This week I love...

Hello lovelies! I have had a day off today and I know I should have cleaned the house and called the tax people but instead I slept until 11 and went with my dad to pick up my mum from work and we all headed to check out a couple of flea markets. I found so many amazing things - old Arabia coffee cups and saucers in blue (in preparation of the blue period I will have after Easter), Jeanne D'Arc Living cream and sugar set, navy scarf with tassels, yellow ribbon (for the wreath on my door) and lots of other stuff. What a perfect way to spend a day off, I think.

I guess it's time to have a look at this week's other finds...

1. I bought some beads last month from a fair in Masala, Helmiplaneetta ja Askartelutaivas. Among a lot of other beads, I bought these little teardrop shaped beads in a kind of "old green" shade.
I made a bracelet out of them a few weeks ago and this week I finally ordered some more beads from Helmikuume.

I love the bracelet as it's simple and somehow a little bit vintage inspired. It could be the colour of the beads or the shape of it but I really love it and I wanted to put it in as number one because there will be more and if all goes according to plan I will be selling these (and lots of others) on flea markets such as Salon Iltatori etc. in the summer. Do you like it? Have you made something similar yourself?

2. It seems that every week now I have something Easter related. This week it'll be things that I have done to prepare for Easter. Yesterday I posted some images of other peoples crafts and ideas and today is my turn.

I have five candlesticks on my dining table that had black and white candles on them. I've now changed them to different shades of green. Such a small change can make all the difference. And they look so cute next to the lilac branches I got last weekend. Don't forget chocolate eggs either. I got mine from Ikea and in addition to looking beautiful, they taste really good.













You can see in yesterday's post the Jeanne D'Arc eggs. They are beautiful but quite expensive. This is my interpretation and it's easy and inexpensive to do. The eggs have been made using decoupage glue and this time, instead of napkins which are more commonly used, I used pages from a very old hymn book. The technique is the same I used to make christmas decorations and you can see the instructions here (only in Finnish though but the pictures will tell you what to do as well).

I decorated the eggs with religious scrap reliefs (kiiltokuvat from Sinelli) and a little organza ribbon. You can use any kind of ribbon and pictures - scrap reliefs, stickers etc. The eggs with the images are styrofoam and the one that opens up is cardboard.

Another great idea is to combine moss, small eggs and catkin branches in an old glass jar. My mum got this idea after seeing a picture of a chequered lily in a jar on the Easter issue of Jeanne D'Arc Living. I thought it was a great idea and again, you can really make it your own by using feathers, coloured eggs or whatever you want.

3. I was recently reading Mrs Jones' blog and came across this stunning, shabby chic style interior shop. Living Deauville is a beautiful store, owned by two sisters, located in a seaside town Naantali, right next to Turku. It was actually opened already in May 2010 but as I have been out of the country I had no idea of its existence. Until now, of course. :)

The selection is similar to other interior stores - textiles, small decorating items, dishes etc. but where they have really concentrated on is visual display of the items in store and they will also giftwrap your presents so they will look their best. Most of the products come from Sweden and Denmark and brands they stock include Lexington, Lisbeth Dahl, Bloomingville and many others.

Here's the important info:
Open Mon-Fri 10-18 and Sat 10-15.
Address: Henrikinkatu 6, 21100 Naantali

I will definitely be going there as soon as possible but at the very latest on my summer holiday. I can't wait...

4. There is a candle that I am dying to get. It is the artichoke. Have you seen it or better yet, do you already have one, or two or three? I've seem them before but only now have I become this obsessed with it. It is such a gorgeous shade of bright green and I really, really want one. Oh, who am I kidding, at least three, for spring.

The ones on the left are from Sisustajan Taivas and are the cheapest I've seen. It's quite incredible how much they vary in price depending on where you look.

Does anyone else have obsessions like this or is it just me?









5. Last but definitely not least, the latest craze in decorating - tape. Not the old reliable masking tape though but a new kind of tape that can be colourful, patterned or seethrough with a gorgeous print on it. A common term masking tape is often used for them all but they can be divided further into masking tapes, washi tapes (the term I've heard the most), papertapes etc. It originates from Japan and is used for example scrapbooking, crafting, etiquetting and decorating. It's easy to use, sticks well but can be taken off without leaving marks. And I'm in love with it!

I've seen it being used by other bloggers in their homes. To put up pictures - especially on mood boards, stick down cords and create decorations. So far, I've only used it on different craft projects but after finding an online shop that stocks so many beautiful tapes I think it's only a matter of time before they can be found all over my home. Here are two sets that I absolutely love...

See more at Teippitarha.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!! Hope you found some projects you can do this weekend. :)