I'm at a crossroads and I really don't know what to do. I don't like thinking about it and at the moment I'm apathetic. While I try to figure out what I want I procrastinate by doing other things. Like taking long walks in the woods with Bengta. I took these photos about a week ago when the sun had just begun to come back and I love the serenity in them. I wish I could relax but my head is stuck in a whirl wind. Hope everything is better with you guys.

The beauty of her presence

Photography: Me

Styling/Mua: Me

Model: Sara Köhlmark

Puppy love

Hello lovers!

So, besides having too much to do wich have kept me from blogging I also have some exciting news! 

This little munchkin has moved into my home and into (even though it sound like a cliché) our hearts. I have for a long time wanted a dog and I had even made myself a little list. I wanted a black dog which I thought would be easier to keep clean, I wanted a pug and a male.

Bengta is nothing of that. She is light, a chihuahua and female. I never thought I would have a chihuahua since they have quite a bad reputation but this little dog just charmed the heck out of me.
She is a 8 months old pedigree dog who was breeded to become a pageant dog but unfortunately started to grow a little underbite. This stops her career as a competing dog and her old owners then decided to sell her. One of them is my colleague and he wanted me to meet this sweetheart then called "Bella".
I was a bit hesitant, I had my wishlist and on top of that a chihuahua!? I'm definitely not one of those who love carrying around my little dog in my bag. I want a dog, not a stuffed toy. So with that said he still brought her to work so that I could meet her. She was a trembling little package and I could not deny how cute she was. I still though, a very sweet dog but not for me. But the weeks passed and I heard that they had not found any good buyers for "Bella". And I could not just forget her. So I decided to come and meet her at their home, just to see how she was when she was comfortable.
And "Bella" was just adorable, she sat in my lap wanting me to stroke her belly. She was a bit hesitant at first though wich I liked, she came to me when she was ready. After that I had to make Erik agree to try this dog thing out so that "Bella" could come to live with us for a weekend. After a bit of discussion we decided to let her come and she has never left!
Now she lives with us and we could not be happier! She is the coolest dog ever with a happy temperament and a kind heart. She loves kids and is very easy to take care off. And when she wants you to stroke her belly she looks at you and place her little paw on your hand.
So wonderful!

Then it was the question of her name. I always liked it when dogs had names who were a bit funny and not so serious. Also I really wanted to use a more old timey Swedish name because I like them so much! Bella is a nice name though but since she is so cute calling her Bella is so sugary sweet you almost get cavities. But since she already was called Bella and already was 8 months old we thought that her name should be something similar. We together decided on Bengta, the feminine version of Bengt, a very old swedish name that for me brings associations to the 50s even though the name is older then that. 

 Trying to get into position infront of the camera.

Almost.

So, the past weeks I have been buying up on doggy gear, trying to make Bengta feel comfortable and just enjoyed her company together with Erik. If you follow me on Instagram where my name is simonastreet and where I update more frequently you have been able to see lot's of photos of Bengta and her adventures! Now, I will try to be more active here but as you fellow bloggers know it can sometimes be hard when life comes in between. 

Thank you so much for your sweet comments, it has really warmed my heart! So thank you again!

  

Let me show you a part of my hometown in a colourful fashion!

Outfit details:
Lipstick: Chanel, "Monte Carlo"
Vintage japanese soft pink 70's pussy bow blouse: Standard vintage
Powder pink angora cardigan: Sale find
Heavy blue/green and golden ring: Birthday present from Anna
Parrot print skirt: H&M
Bright green stockings: Oroblu
Light brown brouges: Vagabond

I was so tired of the cold one day that I thought I would try to dress the winter away. And I was actually going to shoot these photos at the tropical garden (wich is very close to where I live) but it was closed so that will have to wait for another time! 

Instead I chose to show you a little part of the botanical gardens that are so typical for Uppsala. It was founded by Carl von Linné (1707-1778) who was a swedish botanist and who was one of the greatest in his time. He was pioneering in categorizing plants and animals and has left a big mark on Uppsala where he worked as a professor and also founded gardens for study and collecting. 

Well, now you can see his name on basically everything from candy to cafées and furniture here in Uppsala. A couple of years ago we had a jubilée of some sort and you could run into local actors portraying Linné and his gang all over town. 

So, I may not be so fascinated with him or with some of his work but I do love to visit the gardens during every season of the year. When you live in the city there is not many places to relax and this is one of mine. In summer time I go here with some picnic-food to sunbathe and read a book, in autumn I visit the small fairs they have where farmers sell their locally and ecologically produced commodities, In spring you can see the snow melt away and the first little flowers appearing and in winter, well, in winter most of it is covered in snow.

 The cold and white snow gives the gardens a harder and more rough edge where the big stones covered in moss, the red metallic sculpture and the high and dense winter trees takes center stage. In some sense it's quite saddening but the feeling of everything resting under the covering snow and how all that energy will start to evolve when the sun returns with spring still gives it a sense of hope. 

With that in mind I thought I would wear my beloved parrotskirt and one of my more colourful outfits, just to remind myself that spring is coming, soon.

Ps! If you want to see how the gardens look in summertime, check out this post that I did this summer!

I will have me some pastels, pretty please (with sugar on top)!

When I buy things I usually end up realizing that I'm in to a certain colour scheme. The past months it has been all pastels, dusty pink, minty blue and all summery! I guess I am missing spring even more then I give myself credit for (If that's even possible!). Any who, I thought I would share some of my more recent purchases!  

Cute little pins from Modern Girl Blitz, I bought a bunch and gave some away as small christmas presents, but these two I kept for myself.

Freshly cut flowers is my one weakness, I live right next to a flower shop and it's hard not to brighten up the day with some lovely flowers. I thought these pretty ladies suited my kitchen very well!

A toothbrush with cupcakes! I don't know if it's plain crazy since sugary cupcakes isn't the best thing for your teeth or if it is meant as precaution images. Either way it was so weird that I had to buy it! 

This lovely calendar with it's amazing print I found at a book shop in december. Since then it has been waiting on my desk until now. It has a solid place in my handbag and the little pink pen was an absolute must! It's the perfect size to carry with you.

This gorgeous hat from Poppycock Vintage is just waiting for the sun to come out and I think it will suit so many dresses! Right now it's resting on a bureau in my bedroom and now and then I put it on for a twirl or two around my small apartment!
 (You should definitely check out Poppycock if you are looking for some fantastic headpieces, this woman has an amazing selection of vintage hats! I almost think that I have to do a post about her wonderful etsy shop soon.)

I found this little sugarcup at an antique store. It is just on the border of being too much but I could not pass it up, even though a sugarbowl isn't exactly what I'm in desperate need of. Instead I think I will keep my brooches in it or maybe some candy as a secret candy stash! 

And finally, an fabulous angora cardigan that I found for half price of the sale price! It is a little bigger then I like my cardigans to be but it's ever so soft and warm! Another con is that it looks amazing paired with my vintage 50's cigarette pants (which you can see here) but the fabric of the pants really sucks up all loose hairs from the cardigan. After a while it looked like I have a very friendly and hairy pink cat at home that likes to roll around in my wardrobe.

Well these are the colours I'm in to now but I'm almost sure this will change, in a while I will probably be looking for electric hues and spring shouting fabrics! But in the mean time I can't wait for a certain minty parcel that is waiting for me at the post office! 

Rocky road nails

Because of the cold I have been finding myself small projects to do inside. The latest thing I've been dabbling with is nail art! At work I'm not allowed to wear anything that sticks out so instead I try to use my nails and my hair to still show some personality! I have posted some pictures on Instagram (where my name is simonastreet) but I thought I write down the "recipe" here so you can try it at home if you want to.

First, I bought these amazing nailstickers from ebay. I found them trough The Dainty Squid who always has the most beautiful nailart. (If you want some wonderful inspiration you should check out her "Weekly nail" posts.) And you can read more about the stickers in her blogpost.

So here are the nail polishes that I used. From right: China Glaze "Life preserver", O.P.I. "Malaga wine", O.P.I "Servin' up sparkle".

I started by painting my nails with the China glaze polish and then waited until it had dried. I would recommend that you do your nails in steps because it's very important that every layer is really dry before you put on the stickers. So for example I can do the first coat of colour on the evening and next morning I will do the second one. 

When the first layer was dry I used the stickers and placed them on the middle of my nails. Depending on wich way you place them the triangel either has it's base at your cuticles or at your nailtips. They are quite sticky so I usually try and rub off some of the glue so that the sticker dosen't chip the first layer. Then I used O.P.I. "Malaga wine" for the second layer (wich turned almost marron because of the orange colour underneath. It's just like painting, the colours react to each other.)

To top it of I used the O.P.I. "Servin' up sparkle" laquer just to give it an extra sparkle and to even it out. You could also just use a clear top coat for a more refined result. Here are some of the pictures I've posted on Instagram, I'm usually to restless to do more then two colours! Haha!

And, that's it!
If you don't have the stickers and want to try this straight away, you can also use scotch tape. Hope you got some inspiration to decorate your nails!

Ordinary winters day

So, for the past week I have been sick. And let me tell ya, it's quite boring! At first I tried to do some small stuff around the apartment, like cleaning it up a bit. But no, my energy reserve has been down to zero so the only thing I've had the energy to do is lying in my bed and watch things on my new computer. At the moment I'm starting to get a little bit better but I will stay home a little while longer just to make sure that I'm healthy. The worst thing I know is being a little bit sick for weeks. And that tends to happen to me when I don't listen to my body and start working to early. Guess I have to be bored for a while longer. 

Any who, thought I would share these photos with you guys. These were taken on one of the coldest winter days a couple of weeks ago and I'm actually wearing double (!) cardigans underneath. And it was still a bit too cold..This is how I tend to look on an average day right now. Due to the cold I always wear my doc's (which have the perfect sole for cold weather! I think the sole is very important since much of the cold comes from what you are standing on, speaking as a swede with family ties in the far north, hrm hrm.), my beret, and on top of that my handmade scarf that I love and got as a birthday gift when I turned 24, it's super warm!

As you might guess it is quite hard to be creative with what you wear since the weather isn't really cooperating with me. I even have to wear super warm pieces underneath or I would freeze to ice. 

I'm really missing spring and I really want it to arrive soon!