For your eyes only

The rolling pin is just eye candy, I don't use it when cooking. I would love to find old rolling pins but this new one doesn't look half bad...

Christmas is coming

It is never too early to start decorating for Christmas. We bought these lovely paper baubles from Vanille home in Loviisa. They are meant for our living room's new side which is not finished yet. We bought a grey wool rug and these baubles are going to look perfect with it.

If you ever visit Loviisa, remember to also visit Vanille home (Aleksanterinkatu 4), it is a beautiful little shop that sells all kinds of decorations for your home.

Memories from easter

I created this arrangement for easter but it looked so nice it got to stay.

Jewels for garden

I just love my new garden lights, they are pretty as jewels!

Too good an idea

I put candles in an old potato measure - they look so good that I don't have the heart to use any of them. Must go and buy new candles and store them in a cupboard...

Shoveling gravel

You wouldn't believe it when looking at this picture but it took about four weekends to dig the ditch and wheelbarrow the gravel from the front yard to here. And I am still not happy - next year we'll have twice this big gravel yard, you just wait and see!

Do looks matter?

Of course looks matter! I just don't get the boxes or box holders you can buy for wineboxes. Use a carafe!

50's again

This was found at the attic. It seems that the attic is a treasure trowe, it's a shame I don't dare to climb the stairs myself. I have to wait until my husband agrees to go there - it is dark there and lots of grime and dust so he is not greatly inspired...

Framing the fish

I bought this frame from Ikea. I should buy a frame for one bigger graphic too, but I don't want the same frame and Ikea' s other frames did not inspire me. I'll keep the measurements with me, maybe I'll find a suitable one elsewhere.

Trouble with hares?

This has been used when hunting hares. The thing makes a loud rattling sound to scare the hares from their hiding places. A bit sinister  - well kids also used these in sport events to cheer on the competitors.

The more the merrier

It is starting to get a little crowded on this tray. But more is more!

Jo-jo ice cream

We found this ice cream ad at our attic. Never heard of the brand before so I surfed the net and found out that Ingman started to sell these from 1936. The ad must be newer. Would be nice to know its age.

No more darkness

We installed garden lightning at last. Now we don't have stumble in the dark when coming to Vårkulla on Friday nights.

Did you see werewolves?

It was full moon on Friday and the moon was still really big yesterday.

Incognito

The reindeer got the sunglasses one new year and never took them off.

Instead of a mock-up

It would be great if the bathroom would be ready and one could wash hands and teeth in bathroom instead of the kitchen. It all looks very nice but it is just make believe - the tap is not connected to the plumbing. The situation has been the same for about three months...

Changed already

This wall is under constant change: we buy new pictures and paintings and change the places of the old ones and get new decorations. The white labrador retriever's head from London stays put, though. By the way, I am almost used to the green colour.

These little piggies stayed home

We have Christmas every day at our home...these little piggies have stayed on the shelf in the hall ever since we bought them from the Esplanadi market several years ago. We call them Artek piggies as they are the same blond "wood" as Artek's famous Aalto furniture.

Who's design is it?

One we found yesterday at our attic, the other is by Apple and cost 600 euros. There is nothing new under the sun...

Women need iron

We bought two of these black iron candle holders (Bruka design). They weight a lot and are for sure safe.

You always have room for one more

I already have several big glass bottles and jars but there is still room for a few more...

More tins

We found a couple of "new" tins to our collection.

Go get the candles

As we don't have a fireplace in the living room, we use a lot of candles. Ok, this is not the real reason - as we don't have ceiling lights, we use a lot of candles...

Weight for the Christmas

I just had to had this red weight for the Christmas.

Back to the fifties

I was really happy to find this graphic from 1958. The frame and the passepartout are a bit damaged but the print itself is in good condition.

Not for everybody

The magpies ate everything we put out for the little birds, so we bought a cage to put the food in and it works! The little birds get in easily and the big ones stay out.

Wood rules over plastic

I like old wooden toys, especially as Christmas decorations. The Bratz dolls, old playstations etc. wouldn't look so good, now would they? I guess that today's toys won't ever be part of my decoration schemes...

Jewellery for your furniture?

I used to wear these Kalevala crosses a lot in the 80's. After that they gathered dust in my drawers for almost 20 years. Now I found them a place on Vårkulla's bed post. I guess they'll gather dust there for the next two decades...

Tomorrow's collectables

Should I start saving all kitchen jars from 2013? I now buy a lot of jars and bottles that are a couple of decades old. If I just put all this year's beetroot, pickle etc. jars in store, I could take them out in 2033 and be very happy and much richer or at least less poor as I wouldn't have to buy them from flea markets...