Leopard print accessories and seven things you didn't know about me, part 7

Today I felt like wearing my mother's old leather jacket from the seventies for my trip to the flea-market. To match it, I put on a pair of mum's or dad's 70's trousers, a pair of 70's style boots and a hat, and picked out a matching handbag (matching in colour, not decacade.) This sort of stuff is what I would wear ten years ago, when I hand not yet discovered the 40's and 50's. Blending in with the crowd never really was my thing...

On the subject of blending in, these shoes may be in a camouflage pattern, but perhaps meant for other environments than what we have around here...Aaw. Just look at them. They came back with me from Grand Canaria and are just waiting for an occasion to be worn.

More shopping finds! I found the belts (second hand) on my latest trip to Vaasa, and the leopard print cloth they are resting on is a sarong which I also bought on holiday. It goes well with my leopard print bikini...

And now, for the final part of the seven things you didn't know about me-challenge! I have stopped using deodorants and antiperspirants. Instead I use this stuff;

Cocnut oil. Note, this is the virgin oil stuff, not the hardened grease you find next to the butter in the shops. The oil is antibacterial and if you put some under your arms, the oil kills of the sweat-eating bacteria who cause sweat to smell and it last maybe 8 hours or so. The oil is solid under temperatures of 24 c if I remember correctly, and fluent when warmer. Basically what I do is wash my armpits with water only (soap reacts badly with the oil) then I take a bit of solid oil out of the jar (I've put some in a separate jar for use as deodorant, in case I wanna use the big jar for cooking), the oil starts to melt in contact with my warm fingers and I can then rub the oil onto my skin. Done! I do sweat, but I don't smell of it. I smell lightly of coconut! I actually tested the oil by putting some under just one arm when going to work one day, and what do you know, in the evening one armpit didn't smell but the other did...

One of these days (=when I get inspired) I intend to make an actual deodorant-mixture containing this oil and a few other natural-ish ingredients (recipe found here) but for now I'm getting by with just the oil. Thanks to Ina who posted about alternative deodorants here! If you wanna try this, I can tell you that the 200ml jar I bought cost about 4,95 at the big supermarket nearby, and it's organic too. There were more than just one to choose from as well. I found it in the section for sauces and asian ingredients. There are many other uses for the oil, it can be used for cooking, skin and hair care etc, and there's loads of information on the web if you just search for it.

Well then, feel free to tell us seven things we didn't know about you, or if you like, accept the challenge of giving up your old chemical-filled deodorant for a more natural one! Have a lovely weekend!

Give-away tip and seven things you didn't know about me, part 6

I'm entering a swim wear give-away over at the Pin Tucks and Pin Curls blog, check it out if you wanna win something like this;

Isn't it just lovely? And there's one in leopard too...and bikinis! Check out the For Luna website for more pics.

This brings me conveniently over to the 6th fact you didn't know about me...Apart from shoes and hats and that kind of stuff, I also have a thing for, and thus collect, swim wear. I don't have as many bikinis and swimsuits as I do shoes though (yet) but for some strange reason they keep accumulating (and only a few are vintage or retro). Wait til you get to the next bit though; I don't particularly like swimming...

Grand Canaria 2011 and seven things you didn't know about me, part 5

Warning! Picture heavy post ahead! I thought I'd share some photos from our week in Grand Canaria. First photo is taken on the way to the beach, with me wearing the best thing I have ever thought to pack with me on a trip to the beach; a hat! I wore this hat every day, changing the colour of the flower on the side or swapping it for a scarf to match whatever else I was wearing. It was great at filtering out those rays of sun that always glitter at the top of my glasses and try to get in my eyes...

The beach we went to all week was the dunes of Maspalomas, which looked a lot like a mini desert. Loved it!

We also rented a car for a few days and went driving along the serpentine roads of the beautiful west coast.

 

We saw some pretty breathtaking views... 

 

The next day we were back at the dunes again.

We did some more driving around, and noted that the dunes were visible from pretty far a way.

This was apparently the grand canyon of Grand Canaria, breathtaking!

We saw Roque Nublo.

 

...And drove above the clouds!

Here I am, with a white flower in my hat, looking out at Roque Nublo from the highest point (or a few metres from it) of Grand Canaria, Pico de Las Nieves. In the far distance you can also see the highest piont of neighbour island Tenerife, Pico del Teide.

The next day we drove to Puerto Rico and went on a boat trip to spot wild dolphins, and we did!

On the way back to port I got seasick though. But it was worth it!

 

The last day we had the car we drove to Palmitos Park and this time I wore a scarf around my hat.

We saw all sorts of animals and birds and some beautiful orchids.

 And more dolphins! Although these were very well trained...

Seeing this monkey in action, especially when running, me us realize we are not so different after all...So human-like, or maybe we're the ones who are monkey-like?

We spent the last day at the beach and I made an attempt at swimming in the Atlantic ocean. It didn't go to well, the waves were really good at moving those rocks around my feet...I came back with several small cuts on my feet, I guess I should have tried swimming at a less rocky part of the beach. (The photo above is taken on a different, even rockier location.)

Skin problems and sea-sickness aside, we had a wonderful trip. It wasn't too hot and we still had great weather every day, I think I might go there again!

Continuing on the seven things you didn't know about me, here's something else;

I wanted to be a rock star when I grew up...Or an actress. Or musical artist! I'm not too bad of a singer actually, but...When I got older I realized that that kind of lifestyle wasn't for me. I like routine and stability too much, no touring or moving around and never knowing what I'll be doing after this tour is over etc. I prefer weekend trips and that sort of things and having a steady job and staying in the same place not too far away from my family. But every time I'm at a concert or see a play or musical or burlesque act, that longing to be on stage awakens, until I remember why it's not for me again...

For the record, both a cousin of mine and my brother are actors who both sing and dance, which of course makes me wonder once again if I could have made it...If they can do it you know. For now I'm sticking to dressing like a star though, hah.

What did you dream of becoming when you grow up?

Back in Finland and seven things you didn't know about me, part 4

Hello everybody! I'm back from Grand Canaria and a lovely holiday with fantastic weather every day and amazing scenery lot's of sand and lot's of sun. We had a wonderful time although I was suffering a bit from my skin problems, but you don't want to hear about those now, do you?

Since I've been back I've done nothing but trying to recover from the trip and work, work, work. Tomorrow I've got the day off but that's only cos I'm going to Vasa to get braces for my lower teeth, yey. Or not. But I try to think positively and have planned a second hand shopping route as a reward. Next week when I have more time I will go through my 600+ holiday photos and select some to publish here, until then I leave you with another fact you didn't know about me!

I have never smoked a cigarette or anything else for that matter in my whole life. Honestly, never even been tempted! I guess I've had it easy since pretty much none of my friends have smoked (much) either but that does not mean that I've never been offered. The biggest reason I've never wanted to try is that I've always disliked the smell. I love it that it's nowadays forbidden in public spaces so that I don't have to be affected by it. I also never really got the point of smoking, I mean can it possibly taste /feel good when it smells so bad? And why waste money on something that is ultimately bad for your health? You can do it if you want to, just don't stand too close to me right afterward, please...

Dress from an old pattern and seven things you didn't know about me, part 3

I finally got around to making something based on patterns from the old booklet I found last summer. But for some strange reason I just cannot seem to make anything these days without adding some sort of personal twist to it. This time I couldn't stick to just one pattern, but used two, one for the skirt and one for the top part.

The skirt pattern was a simple "put together 8 identical pieces"-kind of thing and the top part is based on the top of the jacket below...with a twist too, as I wanted a different collar.

 

 I should have made a muslin first, I admit, but the dress didn't turn out too bad. But I have learned not to trust the patterns in this booklet too much without fitting...

 By the way, check out what I found on my last trip to the thrift store;

 

I've been looking for a suitable not too modern looking hand bag for ages, and this one only cost 80 cents! I was also very happy about the belt buckles (20 cents each) and the fabric in the background wasn't such a bad find either...Anyways, I've still got some facts to spill about myself;

Fact number three is that I haven't shaved my legs for over a year. I'm not kidding! Zoom in enough on the (original of) the picture of me above and you'd be able to see my hairy legs...The first reason for not shaving is that my sensitive atopic skin can't handle it. I've tried using moisturizing hair removal stuff but nope, my skin still gets so dry and itchy that I have literally scratched til it bleed. So I thought better to be a bit hairy than bloody, right? 

But I didn't stop there. My thoughts went on to wonder why women shave their legs in the first place? To please...who? My man doesn't really mind, and I don't really care either as long as there's no itchiness or stubble. Or blood. Thankfully I've never been one to care to much about what other people think about me either, so I decided to stop shaving. I admit to trimming the ehem, "lengths" every now and then, but the plan is that hopefully, soon, I won't feel the need to. I'm working on that confidence still...

By the way, have you ever thought about what a great way to make money hair removal product are? It's a never ending need...as long as our beauty standards make us do it. Ever thought about how much waste the industry produces? All those disposable razors going in the bin and hair removal creams going down the drain...I'm quite glad not to be a part of it anymore. And I'm saving both time and money!

Do your beauty standards require being hair free? Why/why not?

By the way, me and my hairy legs are probably lying on a beach without internet access when this post goes out, just in case you're wondering why I'm not replying to any comments...I'm of to Playa Del Ingles!

Seven things you didn't know about me, part 2

The "seven things you didn't know about me" series continues! Here's fact number two;

I'm a feminist. I have recently found several interesting (swedish) blogs about the subject, and the more I learn about feminism, the more it appeals to me. I think it's ridiculous that women get paid less than men and that 99% of the worlds assets are owned by men. It bothers me that women around the world still can be bought or sold as if they were cattle or something. I get annoyed when people generalize and assume that all women are a certain way, or say things like "of course he will react like this, he's a man" as if all men react the same. I don't understand why it's okay for a girl to wear trousers, but not okay for a man to wear a skirt. I mean seriously, anatomically skirts ought to be quite comfortable for men when you think about it, right?

Image from here.

Also check out this discussion if you're interested.

Okay so I got side-tracked. I just think it's sad that we are brought up and denied certain toys/clothes/colours because of our gender. I'd like all (positive) traits/roles to be available to all people. I'd like to live in a world where we treat each other as individuals, as opposed to women/men, white/coloured, gay/straight etc. I think women/girls should be able to do or wear typical men's/boys stuff if they want to without being seen as butch and probably lesbian, and that men and boys should be able to do or wear typical women's/girls stuff if they want to, without being seen as weak or feminine and suspected of being gay. Why are we so quick to judge each other? And why are typically feminine traits seen as undesirable?

In my own life I try not to expect anything in particular when I meet new people based on how they look. I try to be open to all options, and treat everyone the same. Of course this does not always work (I'm only human!) but I try...And when my friends start having babies they won't be given anything pink or baby blue from me...but if it's a boy he might get a doll and a girl might get a toy car just in case no one else thought about giving the kids more to choose from than the "normal" set. 

Of course it's okay with pink dresses and dolls for girls and cars and blue trousers for boys, but shouldn't it be okay the other way around too? What do you think? Why? 

Anyways, here's a picture of a feminist going out for a meal with the workmates. No skirts in sight!

Last but not least, here's some links to the swedish feminist blogs I read;

Lady Dahmer
Höja våra röster
Zettermark med Z
Fumikofem

Three black tops and seven thing you didn't know about me, part 1

I have been given an award! Bea who gave it to me also challenged me to tell you readers seven things about myself that you might not know about me from before...This was really hard, so I decided to focus a bit on my personal beliefs and opinions this time, as these are things I myself find interesting to find out about and discuss with others. However, these texts turned out pretty long so in order not to bore you all with too much text I'm gonna post one or two things at a time. First thing you didn't know about me comes here;

1. My jaw is too small. Most of my life I have unknowingly been pushing my jaw forward in order to bite, close my lips, speak etc resulting in worn out joints in the jaw and muscle tension, which later in life are likely to cause headaches all sorts of trouble. So my dentist has recommended that I get it fixed as best, and soon, as possible. This means that I have been wearing braces since the week before christmas, and that after our trip to Grand Canaria, I will get braces for my lower teeth as well (I only have "train tracks" on my upper teeth at the moment). Once all teeth are nice and straight, I will have an operation to lengthen my jaw by a few millimeters. This is not the end of it though. Nope, I'll be wearing braces for the rest of my life, but thankfully at some point (1-3 years) they won't be glued to my teeth, but removable and only required for a few hours a day/night too keep the teeth from moving again.

So I wear braces, but you will never see any proof of it unless you meet me in real life. Thus, you won't be seeing any images of my teeth for the next year or two...because my intention with this blog is to get you inspired, and I personally think the braces kinda ruin the vintage look, as do my modern glasses, so I take them off for photos when I remember. Now you know why my mouth is always closed in my photos.

To spice this post up a little, here's a series of photos I took to show you my latest flea market finds;

Notice the closed mouth and lack of glasses? Anyways, all the tops are second hand and the skirt is self made.