Safety First

It's bicycle time! Last summer I cycled to work for about two months and this summer I hope to make it at least three. We'll see how that goes because I have some obstacles in the way. The biggest one in my case is birch pollen. I'm so allergic I get a fever if I stay out too long during the season. Not so good for doing outdoor sports.

My route to work is not super long, only about 7 to 8 kilometres, but I live on a huge hill. That's not so bad when I'm riding towards the city and it's mostly downhill, but I really get to pay for the easy part every afternoon I climb back uphill. I actually like that part very much, it gives me distance from all work related thoughts. ;)

I've never owned a bicycle helmet. I have a big head and those things tend to be very bulky and also very ugly. Last summer was the first time I started thinking if I should get one. While I cycle more, there's more chance that something happens - and I really love my brain.

Yesterday I finally saw a cool and pretty helmet - with a vintage flair! My friend had ordered a Nutcase helmet (Star Bright) online and I think I finally found what I've been looking for. Yay! Look at all these different designs they have!

For more designs and other info visit either their US or European site. On the sites you can also search for stores near you. I found out that there are two stores in my area selling these helmets. Super YAY!

And my favorites? Well, I liked these three best:

Watermelon is simply funny, the classic joke. Blue Star looks like something I'd want to wear if i was doing roller derby. Very cute without being overly girly. But I guess I'll go with Silver Fly. It has this certain vintage circus Human Cannonball or Globe of Death Driver spirit. I think it looks somehow vintage style heroic. (I know I'll feel like a superhero everytime I get home from work on my bike.)

Now... Before I've even actually posted this I've got some comments. People (You know who you are!) are telling me I should check more manufacturers. So here it goes…

Giro also has four fun retro designs: Reverb, Surface, Section and Flak.

I'm loving their Surface with it's tiny visor. Aww! And striped Reverb reminds me of vintage cycling caps.

Now that the Pandora's Box has been opened, I decided to check if there was still more stuff worth to mention. That's when I stumbled into the ultimate winner of this race, Danish company named Yakkay. Their basic helmet is just super, see?

Plus that they've got helmet covers to mix and match. Hats! How stylish! Even (fake) fur hats!

You can build your own combination on theri website… Here's what I would choose:

White helmet with Milano Blue Denim cover. The price is a whoopin' €122.5, so I won't be ordering anytime soon ... If you're not ready to pay that much there's also a helmet option that is designed to only work with a cover and those are a bit easier on your credid card.

But my mind is still made up. I want my Silver Fly!

Where have all the flowers gone...

Over a week ago I got this lovely bouquet... but like always the pretty flowers start to droop after a while - and always too soon! I wasn't ready to part from them yet, so I adjusted the assembly a bit. Now I've got floating flowers to cheer me up every morning (and dinner time). I think they'll last at least another week.

It's also a great way to use my Taalari bowl (design Tamara Aladin for Riihimäen Lasi in 1968). I'm guessing this one is from late sixties or very early seventies... They did make these until 1980's, but since this one was transferred to my granmother's summer cottage already in the seventies (there's pictures to proof) I think it wasn't new anymore at that time. Nothing New ever made it's way there. I also know there's little dessert bowls to match somewhere but I haven't got those yet.

Femme Fatale lace earrings DIY

I saw some cool lace earrings on Etsy that cost 20 $. They'd be the perfect  accessory to wear in a Milonga (Argentine tango event) with a nice dress. But before adding those earrings to cart I decided to give it a go and try making a pair myself. They turned out fine!

I think they'd look better if the lace had more volatile pattern in it, but it's fine like this for me.

How-to: Cut two identical pieces following the pattern in the lace. The lace needs to be starched with something that doesn't have color when dried (sugar water or glue water). First I tried sugar and water and then tried glue water for another pair. Glue (water based craft glue) worked better I think. I didn't measure the glue, just put some on a plate and added little bit of water to form a liquid. I soaked the lace pieces there for a while (10 minutes or so) and then placed them over a plastic film to dry. The lace is now firm, but not scratchy hard.
The part where you place the hook needs to be reinforced so that the lace doesn't start to fray. Hand stitching works fine here.

Rainy day = Cranes

It's raining today. Not massively, but in that drizzly, yet persistent way that makes my hair go all fuzzy and not actually get wet. Like fog, but with too much water. And it's cold too.

So, what better is there to do than to go on a consigment shop tour? This time I found this beautiful bronze cranes statue, funky vintage scarf and two chunky plastic bangles (one lime, one cranberry).

Love those cranes...

Laid back labor day

May 1st is considered the beginning of summer in Finland. It's also the annual holiday to celebrate workers' achievements. Usually the weather is freaking cold this time of year, but people like to pretend it's already summer. May 1st picnic is very popular thing to do and for vintage car enthusiast it is traditionally the day for summers' first cruise around the town. We skipped the picnic since the weather was too chilly but we still managed to get a whole bunch of "summer's firsts" into our day:

First time wearing my spring coat, brrrr!

First strawberries

Summer's first Prosecco

First gelato outside

First time without socks

First ride with out summer car (Buick Le Sabre ´61)

T-shirt revamp

 

I was going through my closet and found two t-shirts I no longer like to wear. The other one is plain black and the other has red and white stripes. I like stripy t-shirts in the summer, but this one looks boring. So I decided to see if I can make something cool and wearable out of them! In case you want to make one too, here are the details:

Pin the new neckline in desired shape. fold & cut excess fabric off.

Bias cut the other t-shirt into two strips (the t-shirt I used was too tiny for one long ribbon).

 Sew two pieces together to form a long ribbon. Pin in reverse, sew along the edge. Turn t-shirt's right side up, fold the ribbon and pin in place. Use elastic stitch to sew in place along the edge of folded ribbon. Leave an opening if you want to add elastic cord in the neckline for better fit.

For the bow: Cut approx. 18 cm x 18 cm (7 inch) square, fold in two, sew around (leave a hole in middle for turning). After turning hand stitch the hole. cut another piece approx 6 x 8 cm for attaching the bow, fold, sew and turn right side up. Hand stich the bow in place.

Voilà!

  

Notes: I only used one side of the black t-shirt for this project, so I could easily make another one like this with the left over fabric, just need to find another t-shirt that needs revamping! 

Vintage shopping in Munich

I've been traveling! Two times in Germany (first Munich/February, then Bremen/March)  this year and just returned from California... Two out of these three trips have been more or less accidental, but I don't mind. ;)

Trip to Munich was mainly for swing dancing and I actually planned that trip. There's the annual Rock That Swing Festival and this was my third time there. It's funny, really. Third time there was the first time that I actually got to see something besides classrooms and evening dance venues. The festival is lots of fun, but there are so many classes, the evening parties start early and if you want to eat something between the dance classes and the party, there really is no time to wander around. This time I decided to skip some lessons...

I had an agenda. I wanted to know if there were any cool vintage shopping opportuneties in Munich. I checked the internet and chose some places before the trip. There are plenty of second hand shops and costume shops in Munich, but I was more interested in the actual vintage.

First choice would have been Alexa's (Utzschneiderstrasse 10). The shop has good reputation and I would have loved to go there. Unfortunately when I decided to go shopping it was too late in the afternoon and the shop would have been closed by the time I would have walked there, so next time with better luck (and timing)! Alexa's has been around since 1985 and people say it has good selection of vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. The price level is said to be medium. Some other bloggers have featured this shop too and if you'd like to read more, go to Styleclicker's. Next time in Munich Alexa's will be on my list.

So, I looked at my other my options and went to Vertigo Vintage (Corneliusstrasse 19). It was still going to be open for a while... The place has some groovy stuff, but more late 60's to 70's kind of vintage than the 30's to early 60's kind I'm after. Still worth a visit.

I knew there was also another shop nearby: Tricia Leonard's, but at the time I only knew the name of the street, not the number, so I didn't know if I was going to the right direction. I was about to give up searching when I saw it. I couln't believe my luck when i saw that the shop was still open!

This was really my kind of place with beautiful hats, shoes, bags and jewelry. Not so much clothing, but really worth the walk. I ended up buing a beautiful 40's purse and some vintage millinery cherries. The prices were very decent and Tricia was soooo very helpful and nice (and I just found out she's also a jazz singer!). So if going to Munich be sure to visit her store (Baaderstrasse 53), it's a real gem! Meet my beautiful new handbag and those cherries:

The walk back to our hotel was a real treat. I discovered that the next street, Fraunhoferstrasse, was crowded with antique shops from Baaderstrasse all the way to Müllerstrasse! Yes, by that time they were all closed, but the shop windows made me drool.

So, I'll be sure to go there too next time I'm in Munich. ;)

Since I had really little time in Munich I didn't get to see everything I wanted, but there's always next time...

Some other interesting vintage/second hand shops in Munich I'd like to see:
Gerdismann (Fraunhoferstrasse 9) - Classics for men
Kleidsam (Blutenburgstrasse 65) - Second hand fashions for women
Patina (Türkenstrasse 63) - Fashions from past and present times, but also furniture!
Xdress (Augustenstrasse 104) - Stuff from 20's to 70's, for sale or rent
Zsa Zsa (Schellingstrasse 66) - Original rarities from 20's to 60's and repros

Then there's also Kostüm Kontor. They've closed their store, but there's a website... only in German so I don't understand what it says. Too bad for me. ;)