Q&A! Part Two

(FINALLY! Took me long enough :-D)

BEAUTY

Q: Where do you get your inspiration for make-up and paintings?
Everywhere! Poems, fairytales, nature, science, stylish details, whatever moves my inspiration. Paintings are mostly originated from dreams and ideas that flash into my head, sometimes I've subconsciously used images I've already seen. Like inspiration always, they're just a reflection of things I've encountered, felt and admired.

Q: Did getting your septum pierced hurt much?
Not much, but the pinch hit the nerve and made my eyes teary.

Q: Would you like to reveal your future tattoo ideas?
Nope, they're something I keep as a secret until they come to life. 

Q: Does you boyfriend have tattoos/does he like yours?
No he doesn't have, he planned on getting some when he was younger but now he's glad he didn't. He likes tattoos a lot though, and of course he likes mine. But I wouldn't count his opinion if he didn't, it's my body and skin after all. :)




Q: Have you thought about getting more tattoos or piercings? What are your favorites from the ones you have? 
Piercings- I doubt it, but I'm going to get a lot more tattoos. I'm going to be a picture book when I'm all grown up! I've always loved tattoos, I found them fascinating in my early years and now that I can have them, I'm unlikely going to stop. I don't want a fully tattooed body, but it's going to be pretty heavily tattooed. I wish I had a regular job so that I could get them all the time, heehee.

My favourite piercing is septum, and I love all of my tattoos. But the little hidden birdie in the victorian lady's portrait is somehow special. Too cute!


Q: Do you have any more tattoos which you didn't show on your blog?
No, I have only these eleven ones at the time.


Q: Do you ever feel insecure about your body? Are there some things you'd like to change?
I guess sometimes we all have felt a bit insecure about our bodies, but my love always stops me before I start ranting and I love him for doing that. Women are way too obsessed about their looks, weight and so called flaws! It's crazy! In all that it's too easy to forget how unique and beautiful we all are. The modern ideal of how a woman should look like is altogether sick, body types are so different and we should embrace that. Health and happiness are always the most important things.

I love my body and wouldn't change anything in myself, now matter how low I might sometimes feel when my huge derby thighs don't fit into some pants. But hey, I don't even use pants! And the other side of the coin is that they're muscular and strong, so that's what I focus on. The "flaws" usually become funny and beloved details when you truly accept them. Like my tooth gap. ^.^


Q: What make-up base do you use?
Everyday Minerals/Lily Lolo mineral powders or Missha Perfect Cover BB cream+powder combo.

Q: What brand of eyelashes do you wear?
Whatever I get on my hands, but I prefer Red Cherry, Ardell and StarGazer lashes.

Q: What is your view on make-up, where's the line of having too much make-up on?
When you feel like you're carrying too much on your face and don't feel good about your reflection. The line is defined with each person themselves. :) I think dark eyes and dark lipstick go well together, though many experts disagree!

Q: Do you believe that natural beauty is THE thing?
The so called natural beauty is a paradox. I don't see that shock colours and dramatic make-up are any more superficial or fake than the stuff that "natural looking" people put on themselves. It's the same amount of hair dyes and make-up, the colours are just different. A natural looking beauty can carry much more artificiality on her than a dramatic looking one, ranging from all kinds of extensions to fake tan and plastic surgery.

It's completely another thing to look beautiful without any make-up or other chemicals, I do highly appreciate a natural beauty like that! One of my best friends doesn't wear any make-up and she is gorgeous. But I feel all women are entitled to do whatever makes them feel pretty, make up is a great way to express creativity. :)


Q: How long does it take to do your daily make-up?
About 10-15 minutes.

Q: What's your favorite beauty product?
I couldn't decide on just one, so I made a top 10 post about this! *Here*.

Q: Do you wear make-up at the graveyard?
I don't work there anymore, but I used just a hint of mascara and fixed eyebrows, sometimes liner. The dead sure didn't mind if I didn't look all fixed up. :>

Q: Is your skin naturally that pale? Do you know any treatments that can make skin more pale if it has been tanned or sun damaged?
Yes, my skin is naturally very pale. There's a lot of pallor treatment cosmetics in Asia, including BB creams, and I've heard that products that contain arbutin make your skin lighter..? Sorry, can't help more specifically since I don't have the experience.

Q: Could you put up some eye makeup tutorials please because your eye makeup is always totally perfect and I'd love to see how you manage it so nicely!
I believe the most efficient way to learn is to try and not to lean too much on tutorials. :) I could consider it, but I'm seriously not a great teacher nor a make-up guru, and there's already tons of tutorials out there. I just mix and paint my face the way I like and I recommend that!

Q: What would you do if you were walking outside and the wind started to tear your false lashes away?
At first I'd laugh at myself heartily. :D And rip them off and glue them back on when I'd get wherever I'm going. This has actually never happened!

STYLE

Q: Have you always dressed in black?
The first time I really started wearing black was before junior high school, I was about 11 years old and a tiny metalhead. After that I made some punk rock experiments and before high school I went back to black. And at once I felt like I was at home again.

Q: The biggest style mistake you have ever made? 
I don't see things as mistakes, there's just been some wild experiments. I have no regrets! 

Q: Do you shop for clothes online? If so, what are your favorite online stores? 
Ebay and Etsy, great second hand and vintage finds. Those are my favorite sites!

Q: What kind of styles do you find aesthetic?
Many kinds, but usually the best ones are dark and creative. Different subcultures, high fashion, futuristic spices.. I'm into a lot of different styles! It's great to see when the style melts perfectly on the person.

Q: Don't you ever get sick of wearing black?
Nope.




Q: I'd like to know when did you become gothic (is there a story behind you'd like to tell us?)
I've been inclined on the darker and more mysterious side of life ever since I was a child, but I wasn't "gothic" music and style wise before the age of 15-16. I did wear black when I was much younger, but I was more of a metalhead then. But I've always enjoyed stories of vampires, ghosts and the unknown, so it was natural for me to develop into the person I am today.

Q: Sometimes you wear military clothes with a sexy twist. Where did you get those?
Most of those are from flea-market, DIY or Lip Service (second hand) and the ones from Futurstate I bought from some goth store in Paris. But you can get those from Futurstate's website and ebay too. :)

Q: Which size of Lip Service do you wear? Bottom and top.
S-M, usually M. It depends on the collection.


Q: What are your safety clothes when you'd just like to stay and sleep but you'll have to go to some appointment?
A simple, comfy black dress, great shoes, red lipstick, possibly a little black beret and a trench coat. Fast, simple and even remotely chic.

Q: Did you had/have a fashion icon growing up/now or an icon that you admired so much?
I don't think I've ever had a fashion icon, not anyone I'd follow at least. Does Darth Vader count? ;) He does wear black! I really enjoy the work of some talented people and I deeply admire their special qualities, but I don't have idols.


Q: How do people react on the way you look? Do people approach you easily?
There are so many different reactions. Grannies and kids are usually the best ones, grannies give lovely compliments especially on vintage looks and kids like to smile and stare (or they look horrified, mwahaha). The worst commentators are usually drunkards, junkies, teenagers that move in packs and some stuck-up middle-aged housewives who don't even try to hide their fear or disgust. I just smile at them to make them feel uncomfortable about their shallow prejudices. :) It's weird to get strong feedback because I don't feel that I look so different, and I try to be as kind to people as possible.

Q: What kind of outfit would you never wear, at any price?
Genuine fur coat+Jump-in overall+ugly middle-aged lady's shoes with a kitten heel and a blunt tip or Crocs. Oh the horrorrr.

Q: What will you do if you get tanned? Could you go on a holiday in Spain?
I dreamed of this question one night! I was SUPER tanned in the dream and I thought I would scream my lungs out, but I just woke up giggling. So I'd really just take it calmly, it's not the end of the world. But I don't tan easily so I'd have to lie on the beach for a week to get some bronze on my complexion.

And I'd LOVE to go to Spain, anytime! As long as it would be a cultural trip, not some lame beach holiday.

Q: Would you dress up as dramatically if you were "uglier"? Or if black colour wouldn't suit you?
Why on earth wouldn't I..? It doesn't matter what other people think, and all people have some pretty features!

FOOD

Q: Are you a vegetarian/vegan? I'd like to hear your opinions about vegetarianism and mass production.

I could write a novel of this matter, but I'm just trying to sum it all easily up here. So, YES,  I've been a veggie for over 10 years now. I emphasize on a vegan diet but I'm not a strict vegan, although I'm aiming for that. I own some leather shoes but prefer to buy them second hand. At home I make only vegan dishes and bake vegan delicacies, but at restaurants and friends' homes I easily bend to lacto vegetarian choices if I'm super hungry and there's no vegan options available.

For me vegetarianism is the only way of life that feels natural to me, I do not wish to add any more pain to this world through my actions. I am a veggie for the sake of my own mental and physical health, for ethical reasons and for the environment. Carnivorism and mass production are one of the top reasons for why this planet is crumbling down and that's a harsh fact. I don't see the difference between humans and animals and I feel that we're equally valuable. If anything, we should take responsibility for the well-being of all animals.

BUT these things are not all black and white, like both sides seem to think. Like Jonathan Safran Foer said; "I’m not better than anyone, and I’m not trying to convince people to live by my standards of what’s right. I’m trying to convince them to live by their own." Every person has their own way, and I believe everyone can make a difference! I have friends, such as my other half, who eat fish and occasionally meat too and are still strongly against fur and animal cruelty and sign petitions. It helps the animals if everyone does something. I may be an idealist on this, but I strongly believe everyone can do their part to give a better life to animals on this globe. They deserve it.

Wow, this turned out to be a mini novel after all, sorry and congrats if you read it all.

Peace ♥

Q: What kind of breakfast do you usually have?
Something like this, with different variations!: Blueberry/soy milk/maca root powder/hemp protein/coconut oil smoothie, coffee or green tea and sometimes oatmeal, fruit or bread. And even potato chips, haha. But I never eat when I get out of bed, just an hour or three later. That's why my breakfast usually consists of liquids.

Q:Your favorite food?

 At the moment everything with tofu, ginger, mushrooms, coconut milk and chili. But I guess my favorite dish is a green curry thai veggie wok with air-dried noodles, since I cook it almost every week. Thai food and oriental food in general is so goood I could die while eating it.

Q: Do you have good vegan recipes? What do you put on top of bread?
My favorite stuff on bread is an olive oil and avocado mixed paste + ruccola, basil, cucumber, black pepper and a pinch of good quality salt. Yummmmy! I have loads of simple and delicious vegan recipes in stock but I'm not sure if I'm going to post them here, after all this isn't a food blog. And I'm not such a great cook,  I usually just circle the same recipes around.


Q: What coffee/tea do you normally buy?
My love buys our coffee and I'm responsible for tea. I usually buy loads of different flavours from the Ounce, a little tea shop in Helsinki. My favorites are flavours "Romeo and Juliet" (green tea with rosebuds, too delicious) and "Alice in Wonderland" (green tea with strawberries and pink chocolate flakes). I love green tea and drink it on a daily basis!



Q: Your favorite wine?
Mmmm, I love red wine too and almost anything goes! But Douce Nature, Cycles Gladiatoire and Fairhills have stuck on my mind, all red and organic. If I'm running low on money, then I usually go with Gato Negro or El Tesoro, it depends.

Q: Give us an example of what you eat during a day?
Here's yesterday's consumption, pret-ty basic stuff:

• a huge cup of green  tea, vitamin pills (B12, D), smoothie (soy milk/soy yogurt/blueberries/maca powder/hemp protein/raw chocolate powder/coconut oil), coffee.
•  2 plates (lunch&dinner) of couscous, soy patties, salad (salad leaves, avocado, hemp seeds, cucumber, tomato) and olive oil. Lots of it!
• chia seed jello, almonds, and potato chips. :D Usually I eat a lot of fruit but not yesterday, it seems.
• during the day I drink tea, coffee, tea, tea and lots of water.

Day 20: Q&A! Part One

CULTURE

Q: Do you call yourself goth? What does gothic subculture mean to you personally? Is it more like a feeling or is it based on style?
I'm above all an individual, but I do call myself goth because it's an easy term to tell people about my tendencies and taste in things. It also makes it easier to find like-minded people. However I do not like strict labels. Clinging desperately on to some conception and a specific group creates needless stress to people, and often disables them from getting to know their true selves and other things they enjoy that are out of that particular subculture. Gothy and spooky things feel very homely to me and I enjoy them immensely, but I do not let them define me. Many goths take their appearances way too seriously and in the process get lost in the cobwebbed world. Strict lines can make the former joy turn into a cage, so let yourself roam free!

As for the term "goth", I see it mostly as a mental quality and a matter of both music and literature, and for most goths the subculture is also about the certain aesthetics. I enjoy all of these. But if you feel like you're a goth although your musical taste or wardrobe doesn't exactly match the subculture, then go ahead! Don't bother your mind with the genre police that patrols out there. :)


Q:What kind of bands/music do you listen to?
Many kinds! You can find some of them by clicking the "lullabies" tag, since it's too much work to list them all up here. To  name some of my favorite bands: the Cure, Jill Tracy, Killing Joke, Tori Amos, Opeth, Clan of Xymox, Covenant, Of the Wand and the Moon, Death in June, Depeche Mode, Skinny Puppy, Danny Elfman, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, NIN, the Cramps... the list is endless.

I never want to narrow down my musical taste just in goth bands, so favorites range from goth to metal and from female singers to classical,  whatever moves my soul.

Q:What kind of literature do you read, and what kind of authors do you prefer? Is there some book that you love, although you wouldn't believe it by looking at your appearance?
I prefer magical realism, fantasy, fairytales and books with surreal undertones, but I also enjoy reading psychology and history. As my favorite authors I could name Neil Gaiman, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, H.P.Lovecraft and Eckhart Tolle, as you have probably noticed, for I like their whole production and they've influenced me in a profound way. 

But there are MANY authors that have one or two good books that have effected on me! Such books as Harry Potter, the Secret History, the Mists of Avalon and Alice's adventures in Wonderland. I also enjoy Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, all that historical romance stuff. :> And I had a major phase of reading the history of women in China and tragic biographies. I have read many many books and the whole lifetime won't be able to give me enough time to read everything I want!


Q: What's your favourite poem?
 Like in all things, I don't have only one special favorite. But I could name a couple of them; Poe's Alone always speaks to me, and Sylvia Plath's Witch Burning. From Finnish poems I've always enjoyed Kaarlo Kramsu's Onneton, my mom read it to me ages ago when I was a kid.


Q: Favorite books, films, bands, and games?
Those are dusted all over this blog. :) 


Q: What's your job?
I'm a graphic design student! But I'm more inclined on the fine arts and illustrations, and I make commissions and prints as a side job.


Q: How did you end up studying graphic design? Have you always loved drawing and art? Could we see more of your work here? :)
I ended up studying this profession by mistake or intuition, I don't know. I thought about keeping a free year between high school and the next level, but ended up in a town I had never been before!
And yes, I've always loved art and drawing and it's felt like the most natural thing for me. Sadly I don't draw nearly as much as I should, I really really should get a grip on myself.

And for the third part of the question: I'd love to show more of my work here, but somehow I feel  self-conscious about my paintings and drawings. But I'll try to show more of my work here from now on. :)


Q: Do you know what kind of job you want to do after your studies?
Yes, I'm aiming to become a freelancer. There's nothing I love to do as much as painting and design, so I'm trying to walk that path in my life. It might take some time and a side job to maintain myself at first, but I'm pretty optimistic. :) I'm going to graduate as a graphic designer but luckily it's a vast area of expertise. I would probably die if I worked in a huge advertising agency or other greedy jobs for a long time, ugh.


Q: What is your favourite era (or eras) in history? 
Victorian era, Edwardian times, baroque, 20's-50's and also a pinch of batcave 80's. Those are favorites, but every era has it's own enchantment.

(artwork by Dan Hillier)

Q: Do you have a historical crush, and if so, who?
I've had loads of fictional crushes, but none from the historical side I'm afraid.


Q: If you could invite any ten people - living, dead or fictional - to a dinner party, who would they be?
This was such a tricky question, it's been rolling in my head all these months! Could I invite 100 people? :') 

It's a vague list, but I think I'd go with Leonardo da Vinci (intelligence and pure awesomeness), Oscar Wilde (wit and humor), Gandalf (badass!), Tim Burton (I'd have some questions, hmm!) Edgar Allan Poe (a pinch of healthy melancholy), Death from the Sandman series (she's a lot of fun! *PEACHY KEEN*), her brother Dream and Neil Gaiman because it would be so much fun to see how he'd react seeing his characters come to life, Batman (well hello Captain Obvious) and Alice, cause it looks sad if there's just one woman there in addition to me and you'd never know what she could come up with. I really can't come up with a good list, it changes all the time!

Q: What was your first touch with horror culture?
Books, I think! I loved my Little Vampire's Diary/Handbook a little too much, my sister still remembers how I screeched like a banshee if anyone dared to approach it!

BLOGS

Q: Have you ever regretted starting a blog? What's the best/the worst thing?
Not really, although there are some not-so-nice sides to it. I love blogging and it has brought so many positive things into my life, but the negativity of some people is just plain weird. I know that every bridge of life has it's own trolls, blogs too, but why waste your life in so much negative energy? You'll only end up poisoning your own psyche. It's also been  pretty disturbing to see my layouts and even posts copied almost entirely, can't really see the point in that. It is completely another thing to get inspired, we all do that, but downright following every step isn't very nice.

I also know that a blog personality can give people some prejudices about me, which is sad. But that depends on the person, and I guess that's not my problem. This blog is just a scratch on the surface, there's always more to the person behind the blog and it would be good to keep that in mind. :)


The best thing is my lovely readers! It always brightens up the day to read such nice comments, I deeply thank you all for them! It's also nice that I can express my creativity this way and possibly inspire people at the same time. Not to mention that blogging is fun! :>



Q: How would you sum up your conclusions about having a well-known blog over these three years? What do you think it makes a successful one? What would you change from it?
It has it's pros and cons, like I mentioned above. But I enjoy it immensely, don't know what else to say!

And about the "success", you'd have to tell me for I do not know. I've never advertised myself or done anything to make this blog grow in popularity. I've just done what I like and I've been myself, so it's nice that people have just found their way here. I'm grateful for every reader and very surprised to have so many too! ♥


Q: I'd like to know about the history of your blog! When did you start? What tips would you give to a starting blogger?
I started over three years ago. I can't give any tips because everyone's blog is unique and people do things very differently, just blog in the way that feels natural to you. :)


Q: Do you read a lot of blogs? What kind of blogs do you prefer?
Yes of course, but I usually just browse through different blogs. It might be surprising that my favourite blogs aren't all regarded as gothic, I like to look at the life and styles of different looking people. Some of my favorites are The Dainty Squid, Nelliinan Vaatehuone, Esme and the laneway, Cosette Munch, Circus Girl, The Freelancer's Fashionblog, Murderotic and Converting Vegetarians. Plus some inspirational darker sites like Haute Macabre and Bloodmilk Jewelry, they're are a must-read for me. 

There's a lot of blogs that I read but it would take me the whole evening to list those so here's just a couple of examples. And sadly, many of my all-time favourite blogs don't exist anymore. 


Q: How do you feel about people nicking your pictures (tumblr, weheartit.com) and often without any credits? Is it flattering or annoying?
Mostly it's ok when there's proper credits, but finding your pics without any credits, used as a profile pic or even completely photoshopped (really, what's up with that people?) is so annoying that "fucking annoying" wouldn't be able to cover it. It's a theft like any other, most people just don't know that or worse, they don't even care. So it's both flattering and annoying! Kudos to all the lovely people who have asked my permission. :)


Q: Where does your nickname "Mothmouth" come from? What's the story behind it...?
You're probably not going to believe this, but I just liked the sound of that word and it stuck on my mind! As far as I know, it doesn't mean anything, but I think I might have spotted it in some distant dream. I do love moths, though.

Q: Would you consider making a video in the future (make up tutorials, vlogs?) 
Consider, yes, but I can't make any promises! I don't usually watch any vlogs since I find them quite boring and the thought of making one feels needlessly stressing. And there's so many tutorials already that I don't feel like I could give anything new to that. 

Yup, I feel like I've been born in the wrong century.

Q: Do you make money with your blog in some way? What do you think of earning by blogging, is writing about your individual tastes and passions to reconcile with making money?

No, I don't make any money from this since I'm not blogging for a site and I don't have adds on my page, but I don't know about the future. I think earning your livelihood through blogging is more than ok, doing something you love for a job sounds great! Keeping a blog, writing it and seeing a lot of trouble to take the pics IS work and it takes a lot of time, but I don't earn money from it. Clothes, sometimes, when I make collaboration posts. I don't see anything bad about that some people do make their living out of this. :)

MISC

Q: Which celebrity female is the most beutiful in your opinion?
Audrey Hepburn & Winona Ryder were the first ones to pop into my mind. They both have a very special, exquisitely beautiful and fairylike face!

Q: Who or what inspires you the most right now?
Vintage photos + spiritism + the Japanese language + snow + the woods

(images fished from google)

Q: Three of my favorite things in the world:

• My loved ones, as in close friends, my wonderful family and of course my spouse. Their support holds me together when I feel like falling apart.
• Animals! I can't even begin to say how much I love them! Owlings, kittens, pugs, wolves, baby belugas, elephants, seals, mouse lemurs, baby sloths... and actually baby everything, except for humans. (Pardon me, but I'm just not very fond of kids.) I adore animals, and they always cheer me up in the darkest hours. I'm officially a junkie for animal youtube videos, and I never want to go to rehab!
• Art, including all of it's fields. When misanthropy is at it's severest, art always makes you feel like that there's still some hope for mankind, that people can create beautiful things.

Q: Your lovestory?
I met my man for the first time under the bridge in Kuopio city, dressed up in pirate costumes. (I'm not kidding!) It was my brother's surprise birthday party (pirate themed, as you already figured out), and I saw this slender, gorgeous guy sliding down the hill and under the bridge. I was seventeen at the time and he was 25, and he went mute when he heard my age later that night, so no budding romance there. But I caught him two years later in another party, in the middle of falling snow and there it begun. < 3


Q: Favorite stores in Helsinki?
All the second hand shops (especially Valtteri, but it's history now :() and vintage shops, Back Street, the Ounce, Academic bookstore, Alko. :D But this is the best sight:

Q: Your summer job in the boneyard. How easy was getting that job? What's the pay like and what exactly do you do there? I'd love to get a job in my local cemetary.
This is a tough one, since I can't really help you with getting the job or the pay. I knew the people working there and got the job very easily through an application, the pay pretty much suckssss here in Finland (but it depend A LOT on your city), and I had various things to attend to at work. Mainly tending the graves, watering the flowers, dusting the church and keeping the cemetery neat, but I also helped the grave digger in his job. So I've had my share of having one foot in the grave. ;) But all I can say is that you'll have to apply to that job and preferably visit the office in person. I hope you get the job! 


Q: What are your hobbies? 
Roller Derby, comics, films, learning things by heart, crafts, dreams, art history, games, music,  vintage, gathering knowledge of the unknown, collecting curiosities.. And of course making art, but that's more like a profession.


Q: What is your favorite fabric? 
Black lace.


Q: What is your favorite season?
Autumn, hands down. I love it from the bottom of the chambers of my heart, which was born in the autumn along with the rest of my body.


Q: I'd like to ask you if you are using social media sites other than blogspot (tumblr, facebook, deviant art etc.) If so, would you mind giving them to us? (I know facebook might be too private, so I 'd expect you not revealing it xD)
Nope, I'm a granny! I just think people consume way too much time in the social media. I don't have the urge of revealing everything, so I don't have all possible accounts. I do have a Deviant art site though, haven't uploaded anything or visited that page for years. I keep my facebook just for people I've met in person and people that I know well, so I won't link it here, sorry. :)


Q: Are you content about your present city, or would you like to move elsewhere?
It's a small but good town and I lead a good life here (thanks to art, friends and roller derby), but my heart does yearn to go elsewhere. I feel like this town will drag me down, like Morrissey would say. My spouse has his dream job here for a while so we aren't able to move away yet, but we will move next year I hope. I'd love to live abroad for a while, I'm dreaming of Scotland.


Q: Why do you prefer to write in English than in Finnish?
I enjoy writing in English more than I do in Finnish. I don't have time or energy to write in both languages anymore, and it's always good to exercise your linguistic skills. :) Finnish is a beautiful language but I don't want to handle it at the moment, I feel like it's lost to me in written form.


Q: Which year were you born in?
188..1989

Q: What's your shoe size? 
UK 4,5 /  EU 37,5 

Q: How tall are you?
I don't know for sure! I tried measuring it, and I'm about 167 cm tall. Not a garden gnome, but that's what I look like when I'm next to my almost gigantically tall boyfriend.. Except when I'm wearing killer heels.

Q: I've always wondered what your first name is :>? 
I thought about not revealing this, but in real life you can call me Maija or Maya. I use both names. :)

Q: Are you still going to do the photo post that you promised a long time ago? I've been waiting for it ever since :'3
The most part of it has already been published inside different posts. :) Some of the requests were too hard to fulfill and I'm still thinking about how to do them because I don't want to let you guys down. But I'll try!

Q: What kind of childhood did you have?
Happy, surrounded with a loving family and books and drawings. Sometimes very lonely too, since girls of my age used to discriminate me for being different and then I rocked shut like shell and played with boys. But generally my childhood was very happy, in the end I just felt loved and secured and I'm forever grateful for that!


Q: Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I don't plan my life that far, you never know when you're kicking the bucket so I try to live in the moment as much as I can. But I'm probably travelling in different places,  getting more tattoos and painting, that would be dreamy life. But you can't plan your life beforehand so we'll see how my paths entwine!

Q: Do you have an Instagram account?
Nope, my current phone is from the stone age. :-)

Q: Where have you traveled, and where would you like to go?
France, Scotland, USA, Belgium and Estonia popped in my mind, so I've travelled way too little for my own liking! I'd love to go everywhere, even in North-Korea. I think the next stops will be Germany, England, Japan and some wild card. 

Q: If you'd get a free trip to anywhere right now, where would you go and why?
Kyoto, Japan. My soul yearns to go there right now and always, there's something magical and soothing about those temples and gardens.


Q: What are your pet hates?
I really can't stand extremely stupid and ignorant people, I just can't. Especially when they are aggressive. Even zombies know that brains are a good thing. ;) And some other pet hates: parasites, pollution, poachers, clowns, blue cheese, Tuesdays, Blutengel, Big Brother, people who trash bottles to the ground (these go to the first section I mentioned), junkies, Windom Earle, modern architecture, paperwork, sunburns..


Q: What are some of the things on your bucket list?
Travelling through Japan with a back bag, holding an art exhibition of my own, paint a self-portrait, get a shitload of tattoos, learn to play cello, speak japanese more fluently, move to Madagaskar for a while to help animal conservation (mouse lemurs, here I come!) or some other nature preservation program as a field work, and some other things I don't feel like sharing yet. I have a lot of dreams, or more realistically thinking, goals.

Q: What colours do you use in paintings,and do you use turpentine?
I prefer oil paints, but nowadays I do use acrylics too. And I do use turpentine sometimes, but also flax oil. 


Q: How did you find roller derby? 
From the internet a long time ago, and I founded the team in our town because it didn't exist in here.

Q: Do you have any other sports hobbies than roller derby?
Not really, but occasionally I do enjoy jogging, especially if I'm pissed off. :D

Q: You have photographed your shoes on piano keys. Do you play it, or have you played it?
No, sadly I don't. My brother is an amazingly talented concert pianist so I'll leave that art to him. 

Q: How old are you and what's your dream home like?
I'm 23 years old, and I'd love to live in an old villa, church or mansion, surrounded with a pumpkin patch and crooked apple trees. I'd love to have a lot of light space and dark antique furniture, and cats. And preferably a few secret doors and hidden passages, and perhaps a ghost. Well, a girl can dream!

Q: Do you smoke?
NO.

Q: What are your weaknesses that you'd like to get rid off, and what can't/won't you let go?
I guess I pretty much suck at keeping my timetables in order (you see how long it took to publish these posts? ;)), but that's as much as I want  to reveal. My weaknesses are my own secret and I don't like to distribute them since people always cling on to those. And I think weaknesses can always be beaten!

Q: Do you regard yourself as a morbid person?
I guess you could say that. I enjoy the darker side of life as well as the light side.

Q: What kind of humor do you enjoy?
Black, inappropriate and British. :D I also love peg leg jokes and nerdy puns. You can see me giggling on things most people wouldn't see as funny. Laughter is the salt of life!


Q: Have you ever had pets? What pet would you like to have the most?
We had a cat called Indiana Jones when I was young, may he rest in peace. I'd love to have cats in the house but I just can't. :( And bunnies and pugs would be great, too. ♥ And owls and ravens and black panthers and unicorns and I think this list is starting to get out of hand..

Q: How come you don't own any cats?
I'm allergic, and it's tearing me apart. :'( I'd give anything if only I could take care of a little bundle of fur, it's a great privilege you know.


And the last question!

If you had to marry someone from the following, who would it be?

a) Beetlejuice (In the snake form :D)
b) The small-headed guy from the waiting room from the same film or
c) the tobacco dude from the same waiting room and the same film :D

b) I think! :-D He still has his body left, haha.  I couldn't stand Beetlejuice for long and the tobacco guy isn't really my type either.

Birds in little cages, all believe in freedom

Onnetar on vähän suosinut näiden sadepäivien aikana ja auttoi kaksi kauan etsittyä löytöä kotiin asti. Olen lähiaikoina selaillut kuumeisesti nettihuutokauppoja ja penkonut kirppareita tietynlaisen hatun haavekuva verkkokalvoihin palaneena, ja vihdoin eBaysta tuli vastaan sopivan oloinen vintage-yksilö. Huutajamäärästä päätellen hattu taisi olla monen muunkin neitokaisen haaveena, mutta sniper-sovelluksen ilkukurisella avustuksella nappasin hatun omiin kokoelmiin. Suruharsoihin en taida kyllästyä koskaan, ihmisiä on niin hauska yllättää hymyilemällä leveästi tumman harson takaa :) Jostain syystä tätä hatusta ja erityisesti tuosta sulkasadosta tuli heti mieleen jonkin kauan sitten kadonneen ja unohdetun mykkäelokuvan merirosvoleski. Mielikuvia ja tarinoita kertovat vaatteet ovat mahtavia!

Toinen löydös on ollut hattua kauemmin etsinnässä. Mulla on ollut fiksaatio lintuhäkkeihin niin kauan kuin muistan, piirrustuksissakin niitä vilahtelee usein. Ollessani pieni meillä oli kotona lastenkirja jossa kuvattiin erilaisia optisia harhoja, ja muistan hyvin lempikohtani jossa paperilapun kahdella puolella oli kuva, toisella lintuhäkki ja toisella vapaa lintu. Naruista pyörittämällä kuvan sai pyörimään nopeasti ja lintu kadotti vapautensa joutumalla häkin sisään, illuusio oli monellakin tavalla vangitseva.

Ala-asteella näin ensimmäistä kertaa Sleepy Hollown jossa sama temppu toistui. Myöhemmin tein itselleni samanlaisen lintukiekon ja kuljetin sitä Ichabodin tavoin mukanani tietynlaisena onnenkaluna, kiekko taisi olla laukun pohjalla vielä lukiossakin. Nykyään nuhjuinen kiekko on hyvässä tallessa lipastonlaatikossa mutta lintuhäkkien lumolta en ole koskaan päässyt lehahtamaan karkuun.

photolink

No tietysti halusin lopulta oman koristehäkin, mieluiten käytettynä joko kirpputorilta tai antiikkikaupasta. Sisustuskauppoihin alkoi noin vuosi sitten tulvia uustuotannon häkkejä, mutta niiden muodot ja sarjatuotannon persoonattomuus eivät tuntuneet tarpeeksi omalta. Nyt kuitenkin sorruin lukemattomista turhista kirpputorikäynneistä tuohtuneena ja ostin oman pyöreän häkkini niinkin eksoottisesta paikasta kuin Anttila! Ei se aina ole niin tarkkaa :D Oikeaa lintua en koskaan hentoisi kahlita häkkiin, mutta (teko)luuranko tai oma lintuveistos saattaa saada vielä häkistä kodin. Olen hankinnasta iloinen, mutta salaa toivon vieläkin löytäväni ruostuneen häkkivanhuksen jonkin unohtuneen ullakon kätköistä, valkoisen, pölyttyneen lakanan alta odottamassa löytäjäänsä.

 ^Edit: Häkille löytyi heti hyödyllistä käyttöä! Kerrankin korvakorut on järjestyksessä ;)

Two treasures that I've been searching for made their way home during these rainy days. I can never get enough of veiled hats, it's so wonderful to smile at people underneath the veil, they never expect that! I snatched the hat from eBay, it looks very much like a pirate widow's hat from some long lost silent film. I absolutely love clothes that speak their own story.
Birdcages have a longer history with me. When I was little we used to have this book of optical illusions and my favorite was a bird cage, one image on each side which entwined when you rotated it. A few years later I saw Sleepy Hollow and was captivated again by the very same image. I made one of my own and carried it around with me for years like Ichabod. Finally I wanted a real one and found it after long searches, but sadly it's from a chain store. I like the cage very much, but I still dream of finding a real old one underneath a white blanket from some dusty, forgotten attic.

You're a moth too close to the fire

On ihanaa kun pienet asiat herättävät unenomaisia lapsuudenmuistoja mieleen. Muistan kerran lapsena nähneeni kotimme puutarhassa suuren perhosen, jonka selässä kulki raitoja ja pääkalloa mukaileva muoto. Ihmettelin ja ihastelin tuolloin ötökän outoa kaapua ja piirsinkin sen, mutta en vieläkään ole täysin vakuuttunut siitä minkä otuksen näin. Olen kuullut että pääkallokiitäjän tapaaminen näillä leveysasteilla on harvinaista mutta mahdollista, toivon siis vieläkin kohdanneeni aidon pääkallokiitäjän.

Eilen kotiin saapui viikkojen odotuksen jälkeen Etsy-paketti Atlantin aallokoiden toiselta puolelta. Rasiasta kuoriutui samanlainen hyönteinen, joka lehahti paketista suoraan kaulalleni ja näyttää viihtyvän siinä. Tämä yksilö on kuitenkin vain pleksimuovia mutta ihastuttava silti, tavallaanhan kyseessä on myös nimikkokoru :) Nimimerkkini ei muuten tule Uhrilampaat-elokuvan kannesta, vaikka kuvitella saattaisi. Yhteyden huomasin itsekin vasta kun seuraavan kerran elokuvan katsoin!

I have a cloudy childhood memory of finding a death's-head hawkmoth in our garden. I remember admiring it's shapes and even drawing it, but I'm still quite unsure if it really was that particular moth. Yesterday a small package from Etsy arrived, and from it's depths a same kind of moth fluttered on my neck. It's a plastic one, but nevertheless I love it! It's also a kind of a name necklace, but believe it or not, my nickname is not taken from Silence of the Lambs, as one might think.

Beautiful Blogger Award!

Sain kuplivan ihania yllätyksiä tällä viikolla, ja vielä niin monta etten olisi koskaan uskonut! Sanski, Sally Slander, Vivian, Insanity, Vampiric, Positiivinen Pakana, Ventovir, Saara, CändiC ja ^Vermin^ antoivat minulle tämän kauniin tunnustuksen. Kiitos teille kaikille ihanille vielä, olen todella otettu ja onnellinen maininnasta! ♥

Totta puhuakseni en aluksi aikonut vastata ketjun kutsuun, kammoan hiukan tällaisia ketjukirjeitä, mutta olkoon. Juttuun oli kätkettynä paljastuksia sekä seitsemän bloggaajaa, joille nappulan jakaa. Tässä seitsemän tiedonmurua elämästäni:

1. Synnyin pienenä, violettina ja kolme viikkoa etuajassa. Napanuora oli kohdussa kiertynyt hirttosilmukaksi kaulani ympärille ja menehtymiseni oli vain minuuteista kiinni. Täällä olen ja hengitän vielä, onneksi.

2.Olen värisokea, vaikka tytöillä se on hirmu harvinaista. Mulla oli geenistön mukaan 0,05% mahdollisuus olla värisokea mutta tietysti tuurillani se osui. Ei ole kuitenkaan haitannut menoani ollenkaan, tosin en tiedä miltä maalausteni sävyt oikeasti näyttävät :'D

3. Olen syntynyt peruskristilliseen perheeseen mutta en kuulu enää kirkkoon. Ollessani pieni äitini otti harvoille pakollisille kirkkokäynneille mukaan kyniä ja pienen piirustusvihkon jotta mulla olisi edes jotain tekemistä. Pidän kuitenkin kristinuskon visuaalisesta aineistosta ja erityisesti demonologiasta.

4. Eläin-ja ihmisoikeudet ovat hyvin lähellä sydäntäni, pelkkä ajatuskin turkistarhoista ja sotavankien kidutuksesta saa sappeni kiehumaan vaarallisissa lukemissa. Tunnen myös usein pohjatonta toivottomuutta siitä etten osaa auttaa tarpeeksi, vaikka parhaani yritän.

5. Tärkein asia mitä opin äidiltäni on se, että ihmisellä ei ole koskaan tylsää jos pään sisällä on hauskaa. Päänsisäinen maailmani on täynnä utopiaa, huonoja juttuja ja kikatusta, eikä muuten ole tylsää!

6. Puhun kuutta kieltä. (En tietenkään kaikkia yhtä hyvin.)

All photos by Dave McKean

7. Vanhan ajan sirkustunnelma on mielestäni aivan ihanaa, ainoa vika on se että minulla on koulrofobia. Pelkään sirkuspellejä ihan kamalasti, järkyttävän kamalia ja irstaita otuksia! Kylmät väreet virtaa selkää pitkin heti jos ajatukset harhailee kohti Pennywise-pelleä. Hrrrr! Jakaako kukaan muu tämän pelon?

Päättämisen vaikeus meinasi jyrätä tämän osion yli, suosikkeja kun on niin paljon. Tunnustuksen halusin antaa hyvin, hyvin erilaisille bloggaajille, joiden jokaisen päivitystä odotan innolla! Yksi neitokainen saa minut sarjisblogillaan kihertämään naurusta, yksi tyrmää upealla tyylitajullaan ja yksi kultaa päivää suloisilla runoillaan. Kaikki olette ihania ja palkinnon arvoisia! ♥ Blogit eivät ole paremmuusjärjestyksessä enkä velvoita ketään jatkamaan ketjua.

Marshmallows and the Holy Bible

The Pope's Egg Hat

Bang Your Brains

Leppulandia

Diamond Stash

Plastic Bag Mind

Ei Näe Nätti Muuhalk Kom Peilis

Translation: I got this wonderful award from many lovely women and now I had to pass it on seven more bloggers. I also had to tell seven facts about my life but they're a bit heavy to translate thoroughly. Here they are, extracted: 


1. I was born with the umbilical cord around my neck like a noose, thus I was small and purple, but luckily alive :)
2. I am colorblind, though this is extremely rare amongst females.
3. I was born Christian but never embraced that religion.
4. I speak six languages.
5. Animal and human rights are important to me, I wish I could do more to help.
6. The most important thing my mother taught me was that ennui evades you as long as you have fun inside your head. What a great advice!
7. I love old fashioned circus but I'm frightened to death by clowns!