First week back in Moscow. I am unpacking boxes creating home slowly but surely. It is great so much space. I can focus here and there to organize and to find home for everything, no rush. Or that's what I am trying to tell myself. I am so eager to get things how I want it and to unpack every box. But I am trying not to stress it and I think I am doing a pretty good job this time. The area is very cute and it feels like a great decision to move here instead of living down town. But it does take time to settle in and feel comfortable for all of us. I have moved so many times that I know that it is no walking in the park this with moving, but I also know that with time we will feel home and find our way around. I thought I with all my experience moving to different countries would feel calm with the knowledge that I will feel home and find great people just give it some time, but I can't help getting a little stressed and want to reach this stage now now. I guess that's wh...

We don't have any recycling options here in Moscow. It hurts me. It feels so wrong to just trow everything in one big garbage bag. Especially plastic and all these glass bottles and jars. When we first moved I saved bottles and jars in the kitchen hoping they would start recycle but pretty fast it ended up looking like a recycling station in my kitchen. So instead I have been thinking what I can remake in my creative corner not to let everything go waste.  Here is one of my first experiments with glass milk bottles. Painted and decorated with washi tejp in different colors. Simple but pretty cute result.  And serves pretty well as a vase  Here is also some of my other ongoing recycling projects. Loren's well-used T-shirts transformed into new creations with fabric paint and will be decorating different sewing projects. 

And so came the most beautiful February day along, with the strongest and brightest winter sun The feeling of being privileged came over me as I walked along Moscow river Privileged to be able to experience and explore life in a city and country which I never even thought I would even visit. A city and country with a long history which is very unknown to me.  Every place has something to offer I think and to be able to explore what Moscow has to offer good and bad is something I am enjoying more and more as time is passing and I am feeling more comfortable and home here. The sun helps of course! So maybe I will love Moscow by the time the summer comes.  We live close to Gorky Park, Moscow's central park of culture and leisure, only 15 min walk from our apartment. During the winter you can find Russia and Europe's largest ice skating rink here, 59 000 Sq feet. Also great café's and fun pla...

We felt very much like this not that long ago.  Lost Lost in translation Lost in big big Moscow Lost in logistic challenges Missing our routines in Prague  Dreaming about normal "Svensson" life Feeling that after this we will never ever move again But as a friend pointed out, we are never lost lost as long as we have each other And yes we are strong and good together  Maybe even stronger after these rather rough moving period Moscow is becoming home little by little We are finding our routines and people to hang with  Starting to enjoy this big adventure living in this huge city in a country that I never thought I would even visit never mind live in

It has been so hard to update something on the blog since we moved. Not because I don't have illustrations, thoughts or ideas but because I have too many ideas and not enough energy and time to put pen to paper. But now it is a new year and with that comes new years resolutions and a feeling of a new start. Right?! Happy New Year 2015! Team Nikolovski is back in Moscow after a long and relaxing winter vacation in Sweden (more about that in another post) Back in Moscow we have pretty wintery weather with snow but very mild so the snow is now as we speak turning into brown slosch very unpleasant for shoes and not so pretty. I never had chance to write about my first experience with Moscow and living here so here is a short summary of my thoughts before I moved connected to this illustration I made ages ago: I was pretty scared of Russia and Moscow before I move here (maybe I still am, who knows!!) coming from Scandinavia where something bad is written in media everyday about Ru...