The garden season has started here in Düsseldorf big time. The past few weeks has been nice and mild and the nature has really taken off and the spring is all around us. When other shops has had to close because of the Corona Garden centers, OBI and Bauhaus are still allowed to keep open. A few weeks ago just in the start of this quarantine I went to Bauhaus to get some potts and plants. It was a Friday afternoon and it was me and all other people from Düsseldorf and Duisburg... The line to the check out was long like 100 meter at least and I had to leave everything I had carefully picked as I didn´t feel like staying there for hours. Instead I bought seeds and soil in or local supermarket and started growing in some of old plant potts. I have a window where it warms up very nicely in the sun and I have filled the windowsill with my plantations and they started growing sprouts only in a few days. I have Sugar snaps, parsley, sweet peas and sunflowers for now simple things to gro...

The past few weeks have been busy here in the Nikolovski household. On top of everyday happenings I have been very productive creating hats, scarves & bibs. My sewing machine has gone warm and I even have muscle ache in my right buttock from all the acceleration on the sew machine pedal. Colorful fabrics has been turned into cute and wearable garments. Also I have ordered postcards of some of my illustrations, hard work to find good printing business for good prices and also to know what I actually want and how I want to print it. I have tried a few different and is more happy with some things and know for the future what and how to do it next time.  Little Mila is such a supportive little lady, while I work with my stuff she is fixing her stuff... That includes to put all her toys all over the room, pull every book from the selves she reaches, throw all the fruits from the fruit plate on the floor (also tasting here and there) change some settings on my computer, hid...

I have a red frame. An old frame that I bought years ago. The frame was first wooden color and pretty dull looking. Then I painted it beige. And then black. And now it is bright red. Red and very empty. Waiting for the right thing to be put in it as many of my frames do. One day a few weeks ago I just knew what I want in there. Different simple comic pictures. The idea is in working progress but this is a my start.

What is it with me and birds?? As much as they scare me I keep drawing them.  Here is another birdy collection in progress.     

Team Nikolovski and especially Mr Nikolovski is dreaming of our own homegrown tomatoes. Project growing tomatoes is on going. Granddad Sven-Hugo has been consulted. Pots, soil and plants has been bought. We spent a couple of evenings last week and planted and arranged our growing corner on the balcony. Mr Nikolovski has taking great pride in watering, talking to the plants and moving them around to get as much sun as possible. To increase our chances for nice red tomatoes Mr Nikolovski decided to buy organic super growing pellets. The pellets has generously been put in all the pots. Team Nikolovski och framförallt Mr Nikolovski drömmer om egna hemodlade tomater. Sagt och gjort, projektet odla egna tomater har påbörjats. Morfar Sven-Hugo har konsulterats. Krukor, jord och plantor har inhandlats. Under ett par kvällar förra veckan har vi planterat och fixat och donat på balkongen. Mr Nikolovski har tagit stor stolhet i att vattna, prata och flytta runt plantorna för att ge dem så my...

I am working on some new figures to add to the collection of cute animals  Three very wise owls looking a little confused I quite like them They will be framed and placed next to the gang of pink elephants and blue cats Thinking to add a background before I am satisfied, but not sure yet...  By the way I am not sure why I hanging more birds on the wall, I am scared of birds and think they are pretty disgusting... Probably some psychological explanation behind these birds... Lets just leave it at that..

Nearly a week has gone on my maternity leave ( waiting and preparing for mini leave to be precise). New routines to get use to: wake up around 9, a hot bath,  a nice fresh breakfast and watching Swedish TV-show "After teen" and the day can start. I have been for yoga, a good way to move and relax my stiff and inflexible body. But mostly I have taken the opportunity to draw and illustrate. Life is good and so far not bored one little bit.. One of my projects are to make pictures that I can hang on the wall in my planed baby corner. This is my latest collection: a gang of pink elephants, blue and fat cats and a snail race. What about them, are they pretty baby friendly?    Nya rutiner och projekt  Första veckan på min mammaledighet (vänta- på-bebis-ledighet för att vara korrekt) har snart passerat. Så mycket nya rutiner att behöva vänja sig vid: slå upp mina blå runt nio tiden, ta ett varmt bad med väldoftande olja, härlig och stor frukost framför TV pro...

Mr Nikolovski asked me the other day what the point is with my empty frame that I have hung on one wall. Even though I think it looks pretty cool like it is, empty, I do have a plan to put something in the frame eventually. My plan to action process can sometimes unfortunately take some time, but in this case I promise I am working on it!! This is at least my first prototype and a good start. I will get back with the finish product when or maybe if I manage to produce something that I am happy with. For now we have to enjoy the empty frame, but at least it has a great bright turquoise color.   En tom ram = Ett nytt projekt Mr Nikolovski tittade undrande på en tom ram som jag nyligen spikade upp på väggen och frågade vad syftet med denna färgglada men tomma ram var. Jag tycker att den gör sig ganska bra tom, men kan meddela att ja jag har en plan att fylla den med något. Den kreativa funderar processen har påbörjats i mitt huvud, men så ska det ut på pap...

I am currently working on my presentation for my project about fleet management & market share. How do I illustrate why market share is a great tool? How do I show that with market share we can see how we are doing today and most important how we can grow and capture more shares of the market?? With a cake !?? The cake is a classic and been used hundreds of times before...  Not only boring but also I am not sure that I have the right clientele (service managers..) that will appreciate a cake metaphor No lets be realistic, lets talk  about cash. Cash talks.. This is my idea and draft about illustrated market share...