23: Merry X-(ray)mas!

Happy skeletons, grim moths and apocalypse ponies that I named Death and Famine. Almost traditional Yule gingerbread cookies! There's still one calendar piece left, and I have a hunch it will appear during the night. But for now, I wish you all a wonderful Yule Eve! 

19: Green potion

Some of you have been asking for food pics, so here's one! I consume this almost daily, and I really enjoy the sour green flavour. I can almost feel the dental enamel corroding away. This potion is very healthy, delicious and simple. Just mix a good chunk of freshly cut pineapple, two fistfuls of spinach leaves, lemon slices, banana, half an avocado, some water, a dash of spirulina and whatever pops into mind, like kiwis or apples. I find wild testing to be the best option with smoothies as people have very different tastes!

Looks like some mad scientist's toxic brew, but it still looks much better than some of my other smoothies that unmistakably resemble vomit. :D Time for a new blender, perhaps?

24

(today's face / birthday card made by my love, Frankenweenie movie was included. I love Mr.Whiskers!
today's shoe choice / one of my fav wines, also a gift)

I was born exactly 24 years ago in the middle of the night and a starry sky of the deepest black, I've been told. Another year has passed and I must admit that I've grown a lot during this one.  I wonder what this new age will bring on my way. Mostly positive things, I hope!

I love parties in general but prefer to spend my own birthdays in quiet, accompanied only by my love, some movies and red wine. I've had the most wonderful day and it seems it'll continue the same way, next stop is Sleepy Hollow! 

PS.Happy World Animal Day to all animal lovers! ♥

Japanese Whispers

Some moments are like special glimpses of life with surreal undertones, little sequences that afterwards feel more like a beautiful dream.

I'd like to share one of those moments from this summer with you, a picnic with two wonderful, always inspiring ladies that I'm proud to call my friends. The photos are phone quality as I didn't carry my camera with me, but they open a portal to the evening nonetheless. I had no idea about a Japanese garden in Helsinki, but I'm glad I had the chance to experience it, and in such an elaborate way!

♥

Special thanks go to Laura, if I only had known what kind of a prop she took with her I would've definitely put some more effort on my looks and wrapped myself inside a kimono. Just look at those treasures she brought with her; black silken lamps, cherry blossom embroidered blankets, black sushi, paper plates, everything! Even the precious visiting dogs fit the atmosphere somehow.

Here's my outfit for the evening, no oriental vibes there but I'll fix that for the next time. Which I sincerely hope will come someday!

Long dark veins and records playing memories

Happy September lovelies!

An outfit from a weekday night, shot in the attic in the middle of dust, tiles and the sickly buzz of dying flies. Dress is a recent flea market find, jewelry from many places, bag by Minna Parikka and Pennangalan shoes were snapped from ebay. The shoes always make me feel witchy! But then again, it might just be the beginning of autumn that always awakens that feeling.

This week has turned out to be a really nice one, I've deliberately seemed oblivious to negativity even when it pokes me right in the eye. To share a couple of those good things; I found out that Chelsea Wolfe, one of my all-time favourite female singers, is coming to our little Northern country after all! And now I have a precious ticket for the evening! First I thought her tour would skip us but heavens no. I haven't heard Russian Circles before but I'm sure I'll enjoy them, they can't be all bad if they pair up with Ms.Wolfe. And the tour poster is just bleak and beautiful. 

I really recommend this gig if you're into melancholic female voices, dreamy sound landscapes and great talent.

Pizza is also a good source of joy, and this one was heavenly so I just had to share it. Self-picked winter mushrooms, smoked tofu, sliced red onions, sun dried tomatoes and the usual tomato smash on the bottom. And not a single drop of dairy, because I am not a calf. Delicious! I could survive through summer with raw smoothies but autumn makes me long for cooking, especially stews, hot soups and mushroom delicacies. It invokes some dormant homemaker side in me which feels a little scary..

Today I'll be heading towards the woods for berry and mushroom hunting with my mom. I hope the forest will offer us plenty of those treats!

"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see, one chance out between two worlds; fire - walk with me!"

I believe there's something good to be found inside every person. 

Especially if they love Twin Peaks.

So, it's time for the annual round of the greatest show that's ever aired! ♥ Personally to me it feels like more than a TV show - it's a lot like a state of mind. A little parallel universe where you can always escape to, filled with strange and surreal sides of woodland mysteries. Last night we started with the first few episodes with my love and continued on today. We'll be having the same date every night for as long as the two seasons last! This bliss requires sharing the couch with my sweetheart, with a fresh pot of quality coffee (black as midnight on a moonless night, naturally) and PIE. That goes without saying.

The cherry season has died away so I had to replace them with self-picked blueberries. I created the pie with *this* vegan recipe (the topping is coconut ice cream) and I must say it's quite brilliant. Easy to make and not too sweet! The recipe must be good since I'm honestly not much of a baker and still my love said something that Agent Dale Cooper later agreed on:

The outfit of this happening is trivial but even so, I thought you might like to see it. I don't know why it felt like Twin Peaks to me, maybe the red nails and the dress whispered something like that when combined! We went to snap the pics on a nearby railroad bridge that reminds me of Ronette Pulaski in the pilot episode, and there's also a sawmill next to it to add a little more feel of the ghostly woodland series. The sun and the clouds were playing hide and seek so photos are tinted in different lights, hope you don't mind.

The dress and the shoes belong to this summer's best second hand finds; Minna Parikka pumps from a friend and glittery funeral dress from the 60's. The brooches are miscellaneous finds and the tights were created by the dancing shadows of the wire fence. 

Soon I'm off to drift into a deep sleep. 

I wonder if there's a dancing dwarf in there, or perhaps a room with red curtains. 

But first: Lovers of Twin Peaks, I'd love to hear if you have some special characters or scenes that fill your heart with joy or terror! Your favourite bits of this great show? :)

Stockholm syndrome

One of the highlights of this summer took place about two weeks ago, when my sister snatched me away with her to Stockholm, Sweden's beautiful capital. She got me flight tickets as a graduation gift, how sweet is that! ♥ I was absolutely thrilled about the trip since I must have been one of the few Finns who had never been to Stockholm before. And also because I truly needed a break, a little adventure to draw my mind away from the everyday life.

We stayed in the city for a couple of days. Shopping felt trivial (though it accidentally bore some fruit, but I'll get back to that later) so our master plan was to wander aimlessly in those old, picturesque streets and eat. A lot. Here are some moods from the trip through a 50mm lens:

Vegan blueberry pie @ Hermitage

Stockholm has some great vegan and vegetarian options, but the best of all to me was Herman's. 

I almost wept when I tasted their buffet treats, had to take multiple portions!

 The only thing that puzzled me a little was how similar the local people looked. They are often described as stylish and I'm sure they are to most people, but I felt like walking in the middle of a clone army straight from the fashion catalog. Of course everyone's fully entitled to dress the way they want, but still: creepy! I know there must be lots of people with very individual styles out there, but I just couldn't find many. The goal of my next trip to Stockholm is to find them. ;)

They were playing this song! 

My pretty sister ♥

Otherwise, how could I not enjoy my time there? The narrow alleys of Gamla stan, comic book stores, vintage boutiques, veg sushi and countless beautiful old buildings all over the city. One of the best parts was when the royal orchestra started playing Danny Elfman's Batman theme the second we walked into the crowd (somehow they knew my secret identity, *gasp*!).

Much like the syndrome, the city captivates you in its beauty and you might quickly grow to love it. And it almost made me write this entire post in Swedish.