Secret small things

Hidden secrets. Tiny moments. Mysteries, morsels and messages: imagine holding these in your hand. Crafty decorator Jeska of Lobster and Swan has loved old matchboxes, and "secret small things" hidden inside, for years. She even has one with a typewritten message inside it from her great grandfather. How incredibly precious! Earlier this year Jeska started a project called #matchboxaday, creating tiny worlds inside vintage wooden matchboxes every day for a whole month. She then sold the matchboxes on her Etsy shop to help raise money for a charity run that her husband was doing.

The very first matchbox (pictured above) was Airmail! If only I had known, I DEFINITELY would have made this tiny world my own to celebrate my book. Then again, I am pretty much coveting ALL of these miniature marvels.

(All images used with Jeska's kind permission).

Love

"Sweet dreams and shiny things / decorate the space between / awake and sleeping." (Because sometimes we all need a bit of stop motion in our day).[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/45858914 w=525&h=295]

V as love from giuli&giordi on Vimeo.

Aaaaand...

* on iVoices: why I love my body (seriously!) * on English Muse: affordable designer pieces for your home

Into Carlton

The walk into Carlton started out really well. The sun seemed to clarify the icy day into infinite particles, Madeleine was happily rugged up in her pram in front of me, and Oliver the dog was dancing around from one side of us to the other, sniffing everything and just relishing in the verb WALK. I had my camera around my neck and was indulging in one of those mornings during which you stop and smell the roses, then you photograph them, and then you photograph them again from a different angle. I was noticing everything. Like, “Ooh, just LOOK at the vivid yellow of that leaf against the pale-blue winter sky,” I’d say to myself. And my Self would respond, “Well, what did you bring the camera for?”So it took an hour and a half for us to get to the post office (normally a 45 minute walk), and Madeleine was a perfect angel the entire time, even when we bumped over cobblestones that were so lumpy and old (“Ooh, I’ll take a picture of those”) that she almost got whiplash in the pram.

When a soccer ball escaped from a game in the park, I was able to hold onto the pram, hold onto the dog, and kick the ball more or less accurately back to the grinning players. I said to myself, “Self, I am Supermum!” And Self said to me, “Right on, sister.”Then we got to Lygon Street, packed with restaurants with tables spilling out onto the pavement and crowds and happy people dining, and THAT’S when Madeleine decided she’d had enough and started to scream. And scream. And scream.

Picture me navigating a pram with one hand, holding onto a dog lead with my little finger, jiggling a screaming baby on my chest with the other hand, and trying to make my way through a narrow path between the restaurant doors and all their outdoor tables and chairs, all with diners and restaurateurs alike giving me the evil eye because my howling child and smelly dog were ruining their peaceful lunch.

I was thinking, if Madeleine would just stop crying for five minutes, I’d be able to pick a restaurant, sit down outside (because of the dog), order my lunch and feed her. But of course she wouldn’t stop crying for five seconds let alone five minutes, and the waiters who stand in the doorways and normally try everything bar physically dragging you indoors to get you to eat at their tables wouldn’t even catch my eye on this day. Oh, I am so green as a mother. Why did I not think ahead? From now on, if there is not a guaranteed place to feed or change my baby along the way and at the destination, I refuse to walk more than 20 minutes away from home in any direction. And I definitely won’t take the dog with me. Poor Oliver.

What to pack for London

Have you seen the Kate Spade city guides? They offer stylish advice on places to sleep, eat, drink, shop, explore, visit and even what to pack for five fabulous cities, and more to come. For anyone lucky enough to be heading Olympic-ward, this is the packing list for London. Isn't it cute?

Magic

This is the Airbus 2050 concept plane. When I first saw it today I thought "scary" and immediately after that I thought "sunburn."

But before I thought either of those things I thought, "magic."

What do you think?

Lately, on my iPhone

Life has contracted of late. Little Madeleine's heart condition puts her at increased risk of lung infection, and even a simple cold could have serious consequences. So while we wait until she is old enough to be immunised (and thankfully she is on a 'heart patient' list for extra help throughout the winter), our lives are relatively solitary. Much of my life is lived inside our small house, and on gentle walks around Melbourne, visits to cafes and pubs only if they are quiet and with Madeleine's pram suitably draped in muslin cloth.

At the same time, life has expanded beyond all comprehension. The addition of this wonderful, warm bundle of baby to our home and hearts has changed absolutely everything, and suddenly the entire world is not big enough to contain the love I feel.

And to be truthful, the solitude has been kind of a special time. Apparently a lot of cultures spend the first six weeks of a new baby's life in relative isolation, to heal and grow and bond. I can understand this. Aside from my very real anxiety over Madeleine's health, having this 'bubble time' with her is something I will look back on as quite special.

Perhaps it is a less aggressive transition from being pregnant (when she is all mine) to after the birth (when everyone wants to hold her): I get to keep my baby MOSTLY to myself a little longer.

The face of Etsy

Is this the face of Etsy? I had a rare moment of self-realisation today, when I discovered I had been sub-consciously limiting Etsy sellers to a set of extremely narrow parameters (mostly females in their 20s and 30s, quirky, creative, probably fans of Jane Austen novels...). Why did I do this? After all, Etsy is just an online market, and market sellers are about as diverse as they come.

This is Jim Power, an Etsy seller who is also known as the "Mosaic Man" because he has been creating beautiful mosaics on the lamp-posts of New York's East Village for decades, supported by donations from locals. Jim might not be as young or pretty as my imagined Etsy sellers, but his work is beautiful and meaningful, a gift to the city. Plus his dog is super cute. (Photos from Jim's Facebook page).

Last night

Last night I walked a whole block-and-a-half and back to get milk, BY MYSELF. It was the longest time I’d been away from Madeleine in her little life. It felt so… partitioned. Like something essential was missing. And finally I could admit to myself that I was no longer pregnant, that I was just and only me. It was a funny feeling of independence and physical freedom and loss and lightness. Another sensation: I was rugged up in a coat and gloves, so all of me was cozy, toasty, except my face which took the full, icy slap of the winter night on the cheeks. It was kind of glorious. Alive! I could smell rain a-comin’ but when I looked up, up, up, stars made mockery of the city lights, just over there.

When I got home into the light and warmth and shed my layers, Mr B handed Madeleine to me without a word, as if he knew. He knew. Madeleine snuggled onto my chest, nuzzling her head under my chin in just the place she loves the most and I love the most. She was divinely warm. Her jaw slowly dropped open and she started to snore, soft little snuffles. I hugged her close and thought, Wow.

A day at the races

I have always wanted to do this.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POJEkwv-Oss]

(Photos, video and concept from Improv Everywhere)

Also, RUDE FOOD! (I'm writing about the Magic Pudding on English Muse) >>

The office

With Madeleine just three weeks old, I had to go back to work last week, part time. On the up-side, I find my colleagues to be rather cuddly.