Island holidays

Aloha, Hawaiʻi! 

It feels so good to be back home in the islands. We just got in two days ago and have been busy since we landed.

 

Today was our first dip in the ocean. Dont mind my sour face below - I promise I too was very happy to be there.

We can be Christmassy in Hawaii too, you know. The Sandman of Kaohao wants to wish you Mele Kalikimaka!

 

Yep, we work with what we got here in Hawaiʻi!

Bundling up for winter

 

With temperatures dropping and Christmas right around the corner, I realized I needed a new coat. While I love the few vintage ones I have - that collection is swiftly expanding, might I add - I am afraid to wear them as everyday coats for fear of ruining them. After all, I'm not the most graceful, delicate flower. Okay fine, I'm straight up clumsy sometimes.

A beautiful Malmö afternoon. (Yes, afternoon, not evening. Yes, the sun is already going down.) Who wouldn't want to bundle up for a crisp winter walk on a day like this?

So I decided to get a newly made, 1940's style princess coat from Emmy Design. This cheery red is the perfect thing to brighten up the gloomy winter days and dark nights.

 

But soon I'll be getting away from the cold and gray and this lovely coat will be left on the hanger because tomorrow I'll be on a plane. I'm jetting home for a Hawaiian Christmas!

Nuts About Fall

November is almost coming to an end, but luckily for me southern Sweden continues to hold on to fall weather.

Lund, Sweden. Chilly and gloomy but still pretty.

Now that the cold is here and I've come to accept it I'll admit that there are some things about fall that I love. In particular, the colorful leaves floating in the crisp air outside, the cozy fall flavors in the kitchen, and candlelight and warm colorful sweaters. I can't get enough of spices, squashes, pecans, forest mushrooms, and cranberries. I revel in all that fun seasonal stuff!
 

 

 

I was so inspired to take a photo of this house...and then I realized it was probably because it was also wearing my colors for the day.

 

I'm the kind of girl who likes to be matchy, so I jumped at the dance to buy this amazing nut themed 1950's novelty print dress on Etsy from the fabulous Xtabay Vintage based in Portland, Oregon. If you haven't yet heard of them, I highly recommend you check out their Etsy shop! They always have wonderful things. I wore the dress with a sweater from retro-style Emmy Design - that mustard yellow is so perfect for fall! My shoes are from Duo boots.

 

Novelty prints are just the coolest...well, in my book at least. There's just something so unique and fanciful about them. The fabric features a variety of nuts complete with their names and a mustard yellow belt. 

 

And because I'm so matchy, I had to add a 1950's brooch to my sweater. This particular one is special - it was given to me by my boyfriend's mom, whose heyday was back in the 50's. It's made of brass (I believe) and has a real nut dangling from it! Not sure what kind of nut it is, though. Any ideas? 
In any case, you can't get more fall than that!

Vintage Swedish Advertisements

I'm looking for some posters and wall decor for my apartment, and I'm getting a great deal of inspiration from this book.

Svenska Affischer (Swedish Posters) by Olof Halldin is a coffee table book I picked up a while back that features poster art from 1895 - 1960. Many are advertisements or film posters.

Since mine is a Swedish-Hawaiian household, I'm looking for some old posters from Sweden to decorate our apartment. I already have some 1940's and 1950's posters from Hawaii, so I need some Swedish ones too.

The colors are really something!

From bug poison...

...to bikes...

...to orange soda...

...to Hollywood films. (And Swedish ones too!)

And it's just a pretty book to have on the coffee table, too. If you like the artistry of vintage ads like I do, I highly recommend it!

Fall is really, truly here.

As much as I love the summer and tried my best to hold on, Fall has taken hold in Sweden and won't let go.

Don't get me wrong, fall here is beautiful! It's just that I'm a lover of warmth.

It was my boyfriend Nils' birthday recently and we spent his birthday weekend just relaxing and spending time with family.

So naturally we went to the most gorgeous place in Skåne - the little village of Hallaröd, where his sister and her family live.

This place is beginning to be a regular cast member on my blog.

I was trying to get in with the fall feeling, so I wore a novelty dress with ducks, trees, and lakes on it that I got from Calendar Girl Vintage on Etsy.

I love the large collar with contrast piping and fun orange highlights in the print.

A peek into the neighbor's yard.

The next day was his actual birthday, which we spend lazing around a wonderfully sunny 

Malmö.

We took a walk in the gardens in Kungsparken (king's park).

All of these beautiful flowers make me feel like it's still summer.

I love lazy Sundays.

Happy birthday to this guy. I love you!

La Mariana

If you're going away, you ought to do it with a bang. Near the end of my visit home to Hawaii, a few of our friends took us out for pupus (appetizers) and some kitchy tropical drinks at La Mariana Sailing Club.

In my lifetime of living in Hawaii, I had never heard of this place. And yet I feel like it is where I was always meant to be. 

Because this place is a vintage tiki bar that has been around since the late 1950's.

As soon as you walk up to the building that sits beside the water at the marina, you can tell this place is a little different.

Let the time warp suck you in.

I am so in my element right now. Wearing my Surf 'n Sand (Shaheen) dress, colourful Swedish Hasbeens clogs, lauhala bag, and a paper umbrella in my hair in place of a flower, I seamlessly blend into my environment.

Love these girls!

Look at these interiors!

This place is my tacky, tropical, 50's retro dream. Wish I didn't have to wake up!