Summer, you are wonderful! I'm telling you this as an adult but once you hear it from those that enjoy it to the fullest, I bet you're done. Because summer belongs to kids and their ideas and this colourful playground always does the trick. As you can see, the beauty of it is in the simplicity, just a handful of rails needed for a lively rhythm of bodies navigating between objects. I watched Nadia and her cousins for a short while before all the laughing began and I had no choice but to grab my camera and make it my new favourite - snap and entertain, have fun and snap. If there was a need of my career path change, I'd assume to be a great force at making kids laugh. It's not easy job, you know. Kids always spot the first sign of artificiality, the trick, the fake connection so I had to think fast and react accordingly. They were the best moments. Older playground occupants laughed their socks off at a thought of me not being able to locate any children there but monkeys making funny noises while hanging with their heads down. The youngest of them accompanied the fun because he thought that this monkey business was a great idea. There is no way to go wrong while there are little people to share the fun with and sink all of the energy into doing any small thing that will get everyone into the right mood. Have a great week, friends! x
The sun is already up and I don't consider morning to be my best writing hour so I'll proceed with something my mind can handle at this unearthly moment. Nail painting used to be a challenging, nerve wrecking experience for my cuticles, something I wasn't inclined to take on again - picture all kinds of uneven lines, spills, unsteady hands creating more chaos than the design was calling for. As time flew by and my fingers found the right rhythm, I saw some really satisfying results guaranteed to please any eye. I know, it's not revolutionary but I won't fight the nice feeling of having my nails decorated. By myself.
Who is this idea for? A playful soul who wants to enjoy the season without worrying too much about trends and tools needed to create that slight distraction around her cuticles. Have fun decorating, ladies! x
►►► Nadia is a ballerina, an adventurer, an artist, it really depends on her mood and resources available. |
►►► If I wear it, you wear it too... A reindeer stepping outside her comfort zone. |
►►► Getting there at an impressively fast rate. |
►►► I need to kiss this face immediately! |
►►► It's rare that you will ever find Nadia without some sort of creative accessories. Busy week ahead, lazy days around carpeted floor will always find her with less or more serious content to get focused on. |
►►► She gets more and more comfortable in our big bed. Yep, that's exactly what's happening around here. And if absolutely necessary, she might just stay there. |
►►► Nadia's most beloved activity, sun or rain, school days or not. But let's be real -- the resources are vanishing faster than what says on the box so we do pay attention. |
►►► A little something to make my workspace more fun. (Tweaking, changing, re-designing will always be my second name after I've taught the world to pronounce my first correctly ;) |
►►► One vintage piece at a time (here are members of my dad's family, doesn't the photo look like a screenshot from Al Capone's movie?) |
►►► There's a lot of hard work put into each letter and sign. And it makes all that travel a breeze. |
►►► Committed to staying cute x |
►►► Stuff yourself crazy at a vintage fair! It was super fun to browse through history I became aware of the minute my nostrils had their share. But it was really worth the wait. |
After all that cross-country traveling we finally got to enjoy some time in one place, part of it being an array of colour and amazement - a circus! To add intrigue to the whole experience you'll know without guessing who was most excited (excluding the bunch of animals of course). We snapped the tickets up as soon as we stumbled upon the posters announcing the biggest circus in Europe visiting town we were staying in. It was so fun to watch a small dark space transformed through light that bounced around magically to my camera lens' delight and Nadia's enormous surprise. We have a serious love for wild animals but we don't see them as often as we would prefer. So any chance to enjoy their presence is snapped right up. We had my mum-in-law by our side and my cousin right near and I'll tell you this, it is that time I value more than anything else.
►►► Nadia thought this trip would be so rad and it surely was. Soon all of that will happen again. x |
There are things that will never change, just like lyrics to any widely recognised song. Give it a new beat, fill the space with instruments, strip or boost frequencies - the words remain intact. Just like I will always look too slender, underweight, not eating enough for my parents' liking. Ten years before and ten years ahead. I'll always be greeted with kisses, hugs and a serious look down my clothes hanging too loose or showing the bony features instead and reminded the benefits of a full plate. Am I at peace with it? Yes and no. Yes, because I can't fight the norm, the way they will always worry about me; no because ugh! I have always been teeny tiny and I flipping like it and please, there are other things I do better than eat. And cook. Those we can discuss.
And Nadia, definitely my skin and bones, body that runs wild as it's watched from afar. The last one to finish her meal, the first to use up all energy generated from God knows what. She always preferred what her daddy cooked because well -- I am still learning and he has definitely improved. So there's abundance of poultry and side salads, bread, finger food on the go, occasional snack covered in cocoa mostly melting itself to its original form on the table. New veg are greeted with reluctance, fruit is limited to a few kinds. But it's changing, she keeps asking for new tastes, new colours, it is delight to watch her trying. And just on occasions she likes to have her English toast with jam or butter, eaten to the last crumb. We're catching up, definitely.
Another day, another episode of what's reported to be the best time ever. We said our goodbyes to my dad and rushed into the arms of a big town cause you know, girls need not to be overwhelmed all at once. It was unbelievably hot as we walked through the gate of a neighbouring zoo to see most of the animals hiding in the shade and soon we had to start thinking like them enjoying mini breaks on benches scattered around on much too big area. Pure indulgence. Nadia was super excited to start with but didn't stay too long in one place, expected rather a lot from slow in their motion giraffes and other interesting creatures so it was noticeable enough we would move on with our life pretty soon finding things worth doing elsewhere. The highlight of the adventure was my dear friend we brought along to share sugar doughnuts and all the fun with to finally wrap the day up in her kitchen over delicious feta salad with garlic baguette, a feast that involves taking advantage of the first days of summer.
I'm a countryside girl deep inside my relaxed being. The coolness of a forest will never be enough for me in this world so I guess I must have been a deer or a hare in a previous life due to ecstatically finding countless occasions to stop and stare, sniff and gaze, squat and search with both hands in the undergrowth. But do note it only happens outside the crowded pedestrian areas just so I can happily remain within the company of mentally healthy population. Summer is everywhere right now but it was just beginning to warm up on the days of our trip not so long ago. It didn't matter a great deal, I'm talking my childhood landscapes, my dad showing me work of his hands on the fertile soil so it was a mix of pieces I've loved and longed for seeing again. The weather wouldn't be able to spoil it one bit.
We spent three days at the house my dad has built almost himself with new and hand-me-down materials that seemed like a permanent building site instead of being a place we want to linger. Then suddenly after a couple of years of scarcity the trees started to grow manically, my dad introduced new features in abundance into the enclosure. Most of the products used have a back story behind them creating zones that embrace every mood. I'll have you all hooked up on the place soon, we're spending a week in the woods this July so be warned. And as a new owner of this place I'm starting to mentally dive into different projects to make it more family-friendly and bit personal but above all a one that is completely unspoilt by the civilization. The idea behind this trip was mostly business but hear me shout out loud every time a fly buzzes in my ear - this is where I could end up living day in, day out while Nadia is only just becoming smitten with the space and freedom it creates. She made it her personal mission to find the weirdest stick and the shapeless stone, I just watched her excitement grow offering generous amounts of earthy finds. Below are some of my favourite moments of doing not much than just enjoying each breath. Have a great day friends!