Teaser/ handmade goodies for being a superstar without taking it too seriously

Our latest work is entirely made by hand: dyed, sewn, painted one of a kind items for unique you. We faithfully added a lot of love not only in the making, but also in the message.

Be close (and we don't mind very close, like stuck) to see the new collection in a couple of days.

Soon, my precious. :-)

Ocean T-shirt

Hello from near the ocean.

You might think this is a long-winding descriptive post about how beautiful the sights are on this Portuguese coast. It's not.

If you visit kittn blog you already know it's all about human nature.

These days I've been focusing a lot on how much time of our lives we waste with intrigues, unhealthy games + complications instead of experiencing, discovering, living and actually honoring the place.

We judge and we hate without even trying to see more than what meets the eye. We always wait for another to make a change first.

Here near the ocean everyone has positions, statuses, education, hierarchies, grades.

But the funny thing is when you look down we all have sand on our feet.

What a girl wants

Hi superstars, I hope you are having a great weekend.

We've all seen movies, heard songs, enjoyed pranks + jokes about what women think or want or need. I stress on the last part because no matter how you ask the question, the answer is the same.

Love is the answer.

Even if we call it fashion or putting on make-up, going to work or staying at home, walking down the street or chilling on a sunbed, girls think about love. We move, we groove, we shake, we break, we fight, we try, we cry, but we all need to be loved.



There it is, we solved the big mystery. So I was inspired to create this light weight t-shirt in a very feminine cut, showing the continuous love we feel for everything, no matter if hurt or broken.

I hope you like it and I wish lots of love to us all.

PS. I recently heard a saying and I liked it, it went something like the best thing that you can do for your kids is to love their mother. What do you think?

Unique custom t-shirts

I was saying to Anca the other day that I rarely post very personalized items created here in our kittenish workshop. For most of them I haven't even taken photographs over the years, that's how excited I was to send them to their rightful owners.

My dear friend advised me to show the works as special stories are always nice to read.

So today we present you t-shirts that belong to a courageous, very energetic woman who, among other things, takes flight lessons and is a part of a expedition group. She loves to have her head in the clouds (literally), so kittns drew a cute playful plane and fluffy clouds on a blue t-shirt.

As for her big love for mountains, we painted an adventurous but confident girl always conquering another cliff, as for the third t-shirt below, we sewed an edelweiss flower over a big heart made of tulle.



In the end, more than the work itself that I highly enjoy I feel honored to be a part of the story, to make a contribution and share a moment + space in time.

A few ideas on journeys + dreams

Hello kid.

Today I want to take you on a journey back to fantastic adventures, in a time when magic and possible existed as a daily reality, not only in fairy tales.

I want you to take a second and remember when we were kids we never feared that snow brick wall we built was going to fall down, we never worried the dolls we played house with were eventually going to break up. We just played, we just lived.

The only novel written for children

I read a brilliant book when I was about 13 (that's almost two decades ago). It's called In Desert and Wilderness and it tells us an ever true story of not giving up, of trusting one's will and strength. On the short, two kids are making a journey through mighty Africa, facing kidnapping, wild animals like gorillas, lions, leopards, diseases like malaria + many other sorts of dangers and obstacles which they surpass holding on to each other, believing they will make it.

Africa United movie

A few days ago I watched a rather similar (on the same conceptual level) movie which depicts the journey of five children from Rwanda all the way down to South Africa to take part in the opening show of the football world cup. In order to get there, they go through amazing adventures. Whether there are wild animals to escape from, people with shotguns or fatal diseases, nothing stops the group from succeeding. They all have dreams and they all know the only way is straight forward.

When you'll read + watch, you'll find out both book and movie also tell you what friendship really is.



Remember the time?

It's true, back when we were kids we just did everything with courage, enthusiasm and determination in a much serious manner than we do now when we call ourselves adults.

We couldn't tell what was good or bad, or even perceive the concept of impossible until grown-ups and society educated us. We just imagined things and then transformed them into reality. We cooked a rose petal jam + mud and were happy about it, without getting angry we couldn't eat it. We rocked a gymnastics championship on the block without thinking of the prize we would win. We built doll houses and played or hours both focused and relaxed, without needing cigarettes to feel so. We jumped and ran around all day, after each other, in teams, one leg up, sideways, backwards without owning a monthly subscription or expensive gear.

Please recall it without being nostalgic or sad, but with the belief we still have those drives and we can pass them on. First of all it's never too late to get back to dreaming and making it come true. Secondly, we have the chance to make it easier on our kids by putting aside the use of don't.

Understand the world we live in is just a series of convention and concepts. Everything is as real as we think/picture it is.

Can't you see?

We become adults just to wish we were kids again.

"Nothing to lose" T-shirt

We liked the latest drawing so much that we (mostly kittns) painted it on a tee, using hypoallergenic textile colors, in shades of grey, blue + a silver golden lining.

The t-shirt is available for sale in our online boutique for superstars. It is on a Romanian platform, but you can write + ask about any detail if you don't know the language.

This leads me to wonder: should we open an Etsy shop? You can write your answer here on the left, if you have a spare second.

In return, kittns will cuddle close and/or keep your lap comfortably warm. Thank you!

Estoril Craft Fair

A very popular summer event around here is the Craft Fair held in Estoril for the last 48 years, yep you've read correctly. I don't know a lot of administrative details, just that it takes place from June 29 until August 28, each evening from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. You can learn about Portuguese traditional crafts as well as cuisine + see & buy (more or less) handmade items in a range from designer jewelry and let's say wool clothing to ceramics and paintings.



What I like about Portuguese traditional arts is the generous use of the color blue (cobalt) as you can see:



Although there were a lot of cute things, I can't say I was impressed much nor inspired. I guess it was the atmosphere, or better yet people's attitude. How come?

Hiding in our booths on a chair in the back or behind the counter isn't exactly the best marketing option. So are not smiling and not saying hello. No matter how tough times are, I believe we should be the first to speak about our work be it through words or body language. We may create + sell the cutest felt plush, customers won't be interested if we look like we're guarding them with a gloomy face.

I understand how a bad day or even a bad year feels like. But if I can't make it (and also not fake it) I prefer to think of other solutions, ultimately postponing my attendance.

We should probably think of ourselves as customers too and ask: what would draw my attention? What would make me want to know more about an item? What would make me buy it?



I was nevertheless amazed by miniature houses + furniture + settings, gosh, I was glad I hadn't seen them when I was younger. You can see a bit in these two photos, for example that scissors in the sewing kit next to the girl (photo above) was about 5 millimeters. Everything was so charming that I almost wanted to live in those settings.

The lowest price for a miniature room was about €70.


I also liked the wood crafts, especially chairs, drawers, trays, boxes and toys. They're great because they're noble and safe. Plus you can paint and decorate them in your own style.

The price for a small wooden box was €3, €7 for a small chair, €15 for a horse etc.



How about you, what would you hope for when you visit a craft fair? How about when you participate as an artist? I would love to share more with you, as the subject is so rich and ever open for improvement.

Estoril Fair was nice, even though I felt like saying: and now people... one more time with feeling!

How to make a unique baby girl t-shirt

Today's post is about creativity.

Transform, innovate + actually do the whole process, not just have an idea. I hope we lose the fear of making mistakes, let ourselves free and create. Oh, and it's OK if we don't start from scratch (we won't invent the wheel again - darn it - but we will certainly build it better, give it other use or make it nicer, which is equally important).

So grab a t-shirt (new or older, for you or loved ones), pieces of fabric, scissors, needle, thread + other accessories like pom-poms, buttons, bows, anything will do.



Cut a heart shape both from the original t-shirt and fabric. Sew the new heart on the t-shirt.



Draw on another piece of fabric using textile acrylics or markers. It can be anything and the only skills you need are joy + love. Sew over the heart.

Tadaaa! One of my best friends is expecting the loveliest baby girl so I made this t-shirt for her (there is a whole meaning behind the use of a panda bear). I hope she'll like it...

... and I hope you too have an awesome session of creating, I promise you will feel great!

Bluebird card

Hello cats.

I wanted to write yesterday as it was Monday, but I got interrupted by an electricity breakdown that lasted more than 24 hrs, from 11 a.m. until today. Well, here at kittn we start the week on Wednesday with a free card you can use, words of wisdom and bluebirds + rainbows like the song.

This week we will learn more about those things we have, but we cannot lose like kindness, tenderness, generosity, empathy, humanity.

We'll also see that some things we think we own are not exactly ours to have, but to share.

Like love.

Once upon a time in August, a baby scan...

Hi superstars.

I've been so busy this week with boring necessary papers + documents baby related like medical stuff, social insurance & co, but I've been thinking about writing here all the time. So now you will read all about yesterday's adventure, all on a very personal level.

I finally had the second trimester morphology scan yesterday . As it turns out most doctors here in Portugal take the month of August off so I had to travel rather far, changing the train for the metro but it was worth it, cause surprise surprise there was the Zoo right across the clinic. The thing is it takes a whole day to visit it all, so I decided to leave it for another time. I spent nearly two hours though chilling in the small park at the entrance dreaming about my baby, being nervous watching fountains and monkeys and of course people.

The time had come, I went in to make the scan... With all due respect, if it wasn't for my serotonin happy mood, I would have probably had a big argument with the staff. They were such in a rush and lack of care as if Moms were there on an automatic assembly line, not for the miracle that was bringing a human being into this world. You know me, I always see the full half of the glass, so I escaped their gloomy energy and focused on meeting the baby.

I couldn't see much on the screen though, I told you they were hasty + no one was explaining. But through that cloud of rapidly moving shadows and thick air, I heard a voice:

E um rapaz! (it's a boy)



I think my levels of hormones, conscience, unconscious, blood flow, electromagnetic waves (and other useless terms when it comes to living moments like these) went through the rooftop anyway as I imagined how my boy was cuddling there in my belly, being with me all this time, every second of it.

You know those people you see in the bus or subway, they're smiling uncontrollably+ their eyes sparkle and you think they're crazy? Well, they're not, they're just happy. I smiled all the way back in the train, I couldn't help it. It was unique.

M. and I both thought of girls names, so I prepared a surprise. On my way to his work I went to H&M, said goodbye kitty for now and bought a very first (not pink) baby t-shirt.

(By the way I was thinking who made this separation - girls equal rose + glitter, boys equal blue + dragons - it's a bit of a nonsense, don't you think? Why shouldn't my boy wear glitter? We're all stars anyway. And my favorite color is blue, I love dragons, but I'm not a boy. Hm, whatever.)



Yeah, so I took the small t-shirt out of my pocket and I watched Marco's face. He was still as a statue, but then I realized he needed something to lean against... He was overwhelmed, maybe more than me cause you know we are the strong ones! :-)

We had lunch on a bench by a small creek. We stayed mostly silent, afraid not to wake up from the sweetest dream.

Do you remember I was telling you I didn't fully realize what was going on some months ago? Well, everything feels more and more real. And when I say real I mean this wonderful boy that picked me to be his Mom... Who is it going to be? How is it going to be?

I look at my bump knowing he's there inside and I wonder does my heart really beat for you child, or is it really you giving me life?

All things grow with love

I met Andreea for the first time at a small restaurant in Bucharest. It seems a long time ago... Although it was merely two years I'm feeling like we've come a long way. For instance, she had a different last name back then and I had other plans than living in Portugal. But some things never change, like our dreams + determination of which we highly spoke that summer afternoon. Have we managed to achieve all the things we had planned? Not sure. I only have a strong feeling we did much more than that.

kittns have been working on two lovely t-shirts for her and we're proud to present them. I'm wishing a happy summer to us all, while we plan + build the next episodes of our stories - it doesn't matter whether they are about sipping a cocktail on the beach or changing major things in our lives, they are all important and beautiful.