The story goes on

I'm feeling a bit like someone who does not practice what they preach. A few days after writing about limiting my shopping I have gone and placed two(!) orders for new clothes...But then again, I am trying to get some stuff that I ehem, think, I need for our upcoming trip to Grand Canaria. Like a new bikini!

This on is from Halens and I ordered it in navy blue with white dots (click on the image to see the whole bikini). I also ordered the top in black, in case it might match some bottoms I already own. I would have liked the bottoms to bee a bit more retro with a higher waist but I haven't been able to find any in this country...

At Haléns I also spotted a coat that I could not pass by, come on, it's fake leopard! And on sale...(click for source)

I also realized that my beloved white (well, used to be white) ballerinas are falling apart and that I desperately need some white shoes for warmer days. So I sent for some to try on from Ellos;

Hopefully they are comfortable even with the heel, and small enough for my tiny feet! I also completely fell in love with these;

And because I have started to like my converse style winter shoes so much, I wanted something similar for summer;

Okay, so I might not keep all this stuff that I just ordered, being a size tiny I kinda need to send for a few alternatives and hope that at least one might fit me. Besides a girl can never have enough shoes, right? Eh...

Controlled shopping spree...or?

This winter I have been trying to control my shopping a bit. Reasons;

- I'm sick of the consumer society where consuming=happiness and people buy things for the sake of buying. I don't want to become someone who does that.

- I have too much stuff already, do I really, really need more...? 

- I have a huge pile of to-alter items that have been waiting for action, maybe I should focus on making what I already have wearable instead of adding to the pile? What is ultimately more satisfying, buying new/second hand or making/altering something myself? Personally, being the creative person that I am, I think the second option...

- I'm trying to change my way of thinking in the direction of "being happy with what you've got" in order to make myself, well, happier! 

All this has made me a lot picker on the few occasions that I actually have gone shopping, as I am really trying to think about whether I really need  something or just want it. Will it fit with other items in my wardrobe/home? Is it practical etc. And yes, I have also considerably limited myself when it comes to actually going somewhere to shop. Why did I feel like going shopping? Because I need something or just for the sake of shopping? Could I make something instead of going out? I have also struggled a bit with accepting that coming home empty handed is not a failure, but a success. This one is still hard... 

Anybody else recognize these kinds of thoughts? 

So basically I was doing pretty well. Until we went to the big city of Vaasa and all of it's shops last weekend...

On the other hand, I really, really liked this jacket/jumper (from H&M) and I have been looking for some high-waisted jeans (second hand but look brand new) for a long time already. The stripy socks are also H&M.

The stripey top is an item that I have tried on a few times before in the H&M shops, and now I finally came to the conclusion that I must want it, as it keeps catching my eye time and time again...The shoes are mail-order H&M, with blue and white stripes which means that they are likely to match about 50% of my wardrobe and thus, totally acceptable, even thought they are one size too big and will probably hurt my feet if I wear them for very long...Everything else is old stuff from my closet.

This is no so bad you may think, but wait for it, apart from the items I'm showing here I also bought some other stuff,  such as a basic white tank top and a black and white dotted umbrella from H&M. And from a flea-market recommended by Tiina I ended up buying things such as a couple of stripey jumpers, a basic black short sleeved shirt, a black skirt (modern) and two modern summer dresses and a book on basic pattern making. Get why I'm now wondering about the success of this trip?

I blame our upcoming trip to Grand Canaria. You can never have too many of those summer dresses, right?

3 x outfit

Tomorrow night Mr Kitten and I are going to Vaasa to listen to a rockabilly band from Sweden called Fatboy. As usual, I'm having trouble deciding on what to wear. So I took some pictures to help me decide...Which probably didn't do me any good as I still haven't made a choice, hah. But anyway, here's a couple of my suggestions for your enjoyment, all dresses sewn and designed by me.

Plaid and zebra stripes

Remember this skirt? Well, since it was too big for me to begin with, there was a strip of fabric left after I took it in. And you know how I like to use every last bit of the fabric when I make something...So, I made something from the leftovers. A hat! And it feel like I'm getting better at hat-making too, this one turned out pretty well I think.

I've made something else as well, from a piece of a zebra-striped car-seat-cover. Something to vary my winter boots with. Detachable fur trims! And I'm thinking about making a whole set of matching items, detachable trims for the sleeves of one of my coats, a collar, a bag, maybe make a matching hat? Or maybe I should save a piece and make some furry cushions for the sofa? So many ideas, such a limited piece of zebra striped fake fur...

At the moment I'm working on a bigger project, but I think I might have to take a break from it this weekend, my arm is a bit overworked from certain tasks at work and I think it needs to rest. I don't want to end up with a tennis-elbow...What about you readers, what sort of projects have you been up to lately?

Challenge accepted!

For the first time ever I've won a give-away, and my prize arrived in the post last week...Pin-up shopping related post-its! They are just too cute, and perfect for someone like me who likes to write lists, hah.

Zizzi, who's give-away I won, also gave me challenge, to show what odd things we have in our flat. Well, I had a look around and took a few pictures of things that you might not find in the average persons apartment...

First I should warn you, there's shoes and hats and dresses and thing all over the place, take this bookcase for example;

If you turn about 90° and look towards the kitchen, you'll see another pair of shoes (no, there's not enough room in my closet) a vintage 60's dress and a vintage clock, as well as my aprons.

A few steps forward and another turn and there's another vintage dress, and a fancy mask which I bought with the intention to steal the feathers and use them on a hat. And I will. Someday.

Back in the living room there's another book case not containing that many books. Instead it holds my vintage camera collection, some bags and, yes, shoes.

There's another book case with shoes and dvd's and actual books as well, but I don't want to make this post too long and make you loose interest now do I? So on to the next odd thing;

By the door to the balcony there is a garden-elf waiting for it to get warmer outside...And in a flower pot up and to the right is his much smaller distant cousin busy...fertilizing?

Hope you enjoyed this little peek into our flat, and that you've all had a nice Valentines day!

And the winner is...

The Valentines day hat giveaway has ended and I have now pulled one name out of -surprise, surprise- a hat! So without further ado, the winner of one heart shaped hat is...

Tanja! Congratulations!

Please e-mail me you address to hippie_pippie(a)hotmail.com as soon as possible so that I can mail you your prize in time for the 14th. Thank you all who entered, better luck next time!

Valentines day hat giveaway!

My hat collection just keeps on growing. I finally got around to making this particular hat after I found some red felting wool on sale...The inspiration was an old image from the 40's that I had saved on my old computer. The one that crashed. And no matter how much I googled, I haven't been able to find the image of the lady wearing a heart shaped hat again. I think it was paired with another image of a lady with a hat shaped like two lips with a cigarette sticking out...If you know what images I'm talking about and where to find them, I would very much like to see them again! But anyway, here's what it looks like;

Since Valentines day is coming up soon, and I had enough felt to make two heart shaped hats, I though I'd give one away. Sound good? The hat has an elastic band to keep it in place and it's made from soft 100% wool. Leave me a comment before 22.00 on Tuesday 8th (Finnish time) if you'd like to wear one for Valentines day! If you want a better chance of winning, put a link to the competition on your own blog and tell me about it in a separate comment. Good Luck!