Masquerade

Some parties rock, but some parties rococo. 

I believe some of you might remember my old dream to take part in a masquerade, and now I finally have! These photos (mine and others' alike, please don't steal them) tell a story of a sunny Saturday and the night that followed. A pastel-hued dimension that took its place a little over a week ago.

Sweet and beautiful Ida was our birthday lady, our queen (or khaleesi) and the sole ruler of the night. ♥

Find the ghost from the pic ♥

Blogging mollies! From the left: Leena, me, Lady Satin and Sasetar

-"You fight like a dairy farmer!"
-"How appropriate. You fight like a cow."

"A SCANDAL!"

Chandeliers cast our shadows on the walls and excited chatter filled the rooms as people made their acquaintances. With bows and curtseys, naturally. I love parties with new faces, and it made it all even better to see how much people had put effort in their costumes! Gorgeous lords and ladies filled the damask-covered rooms. Besides the delicacies, the historical drama and the nearly civilized drinking, there was also some extra nice entertainment involved. 

A duel of swords and wits à la Monkey Island! Treasure hunting! Burlesque show by Lunar Madness! Oriental dance of sabers! Troubadour ballads! Rococo disco! Gossips and photo shoots! And above all, such scandals that only the mansion walls can whisper of them.

I made my dress at the eleventh hour, completely from second hand ingredients. I found a ghastly 80's polyester creamy dream wedding gown with nearly legendary puff sleeves, and turned it into something that resembled a rococo dress. It was quickly made and it looked nice enough, but I was honestly surprised to hear such lovely compliments about my outfit! I even won the costume prize for Queen's Favourite, I felt so honoured! 

My noblewoman's title was Countess Morella Augusta Vladimira von Hexenvogel. 

After each glass of wine it became harder to remember that.

Thank you Laura for the pics! ♥

The day had a shakespearean charm to it, we walked and danced as if in the mists of some fae magic or a parallel universe, open for just one night. And in the strikes of the chilly morning hours the spell vanished, leaving lush memories and happy souls in its wake.

My sincere thanks and love to every lord and lady, the old friends and the new! ♥

Photo by Henry Söderlund photography. You can *click* it larger!

(photos 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 & 26 weren't taken by me. 

They're from Ida's blog (Shadow Selves), Laura Koski, Maria Maunula and Henry Söderlund.)

Strewn with time's dead flowers, Bereft in deathly bloom

I slumbered the previous week in my childhood home, mostly just relaxing and cleaning the closets and the garage from dust and memories. It felt wonderful; leafing through old photographs, grinning at drawings and the sometimes frightening inner landscape of a 5-year old me, and walking down the memory lane with the most beloved toys.

Somewhere between all that I also made hairdos for me and my mother! She was thrilled to get the kind of beehive she's dreamed of, and in return it made me happy to see her smile. Clearly I didn't put all that much effort on mine as it started to sag in a few hours, but I still wanted to snap a few pics for you. I loved the decorations in this one, especially those black cherries.

So here's what I wore on a cloudy afternoon. The dress is mom's, hair accessories are all second hand and tights and necklace are from Back Street, in case someone wished to know. Nothing says summer like black lace, skeleton hands and faux roses, right? ;)

Dreaming in the garden and tending the flowers made me really sad about living in a high-rise. Envy is a waste of emotion and I do my best to avoid it at all times, but I can't help feeling a little green about gardens! I wish I'll have a garden of my own some day, with crooked cherry and apple trees, a pumpkin patch and a field of roses, and a secret hideout beneath the trees. Until then I can always dream and circle in the gardens of others.

October Blues

I made a small list of a few random things that make my mind pump positive emotions into my synapses at the moment (there's been a flock of negative surprises too, but I always feel like concentrating on the good ones). 

♥ A black, detachable lace collar my mom twiddled especially for me. Detachable collars have been all around for a couple of years now so I'm preeet-ty late, but who cares. I'm usually never synchronized with the frequently changing tides of fashion, whatever moves you is the best way to dress up! (Curls are a current favorite too.)

♥  The collected poems of Sylvia Plath. This book feeds my inspiration so much that you can't but a price on it, I'm glued to these verses at the moment. My favorite one right at this second is Lady Lazarus, but favorites vary all the time along with my moods. Her words are so powerful, just look at these last verses of Lady Lazarus:

"...Ash, ash---

You poke and stir.

Flesh, bone, there is nothing there---

A cake of soap,

A wedding ring,

A gold filling.

Herr God, Herr Lucifer

Beware

Beware.

Out of the ash

I rise with my red hair

And I eat men like air."

♥ Tea flowers that my sister brought me from her journey to Istanbul. These babies bloom under boiling water, and the result is enchanting! Although this photographed one didn't work out that well, but you can well imagine how it would look at it's best.

♥ New black pumps from Bianco's sale basket. As if I didn't enough of black mary jane shoes, but they're pretty gorgeous killers! They're the last pair in a long while since I have some serious saving holes coming up, and I'd rather let go of all excess consuming anyway. As much as I love pretty things, I really don't need so much.

♥ Soy milk and blueberries! This treat reminds me of childhood summers.

♥ New decorative frames. A woman obsessed with curly frames can never have too many, though my spouse strongly disagrees with this. :D If only you could see our apartment in full view, I really should stop dragging these home from flea markets, antique shops and decor boutiques..

♥ Beauty and the Beast pop-up book! And the Alice in Wonderland version is still arriving in the mail, but I'll show it as it arrives in case you're interested. Thanks for this purchase goes to a kind reader, thank you so much for telling me about these editions! These will help me a great deal in certain parts of my thesis. :)

You can view the rest of these images in Youtube! *CLICK*

♥ My birthday is today!  I wish this year would bring me an ounce of more courage, a pinch of self-discipline concerning even the tedious paperwork so that I wouldn't  get into so much trouble in that area, and a trip to somewhere I've never been in in a land far, far away. Or not so far away, I just need a new adventure in my life. 

Today I've just been pampering myself for the occasion. :) I wish you all a wonderful evening!

And so, being young and dipped in folly, I fell in love with melancholy

The passed weekend filled my lungs with joy. Nothing extra special happened, I just spent time with the loved one, watched all the Evil Dead films in a row and let the deep tranquilising aromas of red wine slip through my throat in the slow hours of the evening. 

trench coat ~ Asos / lace dress ~ Pearl Lowe / jewellery ~ second hand, Hyde's Vice and Seppälä
 corset boots & bag ~ Minna Parikka

On Sunday I felt like dressing up for our occasional Sunday stroll, it has been a while since I've felt like wearing something special so I enjoyed it immensely! I rolled my hair, veiled my body in black lace and laced my absolute favorite pair of boots on. And oh how I smiled to the autumn sun instead of flinching from it's rays like I usually do. 

Black matte nailpolish has been a frequent friend lately, I adore that leathery look! And NO, I'm not engaged!

I simply love autumn. There's such a sense of possibility in the cold, crisp air and beauty in the trees that wither into a more skeletal shape each day. Here's a few autumnal songs that have rolled repeatedly on my playlist, I hope you enjoy them!

(all Opeth songs are great for autumn!)

PS: I'm sure you noticed the new banner! It's a bit sketchy, but I feel it's more "me" 

than the previous vector art. There'll be some changes in the layout too, 

when I get some proper time to fix it. :)