vain, että Lacomben kuvituksia ei oikein julkaista tällä Suomessa :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Voi kiitoksia! Ostin kirjan Bookdepository.co.uk-sivustolta, josta tilaan usein kirjoja. Näitä saa miltei samaan hintaan myös eBaysta. :) Lacombea ei tosiaan täälläpäin hirveästi julkaista, ainoa mihin olen törmännyt on upea Pieni Noita/Lumoojien Sukupuu-kirja.

      Delete
  9. We have eight bookcases in our house, not to mention all the magazines and stuff lying around. Now I'm wondering how to choose which ones will be kept and which will be sold or donated. Be careful, my dear ... it is a slippery slope to becoming overwhelmed by your books! Maybe you should stop at three bookcases while there's still time! ;o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eight, wow! Our apartment is so small that there's no way we could fit eight book shelves here. :D So we have to be pretty careful with which books to collect and which ones will we lend from library, hehee.

      Delete
  10. Do you know what would go perfectly with you earings? Book/Newspaper Nails

    xoxo
    Dani

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is so cool! I think I've seen a picture of these nails once before somewhere in the internet, definitely need to try them someday. :)

      Delete
  11. Hello sweet bookworm! Today I brought to home a Sylvia Plath book and instantly I thought about you, also I brought Kalevala :) It's always a pleasure see more than a simple content. I actually love Benjamin Lacombe, sad but here in my country it's a little bit difficult get some books. And here it's very sunny. For you winter...

    Snow can wait
    I forgot my mittens
    Wipe my nose
    Get my new boots on...

    Ary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Ary! I love the Tori Amos lines there <3

      Sylvia Plath's work is so great, I hope you enjoy it. Kalevala is pretty great too! Can you order books online in your country? I buy a lot of books from eBay and other sites, it's the easiest way to get the ones you want without struggling too much.

      Delete
  12. Your skirt is so lovely! By the way, it is difficult to find big antique book shelves that fill its purpose. I bought billy at ikea with glass doors. I painted the shelves because i wanted the texture, changed the knobs on the doors to rusty rings and covered the glass with a lace fabric on the inside. Once i get my own library room i will make them to built in shelves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It truly is difficult, I've searched for the ideal antique book shelf for ages and haven't found anything really. But DIY magic always helps when the perfect thing isn't around, you can create wonders with a few modifications!

      I'd love to get built-in shelves too, and a library room of my own. But we'll definitely create one if we ever live in a bigger house, a little library is our mutual dream. :)

      Delete
  13. Sinulle olisi tehtävä blogissani :)
    http://bansheebeauty.blogspot.fi/2013/01/blogisi-inspiroi-minua.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a pretty skirt!
    I Love Edgar Allan Poe & Lacombe, too =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Lacombe and Poe, such a great combination. <3

      Delete
  15. Great minds think alike as you left my a comment and I kept your blog open since yesterday to leave my comment here :) I love the whole outfit, especially your blouse (which era is that? May I ask where di you buy it?) and your makeup! <3
    I have that book about Gil Elvgren's pin ups too! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm, I haven't left you a comment sweetie, if that's what you mean? But I'm glad you left me one! :) Thanks so much for your kind words, I found the blouse from flea market ages ago, it has a 40's vibe to it but I think it's more likely from the 70's. It doesn't have any tags so I don't know for sure. :)

      Delete
  16. Lovely!!
    Do you take the photos yourself or is someone helping? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I usually take all my pictures myself, sometimes my love or some of my friends kindly help me if we're walking outside, so that I don't have to carry a tripod around. ;)

      Delete
  17. I really like your curly hair and the red lipstick!

    ReplyDelete
  18. ... very beautiful outfit...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Pieni toive postaus :) olen huono löytämään uusia ihania kirjoja ja sinulla on kerta kaikkiaan mahtava kirja maku. Muutamia samoja kirjoja löytyy minunkin hyllystäni. Olisi kovin mielenkiintoista jos joskus esittelisit kirjahyllysi sisuksia. Saisi lisää vinkkejä hyvistä kirjoista :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kah, kiitoksia! :) Pitää vähän katsella miten sellaisen tekisi, noita kirjoja on tosiaan sen verran ettei tulisi ihan mikään pieni postaus.. Mutta murusia kirjamausta voi kurkata tuolta "books"-tagin takaa näin ensihätään!

      Delete
  20. Kirjahyllyhän on kodin sydän. Mie tyydyin yhdistelmään neljästä eri Ikean hyllystä, ei mikään paras vaihtoehto muuten mutta kun noita kirjoja on kerääntynyt niin paljon ettei millään olisi löytänyt tarpeeksi isoa käytettynä :/ Ainakin nyt kaikki on nätisti paikallaan eikä kirjoja kulkeudu muualle enää :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olen samaa mieltä! Meillä on vaan näitä kodin sydämiä ripoteltu ympäri kaksiota. :D Olisi ihanaa jos kaikki löytyisi samasta yksiköstä, mutta se jää varmaan seuraavan kodin projektiksi.

      Delete
  21. I have so many thing to comment about this post. First, that is a really cool earring, I'm sad cause my "limited" english don't help me to find other coolest words to explain my felling when I look to this books and all this collection... I'm just loved for all this things, and all this photos... Poe are so perfect and Alice Madness to... I don't know about this pin-up's book but looks gorgeous too... about your short time, that is a pity, cause your posts and your photos are great inspirations for me and much others ;)

    XoXo
    Wild Foxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I'm happy to hear that! :> I know it's a pity that I'm currently very busy and can't post very often though I'd like to, but I try to post at least a couple of times a week!

      Delete
  22. You look amazing! I love how you always manage to look so elegant (。◕‿◕。)♥
    And red lipstick suits you so prerfectly!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Bongasin sinut Facebookissa olleesta Black Streetin mainoksesta! Yllätyin iloisesti, kun lähempi tarkastelu paljasti, että olin ihan oikeassa.

    ReplyDelete
  24. You look so pretty! I love the bow detail on the blouse.
    It's fun to read about the escapades of fellow bookworms. At my home books run strong in our blood: even though we have a tiny, two bedroom house, my parents have one 3ft tall and three 7.5ft tall book shelves lining the living room, and brother and I recently acquired a matched 5ft tall set for our room. And we still have books stacked everywhere! We read voraciously and thankfully live within walking and busing distance of several public libraries, because we are always renting books out! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Bookworm qualities run in my family too, my mom has a huge bookshelf in the living room at my parents' house and books are packed in two different lines so they'll all fit there. And there are bookshelves in other rooms too! No wonder that I love books so much, having grown up in the middle of them. :)

      Delete
  25. I found Your blog about month ago,and today is definitely my favorite.
    I'm from Poland and here is not too many girls "in gothic style"...I like to see you because I wear the same kind of clothes etc.. I think you're beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thank you so much! I'm happy to hear you enjoy my blog. :)

      Delete
  26. Those stocking are spectacular!

    ReplyDelete