music + photo

i am traveling in my head today.  i just came upon this lovely japanese band, lullatone, in my search for a perfect song for my stop motion film.  it seems that this small boat would be a lovely place to gather such melodies.  yes, yes.  good morning!

Source: weheartit.com via Cyd on Pinterest

on mamahood

juli + tula mirth, age 3 by juli

i am a single mama.  i have been since before my daughter was even born.  it is an interesting thing to become pregnant at the tail-end of a worn relationship.  you do a lot of double-takes, or at least i did.  friends, colleagues, family all worry about you and never quite know what to think. 

i decided early on that i would not let anything impede my path for the life i wanted for us and that is certainly a bit hard.  many things in my life have changed, as they do for any new parents, but doing it alone is incredibly humbling.  there is only you standing there trembling under the pressures of your tough judgments about your own parenting skills and only you to pick yourself up when you stumble.

yellow light, yellow bug by juli

mamahood is the single hardest job i have ever had but it is also the most wonderful.  each day i learn something about life or myself.  i remember to slow down to watch my daughter as she opens to the world and i remember to play.  tula mirth brings me into her imagination and i bring her into mine.  we could spend an hour talking about our favorite illustrations or playing jokes on each other.  she has given me a path back to childhood through her eyes to enjoy a more whimsical life and a reason to practice imagination.

without her, i would have never done so many fun things.  i have compiled a small list here (but it goes on and on):

1) i would never have built a treehouse inside a house
2) i would not drive during full daylight in an animal mask (well, maybe)
3) i would not spread glitter in the bathroom and act like the tooth fairy is checking on toothbrushes
4) i would not own a rickshaw
5) i would not anticipate the arrival of santa claus starting in july
6) i would not draw faces on clementines
7) i would not know someone so perfectly
8) i would not have invented the toenail polish technique "sunshine and clouds" (two shades of blue and one yellow) which is on demand at the moment
9) i would not have adopted a small brown squirrel dog (i am a big dog snob)
10) i would not laugh with my whole heart so much

the mouse clementine, by juli

etsy south...

i just found the old red hen shop based in florida and i am lovin' everything that shopowner julie curates.  she has a lovely style, an eye for good vintage finds and she is also a talented photographer.  she is the current etsy featured seller .

vintage opera glasses, $55

both photos courtesy of julie/ the old red hen

large glass cloche, $95 


beautiful montessori baby toys from pinkhouse handworks based in texas.  i am a montessori mama and would have loved to have had these handmade toys for my daughter when she was a baby.

wouldn't this make a wonderful baby gift?  five sweet toys in one bag, simple, cotton, wood, $35

both photos courtesy of pinkhouse handworks

wintery blue soft circular rattle & teething ring, $20


graphicspaceswood based in florida, involves the collaboration of a family working between two states. they make super cute wooden bookends and shelves.

mabel the mushroom bookend, $80

both photos courtesy of graphicspaceswood

bentley the bunny bookend, $80

this is just to say

i picked up these two perfect yellow plums yesterday morning and they made me think of this favorite poem by william carlos williams.

by juli

give me a food zine!

courtesy of the runcible spoon

i am so happy to see a resurgence of zines in the mix of this era of paperless reading.  i have recently been smitten by food zines.  granted, i am biased.  there is a visceral quality to touching the paper, smelling the pages, admiring the font choice.  plus, i love the handmade quality of a zine and how much it reveals about it's creator.

so in honor of food zines, i'd like to share some of my favorites.  please share your favorites!
the runcible spoon

courtesy of the runcible spoon

fire & knives

courtesy of fire & knives

condiment

courtesy of condiment

 remedy quarterly

courtesy of remedy quarterly

put a egg on it

courtesy of put a egg on it

scenes from a life...

my daughter was incredibly done with me working tonight.  therefore, i received an impromptu performance from her one-girl band.  certainly nothing will get my attention like the accordion played alongside sharp jabs from a whistle!  yow.  needless to say, i relented.

photos by juli

p.s. there was also a very involved marching and dance move routine.

anna schuleit

artist anna schuleit painted this incredible 1800 sq ft mural entitled "just a rumor" at UMass amherst's fine arts center.  this was a temporary work that lasted through the fall of 2010.  unbelievable, no?

photo by john solem

photo by francesca g. bewer

photo by steve snell

check out one of schuleit's other works, bloom.  truly amazing.

(photos courtesy of www.1856.org)

southern singer-songwriter tift merritt interviewed anna schuleit for the spark, a program on marfa texas public radio.  look for it to air next week.