Summer Shoot

During the summer it's usually at least a little bit warmer than during the winter here in Sweden. So this time of the year it feels completely ok to do photo shoots with less clothes on than three layers of fur coats. One sunny day I got together with photographer Peter Nilsson to do a shoot, and here is the result!

Photo: Peter Nilsson

Comfortable In My Birthday Suit

Going from being the smart nerd without friends in school, to daring to do what I do today - burlesque, modeling, going to auditions (and getting the parts!) etc - is something I have to say I feel proud of myself for doing! These things have really built up my confidence and made me feel comfortable in my own skin, even when I'm completely naked for everyone to see. Just after my very first nude shoot I felt very empowered, and not objectified at all! And with the right photographer behind the camera, I think art nudes can be extremely beautiful and interesting to look at. One of these photographers who has the ability to make nude models look really good is FG Photography. You've seen some pics he's taken of me here before (you can see them again here), and here comes two more! The gorgeous girl with me in the bottom pic is Midnight Maitresse...

Photo: FG Photography

Naked Again...

Last July I met a man. And the first thing I did when I saw him, was throw my clothes off! Haha! He calls himself FG Photography, is a very good photographer, and we had planed to do a nude shoot that day! We walked over to a dirty cellar close to his apartment - which was a really nice setting - and began shooting. And here comes the result! If you don't want to see me naked, don't scroll down! Hehe...

After cleaning myself off from all the dirt in the last picture, I though I had gotten most of it away. Looking in my small pocket mirror in the subdued light in the cellar made it look like I was pretty clean. Later when I got home and looked in a better mirror I realized I had lots of dirt left on my face though! No wonder people looked at me in a funny way on the subway... Haha! It was a fun shoot though, and a few weeks ago FG Photography shot me again! The result from that one will come in the future...

All photos by FG Photography.

Grandma

As you might already know, my beloved grandma - Birgit - passed away on July 4th this year. In November she was going to turn 96, so even though it's incredibly sad she's gone, I'm just grateful we got to have her in our lives for as long as we did.

Grandma was always very stylish, and she loved to see me wear clothes from the 40s and 50s. Every time she visited us, I had to show her what I was wearing before leaving the house, and seeing my dresses she remembered things she had worn herself back in the days when the vintage clothes I treasure so much today, were actually created. So for her funeral I didn't want to wear the usual black. Instead I chose a pretty 50s dress I know she loved, paired with vintage transparent gloves...

...and a 50s half-hat made of fabric Lilies of the Valley - both her and my favorite flower!

Except from a shared interest in old, beautiful clothes, me and granny also shared the love of dancing 

and being on stage. Here she's performing an act called Jitterbug together with a man named Jeddy, but called Gäddan (The Pike Fish) at a cabaret in Norrtälje, in 1946.

A few years ago my mother got a tattoo of her mom done on her upper arm. Granny thought this was a bit silly, but I know she really liked it too. Haha! Except for being one of the strongest women I have ever met - one of her many sayings was: "If it doesn't work, it works anyway" - she she was also one of the funnest, wittiest persons I have ever known. Her tongue could be very sharp sometimes, and she always found a clever response when someone said something stupid to her. Like for example: grandma was very tall and statuesque, something that women shouldn't be back in the day when she was young. Once a man asked her "what it feels up there, where you can feel the angel's farts", well, granny retorted, "a lot better than down there, where you can feel the stench of the shit on the ground". Haha!!!

I love you grandma, and I can't wait to see you - and dance with you - again in the future!

Tattooed Vintage Women

I love tattoos! Most of the time - when they're engraved in somebody's skin for the right reasons...They can be like a diary of a persons life - things that girl/boy has gone through during their lives - or just things that have a special place in the wearer's heart, and which that person wanted to bring out and permanently fixate into the skin. Since a full arm tattoo is called a "sleeve", "to wear one's heart on the sleeve" becomes something that's actually visible when it turns into a tattoo...

This way of decorating the skin has been around for thousands of years. Scientist have found remains of tattooed skin that's over 10,000 years old. But it's not that often you see photos of tattooed people before the 1980s - especially not women! So today I'm going to show you that inked women did exist even a few decades ago!

Not so sure about the authenticity about the picture above. The tattoos look far to modern-made for the time the model lived in. But I just loved this photo anyway... 

And we end with my favorite - tattooed ends...

11 Questions

Elsa from the blog Grandmother's Pearls has challenged me with eleven questions. As I always do my best to answer when someone asks me something, I of course had to take on this challenge! So here comes some facts about moi!

1. If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?

If I would be an animal I would be a cat! I love how they can just spend hours staring out into infinity, philosophizing. Just as cats I'm very independent, but I also love to cuddle! If you stroke me the right way I might purr. Might! If I choose to...

Source

2. What was your dream profession as a child?

I spent a lot of time around horses when I was younger, so I dreamed of working with these lovely animals for the rest of my life. I also loved setting up little shows for my family and relatives, so I guess I've always been drawn to being on stage. I also remember wishing I could be a mermaid for a while...

3. What is your guilty pleasure?

Ben & Jerry's!!! Preferably Half Baked or Phish Food!

4. What makes a person attractive in your eyes?

A person who is comfortable in his/her own skin, with what they do, and what they choose to wear is attractive to me. They can usually relax and be themselves. Humor is important too! And not be afraid to joke about yourself.

5. Tell us about someone you really admire and look up to?

I look up to people who are really good at what they do! The ones who spend the extra time it takes to really get to know and refine their craft. A lot of people are good at what they do. But then there are the ones who stand above the rest - because they worked hard to get there!

Amazing needlework by Matteo Pasqualin.

6. Describe the perfect day! What would you do and who would you spend it with?

After my six years in Hell with chronic pain, not being able to do or really enjoy almost anything, a perfect day for me is simply one when I feel good and enjoy actually being alive. One of the biggest lessons I learnt during my pain-years is to enjoy the moment! Don't save that bottle of champagne I know a lot of you have in your fridges for a special occasion. When that occasion occurs you might not be able to drink it for whatever reason. Drink it on a normal Tuesday with someone you want to share it with. And enjoy it!

7. What music do you listen to when you are getting ready for a night out?

That depends on who I'm getting ready with! With my sister we usually put on something that really rocks, and gets you in a party mood. If I go out with my vintage friends I usually listen to something older, like Billie Holiday for example.

8. If you could live in another era, what era would you chose?

If I could live in another era I would choose the 18th century! I would just love to have been able to experience the lavish balls held at Versailles during the good years!

9. Do you have a favorite quote or motto in your life?

My favorite quote comes from Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night: "If music be the food of love, play on". I have it tattooed over my right side ribs.

10. What is your favorite scent?

My favorite scent comes from my favorite flowers - Lilly of the Valleys. That scent is just so pure and seductive at the same time!

11. If you could recommend one book you really think people should read, what book would that be?

I'm a real book-nerd, but this question is an easy one. The one book everyone should read is Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe!

Edgar Allan Poe

Full moon

At last - the moon if full yet again! For all my new readers I can tell you I'm a lunatic, and therefore always do a little full moon post when this lovely globe shines at her brightest!

This was the first of the, now seven, tattoos I had etched into my skin - a growing moon! It's on the inside of my left wrist...

...And then some lovely music to enjoy in the moonlight: "The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness" with the Finnish band "HIM". This song sounds very different from the rest of their music - but it's still lovely...