Christmas greeting cards and a giveaway!

Dear Friend,

We are almost in December (a few more hours and we are there).
Thousands of lights will soon illuminate in the city centres and thousands of lights and emotions will fill our hearts. Beautiful time of the year. And this smell of hot wine with spices...and gingerbreads, and coffee with cinnamon, and... Christmas time is coming! New Year is coming!
For this ocassion I prepared for you two, brand new collections of "MiMi greeting cards".
One is very magical and colorful. One is simple and elegant. All of them made with great love.
For sure you will find your favourte which you wish to send to your beloved.

How to orderr MiMi greeting cards?
Just write emial on: mimiinjojo@gmail.com in topic write: Mimi-greeting cards.
In email write which cards or which collection you wish and postal adress on which you wish to get your cards. I will write you back to confirm your order and send you details of bank account for payment.

Costs:
1 greeting card = 2€
4 greeting cards (one collection) = 6€
postal costs depends on country and weight of your order

update:
After great feedback on my FB I decided to make a little giveaway. If you wish to get a colletion of Mimi-Christmas cards, in a comment under this post write which of this two collections you choose and why. Share this post on your FB (if you don't have Facebook share it on your blog).
On the 15th of December I will randomly choose one of you. The happy winner will get collection of cards. I will sent them immediately so that you can use cards for this Christmas! :-)

update no2:
we already know who is the winner!
Our randomly choosen winner is EMILIA MAKARO!
Congratulations!
Emilia, please send me your postal adress that I can send you the magical collection of MiMi-greeting cards:)

elegant collection: 

1.houses

2.the star

3. rabbit

4.santa

magical collection: 

1.town

2. the star

 3. angel

4. winter forest

a litte toy dog

Last week our little Kalina get a present. Very sweet little toy- a dog head (ok I know it sounds a liitle bit scary;). It was really cute, but I couldn't help myslef to "redecorate" it a little bit....

how it was:

how it is now:

and in the progress:

Ljubljana's chicken

This is how Ljubljana's chickens look like:

They are very simmilar to pigeons, but unlike pigeons they won't fly away if you come with your bike, stroller or if you just pass by very close to them. They cannot. They are too fat. They sit in the middle of pavment (exactly on your way) barely able to move their lazy butts and just waiting you give them your piece of pizza.

exhibition in Cameral in Koper, Slovenija

Hej People!
I was not here for a while. I am all the time running around and preparing some new things. 
With my dear Husband we are working on our institute of  art and spending long hours on this. In meanwhile I am preparing exhibitions and planning new collaborations.  I am also preparing new post for you, trying to paint and do some art and sleep and eat somwhere in between ;)
But about that all I will write another time. Today I wish to invite you all for an exhibition of my works!

The opening of the exhibition "Seaside stories" will be 

on the 9th of October at 8 p.m. 

in Bar Cameral in Koper, Slovenija

On the openning we will have opportunity to hear amazing live music by Cirkusz-KA. 

The band come from Hungary. 

https://soundcloud.com/cirkuszka/melted-in-your-colours-english

Dnevnik- daily newspaper

Hello! So much happened lately. I even have no time to think about it (even not mentionig writting about it;). I promise to write soon much more about it. And also share more photos from our Slovenian trips (we made a few lately:). I have to admit I hide some photos from trips which took place "long, long time ago"v"and almost in another galaxy;). I hope to find them soon and show them here. It is so difficult with time now. Is running so fast. Days we are spending all three together, enjoying our time and observing Little Kalina growing. She is so cute and adorable! Evening are for two of us. And sometimes it is so hard to find time for writting. Uh, I wont write I wish day were 26 hour long- I will write I wish I am better organizator of my own time. I wish to paint more, sew more, draw more, writte more, workout more, run more and of course (and on the first place) have great time with my beloved.... I hope it is not impossible, but it is just a matter of organization:)
How do you organize your time?
Do you have some good ideas or methods how to pack all you wish to do in 24 h? Wish to read your ideas!

Lately I was asked to give an interview for a slovenian newspaper "Dnevnik" and in yesterday edition there was an artice about me based on the interview. Nice. 

If you wish to read I am copying it here:)
It is in slovene. If you wish in other language please use any of the translators (google?). I will be more fun ;)
loves xxx

Mesto z naglasom

Prestolnica ob morju pod Triglavom

Vir / Avtor:  Darja Valenčič

6. september 2014 (nazadnje spremenjeno: 14:46 6. september 2014)

Oznake: mesto z naglasom

Maria Magdalena Szmatula pripoveduje, da se je že prvič v Ljubljani počutila, kot da to mesto pozna od nekdaj. Takoj je napovedala, da se bo preselila sem, in pred petimi leti je to napoved uresničila.

Slikarka, ilustratorka, konservatorka-restavratorka in leteča mama Maria Magdalena, ki je k svojemu priimku že dodala še slovenskega Černe, se je slovenščino učila sama z branjem Malega princa. (Foto: Jaka Gasar)

Šest turističnih vodnikov po evropskih državah. Tri je izbrala Maria Magdalena Szmatula, tri njena prijateljica. »Kam greva tokrat?« sta se vprašali in začeli prebirati. Prva je bila na vrsti Maria, ki je kot prvega v roke vzela tistega po Sloveniji, in ko je končala branje besedila na zadnji strani, sta se strinjali, da bo to naslednja destinacija, in že naslednji teden sta sedli na vlak proti naši državici.

Pohajkovanje po Sloveniji sta Poljakinji začeli v Ljubljani, kjer pa je Maria Magdalena že po nekaj urah vedela, da bo živela tukaj. »Saj ne znam razložiti, veliko sem potovala po Evropi, vendar se nikjer nisem počutila tako kot tukaj. Seveda mi je bil Pariz všeč, London tudi, povsod bi živela, vendar le nekaj mesecev, v Ljubljani pa sem se počutila, kot bi prišla domov,« skuša v slovenščini strniti te občutke, ki so jo prevevali pred šestimi leti.

V Slovenijo, ne na Slovaško

»Zakaj nič ne fotografiraš?« ima Marysia, kot jo kličejo prijatelji, še v spominu, da jo je vprašala prijateljica, ona pa ji je suvereno odgovorila, da ve, da bo kmalu spet tu. »Ti nisi normalna!« je sledil nejeveren odziv in tudi pozneje, ko je doma povedala, da se bo preselila, je ni nihče jemal resno. »Super, saj to je blizu, samo čez mejo,« so ji odgovorili nekateri, ki so najprej pomislili na Slovaško, drugi pa te možnosti sploh niso dopuščali. Pri 25 letih je imela namreč odlično službo v narodnem muzeju. Bila je celo vodja oddelka za restavriranje papirja, iz česar je magistrirala na ugledni univerzi Nikolaja Kopernika v Torunju. »Če ne zdaj, potem ne bom nikoli,« si je rekla, sezula udobne copate, ki bi jih lahko nosila še 30 let, in obula prave slovenske copate.

»Saj tudi na Poljskem poznamo copate, ampak nosijo jih samo domači, ne dajemo jih gostom, in to na prvem obisku. Si predstavljate, koliko ljudi je že hodilo v njih?« se nasmeji tej slovenski posebnosti, ki pa je bolj kot ne edina navada, na katero se je morala privaditi. Mi, Slovani, smo si zelo podobni, pravi in prizna, da bi težko živela v bolj tujih kulturah. Razlika, ki jo vidi, je le ta, da so Poljaki bolj tradicionalni. »Na Poljskem je običajno, da se par, ki živi skupaj, ima otroka, poroči. In to že zgodaj, saj Poljaki prej začnemo odraslo življenje. Ni študentskega statusa in delodajalec nima nobenih ugodnosti, če vzame študenta,« pojasni. Doma je po koncu študija preprosto poslala življenjepis in dobila prvo službo.

V Sloveniji na drugi strani eno leto ni dobila potrebnih dokumentov za bivanje, kaj šele službo. »Na spletu je videti, kot da te komaj čakajo, a na koncu ni tako. Obe državi sta članici Evropske unije, pa so me obravnavali, kot bi prišla z drugega konca sveta,« opiše dobrodošlico, ki je pomenila začaran krog uradov in papirjev. Med drugim je slišala celo, da njenega položaja ne morejo urediti, da ne more ostati tukaj, a je bila dovolj vztrajna in se je sama naučila tako jezika kot svojih pravic.

Brez spodbud za naraščaj

Intimnost majhne prestolnice je mladi mamici, ki je odraščala med barvami in glino, saj so bili starši umetniki, zelo všeč. Največja prednost življenja v Ljubljani pa je zanjo njena lega: »V soboto zjutraj me mož vpraša, kam bi šla pa danes. Kamor koli hočemo, imamo uro in pol vožnje, na Poljskem pa imamo 600 kilometrov do hribov in 600 kilometrov do morja.«

Samo njena regija na Poljskem je velika kot Slovenija, zato dodaja, da z njenega vidika Ljubljana leži ob morju pod Triglavom. In tu je srečna. Ne bi šla nikamor drugam, a zdi se ji, kot da jo okolje sili prav v to. »Država je zelo neprijazna do mladih družin. Če ne bi bila poročena, bi recimo dobivala večji otroški dodatek. Ali ni to nesmiselno?« je razočarana in ne ve, koliko časa bo imela še energijo slovenske muzeje opozarjati nase. Z vztrajnostjo, potem ko je poslala prošnjo po trikrat, štirikrat, ji je sicer uspelo dobiti nekaj projektov, a ti se žal hitro končajo. Na srečo si vsaj prosti čas hitro zapolni z ustvarjanjem in tako je med drugim nastala serija ljubljanskih razglednic, na katerih deli svoj vtis mesta, v katero se je zaljubila.

Na Poljskem je običajno, da se par poroči, in to že zgodaj, saj prej začnemo odraslo življenje. Ni študentskega statusa in delodajalec nima nobenih ugodnosti, če vzame študenta.

wet summer in Slovenija

Lately days are very, very grey here.

I am very dissapointed because of this summer, which actually had passed away in the middle of July... All winter I was so longing for hot, sunny summertime (and easy livin' ;) and now..it already the end of it. Wet, rainy summertime... I didn't swim enough. I didn't catch sun and I didn't keep it on my skin in the forms of freckles. I didn't walk barefoot as much as I wanted to.

Sometimes when it happen that there is some sunshine passing through clouds I feel like in a spring time- like I am after very long winter. But no, winter is just coming. 

I have no idea how to help myslef....

At least I can just keep my short but sweet memories and keep in my heart and on paper. 

Now I am going to rise up level of endorfins in my body. And hard training is the best thing for that:)
Sweeping out all worries :)

handmade toys- the process

People ask me how I am sewing my toys. Usually I talk about it and I am explaining all process. 
But I think it would be nice if you can see a little bit more. So I decided to show you the whole proces on some photos. And how my working pleace changes from "illutrator atelier" into "sewing atelier" ;)(atelier- what a big world for my table in our living room!! ;)
Now I start to sew some new toys and I decided do take some pictures and to show you the process. 
Hope you will enjoy:)
Then how it looks when I am working on new toys?

1st step is to prepare tekstile. 
I am using used baby clothes to be sure that materials are safe and will not colour in washing (and what more the idea of recycling is very close to me). So first I cut clothes to get proper pieces of tekstile and proper means as big as possible:)

2nd step is to cut shapes from pieces of materials.
As I am using recycled materials I never have pieces of material in the same shape or the same size. That is why I draw EVERY shape by hand without using any patterns. It makes my toys so unusuall and exceptional. Every toy is very unique.
When I have the shape drawn on the material I cut it. In this step I prepare bodies, ears, legs, tummies, tails and everything each of my cheracters needs for her or his living:) I am choosing colours carefully and it is fun to play with all those materials to find the best combination.

Step 3 is where it is time to use my sewing machine.
(actually the machine is not really mine and all toys untill now I sewed thanks to my friend Hana and her machine - and here is place and time to say nicely: THANK YOU HANA!)First I am sewing all small element like paws, ears, legs, tail, etc. Of course everything is sewed on the lef side. When all small elements I ready and turned on the right side, then I am finding for them a proper place on the toys bodies. Then is time for sewing everything on the machine.

Step number 4 is very funny. 
After sewing everything together I turn toy's "bodies"  on the right side. While sewing I always left a little hole so that I can easily turn the toy. And yes, sometimes it happenes that I forget to leave a hole...
Sometimes it also happened that I sewed something wrong and then it appears that the bear or rabbit has heart sewed on his little bottom...;-) 
This time  everything is ok - no hearts on bottoms;) 

I already have a "skin" of the toy. Loose skin with legs, hands, ears, heart on belly (or on a bottom;) of anything I imagined for my little creature. Now is time to fill it. For filling I am using 100% clean poyester. It is safe, it does not cause alleriges and you can easily wash it in washing machine.
I hear some people telling me:
"use buckwheat it will be more healthy" or
"use organic cotton it will be more natural".
And I am not listening that voices! Let me explain you why:
1) buckwheat cannot be normaly washed (as you cannot wash any other wheat). And please show me at least one mum who wish for her child a toy which cannot be washed? or which can be washed only once?
2) Organic cotton cannot be washed in washich machine as it will stick together and it is not fluffy and soft anymore. To use organic cotton as a filling I have to made every toy open with a zipper with possibility to take cotton out before washing.
And please show me at least one mum who wish to "play" with taking out cotton filling before washing toys and then putting it back? Or show me mum who wish to find her child eating cotton (even it is organic) becasue her sweet baby just realized how to open the zipper?

Ok. it is time for a next step of sewing my toys- the 6th one. I have already filled "skins" with polyester, and sewed up the holes (as I already wrote - never forget to leave hole for turning sewed toy on the right side and for filling it!) And now little creatures are almost done! Now is time to give them faces: eyes, noses, mouths and cheeks:)

And the next step - the last one is embroidering faces.

Every eye, every nose, every cheek is sewed with hands!

Every little creature has different face - nobody wolud have the same toy as you/your child/fiend/beloved have.
And here they are- brand new and ready for hugging!

orange cups? longboards? chestnut tree? It must be TOZD

Once I went for a walk I took with myself not only my dear Husband and our baby girl, but also my sketchbook. I wish to do some drawings and catch ideas coming to my head. We had our coffee at TOZD. I have already wrote you about TOZD bar in Ljubljana. We like that place and we are coming back from time to time to drink good coffe in orange cups.

I made some sketches there. They needed time to grow and become an illustration but finally here it is!

Ta-dam!

"under the chestnut tree" or

"always in orange cups" or

"he come with his longboard"

Slovenian seaside and malvazija

After a few extremly beautifull, sunny, hot days here in Ljubljana we have a very, but really VERY rainy time now. Ok, let's be honest it is not really "time"... it's just one day (by now), but it was completely enough for me to feel autumn depperession. Honestly! I don't know what happened to me, but suddenly I feel like a baloon treated with a neddle.... all power went out of me. 

Even another cup of coffee din't work. Instead of doing something positive all day I was walking around like a ghost washed out of energy and without any sign of optimisem...

I hope we will go to a seaside soon. I long for sea! Salty skin, salty hair, seaguls, white wine malvazija and this amazing smell in the air... I think we should move to the south;)

postcards from Ljubljana

Dear Friends!

I's been a long time I haven't write you.... my fault...
My days are full - filled with love, happiness and also with some troubles (as it has to be harmony in the world:)
We happily come back from Poland. We had happy, happy. happy time with mum in my beautifull Wrocław. Unfortunately I didn't manage to realize my "Big Plan" of showing to my Husband some other "Very Important Places" like Torun or Warsaw... So exploring other cities we are leaving for next time. Now we are coming back to Slovenian reality....
Slovenia welcomed us with sunny, hot weather and finnaly I feel this beautiful summertime when you are melting somwhere in the shadow and waiting for evening. Ljubljana is amazing in summertime (when the livin' is easy, fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high...;)

And now - glued to my chair and melting from heat I want to share a good news with you:

If you wish to have my postcards please email me: mari.szmatula@gmail.com

to be together

hey guys, I must tell you something: 

it is very big pleasure to make all those soft, sweet creatures.

But it is even bigger pleasure when I know that you like them and that they are making you happy:) 

Handmade bunny

Everyone has his own inner bunny...

Caffe at TOZD bar

Although we are not the Lonely Planet team we wish to introduce you some coffee shops and places we visited in Ljubljana. Some of them we like a lot, some of them we just like, some of them... (no comments...). To some of them we are regulary coming back. To some of them we were only once - the first and the last time. 

So let's start with our view of Tozd bar.

La Linea behind the bar:)

The location of Tozd is almost perfect in old part of Ljubljana nearby the river at St.Jacobs bridge. It is quite quiet and peacfull although still in the close centre. For location  we are giving 9 out of 10 points. Outside the bar there is street garden with big wild chesnut tree growing on the pavment. It gives a lot of shadow, so you can hide from burning summer sun. 

While you drinking your coffee you can admire the beautiful river Ljubljanica or watch tourists and local people passing by. 
Interior is contemporary with some crazy but nice ideas. It is obvious that owner likes bikes as you will find few of them inside- even hanging from the ceiling. There are some other funny and trendy decorative elements. Inside you will find some leaflets informing abot current culural events, a few newspappers to browse (mostly fashion and design titles) and also lately very popular in coffee bars- little "library".

In Tozd you have a lot of alkoholic and non-alkoholic drinks. You can also have a little snack. As usually we focused on our favourite drink - coffee. 

For coffee with milk we give 8 points out of 10. The milk cream is good as well as the taste. The service is nice and kind but in 70 % you get your drink spilled on the plate... as there is no napkins on the tables be carefull- your coffee is happily droping on your white, summer outfit... Coffee is served in optimisticly orange cups, water you will get in a glass buret which will remind you about chemistry night mares from high school time...

The water closet is very small but clean and if you have a luck it will be even a soap for washing your hands... 

As a young parents we are putting attention if the place for our coffee time is "child-friendly". If you have a little baby in Tozd you will have a problem with changing diapers as there is no extra place for it. You can clean your baby on the bunch near the bar (of course if it's not taken and if you like to changing nappies while standing in a doorway to toilet). If you bring you baby in a stroller then you will have a few tables to sit with a proper "parking place". We find "our" table with a good parking unfortunately it is taken quite often.

Although Tozd is very nice place is not so occupied by tourists. In the evening is crowded and filled mostly with young, fancy dressed and good looking local people.
We like that place, we like big chestnut tree, orange cups and a river so we are coming back there with freshly changed nappy.

Let's find a place to park our stroller.

A little library on the back

Nice Polish accent. Who will find a book by Polish Nobel Prize winner?

Inside is small but cosy and nice.

glass buret- a reminder of my high-school night mare called "chemistry lessons"

We liked that coffee

When you find your path, you must not be afraid

“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” 
- Paulo Coelho

Ljubljana in the summer time

Last days are a little bit crazy. A lot of things happening.

On Saturday I was a part of the foreigners market organizated in Ljubaljana by Slovenska Filantropija (Slovenian Filatropy). It was very nice time spent in very nice company. For a few last days we have at home our lovely friends from Hungarian band Cirkuszka, who this days are having concerts here in Ljubljana. So every evening spent together is full of talks and laughing. 

And I am preparing a new exhibition. Promise to write something more about it soon.

Loves,

p.s. Ljubljana is becoming warm and sunny- it is really a summer time!!!

Scandinavian style

We all know what the Scandinavian Style is. For somebody it is boring, for other it is the best what could be. What the Scandinavian style is or me? Simplicity, bright colours, simplicity, light, simplicity, lot of white, simplicity, elegant and casual in one...Did I write "simplicity"? ;)...- it is how I feel scandinavian style. But if it is possible with toys?

I tried. I think it works. Like it a lot!

coffee latte

"she was waiting for her "brest-feeding" tea and thinking about taste and smell of a good coffee..."
Do you know that pain?
I cannot help myself and I already drink good, morning  coffee.
My little one will have coffee latte :)

piglets (and fish) from a sketchbook

Lately I made a little cleaning among my pictures and sketches and I found this:

This are sketches to illustrations I made long, long time ago. It was supposed to be book about little piglets. More my sketches to this book you can find here: CLICK and here: CLICK.
My piglets weren't choosen to decorate the book, but I have to admit I have my own reasons to be happy from that fact;)

p.s even it was piglets sketching I made place also from some fish...I don't remember why ;)

heart garland

I had some heart sewn.

I had an idea.

Now we  have a garland in our living room.