new monsters

I made two new monsters - or I should say guardian spirits: one is the monster of plum tree and the second - of the forrest. Of course, they look like monsters anyway. But it's fun to make them. Will they be liked as Lucky? Lucky was lucky enough to make lots of friends, but how about them?
If everything goes well today I will take them - in brand new packages - to the Elf Bookstore, my favourite bookstore with children books. The owner, who selects really good books with awesome artistc illustrations, not just average mass production, is interested in handmade softies and wants some supply. Good for me.
They are both decorated with ribbons and felt. And some embroidery - like this little bird saying "chearp". It's a Polish forrest monster so even birds are saying in Polish - well, patriots. This monster is protector of wild animals, like this hare and wolf - finger puppet. And the other, the smaller one - is protector of orchard.
I believe they are nice. Adam was frankly and said that my kitties and bear are much better, but anyway I'll take my chance and take them to the Elf.
I have to hurry untill Ada's having a nap - in the evening I'm going to Torun. What a luck that next week I won't - on Thursday is Corpus Christi and two days holiday! In such occasions I think it's great to live in the country domineered by Roman-Catholicism. I should be happy to meet my students, and I am, but all that travelling and leaving to raise my child to someone else ... - no use to say it again.

crochet, knitting and woven

Today I have to write about the recieved part of swap with Trinlay Khadro (flickr friend, of course). Last Wednesday our postman delivered me a parcel and in this I found such things: beautiful Japanese style piece of fabric, funny trims and yarns for decoration, selectection of vintage buttons - thank you! two gorgeous crochet pins, some yogo sweets.......... amazing origami - it's a griffon!!! I've never seen anything like that. Beautiful, actually for me - awesome. Trinlay is a great admirer of Japanese stuff. And even her cats Japanese names.
The largest parcel was filled with - tra la! The kitty - crochet, turquoise kitty! I saw this kitty once among her photos and liked it very much. When she offered a swap we chose "kitty" theme at once. (I hope she'll like my kitty too).

I love the features of this kitty - it's so cute and funny. Usually I'm not fond of safety eyes - actually do not believe in their safety, but these are big and look stable, and we don't have a dog to bite them. And those eyes give the kitty so bright look! If Ada was not interested in having it, I would keep it for myself - it's soft and cuddly, yum. :)
But I hadn't had much time to enjoy to full those beautiful gifts when the time of my every week trip came. This time I was on my way to Sandomierz, for a conference for change, with a stop for the night in Krakow, at Grazyna Brylewska's place. Ms Brylewska is fantastic person, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, she used to be an assistent of Magdalena Abakanowicz then, and now she has unique collection of toys. Crochet mostly, but she has also some jewels like Peruvian doll representing mother and child, dressed in original Maya woven fabric. Perfect gift for somebody who dedicated one's artistic life to textile, as she does (she was not Abakanowicz' assistant for nothing). As Grazyna told me, it had been a gift, otherwise she wouldn't keep a doll made of such a precious antique fabric. But the doll is beautiful. I like such images of motherhood.
Among her collection of crochet dolls and goods Grazyna has also crochet "wig with pigtails". This "wig" is for her cat! We couldn't stop laughing watching blue Persian lady with a head decorated with pigtails. Cat stood our silly laughter with dignity.

I should be going to sleep early then, so did Grazyna, but we were both talkative and discussed a lot about dolls. I made plenty of shots, and then I got a knitted teddy bear as a gift! Perfect companion for a trip, I must say! Maybe he's not the most handsome teddy bear I've ever seen but he's very curious in everything and open minded enough to make friends. Good for me, I have to refresh my experience with a field work, which means talking to strangers and interviewing. Communication skills are asset in my profession, so Sigfrid can be excellent social anthropologist.
When I woke up the next morning he was sitting on my chest, waiting for my awakening, ready for adventure!
So we went to Sandomierz by bus, took lots of photos, meet some new people, participated in great conference and had wonderful time then. (Sigfrid had even better time than me - longing for my baby girl). But about that - next time. Today I have to upload photos of Trinlay's gifts on flickr.

P.S. The freshest news: I have writen my first html code - to connect BUST's button with a link. I've NEVER did it before but it works! Well - I'm scholar in humanities....
P.P.S. Trinlay sais that this griffon is not a griffon but a dragon. For me it's even more auspicious because I just love dragons and this one is perfect. I can only make cranes - flying or nesting, and hats, but such a creation is beyond my experience. First I wanted to make in my part of swap an origami for her (crane, of course), but I'll better resign - she's too good in making origami herself. Well, when I mention swap: making kimono outfit for kitty for her was a challenge for me, actually. And took long. Trinlay has some kimonos herself - as I could see on her photostream, so will be judge. I hope not too severe.

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day in Poland. I should be writing about the conference I participated in last few days, in Sandomierz ("Praise of the Province" - wonderful), short visit to Krakow friend's (hillarious), swap (I received from Trinlay a kitty!!!!) or about my softies (some new and some news), but since Wednesday I missed my baby so much I want to write about her only.

That's her. - 17 month now, 10 teeth, some words, talkativeness and vivid expression, high spirit, running and playing all days long.
Tonight, when I came home after 7 hours trip, Adam opened the door for me, saying "do not be angry, but i've found something strange and beautiful, and could not help myself taking it with me". He loves to joke this way. We both were looking at her sleeping calmly in our bed with silly smiles of people in love. Though she should'n sleep in our bed! But after few days of longing I just had to smell her pure, innocent smell, feel her fluffy hair and to hear her saying "AM" which means "my milk source came at last and I want her to breastfeed me; where have you been mama?".

In the down left and down right corners of the photo below - Ada while 1 month. She was so fragile, and small.... I pitty I hadn't made some more documentary, foot or hands prints. I just keep some onesies of her first days. (Beside photos of Ada on the wall there are some photos of me and Adam, my parents and black cow of my production).
I know it is not connected with the subject, but I still keep a drawing by my sister Justyna that she'd made at 6 for mother - it was... 13 years ago!!! Gosh... No, there's a connection - Justyna was my baby then. I was 15 when she was born and I took care of her a lot! I feel this connection even now, but I know she has a mother. And so do I :) And now my little sister is finishing her high school.
Children's drawings are wonderful - it seems like all children are artist, and growing (or adults) take their talents from them. Justyna is not drawing or painting anymore though she made many EXCELLENT paintings, drawings (even some tiles in my parent's bathroom are decorated by her drawings). I hope Ada will follow her mother's way and keep drawing - she started recently from some sketches in dictionary....
Ada and her hero - the father. Beloved daddy, heehee. Sometimes I envy him - he's still with her when I'm away, travelling to work.... I should say - he is with her, but taking care of her lat in the evenings. His mother is taking care of her that days when I'm absent. And THAT makes me angry - recently Ada've learned to use chamber-pot regularly and to communicate her needs - and I was not here! She went to the shop to buy new booties - and she gave money to the shop-girl - and I was not here to see it! I can not resign from my position of lecturer at the university, I can't, when I want to be associate professor soon. But I can move to Torun with her...

I love to photograph her while sleeping. Calmness, cuteness, silence, and beauty. All children are like that, I know, but Ada seems to be the love of my life :)
I like her teeth - it looks so funny. I love her laughter - fortunately she'a laughing a lot.

I'm glad that I'm her mother - for sure. I do not want to remeber that I disliked children or rather were saying that: "I love children - with bacon and onion especially" :D Maybe someday I will have some more children (when I was teenager I wanted to have at least four children, sons, today - I changed my mind, girls are just as fine).

And Happy Mother's Day - mama!!!! I remember about you, dear and sent you all my spare love and lots of hugs and kisses.

But if I want any change in my life and in the world it's for Ada. That's the reason I get involved in charity or want to tribute someway in The One Campaigne. For One Race - Human Race.

Some good design or wish list

Recently I've been thinking that Ada needs a special place to play hide and seek, to store her toys without danger of messing all the house and that we break our legs stepping on them. And actually, I think about cardboard house for her. My favourite one is the last one - I picked this photo from hereFrom the same site of juniorsociety.com I took the above set of knife, fork and spoon by Alessi - that's something to satisfy parent by the label and to stimulate child to eat - with such pals eating can be fun! I like Alessi - especially Stark's designs.... ehm.
Here there is a dogshark taken from blobby farm. Very pleasant critter. The uglier the better :)

And again - some photographs from < href="http://www.juniorsociety.com"> hear - but picked especially for the middle picture of hangings by the Eames couple. And the beutiful chair. I hate that I'm not computer experienced and I know NOT how to apply link into text - it's far too complicated for me now. So far I've learned how to change template, add links, photos and such. I'll learn - I promise myself. But all hangers are great - IKEA are cute also.
Winter Water Factory is company I like - I like the site for its friendly design, prints, accessories and outfits they make for children. Onesie with car is cool. Screenprint is cool, actually.
Toys made of paper are fantastic - Japans are real masters in such designs. The idea and presicion of this creation amazes me.
One of my favourite sites is Italian : they have marvellous furniture for children, wit and sophisticated but eco-friendly also. And I share their idea that good design and handcraft are very socializing and children should have beautiful object of their everydaylife to grow in awareness of beauty, sensitiveness and responsibility. Oh, it sounds like a statement.
I love Entertaining Elephants for their vintage style reversible A-shape dresses, yummy and retro-style web design.
Recently they have some new skirts and dresses and cargo pants - everything looking good.

Starting toys making I've made a real survey through internet to know GOOD examples of design for children. Worldwide. Always modern never trendy. I need to write an article about it - when I'll be free from preparing lectures, laboratories and free from everyweek 500 km travels to work and then back!

My sister's birthday

Today is 19th anniversary of my sister - Justyna. She's passing her final exams in high school. Poor her, she had to resign of kendo national team to focus on her maturity exams and next-to-be-studies. Hope, everything will be fine. I'm sure, everything will be fine. She wants to study graphic design and computer science, lol. I prefer humanities, any ingeneering studies are amazing for me :). Actually, 3:30 a.m. when I'm writing these very words is about the time she was born! I could sent her sms if she wasn't asleep already. Happy birthday, sis!!!!! xxx

I learned today about Eduardo Recife, Brazilian designer who designed some astonishing typefaces. Some of them are available for free, some - for commercial use. It's pitty but I couldn't install them on my computer - I need some computer science lessons propably! But fonts are great and I like it very much. I decided to put link to his website on my blog among other very inspiring and creative "cre8ives". I like Max Rhode font inspired by his very own handwriting.

All the moments Ada was with her father I was trying to spend developing my work - about modern design and it's folklore influences. I want to be prepared for conference in Sandomierz. There will be Zbigniew Benedyktowicz who is one of my favourite social anthropologists and ethnographers - I admire his keen eye for modern art and gentle personality as well. Besides being interesting scholar and good writing publisher, he's a wise person and it's not a common thing. Either his gentleness - in our scholar circles especially. I've never heard him speaking ill of anybody. If I will speak at all, I will speak about Piatek - the village which is geographical centre of Poland but in any way can be centre of enything. It's margin of life, province, woop-woop land... - and I know some artists who want to awake this strange neighbourhood by some artistic events and founding Museum of the Middle of Poland. I'm very curious of the results.

Japanese dress for kitty is beautiful. trinlayk - I hope - will like it. Her idea about making black cat with green eyes was good - kitty looks fine. I wonder what she did. For a swap which i s American word for an exchange, heheheh. I want to make some more kitties of that kind (limited edition, of course) to present them at indie babies - as soon as possible. I count on Adam's help in everyday care for Ada during summer vacations - as a teacher he'll have almost two months holidays. And then I can learn for my next semester lectures by days and sew by nights :)

Finger puppets

The best thing is to think a little without stress. So did I and solved my "problem" with signing into the blog. It was not a problem, of course. But first I had to change a subject of thinking for a while - it's easy when your child wants something to eat or to change a nappy. And Ada wanted both.

My princess likes new finger puppets a lot - to eat especially. She is 17 months now and still wants to put everything into her mouth. 8 teeth have to work. They are not for babies like her, rather toddlers or kids, or parents to make a theatre. The reason is very simple - felt is not chewing resistant.

The hare is one of Ada's favourite productions of mine - it has handle ears and that's good. And girlie-bear Sophie I want to keep for Ada. The others will go for adoptions.


Propably Miss June (or her clone) will go for an auction. I believe in giving back and I've received so much good that I want to share. With Hospice for children, for instance,
www.gajusz.org.pl - when I first saw those children I couldn't stop crying. I hope someone reach will buy her!

I'm still glad for making little makeover for June the Hare - now she's pretty and cute as I wanted her to be. Of course, she was charming and pretty even before. But I don't regret.

Finger puppets are good - maybe it doesn't sound modest but in my opinion they are cute. And I can make some more of them easily. I want to put them into my etsy shop. Soon.

Ada was soooo happy to see me yesterday that I was breastfeeding about 5 hours..... Propably she wants beastfeeding not as a food but as a warm contact and socializing with mother. Anyway it takes hours after my few days absence. We need to move to Torun - it's 1000 km then and back, it takes too much time. I do not want to be separated from her for half a week every week! I miss her the moment I close the door!

Pyza reminded me how cute and funny hamsters are. I used to have hamsters - as I remeber, once I had even 11 hamsters and it was too much of cuteness ;) But generally, though they are not easy animals, they look sweet and can be nice pets. And they don't smell like guinea pigs....

I like the idea that this year is a year of the Pig. My bother George is Chinese Pig. I am an Ox. My Ada is Rooster and her father is Dragon - oh, yes, he is. I gathered pig and hamster together in a photo, because they are both rather chubby. I like chubby :)I wanted pig's little hoofs to look as natural as possible.
I like little fangs of this wolf. I wanted him to be funny but still dangerous.
And little lamb hidden in mother's fur. Next time I'll make it better and I know what to improve. Photo especially. Lamb has to have its ears visible. And I want to make labs in a shape of softies. Maybe even this idea - mother with a lamb in 3D.
I have an idea how to make them keychains. That will be my next work.
I finally finished my kitty for swap. In few days I will sent it.
And afterwords go to Sandomierz for ethnological - anthropological conference!!!! Hurrah!

finger puppets - set.

finger puppets - set.
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

O, excellent - I wanted to do good and to add banner ot one.org and propably I stucked my blog! It would be pitty, indeed for me because I've just started having fun with blogging... Well, we'll see.
These are my newest creations - photographed not just scanned, as recently :) I like hamster and I made inspired by photographs of pyza and her hamster on leash. Other creatures are rather obvious: cats and dog are popular, black sheep is always black sheep of the family, and pigglet is a sign of current year: the Year of the Pig. So it is a auspicious mascot. Making themn was fun and I want to make some some.
And not to change my blog again!!!! What to do with it?

finger puppets.....

finger puppets
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

Travelling last night from about 500 km by train, I did this set. If I can not sleep I sew. Set is not complete yet, if I want to have 10 puppets. Well, actually I did make complete set, but I gave a frog, another cat and bird - die Elster (I forgot the English name...) - I gave as gifts to my friends. The only pitty that I didn't photographed them before! :) Those little ones are not photographed either - I scanned them. Tommorrow I will make some photos to show details. Next thing is to make nice packages.

Or I won't make any photos tommorrow - usually, when I come back home Ada wants my constant attention and care and caresses for a day or two (or three). I understand that and I pitty her for every week lack of mother. But she has her daddy with her! (Will she be spoiled because of my felling guilty I leave her?)

Such gloomy mood I have because longing for Ada and after watching "Munich" movie by Spielberg. Eric Bana is really cute but story told in the film is completely unbelievable and ... insane! I really worry about the Middle East situation and how it influences us. Janusz Kaminski is great photographer - it's obvious especially in battle scenes.

Today there is a second day of photo festival here in Lodz and I saw some interesting exhibitions: "Piatek w centrum uwagi" about village of Piatek (Friday) - geographical centre of Poland. Very much anthropological project - mother asked me to write about it. It's great idea.
And I saw photos by Yann Arthus-Berthrand "The Earth from the sky". Beautiful photos, of course, but for me descriptions were even better - contras between the text and illustration was huge. But they should be shoking if they are going to awaken us. So much beauty in the world made me touched and sad, of course. What can I do to save it for Ada and other children? Uhm, I thing that this and the movie it was too much for me for one day....

Ok, I'll better go to sleep - I have a train to Bielsko-Biala at 6:07 a.m.

ambush makeover

Miss June, one of our pets-friends, was suggested to take part in "ambush makeover". And she took part in it! I was not very excited by the idea, but result amazed me. So did her. And at result inflenced a big change in her life: now she is more optimistic than ever. Many creatures become to like her. Now she is changed - her appeal improved just a little bit, but what's more important, she doesn't have such a gloomy look as she used to have! Thanks goodness! :) It worke out great!!! Bit of lipstick and gloss, some more blush on her chicks, and new outfit, of course - and her we have a new girl! She still loves gardening, fortunately. But her new mood, smile and new self-confidence make her friends. And right after her blossoming into beautiful HARE (not bunny, hare) she has new aquitances: kitty, pigglet and butterfly. Now she seems to be happy at last, I'm happy for her! Miss June after little makeover - with her companions she is very active now, working all days and having fun in the evenigs. Now she has a social diary full.

I decided to change a bit my beloved June because I realized her look was rather gloomy, and not friendly. Then I stuffed her more (yes!), and resewed her arms, made a new apron with a large pocket for utensils or friends. She seems more kitchy, but Ada likes her more now and for me it's a sign that children prefer more smiling creatures than not.

Kitty for swap is almost ready.... But my banner for etsy shop is not. And I'm working on some stock for my new shop, actually. kazawaproject.com has new intro - DD made it clear that site is under construction. Better this than nothing.

Ada's learned new word "cytryna" - "lemon" and she speaks "ceenya". And she calls "babe" every child and young person she sees.