pastel dreams

Coat&Shirt - 2nd hand

Scarf - Grandma's old

Jeans - H&M

Shoes - New look

Rucksack - Amazon

On my most recent trip to London with my friend Emma (who took all the photos of me in this post - tah!), we visited Notting Hill and Portobello. I'd never actually been (and neither had she); there's so much of London that I still need to explore! That is definitely one of my favourite things about the city - no matter how many times you visit, no matter how long you live there, there's always something new to see and experience. We weren't actually looking to buy anything but had a nice wander around the Portbello Road Market, and ate lots of crepes and other goodies. Even though this was back in January, it was such a pretty, sunny day that we did end up buying sunglasses (that I have now already managed to break and am on the hunt for a small screw to repair them even though they, of course, weren't expensive). Even if you only go to see them, the colourful and pastel houses are just so lovely. I like how blogger-like it is to take pictures in this area, but because our day and walk here wasn't too planned, neither were the photos. If I had planned to take photos in the pastel streets I'd most likely put together a different outfit. But now I like the contrast between pastels and my bolder colours. My original text for this post was merely:

"Pastels and Orwell. Such blogger. Very London. Wow."

And I feel like that is basically all I've really said and want to say. Hope you're all having a great week!

first impressions of lisboa and portugal

I've been in Portugal for well over a month already, and Lisbon was my first stop on arrival. Coming here from the coldness of Finland meant that I'd surely like the warmer weather. Now with the highs of good days being +20-25°C, it is more or less starting to feel like summer and that makes me very happy. But it has also been so rainy at times. For example, I've no pictures from my main day in Belém as I had to keep my camera safely tucked away from the rain, and was completely soaked after my wee adventures. Lisbon was lovely, though, and the fact that the rain prevented me from exploring as much as I'd wished only means that I have more the reason to go back! On this first trip I fully enjoyed wandering through the little cobbled streets (I don't think they're actually called cobbled streets, but calçada portuguesa, anyway) and colourful houses, the tram rides, some of the sights, meeting with a friend, and - most importantly - the pastéis de nata.

If you have any Lisbon or Portugal suggestions I'd love to hear them! So much to explore, so little time!

through the years: february

Another month, another one of these! Hope you're ready for some older photos and outfits from Februaries past:

 2011: This is most probably the one that has made me cringe the most so far. Not the outfit really, because it's only jeans and a top (And I used to wear both of them a lot!). But why did I ever think this was a good photo to post? That's one awkward pose and face.

 2012: On the other hand, this one with all the grandma clothes is still a favourite. I still wear the blazer all the time. The headscarf doesn't get out as much, but it should! Even though the dress isn't as old as my grandma's clothes, it's gotten a fair share of use already as well - and still does, but mostly just around the house these days. I don't have these exact slippers anymore, but a very similar pair since I am a literal grandma and go through slippers like it's nobody's business. Also, why was wearing leggings under your heel like this a thing and why did I participate in such a thing?

 2013: I'd still probably wear this Valentine-y outfit again. I love the pink sweater and am glad to say I still have it. And although I'm definitely more into less figure-hugging skirts these days, this one doesn't look too bad. Other things to note; my hair's long (in all these earlier photos) and a lovely uni halls door.

 2014: This is cute, yes? I wish I still had the skirt, but at some point I thought it'd be a good idea to sell it. A shame. The top's the same as in 2011: I said I wore it a lot. This outfit definitely makes me a) miss this skirt, b) want to wear more colours, and c) want to find some of my older jewellery like the necklace I'm wearing!

 2015: Not the best photo, but I liked this outfit and this whole look at the time. I'm still into the make-up, jewellery and hair, but don't have the shirt or the leggings (that you can't even see in this photo) anymore. Patterned leggings might not have been my thing in the first place. I do love a good oversized shirt though, and they go well with a pair of leggings. What a conundrum.

 2016: This can't have been over a year ago. I feel like it was just about yesterday that I looked like this. This also means that it's been over a year since I last got a hair cut (but if everything goes to plan and I continue trying to grow my hair, I won't have a proper cut for at least another year, haha.). Anyway, I would and could wear this again. I still have the skirt, and the t-shirt - although it's been demoted to being sleepwear - and I've given the cardi to my mum but could still borrow it off her. I look pretty okay here, if you don't mind me saying so. (And if you do mind, who are you?)

2017: Technically this Moomin outfit is from January, but I posted it in February so surely it counts. 10/10, would wear again - especially the jumper. I had to throw these shoes away since they developed a hole and it was a mildly sad occasion. They served me well over the years, but now I can go and look for more summery ones! Quite exciting.

 Hope you're having a good last day of Feb and also looking forward to spring (it's spring tomorrow, right?)! And as always let me know if you have a favourite or least favourite Laura February outfit!

You can find previous through the years posts here: April | May | June | July & August | January |

thursday thoughts pt. 44

It's been a while since I last posted one of my Thursday thoughts. In fact, the last time was two years ago! Can't believe it's been that long, to be honest. And even though it's also been a year since I wrote this one down, this quote still feels very much like something worth sharing. I do hope you're all keeping your softness, your sweetness and your pride. Especially now when believing the world to be a beautiful place is oftentimes made harder by everything that's happening in the world.

Hope you're all having a good week!

turku and travel

I've been travelling a bit this year. And I plan on travelling quite a bit more. These are all little snaps from Turku, mostly from when I first arrived there. And even though it's officially my place of residence and has been for the past six months, looking back at these it feels more like looking at photos from a holiday. I know I'll be back there come autumn, but it still doesn't feel permanent and for the moment I am embracing my more nomadic side. One of my goals I've set for myself (not for the new year but more like a "25 things before 25") was to travel more and that is possibly one of my most achievable goals. Moving to Portugal for an indefinite time definitely helps in it, and has been pretty great so far. There's so many half-planned trips on my mind that I can take from here as well. I was even half-joking about visiting a new country every month this year. (Which would be great if I wasn't a cheap student.) Exploring Portugal and visiting Spain and Morocco are at the top of my list right now. And once I get back to Turku, I know there's more to explore in that corner of the world!

What are your travel plans for the near future and this year?

P.S. If anyone is up for a holiday in Morocco with me, get in touch! (Seriously. Not even half-joking.)

little my, little me

 Coat - Urban Outfitters

Jumper - Moomin official

Dress (as skirt) - H&M

Shoes - New look

I just missed the good light for the actual outfit photos, but it still made the church and churchyard look pretty. And you know I love a good church and graves. I will definitely be back exploring this one once I get back to Finland again.

Another thing I love is my Moomin jumper. I had been looking at them for a while, but they didn't have an L back then. I contemplated getting an S or an O for my middle names, or a J for Jones, or just a random letter with a good character on it. But before Christmas I saw this Little My number and had to get it! (I always get a Christmas present for myself and this year it really was a good one.) It is genuinely the most comfortable top I own. My hair isn't quite long enough for me to do a proper Little My bun, so this little top knot had to do for now.

Let me know if you're a tiny bit Moomin daft too and we can talk more about Moomins and which character would go with your initials (haha)!