Mister Penguin

Alizée has had a little something for penguins for a couple of years now. Here's a handmade one, done with papier mâché. She also has stuffed penguins, stickers, pictures, books, figurines and all and all... He is quite chic with his bow tie and seems to be on the verge of saying something, with his open beak. His left foot is almost moving, probably because he wants to go dancing or something. Cute, isn't he?

13 Silly But Fun Things To Do

1. Hold a glass around my mouth by suction
2. Make noise with a straw when there's nothing left in my glass
3. Send "air" kisses
4. Make a wine glass sing
5. Make music with a glass bottle
6. Eat a long spaghetti without cutting it
7. Play with a cake and eat it weirdly (icing at the end, of course)
8. Make noise on babies bellies
9. Write with my fingers on a frosted window or a steamed mirror
10. Check if there has been any activity on my blog or flickr 25 times a day
11. Spend an incredible number of hours doings arts and crafts, just for the fun of it
12. Try shoes I would never buy, walk awkwardly with them and laugh
13. Point towards the sky for nothing and see people look up

Look at this...

We must know that everything we do in the presence of children has an impact: click on the video on the right (the biggest one)...

A Surprise!

Yesterday, while reading a postcard swap "friend" blog, I had an idea! I've decided to surprise her.

Naturally, I can't tell you what it consists of, it has to stay a secret. Well, Tanja knows (we were doing arts 'n crafts together when I had the idea), but I have to keep it quiet until the right moment... Otherwise, the effect won't be as interesting if I write too much about it.

Because since I'm part of Hula's group, people read me more, my flickr photos are viewed more, so goodbye anonymity! It's kind of weird in a way, knowing that there might be more than 3 people reading these words. It has never been my intention, I'm getting used to it!

Got to go back to my surprise...

13 Things To Do This Summer

1. Change color or add wallpaper
2. Cutting to do...
3. Paint touch-ups
4. Scrape the old green and paint in white
5. Add new flowers
6. Weed
7. Clean
8. Sort out
9. Find a system to organize my jewels
10. Add protective dye
11. Help Claude get rid of the balcony
12. Big garage clean up
13. Get these feet to move...

Postcards

That's it! My postcards are gone... The majority are going to the United States, one goes to the Netherlands and another in the UK. Oh, and a last one is on its way to Tanja's :-) When I put them in the mailbox, I felt a little something. My babies left home to explore another house where someone is waiting for them. I'm so excited, can't wait to receive mine!

I've spent long hours imagining them, finding solutions to my tiny problems, playing with the colors (I adored this part), making touch-ups, writing a personalized note to perfect strangers who, I hope, will be happy to receive a little piece of me. I'm still afraid that they won't survive the long road. Those babies are quite fragile!

Think about it, it's unbelievable: a girl from Portland, Oregon invites people she doesn't know to take part in a postcard swap (home made) and almost 80 people respond. Thanks Andrea (also known as Hula) for this great initiative...

Miranda, Author

Miranda has been fascinated by books since she was really young. So much that, without warning, she learned to read on her own, at the age of 4. It was not enough. She rapidly started writing books. At first, illustrated books, like this story about an elf who didn't want to work, as a Christmas gift. Then, she wrote short stories.

Now she writes poetry. She looks for the right word, plays with rimes, uses a rich vocabulary. I am a lucky mother; I receive poetic love letters from my little teen. I love her so much!

Who knows what she'll write at 16, 20, 30 years old?

13 Books to Read

1. The Culture Code, Clotaire Rapaille
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
3. Wreck this Journal, Keri Smith
4. Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos & Altered Books, Linda Woods and Karen Dinino
5. 401 Design Meditations: Wisdom, Insights, and Intriguing Thoughts from 244 Leading Designers, Catherine Fishel
6. Living Out Loud: Activities to Fuel a Creative Life, Keri Smith7. Zing! : Five Steps and 101 Tips for Creativity On Command, Sam Harrison
8. Nunuche magazine, Elise Gravel
9. The Secret Record of Me, Roland Harvey
10. Refuse To Choose! : How to Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies, Barbara Sher
11. Ideaspotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea, Sam Harrison
12. Creating a Life Worth Living, Carol Lloyd
13. Night, Elie Wiesel

Musée D'Orsay

I'm back from a wonderful trip. Nothing is better than that to make that age transition. 40? Piece of cake...

Paris... So many great things, it's difficult to choose so here's one of my good souvenirs. I'm talking about the Musée D'Orsay. Previously a train station from the early 1900's, it finally found a best vocation: an art museum showing paintings, drawings, sculptures from the late 19th to the early 20th century. The ceiling itself is a piece of art. So are the clock, the 2nd floor restaurant, the ballroom. So beautiful!

The place had a real effect on me, I felt dizzy from my arrival until I left the museum. And I'd rather think it was due to its beauty, its magic than thinking about bad air conditioning, lack of sleep or the impressive number of people present. No, no, no, I instantly thought of the Stendhal Syndrome, nothing less :-) Well, I was impressed (and not only by the impressionists), captivated. You don't see Van Gogh's, Monet's, Rodin's, Claudel's, Renoir's, Degas' and Manet's art work everyday...