Painting on the third day

For the third thing-a-day I started to work on (what is going to be) a pillow for a very special friend. I'm painting with textile acrylics on cotton and then I will get to the sewing part, but all about that in a few days.

To be continued...

Oh, and if you walked in late, I participate in a creative sprint to make one new thing every day for a whole month and post about it. Thing-a-day is an open space where we virtually work together, inspire and support each other. It's challenging, and I can't wait to see what comes next...

Dear diary

It's 8.05 pm and Sean fell asleep (our bed is the best). No, no, not for the night, he's waking up every three or four hours to eat and he's a bit restless cause of the damn colic. We already started an intensive massage campaign against these pains + patience + of course love.

Days go by so fast and they lost their conventional definition, we no longer have tuesdays or saturdays... Perhaps you can live without this information but I succedeed to do my nails two days ago. While in train.

Today I could even work (how I missed it). Our baby wasn't bothered at all by Ophelia (for those of you who walked in late, I'm talking about our sewing machine).

Getting back to Sean, you should know we have plenty of things to do: besides eating (like there's no tomorrow), being diapered and dressed in pastels, we also walk along the coast, we dance with dad, take baths and almost spa treatments + massages. Oh, the good life!

I watch his sleep. In this crazy crazy world, through fixations and illusions he is our chance to stop and shout that miracles do exist!

It's almost 9 pm and I'm wondering what to do first (this rush is becoming a habit). Should I shower? Prepare dinner? Steal an hour's sleep? Write to friends?...

Marco sleeps next to me. He's got chores under his pillow, too. And everything revolves around the little man who sleeps peacefully trying out his first smiles...

It's 9.10 pm. (yawn)... Sleep well!

Hand painted pillow by kittns, one of the latest works

More gifts from Anca, earrings, Christmas decorations, magazines + such awesome packaging

Dirty dancing, handpainted children's bag by kittns

Handcrafted ballet tote

Rosário and I met at the handmade fair 2 weeks ago in Lisbon. She had a special order for kittns: a tote bag for her 6 year old daughter.

The best part is it wouldn't be just another cute tote bag, but the little princess will carry... her ballet outfit in it! I did nine years of dancing myself so I got thrilled creating it (gosh, I'm so happy as if the tutu inside were mine :-)

Her favorite colors are yellow + turquoise so I tried to use the last one as much as I could, even on the inside. The bag is entirely handmade, starting from sketch scratch.

I hope she will have tons of fun dancing and the bag will make a lovely memory to hold after years...

Hope you enjoy it too!

How to make a baby blanket

Before revealing the surprise project I've been working on, I want to say a few words about the last hectic days.

So we finally found a home and we already moved some stuff especially my mobile kittn corporation, that's why I was there yesterday working but actually breathing, listening to the silence, enjoying time alone... have I already said breathing?

Needless to say yesterday passed in a second.

I felt very calm, comfortable, all in all having again those feelings of something being just right. Not mentioning I was very inspired and motivated to work!

The apartment is a small studio with a big kitchen that I can somehow separate in two, arranging a work space. It's not completely furnished yet so it will tke a while until everything is into place, but you know what I loved?

The sun shines there all day, the windows are as big as the walls + the light plays all day letting me enjoy a wonderful sunset at the end of each day, just like the little prince wished.

And speaking of a little prince, here's the latest invention: a bright colored (I told you I felt happy in the new home) baby blanket that can serve as a cover or as a play mat.



I calculated that being about 80 x 90 cm it will have 12 (20 x 30 cm) pieces of fabric accordingly so I cut + sewed them together.

I created the felt animals + hearts separately, then I stitched them onto the fabric. For the other (warm) side of the blanket I chose a very thick fleece piece in bright turquoise.

I sewed the parts together, then brought them on the right side and finally stitched a line along each side creating a firm margin.



So this is it, a very cute easy to make baby blanket. If you have any questions or wish to use the same patterns, drop us a line anytime and we'll e-mail you the instructions.

Kisses + hooray for freedom, joy and new homes!

Work in progress... what could it be?

Women's fashion T-shirt + charms

Raluca was the first to request the Women's Fashion T-shirt. In fact I've painted two - one for herself and another for her lucky sister. You can see the original cats drawing here as an undeniable page of history. I guess the T-shirt turned out fine, what do you think?

The charms above are... hm well, I'd better keep it a surprise for now as I don't know if the two lovely sisters are reading this :-)

Wishing you a happy week!

Deco lavender pillow

Hot or not?

Unique handmade bags

Here they are, so fresh so clean :-)

Finally, the brand new goodies we have been preparing for you: a small but precious range of entirely handmade tote bags (or how kittns like to call them chillin' bags).

They are mainly made of cotton canvas + cotton hand painted/hand sewn bits + they are double sided but light, perfect for carrying agendas, magazines, plush toys, the cool skirt you just bought and even dreams.

Each piece is one of a kind declaring and spreading important messages to the world. We created with all our hearts.

They will be soon available for sale in our online superstars boutique, but you can always request details + order at cristina@kittn.net

So which one speaks to you?

Be the change you wish to see in the world

Fairytales are true: they tell us dragons can be defeated

If you can dream it, you can do it

When you judge others you don't define them, you define yourself

Today is a gift, that's why we call it present

Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do

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. :-)

Summer Giveaway (no regrets pillow set + dragon wings t-shirt + handmade biz book)

Hello.

Kittns worked a lot lately so they are finally taking three or four some days off relaxing on the beach. It would be the coolest thing in the world right now if you could come and join them, as they miss having friends around. If you can't join them now, kittns want you to be happy anyway, take some time off for yourself and enjoy soulful things.

That is why they decided to give away presents this summer:

• a unique pillow set that's entirely hand crafted (+ hand painted using hypoallergenic textile paint, no solvents). The original drawing + text will remind you of your superhero powers and will be a friend for sweet napping or just hugging.
  

• I am not afraid of dragons T-shirt, Medium size, with a hand painted drawing and a lovely set of tulle wings to help you let go of fear and feel like flying.
  

• A brilliant book kittns bought here and read in a heartbeat. It was really really useful, that's why we would love to share the wisdom and pass it on (it would be nice if you did the same after you read it and took notes, in the hope that the handmade marketplace would grow & shine).

You can give your love too and enter the giveaway by following Kittn (see the Follow button at the bottom of this page) + leaving a comment about what you like or would like to see kittns do or write about + your contact.

We will use a random number generator to draw three lucky pals. The first one will firstly choose the prize and so on.

Shipping is international & completely free for you. Results on July 15th.

Meowy wowy hugs to you!

Freebies!

In this post I am glad to present you some e-cards that I've been drawing... not only they are very cute but they're absolutely free!
You can safely save them in your computer (good old fashioned right click, save image as) and send them to your loved ones: so far you have three friendship/love cards and a thank you note, but there will be more to come, I promise.
Meanwhile, you can leave your feedback about the freebies or even if you have ideas of your own that you want to illustrate.
Come on, let's bring a smile to someone today! :-)

The message.

As we spend a lot of time indoors, I believe we should make our space comfy and cozy, a shelter where we feel nurtured on love and peace. I thought pillows can be so close and tender: we rest with them while napping on a Sunday afternoon, we hug them when we listen to our best friends adventures, we even throw with them when playing pillow fight with our better halves.



I called this particular collection The message, as and it showcases lovely realities that we need to be reminded of everyday or fragments of our favorite things to say all in the purpose to brighten our days and make them better.
I painted the characters and text on cotton and linen and they are very very soft to the touch. With the risk of repeating, I'm going to say again that the textile paint that I use is water-based and contains no solvents. Their sizes vary, as some pillows are singles and some come in sets of two.
You will find the entire collection for sale in my online shop or by simply writing to me.


Caution: powerful emotions attached!

New Kittens.

I've been wanting to get kitten designs on some other support than textile, and so I thought of experimenting with ceramics. It's not the first time, I've been working with porcelain and clay in the year of 2002 when I had my first art business together with a partner; our works were of liquid ceramics though, the kind that needs to be cooked in a special oven at high temperature. We used to make a lot of bells and decorate them, pots, vases and even lamps - oh, it was very cool.
Now I experimented with another kind of clay, the one that only needs air to dry and harden. I cut the small pieces (circles and squares), I gave them a smooth touch using my fingers, then I let them dry for 24 hours. After that I polished them, I began painting using acrylic colors and I coated them in transparent varnish in the end for a nicer look and longer duration in time.
They turned out to be brooches and I think they're sweet. I hope you like them too, as they will be your presents whenever you're ordering kitten t-shirts. You can have any design you want, you can even match them with the t-shirts if that's your wish. (If you really really want to have one just like that by itself all you have to do is e-mail at kittenwear@gmail.com and I'll send it over)

It's cold, 5 cm ø clay brooch, metal pin on the back, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

It's OK to be mad, 5 cm ø clay brooch, metal pin on the back, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

Kitten Girl I, 5 cm ø clay brooch, metal pin on the back, sand beads, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

Party Bow Tie, 7 x 3 cm clay brooch, metal pin on the back, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

Kitten Girl II, 5 cm ø clay brooch, metal pin on the back, sand beads, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

Family Portrait, 6 x 6 cm clay brooch, metal pin on the back, felt applique, original design, entirely handmade and unique.

You have a lovely fresh week!