Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas! Here in Finland we are having a white Christmas as you can see...

This is a view from my balcony this morning. All nice, snowy and peaceful...

And the winner is...

...Olivia, of Big Mama Introspection! She took the double chance and won the perfume. Congratulations to Big Mama!! (The drawing was performed at the office under the eyes of my co-workers... no hat, just my old Russian tea cup in all of it's glory.)

Ha ha ha... This is really funny, because just yesterday I received a lovely package from her as I won the lipstick giveaway she had earlier (which inspired me to do my own giveaway in the first place).

This would be the contents of the package that made me feel like it was Christmas already (with the little stars and everything!) and me wearing the lipstick at the office. I'm loving it! It is exactly the right color for my complexion (it's really hard for me to find nice lipstick shades, they are always too dark, too light, too orange, too something...), feels nice and even smells like a proper lipstick! Woohoo, loving it! Thank you again, Big Mama!

Giveaway!

I won The Big Mama Introspection lipstick giveaway the other day (If you haven't still visited that blog, you really should do it! It's very hip, very cool and extremely entertaining!)... and because this is a season of giving and sharing I decided to do my own giveaway! So, here it goes...

For your pleasure a 5ml vial of Wiggle Perfume's Sakura perfume oil!

Here's what the creator has to say about this scent: "I went back to the drawing board and emerged triumphant with a soft, springy cherry blossom blend. I've rounded out the powdery pink floral with egyptian musk, red santal, and hints of fresh cut grass and nag champa. A tart top of pink grapefruit adds freshness." I can add that the scent is really delicious, rich and daring, the egyptian musk and red santal playing a big part...

I'm doing this the usual way, so to get a chance in the drawing, simply leave me a comment below, and if you want to get an extra chance, post about the giveaway on your own blog and drop me the link. (Open until Dec 22... and we'll find out the winner on Dec 23.)

Happy Holidays!!

Fabric finds... and dreaming about Josef Frank designs

My last trip to my favourite local thrift stores was very fruitful in many ways, not only the fox stole and those fedoras... I also found fabrics! Two vintage bedsheets, amazing colors, cotton satin, very nice indeed! Each of them has at least five yards of facric and the condition is amazing. The colors are very soft (being so bright) and the printing quality, the width of the fabric and the way these are sewed (yarn, buttons, etc.) suggest that these are pre 60's. I would date these in the 40's or earlier, but I really don't care about the exact date because I'm totally in love with the soft rich colors and the exotic design.

Those remind me about Josef Frank's (Swedish, 1885-1967) work. I adore his designs. They simply are beautiful... and the reproduction like the next one (named Aralia) are a bit pricey too.

In the movie Mamma Mia! the hotel manager (played by Meryl Streep) has more of his prints than I could afford, which is kinda funny since in that movie she is supposed to be very poor... and living in Greece. Maybe it was ordering all those amazingly expensive bedheets from Sweden that made her poor? But hey, who am I to judge! The most important thing is that Josef Frank's designs make a srong visual effect in that movie.

Hats and facinators

Just a quick introduction to H&M hats and facinators... These are from their 2009 winter collection and I'm loving it. Totally.

It's always so exiting to find something like this from big companies because that way we can get similar headpieces for every girl in our dance troupe. There's definitely a vintage inspired trend going on.

Foxy lady

Today I took a little tour to two of my favourite local thrift stores. I had a good feeling about this day and was sure I'd find something really nice. The day turned out to be better than good!

I found three really classy black felt fedoras (one for me, one for the man and one for a friend of mine who's been looking for one for ages) and then this amazing fox stole... When I laid my eyes on it I had to jump up and down. I could not believe my luck. The condition is great and it was sooo cheap! I wonder why it actually was still there. Maybe people think it's just too creepy to carry things like this around their neck... My happy face tells you how I feel. I guess we were just meant to be. ;)

I personally wouldn't buy new furs for several reasons, but I have nothing against vintage furs. If it's something that existed before I was born, it can wear it.

For me a fox stole is something very essential for a classy lady. I still remember the first time I wrapped my godmothers vintage (late 40's) fox stole on my shoulders (I must have been five at the time). It made me feel almost like a royal. I really hope she still has it... For that 30's/40's look a fox stole is a "must have" and now I finally have my own.

Look what I found!

Yes! It's 40's, it's pink and it's from Blue Velvet Vintage. Taffeta, no holes, no fading and the fabric should be in a good condition (but needs to be drycleaned).

I could not pass this one even thought I like to sew my own clothes... and do not actually prefer pink. First, it is my size (at least at the moment). One another thing is that this is a formal gown, and I’ve been looking for one for ages. And the details (like that peplum) are great: simple but effective. This dress appears to be girly and sweet (but not sweet enought to be sticky). Just a little something that I'll be able to live with.

For now, let's just hope that it arrives safe and sound to me...