I, SUCH A LONG TIME AGO

I love playing around with photo effects (especially at those moments when I should be working with something totally different or say, just be sleeping). Photoshop is a brilliant too if you know how to use it (can be devastating-or embarrassing- if you don't)*, and full of new things to find out all the time. Although I prefer to alter my images myself- for work, promo or just me- I still find interesting and fun to search for and try out online image generators; see how they might be built, how similar the transformed images turn out, and perhaps to copy the effects. At one point I was a bit fascinated with poladroid, and now the hipstamatic application that everyone's sporting (well, which is for iphones and not computers - yet ).

Tonight I got stuck on a japanese site transforming my pictures into very very old:


You can find and play with it here: labs.wanokoto.jp/olds




I think it only works properly on pc's though as I was not able to download the pics to my mac. I transformed a lot of pics for fun to see different results and on what kind of images the effect works on; it's easy as the site is rather fast.
The pictures featured above are screenshots.

(The images with the parasol are originally by S.Korhonen)

*)= Once a girl commented on a post of mine saying the picture was badly photoshopped so that my arm looked strange. I coulnd't get what the hell she was talking about** - that pic was straight out of the camera. And btw even if I often correct the levels and light, sometimes may blur away a messy flat in the background or add some colour filters for effects I do not change my limbs here on the blog :)

**)= You don't put me, bad and photoshop in the same sentence!
(Unless someone else fucked up a picture with me in it, of course:)

POMPOM POM POM POM-POM-POM-POM POM-POM-POM-POM POM

Pom-poms!
(You of course have to sing the headline to the tune of Mr.Sandman to get it right.)

Today the weather felt warm for the first time! I'm looking forward trip down dry sunny streets in heels and pom-poms, fluffy skirt hems and hair flowing in a warm breeze.

And you know what? Soon I'll be pom-pomming around in a new pair of shoes. Which ones are to be seen here later on, but as a hint, they might go along with my new refridgerator, maybe.

But before that I'll pom-pom my behind over to Sweden to celebrate a wedding, and I'll leave you all with something sweet before I go.

The pom-pom shoes clips are by Frollein von Sofa.

VAPP-SHOTS

Some phone-pics and such* from Valborg (the holiday weekend that just went by).

Judging from the pictures you tend to be left with afterwards you'd think it's all about blowing those party-thingies (what are they called, really?), opening bottles and having lots of bubbly.

Well, that's what it is really all about.
In a lot of different places over two days.


*) Two are with Hipstamatic, the brownish ones were regular pics I photoshopped to get a kind of similar look.

ONE THOUSAND AND MORE

The Freelancer's Fashion Blog has over one thousand followers trough blogger and some hundreds at other places. I think that's pretty amazing! And it makes me all honoured and humble.

See, very humble and full of appreciation.

You know I always visit each and every blog of yours through the comments you leave me, even though I may not always comment back. Thats if I don't have anything smart to say. And as said before, I have a terrible lot of things to do, so sometimes it may take me shamelessly long to answer an email of yours. But eventually it will happen :)

Now I'm off for a wedding elsewhere, but keep you eyes open in the near future since there will be more giveaways and treats coming up...

But until then, have a lovely weekend everybody!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



Cherry Goes Chinoise
Photo : S.Korhonen
Hair & Make-up : Karoliina Purala
Post Production : Yours truly

RESULTS

You remember this post with it's behind-the-scenes photos?

Out of many to choose from, here are Jackie's beach picnic and Tinkerbell's Burlesque Kahlo final pics:

Photo: Mirva Thil
Make up & styling+ Post production : Jackie O'Lantern


Photo: Mirva Thil
Make up & styling+ Post production : Tinkerbell

You'll see mine soon :)

LEE AND STUFF

Some time ago I said that you could ask questions if there was something you were wondering about. So here's the answers. And some soft Sunday music to go along:


(I always like the Lee parts better in all Lee and Nancy songs).

At some point earlier I got the question of how I decided where to live?
-Well, apart from a couple of student exchanges abroad I've always lived in the Helsinki capitol area, the past eight years rather central. I joke that I'm slightly geographically discriminative in terms that I could not really consider myself to live elsewhere in Finland than around Helsinki. (It would probably be different if I'd have grown up somewhere else I guess...) When it comes to part of town I've lived in the same area the past five years, I originally moved there since the prices are more affordable. This summer however we'll move west of the city to a bigger home.

What computer do I have?
-I used to have an 22" iMac, now I have a MacBook Pro 17". ALso dreaming about the 27-inch iMac, but I guess one computer at a time is enough...

Do I work with photoshop to get my pictures so white or is it just the natural vibe of the cold north?
-It depends on the picture, when and where taken. If there's good light I use manual settings for a slightly overexposed effect, with long shutter speed. Otherwise I adjust the curves and/or add some white to faint out the edges for a more dreamy look in the pictures (like here, also with added lens flare).

Then I get a lot of questions about make up:
-A tutorial? Noup, I don't think I'll ever do one but I have promised some sort of make up post forever. Now I'm really going to try and do it soon!

-The blusher I use is GOSH; the peach and the dark pink shades.

-If I change my skin routine in winter? Yes. My skin gets both flakier and fatter in the beginning of winter but evens up after some time. When cold I try to avoid too much water on my face; I wash it in the evening just before going to sleep but not in the morning, perhaps only wipe it off with tonic. I put a lot of moisturizer on at night but none in the morning, except for some eye serum. I use a serum for my lashes and lots of hand creme in winter too.

Could I post about how I tie my scarves around my head?
-Yes, not that I really tie them in any special way but I'll give it a go at some point!

Is it possible to buy a IttyBitty Tease Cabaret Shake! patch anywhere?
-Yup, we sell them at some gigs of ours but you'll be able to get them trough my blog soon too :)

A COMBINATION OF TWO THINGS I LOVE

My 500th post will consist of two things I like a lot - photoshop and cooking! And not to forget, stop motion animation too.

EDDI AND THE BOATS

I'm looking at pictures from warmer days and soft evenings last year. Oh summer!


At a time when you nostrils freeze together after standing some two hours outside loading a ship it always feels as strange to think that six months earlier we were, and six months later we will be walking around in sandals and short sleeves. The temperature difference will be some 45-50 degrees C. Sometimes even as much as 60.
That's pretty extreme.

Although it's very very beautiful outside it is still painfully cold and I can't wait for warmer days again (when I don't have to stuff myself that much anymore- or at all). Oh summer!

FRIDAY 13th : THE LOVING DEAD

Eddi & I at the Halloween Horror Cabaret by Atelieri O.Haapala (who says they will do one more gig still, November 28th! Keep your eyers open... ).

I'm wearing the long velvet 1930's evening gown that I picked up at my ederly relative some time ago.

(If you're in the mood for some zombielesque check this :)

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

I'm not really an arrogant A hole. But I am rather unorganized. And very busy.
I tend to forget to answer questions I get in my comments. Sometimes it can take me a long time to answer blog related mails written to me too.

So I thought I'd do this thing were you can ask me anything and I will answer almost everything!

This is my sneaky-suspicious look when I say, ok, go ahead and ask then.

I'll answer a couple of questions/requests I remember now straight away
1. Make up
I get lots of questions about makeup. But the thing is, I will never do a makeup tutorial - there are tons of youtube tutorials out there that go for the same look and they're all pretty much similar to each other. I do the same make up almost every day, just make it heavier and add some glitter for shows. And in the end you still have to see what suits your own face the best.

But I will do a post about makeup; which products I use and some tricks I rely on, that I promise!

2. Photos
"I'm always curious about whether you take all your own photos and how you always manage to get the lighting so spot on? "
Well, first of all I have a pretty good camera. Not a great one, but an OK that can take great pics if you do it right. If there's not time nor good light for getting it right, I fix the photos in Photoshop afterwards, Levels, Curves etc. Basically there's nothing I can't do in Photoshop, although I prefer to get away as easily as possible. (Well as you can see the photo above has some more playing around than just levels and curves - sometimes that's real fun too - especially if you should be working with something different than making yourself look all 1939 for example :) I indulge quite a lot what I like to call "forced photography" -heheh- as I have my sister or a friend take some pics for my blog ("You have to take some pictures for my blog now!"), but I do take many of them on my own too.

That's it. If you post a question here during the weekend and perhaps the beginning of next week too I promise I'll answer them all by next weekend in a post!

Oh, and if you come here a lot and react a lot and I have forgotten to link you let me know!