NYC Haul

My boyfriend and I visited New York in early March as an early anniversary trip (4 years!), and since I did some shopping while there, I thought it would be nice to share some photos of what I got. Funny enough, I didn't actually take photos during our trip (besides some iPhone snaps). It was nice to concentrate on experiencing the city though, instead of 'living through the lense'.

I feel like I was actually quite sensible when shopping in NYC (or at least certainly more so than I was my first time in London at 18!). For one, I bought hardly any clothes (shocking, I know)!

But without further ado, let me show you all the things I picked up!

First and foremost: Pusheen (from Forbidden Planet next to The Strand)! A detective Pusheen! I'm obsessed with the chubby kitty we all know from Facebook stickers (my boyfriend even got me an annual Pusheen subscription box for Christmas) and when I saw this Sherlock Holmes-inspired version, I couldn't help but bring him home. I came across loads more Pusheen merchandise, but I decided to be sensible (or as sensible as I possibly could). 

The dog-shaped salt and pepper shakers were from Target (because I wanted novelty shakers and these match our colours haha) and hair ties from Anthropologie. The incredible Alice in Wonderland socks and floral Rifle Paper Co temporary tattoos(!) are both from Strand Bookstore, which was one of the highlights of the trip. I managed to resist the temptations to buy any books, but decided to indulge in some bookish merchandise since the selection was so different from what we have in the UK (I also got some cool book-themed postcards, which I forgot to photograph). The Alice 2016 calendar is from a lovely stationary called Paper Source. I actually got it for the adorable prints (Rifle Paper Co can do no wrong), since I've already got a calendar and it was 75% off – bargain!

The bright and beautiful Kate Spade bag was a find from Crossroads Trading, which I'd seen a lot of people talk about. It's essentially a second hand clothing store, but it seems to be very popular with bloggers and everyone else I've chatted to. The bag was $65 and in great condition, so I was fairly pleased since it retailed around the $300+ mark.

I also got some candles! I obviously had to pop in to Bath & Body Works, where I got two candles (how I managed to leave with only two is a mystery!) — 'Lemon & Mint Tea' and 'London: Lemon and Tea'. Sensing a theme? I also found a Woodwick candle in 'Honeydew Melon' at Century 21 for less than half the price!

Cosmetics! I got a EOS lip balm ($2.99 at Target), The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry bath jelly ($2 at TJMaxx), Essie nail polishes ($2.99 at TJMaxx), Revlon nail polished (around $5 at Target) and Bath & Body Works hand gels in a variety of scents (the blue 'Endless Weekend' is my favourite!). I also popped into Sephora and got the much hyped Kat Von D tattoo liner in Trooper after swatching it on my hand (and being very impressed) and a Sephora lip stain in Mandarin Muse. 

Food! First off, cinnamon chewing gum. Not for everyone certainly, but as someone who drowns everything they eat in cinnamon, this is great. I also popped into M&M shop to get a selection of the more unusual flavours (like honey nut and chili nut!). 

We came across a beautiful tea shop called David's Tea and I got this amazing machine-washable see-through travel tea mug with a built-in strainer (that you can pop up when you're done steeping your tea!) and some tea. The tea nerd in me was practically purring when I saw the travel mug. The teas my boyfriend and I got were Blueberry Jam black tea, Citron oolong tea, Pear-Ginger white tea and La La Lemon black tea.

I have seriously problem with Clif bars so when faced with the seriously low price tag ($0.99!) and a variety of flavours I haven't seen in the UK, I obviously had to get one of each. So sue me. I also got a peanut butter and jelly Lära bar, because hey, peanut butter and jelly. The packet of matcha chocolate Pocky's also made their way to my suitcase since we didn't get around to eating them while in New York.

This doesn't look like much, but the shoes on the left were probably my favourite purchase from New York. They're my new dance shoes, with suede soles, heels and prettiness. They're also pretty damn comfy for high heels. I got them from a dance shoe shop near Times Square, and that itself was an experience. Mirrors, mini dance floors to try out your shoes — spoiled! They've also really made a difference to my dancing so I'm very pleased.

I also got a pair of Keds, which is the brand I usually wear for classes. These are from the Taylor Swift collaboration and I've been wanting them for ages because of that cat peeking out at the heel. Sorry T-Swift, I do like you, but I'm really just here for the cats. I got them at Century21 for about $20.

Aaaand finally, clothes!

Above, a sports bra with super cool strap situation at the back ($12.99 at Forever21)! These never ever fit me since either the band is too big, or the "cups" area is too small. This, however, was sort of okay so I can wear it for yoga/chilling out. And look cool. Forever21 had a fabulous selection of workout clothing and I must remember this in the UK as well.

Midi skirt (or maxi in my case, hah) from Forever21 ($24.99). Pink is not usually a colour I would wear, but for some reason I felt like going out of my comfort zone. Plus it looks very spring-like and romantic. Maybe paired with a leather biker jacket and some heels?

And fiiiinally, my vintage find! I dragged my boyfriend to approximately 150 vintage shops, ooh'd and aah'd over dozens and dozens of beautiful 50's frocks and other treasures (for very reasonable prices too!), but since I knew there's no way I'd ever actually wear them, I left them for better homes. This $8 find is probably from 80's (because SHOULDER PADS), and I intend to work some DIY magic on it before wearing it. I'll definitely take the shoulder pads off, for one.

So that's all I got from New York. Sorry for a lot of text! I'd really like to do video hauls (and book talks!), because I think the format works much better for hauls, but I'm scared of YouTube (and would have to invest in a camera that takes video). Hmmmmm.

Outfit: Back in Time

I have been meaning to post these photos for approximately half a century at this point, and by each passing month it got pushed further down on my to-do list. But since I came across the photos on my phone again, I thought I would finally post them. Even if they are about 6 months late, and taken with my phone. Maybe this will also inspire me to start posting again more regularly?

Top: H&M | Skirt: H&M | Coat: ASOS | Bag: TKMaxx (Nica) | Shoes: Primark 

We visited Cheltenham on one fine sunny day last autumn for some shopping, dinner and a movie. I hadn't seen much of Cheltenham besides the beginning of the high street, the parking and the cinema, and it was actually a very pleasant surprise to venture further.

Showing off my make up or basking in the sun? Possibly both.

We also found a church with the prettiest doors ever.

Ch-ch-changes

It's been clear to me for a while now that the way I was blogging during Uni just isn't working anymore, even less so during winter when there's no natural light. I started feeling silly pressure about having to wear nice clothes and take photos every day I had off (when in reality I'd just be chilling in leggings and a jumper, having a Great British Bake Off marathon), and it made me quite unhappy, both with any photos that I rarely managed to take and myself. 

This led me to do some thinking, and I decided that I wanted to have a little shift in the focus of my blog — because I do to continue with the blog. I will still talk about pretty clothes and post outfit photos when I have time and energy, but I'm going to be talking more about the other big interest in my life - books! I've been reading a lot lately, and due to my job in a bookshop, I get my hands on a lot of books and get excited about new releases. I've done a book haul before, so I feel like this is not a radical change — just an expansion of one side of this blog, which is basically all about my big interests. So expect some more book hauls, little book reviews and possibly other book related content in the future.

I hope that taking the pressure of myself, and stopping worrying about what I 'should' or 'should not' be posting about, will also make me more inspired about creating fashion content for my blog. Perhaps not many outfit posts until the days lengthen and the weather improves (because taking photos in pouring rain and howling wind is not on my to-do list), but certainly some wishlists and general inspiration posts. That is after all why I started this blog in the first place.

Home: Living Room Snapshots

I wanted to do a sort-of house tour at some point when I felt that we'd finished decorating. We're now about 6 months in to living here, and I still feel like it's unfinished. I still have photos I haven't put up, and things I'd like to arrange differently (even if we already did a little re-arrange pre- and post-Christmas tree) or things I'd like to get. Maybe this is how it always is.

I took a few photos of our living room one Saturday ages ago now, after I'd tidied up and it was looking quite nice. Despite the fact that it's been months and we've had some additions and changes since I took the photos, I still wanted to share them. A little snapshot into our little home!

Don't be fooled by the "bright light" coming through the window. Being absolutely minuscule, the window let very little light in and the flat is actually a bit like a cave.

My boyfriend despairs over what he calls my pillow hoarding. I haven't bought any new ones since I filled the sofa, so I really don't know what he complains about.

The sofa is like a sample of the colours I wanted for the living room: grey, yellow, turquoise. Now also with little touches of copper, consisting of a lantern and the inside of our IKEA ceiling light (this one, which actually looks much nicer in real life). And an unhung picture frame.

My friend got me this beautiful Orla Kiely flower vase as a birthday present. She knows me so well.

The copper lantern!

Hope you enjoyed these little snapshots into our home.

Blenheim Palace Revisited

(I know Christmas is over but bear with me for one festive throwback)

On one blustery winter's day, just before Christmas, a pair of total homebodies decided to leave their home to find something slightly more exciting and festive to do than watch TV. This pair of homebodies was of course, my boyfriend and I. On our last visit to Blenheim Palace, at the height of summer when it was incredibly hot (and I vividly remember physically melting in the butterfly house), we got our day passes changed to annual passes (for free!) and vowed to return.

It took us about six months, but we did. What a sharp contrast there was between the visits though! It was absolutely freezing this time around, for a start. The buildings were decked out with Christmas trees and there was a band playing Christmas carols — so festive!

I'm not serious enough fashion blogger to take my coat off on a freezing winter's day. But I love my (old) Topshop duffle coat, (old) ASOS tartan scarf, (newish) Nica bag and (oldish) Primark boots, so I'm not too apologetic. Outerwear deserves some love too!

Shirt: Mango | Jumper: Louche | Skirt: Forever21

Got inside and managed to shed the coat! 

 Can I have a personal library please? Preferably complete with antique armchairs.

Cosy Christmas Time

How is it possible that Christmas is less than a week away? While I have (for once) finished shopping, shipping, crafting and wrapping all the presents in plenty of time, it seems this time of the year gets no less stressful. Working in retail may have something to do with this — while I knew this time of year was particularly busy in shops, I never expected the level of exhaustion that hits you when you get home from work. Needless to say, first thing I do when I get in through the door is change into my PJs. Cold weather and dark evenings have always made me partial to a cosy night in, but this year particularly so.

Luckily, Fat Face got in touch and asked me if I wanted to discuss some of my cosy Christmas plans and traditions, featuring, you guessed it, PJs. Yes please. You can check out their women's sleepwear range here, it's definitely worth a peek!

So, what are my plans and traditions around this time of the year?

Traditionally, back home in Finland, we would only decorate the tree on the morning of Christmas Eve, but this year I was happy to go along with the British way of things and get our tree fairly early in December. I love the twinkle of the lights in a dark room, the smell of a real tree (an absolute must for me, no matter how many needles I need to hoover up!) and choosing the decorations. The latter was particularly exciting this year, as it's the first time I've been able to get a tree of my own (shared with the boyfriend, obviously) and decide on the decorations.

I burn candles all year long, but especially now that it's dark and cold. Extra points for Christmas scents and wooden wicks.

And of course, as you can see on the foreground, another Christmas essential is Quality Street!

Green triangles are where its at. Quality Street was always something of a special treat back home when I was younger, since it's a fairly expensive (being an import) and only available during Christmas, and it has kept its status as the Christmas chocolate in my head.

Cosy evenings in will generally also involve books. Of course, in my case books are an all year round thing, but it's particularly during Christmas when I feel I can curl up on the sofa for hours and hours, and lose myself without feeling like I'm procrastinating.

Any time spent indoors (or out, to be honest) should also involve tea, or hot chocolate. I tend to buy a fair few festive teas around this time of year and love to warm up with a cinnamon-scented brew multiple times a day.

Look at these slippers! Don't they just look like the cosiest and warmest thing in existence? Because they are. They might look a little over the top without being covered by the bottoms of the PJs (i.e. absolutely humongous on my feet), but I absolutely love them. My toes are always freezing no matter what I wear, but these actually do a good job of keeping my feet nice and toasty.

A word of praise for Fat Face sleepwear; the level of detail is amazing, and the fabric of their bottoms is lovely and thick, which is a massive bonus for someone like me, who is always cold. Plus, they make perfect gifts — I've bought their PJ bottoms as gifts before and they've been very well received! For those of you who are still needing to make some last minute Christmas purchases, do have a look at the Fat Face gift guide they've put together over here! You can order until 4pm on the 23rd for Christmas Eve delivery, which is pretty impressive!

I'm wearing Herringbone Check Lounge Pants in Nightshade*, Lurex Yarn T-shirt in Fresh Snow* and Shauna Sheepskin Moccasins*

What are your plans around Christmas? Have you finished shopping and currently enjoying some well-deserved rest, or are you more of a last minute shopper?

Feature in collaboration with Fat Face. No financial compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Still Alive!

I had great intentions for today, which included ambitions about writing up two(!) blog posts to accompany the images I've had waiting for about a month. Sadly, I woke up at 2.41am last night and spent the following hours in agony, lying on our bathroom floor with a blanket and a pillow. In other words, not feeling creative at all right now.

Though I'm slightly more recovered now, I'm left utterly exhausted. What a time to be ill! It's the busiest week of the season at work for me as well, so I'm slightly dreading both the possibility of going to work (a single temp left alone to deal with the workload that requires two staff members running at full-speed all day can definitely lead to a disaster) and the possibility that I might not be able to go tomorrow either (because I know I am needed and will have to deal with the backlog when I get back).

Our first Christmas tree, which we decorated last night!

I'm going to be spending the rest of the evening wrapped in a blanket, wrapping up the remaining Christmas gifts for my UK friends and extended family (Finland bunch has now been sent off!). I'm quite sad about not being able to go home for Christmas, as working in retail means I can have very minimal time off during this period. However, I'm loving the opportunity to do all the pre-Christmas things like tree decorating, gift shopping and wrapping, baking and planning with Nick at our first home together. We've also booked tickets to go to Finland at the end of January, so I'll hopefully get to enjoy all the wintery things I love from home, in addition to seeing my friends and family there.

Snowy Finland from last year

There's some exciting content coming up, when I have the energy and time to create it — watch this space! I'm determined to document the creation of my gingerbread house this year, among other things.