life

it's been busy lately. odd times, not bad, but I'd rather see them gone anyway...
this year has been a huge challange - I've been living in between different places, people and duties, spending long hours on trains, sleeping on different beds and couches, longing for sth more stable to come. most of the time totally hard up and lost without a place I'd be able to call home. it's so incredibily difficult to live with a feeling that wherever you go, you reach the very same place - and that this is not the right place for you. at this point journey is not an alternative: the ability to come back home makes journey what it is.

almost three years ago I've decided to leave everything and move to belgrade to be with mr. sewer. I've packed all my stuff and moved them to my parents house 200 km away from gdańsk, left job in a cultural centre, returned keys to my rented apartment and - with no clear plan and savings - got on a bus to belgrade. some people think it was brave, I say it was a thing to do.
belgrade wasn't easy, but was very important and I never regreted going there - even during this long struggle after I got back to poland last year.

now I'm finally back in gdańsk for a while - I've rented a good appartment, I work for another cultural institution, pay my rent and wait for mr. sewer to visit. for many it may seem like nothing's changed, but for me this is a totally different life. I learn - step by step - this new reality, try not to make the same mistakes as I used to, struggle not to forget about things I've learnt and planned. old, well known frames are sometimes misleading, so I keep my eyes open, try to build a new, good rutine and finally really be where I am. I guess this will take me a while.
this is not a dream-reality, this is a compromise on the way of making dreams a reality and that's perfectly fine for now:)

I know I sometimes smuggle some facts from my life here, but I never really said how this life has been looking like lately. I love this silly blog and I would love to be here more often, but the lack of some stability can make blogging impossible from time to time.
even now, when everything should be easier, I have a feeling that even though changes happen fast, getting used to them is a more time consuming process.

but it's all ok. life's good.

-oh

easy purse makeover DIY

hello, hello! today I want to show you a purse that I've been wearing quite often lately.
I got it (or actually stole:)) from my mother, who bought it in a second hand shop - it looked all right, though - as for my taste - was a bit too dull and screamed for a tiny makeover...
this is how it used to look like originally:

and this is how it looks like right now:)
I know that the combination of colours may seem a bit strange and not really fitted well, but I like it a lot. the purse itself is pretty simple and I wanted it to get wilder, so I decided that light violet will be just fine.

and this is how I did it (it's baby simple!):
materials - fine sandpaper, universal spray paint (I used some leftovers), paper tape
1 step - use the sandpaper to make the surface rough, otherwise the paint won't stick. and watch out - you don't want to make a hole!
2 step - use a paper tape to secure these parts of the purse that you don't want to paint
3 step - spray the paint carefully, most probably you'll need to cover it with two layers. just make sure you give the paint some time to get dry before second layer.
and just one little tip: when you paint with a spray paint, remember not to hold the can too close to the surface. a thick layer of paint won't look good!

easy? yes!

have a great weeken!
-oh

a special place

I was born and grow up at the sea. and when the time of my studies came, I moved to a bigger city - also at the sea. there is no better place to think, to rest, to play and to disappear than a sandy beach overlooking the greyest of all seas, the baltic sea.
a friend of mine once told me she nearly drowned when she was a little girl - she was afraid of water since then. but now as an adult she discovered that whenever she feels vulnerable she automatically turns to the sea, a river, a lake. water calms her down, gives her strenght and clears her mind.
I like that story. water as a threat, water as a friend. hypnotyzing, always on the move.

there is one place near my hometown that I love particularly - a beautiful combination of a wide sandy beach and a dense forest. it's this specific kind of forest with lots of coniferous trees and ground that is a mixture of soil and sand. you have to find your way through the forest to get to the sea.
during summer we used to go there often with mr sewer and I'd give much to be there in this very moment:)

have a good sunday afternoon!
-oh

and the beloved summer trio: seaside, bike & boyfriend:)

easy sweatshirt doily-application DIY

oh, and again I've managed to disappear from here for a little while. it wasn't planned, but all this fuss with moving and starting kind of a new life... well, I guess it just has to take time. I even missed the fact that autumn's here and it's not a baby autumn any more, but a real grown up and a bit gloomy lady.

I want to show you sth that I actually done last spring, but never had a chance to post here - an easy sweatshirt application DIY.
the idea was simple - I needed sth that would hide name of the brand (hate clothes with brands and logos all over) and because I was in a hurry, this had to be a quick action. and so I thought: how about some old doilies? :)

this is how it goes:

1. put your sweatshirt flat
2. prepare all materials: doilies, scissors, pins, needle and thread same colour as the doilies



3. place all doilies the way you want them to be attached
4. pin each doily
5. 6. start sewing the doilies - it's best to start with the largest. sew them on the edges and procede to catch some stitches in the middle - it will prevent them from ruffling



et voila;)

I've been wearing my sweatshirt for a few months now and there are no sad surprises - nothing's falling apart or ruffling even after a few encounters with a washing machine.
hope you'll like it:)

-oh

moving out, moving in

theoretically things you do often should get easier with time. and it's true on one hand, and it's so not true on the other.
during the past 12 years I've moved like 16 or 17 times, there were months of my 'homelessness' when I lived at my friends' houses - two weeks here, 10 days there. now I'm kind of an expert when it comes to packing, selecting stuff, looking for a new appartment. it got easy, almost effortless.
but on the other hand, it's not so much of an adventure any more. it's practical: one has to live somewhere. maybe the fact that for years things were so temporary and unsure used to give me a kick - it's good to check oneself, see what you really can when a situation gets difficult. but after so many years, I just feel I don't need more checking, I've passed all my exams and should happily graduate:)
yup, I'm moving again and instead of a decent kick, I feel just some tickling...


after almost two years spent in belgrade and some months in my hometown I officially move back to gdansk. as some people say: it's time to start a new chapter.

fingers crossed!
-oh