I need your (little) help

Hello!

How are you?

Things are going very well here. 

I've just come back from a week spent in beautiful Ireland (take a look in my Flickr album) and now I'm ready to start the last part of 2015 (autumn? already??? °__°).

Before starting with my usual show&tell about sewing and creativity, I'm here today to ask you a little help.

I'm taking part in a photo contest called #vistidallalto. The game consists on uploading snapshots of Sicilian places taken from above. The prize? Two books about Sicily!

You can help me leaving a "like" to my photo on the contest's facebook page. Thank you in advance for you help!

About my photo...

... it captures a medieval church in the little town of Calatabiano, seen from the castle on top of the hill.

I wrote a post about this place and its traditions here.

Have a good day!

Simple happy things - July 2015

Last year I worked on a little project and documented every single day of July (I've called it "July in 31 photos").

Not the same, this year. 

July is very hot, I feel like I'm very down on batteries and I am not doing special things to capture with my camera (although I think that there's something special for us everyday and that happyness is hidden into simple things). 

But of course I took some snapshots here and there.

They make a sort of visual diary of this month. Simple things in my life.

Critters around the house...

A super secret project I can't wait to share with you...

Some hard and satisfying work at the sewing machine...

(completed this month: 5 bags + 2 wallets + 1 moleskine cover)

(bags 1 e 2 uploaded in my esty shop)

Summer yumminess...

Important birthdays and lovely birthday gifts by the kids...

Testing new tools (rivets!)...

Sicilian spring

Sicilian sunny spring is here!

Mount Etna is still covered by snow and smoking, but the sky is blue blue blue and the fields are green and yellow.

So many yellow flowers everywhere!

They are the home of tiny snails sometimes!

Animals are happy and needs some snuggles.

Others give birth to their children, because spring is the time for love and new families.

April is probably my favourite month.

I'm happy to be and april girl. I'm turning 38 the next week (on wednesdey) and I hope the day will be sunny and warm.

I work at school as a teacher everyday. I teach italian, history and geography (+ legislation of tourism some afternoons).

I'm busy and often tired, so I'm neglecting a bit this blog and my creative journey (my list of things to try is growing, waiting for some free time).

But I'm still taking pictures to document my life.

I reach my school by feet and I'm noticing here and there some wild flowers I like. They are very small but strong. Some of them look like orchids.

My life is full of beautiful things and today I can't resist in show you some of them.

Happy Sunday!!!

Work in progress

I took this snapshots yesterday, while working to a custom order for my shop.

I like "work in progress" photography, I like documenting my creative process.

Looking at these simple images I thought our life is a work in progress. We evolve and change over and over again. And it's good.

This is probably the reason why I've apparently lost my interest in blogging. Something has changed in me. I can't find my blogging voice right now.

But I'm doing and making like a crazy girl and I'm happy.

Yesterday, after two months of no blogging, I felt the urge to share something with my readers.

I'm here again. Maybe.

Say "hello" in the comments if you are happy to see me again. I probably need some greetings to restart writing here.

Baby cats are cute

Macchia's baby is growing.

And it's a super cute cat. It behaves like a 2 years old child: it likes to explore, jump, touch, taste things with its mouth, play with mum.

I'm spending a lot of time watching what it's doing these days.

I felt in love this summer... with a little cute cat :)

July in 31 photos - days 6-10

Second step of my July photographic project.

I'm sharing with you today the photos about days 6-10.

I'm very happy that Pam decided to follow me in this photographic project and she's uploading daily photos into her Instragram album.
She is working very well, surely better than me (today is day 13, and I haven't edited and published my photos about days 11 e 12, I'm so late!!!).
Remember you can join, too.
Follow the (super simple) rules here!

Day 6: Sunday: some embroidery after lunch. I've experimented a bit with monocromatic embroidery - flowers totally improvised by me.

Day 7: Working from home. I'm preparing some of my lessons of the week (they are about tourism).

Day 8: I'd love to swim in the beautiful Ionian Sea (we live very closed), but today I can't, so I'm letting images and words speak about my needs :)

Day 9: Final exhibition for the girls who attend the school where I work ad a teacher. They were fabulous!!!

And S. and I spent a very fresh and funny evening outdoor, watching the show and meeting friends and coworkers.

Day 10: lunch with both my parents-in-law (and S., too) after a visit to the hospital for my father-in-law (nothing serious, don't worry). The right occasion to "inaugurate" one of the tableclothes I made by myself last month!

Happy sunday!!!

July in 31 photos: day 1-5

I started the new month with a new project in my mind.

Following my growing need to document my daily life, I decided to take one photo (at the least) everyday for the whole July and to publish it here and in my Flickr album.

It's a great way to see how the month is going and to sum up my summer (I'm starting with July, but my plans are to go on in august, too). 

You know that I have big expectations for this summer and I hope to see beautiful snaps speaking about fun, nature and summer happiness.

Would you join me in this project?
I've called it "July in 31 photos" (I'm not very creative with names)

If you wanto to have fun with me, the only things you have to do are: 

- capture an image of your day, everyday

- publish it where you like best (Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, your blog, ....)

- let me know in the comment where I can see your photos

I'd like to take a glance in your summer :)

I'll probably publish my photos by grouping them, because I haven't the day to edit and blog every day.

Today I'm sharing with you my first 5 days.

Day 1: S. transplanted some succulents (+ another unknown little plant) in our acid green pot:

Day 2: a mysterious little light in our lawn (a firefly, I suppose)

Day 3: olive plants took frangipani's place in front of our main door - from a tropical corner to a very mediterranean one

Day 4: new shoes for me!

Day 5: typicall sicilian breakfast for summer: bread and granita (granita is made of almonds, sugar, milk, ice and cinnamon... very refreshing)

And 5 days have gone!

The magic of dew

Yesterday morning I was feeding the turtles in the garden and I noticed something so beautiful in a flowerbed that I had to return into the home to take my camera and photograph it.

It was a magic show provided by Mather Nature... liquid pearls adorning leaves and giving them a gleaming look.

The magic of dew!

I did my best to capture that beauty and I want to share what I saw with you:

 

 

 

 

Mother Nature is the best artist ever!

Speaking about Italy... (Pam's giveaway)

Dear friends, I'm here today to let you know that Pam is hosting a super special giveaway on her blog. Only 2 days remain to enter, so... hurry up!

The giveaway speaks about Italy and I'm part of it.

Pam is offering 30$ to buy what you like in one of nine italian Etsy shops she wrote about in her post.

A great price, uh?

The only thing you have to do is to write a comment sharing what you would like to visit in a journey in Italy.

I'm having a lot of fun reading all the comments and discovering what strangers love and imagine about my country.

The thing I love most is that people seem to appreciate very much italians' kindness and not only food and monuments.

If you go to Pam's post you can also see some photos Avital took during a long travel in Italy. They are so beautiful! Avital has a great eye and talent in capturing details and moments. Love them!

I can't resist in publishing here some of my photos of italian places.

You can see other shots here and here.

 

(Eolian islands from sicilian coast)

 

(Milan's cathedral from a window of "Museo del Novecento")

 

(Cinque Terre)

 

(Gran Paradiso National Park)

 

Well, what are you waiting for? Go to Pam's blog and enter!!!

Birdwatching!

Birdwatching... a time consuming activity I really like!

I could spend hours and hours watching little birds, noticing how they are busy, funny, beautiful!

My dad is an expert conoisseur of these amazing creatures and taught me how to identify the most common species of italian birds. And I do some birdwatching everytime I can, because it makes me happy! :)

 

I always try to take photos of birds, too, but it's a bit difficult, because they constantly move and jump. But last saturday, helped by the zoom of my new camera, S. took a lovely photo I want to show you:

 

 

It's a linnet.

He made his nest, with its "wife" (I always see them together), in my neighbour's hedge and often sits on the railing I see from the kitchen everytime I'm having a meal. A beautiful sight for lunch time, isn't it? Much more better than tv shows!!!

I love this little bird, its clean and simple look and most of all that strawberry red touch on the chest.

 

I often see it on some wild cardoons, too, enjoying the sun. What a clean and "respectable" silhouette:

 

 

 

Here is full of other birds, of course!

What about sparrows?

 

 

Very common, I know, but lovely! If you watch them with attention you can notice how they have a sense of community that other birds haven't (for example robins are more solitary and a bit self-centered when food is involved).

 

I hope to take other photos like these soon!

My camera is always ready to work for me, eh eh :)

So little time

I've been so busy recently!

For the new job (it's going great with it and I'm super happy!), some "family events" and some little problems we had.

I'm not sad for this situation, I like when life is full of things, but I abandoned my creative life and my blog and this is not good at all!

Hope to have some more free time in the future or to be able to organize myself in a better way.

 

Aniway, this morning I have some moments for my photos. Precious moments, dedicated to save sweet memories!

 

My new camera is great! :)

I've tested it a lot when mum and dad were here to visit us.

I have some shots to share with you in the next posts; they are images of Sicily (landscape and monuments) and I'm editing them right now.

A little anticipation here and here (Mount Etna at work).

 

But I have also some shots about creative life still ready to be published, like this one:

 

A gift from mum... a lovely selection of embroidery thread (from her vintage collection), a ball of corn starch clay to play with (it's on my desk since april 23rd and I haven't find the time yet -___-), a little bottle of varnish for my masterpieces and a tiny (and super old) brush.

She knows me very well, eh eh!

 

Mum gave me some finished pendants, too!

My favourite is this one, in blue with tiny pieces of silver thread:

 

 

I've also photographed a postage stamp I received recently from Finland (I ordered these earrings from Sofia, an etsyan based on Finland):

 

 

I'm sending it to Su, to help her in "Project dissimulation 2013". Her father recently died for bowel cancer and she's making zines to raise found for medical reaserches (zines about birds and postage stamps). You can help, if you want (follow the link!).

 

See you soon!!!

(maybe)

I love poppies

 

Our home is alongside of a large field and it is full of amazing poppies right now! :)

I love this little flowers, with so delicate petals but so strong in colors!

They are visited everyday by a very big number of bees, I can hear their "bzzz" from my kitchen's door!

 

I've taken some photos of these poppies.

Doing it is not so simple here in Sicily, where wind constantly blows and moves poppies' lightweight heads. But I got some beautiful shots the same!

This picmokey collage is for collecting them in a single image and remember how nature can be generous!

 

Spring is here. We are having a very warm april, temperature is around 20-25 °C during the day. I'll celebrate it wearing my poppy skirt! :)

Simple happy things in March: sicilian spring

I'm uploading lot of photos in my Flickr album these days.

It's March, it's spring, my eyes are very busy in noticing simple happy things almost everywhere! :)

Nature's rebirth and all its consequent gifts capture my attention and I shoot shoot shoot.

So it's time for the second edition of "simple happy things".

 

All is about nature, healthy food and country in Sicily, hope you like my photos!

 

 

Tangerines received as a gift, a particular species that gives its best in March! So juicy and tasty!

 

 

Violet cauliflowers, grown by my brother-in-law in our fields. Beautiful to see and yummy!

 

 

Exploring our fava beans' fields in a sunny sunday afternoon. Can't believe these plants are tall almost like me (I'm 1,70 m).

 

Wild herbs my father-in-law picks up for the whole family in the countryside (abandoned fields). They have a unique taste, very good, if you are a veggies' lover like me.

I can't write an english name for them, because they are known with regional names.

I can only say that ... the first plants are slightly bitter, in the second photos there is wild asparagus, in the third one wild "finocchietto" (a typical ingredients of sicilian recipes).

 

 

Little bunnies love playing in the countryside! They can't stay quiet into my bag: they start to look around with curious eyes and can't resist to explore! :)

 

 

Countryside offers unusual backgrounds and corners to take photos of your new spring bags in a more creative way!