What does family mean to you? Introducing "Alphabet Family Journal"

(A little secret: there is an awesome, not-sponsored giveaway at the end of this post)

What does "family" mean to you?

When I was a little girl not much older than Madeleine is now (almost two), one of my favourite books was a Little Golden Book called Happy Family. The book was written in the 1950s and it was oh so 1950s America. It starred two children Tony and Peggy, their parents, a dog named Skipper and a cat named Kiki. Over the years I have wondered why I loved that story so much. It was pretty boring really. Vanilla. From memory, they have a party or go to the beach or something. They get ice cream. It's no The Monster at the End of this Book or The Tiger Who Came to Tea, both of which I also loved. (Still do.)

And even back when I was growing up, families were a lot more diverse than Tony and Peggy would have had us believe.

And now here we are in 2014 and a new magazine called Alphabet Family Journal is about to launch. It celebrates families in every iteration and in all the messy inconsistencies that make up what we call "home." I don't know if there will be any "Mum, Dad & 2.5 kids"-style families in the first issue of Alphabet. I guess there could be, since that's one version of a family, and it's as valid as the next. But I really like the way the people behind Alphabet Family Journal define "family" in the broadest possible sense: "people who make a home together."

I feel like this magazine has been written for me in all the stages of my adult life. For the me that is a wife, a mother to two children under two, and a stepmother to two almost-grown-up girls who live here sometimes but not all times. But also for the me that was single and living alone (except for my dog) in an apartment in New York, with a "family" that was made up of my closest friends and neighbours. And for the me that lived in a dormitory on my university campus, emotionally lost and spiritually confused and longing, desperately, to be part of the kind family I thought would make me "legitimate" in the eyes of my peers.

It's possible I've drawn a rather long bow from a simple definition, and that maybe Alphabet Family Journal won't quite meet every expectation I've built up for it in my head. But I'm fairly confident it will come close. Each issue promises to present stories, ideas and curiosities about "family," inspired by a letter of the alphabet. Starting, not exactly surprisingly, with A. So the first issue covers topics from living with Aspergers to the challenges of Attention in everyday life, an honest look at Adoption, a moving study of Audio in our homes and photo essays themed Africa, Autumn Nights, Abode, Alstonville and Anticipation.

In a Kickstarter campaign to launch the magazine, founder and creative director (Sydney-based photographer Luisa Brimble) said "It seemed like many parenting or family-related magazines were representations of a polished, perfect home that was, quite simply, not at all like our own homes. So we set out to create an alternative: a family journal that celebrates the personal foundations of our homes in their many different forms." With the help of crowd-funding they also made a commitment to recognise and reward the work of their contributors, something too few independent publications do these days.

I can't wait to read it! After all, as the creators say, "We're what you read when you want to feel like you belong."

And as for Happy Family? After probably way too much thought, I have come to realise that what I loved so much about it was the extended story-line. They get up, they have a party, they have some fun, they go to bed. In children's book land, that should be the end of the story. But guess what? They wake up the next morning and have MORE VANILLA ADVENTURES. And what did that mean? Delayed lights-out time for toddler me! Shazam. Mystery solved.

>> Keep scrolling for the giveaway, after the pretty pictures >>

Photo credit above: Elize Strydom. All photographs courtesy of Alphabet Family Journal

A giveaway

When I decided to write this post I contacted Luisa Brimble to ask for her permission to use some photographs. She very kindly sent through all the photos you see here, and more, to give you a sneak peek of what's inside Alphabet Family Journal. But even more generously, she also offered to give away a free copy of Issue 1 AND this gorgeous "Be Kind" poster by Bianca Cash (I am so jealous) to one of you! I figured you'd be pretty happy about that so I said a big YES, THANK YOU.

To be in the running, simply leave a comment below telling me what "family" means to you. It can be one word or a whole essay, anything you like. I just appreciate this chance to get to know you better. For an extra chance in the draw, share the love by going over to the Alphabet Family Journal Facebook Page and hitting "like" (then let me know you've done-so). I'll draw the winner at random at 4.50pm on this Friday 13 (oooh!) June, Melbourne time. Good luck!

Sorry, the competition is only available within Australia.

UPDATE 13/06/14: This competition is now CLOSED. Thank you all for your interest and for all the amazing, beautiful and moving thoughts and feelings you shared about "family." And a big, heartfelt congratulations to the winner, Zanni.

Favourite things - leave an impression

From paper to photos to pancakes, here are five clever ways to leave an impression. Brought to you, for no apparent reason, by the letter P. 1. Photos

How great is this "Lightcase"? It's a small, portable studio that you can use to take professional-style photographs of the things you make and love, even with just an iPhone.

2. Pandas

The sweetest little friends ever to sit on your finger: these miniature crocheted animals from SuAmi in Vietnam are the best! This one is a red panda. (Seen via B for Bel)

3. Pancakes

We make a lot of faces out of food around our place these days. But nothing quite as clever as this "Crack a Smile" pancake mold!

4. Paper

These Haibara letter-and-envelope sets caught my eye a few months back, and I keep coming back to them. I love how bold and clean they are, and those red outlines make them look like drawings of envelopes. (Seen via Swiss Miss)

5. Paintings

This has to be one of my favourite public art projects and if you didn't dream about moving to Paris before, you will now. Etienne Lavie replaced billboard advertisements all over the city with classic works of art. Not long after that, he did the same in Milan. Tres belle, oui?

Favourite things - I did not expect that

Lately a lot of my favourite things collections seem to be about food. Which means that as I've been meandering my way around the Internet late at night while nursing Harry, it's the food posts that have caught my eye and inspired me to hit "save." Maybe it's because I'm a breastfeeding mother who is also racing around after a toddler, and I am permanently hungry. Be that as it may, I think you may just like these unexpected food combinations and constructions, too. 1. Instagram marshmallows

What a fun, quirky, tasty gift these would make! Seen via Poppytalk

2. Beaker BLT

This made me laugh. I'm all about making pictures out of food lately, to get Madeleine to eat her vegetables. Although this certainly blows my smiley-face and cat-face bean-and-carrot concoctions out of the water! And it's just in time for the new Muppets movie, too. Seen on Handmade Charlotte

3. Kombi toaster

Have I shared this one before? I feel like I have. Or was that the Kombi tent. Either way, I'm still a fan and if you are too, you can buy your own from The Fowndry. It's like those burger-shaped telephones we all wanted in our rooms as teenagers (I never got one. Did you?)

4. Beyond burgers

Take a look through Fat & Furious Burger, a bizarre website featuring totally over-the-top photographs of insanely decadent (and somewhat weird) burgers. Then you will look up and think "Wait, where did those three hours just go?"

5. Chocolate terrariums

I've saved the best for last. Look at these. Just look at them! Beautiful works of art, and deliciously tasty too. I would SO love to have one of these served up to me at the end of a meal. Apparently they're actually pretty easy to make, so maybe I'll try them out one day. The tutorial is on The Design Files if you want to have a go.

Turquoise and mint

1. Simple succulents 2. Footpath beside Sydney Road

3. Triangles in Aunty Betty's quilt

4. Friendly monster on the Milk Bar wall

5. Beating eggs

6. Vintage tea ad

7. Local wall

8. Those eyes!

Black and white

It's quite interesting to take a look at something that is completely familiar, through someone else's eyes. It's amazing what you'll notice for the first time. My parents were visiting on the weekend and my father took his camera with him on a walk through our neighbourhood while the sky was heavy with the promise of rain. I love that the subjects of these photographs are so familiar to me - I walk these streets every day! - yet they feel slightly foreign. It's rather pleasantly unsettling.

Note from my Dad: "The two guys with the skateboard called out to me to take a shot of them and just at that moment one of them came off the board."

ps. If you want to see some more of my dad's photography, look here.

What makes you happy?

Take a look at this fabulous street art project about spreading gratitude. It's called "The little things." How it works is that you and I will be able to submit photographs we've taken that represent something we're grateful for. Rain over thirsty grass. A kiss from a baby. Freshly-picked strawberries, still warm from the sun. Then Hailey Bartholomew (of 365 Grateful) will select her favourite photographs, print them out as giant polariods, and post them up all over town to inspire everyone else to stop and think about the little things that make them happy. Lovely, oui?

Hailey has launched a Pozible campaign to fund this project, and she could sure do with your support to help make it happen. Plus, there are some rather nice rewards on offer for everyone that makes a donation (even a little one). You can learn all about The Little Things (and help out if you have the motivation and means) here.

{Photo is from Hailey's Pozible page. First seen via Meet Me At Mikes}

Favourite things - unexpected art

Each of these art projects celebrate the unexpected. Enjoy! 1. Leafy dress-ups

Azuma Makoto frequently dreams about a mysterious, loitering, human-plant creature. So he created the "Leaf Man" art project, to "elevate the value of flowers and plants."

Seen via

2. Flip-book art

Remember making little flip-books in school? We would draw stick figures in the corners of our notebooks that, when you flipped through the pages, would walk and run and jump and cartwheel. Kinetic artists Mark Rosen and Wendy Marvel motorised this century-old animation technique in little boxes for gallery exhibitions. But now, they have created a FlipBooKit that you can build yourself, and populate with your own animation! My mind is literally boggling with the possibilities. This one is on my birthday wish-list.

Seen via

3. Subway signs

Have you seen this lovely little happiness-spreading video? Apparently, subway conductors in New York City are required to point at a black and white sign at every stop, to confirm that the train has fully arrived on the platform. So these people stood in front of the signs and held up messages of their own, just to brighten the conductors' days.

4. Deep south photography

Every time photographer Irene Suchocki releases a new collection, I experience "I want to go there" envy. This group of black-and-whites, called Southern Gothic, beautifully captures the humid and sultry mystery that permeates parts of Southern USA. I want to go (back) there.

5. Lacy newspapers

Canadian artist Myriam Dion cuts incredibly intricate patterns into old copies of newspapers, creating beautiful, lace-like artworks. I can't even fathom the combination of vision, patience and talent this must require.

Seen via

Twirl

Every time I see gifs done well, I think of the moving photographs in Harry Potter, and how maybe we're a little bit closer to magic now. I love this spinning, twirling Japanese tumblr site. Actually I'm feeling a little bit motion-sick, but I still love it. (First found via Happiness Is).

Heads you win

Once upon a time my grandfather, fresh off the boat from England, was walking along a street in Sydney when an old coin caught his eye. He bent and picked it up: the coin was chipped and dented and completely covered in black grime, but with his fingers he could trace the a profile on one side and it made him wonder... My grandfather took the coin to a numismatist (I had to look that word up, isn't it fantastic?) who confirmed that yes, indeed, it was very old. Roman, in fact.

For an instant, my grandfather saw his future mapped out in fabulous riches. But then the numismatist continued on to explain that in fact these coins were actually extremely common. My grandfather's great find was worth, in today's terms, about $20. On a good day.

So that was that. Later he gave the coin to my father, and my father gave it to me. As a child I LOVED that coin. I couldn't have cared less about its worth. I loved holding it in my hand and imagining where this coin had been and what it had witnessed, what it had purchased, and the more than a thousand years worth of hands that had held it (thank goodness I wasn't a hygiene-obsessed child!).

I still love that coin, for the same reasons. Which Caesar is on it? I don't know because it is still covered in black grime. One day I will have it cleaned professionally, and then I'll find a way to wear my $20 Roman coin as a necklace.

In the meantime, I have fallen rather hard for the wonderful, made-up stories on coins in this art/photography project by German-based designer Andre Levy. Andre sees coins as "massively-reproduced little sculptures." I'd never thought of them that way, but he's absolutely right, just as stamps are mass-produced little works of art!

Andre transforms the faces on the back of coins into vibrant and often funny pop-culture icons. And then he poses the question on his Facebook page: "Are we able to like one cent more than others, just by injecting new stories into it?"

Umm, YES.

(All photographs used here with Andre's kind permission)

Victorian dispatch - Sovereign Hill

It was a pivotal moment in time for Victoria. In 1851, gold was discovered in the area we now know as Ballarat. Thousands of adventurers and risk-takers rushed to the region and turned the muddy goldfields into a bustling town, all-but overnight. Within two years, there were more than 20,000 miners of countless nationalities working on the field. Visit Ballarat today and you can still see grand Victorian architecture everywhere, all built on gold. (Not literally you understand. At least probably not).

And just around the corner you will find Sovereign Hill, a place that recreates the atmosphere and events that existed in the 10 years following that momentous first discovery of gold.

I love a good historical tourist-attraction, I really do.

{Side note: when I was little I loved to visit Old Sydney Town and imagine myself travelling back in time. There was a "Time Tunnel" that you walked through to get from the place where you bought the tickets to the actual town. Eight-year-old Naomi harboured fantasies that she could do this MUCH better. For example, I would have built the Time Tunnel so that you couldn't see one end from the other. And I would have had swirling coloured lights (something like the ones on the cover of 'A Wrinkle in Time' which I was totally into at the time) throughout, deliberately creating a disorienting experience as you walked through the tunnel. Half way into the Time Tunnel, when you could no longer see the entry or exit points, there would be change rooms and the biggest dress-up box you had ever seen, with enough clothes to fit everyone. And you would have to get changed into period costume so that when you emerged in Old Sydney Town, you and everyone around you would look the part. That way, nobody (let alone a very romantically-minded eight-year-old girl), would need to suspend their disbelief. Pretty cool huh?}

Back to Ballarat...

At some point during Primary School, everyone in Australia learns about the Eureka Stockade, which happened on the Ballarat goldfields in 1854. It was a rebellion, and the most significant of its kind in Victoria's history. The rebels objected to the imposition of a Miner's License, an exorbitant form of taxation on their gold findings, and at least 28 men died, with many more wounded. It was a classic (and in this case tragic) Australian story of the common man standing up against an abuse of authority, despite the odds and regardless of the consequences.

So this is Sovereign Hill, circa last Saturday:

One of the handy things about being the mother of a toddler is that you can go to these kinds of places and pretend you are doing it for your child, when really it is all about you.

Actually Madeleine could not have cared less about where we were or the cool costumes people were wearing or the historical significance of the town. Her key interests were: climbing up and down muddy steps; looking at turkeys in a sheep paddock; imitating the calls of the crows flying above us; licking my toffee-apple and then smearing sticky, red, stains all over her face. Most of these (minus the turkeys in the sheep paddock) we could have done at home, without the entry fee.

We tried to interest Madeleine in panning for gold, but she was more interested in walking at top speed into the creek, completely oblivious to her inability to swim or the sudden-return-to-winter climate of the day.

For my part, I loved the whole shebang. In particular, the toffee apple was the first I'd had since I was about 10. It was really REALLY good. Better than I remembered the toffee apples of my childhood being. And I went home with a red, sticky face, too.

Junior fashion notes: Madeleine's adorable, furry vest was a gift from Target Australia. I must thank them (again) because it kept her warm and cosy on a very cold day, she LOVED wearing it, and I think she looked cute as pie in it, especially when teamed with skinny jeans and little love-heart sneakers (also from Target, purchased by me).

Please don't blame me for the non-matching hat (knitted by a kind volunteer at Mr B's work). Madeleine loves her hats, and she chose that one all by herself before we left the house.