THE CATS ARE SETTLING IN

They are everywhere and all at once (goddamit :)!

SUMMER CHALLENGE LIST 2010.

Source- We Heart It

I have created a list of things I want to achieve this summer and as I cross them off my list I am going to blog about them along the way. Keep reading to see my:

SUMMER CHALLENGE LIST 2010.

(you're loving the dramatic large title right?)

1. Cook a 3 course meal. (I have chosen this one because I never really cook anything apart from the occasional dish of pasta and my Dad even insists that that is just "heating stuff up, not proper cooking." So I am going to stretch my non existent cooking ability, pour over the Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Delia Smith and Gordon Ramsey hard backs that are in my humble kitchen and cook a meal for my family. Wish me luck. This will be the hardest. I ain't no Julie or Julia (you should really see this film is you haven't already by the way, just for the hilarity of Meryl Streep who acts Julia Child as a constantly drunken French woman)

2. Learn one of my Grade 6 piano pieces. (I need to get going if my exam is in December)

3. Watch loads of inspiring film sand write a review for every single one I see.(SUGGESTIONS PLEASE?)

4. Read loads of inspiring books and write a review for every one I read (DITTO?)

5. Take loads of photographs with my trusty Canon 1000D and get myself back onto Flickr.

6. Go to London and get my summer wardrobe sorted. (So this one isn't exactly Nobel prize winning or even technically challenging but I have been working hard, I need a break, OKAY?)

7. Have a proper conversation with a French person when I go to France (NOTE TO SELF: THIS EXCLUDES SIMPLY SAYING "BONJOUR" OR "J'VOUDRAIS....." A PROPER CONVERSATION)

8. Get an article I have written published in a newspaper/magazine. (I always wanted to be a writer when I was older and now I am liking the sound of going into journalism so this would be an amazing first step to getting my name published in the Guardian- the ultimate dream)

9. Write a short story. Or a short film. Or a poem. Or an article. Just write something good really.

10. Get a job. (This probably is one of the most important things on the list although maybe not the funnest. My dream job would be to work behind the scenes on Glee- anyone make this happen, pretty please?)

11. Read a Shakespeare play. (I am thinking about being a proper nerd and reading all the books that are on the reading list for AS Level English Literature and Language early. Romeo and Juliet is one of them. I'm so going to get on this.)

12. Get my National Life Guard Award. (I told you that I was doing this a while back, can't wait to do it and then teach people how to swim.)

13. Get my exam results back. (And hopefully do well.)


I don't want to leave this list at 13, seeing as it's an unlucky number and all that but I can't think of anymore to add for now so I will just leave it at that.

So follow my blog if you want- I pinky promise it's really easy and I'll love you forever and ever- and join me as I try and accomplish all of them and cross them off the list.

Oh and if any of you have suggestions for challenges then feel free to tweet me here, or write it as a comment.

Wish me luck on my challenges!
Muchos love,
Beth Ruby xoxo

MIDSUMMER'S DAY'S NIGHT

On the night of midsummers day I drove out to Eddi's house in the countryside after work. Eddi and his bother have taken over their family farm and run it besides their normal work. It's about a 50 min drive out of town - not that much maybe, but enough for me and oh-so-out in the country.

Muuh, see?

Quiet.

Wherever you go outside of town there are always something growing to put on your sandwich, or salad. Chive at least.

(Obvious problems keeping the sandwich together.)

One o clock in the night.

The next morning I drove back to the harbour. See how my magnificent car sparkles in the morning sun :)

SAFARI DRESS, LIVINGROOM IN PROGRESS

Today I started my much longed for week off after seven days of working. We went furniture shopping after work and I had some problems with what to wear, or rather how to find it as most of my clothes are still in suitcases (except for the really pretty ones; they were the first things I brought over and hung up :). Eddi was wondering why I cared about what to wear when going chair hunting but after a week in the harbour in these "babies" looking like this, I do care a lot.
Plus, you always get better service when you look at least slightly impressive.

Flat is developing, but it takes time and I am oh so impatient. I'll head over to my accountant and then the beauty salon to cool down a bit.

Safari dress - a great find from a charity shop a couple of years back
Shoes - a surprising bargain at Andiamo (or was even it K-Kenkä!) a couple of years back
Belt - my mom's old I think.

Best mermaid duo ever ♥

Xanthe (left) and me (right) :D

Ok so we kind of looked like mermaids right?
Unfortunately evolution hasn't let us physically sprout a fish tail (yet...) so I think the maxi dresses did a good enough job of getting the idea across for me and the fabulous Xanthe May, oui?

I ended up going way over budget for my maxi dress because I tried so many on in so many shops but then as soon as I walked into Topshop I saw this one and BAM it had to be mine.

Also at the 'Under The Sea' themed birthday bash I spied a Loch Ness Monster (cleverly wearing red tartan and green face paint) a giant yellow submarine, a pearl, a drop of water, a wave, surfers, some Hawaiians and also some sailors and pirates.

What a night.

And then it's my leavers ball tomorrow marking the end of my compulsory education and officially kicking off my 10 week summer holdiay. Wahey.

I am even going to get my hair cut and my makeup done at MAC with my BFFL for it. I know, get me pulling out all the stops.

Hope all you lovely bloggers/blog readers are having lots of fun in the sunshine, I know its unusually sweltering in England at the moment.

So layer up the factor 30 and enjoy amigos!

Beth Ruby xoxo

ps) THANKYOU SO MUCH TO EACH OF MY 200 FOLLOWERS!

Finally reaching the big 200 has made my day! Love you guys!

Ethno dress

Endlich hatte ich mal Zeit mir genügend Zeit für neue Fotos zu nehmen. Die Fotos gefallen mir sehr gut. An einigen hab ich noch ein wenig mit Photoshop rumgespielt und die Farben geändert. Mit den Ergebnissen bin ich auch sehr zufrieden.

Das Kleid habe ich von einer Freundin geschenkt bekommen, weil sie nicht dazu kam es zu tragen. Bei mir ist es auf jeden Fall in guten Händen gelandet. Ich liebe den Ethno-Print auf dem Kleid. Dazu passen (meiner Ansicht nach) ganz viele Schmuckstücke (vor allem aus Holz).

Es ist so typisch für mich so viel Schmuck/Accessoires wie möglich gleichzeitig zu tragen.

Ich freue mich euch ankündigen zu können, dass ich ab nun öfter wieder posten werde. Ich habe nun wieder einige Fotos/Outfits die ich euch noch zeigen möchte, außerdem noch einige Werke aus der Uni. Ihr könnt nun also wieder häufiger vorbeischauen :)

ENG: Finally I had time to shoot new pictures. And I like them so much. I changed the color of a few with Photoshop. I'm content with these results too.

The dress is a present from a friend, who didn't get to wear it. But now it landed in good hands. I love the ethno print of the dress. (In my opinion) many pieces of jewelry (especially wooden) match very good.

It is so me to put on as much jewelry/ accessories as possible :)

I'm glad I can announce that I will post more often from now on. I have a few photos/ outfits to show to you, and then a few pieces from college. So you can stop by more often now.

LOVE MY OUTFIT ♥♥♥

LOVE MY OUTFIT ♥♥♥

 

 photos: Lukas (via Pentax k-x)

dress: Zara (present from Melly)

shoes: Deichmann

necklasce: H&M

bolero: H&M

bracelets: H&M | Poland | Berska

SUNSHINE & SOFT SUNDAY SONG

Led Zeppelin is a great band and this is a great song for lying on the grass in the sunshine, having the wind mess up your hair, resting your hangover/melancholy/lazy afternoon away; feeling the summer.

(Oh those you tube videos. This one has the words attached so you can sing along. Ta ta!)

...AND A LIL' SOMETHING FOR MYSELF

I've gone bazookas over the internet here at work, following one strange link after another - you know how it goes. It's one crazy world out there.

But as I'm sitting here making loads of money (well, depending on how you see it of course, at least loads more than if I'd be out celebrating midsummer and spending it you know) I also decided to get myself a little something (those ladies at my new local post office will get to know me very very soon. Almost have already :).

So I got this little lovely romper!

From ModCloth.

Let's just hope it will fit over my behind! Or hips (a common problem with items that have legs and not a wide hem). And since it's rather short I might have to take a run or two as I've compensated my lack of exercise with eating pizza (makes sense yes) over the past months.

The only problem with rompers and playsuits are the fact that you basically have to get naked in order to pee. But I can live with that.

A LIL' SOMETHING 2

Next Friday, July 2nd (is it going to be July already? Oh my.) Tampere will go all exotic due to the Burlesque Coctail-party, held att YO-talo, organized by Tampere Burlesque.:


I will be elsewhere as the Helsinki Cruising Club is on the same night, but you can catch for example Sally Vanilla and the Finnish Blonde Burlesque troupe on stage. There will also be a Mucha-inspired Dr.Sketchy's held before the event starts!

Now the following one mostly goes out to the Finns, but of course to everyone else too who happens to be around: Vaudeville Boutique is offering one of you the chance to win two tickets to the event!

Enter by leaving a comment below and make sure to leave me your email if you do not have a blog or such trough which I can reach you. The contest is up until Wednesday, June 30th at around 15:00(EET).

A LIL' SOMETHING 1

Fifty Dollar Vintage lists nine vintage pieces a day, fifty dollars a piece.
They are now offering you a 15% discount with the coupon code FREELANCERS.

The offer is valid until July 15th.

My summer starts here

So it's the first day of my sumer holidays; I'm free!

Finally my 17 exams are over (it was official when I tore up my exam timetable into teeny tiny little pieces and also binned all my old notes) and I now have 10 weeks of sunshine ahead of me. Hallelujah!

So to celebrate I am going to have a chilled out afternoon and visit the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (which I went to last year and loved so I bet there will be even more amazing new talent there this year) and then this evening I am going to my best friends' joint fancy dress birthday party, which is 'Under The Sea' themed. I am going as a mermaid. Don't ask me how that is going to work- I am hoping that with my new Topshop maxi dress and with Xanthe May's genius MAC and hair crimping skills I'm going to look good.

(Might even post some photos tomorrow if you're lucky)

And hopefully because I have all this time off I can get around to a lot more blogging, checking out my favourites, finding new ones and posting lots more.

Oh and photos by me on my lovely jubbly Canon, of my darling little sister, in my humble back garden. Hope you like them!

Finally, tell me, are you up to any adventures this fine Saturday?

*Many blogging virtual hugs and kisses*

Beth Ruby xoxo

ps) Can anyone be an absolute darling and let me know how to post my photographs all big and beautiful on my blog?

BLADI BLA-BLA

"The sun get's up at 03:55 and sets at 22:50. The day is 18 hours and 55 minutes."
( Helsinki forecast 25.6.2010 / Finnish Institute of Meteorology)

(Bedroom, still in progress.)

I've been away for a while, well, kind of; had a busy week behind me; working the early shift, having a record sleeve shot, living around boxes, running around picking up ordered house-stuff here and there. And I also smashed our work-van in an accident in the harbor. Chaotic. I am a very right here, right now person when it comes to some things, like home. I hate not to get the shelves up right away I cannot stand it when parts to whatever are missing. The wireless internet is not working fo some reason. It drives me crazy. Bazookas. But, things are starting to find their place now and I calm down.

Today it's midsummer and most people have fled town, heading out for the countryside to celebrate the light (and get totally drunk) like the tradition is. I'm staying in town alone however as I'll be working all holiday long. A lot of people get devastated when they here someone will have to work during midsummer as most places are closed, but - the harbor never closes. Its not that bad; I've worked many midsummers before. I'll just take it easy with some white at home and try to get rid of all the boxes, boxes, boxes tonight.

It's so light up here at this time of year; the nights around midsummer are pretty magic. It never gets darker than a pale shade of lavender, and that does not last for more than a few hours.

I've been getting up at five the sun is already shining brightly then. It feels as amazing each year, every morning - I always tend to forget that this is what it's like (and get as chocked every winter at how dark and cold it actually is…)

I remember those summer nights years back that were all spent out on town - eyes almost hurting when coming out of the nightclub into the bright late night, early morning. It always felt as strange. Sometimes I went straight to the morning shift from the bars, blinking my make up heavy lids to the strong morning sun at four thirty. (I could never pull that off nowadays). I've spent some June nights higher up in the country at festivals and such - the sun doesn't set there at all (as compensation to the almost total darkness that hangs over for the winter-half of the year.

This year however it's cloudy and raining so there will be no nice late evening sun to enjoy. I don't really mind, I keep the balcony door open and listen to the rain outside. I like it.

(But you know what I hate? It's getting darker now (since Monday), a few minutes per day. One won't really notice that until August or so though. But still. Depressing isn't it?)

ME & OSTBLOCK FASHION

%%%%%%%%%%

A little bit retro

Ich hab nochmal die Leiter als Requisite genutzt, weil es mir beim ersten Mal schon Spaß gemacht hat damit Fotos zu machen (versucht Mal eine Leiter mit Pumps hoch zu steigen ... und dann auch wieder runter. Nicht so ganz einfach, wenn die alte Leiter so wacklig ist). Ich finde diese Leiter trotzdem einfach toll. Sie sieht so toll Retro aus :) Ich glaub ich geb die meinem Nachbarn nicht mehr wieder. Das Kleid finde ich ebenfalls total Retro und man fühlt sich wie aus den 50er Jahren entsprungen.

ENG: I used again the ladder as a prop, because it was such a fun to pose with it the first time (try to climb a ladder with high-heels... and then try to descent. Not so easy when the old ladder is trembling all the time). Still I love the ladder. Looks so retro :)  I think my neighbour won't get it back. The dress looks retro too and it feels like you're sprung out straight from the 50ies.

LOVE MY OUTFIT ♥♥♥

*LOVE MY OUTFIT*

photos: Lukas

dress: H&M

shoes: Zara

bolero: from Poland

headband: Accessorize

ring: Primark

earings: vintage

bracelet: Primark

@ OSTBLOCK

ss 10 collection by andreja bistricic.

SO,

today is the day I'm moving. I will be in the middle of bags, suitcases and boxes, but over here I'll be joining Dotti at her virtual coffee party.


(Dress - Big Beautiful Barbara Brown, Head piece - Frollein von Sofa. The gloves and bag are vintage. )

DESIGNER ENVY- My soft spot for gimmicky heels

It has been awhile since I have had a full on designer shoe envy (probably due to being locked up revising in my room and spending less time on Style.com and Sea of Shoes if anything else)

But once I laid eyes on these DSqaured shoes which have a SPINE FOR THE HEEL (!!!) I fell a little bit in love.

"It's just such a genius idea!" I cried.
And then after getting a major deja vu I got thinking about the sheer amount of times I have said that after seeing a rather cool pair of heels.
After trawling the extensive albums of photos of shoes which are knacking up my computer hard drive I realised just how many gimmicky heels there are out there.
Shoe designers love a good novelty idea to get people talking and buying. (If this was a power point I would add the cheesy *KERCHING* sound effect here)
It makes sense really, I mean I know a girl can own a lot of shoes but there are only so many plain black sling-backs someone can have before they crave the crazy.

And I know I would rather have a pair of fierce, eye catching, compliment attracting, fabulous shoes than a pair of plain. fabulous shoes (remember my rant at the beige schmeige and boring ol' Celine's "Wardrobe Staples" ?)

So here are some more gimmicky heels I found.
I'll shut up now and let them do the talking:

Dolce and Gabbana 'Face' shoes- photo from Sea of Shoes

The Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte 'Melted Wax' heels (which I thought looked like the Wicked Witch of the West melting...) Source unknown

The legendary Chanel 'light bulb' shoes (source unknown)

And the lovely new 'Chandelier' heels from the Prada collection.

Can you think of any more shoe gimmicks?

I could go on but I really must go back to revising Vietnam and Womens rights for my exam tomorrow. Exciting I know.

Ciao!

Beth Ruby xoxo

ps) Happy fathers day!

PACKING.

The Sounds (and yes once again, the Finnish Sounds form the 60's, not the contemporary Swedes :) - Kaipaan Sua

The Sounds did typical rautalanka music, using influences of melancholic Scandinavian traditional songs, like in this song (although rautalanka in general is instrumental).

(Updated Soft Sunday on Spotify : here)

HELMET!

I've been shooting a commercial today and the hairstylist put a whole bottle of spray into my hair - it looks like a wig and feels like a helmet! Like I can safely go and bump my head into doors and walls now.
Insane. (And we cut off hairs peeking out of the 'do. That's insane).
But anyway, it looks normal on film.

SHOP OF THE WEEK

ostblock was shop of the week at tribaspace blog. you can read an article here.
a bit about them- tribaspace is an online marketing, sales and pr tool for the fashion industry that helps make day-today business easier.



thank you sophie!