1-25-2026 MY INSPO: rejuvination in color

this week's inspo carries the thread of rejuvination, new beginnings and freedom. my mom encouraged me to look into a 100% sustainable rug company in croatia. 10 ways to spoil yourself rotten, if you're like me, spending majority of the days stuck at home due to snow squalls. and finally, my colorful polka dot nails inspired me to style different color combos.

regeneracija zabok - recycled and reborn

the european standards for recycling, reducing and reusing tend to be more progressive than the american standard, possibly because numerous countries, such as my own, croatia, historically had to use their resources to the max. even growing up, my peers in the usa were met with abundance i could only fantasize about. hell - even bringing back my own collection of bratz dolls was more dolls than what many friends owned - combined.

anyways, during our weekly facetime, my mom recommended i look into the company regeneracija from the suburb zabok near the capital of croatia. mom says: "they've been making rugs from random textile waste for decades now." i believe we were talking about how there is so much clothing on the planet, we would be able to dress multiple generations before needing to actually make more.

we also talked about how europe is trying to push back from warehouses of fast fashion pillars like shein (hey now, the call is coming from inside the house. europeans love zara).

according to the european environment agency, the textile sector is third in water waste and land use. experts predict that there will be 130 million tons of textile thrown away by 2030.

only 12% of textile can be recycled according to this article from 2023. at the time of this article being written, over 90% of textile in croatia was not recycled, just ended up in landfill.

here's where regeneracija comes in, as a reminder that a focus on upcycling can be economically, and ecologically beneficial.

here's what the company says about its work:

at our plant in zabok/croatia, near the capital zagreb, industrial and household textile waste has been collected, recycled and processed into nonwovens for various applications since the 1950s. for about 20 years, we have also been using these raw materials to produce protective and covering nonwovens.
the main raw material for the production of our nonwovens is textile waste, especially from used clothing collection. in order to meet our enormous demand, we manufacture most of the raw materials needed for production ourselves. industrial and domestic textile waste is recycled and processed into nonwovens in our in-house ripping plant.

according to the croatian technical encyclopedia, regeneracija collaborated with various companies within yugoslavia (inkolon from serbia, and tena in bosnia), and about 90% of the raw material was sourced within yugoslavia.

regeneracija focused on collaborating with local and international artists in making custom made carpets, rugs, and tapestries, and still collaborate with hotels, restaurants, show gallery exhibits in their regalerija. each motif varies, from what the customer wants, to the artist's own expression.

here's a cool fun fact too: for an iraqi customer, artist frane delale created a tapestry titled the history of iraq, andin 1987 entered into the guiness world record book for the largest tapestry in the world! read more about the history of this stunning moment here.

10 ways to spoil yourself rotten!

since we're going thru such hibernation and many are stuck at home, we might feel bored, and rotting. let's not just rot. while don't we spoil ourselves rotten instead! and i will pledge to do the same this week. let's invest in ourselves early this year.

sib and mom recently discussed practicing hygge "the scandinavian way of coziness", which is practicing comforting activities like indoor gardening when it's too cold outside, baking cozy meals, and while researching about this term, cozy socks seem to be extremely important. sib advised i write about implementing more hygge in our lifestyle. so, i guess these are my personal pledges of self-care?!

1. indulge in your treats

when social media starts talking about gut health, and influencers pose as doctors, we often feel scrutinized for our cravings. while i do think that lots of what we consume is "slop", the concept of "intuitive eating" may help. most professionals will state that finding balance in your meals is healthier than attempting diets. i try to live by that. i know i have a sweet tooth, but i also crave some pepperoncini's, chips and dip, or just some good smoked gouda and smoked salmon.

allow yourself a day to say - "tonight on the menu is girl dinner". explore cookbooks and recipe cards before your shopping day and check your saved reels and tiktoks for that delicious recipe that makes you hungry each time you watch it. make yourself a menu and find balance between healthy and treat. and for dessert, if you're not partaking in dry january, try out a new dessert cocktail as well. and if you see the fruit that you bought that's withering away, dump it all in a homemade smoothie.

2. romanticize your self-care

too broke to book that spa treat? or perhaps, your fave spa place is 40 minutes away and they keep calling for more snow? girl. you just got some face masks for christmas. choose the mask, play some new age music, dim your bathroom lights and light up the incense. take an everything shower. put oil in your hair before you wash it (even though you almost forget). scrub, slug, dry brush. take time to give yourself a massage. for your scalp and gua sha too. then - take some time to fresh up your cuticles. maybe paint your nails - and toenails too! be your spa treat. if you have a bathtub, take one evening to make a bubble bath, and add a glass of wine.

3. rewatch your feel-good movie

take a break from one screen to focus on another. but truly log off social media for the two hours. choose a film of your liking (my choices would be legally blonde, the devil wears prada, breakfast at tiffany's, the barbie movie, or any animated bratz film, and on some occasions: a cute disney princess movie) and enjoy it - script alongside or sing along. then listen to the soundtrack for a bit. try and focus on the plot with minimal distractions (aka phone time) and make yourself a bowl of popcorn and a girl drink.

4. take your time - don't rush!

if you can wake up early enough to just - lay in bed and focus on stretching (without being chronically late to class or work), don't reach for the phone, just stretch. play some music and take time to make your bed, do a few sun salutations, and be aware of your morning routine. try and keep the awareness during the day. when i was younger, i used to act like a vlogger and would imagine explaining my morning or evening routine to the audience. it may sound silly, but for a minute my usually automatic routines didn't feel automatic, rather, they felt intentional. make yourself an achievable to-do list, with grounding activities in between, such as taking a walk, or doing some meditation and stretching.

5. spill the tea with some tea

if weather permits, have your friends come over for some wine and cocktails, or tea (a spiked arnold palmer counts too), and spill the tea. catch up, reconnect, and dish on everyone and their mother. especially if you feel like you're in a rut or you felt like you haven't seen anyone since the new year started, this could be a way to plan some exciting activities soon. community and friendship can be the perfect self-care.

6. find your sweet tunes

create or find your ideal feel-good playlist, of songs you have no problem putting on repeat. put your headphones on and tune in for a bit. whether it's doing chores and listening to hannah montana, or exercising at the gym while blasting zara larsson, find some time to dance, or at least, enjoy the rhythm. the clubs are in a crisis - we need to dance! and for the best of both worlds, move your living room table, put on some just dance clips, and you've got yourself the best workout.

7. invest in your closet

i don't mean by shopping recklessly. we're saturated with pretty girls and pretty fits all over the internet, and while it may spark envy, take time to see what you like about the outfit. is there something in your closet you already own? could accessorize in a different way? when i say invest in your closet - i mean it by utilizing more of what you already got. play dress up. prepare for potential outings or adventures ahead of time. that will reduce the stress of last-minute changes, and you can rule out stuff that doesn't make you feel good. challenge yourself to style items that you bought on a whim, that you simply haven't had the chance to wear, or were worried how to style it. i could be a spokesperson for indyx because i truly enjoy the app and the benefits of having a digitized closet. if you have the time of day, look them up on instagram or substack, see if this is the investment you need. i use the free version of the app, but fair warning: you will need to invest your time in digitizing your closet.

8. have a date with yourself

buy the higher priced steak and make it at home with some fries, get the more expensive wine. light the candles and get yourself flowers. or dress up and take yourself out to a restaurant for delicious finger food, then spend the day window-shopping. get yourself dessert, whether it's ice cream or a box of gourmet chocolates. and okay - get yourself one other treat. a gift to yourself. but listen - it's not a date if you're having negative thoughts or self-doubt. do what makes you feel the most comfortable. write yourself a love letter and spray some fancy perfume on. you deserve it.

9. a lesson in scentology

smells are powerful! keep your fave candle within reach. bring it into the bathroom for a fancy shower or light it while you're watching your movie. i use a homemade all-purpose cleaning spray, and i always add a few drops of peppermint oil. when i'm really lazy about ironing my clothes, i hang them in the bathroom and spray some water with fabric softener to get the wrinkles out (and they smell fresh). open your windows (when it's not an active blizzard) and wash your sheets. scatter some baking soda on your carpets right before vacuuming to deodorize them. and before bed, spray your signature scent on. the fresh scents will make you feel less rotten.

10. remind yourself what you're grateful for

spoil your mind. spend time thinking about the positive things you've experienced in the day. if you journal, make space for what made you happy. identify how the negative experiences impacted you, and if you can, find the good in it.

color chaos

i've been obsessing over these crazy color pairings on my nails, and i wanted to see how these color pairings look in my closet, along with inspo i found online: