Cakes and Minor Points

I love baking, and I do bake a lot. Sometimes it's planned beforehand, but I mostly do impulse baking. In that kind of situation the things I make vary a lot according to my mood.

When I'm stressed, I mostly bake bread.

When I'm disappointed or sad, I make cupcakes.

When I'm happy and feel good, I usually bake cakes.

Cookies are made on tired days,

and pies mostly when I feel like I need baking, but can't specify my feelings.

And sometimes when I'm pissed off or furious, I act like today. Bake weird things. Things I normally don't bake, or even eat. Like these confections in the picture. I'm pretty sure they're far too sweet, and I usually don't do icing, as it's tastes just like sugar and nothing else. But that's all right, cause baking made me calm down. In contrast to that the outcome is just a minor point.

...

{via Design Crush}

Oh, Meow!

{By Celine from Bonjour}

These pictures just made me feel so happy.

Well, cats always have that effect,

but I mean even happier than usually.

Super happy.

Meetings, part 2

I was on my way home, and feeling exhausted. I'm getting cold, I'm afraid, so I didn't feel well in any way. I was crossing the street when the lights turned red so I had to stop on the last traffic island of that three-part zebra crossing. I waited until the cars passed, and cause there were no more coming, I just went on. I know I'm not supposed to, but I have to say I only do this when I've double checked every direction and seen there's no cars at the moment. If there is one getting closer the crossroads I wait my turn. But as I said, there were no cars on the road, so I crossed.

I guess I shouldn't have done that this time, cause on the other side of the road there was a woman waiting with two small kids. She glanced at me in a very disapproving way, which is understandable, as I was being a bad example for those kids. I felt bad for it, until I passed them. Cause at that moment the woman leaned on her little son and I heard her to say at a very loud voice: "Honey, remember not to be that stupid yourself, ever."

At that moment I just had an urgent need to stop and say to that kiddo: "Honey, remember not to do OR leave undone anything in this life just because they told you so, ever." But when I'd finally got my sentence sound right, the lights had changed green and they were crossing the street already.

Meetings, part 1

Today I passed some lovely colorful nail polishes on the cosmetic section of a local department store. Of course, I had to stop and look closer, as if my nail polish collection in 20 colours wouldn't be big enough already. Next to the table there was standing a blond salesgirl and cause she was looking at me, I explained her I had to stop because of the colorful view.

"Aren't they wonderful?" the girl chirped. (Yeah, chirped, she was very chirpy). "I know this sounds SOOO weird but I've been thinking I would love to polish each fingernail with different color for the first of May." Before she had time to chirp anything else I showed her my fingernails, painted with five different colors. On a regular Tuesday. Oh mi God how wild! She didn't say anything else, just smiled in a "my customer is really weird and has bear ears in her hat, but she's a customer so she's right"-way. I encouraged her to put her plan in action and said that first of May is the perfect excuse: no-one would think she was weird or anything. For reasons best to known herself she looked like I wasn't the authority to believe in this situation.

Can you see the difference?

When I moved into this apartment

(09/2008),

my jewelry wall looked like this:

Nowadays

(04/2010)

it looks like this.

And I desperately need a third

earring-hanger,

as almost 30 pairs of earrings

are missing from the picture just because

they didn't fit.

No, this is not a problem.

This is just happy collecting.

I wish I could fly

If I could do anything, I would like to

- fly, just fly without any tools or vehicles

- meet some dead relatives

- be a (real) cat for a while

- travel around the world with no rush

- craft and photograph for living

- have no stress about anything

He said my legs look like barcodes

Today I'm celebrating spring with crazy tights, car earrings and color-coded nails.

First I tried to polish every nail with a different color, but in the end it didn't look that good. The darker shades didn't go together that well, so I ended up coloring my nails in both hands the same way. And I have to say I like it. Especially on a rainy and grey day like this.

Tea Break

I love tea and coffee cups. I drink no coffee (it tastes so bad) and I prefer my tea in mugs, but I still have over 20 pairs of coffee cups. Nowadays I only buy ones that really are special some way (at least for me) and usually trifted. I love going to flea markets and charity shops to see cute cups. I just try to avoid buying, as there's no space in our cupboards anymore.

In the first picture there's my new tea mug. Now I just need some raspberry tea to drink from it. In the second picture there's a pair of coffee cups I just somehow fell in love with. The ones in the last picture are meant for crafting. They are all uneven and some of them have cracks, but I still had to get those. So cute, no matter they're too small to be usable in a kitchen. Crafting is just such a perfect excuse. Some more pincushion cups are going to be created in the future, I guess.

I always have lollipops in my bag

If you are interested in what I usually carry around in my bag, head to Post Grad Hair Cut to see. I'm taking part to Samantha's In My Bag - series there. And I'd like to point out there's no broken teacups or tree trunks like the other day.

I took these pictures quite a while ago (those who go to school with me know that orange knitting project has been ready for ages), but it very well represents the normal ingredients of my bag. I also happened to wear the same clothes as I do today, so the hem of my green skirt can be seen in the pic 2 :)

Miaow!

I'd like to introduce my new friend. I've been watching over this little fellow for a long while, as it's hanged out at the coat rack of my favourite restaurant for the whole winter. I've been waiting if that little someone who apparently lost it would come back, and reunite with his/her smitten kitten mitten. But yesterday I decided we've both waited long enough and adopted it. Why?

Cause it makes me smile and inspires me every time I see it.

Cause I'd love to have mittens like these on my own (in my size, please).

Cause I'm sure it was lonely up there and deserves a new home.

Cause I thought it could keep company to my laptop who has started to purr like a very loud cat all the time, and you know they say cat's need friends too. So now I have two. They may not be alike, but they'll surely make friends.

Little things like this make me a lot happier. And I promise that if I sometime meet that little dude wearing this kittens pair, I will help it back home.

Moustache Monday

Mr. Harold the stuffed rabbit,

by Maddox & Klaus

Hey Emo Kid...

This is all normal, right?

Things I carried in my bag today,

in addition to ones I usually have in there:

- Two books about marketing

- An almost broken teacup

- Two plastic animals (a panda and a tiger)

- Three zippers and a piece of cotton ribbon

- A ball of pink cotton yarn

- A piece of a tree trunk I picked from up from the park

(approximately 20cm x 10cm x 7cm)

Cheesy Collection: thoughts of love

{Maddox & Klaus}

{Andrea Jenkins}

{Shanna Murray}

{Notebook Doodles}

{Coffee Stencils}

Something new, something blue

Remember when I said something about a new blog project? It wasn't even a full sentence, just a small throwaway remark. But well, something grew out of that idea, and I'd like to show it now.

This is a bit different that my other blogs; it is a picture journal telling the stories behind my photographs. It isn't a daily project, but I try to keep it up and running, and update at least a couple of times a week. We'll see how it's going to work out, and I so badly wish this blog will be liked.

So, it's time for you to meet: Pictorial Memories.

PS. Please show your love by becoming a follower, and don't forget to tick the box after every post to tell what you think!

A Declaration of Love

- The first bike ride

- The first day without an overcoat

- First Tussilago farfaras

- The first time drying sheets outside

Oh spring, I love you!

You make me happy even on a crappy day like this.

I'd rather be there

{via}

I have no idea

where on earth this place is

but I know I would rather be there.

Right now.

Moustache-Monday

{via Missed Connections}

Little Red Redhead

Bla Bla Bla

Okay, new day and new layout.

(For those of you who visited during the process: I'm sorry.

I know it looked terrible for a while.)

I loved the looks of the previous one, but it didn't work very well.

Cause it was a custom layout I had to hack the code every time I wanted to do even the smallest of changes. And for someone who knows five commands of HTML it was a bit too hard. So I returned to the yellow theme with a new background. The fact I can't wear yellow without looking sea sick doesn't mean my blog couldn't.

And oh, the boxes are back! So please tick the right one according to your feelings after every post. It means lot to me. Well, 'why' is a good question. I will tell you when I come up with a good excuse. Even though it might be easier just to tell you the truth: a curious cat is curious.

I also am planning a new blog project. I know, I already have a few. But I am a project person and a blogaholic so what can I do?

Let's see what happens...

The Perfect Match

This is me,

a self portrait taken

autumn 2007.

This is a pendant made by

Laney Clark's Art Jewelry Studio.

And it would, of course, be perfect for me.

Today

- My hair is cranberry red, and I love it.
- I finally finished one photography project I've been working on for ages.
- I sat in a cafe just with myself and read a paper.
- I bought one ball of that bright pink yarn I've been lusting for weeks.
- I'm having a longer school day than usually, and I am so tired.
- I'm knitting along, as I'm trying to stay awake.

Oh Summer Dress

{all pics via Halens}

I haven't bought any clothes since the beginning of January. Back then I realized I have too many clothes and no money, so I decided not to buy anything until 1st of May. And I've kept my promise. It's actually been surprisingly easy to avoid buying clothes. I've just radicallyignored anything clothes-related for the past months. Haven't stepped into stores. I've even removed all the catalogues I receive straight from the doormat to paper recycling. No looking, even no peeking, cause then I might want something I don't need. And if I wan't something bad enough, I can make a need for it.

But today, today I slipped. I opened one catalogue to read it in the toilet (yes, I read there. And I know you do too, so no need to look that surprised). And now I want want want things. Especially dresses. It's almost spring outside, so I do need a new summer dress, right? Oh, they had so many beautiful ones. I virtual shopped for a while and now I have stuff worth 90€ in my shopping cart. But I can't buy anything, cause then I couldn't trust my decisions anymore at all. I've failed every diet, sugar strike and beginning of new lifestyle this year, so I can't fail this. Not that I had any money, 90€ is a maximum I can spend for necessities during the next three weeks.

Oh May, please come soon! Before that I'll choose one dress I want the most to celebrate the summer. That's all I can afford, but that's still something. And I think I really deserve it.

Afraid of the happy ending?

Last December I had a long conversation about God in a café. A total stranger told me how he had found God and religion. I've written of that talk before, so I won't repeat my words. It's just that today I remembered how I asked him that what if you're afraid to find God. "Oh, I was terrified", he answered.

Cause today I'm the one who's terrified. This time God isn't involved though, not that I know. But recently, for the first time in my life, I've truly realized what I wanna do. With my life, you know. What I wanna be when I grow up. What I would like to do as my profession, but at least as a very serious hobby, if being a professional isn't possible.

Why am I terrified then, you might ask. Well, now when I know, I have to do everything I can to reach my dream. Cause otherwise, if I won't try my best, I can't be happy with myself. And this is a problem cause I'm afraid of failure. I'm afraid I don't have what it takes. I'm afraid it's going to be too hard. I'm afraid hard work is going to kill my passion. I'm afraid that ten years from now, when I've given all I could, I one day just realize I was wrong. That this really wasn't what I wanted, I just imagined so.

I also am afraid cause I know I can't let my fears stop me. I can try now, and be disappointed if it doesn't work after all. Or, I can never try and be disappointed cause I will ever know if that really would have been my path. I'm that kind of person who picks the option one, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't be terrified to leave my comfort zone.

Yes, I love sneakers

I also love feet/shoe shots.
So, let me introduce a couple of pairs
that have meant lot to me:


My first sneaker love <3
I used them until they broke during
a music festival one summer.
Well, I had to get home, so I just taped
them and continued my journey.
But soon after returning home I buried them
into our trash can.

The first (and so far the last)
patterned pair I've ever had.
This picture was taken
in a swing, that explains why it looks like that.

The first picture of my
totally black pair.
Those laces later on ended up on my
brother's sneakers (with the beads, of course).

And the last picture of my most
beloved pair, the red ones.
May they rest in piece,
on a dumbing place somewhere near London.

Eagerly waiting for making new memories
and taking new pictures
with my newest pair,
the one you saw on Saturday.
(Chosen and bought by my mum.)
Hey summer, we are waiting for you!

Moustache-Monday

by Ape Lad

Cats and moustaches in the same picture.
What else can you ask for?

I just wanted to share this

I just found a new, hilarious blog:

Just see yourself...

Brilliant, right?

A Happy Cat is Happy

I have been really happy today, cheerfully happy. Skipping-a-bit-while-walking-happy. Almost Sound-of-Music-kind-of-happy (well, I'm obviously talking about the singing on the mountains-part, not the Nazi-part). Why? No special reason, just all the small things. I slept late. I had breakfast in bed while reading a magazine. It was warm outside, and I had a walk in my new sneakers. It was the first sneaker-day of the spring. And I spotted a car that matched with my pink nail polish. My friend taught me to make paper beads. And later on we made some pizza with my boyfriend. But probably the best thing of the day has been time. There's plenty of it. Plenty of time to do nothing. And there's another two free days left. Miaow.

Yes, I love colors

The bedroom post I promised, here it comes.
Some details, while it's still clean around here.

Curtains new to this room, but otherwise pretty old.
I have no idea where they originally came from,
as they are my boyfriend's.

The window sill with the mushroom lamp
(also my bf's, I love it so much),
a radio that doesn't work but looks good,
my moustache mirror, an artwork I got for birthday present
and an alarm clock I've had since a little girl.

I love rag rugs...

...And our bed from the 70's or so.
Bought used and cost only 20€.

My dresser usually has piles of stuff on the top of it.
For the time being it's actually possible to see my mathryoskas,
and I like it, I have to admit.

Some more mail!

Our lovely mail person brought me something today as well. When I left for school I found a bright orange postcard on the doormat. That was from a friend who wrote that she had recently been in India and in Iceland, and in both places she intended to send me a card. But as it often happens, on the airport on her way back she realized she didn't do that. So she sent me a card from Turku, where we both live (approximately 3 km from each other.) "It's been sunny here, and it's hard to choose right shoes to wear with the weather. Let's meet sometime soon? I have an old camera too."

That little card made me so happy. Thanks!
(I know she's going to laugh when she reads this. That thought makes me happy too.)