Pumpkin Decor Fun

Pumpkin painting was big hit at the Birthday Party. A great activity for kids of varying ages and skill levels. The kids loved getting creative, and the pumpkins made great party favors for the kids to take back home. 

Icy Cool Beauty

Fellow Finn, Suvi Koponen, was on the cover of the New York Times T Magazine Travel Issue that was delivered with last Sunday's paper. I'm always happy when I see her in my mags! She is the only Finnish model that I recognize. I've been paying attention since many years ago when she had just recently won the Finnish Top Model competition, and started to make a name for herself in New York. At that time we had a nice chat at the airport when the Helsinki - New York flight that we were both getting on was delayed for a couple of hours. Of course at the time I had no idea who she was. It only dawned on me later, when some young girls wanted to be photographed with her, and asked me to take the picture.. I actually have my daughter to thank for getting to chat with Suvi. She had a broken nail, and I was looking for something in my bag, a nail file or something, to fix the nail. Suvi, who was sitting at our table in the cafeteria offered to use her nail scissors. I was amazed that she had gotten those things through security. And a nice chat ensued... And since then, I've been a fan.

For the T Magazine Suvi was photographed in Iceland, and clearly was a great choice for her icy cool beauty, perfect for the rough icelandic scenery. You can check out the T Magazine HERE.

Roses

I love statement necklaces. Maybe because I'm big, and a small little dainty thing is completely lost on me and just looks kind of ridiculous. The same goes for small bags by the way - they're just not my thing... Anyway, for the little girl's birthday party I snapped up this flower power necklace at a quick run that I had to do right before the party to get some supplies. I tell you, if you have the right mind, i.e. open, you can find good stuff anywhere!

Debut

My beautiful au pair is a very stylish young lady. Her style is a mix of latest trends, preppy and classic, mixed up in a cool and personal way. At Saturday's party she wore black and white with a statement necklace. Isn't she gorgeous?

Happy Birthday Little Princess

Yesterday the house was literally full of life; 16 kids running around plus their parents. Most people don't do birthday parties like these at home anymore.. and I admit... it is a lot of work. But it's so much fun too. Our birthday parties were never just for the kids but all our friends and family too. Lovely to be able to celebrate with the people we love. Memories are made of from these kinds of days and moments. I hope these happy memories stay with my kids all their lives, and sustain them when life inevitably gets a little tough sometimes. I know that the memory of the smiles on the faces of my daughters will sustain me for a long time to come.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Blog challenges seem to be all the rage, like sharing the contents of your bag, or your bucket list. Nobody has ever challenged me to do anything on this blog, but that doesn't stop me from taking part anyway. In this particular challenge you're supposed to share your favorite brands. So here goes: 

Shoes: Tory Burch, because I probably have more Tory shoes than anything else, but I'm really not that particular. As long as it fits and doesn't cause intolerable pain. 

Sneakers: Nike (hands down winner!)

Jeans: Not Your Daughters Jeans

T-shirt: huh? I didn't know you're supposed to have a favorite t-shirt brand. For me anything goes, as long as it's nice material and has a good fit, and doesn't cost a fortune. 

Bag: This is like choosing a favorite child. Can't do it. If I would go by the number of bags I own from each brand, the list would start with Louis Vuitton, then Fendi, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Burberry, Tod's, Stella McCartney, which brands I have more than just one bag. However, I also LOVE my Bottega Veneta and Hermes, which I have one each. And the Nancy Gonzalez is pretty cool. As is the YSL, and Valentino, Marc Jacobs. Who am I kidding? I love them all. The only problem is that I get stuck using the same bag for months. At this time it's the Balenciaga. On the wish list is anything from Celine, Philim Lim's Pashli, and the leopard doctor bag from B Brian Atwood. (Oh, and of course, in the forever list is the Birkin.)

Sunglasses: I am not brand loyal when it comes to sunglasses. I love my Fendi, Chloe, and Pucci glasses. 

Jewelry: Tiffany's for silver, New York City Street vendors for interesting costume jewelry pieces

Cell phone: iphone for phone and play, Blackberry for work emails and calendar

Computer: Mac Book Pro

Make-Up: This category is very large! I would have to list so many items. Let's just say I really like the Peter Thomas Roth CC cream, Neutrogena Mineral Powder Foundation, YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lip Gloss/Stain, YSL mascara. 

Skin cream: Guerlain Success Future serum (which is not available anymore, but I have one unopened bottle in stock, yay!), Korres wild rose cream. Not a cream, but a skin care item favorite is the organic rose water spray for face and body from Finland (Frantsilan Ruusuvesi). 

Toothpaste: whatever makes my breath fresh and my yellowish teeth as white as they can get. 

Shampoo: Anything thickening. Currently using Pantene Age Defy shampoo and conditioner. 

 

Soap: Dr. Bronner's Magic Liquid Soap. Contains no synthetic detergents. Gentle on hands and the environment. I like the rose and the lavender scents. 

Perfume: I love all Hermes perfumes, and have all of them. The best of the best is 24 Faubourg

Drink: Cava and white wine in the summer, red wine in the winter. A dirty martini when I need encouragement or a quick buzz. 

Newspaper: New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Yes, I know, it's a bit bi-polar. But what can you do. I like them both. 

Magazine: Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, InStyle, Elle Decor.

TV Show: oh, I love TV, and watch a million different shows. A couple of episodes every night, either from the DVR or from Netflix. I'm somewhat addicted to TV. Favorite drama is Homeland, and favorite reality show is Project Runway. 

Guilty pleasure: Does TV watching count? If not, then it's sneaking out of the office to spend way too much time at Century 21 at lunch, and then trying to stuff everything I bought into my work bag so that people would just think I was coming back from a lunch meeting, and not a shopping spree. 

Anyone can feel free to steal this challenge for their own blogs! 

Hello October!

October is a big party month in my house. We have two birthdays to celebrate, and Halloween to top things off. The halloween decorations have already began to appear. I was surprised to see a house in my neighborhood all dressed up already last weekend. I've just managed to set out a couple of mums and colorful pumpkins, the rest will wait until mid-October, and it won't be anything big anyway, maybe a scarecrow here and a big spider there..just to make the kids happy..

How fitting! I have to get this sign, or re-create DIY style. 

Imagine the trick-or-treating loot from this house, if they are this much into Halloween!

This has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween. It's just the buddha sitting at my front door. 

I love pumpkins! The shape, color, taste, smell...