Merlin Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand

Merlin Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand

Got energized by the warm sun, and the flower power always available in Thailand.  

No, our family will never ever go on an organized trip again. And if we do, no way we would go on one of these everything-organized-let's-do-some-sports-in-the-morning-with-the-other-Finns kinda joints.  Except now we did ;)! And enjoyed quite a bit. SO EASY. Took a last minute 2-week trip to Phuket, Thailand after Christmas from Finnmatkat, member of TUI, and stayed in Merlin Beach Resort the whole 2 weeks. 

Merlin Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand

Depending on site, the hotel gets 4-4,5 stars. About 40% of the hotel is TUI guests coming mostly from Scandinavia, Finland, and Germany. The rest from UK and Australia, some from Russia, elsewhere Europe and Japan. At TUI, this is sold as a family resort. Elsewhere, it seemed, more like as a wedding and heavenly hideaway resort. Partly this can be accomplished with 3 large pool areas, out of which 1 is not allowed for children under 12 years of age, but not quite.  The TUI staff was wonderful, they were many, and really wanted to see that our vacation is what we hoped for. The service in the hotel doesn't get 4-4,5 stars, though. It was a bit sad to see actually - Merlin needs to be sort of finding the spirit of Thailand again, going back to the wonderful service and smiles we all travel there for. Some of us again and again. 

Merlin Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand

About Phuket then? Patong is getting very busy. But we enjoyed a great deal eating delicious food, long walks on the hilly roads, some shopping at Jung Ceylon and massage/pedicure/manicure on the beach and all that.

Made some good, new friends and missing them already. A much needed, very much appreciated, wonderful holiday overall.

Merlin Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand

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Blue flower power to the garden - sinistä kukkaenergiaa puutarhaan

Blue flower power - sinistä kukkaenergiaa puutarhaan

Last Friday we visited Zetas (www.zetas.se) garden shop, or I don’t know if you can call the place a shop, more a haven for all senses! They do sell flowers and plants of all kinds, as well as beautiful details for your garden, but the inspiration you get is overwhelming! Ahh.  We just kept smiling J! Last year there was lots of rust (my last year’s post here), this year it was more concrete (is it coming back, or is it actually here to stay? Hmmm..). I kinda skipped the rust trend, as I just don’t like when the rust is all over your terrace after rain and so forth. The pieces look  fantastic, but aren’t the most practical.

Blue flower power - sinistä kukkaenergiaa puutarhaan

Blue flower power - sinistä kukkaenergiaa puutarhaan

Concrete on the other hand…yum! I think you’ll see something DIY popping up to our summer house during the summer J. There are so many projects again those around me will go nuts…

Anyways, my eyes seem to be catching only blue this season, so here you go. Blue flower power!! Absolutely love these.

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Blue flower power - sinistä kukkaenergiaa puutarhaan

Viime perjantaina oli vihdoin mahdollisuus käydä puutarhakaupassa, ja valinta oli ilman epäröintiä Tukholman eteläpuolella sijaitseva Zetas (www.zetas.se). Ehdottomasti vierailun arvoinen paikka, jos käytte vaikka päiväseltään Tukholmassa! Ihan E4:n vieressä matkalla etelään, että jos vaikka Kolmårdeniin on matka, on todella helppo pysähtyä kaffelle (Kungens kurvan IKEA-liittymä!). Tämä on siis sellainen paikka, jossa huomaa huudahtelevansa jatkuvalla syötöllä ‘ihana!!’, ‘kato, mieletön!!’ , ‘mä tuun hulluksi, en osaa päättää’ ja kaikkea sen semmoista hillittyä J. Myynnissä kukkia, taimia, ja ihan ilman maksua - upeita puutarhaideoita.

Viime vuonna tarjolla oli paljon ruostetta (siitä postaus täällä), tänä vuonna enemmän betonia (onko se tulossa takaisin, tai ehkä tullut jäädäkseen? Hmmmm…) Itse vähän skippasin tuon ruostetrendin, koska vaikka jutut on aika ihania, en vaan tykkää, kun sateen jälkeen maa tai terassi on ruosteessa. Ei vaan mun juttu.

Betoni sen sijaan…namisguggelis!! Jos seurailette, luulenpa, että kesän aikana jotain tee-se-itse-juttua ilmestyy kesämökin pihaan. Voi että kun mä vähän taas säälin niitä, jotka joutuu mua ja mun kokoajan sikiäviä projekteja kestämään…

Joka tapauksessa, mun silmät ei tunnu tänä vuonna mitään muuta näkevänkään, kuin sinistä, niin tässä teille nyt vähän sinistä kukkaloista Zetaksesta!!

(oletteko muuten huomanneet, että mun piti kirjoitella vain vähän suomeksi tänne loppuun, ja nyt on käynytkin niin, että nämä suomenkieliset sepustukset on aina pidempiä kuin englanninkieliset?) Minkäs koira karvoilleen voi, vai miten sitä sanotaan…

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All season's table - Vuodenaikapöytä

Blue interior - sininen sisustus

This great idea came from the presentation of Add Simplicity at the 'stora bloggdagen' a couple of weeks back - have a 'season table' in your entrance hall! I absolutely love the idea! Of course you do it kind of automatically, as well - but usually in the living room or in the kitchen - self-picked flowers for the summer, pumpkins for the fall, something red and candles for Christmas, bright tulips when waiting for the spring...

But this is there to welcome your friends and family to your home! I put the Feng shui Bagua (more about that still this week!) on top of the entrance floor of our new home in Finland, and the entrance is in the WATER -area. So it is blue (surprise ;)) that is welcoming our guests (or construction guys) this summer.

Blue interior - sininen sisustus

Blue interior - sininen sisustus

Blue interior - sininen sisustus

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Tämä ihana idea tuli Add Simplicityn Jannicelta (eilisessä postauksessa muuten ihana idea pimeän portaikon uusimiseen!) stora bloggdagen :ista Tukholmasta pari viikkoa sitten - vuodenaikapöytä eteisessä! Ihana idea! Kyllähän sitä tavallaan tekee tämän automaattisestikin, mutta ehkä enemmän olohuoneessa tai keittiössä, missä sitä perheen kanssa vietetään aikaa - itsepoimittuja kukkia kesällä, koristekurpitsoja syksyllä, joulutähti ja kynttilöitä jouluna, värikkäitä tulppaaneja kevättä odotellessa...

Mutta tällä pöydällä toivotetaan ystävät ja perhe tervetulleeksi kotiin! Eikö ole ihana idea? Nämä kuvat otin uudesta kodistamme Suomessa (maanantaina kimppu kylläkin toivotti tervetulleeksi lähinnä rakennusurhot, saivat rauhassa nostella kulmakarvojaan ;), onneksi Esa ja Ville on ihan ykköstyyppejä), kun niin innostuin taas Feng Shuista ja tästä pikku detaljista. Asetin siis Feng Shui Baguan (siitä enemmän tällä viikolla!) tämän sisääntulokerroksen päälle, ja mikäs muu kuin veden alue siihen eteiseen putkahti. Eli sininen sisustus (ylläri ylläri) rocks meidän eteisessä.

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Happy Mother's Day - Ihanaa äitienpäivää!

White flowers

This Mom is waiting for the kids to finish preparing breakfast, and has received a wonderful, beautiful card divided into 3 where all kids have written and drawn.

My computer is closing now for today, have a great one with your loved ones :)!

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Tämä äiti-ihminen odottaa, että lasten valmistama aamiainen on katettu, ja sai mielettömän ihanan kortin, joka oli jaettu 3 osaan. Yhdessä Angry bird pig, yhdessä rakkautta äidille ja yhdessä Ninjago pyörteitä ja tikku-ukkoja. Äidin kolme pientä porsasta <3.

Kone menee nyt kiinni tältä päivältä, ihanaa päivää teille kaikille rakkaimpien parissa :)!

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Avotakka article - under the apple tree - omenapuun alla

Avotakka 5/2013 (Elina Jaakkola / photos Johanna Kinnari)

Avotakka 5/2013 (Elina Jaakkola / photos Johanna Kinnari)

I don't often post anymore when I see Weranna's products in magazines, but this time I just could not resist! Aren't these photos just delicious? I can FEEL the cool grass and the warm wind...love it. Absolutely love it.  Beautiful, relaxed ideas for your garden.

Also - like you know if you've been following my blog - I am a Finland fan. And these photos make me home sick. They are so Finland! Born there, partly even raised there, but lived more or less out of the country for the past 12 years. Moving back in 1 month. HRRR...kinda scary. Starting a renovation at our old house on Monday and that kind of thing...will keep you posted on that project, for sure!!

Avotakka 5/2013 (Elina Jaakkola / photos Johanna Kinnari)

Avotakka 5/2013 (Elina Jaakkola / photos Johanna Kinnari)

Avotakka 5/2013 (Elina Jaakkola / photos Johanna Kinnari)

En ole vähään aikaan kirjoittanut näistä artikkeleista, joissa Weranna's mainitaan (Kiitos Elinalle Avotakkaan! Ja Johannalle terveisiä - upeita kuvia!!), mutta nyt oli pakko. Tuli koti-ikävä. Eikö nämä kuvat olekin aivan mielettömän herkullisia? Jotenkin tuntee sen kostean ruohikon varpaiden alla, ja lämpimän tuulen...ihania ideoita puutarhaan. Tekee heti mieli ripustaa riippukeinu omenapuun oksaan.

Mähän olen sellainen tunnustuksellinen Suomi-fani. Syntynyt siellä, osaksi kasvanut siellä, mutta asunut enemmän tai vähemmän ulkopuolella viimeiset 12 vuotta. Ja nyt pitäisi muuttaa takaisin kuukauden päästä. HRRRR....vähän pelottaa. Onhan se niin ihanaa, kun kuvitelmissani, onhan??

No mutta, rintamamiestalon pikaremppa aloitetaan maanantaina, seurataan sitä täälläkin!

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Cherry blossoms in Stockholm city center - Kirsikkapuut kukkivat Tukholmassa

Cherry blossom in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm

Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, Sweden, right now! Ahh - you should see all the people under these trees taking pictures of the trees, themselves, their loved ones...pink power! love!

Cherry blossom in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm

Cherry blossom in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm

Jos Tukholmassa tykkää käydä, nämä muutamat päivät keväällä ovat siihen täydellisiä! Keskustan Kungsträdgården kukkii! Koko puisto! Ei voi kuin hymyillä, kun ihmiset ottaa kuvia puista, itsestään, rakkaistaan...Woimaa Waaleanpunaisesta. Rakkautta.

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Recycling a flower bouquet in Fido jars - kukkaloistoa säilytyspurnukoissa

Flower arrangement inspiration

Don't know what it is this week, but somehow COLOR speaks to me. Perhaps it is the fact that right now, during the past 2 weeks, our world is really turning green in Sweden. Finally! Lovely!

Here an idea how to still use those few flowers left from a bouquet - it looks dead already, but some blossoms are still okay - so cut them and stick them in Fido jars, for example! At the moment they bright up my kitchen table, and cannot complain :)!

Flower arrangement inspiration

Flower arrangement inspiration

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en tiedä, mikä nyt on tällä viikolla, kun niin kirkkaat värit puhuttelee. Ehkä siksi, että vihdoin, VIHDOIN maisema alkaa olemaan vihreä. Kyllä sitä on odotettukin, ihanaa!!

Tässä pieni idea, miten käyttää ne muutamat kukinnot, jotka on vielä jäljellä viikonlopun tai synttärien kukkakimpusta - leikkaa lyhyeksi ja iske vaikka säilytyspurkkiin.

Kuvassa niitä kaikkein klassisimpia Fido säilytyspurkkeja - niistä saa kannen helposti irti, itse en oikein mitään muuta osaa edes käyttää 'pöytäsäilytykseen' keittiössä. Suomessa jälleenmyyjänä ainakin Stocka, en tiedä muista. Kun lähtee mökille, senkun sulkee kaikki, ja kaikki on freshiä, kun tulee takaisin viikkojenkin jälkeen.

Lisäksi ne on nättejä keittiön sisustuksessa. Ja nämä kukkaversiot piristävät meidän keittiötä nyt kolmatta päivää :)!

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Welcome to Weranna's Easter home

Easter inspiration

Don't you just love spring flowers? Yesterday I took some (some hundreds ;), perhaps I can use 5% of them...) Easter and spring photos at our showroom, and ended up mostly taking pictures of the flowers. You'll see during these few weeks before Easter...what really BUGS me is that I still can't get the light right. I mean look at these photos - 4 of them, all in same exact spot, within 1 minute, and all the lights are whatever. Perhaps I should just stop using the Photoshop auto color option. Ahh, I don't know.

The sun was shining outside, and it was just so pretty in our 1952 traditional wooden house. The flowers are placed in En Gry og Sif Easter egg basket to welcome the guests.

En Gry og Sif Easter Egg Basket

Spring flowers

Of course my favorite bag (my 10 kg portable office still travels in one of these, carried it all around Helsinki on Thursday, for example, UNBELIEVABLY strong), Rice Raffia Shopping Bag was with,

Pink Rice Raffia Shopping Bag

as well as another absolute must, Samantha Holmes travel shawl, hand knitted in Peru of 70% Baby Alpaca / 30% Bamboo. Ivory is one of our new colors for the spring, together with the pale pink (SOO pretty!)

Samantha Holmes travel shawl

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Pääsiäisideat, pääsiäinen 2013

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Recycling flowers

DIY recycled flower arrangement

My husband turned 40 (goodness...) just before Christmas. And with that, he got a fair amount of BEAUTIFUL flower arrangements. One of them came with the sponge thingy, you know the one where you stick the flowers into when you make the arrangements?

It was made of red and white tulips, and green leaves, and was stunning until the tulips got tired. The sponge thingy had to be reused, OF COURSE, and the green leaves were also still in perfect shape. We also had some ivy in the garage, only half of the branches dead (I saved the pots from under the snow, and they didn't crack this year!!!). And from previous years - some small cones and dried mandarin slices in the Christmas decoration box. Some white flowers from the grocery store - and 15 minutes later I was quite happy with the result.  What do you think?

DIY recycled flower arrangement

I've had this hobby for some years, and I absolutely have no talent in it, but I just enjoy the end result at the dinner table :), as I don't enjoy peeking to the other side of the table through high flower bushes. Some photos of previous projects you can find here:

http://werannas.blogspot.fi/2012/07/birch-tree-wreath-turned-crayfish-party.html

http://werannas.blogspot.fi/2011/06/flower-garlands.html

DIY recycled flower arrangement

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kukka-asetelma, matala kukka-asetelma

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Life is beautiful

What are you dreaming of? Do you have it figured out where you want to be in 5 years, in 10 years, in 20 years? What are the things you want to accomplish by then? What are the places you want to visit? What are the experiences you want to have, the real 'musts'?

While balancing constantly between family life and work, and even though I am having a dream job and doing everything I always wished for, sometimes you just tend to be too busy to enjoy any of it. Having had kind of a nomad -childhood, followed by nomad life, you are adding a very restless soul to that equation - there are so many things undone, go and do them!!


This July and August Weranna's will be dreaming and asking, what is your dream? What is it you want to do? What makes you blossom? What makes you smile? We'll be organizing crayfish parties spiced up with romance, we'll be travelling, and we'll be fulfilling our dreams - at least by building inspiring mood boards on the wall. 


Life IS beautiful.

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DIY flower planters - made of old shoes!

These I saw in Kenkävero, as well, a week ago when going around in the handicraft fair...aren't they fab??

I have mine now 'cooking' - let's see if the old recipe worked - taking sour milk and moss, putting them into the blender and sprinkling the shake on top of the shoes.

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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 still going on like madmen, carrying stuff (like the Clematis here in the awfully heavy copper vase...) and hungry and  - you know all that.

So what does this mother do? Pours herself that glass of wine and volunteers to start the sauna (pictured above). And finally enjoys the quiet. Ahh - heaven on earth.

It has been kinda hectic year - full of happy moments and good memories, as well, but  - well, not getting into that now. So this summer it will be REALLY back to basics. Sleeping.

Spending a lot of time with the kids doing DIY stuff - I've thrown some ideas to Facebook already, there is a dozen more to come. Stay tuned :). ECORATING it can be called - almost anything old (enough ;)), as long as it is made of natural materials, can be upcycled to something beautiful. The Finns are traditionally world champions on this, especially my mother's generation after experiencing the war in their childhood.

Some small projects around the yard and the buildings - some painting and tuning and adjusting - you'll see ;).  And knitting and crocheting - for Knithitkits, for sure, but also just ideas to share.

And - some personal development - learning to use a camera. THIS will be the challenge of the summer.

But, but - my dear readers; Enjoy the summer and the slow mornings, have colorful picnics and eat lots of raspberries, and just BE. And while at it, visit www.werannas.blogspot.com every now and then :).

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mökkeily, kesämökki, kesä, tuunaus, tee-se-itse

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Geranium Geek

Geraniums continue to be my favorite flower during summer time. This love story began during the six years we lived in Istanbul (red ones, always), and has now continued throughout the 3 years here in Sweden.

The biggest reason, obviously, being that we sort of have made an agreement; they try to stay alive despite my not-so-systematic watering and nourishing - and I admire them every time I walk by (and promise to water them the NEXT time I walk by).

 Last year Geraniums started become fashionable in Sweden again, and now there are so many varieties available it is really hard to make your pick! So I went for white ;), despite all these beauties around me.

I can recommend all the below arrangements, as I've had them myself during the previous years, and they have bloomed, looked beautiful, and survived the annual sweden-summerhouseinfinland-sweden trip (yes, in our trailer). My husband has happily organized his management team meetings so that he is always gone the week his wife transfers the family (including the flowers) to Finland for 6-7 weeks...well, I don't enjoy it too much either, so he has my full understanding.

The below white flowers grew and grew last year, and bloomed until end of October. They did seem to get another life after we moved back from Finland in August - I don't know anything about the zones and everything, but apparently our summer house, which is located geographically about 200 km north of Stockholm, is a bit too north for these cuties.

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pelargonia, kesäkukat, puutarha, istutukset

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Obsessed with orchids

What is it about orchids that just makes you ADORE them? No idea. Perhaps the whisper of paradise they seem to be bringing to your home? Makes you remember those holidays in Thailand or somewhere else warm when you completely loose track of time after a few days?

These photos are taken in Ulriksdal, there is someone who adores them, as well :). The below striped one is beautiful:

And what about these ones - they look great with a concrete wall, don't they?

Some baby pink:

And COLOR!

And my very favorite this year:

Had to bring one home to accompany my other 10 or so :), and adore it every now and then when working. Yes - Hans Cristian Andersen is very right;

Just living is not enough -  one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.

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