Treasure hunting

The other day we dropped by a flea-market in the close-by tiny village. You wouldn't BELIEVE the things they had for sale. Please get in touch with me, if you wish to know where the place is - I am scared to give any details here as I really don't know whether they keep the place properly locked.  This specific flea-market is special for two reasons:  it is held in an old house where no renovation has taken place - well, ever, I assume ;) - and the old cardboard walls and wooden floors are still intact. You get instantly...

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Picnic for kids

Second-hand ragrugs, old milk churn and - an antique bushel as a bread basketIt has been one of those PERFECT midsummers this year. Sunny, warm (the Finnish way ;), but still) and most of all - relaxing. The kids have been running around the forest and the yard all day and fallen asleep like small potatoes in the evening (like right now...)Summer picnicFlowers from the yard in an old milk churnSomehow Midsummer seems to be such an adult celebration with the staying up late and looking at the bonfires being lit up at midnight, drinking alcohol...

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Preparing the smoke sauna for midsummer

This spring and summer I've been so crazy about dark blue, lavender and pink that I couldn't help myself even for midsummer...last year it was birch tree, this year it is clearly the road-side wild lupines.The sauna is now almost ready, so this will be now a quick post with photos - enjoy you all out there, we certainly are :)!So hard to capture the smoke coming out of the door - but it's there :)Old fish-net - from 1948, it says.Our tradition - the men go first and use the sharp heat from the stove. Ladies turn...milder, with some champagne ;).The...

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Summer fun in Finland

Sure - it rained again today ;), but it is like this always in June. Next year we might skip these first 2 weeks at the summer house - just so that we don't need to drag the winter clothing with us...Very close to our summer place there is a place called Niinipuu. Kids love the place, and usually it is an enjoyable boat ride to go there. Well - this mommy of theirs still hasn't learned to operate the parking part (among other parts, which are on the to-learn list for this summer...), so that didn't happen today.Okkolan lomamökit has a number of...

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Paulina Arcklin

Paulina ArcklinIf I would need to name two persons, who's defined style in home decor always catches my eye, those two people would be Paulina Arcklin and Lotta Agaton. These pictures shown here are all from Paulina's facebook page, and I just pure love the style. Here you find exactly, what home decoration should be all about - mixing and matching, now remind me what I've written there - hold on - 'old meets new, soft meets rough, ethnic meets classic, design meets supermarket'. Here they've kept everything together with color white - but...

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this summer it is really back to basics

What are your summer plans? Travelling? Staying at home? Visiting friends? Ours - staying at our summer house and taking it easy. Enjoying the silence.When one is made in Finland, you just sort of need the silence. Here - some hundreds of kilometers away from everything, by Lake Saimaa and in the middle of the forest - yes, it is quiet. Yesterday, when driving, I had this vision in my mind - after crazy 2 weeks and with little sleep (way too little), I will sit somewhere alone in peace and have a glass of wine. 2,5 hours after we arrived we are...

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Summer trend 2012 - Electric Romance

Berried hues by Design SeedsDo you know Design Seeds and the wonderful Jessica behind the color palettes? If you are in Pinterest and interested in Home Decor, it is impossible to miss her work, of course. This one she brought up yesterday again, as it is SO SUMMER! I saw it and immediately got these images to my head about a summer picnic :). (And this Sunday morning I really REALLY rather look at my computer screen and her inspirational colourful palettes than the cloudy weather outside which does NOT remind me of a summer picnic...)As written...

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Rusty stuff

Inspiration on this post photographed at Zetas and UlriksdalOne of the summer 2012 trends is definitely RUST. When I first saw the gigantic, rusty garden decorations (like horse-size grasshoppers and such) at a fair about a year ago, I must admit I was thinking - seriously...But now - my eyes have kind of grown used to the rusty stuff, and must admit - it looks even nice. Like the rusty woven basket above. Not indoors, and not for benches (the practical me couldn't take it...), but for flower pots and other garden stuff - NICE.  I would love...

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