Outfit of the day

 I just love love LOVE this vintage 50's style dress! I got it from my mom's friend a few years back. It's originally from the 60's( if I remember correctly) and has a black palm tree pattern. The shape of the dress used to be pretty ugly so I decided to sew it into a sweetheart neckline. I also took a few centimeters off the hem. 

The belt is vintage YSL. I found it from a Luxembourgish second hand store. It's amazing what you can find from second hand stores and flea markets!

my favourite neon green ear rings :)

Shopping and new nails in Conneticut

I went shopping with a friend from High School in Downtown Fairfield in a shop called Cargo Bay and this adorable tree was in the corner. It is literally a large tree branch with tissue paper flowers. Each one appeared to be handmade and from farther away they looked like silk flowers. The flowers were attached with hot glue and wire. This is definitely something that I will try doing myself!

I also went to Marshals which is a store that sells brand name and designer clothes, bags, shoes, home décor and other things at discount prices. I bought this pair of Guess wedges which are normally $70 for just $25! On this visit I only went to the shoe section because I was short on time. I’m definitely going back there again! 

I got a Gel Manicure while I was here. On my first day here when I was slightly jet lagged my sister and my best friend from High School took me to a nail salon for a manicure. I work in a restaurant in Finland and my hands and nails have paid a high price. Despite my job I try to always keep my nails looking nice, this means every 2-5 days I paint my nails. I also feel like the polish keeps my nails slightly stronger and helps keep my nails from cracking or breaking. I’ve had this gel manicure for 9 days and not a crack in sight. The photo below was taken today. The polish looks black but its actually an eggplant purple with slight shimmer. I should probably explain what it is. A Gel Manicure uses gel nail polish which is applied to nails and then cured under an ultraviolet light for about 30seconds-3minutes. The perks of the gel manicure is that there is little dry time, after your nails have under the UV light its 100% dry and won’t smudge at all. Its extremely durable, it won’t chip for 2-4 weeks! AMAZING! Also when you take off the polish it won’t damage your real nails like acrylic nails will. It cost me $35 plus a $5 tip so it was slightly more expensive than a normal manicure. 

 Anne and I have been talking about buying an at home kit. The kits are around $60 and I think that it might be a good investment. I have to check that the UV light box is safe to use with a converter (there are differences in Finland and America) but If it is then you may be seeing a review of an at home Gel Manicure kit soon ;) 

Pretty, don't you think?

- Tina

Tina is back in America!

I’m in America! That’s right, I’m back in my hometown in Connecticut. There is something nice about coming back to this to quaint suburban sea side town. It’s strange how much things have changed in the two years that its been since I’ve been back here. I’ve been here for about a week and already managed to do so many things. I’ve spent some time with my best friend from High School, visited some new places and done a little shopping. 

I went to Hartford for a day and did a little sightseeing and also visited the Mark Twain museum. I LOVE Mark Twain quotes and it was interesting to be traipsing through his house. The tour guide also provided us with lots of interesting and quirky facts about Twain’s life and family.  For instance in his private billiard’s room where he entertained guests and wrote some of his most famous works, he would spend hours practicing and playing billiards by himself. Twain was a self proclaimed lazy person so he trained the family’s kittens to sit in the pockets of the pool table and roll the balls back to him with their paws rather than walk around to collect them. Each room of the house had its own theme, unfortunately we weren’t allowed to the take picture inside the house but here it is from the outside. 

On Sunday I had a family day. We took the Port Jeff ferry to Long Island. We took our car and drove to the North Fork of Long Island. The scenery was pretty nice in some parts, there are lots of quaint little beach towns with shops and restaurants. Below are some pictures of the ferry ride and the towns. 

Here is a photo of my lunch. I had a crab cake sanwhich, so delicious and fresh. I wish I had a photo of the restaurant. It was on a dock by the water. You know the seafood must be fresh when you can hear waves crashing and boats driving by while you eat! 

I thought this side table made of branches was pretty neat idea!

 

Wasabinen lohi-perunasalaatti

Rakastan sushia ja wasabi onkin yksi lempimausteistani. Käytän sitä salaatinkastikkeessakin.
Tässä perunasalaatissa on yhdistetty perinteinen perunasalaatti sashimi tyyliseen loheen. Eli jos pidät sushista, tulet pitämään tästäkin luultavasti :)

Ainekset

- Noin 10 pientä perunaa

- 150g tuoretta (raakaa)lohta

- 100-150g kermaviiliä

- 2 rkl kevytmajoneesia

- 1-3 teelusikallista wasabia oman maun mukaan. Laita ensin ihan vähän, lisää tarvittaessa.

-6 retiisiä

- vesikrassia

- ruohosipulia

- soijakastiketta

- pippuria ja suolaa

Iso kulho salaatille

Pieni kulho lohelle

1. Pese perunat kunnolla. Niitä ei tarvitse välttämättä kuoria. Keitä perunat kypsiksi vedessä jossa on hiukan suolaa. Tämän jälkeen laita ne kylmään veteen viilentymään.

2.Leikkaa lohi ohuiksi suikaleiksi. Laita leikatut palat marinoitumaan soijan kanssa.

3. Pilko perunat kuutioiksi, silppua ruohosipuli ja siivuta retiisit. Laita pilkotut ainekset isoon kulhoon. Lisää kermaviili, mahoneesi, wasabi, pippuria ja suolaa. Sekoita hyvin. Tämän jälkeen laita salaatti jääkaappiin marinoitumaan ainakin 30 minuutiksi. Tällöin kaikki maut tulevat paremmin esiin. 

4. Kun tarjoat salaatit, laita lohet kauniisti salaatin päällimmäiseksi. 

DIY Ladybug shopping bag

Cotton shopping bags are so versatile; you can use them for groceries and for carrying almost anything while being eco friendly. I hate the fact in Finland cashiers in clothing shops etc. always without asking put the purchased goods in a plastic bag. I always try to avoid taking these plastic bags. I try to be as eco friendly as possible and sometimes even small deeds make a big difference.

 We have oh so many cotton shopping bags at home. The problem with them is that they were too plain for my taste. So I decided to paint pictures on them with textile paints. Here's one of them:

The bag in the picture was bought from the local food market, but the bags are really easy to make yourself.