Funky or plain silly, I haven't quite decided yet. Maybe not the most stylish look, but having little kids running around the house I could see how this would be really useful when having a little summer party. Wino2Go definitely has potential to become of this summer's hits with families who have small children! 

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Spotted something cute - a rustic tree window dressing. I am not sure if this home-made or store-bought, but displayed on the window of this old house it just looked so fantastic. I can imagine how good it would look like with a little decor added to it at Christmas time. Such a pretty little thing!

I have concluded that there are few essentials of life that make the living in sub-zero and slushy rainy conditions easier: draught stoppers if you live in a rustic, old house and fleece liners (or welly socks) for wellies as toes freeze quickly in the near-zero weather!

Today I dream of fleecey, warm welly socks/liners...

...and of cute wind-stopping draught excluders 

So lovely in white and soft pastels. This cute and rustic cottage interior is just delectable: it's romantic (but not overly feminine), full of light and feels airy. I love the bare floorboards where the gaps have been left intact and the exposed, white-painted ceiling.

The finishing of the decor is also so pretty - mismatching patterns and the uber-cute giraffe-themed piece of art. The window seating has also been cleverly constructed and it just looks like a soft and inviting area to read a light summer novel while enjoying some refreshments. I also love the hanging bookshelf that has been attached to the room-dividing low wall. So many clever ideas! 

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I love this idea! It's simply fabulous, and oh so environmental with those recycled materials: half of an old wine barrel and a bunch of empry wine bottle. Add some led cable - and the outcome is this unique ceiling light. J'adore - need I say more? 

I adore the details of this penthouse in Moscow. The apartment itself has great views and some lovely vaulted and very rustic ceilings. But the rustic accessories are what makes this place memorable - those cute carousel-like horses, an old sleigh, ethnic flower-themed wall art. A very Slavic flair, and that just is so delectable! 

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We've been opening the door the past few days into the warm sunshine and it's been great. Now I wish I could at the same time come back to the hotel, open the door and have this waiting for us. Lovely decor for the season, and what better than the season's must-have item - garlands with rustic and home-made flair...

At least yesterday we got to enjoy the compnay of giant turtles with a hindu shrine topped up with a Christmas tree and plenty of bling. Life is about new and unsuual experiences... 

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I heart this room with its modest, and yet so beautiful natural decor of wreaths and garland - and even the bay trees look very suitable for the occasion. Of course it helps to have a gorgeous backdrop of a room with those black shutters and all. Green and red - always suitable colours for Christmas and winter season!

Next year I am voting for a simpler Christmas, more home-made presents, ecological wrappings, customised cards. Stamped brown paper for presents, snowflakes in every window, paper chains, jolly bunting maybe, simple red and white instead of all the blingy silver and gold we've had the past years for other decoration (and this year too since the kids are in charge are everything goes!). I like the English Not on the High Street-store and it's the source of my inspiration for this lovely look!

I love this idea of a personalised Christmas tree decal 

Personalised stamps for cards and gift tags - or party invites 

Snowflakes for every window

Paper chain nostalgy

Old-fasghioned bunting

Handmade felt decorations

decorated brown paper figt wrappings and gift tags 

Personalised printed gft sacks 

Beautiful idea... 

Fillable Christmas cones

One just got to love these simple and funky alternative Christmas tree ideas - a simple and very eco-looking wall-hung driftwood version,a cute combination of wall-mounted display shelves with presents accompanied by a pile of presents on the bottom. Or this simple, wooden candelabra, which warmly shimmers light into the room. All very different, but beautiful and unforgettable in their own way.

Who says a Christmas tree needs to be a real tree anyway, or even a plastic tree-looking replacement? These are definitely still tree and I would love to have any of them in the house (although I bet the kids would prefer the present tree). Personally, I'd probably choose the simplest one, the candelabra tree. Which one would you choose, if any? 

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What could be more romantic than a candle-lit dinner table dressed with natural tree branches. Green, red and soft glimmer of light brings the romance out for most people. I am ready to light a few candles and, enjoy a glass of wine and let the winter spirit take over. Maybe it's even time to try to turn of the fireplace (sadly gas rather than real wood-burning logs, but still looks pretty nice)...and enjoy the darkness of December!

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The revival of granny chic certainly brings back some memories - and I don't even need to go back to my grandparents house, but to my parents - where in the 80s the gifts of elderly aunties (and crocheting of my mom) was displayed on bedspreads, doilies and little table runners on coffee tables. And it's all back again!

More generically the Granny Chic seems to be applied to all things knitted and crocheted, be it even a bit more modern and fashionable versions of what our grannies did; such as some of the knitted and crocheted items below. And yes, I must admit that although I might not be ready to display my old pot-holders on the wall, I'd love to have one of these crocheted poufs or this cute and very parisian-chic knitted lampshade... 

Bit more on the chic than granny chic side are these fabulous poufs and lampshades 

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Some good old-fashioned crocheting on the quilt and the rug

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Real vintage feel with these crocheted pot holders and pillows!

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Doilies take me back to the memory lane too.. 

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Dramatic is a word I would certainly link to this living room. The black and silver accent wall is fabulous, and the black continues in the chandelier and the curtains. Gold is also shimmering inthe mirror and the blind, and works well in this instance without making the room look too bling.

And then come the vibrant colours - lush fuchsia on the rug, accessories and even on the flowers. Note also the addition of the upcoming "in" colour - a deep violet. When one adds a Union Jack-themed cushion I am all sold for the room. So vibrant and full of life.

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Colours and accessories make the room, but can you go over the top with them also - like with cushions on this sofa. The question is whether these cushions make the sofa inviting, or make it look more like one of those little interior store where there is too much on display - so little gems are buried under all the stuff...

Otherwise the room is pretty cozy and interesting with black and white contrasts, splashes of colour in the rug, the vases -  and pretty much everywhere except the sofa. 

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We had our first snow today - a bit early I think but kids were all excited ready to ski in the garden and make snowballs. This country-style white dining room with blue accessories just reminds me of this day: white as a snow and blue as a sky (which is also how one would describe the flag of Finland - and no wonder as it snows a lot there!).

This cute dining room is yet another great example of how one can set the mood of a white-based room with the accessories. Cheap and easy way to have seasonal colours in a room. Love it!

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This year my children asked me if I was going to dress up in something or look boring again like the previous years. So I decided it was time to try something new out and I spotted this carnival-like mask being sold at a cafe next to my language school. In my mind I was seeing myself in a fancy Venice carnival ball with this colourful mask and a ball gown...so it means a good excuse to organise at some point a real masquerade at home!

I got home excited, but the kids were more like screaming when they saw my mask - so I am wondering if it was a hit or miss? Maybe it just becomes a decor on the wall, but for this Halloween I need to team it up with something fun and colourful...

So Happy Halloween everyone and for my friend Miss T. also a very spooktacular birthday!

inspired by country style and fresh white and light blue colour scale? I like the way colour has been added in the otherwise white base by painting the window frames and the skirting in sweet shade of baby blue.

They have also added variety by adding a couple of different chair frames, which have also been matches with the tone of the window frames. The accessories are all matching but paler shades of pastels - it's all so cute, fresh and inviting!

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Birds are the hot ticket item of the season, and not just because it's their migration time. They seem to be everywhere from traditional romantic prints to casual wooden accessories to modern fire alarms. This is the season of birds in every size, shape and colour!

I got plenty of classic Toikka glass birds in my house and would not mind a couple of cute, modern chirpers in my collections - not to talk about the uber-cool tweeting ChickaDee fire alarm! Do you have any bird motifs in your house? 

Rocking Birds from West Elm 

Trendy Inmod has sophisticated bird pillows on offer such as this Callum-pillow whereas Roomservicestore has more bolder, more 70s patterns

Mortice & Tenon provide more eclectic flair with this Bird Feet table

What about this timeless Eames House Bird design classic from DDC...

...or a tree full of birds as a wall decals from Target?

BIrd counting time at DwellStudio

And my favourite, the Chickadee Fire Alarm, which chirps extra loud in case of a fire (and comes now in multiple colours- a definite we want product!)

Wisteria reproduction of an Eastern European bird chest is certainly unique and romantic 

British flash-sale type site Furnish has currently all sorts of fun and funky bird-inspired products 

Now there is something special and appealing with these cool, colourful gadgets for the kitchen. Brushed chrome is always fashionable, but this season seems to bring even more to the table - namely shades of bright orange, delicious purple, lush fuchsia, country cream and even soft pink.

Of course I wouldn't be this excited right now if I hadn'd come across the bright ideas for cooking-sale this week at One Kings Lane and all those fabulous kitchen gadgets, pots, pans and of course delectable farmhouse style furniture. Here are my top-three gadget love items of the week - but I am not sure yet which one of them is my favourite colour. They all look so good, and I love the retro feel in the design also.  

Fuchsia Hand Mixer

Cafe Retro Red

Mini-Prep Plus Processor

I think that this retro feel and funky colours would be a perfect match for the very French and rustic-style kitchen furniture (and it's a little bit electic too). I am all for the rustic and natural look in the dining tables right now. Très chic, I say - and so perfect for a little mix and match with the colourful gadgets!

Aurora Gathering Table

Calder Faux Front Sideboard

Lately everyone seems to be creating their own customised lamps and other accessories, and here's one pretty eclectic one - and it seems to indicate also about the likes of the owner... perfect accessory for the man cave maybe - and a way to get males of the family to get excited about DIY accessories... 

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Miss A. is so full of energy and wanting to learn things, so I am collecting fun ideas to choose from for the cold, rainy winter days. This step-by-step tutorial for a cool hanging storage is definitely going to our top-ten list.

The instructions are in Finnish, but luckily Google translate can give you pretty accurate instructions if the pictures are not enough to guide you through (instructions here from Pikku Pihlaja). If you end up crafting one of these I'd love to see your fabric choices!

One of my favourite flash sale sites - One Kings Lane is having a full day today only (10/4) on kids only-product sales - so cool I think! This is the perfect time to stock on Christmas or birthday presents (I normally am on a lookout all year around for good deals) or complete the kids room decoration project with some lovely furniture, rugs, art and accessories. 

Here are a couple of picks of what I think my kids would love - as they are all little budding chefs at the moment cooking with their plastic and wooden fruits and foods when they are not asking to help mom in the kitchen. This week we've been drawing leaf garlands and for the season so suitable would be this little leaf cookie cutter set and gingerbread bowl -it would guarantee the whole family on weekends some nice munchies besides the local read bean stuffed cakes and buns... So happy shopping for the little ones!

Leaf Cookie Cutter Set

 Gingerbread Bowl w Children's Baking Set

I think the whole family would like to have a cute popcorn, cotton candy or snow cone maker - and it sure would be the start attraction of any party held at home too... But on a more practical level I think Miss A. would love to flipping her pancakes with this cute flower turner...

Flower Turner

And the furniture offering is just great too - I know my kids would love these chairs - especially as Miss A. is starting to shift from all things pink to liking blue (at her age I used to love all things green...), not to talk about the ball chair, Pony or ghost chair-like pieces in juicy colours like purple and turquoise... 

                           Daphney Chair in Blue 

                                Pink Spot Chair 

I just had to try...when I saw this cute little piece I was wondering if I could fit it in somewhere in the house. Being half-empty I could have probably used ten of these around the house without any issues for all kinds of purposes, and here's the chosen option for today. 

So what was I thinking? Being in China I just have to incorporate some Chinese accessories and pieces into the design and this slightly curvy-in-the-seat mini-bench was just a perfect test-run: a modern take on the classic piece - and with my not-so-great haggling skills (yet) it ended up costing a grand total of $25 or so. Not bad, I think!