Treasure hunting

The other day we dropped by a flea-market in the close-by tiny village. You wouldn't BELIEVE the things they had for sale. Please get in touch with me, if you wish to know where the place is - I am scared to give any details here as I really don't know whether they keep the place properly locked. 

 This specific flea-market is special for two reasons:  it is held in an old house where no renovation has taken place - well, ever, I assume ;) - and the old cardboard walls and wooden floors are still intact. You get instantly that tickle to your fingertips - what can I find here?? 

The other reason is that there is nothing tried or styled about this flea-market - it is as authentic as it can get. The people living in the surrounding areas are selling their things found in the corner of the barn, or in the dusty attic, and that's it. There are some 100+- years old larger pieces (like the below reddish bench from 19th century, BEAUTIFUL!) which aren't for sale easily (this woman knows as I figured I must have asked about every single such piece ;)).

No, I don't think the old country side of Finland can get any more authentic than this.


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kotimaan matkailu, kirpputori, kirppislöytö

Picnic for kids

Second-hand ragrugs, old milk churn and - an antique bushel as a bread basket

It has been one of those PERFECT midsummers this year. Sunny, warm (the Finnish way ;), but still) and most of all - relaxing. The kids have been running around the forest and the yard all day and fallen asleep like small potatoes in the evening (like right now...)

Summer picnic

Flowers from the yard in an old milk churn

Somehow Midsummer seems to be such an adult celebration with the staying up late and looking at the bonfires being lit up at midnight, drinking alcohol and - well.  We thought to change that a little this year, and have been enjoying ourselves - but also preparing some fun stuff for the kids, as well, like a picnic on the pier after their 1-of-the-many swims.  Preparing the picnic took perhaps 15 minutes, and we all enjoyed so much. Unfortunately I was able to post here only one photo with a kid on it, as there was someone's naked bottom in each of the pictures ;). It was somewhat hysterical taking these photos...


The ingredients: second-hand rag rugs, vintage milk churn together with flowers picked from our yard (and one flowerpot...), and an antique bushel I managed to find during the winter!! It is GORGEOUS. And in perfect shape.

Turkish cherries (love)

These Rice shopping bags - they take me and my family EVERYWHERE this year...

 Below all of it is starting to be gone...

Yeezzz - I like the chocolate stuff...

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kesäpicnic, picnic lapsille, leipävakka, maitokannu, räsymatto

Preparing the smoke sauna for midsummer

This spring and summer I've been so crazy about dark blue, lavender and pink that I couldn't help myself even for midsummer...last year it was birch tree, this year it is clearly the road-side wild lupines.

The sauna is now almost ready, so this will be now a quick post with photos - enjoy you all out there, we certainly are :)!

So hard to capture the smoke coming out of the door - but it's there :)

Old fish-net - from 1948, it says.

Our tradition - the men go first and use the sharp heat from the stove. Ladies turn...milder, with some champagne ;).

The water is there so you can rinse your feet when running back to the sauna from the currently freezing cold lake...

Our above Peshtemal towels from Turkey have been in great use in the smoke sauna for years - some of them have faded a bit when they've spent too much time drying outside (like over the winter or so...), but I can't do anything except recommend these.

Ready to go...

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Savusauna, juhannus, juhannussauna

Summer fun in Finland

Sure - it rained again today ;), but it is like this always in June. Next year we might skip these first 2 weeks at the summer house - just so that we don't need to drag the winter clothing with us...

Very close to our summer place there is a place called Niinipuu. Kids love the place, and usually it is an enjoyable boat ride to go there. Well - this mommy of theirs still hasn't learned to operate the parking part (among other parts, which are on the to-learn list for this summer...), so that didn't happen today.

Okkolan lomamökit has a number of summer cottages for rent by Lake Saimaa (their books are full for the next 2-3 years, if I recall right, but you may always check...) and a perfect, traditional Finnish restaurant in VERY traditional surroundings.

Their speciality? Smoked salmon, directly from the smoking oven, served on a piece of wood...our 5-year-old loves the fish so much, he walked right in and ordered a portion for himself ;).

There were geraniums and violets (the trendiest flowers at least in Sweden at the moment)...

...and some special characters scaring away the unwanted guests :).

A lovely day despite the rain :).

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kotimaanmatkailu, Niinipuu, Niinisaari, Okkolan lomamökit

Paulina Arcklin

Paulina Arcklin

If I would need to name two persons, who's defined style in home decor always catches my eye, those two people would be Paulina Arcklin and Lotta Agaton. 

These pictures shown here are all from Paulina's facebook page, and I just pure love the style. Here you find exactly, what home decoration should be all about - mixing and matching, now remind me what I've written there - hold on - 'old meets new, soft meets rough, ethnic meets classic, design meets supermarket'. Here they've kept everything together with color white - but the thread could of course be anything else, as well.

Just fabulous.

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kodin sisustus, keittiön sisustus, makuuhuoneen sisustus, olohuoneen sisustus

this summer it is really back to basics

What are your summer plans? Travelling? Staying at home? Visiting friends? Ours - staying at our summer house and taking it easy. Enjoying the silence.

When one is made in Finland, you just sort of need the silence. Here - some hundreds of kilometers away from everything, by Lake Saimaa and in the middle of the forest - yes, it is quiet. Yesterday, when driving, I had this vision in my mind - after crazy 2 weeks and with little sleep (way too little), I will sit somewhere alone in peace and have a glass of wine. 2,5 hours after we arrived we are still going on like madmen, carrying stuff (like the Clematis here in the awfully heavy copper vase...) and hungry and  - you know all that.

So what does this mother do? Pours herself that glass of wine and volunteers to start the sauna (pictured above). And finally enjoys the quiet. Ahh - heaven on earth.

It has been kinda hectic year - full of happy moments and good memories, as well, but  - well, not getting into that now. So this summer it will be REALLY back to basics. Sleeping.

Spending a lot of time with the kids doing DIY stuff - I've thrown some ideas to Facebook already, there is a dozen more to come. Stay tuned :). ECORATING it can be called - almost anything old (enough ;)), as long as it is made of natural materials, can be upcycled to something beautiful. The Finns are traditionally world champions on this, especially my mother's generation after experiencing the war in their childhood.

Some small projects around the yard and the buildings - some painting and tuning and adjusting - you'll see ;).  And knitting and crocheting - for Knithitkits, for sure, but also just ideas to share.

And - some personal development - learning to use a camera. THIS will be the challenge of the summer.

But, but - my dear readers; Enjoy the summer and the slow mornings, have colorful picnics and eat lots of raspberries, and just BE. And while at it, visit www.werannas.blogspot.com every now and then :).

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mökkeily, kesämökki, kesä, tuunaus, tee-se-itse

Summer trend 2012 - Electric Romance

Berried hues by Design Seeds

Do you know Design Seeds and the wonderful Jessica behind the color palettes? If you are in Pinterest and interested in Home Decor, it is impossible to miss her work, of course. This one she brought up yesterday again, as it is SO SUMMER! I saw it and immediately got these images to my head about a summer picnic :). (And this Sunday morning I really REALLY rather look at my computer screen and her inspirational colourful palettes than the cloudy weather outside which does NOT remind me of a summer picnic...)

As written also before, one of the spring/summer 2012 trends was named 'Electric Romance' in Ambiente 2012 show. I wrote about it again in back to basics, that time taking our daughter's babuskas as a product to describe the trend.

Also the June 2012 edition of ELLE decoration brought up the trend very strongly the ELLE way (congrats, a very solid edition, by the way). One of their major articles introducing a beautiful home in Brooklyn was actually named 'back to basics' ;). My next post will be from ELLE and their article 'Signature style', a wonderful home in Sweden. It is really signing the trend :).

My mind enjoys the lightly softer colour interpretation, like above. I'm trying to learn to make nice collages (learning, really trying to...), and this time wanted to do it around a summer picnic. Have a beautiful Sunday, my friends <3!

Inspirational images and their sources can be found at http://pinterest.com/weranna/summer-2012/
Cottonhut blue linen napkins
Cottonhut striped linen cushion

Himla linen cushion
Rice bread basket
Cottonhut chip basket
Rice shopping bag

We are leaving for the summer house in a few days - let's see what kind of a picnic we are able to arrange with these elements :). Photos will follow...

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Kesäloma, kesäloman aktiviteetit, piknik, kesä 2012 trendit

Rusty stuff

Inspiration on this post photographed at Zetas and Ulriksdal

One of the summer 2012 trends is definitely RUST. When I first saw the gigantic, rusty garden decorations (like horse-size grasshoppers and such) at a fair about a year ago, I must admit I was thinking - seriously...

But now - my eyes have kind of grown used to the rusty stuff, and must admit - it looks even nice. Like the rusty woven basket above. Not indoors, and not for benches (the practical me couldn't take it...), but for flower pots and other garden stuff - NICE.  I would love to have an old rusty gate like below and have some plant climbing it...okay, need to remember to pin it to my shopping list - and please don't ask what it is about the tan coloured shoes on that list...

I am still a bit hesitant how it acts with rainfall - will there be a nice rusty ring on the patio forever after, or have they done something to prevent it? Rust is nice when it doesn't act like rust does...

Rusty flower vase on a rusty flower bench in Ulriksdal

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Ruoste, kesä 2012 trendi, kukkaruukku, puutarha