I spy with my little eye...

People often ask me if I speak to my son in English. Well, when I was pregnant I guess my son was unwittingly exposed to English language. I told my students to speak perfect English and use only good grammar round my belly. I sometimes sing to him and read in English. I believe in nurturing young talents. I got my first English Dictionary when I was a little girl and it dazzled me with its pictures and bright captions. I will be eternally grateful to my parents who instilled the passion to learn English in me and took proper care to foster my talent. 
My son's first picture dictionary is made of a wooden board I found in an antique shop and decorated with alphabet flashcards (unfortunately A-T only) If it evinces his interest  I'll be more than happy. 

Hand-me-downs or hang-me-ups?

As a typical hoarder I always have a problem with getting rid of redundant stuff. In terms of clothes I keep them just in case I might shed a few kilos, or make some alterations, or in hope for a miraculous comeback in fashion. And you know what? I DID shed 7 kilos, therefore HAD TO make SOME alterations, and some of my clothes are so 90' that they fall into the Vintage category. Hehe.

As for my son's clothes, I handed some of them to my friends' children and kept some in case God endows me with one more son. For the time being, I've decided to hang the cutest ones up to remind me of how small he was. An there they are, in his room, above his bed. 

Busy bee

Spring has come. My plants have grown so much I had to change their flower pots. One of them serves as a lampshade, one as a toy. What do you busy yourselves with? May your heads blossom with new upcycling ideas.

UPCYCLE!

    I am a hoarder. What is more I hoard not only my own stuff but others' too. I freed  my family and friends from a stack of magazines and racked my brains how to transform them into something useful and nice. My son's going to be crawling soon so our living room has to spacious and child- friendly. I found this great idea how to transform a stack of old magazines into a stool-cum-coffee table. Check out the prototype and my version without a pillow. Apart from the above listed functions it can also serve as a baby walker:)

Cushioning effect:)

NO STARK WALLS

 When my husband and I decided to move to our own flat we thought the place only needed finishing touches. But we were so wrong. In the end we ended up renovating bathroom, kitchen, and three rooms! Our mission impossible started when I was 8 months pregnant and finished on the day when my newborn son and I left hospital. Crazy! Pandemonium reigned everywhere. Luckily, the baby's room was ready and almost perfect. The only thing that jarred my eyes were stark walls. Gradually, I started filling them with handmade pictures. I used table mats, ribbons, buttons, cardboard box, coloured paper and postcards.

This one is really precious. It's a collage made from  the bday and xmas cards my older sis sent me.:-***

THE ART OF STORYTELLING

My son's journey to the land of nod starts at about 8 p.m with bedtime stories. His book supplies are still scarce but carefully chosen. Most of them are my own beloved books I got as a child. I have been bitten by the reading bug when I borrowed my first book from a school library. It was "Plastusiowy pamietnik"- a story about an adorable Plasticine figure with protruding ears who lived in a pencil case. Magical! I'm a bookworm myself and will try to instil the passion for books in my son too. 

My son's first home library. 

CORK:)

My favourite Cork Buddy:)

Rumour has it that Cork people moved to the "White Place" somewhere in the north of Poland. Local people are concerned with their unusual behaviour. Apparently the newcomers are constantly tripping over, telling the "knock knock- who's there?" jokes and claiming they can speak Italian;) (babli bubli) In the picture: Michael O'Machonski and his family.

SESAME STORIES

When I was a little girl I used to subscribe to the monthly "Sesame Street". It was the sort of a magazine which sent my imagination reeling and provided so many great ideas for DIY projects. My sister and I identified ourselves with main characters. I was the sort of a younger sister who was constantly asking irritating questions and pestering everyone. Therefore, I had a deep affinity for Ernie and my sister, having a low patience threshold, for Bert. 
My friend Mike even considered having a Cookie Monster tattoo! I wonder if this is what he had on his mind?:)   

                                                         

BAG LADY

"A room with a view but without curtains". I don't like curtains! Especially lace curtains!!! My first flat I rented in Cracow was gorgeous, tastefully designed by the owners, situated in the heart of the old part of the city in a dilapidated tenement. I loved its high ceilings, creaking wooden floors, the hubbub of the street outside the window. There was only one thing missing. The sun creeping through my bedroom window and staying over for dinner time. When I moved to my own flat I was "radiantly" happy to discover that the whole place is a suntrap! So I vowed never to obscure the view from my window by drawing the curtains. I only decorated it with.... spare gift bags, newspaper and coloured paper. What say you;)?

                                       

MOBILE GEMS

My son's interest in toys flags quite quickly and has to be constantly stimulated. I try to revive it with all that glitters, moves, buzzez and jingles. I used two coat hangers and old pieces of jewelry and bingo! Attention captured!

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Ladies and gentlemen. This is the place where NASA performs their strictly confidential experiments and sends them to outer space. In our innocently looking loo. Such a shame it's an effort flushed down the toilet. Hehe:)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When I was pregnant I didn't have any unusual whims. My husband had to reason with me and persuade me to treat myself to something I don't usually eat, something fattening. "What will you remember from your pregnancy if you don't devour something forbidden at least once" he said. Funny because men usually fear their women will put on weight and change beyond recognition after giving birth. Finally I caved in. What is even funnier is that I indulged myself with something he loves, namely a hamburger. That was the second time in my life. But what I really craved for at that time and always do were ice creams. The devine taste of ice creams from Grodzka and Starowislna Street in Cracow remains the sweetest food memory from my pregnancy. 

In sweet memory of: sponge and beret muffin, basket and bra(!) ice cream, sponge and bra piece of cake. And the said hamburger. Hung in my kitchen as a reminiscent of...

PLAIN SAILING

 Life is plain sailing. Everything is on an even keel despite occasional storms in a teacup. Sometimes we are all at sea but we are learning the ropes. If something rocks our boat it's the wind of change (haha). Our ship has come. There is a sea of possibilities. 

A few pictures I made for my son to decorate his marine room:) Once again I used anything that was at hand ( scarf, sleeve, string, pillowslip) and it took me 20 minutes.