Welcome to my new series — Coffee Talks!
I’ve been wanting to create this section for quite some time now. I realized recently that I don’t really share much about what I’m doing or thinking, and even though some of you have been following me for a while, you might not actually know what I do for a living.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I want you to get to know me a little better. I feel like once you do, everything I create and share will make a lot more sense — or at least, that’s what I hope.
So, where should we start? Probably from the beginning, right? 🙂
When I changed my blog from Blogspot to WordPress a few years ago, I didn’t transfer any of my old posts, which means I lost my original Hello / Welcome / Introduction post. So, here it is — after four years in the blogosphere, it’s finally time to write my official “Hello, it’s me!” post.
Let’s go back to 2010, the year it all began. At that time, I was still in intermediate school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. A bit rebellious and definitely bored of routine, I spent a lot of time online, looking at pictures of things I didn’t have and couldn’t afford. My main source of inspiration back then was Zszywka — something similar to Pinterest, but in the Polish version. I could spend hours scrolling through that site, and what fascinated me the most was the DIY section — all those before-and-after transformations and creative ways to remake clothes.
Of course, back then I had no idea how to use a sewing machine — or how to sew at all. So I started small. I added heart-shaped patches to elbows and knees, or stitched little pearls onto my sweaters. The possibilities felt endless. I loved it so much that I began remaking almost all my clothes. I still remember my mum shouting at me for cutting up a brand-new top because I wanted to turn it into something else. Ah, good times.
The real fun began when my grandma offered to let me use her sewing machine — and I don’t mean a small domestic one. It was a massive old Singer, built into a wooden cabinet with foot pedals. I still remember how hard it was to move that pedal with my tiny legs.
After a while, simply remaking clothes I already owned wasn’t enough. I wanted to do more. I started visiting second-hand shops every week, buying vintage pieces for just a few coins and transforming them into something new. That’s when I decided to start uploading my before-and-after photos to Zszywka (the Polish version of Pinterest I mentioned earlier).
At first, I only got a handful of views — maybe fifteen — but to me, that was huge. With each post, my views slowly grew, and that small bit of encouragement pushed me to take the next step: creating my own blog where I could share step-by-step guides on how I remade my clothes.
My first-ever blog was created in 2010 and was called x3caroline. To this day, I’m not entirely sure why I chose that name. The “x3” was supposed to represent a heart, and I guess I just liked how my name, Karolina, sounded in English — Caroline.
That little blog was where I shared my DIY projects and sewing experiments, spreading my growing love for making things by hand. As my audience slowly grew, I decided it was time to take the next step and create my own website — the one you’re reading now.
I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned why I decided to call my blog (and Instagram) tintofmint. Some of my friends assumed it was because mint was my favorite color — but there’s actually a bit more to the story.
Well… no. The name of the blog actually comes from the color of a sweater I posted on my very first blog. I remember it so clearly — it was a mint button-down sweater I bought second-hand in a size 12. In that post, I showed how I resized it from a 12 to an 8, and I called it “tint of mint.”
And that’s how the name was born. Simple as that! Now you finally know the story behind it. I’d honestly love to know what you thought the name meant — what was your guess?
As the website grew, I began sharing more about travel, beauty, and outfit inspiration alongside my sewing projects. There’s still so much to learn and improve, but I’m trying to get better every single day.
These days, I no longer remake clothes from second-hand finds — I create them entirely from scratch. From sketching designs and drafting patterns to selecting fabrics and sewing the final pieces, I’m now building my own clothing line. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for so long, and I’m beyond happy to finally see it coming to life. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on!
Before I finish, I just want to say thank you for supporting my work. Without you, none of this would be possible. I’ll end this post here so it doesn’t get too long, but I truly hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time!
