Beneath The Blossoming Trees...

In the center of Stockholm lies a park called Kungsträdgården (The King's Garden). When spring finally arrives and the Swedes come out of hibernation, this is one of the places they gather en masse, frighteningly staring up at that big shiny thing in the sky - wondering what it is, at the same time they bask in that lovely light. The two longest sides of the park are lined with cherry trees, and for a short time each spring they they bloom, transforming Kungsträdgården to a fairytale park. Photographer Charlotte Hall came up with the splendid idea to do a shoot beneath these trees, so to match the blossoms I put on a light pink vintage dress from the 50s and my pointe shoes. And here is the result!

After the shoot, when I came home, I took my bra off and flower petals fell out of it. Haha!

Photo: Charlotte Hall

Must See Photos From The Past

I love seeing photos from a long time ago, and sometimes what the camera has caught can be both funny, interesting and/or a bit shocking. Here is a collection photos like that!

The oldest known selfie, taken by Robert Cornelius, in 1839.

A portrait on a woman in the middle of a sneeze, 1900.

A "knocker-up", waking people up in the morning. The early version of alarm clocks.

A police officer on his Harley, with a holding cell attached to it, 1921.

The 1920s version of planking. This was called "horsemanning".

Two winners of a beauty pageant in 1922. A bit different from today's beauty queens...

In the 1920s bathing suits were not allowed to end more than 6 inches above the knee. Here a beach official makes sure the ladies stick to the rules!

There's nothing like a ride on the zipline in the afternoon! 1923.

For people who has difficulty concentrating, I can highly recommend The Isolator! The helmet will help you focus on what you're doing by closing out all sound while pumping you full of oxygen, at the same time it limits your vision to a tiny slit. You also don't have to worry about bad hair days... 1925.

This is also a fantastic thing to own! A full face swimming mask from the 1920s, that was designed to protect women's faces from the sun. Not scary at all...

And here we see Hitler practicing a speech in front of the mirror in 1925. He seems very into it.

This shows off LA Public Library's bookmobile program for the sick. 1928.

A zookeeper giving his penguins a shower. 1930.

This is The One Wheel Motorcycle, invented in 1931, and capable of reaching a top speed of 93 mph.

When families who lived in apartments in the 30s wanted their children to get enough sunlight, they simply built these cages outside their windows. For some reason I don't think this would be allowed today...

Another exceptional invention - Face Cones! This was a fashionable way to protect your face during snowstorms. 1939.

A bike from 1939, that fits a family of four. As you see it includes a sewing machine. Very safe in traffic...

This is not a picture of small aliens. It's just normal babies wearing the gas mask hood system during a London bombing drill. 1940.

WWII soldiers getting their last kiss before heading out to fight in the war. I wonder how many of them were able to return for more kisses...

A little puppy safely sleeping between Russian soldiers. 1945.

I have seen this photo several times before, but I still love it! The joy of this Austrian boy when he receives his first new pair of shoes in years is so lovely to see. 1946.

This is a dog who has been dressed in a suit by his owner. He also has a cat on his lap. 1950s.

This is something you cold find in some offices in the 50s - an ice-cold whisky dispenser. I wonder why it doesn't exist nowadays...

The winner of the 1950 Miss Atomic Bomb is being crowned. Ah, that crown...

The TV celebrity, Fritz the bulldog, is being groomed by a barber. 1961.

A woman taking her lobster for a walk.

The TV Glasses from 1963 didn't really become so popular. But I can imaging people wearing these on the subway or the bus. Haha!

A utility worker getting mouth-to-mouth after being electrocuted in 1967. He survived.

A young Osama Bin Laden (second from the right, wearing a green shirt) with his family in Stockholm in the 70s.

Source

Fabergé Friday

As jewelry can be worn on pretty much any place on your body, here comes another example of the different things that came out of Fabergé's workshops - a belt buckle. It was made by workmster Henrik Wigström, around the years 1903-1908!

The cartouche form buckle is covered in translucent light blue enamel over a guilloché ground. The border is made of gold, and the backside is gilded silver. The height of the buckle is 3'' (7.6 cm), and the price for it is 14,500 USD. If you feel a need hold up your pants with this one on the belt, you can find it at John Atzbach Antiques.

Source

X-Rays Of Corsets

How good corsets are made depends on how you want to shape your body. There are different ways to put in the boning, depending on if you want just a cinched in waist, a v-shape to your upper body etc. The x-rays of Victorian women in corsets below shows a few different ways to do this, and how the body shapes after the garment. The pictures were taken in 1908 by the French doctor Ludovic O'Followell. They appeared in the medical paper Le Corset and helped influence the creation of more flexible corsets.

Source

Woodland Belle

After graduating from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, jewelry artist Mai Mckemy started crafting jewelry and accessories under the name Woodland Belle. Finding her inspiration in nature's own magic, she wanted to create lovely things that make women feel beautiful. Each piece is personally designed and created by Mai in cast metals that are 100% economically responsible reclaimed metals, sourced in the USA. My personal favorites are the little flowers encased in glass vials though... Whether you live in a city or close to nature, wearing Woodland Belle pieces will allow you to always carry around a bit of the free wilderness...

Branch

Bella Rustica Antique Bronze Tiny Twig Hair Pins

Antique Pewter Stag Antler Hair Pins

Cherry Blossom Tiny Twig Hair Pins

 

  Terrarium

Pink Peony Flower Tiny Terrarium Necklace

Rare Blue Rose Flower Tiny Glass Vial Terrarium Necklace

Classic Red Rose Flower Terrarium Glass Vial Necklace

Wing

Butterfly Collection Necklace In Antiqued Copper

Sterling Silver Luna Moth Necklace

Solid Bronze Silk Moth Necklace

To see more of Mai Mckemy's beautiful creations, please visit Woodland Belle's web site here!