I heart sugar!

Next weekend, we are having our christmas party with Helena. And it's going to be a slumber party! Yay :) The plan is to watch girly movies and eat sugar until we drop.

via Tell Me a Tale

I've already decided to make these super yummy cinnamon and sugar coated almonds (thank you my lovely sister for the tip!)


If you want to try making some yourself, this is what you'll need.

♥♥♥

via Gourmet Connection

Another delicious-looking recipe I've bumped into this week, are these cute candy cane brownie bites. The recipe sounds a bit more
demanding than the almond one, but I'm determined to give it a shot. I will post some photos of the end result, I promise. 


(...and you are not allowed to laugh, if they end up looking all crooked!)


To accomplish our sweet mission, we'd love for you to share your favorite sugary recipes with us! We promise to pick a few and try them out!

XoX

Mervi

All Disco Dance Must End in Broken Bones

Hello everybody. So nice to be back here in Helsinki - even though Stockholm was super cool. Weather was horrible - minus 15 degrees and windy as hell, but my friend and me had really lovely time. Swedish people are so friendly and polite.... and they are so trendy.

I decided to share with you a couple of my favorite "must see and be places in Stockholm". 

Places to eat: Babylon and Babajan

All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones. Place to dance: Debaser (Rocket Room)

Vintage shops: Sivletto, Secret Vintage

Shopping mall: Pub (Acne and Cheap Monday stores)

Vi hörs,

Helena

What are ♥ weekends made of?

via Rosemary Blue

Spending time with friends and family. Thank you Jaana, Johanna and Antti.

Making some nice bargains at the flea market. Thank you Valtteri.

Eating yummy food. Thank you Sis Deli.

Taking a long walk with the doggie. Thank you Salli.

Having a glass (or two) of nice red wine. Thank you Argentina.

Taking a nap. Thank you my cosy bed.

Watching a movie. Thank you Tarantino.

Writing this blog. Thank YOU!

...that's what lovely weekends are made of :)

Love♥
Mervi

Black dress x 3

Couple of days ago, I blogged about boutiques.com and how I created my own personalized boutique on their wesbsite. Inspired by Helena's Christmas party outfit dilemmas, I thought I'd see what kind of black dresses the boutiques.com stylyzer tool recommends me. I have to say that some of them were not-quite-me, but some I'd totally wear.

I picked three of my favorites and finished the look with handpicked vintage accessories.

1. Chic biker chick 

2. Evening look 

3. Casual 80's

1. Chic biker chick
Alexandra Wang dress, vintage flats, green satin clutch, turquoise navajo leaf ring, 60's mod jacket

2. Evening look
Diane von Furstenberg dress, cuff bracelet, rose quarts earrings, suede platforms, asian print silk clutch

3. Casual 80's
Rag and Bone dress, leather bag, turquoise silver bracelet, 80's red leather boots, hooded scarf, 

Voila!

Mervi

Patchwork of nice little things

Helena is away for a couple of days, exploring all the vintage boutiques in Stockholm, so I'm going to be blogging few days in a row (she better bring me a cupcake from that bakery, our lovely reader Marian recommended!)

Today's post is a bit of patchwork of nice little things, I've come across this week, and want to share with you.

Patchwork of nice little things

1. We are smitten in our mittens, illustration by Matt Saunders

2. I found this cute bottle opener from Valtteri flea-market last weekend.

3. Chic croc snake purse, I'd love for our christmas party next week.

4. Thinking inside the box, photograph by Jenni Penni

5. Sterling silver honey knuckles, design by Rachel Pfeffer

6. Smile beautiful, painting by Joshua Petker

Cheers!

Mervi

Haoshi Design Studio

This is actually not a vintage thing, but I will share with you a really lovely and cool design website. Haoshi Design Studio makes joyful jewellery; rings, necklaces, clocks and so on.

Haoshi means "good things" and their philosophy is to make visual art through their  design. Their brand was established 2009 and you can find their shop over here:

Haoshi Design

My favourite is the necklace with camera. How cool is that?! What's your favourite?

Picture: Haoshi Design

Picture: Haoshi Design

Rakkaudella, Helena

Sentimental Mr. Sieff

I have now two really cool posters waiting to be hung up on my wall. I didn't even remember I had them until my mom called. I bought them from a flea-market maybe ten years ago - then I just totally forgot about them.

The photographer is Jeanloup Sieff, born in Paris in 1933. He was a "new wave" photographer and his work has appeared in Vogue and Elle.

Here are the posters :)

Pictures: Jeanloup Sieff

Love, Helena

Say it out loud!

I seem to be daydreaming a lot these days, but I can't help it! Last night, when I was sitting on the sofa bored, it hit me - I need to map out all of my dreams. Just to say them out loud. 

The inspiration came from my good friend Mari, who did it a couple of years ago. And she was right how purifying it is! It felt good to lay it all out there and get it out of my system. I'm definitely going to do this regularly, because my pile of dreams is getting bigger by the minute! But hopefully some of these dreams will also actualize, so I can start cutting the list from the other end ;)

After writing a loooong list last night, today I created my very own "Map of dreams" collage. This is what I came up with (this is my favorite, but I made a couple of different color variations. You can check them all here).

What are you dreaming about? It would be great to hear all the dreams out there - maybe saying it out loud, will make them all one step closer of becoming true!

Muchos love,

Mervi

Stockholm Calling

I'm going to Stockholm on Friday and going to be checking out some cool vintage
stores. Here are couple of my favourites. If you, dear readers, have
tips for cool, creative shops in Stockholm, please let us know!

The bohemian SoFo area is my favourite. Check out these shops if in
Stockholm:

Lisa Larsson's Second Hand Boutique
Bondegatan 48
www.lisalarssonsecondhand.com

Tjallamalla
Bondegatan 46
www.tjallamalla.com

Sivletto
Malmgårdsvägen 16-18
www.sivletto.com

Grandpa
Södermannagatan 21
www.grandpa.se

Pictures: tjallamalla.com

Love, Helena

Dressing up for the holidays

It's that time of the year again, when you need to pick your outfit for the Christmas festivities – whether it’s a night out with friends or a good bash with work mates. Well, I also started thinking about my outfit. I want to wear something edgy with a touch of vintage, and it needs to be low budget. Quite easy to arrange, I think!

Ok, let's figure this one out. This year, I’d like to feel like Lauren Bacall or Veronika Lake. Feminine cool, strong and tasteful.

It's good to start with the basics - a little black dress or a black suite with a white shirt. Not forgetting about black high heels!

The magic in creating the feeling, is the right accessories. To make my outfit perfect, I'm going to need a black beret, some jewelry and a cool bag.

Here’s my short list of accessories to compliment a great christmas outfit

Black vintage rhinestone earrings

Vintage purse

Sparkly rhinestone necklace

Sterling silver bracelet

Oh, and of course the black beret :)

Helena

Vintage wonderland by Bokja

A while back, when we were moving to our new home, I was searching for inspiration for our new living room and came across a Lebanese furniture company Bokja. It was instant love! 

And from what I gather, the rest of the world is in love too, as their pieces have been featured in Elle Decor, Wallpaper and the like.

Bokja is the baby of two friends Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, set up in Beirut in 2000. Their designs are a lovely mixture of antique furniture and ancient textiles. And they do it SO beautifully.

via bokjadesign.com

One of these is already on my wish list to Santa, but for the moment I've just used these designs as my source of inspiration and settled for a more budget friendly alternative. I've mixed different textiles (prints, textures and bright colors) with more subtle tones. And the effect is the same - fun, bold and relaxed.

I personally love the combination of functional 50s or 60s retro design and the colorful eastern look, like below:

via bokjadesign.com

For someone who's into do-it-yourself stuff, it would make a fun project to upholster a vintage piece with ancient style colorful fabrics. I might have to give it a try myself, as I have an old 50s armchair waiting to get dressed, in my mum's garage. 

Love,

Mervi

Create your boutique

I'm a sucker for all new social media thingys... So I just created my own boutique at a new website called Boutiques.com. 

The idea is that you can discover your own style and find a collection of boutiques created by celebrities, stylists, designers, bloggers (well, basically anyone) that suit your liking. 

I think it's a pretty neat idea, because it allows you to personalize your shopping experience. And it's just something fun :)

Anyway, I created my own boutique by completing these 6 simple steps:
1. Stylyzer
2. Loves & hates for dresses
3. Loves & hates for tops
4. Loves & hates for bottoms
5. Loves & hates for shoes
6. Designers

...and according to their analysis, I am the master of:

CASUAL CHIC
Your style is a blend of cosmopolitan and California casual. You're a master at mixing beloved basics with contemporary pieces. A vintage leather jacket and boyfriend jeans could be your daily uniform. You don't accessorize unnecessarily, choosing your frills wisely for a pared-down femininity. Not afraid to add a healthy dose of glamour when dressing up, you've cultivated a Casual Chic signature style that flaunts your simple sophistication.

via boutiques.com

Hih :)

Mervi

Three things...

Vintage jewelry: Greek key pendant necklace

Song: I just want some love, Melanie Horsnell

Movie: Vicky Christina Barcelona, Woody Allen

Vintage jewelry: Art deco black Onyx silver ring

Song: Kids, MGMT

Movie: Ed Wood, Tim Burton

Time for introductions

We’ve now been blogging for a week, and loving it! But there has been no official introductions done. So here it comes.

We are Mervi and Helena, two girls united by the love of all things vintage. Our story began two years ago, when we met at a design course. It was friendship at first sight.

For a while now, we’ve been discussing about a project that we could do together. This blog is the first step and our story is just beginning. Our mission is to share the vintage loveliness all around us, and our passion for design, art, photography and all things cute.

We both have our own distinctive styles, and want to bring that forth. Therefore, our plan is to blog daily, in turns, giving you versatility and different perspectives.

My best friend Jules, this is our vow to you.

We Mervi and Helena, take you, Jules, to be our beloved best friend, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. We promise you this from our hearts, for all the days of our lives.

Folllow us on Bloglovin

Love,

Mervi & Helena

Cinematic, tranquil and innocent

Rebekah by Leialala

Elegant in lace by Anca

I totally fell in love with these photographs, so I wanted to post them here for you. They're just so cinematic, tranquil and innocent... I can almost feel the sun on my cheeks.

Inspired by these photos, I created a cinematic treasury list on Etsy, featuring some black and white photography and vintage loveliness. Take a peek here.

More treasures handpicked by me

Color of the day

I wonder if you can try reverse psychology on yourself?

[The advocacy of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion (in this case me) to do/think what actually is desired.*]

Well, I tried. Instead of thinking about all things warm and cosy, I totally gave in to the Monday blues. But now, all I can think about is the color yellow. And to me that screams warm and cosy!

Today, I'm feeling yellow

From left to right

1. Neidonruusu wallpaper
2. Cute collectible
3. Photograph by my best friend jules
4. Yellow Vespa by Elgarbo Art
5. Vintage art deco necklace from Zephyr Vintage
6. Ruusuköynnös wallpaper

So mission accomplished
*

"Something cute" gift guide

Feeling all christmassy tonight, so I created a little gift guide on my Etsy favorites! I hope you find something cute for your loved ones...or a little treat for yourself :)

Enjoy <3

This weekend's favorites

1. cute new boots, from O.I.S
2. a new necklace to my owl collection, from Spirit Store outlet
3. my absolute favorite, silver rose ring, bought this summer in Rome

Visual recipes by Marina Ekroos

My good friend Marina Ekroos has captured every step of a recipe in one photo, in such a pretty and witty way! You can read about Marina's inspiration for the visual recipes on an interview by Great Food Photos.

I decided to pick three of my absolute favorites and post them here :) Enjoy!

All photos courtesy of

Marina Ekroos.

Just a thought

Today I read an article from the Science about a study, claiming that daydreaming is a downer. 

After giving it some thought, daydreaming may not be as up-lifting as I have always thought. I guess it has some sort of a debilitating affect on you when you dream about something that feels too far to reach - at least at that exact moment. Personally, daydreaming makes me feel a bit wistful.

Illustration by Kareena Zerefos

But regardless of the momentary melancholy, daydreaming also gives me objectives. It gives me the "permission" to think about something I never thought I could do and visualise how to do it. In a way, it helps me to plan.

I believe that if you truly want something, you're able to reach it. It all comes down to how much you're willing to do (or even let go) to get there. 

So I encourage you all to keep daydreaming! It gives us something to work on!

Photo of the day

Urban Ballerina in Camden, London.

Fine art photograph by 

my best friend jules

I'm developing an addiction

...on vintage salt and pepper shakers. They're just so darn cute.
(oh and handy too!!)

Nr 1: Squirrel / Chipmunk Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers
Nr 2: Give A Hoot Owl Salt and Pepper Set
Nr 3: Vintage Lefton Bluebird Salt + Pepper Shakers
Nr 4: Little Owl Couple Salt + Pepper Set
Nr 5: Kitschy Piggy Salt and Pepper Shaker with Rhinestones
Nr 6: Antique 1950's Pottery Kissing Native American Kids Salt Pepper Shakers

If you're in the same boat with me, you might want to take a peek in the Etsy wonderland! 
Ps. There are 5,114 results for vintage salt+pepper shakers.

Have fun!

My lazy night recipe

I'm having such a lazy night, and didn't feel like walking to the supermarket. So I decided to take a peek in the fridge...


Salmon Pie, my lazy night recipe

• ready made potato-rye pastry (ok, I cheated a bit!)
• left-over salmon from yesterday
• grated zucchini
• chopped sweet pepper
• broccoli
• a drop of chili flavored sunflower-oil
• salt + pepper
• emmental cheese + egg + vegetable cream

To make it the perfect lazy supper, a glass of red + woolies + Regina Spektor's Far did the trick!

Yummy!

No sparkly trees today. So far.

Hmpf, what a huge disappointment this morning. No snowy trees glowing in the sunshine. Anyhow, no major harm done...it's yet to come! I've just enjoyed the other little things in life!


Here's my Tuesday TOP 5

TOP 1

A great start to the morning! Hopping on the tram, on my way to work, was a pleasant experience. It was one of those old ones - so cute and cosy. I found this one photo, that somehow manages to capture the feeling. I wish I had found one that shows what the carriages look inside. The little spot lights in the carriage ceiling are the thing, that gives the "all fuzzy and warm inside" feeling.

TOP 2

Florence + the Machine on my Spotify. She just makes me want to sing along and dance! Apologies to my dear colleagues, sitting next to me ;)

TOP 3

Coffee break- a nice big mug of latte. I wish I had one these super cute Taz-Ah Animal Face Mugs.

TOP 4

Getting a message from Handmade Shoppe. My little goodies are on their way! Photo credits to Handmade Shoppe. 

TOP 5

I found out that you can lose weight by eating Twinkies!!! See Prof Haub's Diet Experiment in Facebook.








...And extra credits for saving my day goes to Nepalese restaurant Mountain, in Töölö Helsinki.


That's it for now :)