05.26.06
Arabianna
I finally sat down and made this bracelet and matching earrings the other night. There’s something about this combination of turquoise and red that really appeals to me although red is a colour I seldom wear.
The vintage sheet music used as background seems to be from the 1920s, at least there’s the date August 28th 1925 written by hand in one corner by the previous owner. I found this beauty in a huge pile of mostly horrible and smelly old magazines a few months ago in a vintage bookstore. It’s in fantastic condition so I was happy to get it for 2 euros.
Art Deco images are an endless inspiration for lovely colour combinations. Here’s another great site for instant eye-candy, featuring for example this blue and orange summer delight! As the weather has turned cold and windy here in my homeland, this picture really makes me sigh…
By the way, finally there’s a shop in Helsinki that sells nice beads! Zenzulu on Pohjoinen Makasiinikatu has a fairly small but interesting selection of mainly wood, glass and ceramic beads. Must go back soon…
05.17.06
Vintage postcards part 2
Oh, just check out the gown that she’s wearing! So graceful and elegant. Constance Talmadge (1897-1973) was a star of the silent movie era, making over 80 films.
This postcard was found in the charming historical town of Porvoo a couple of summers ago. This reminds me that another daytrip there would be nice to do this summer!
05.15.06
Vintage postcards part 1
I don’t have a big collection of vintage postcards. I don’t even actually collect them but every once in a while I see something that I simply must have. When there’s something about a certain image that touches me on a deeper level. Many times I don’t even know what that certain something is, what makes one picture more beautiful and appealing than the other.
In my neighborhood there’s a vintage bookstore that’s also an art gallery, called Laterna Magica. I’ve made a couple of great book-finds there but this postcard is something that I truly treasure.
It was dated in my little hometown of Joensuu on July 18th, 1904. More than a hundred years ago and almost exactly 70 years before I was born in June 1974. There’s no address on the backside of the card, just the name of the recipient, a Mrs Adele Koch and the town, Savonlinna. (That’s how you can imagine the size of these towns in those days!) The stamp is in russian, as Finland was sadly still under russian rule at the time
.
I think it’s charming the way people used to write the actual message on the picture-side of the card. The longer text reads: “Many thanks for everything. Very many greetings to you all. Best wishes?“. (I can’t make out the name!) The text on the right reads: “Thank You to Miss Aino for the flowers, Anna” (again I’m not sure about the name). So there’s nothing in particular there. Still I can’t stop thinking about who the sender might have been. Someone who was living in my hometown a hundred years ago. And I love this picture! I wonder why the sender chose this card. Did the woman remind her of someone or did she simply like the look of her? Was she herself a lady of an upper class of perhaps a poor girl who dreamed of being able to dress like this some day? The expression on her face actually reminds me of the late Lady Diana somehow. What do you think?
05.12.06
Work and play
I’ll start this blog entry with a lovely picture. This heart-breakingly beautiful image is the work of Misty Mawn, an artist I completely fell in love with after finding her via Sweetpea Jes.
I’m beat. Nine days of work in a row. Then two days of studying. (Sunday will be my first day off for almost two weeks!) When I would much rather do aaaaaanything but those. Like doing a huge spring cleaning around the flat, starting with windows. Or just wandering around the seaside, then stopping for a café au lait and writing in my journal or thinking about jewellery designs. I received my order from Fire Mountain Gems more than a week ago but I haven’t had the chance to finish anything except my friend’s earrings. Oh, I’m sooo tired and at the same time really impatient to sit down and be able to really throw myself into at least a little creative work!
In the meantime, despite the long working hours some lovely things have happened this week. On Wednesday we had our traditional anniversary dinner with Pasi in our favourite restaurant, which was of course wonderful. I also received a beautiful gift from him: another addition to my Mika Waltari collection. It’s a rare first edition copy of the detective story “Kuka murhasi Rouva Skrofin? (Who murdered Mrs Skrof?)” from 1939 and in excellent condition. Here’s a picture of the great cover with a view over the rooftops of Helsinki. Our home is actually only one block away from the Helsinki Cathedral, the round tower that you can see behind the murderer’s head…
And yesterday evening we went to a fantastic concert to see cool finnish jazz band The Five Corners Quintet and soul-funk legend Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I loved both performances and especially Sharon Jones amazed me with her incredible voice and charisma. She really was a true soul sister!
Concert poster via Lifesaver.
And lastly, speaking of jewellery, how cool is this brooch by Tatty Devine?! I love it! Also available in chic red at the SOMA gallery.
05.05.06
Summer colours
Someone will receive these earrings as a gift tomorrow on her 30th birthday… I hope she will like them!!! Made with silver wire, chalk turquoise and czech crystal beads, this style is really simple but I like these fresh colours very much.
And here they are wrapped and ready. I love to wrap things! The photo is what it is… Seems like our kitchen table serves as background for most of my desperate attempts to take pictures!
By the way, just in case someone hasn't visited Le Jardin de Miss Clara yet, please do! Her website is pure magic. I downloaded this wonderful wallpaper from her some time ago.
