A Pep Talk

I needed this today and hope you enjoy it too...  a little "Pep Talk".

A Bird Ballet

 

At a lengthy stoplight during sunset the other day the girls and I sat in silent awe as hundreds of birds danced above us in the sky. It was a magical moment.

This bird ballet clip by Neels Castillon is a stunning and a grander scale of what we saw, perfectly paired with the right music. Nature constantly blows my mind.

12 great children's movies

Both our girls were under the weather this week and when that happens, it just breaks my heart. They are on the mends now and I'm so grateful. Between the runny nose sniffles, coughing, and cuddling, we slowly looked at books, and thumbed through magazines (India especially digs the mini size of Everyday Food) and watched a few of our favorite kid movies.

Here are 12 of our favorite children's movies which some may admittedly be slanted a little to the girly side, maybe not ... you tell me. We have also experimented in our family and work on keeping things 'G' rated around here so there isn't an increase in monster nightmares or sassy talk.

The Black Stallion - The cinematography is breathtaking. This part is my favorite.
Mary Poppins - Classic. You've seen this remix, right??
Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory I'm partial to the first version, I still get giddy when they open the doors to the colorful candy factory.
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking I hope to get my hands on these next, the original versions look even better. This mashup is fun.
A Little Princess - Endearing and so well done, I may shed a tear or two with this one ... maybe.
Ratatouille - Paris, great food, a rat. oui.
Pollyanna - Playing the 'glad game' is a great lesson to pick up from this one.
Alice In Wonderland - Imagination practice.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Toot sweets and a magical flying, floating car, yes.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks - V's favorite part is the battle - she laughs her head off.
Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron - V (our horse lover) has watched this repeatedly more than any other.
Charlotte's Web - Touching tale about sacrifice and friendship. We also adore this version.

Okay, now it is your turn! What are your favorite children's movies? Shout them out.

To See : New Films

For a few moments last week I watched some movie trailers and added these 3 documentary style films to my see list. Have you seen any good ones lately?

1. Pina
2. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
3. This Is Not A Film 

Little Esop

These vintage modern children's looks from Little Esop are fantastic; they look timeless with the perfect amount of mix and matching, fun stripes, and prints. After reading more about Little Esop today I was happily surprised to see that the designer Judy Posey uses organic fabrics and the line is sustainable. I am all for having high quality items that last. My girls are growing like weeds lately and this time around I am working on making better choices so the clothing can be worn down the line again on our littlest one. Little Esop (isn't that name perfect?!) just started selling online here and I just put all of these items on my girl's wish list.

Spring Blossoms

Signs of Spring have been all around, the trees in my area have been in full blossom for weeks (I love that about sunny California!) and I am thinking about bringing some branches indoors. I popped over to Terrain's website today looking for vases and was happy to see that you can actually pick up branches from their site, a really cool thing if you don't have easy access to blooming branches in your area. Do you bring spring inside?

180 South

180 South has been sitting in my Netflix queue for a while and I finally got the chance to sit down and watch it the other day. It was uplifting and inspiring. I even found myself pausing and jotting down a few quotes and even a book recommendation.

Lately as I have been organizing our space and reevaluating other things, these few thoughts from the film really struck a chord with me.

1 - "The hardest thing in the world is to simplify life, it is so easy to make it complex. What is important is leading an examined life." 

2 - A flawed system or thought process can't continue to work, "turn around and take a 180 degree turn and take one step forward."

I love the idea of when things aren't working the way you would like, it is okay to shift, reexamine, experiment and try a new direction. Perhaps I am late to the game, but I am starting to see how much life is less about the destination and all about the journey and how you perform and adapt to change and challenges along the way.

Have you seen 180 Degrees South, what other good flicks have you seen lately?

(All photos by Jeff Johnson - from 180 South.)

Glowing Snowboard Man

This short clip of a glowing snowboarder shot on the slopes of Tignes in French Alps filmed by Jacob Sutton blew my mind. It is breathtaking and worth a watch. There is something both alluring and peaceful about the quality of floating through snow and when you combine it with beautiful and simple cinematography and L.E.D. lights -- it is stunning. Enjoy.

(Directed by Jacob Sutton - He does amazing work! // via Colossal > Nowness)

New Beginnings...

2011 was a bit rough, so I welcome 2012 with open arms as being a year of calmness and a renewed simplicity and today I can't believe it but I turn 32, eek. The clip of this lovely girl Klara Harden who hiked all over Iceland on her own is incredibly beautiful and inspiring. I like that it even shows a glimpse of those vulnerable challenging moments that happened along her journey because it sure seems like those tough moments are the ones that truly teach us to soar. My obsession over the beauty of Iceland continues on.

(via Odessa May)

A Clip for the Artists

A few days ago I got some new Faber Castell Pens to draw with, then I came across this video clip ad for them that is really clever and thought you might like it.

Happy Pencils Music Video

This stop motion clip featuring happy colored pencils is magical, and definitely worth the three minutes to watch. It was created by Jonathan Chong aka VJ Dropbear for the Melbourne based artist Hudson for the track 'Against the Grain'. You can download this song for free on Hudson's Facebook page. The clip is getting some serious buzz around the web, and I felt it was rad enough to share again. Have a look, I think you may like it. 

Yoga Breakdancing

I don't quite get the broken glass in this clip, but this guy called Arthur Cadre has some really sweet moves. It is kind of like yoga breakdancing. It is worth a watch, and made me smile this morning.

(Clip by Alex Yde)

Hope you are having a great Thursday!

I'm playing a little catch up around here working on some projects. Yesterday our darling V turned 5! I can't believe it.

The shot above is one I took with my phone from the movie, The Red Balloon* that V picked to watch the other day, it is one of our favorites.

Lately we are so slammed and intrigued in other things, that we rarely watch tv or movies. When we do have a movie night, I like to share and watch the good stuff with our girls. I thought I would ask you readers, what is your favorite children's film? I am always looking for really great ones we've never seen.

Have a great weekend and Say Something Nice...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I love the positive energy shared in this Say Something Nice clip, a great reminder to always be noticing and sharing the good.

Sponsor Highlight : Public Bikes

Public Bikes are incredibly cool. Not only are they beautifully designed but these European-inspired bikes also come 99% assembled to your door ready to ride! What I also think is really great is that they have some awesome accessories to snazzy up your wheels in style. I give Public Bikes major props for really thinking things through with a design-based vision. It makes me smile... real big. Way to go Public and welcome as a sponsor.

 *If you are interested in advertising on Black Eiffel - email blackeiffel@gmail.com for rates.

Have a fun weekend!

It has been a tricky week, whew, you know the kind right? I am glad it is Friday! Here are a few of my favorite things I saw this week that brought a smile to my face...



My sister shared with me these fantastic video clips of 3 guys traveling the world and compiling all of their footage. Talk about increasing my wanderlust! This above one is Move, but you can watch  Learn and Eat too - they are all good. They are directed by Rick Mereki commissioned by STA Travel Australia.

Suitcase eyes from Muji, awesome! Available from select Muji stores. (via swissmiss)

These recipes look so good! 

Salmon with peach salsa from Caroline.

S'mores with a French Twist from Stephanie.

Tortellini with Lemon & Dill from Kelsey

Have a great one!

Also.. thanks to Blogger for making me a blog of note, and Say 100 and Dana Wood for the kind mention! I am honored.

Dancer vs. Ballerina

Often inspired by dance, this fantastic JUST DO IT Russian ad from a few years back merges two of my favorite forms. Does it make you want to jump up out of your seat and bust a move or at least take a ballet class?

Want to see more dance? Check out this post.

photos : 1 Equador , 2 Weiferd Watts

Mother of Beauty : Eva from Sycamore Street Press

Several months ago around Mother's Day I asked a few of my favorite creative online mothers to answer a few questions about motherhood. I am excited to share what Eva from Sycamore Street Press had to say! Her and her husband Kirk are super creative, talented and run the letterpress shop Sycamore Street Press in the beautiful mountainous valley in Heber City. They had a sweet baby girl, Ingrid back in November, recently launched their new letterpress collection, and are teaching letterpress classes with slots now open in September now too! I think Eva is such a cool and lovely person and I really enjoy what she had to share, hope you do as well...

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Bicycle Rush Hour

This is fantastic! When you get a moment watch this 'bicycle rush hour' clip in the Netherlands, it is almost surreal. I really wish we lived in a area that used more bikes instead of cars! What are you thoughts on this?

Brian Ferry

I'm swept away in the gorgeous photos of Brian Ferry today. I was reminded of his breathtaking photos when I spotted them over at Domestic Reflection shared by Elizabeth.

(photos: Brian Ferry)