Unicorn/Dream Magazine
Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.
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Behind Unicorn/Dream Editor-In-Chief: Noni May Interior Editor: Sifra Hartog Graphic Design: Anna Paramita
Cover photography: Noni May Hair & Make-up: Sandra Bakker Model: Raquel @ Ragazza Model Management
Contributors: Sophie van der Perre, Melissa, Freja, Mike Bailey Gates, IrenaSophia, Nevin Hirik, Letters top crushes, Meri Moor, Anna Aden, Bryant Eslava, Rachel Kearley, Thenotebookdoodles, Sophia van den Hoek, Laura C, Lenneke "A little Hamster".
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Find Us: Unicorndreammag@gmail.com www.unicorndreammagazine.com www.twitter.com/Unicorndreammag
Issue 1
Photography: Noni May. Www.nonimay.com
Wherefor art thou? By Sophie van der Perre page 8 Tell us yor dream page 19 Sea of light By Mike Bailey Gates page 22 Etsy Feature “IrenaSophia” page 32 Oh Nevin takes us to your little world page 34 Letters to Crushes page 40 Age of Consent by Noni May page 46 Poetry page 56 Flickr feature “Anna Aden” page 58 How to live your life page 63 Life is a playground page 64 Wonderwalls page 72 Interview with Angus&Julia Stone page 78 Poetry page 84 Thenotebookdoodles page 85 A look inside Sophia van den Hoek‟s house page 86 Our inspiration for issue 1 page 96 Tell us your dream page 98 Blog feature “A little hamster” page 103
Team / Contributors Mike Bailey-Gates (Photographer) I was born in 1993 in the small state of Rhode Island USA. Growing up, I had a very nostalgic childhood full of pretending. Drawing lines in the dirt to keep out things, talking to statues, finding the creakiest floor board in our colonial home. My family and I live in a very small historic town surrounded by woods. I like dreams because without them there wouldn't be much of anything to live for. They are movies of your life that play on your eyelids when you sleep, showing you the most beautiful part of you imagination.
Anna Paramita (Graphic Designer) My name is Anna and I'm a multimedia/ graphic designer, based in Melbourne Australia. When I'm not doing any design work, I run my own blog at Much Love (http://muchlove-anna.blogspot.com/) and have several etsy shops too. Some of my other loves include taking photos with my film cameras, dressing up in vintage outfits, exploring thrift shops, and spending way too much time day dreaming.
Thenotebookdoodles “This is my handwriting, not a font.” This is one of the first things that catches your eyes if you visit Thenotebookdoodles blog. The blog is full of beautiful handwritten quotes. Unforunately for us readers she wants to stay unknown. But it‟s oke, as long as we can enjoy the quotes and doodles. TND made a beautiful doodle on page 79. We hope we can publish more doodles every issue from now on. Doodles for everyone!!
Editor letter Wecome to the first issue of Unicorn/Dream magazine. Unicorn/Dream magazine started as a dream, but became very soon, very real, because of all the submissions and positive feedback. It was a real dream for me to put the first issue together and going through all the submissions. And how about all the lovely, inspiring, touching emails we received.. (Meri, thank you for brighten up my days from the other side of the world!) Realizing the idea of Unicorn/Dream magazine within two months was amazing and ofcourse it was also a bit stressful. The first deadline.. Contributors going on a sudden vacation just two days before the shoot-date, problems with receiving emails, personal stuff, the bad weather, computer problems.. Well, it was one hell of a ride but iâ€&#x;d love to jump in every 2 months from now on. Letâ€&#x;s dream about an Unicorn/Dream magazine that grows every issue.. xNoni May If you want to contribute to issue 2: Submissions are welcome, just email us: unicorndreammag@gmal.com
Unicorn/Dream magazine
Wherefor art thou? Photography&Styling: Sophie van der Perre Model: Sarah van Rij http://www.flickr.com/photos/sophisticated
Hi, Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I'm Sophie, 22 years old, born in Belgium and living currently in Amsterdam. I' m a photographer and i mostly shoot pictures of my friends. Can you tell us something about your photos? My pictures reflects my feelings. They are very personal. They are about my life, how i see it and how i want it to be. Its about the experiences and the travels i do, and the people i meet along the way. I have a lot of pictures hanging on my wall and just love looking at them cause then i exactly know which moment it was and how it felt. That way i love photography, you freeze a fraction of a moment, and you will remember it forever. What’s your dream assignment? To do a shoot for Vogue but totally in my own way. Analogue, i would choose the models and the atmosphere should be as i always like it, very dreamy and lightning anything but perfect. What do you prefer and why? Capturing moments or creating moments? I love creating moments while capturing them, so i guess both! Favorite ice cream flavor? Hazelnut Ice Cream. Which of your photos is your favorite? Hmm that's a very hard question, it depends from day to day, how i feel, what i need. I guess i don't have an all-time favorite yet! But i do love making photos of Sarah Van Rij, she is my muse, those pictures i like the most. What’s your ultimate life goal since you where young? To travel the world. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? I don't have a boyfriend. But i am in love with a very cute boy who lives in another continent. :) What’s your favorite children’s book? Le Petit Prince. What’s the soundtrack of your life? I have no idea. I have more a soundtracks of the moment. And the past month it has been " Its the time of the season" of the Zombies. I love that song. Who was your teen crush? Leonardo DiCaprio.
Do you have favorite photographers? My all time favorite is Marc Borthwick, i love his style. So as well David Hamilton, Tamara Lichtenstein, Lina Scheynius, Anders Petersen, Nan Goldin, Michal Chelbin. When did you buy your first camera? I've always been shooting with disposable camera's since i was young, like really silly pictures with me and my friends. I've only started taking it really serious when i was 19, i bought a canon ftb in Nothing Hill in London and it has been my favorite camera ever since. Which camera’s do you use? I use everything i get my hands on which is mostly analogue. My canon ftb is my favorite, and my minolta as well. I use a lot of disposables as well and Polaroid i like too. Are you a full time photographer? A day not photographed, is a day I haven't lived. I try to shoot everyday, cause I'm capturing moments more then i create them. What do you want to do when you grow up? Still be photographing, maybe even making films. I noticed that i'm starting to interest myself more and more in Film. So i would love to be a photographer/filmmaker. Black or Pink nail polish? I don' t really use nail polish. When i do, i only paint like three fingers red and it stays on it much †o long. dont know why, my mom hates it. And that color would be defiantly red. What’s the worst nightmare you ever had and what was it about? I had the worst nightmare the other night, about the fact i didn't lock my apartment door, and that somebody came in and that i was so surprised and scared that it made me paralyzed, it was death scary cause when i woke up i thought it was really happening and i went to check the door and it wasn't locked! What’s your most inspiring movie? The Virgin Suicides is my favorite, the way its filmed, the emotions it gives. I love it! What’s your photography dream? To be a well-known international photographer. To be published in a lot of magazines and give exhibitions around the world. And meeting a lot of interesting people through photography. To be able to talk about photography with big photographers and to get their view on my images. And I've always wanted my own magazine as, but the future takes everything online and i want it printed.
When are you happiest? When I'm in love. Or when I'm scanning pictures I'm very pleased about. The combination of both makes me fly in the sky... What’s the most important for you in your photos: the light, the camera, the models, the expressions or the clothes? I think a mix of everything. Light is very important and i prefer shooting analogue, there has to be a good vibe between me and the model or you can see it in the expression and the clothes makes the whole thing of. But if i have to choose, the most import would be the vibe with the models. Shoes or bags? hmm I guess shoes, I'm no† that big of a shopper for either, i love dresses though!!! What can we expect from you in the future? A lot haha! No i see the future in a time of 2 years ahead, I have no idea where i'll end up, I love travelling so it could be anywhere. I want to do an internship in New York and in June I'll know if i got it! Then i'll be moving to NY for 3 months and hopefully meet the right people there to help me in my photography. ♥
A
ll i dream of is to be totally free. Free from school, work, my house, my to do lists and my dutties. And if i am, i will run around naked through the woods. Swim to the dolphins and run with the wolves. I would be so happy.
Freja, 23, Poland
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BE E M A I T L L FU AME R DRE Melissa, 28, Sweden
Dream
Sea of Light Photogtaphy: Mike Bailey Gates www.mikebaileygates.com
Dream
Etsy Feature
We love to visit IrenaSophia‟s etsy shop. It‟s full of dreamy, fairytale paintings all made by Irena. So, curious as we are, we had so much to ask and it turned out to a two paged interview. Enter IrenaSophia‟s world.. http://www.etsy.com/shop/IrenaSophia
Hi, Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I grew up in Croatia, lived in New York for some time. I have a degree in fine arts. I am pretty shy and do not like to talk about myself rather about my work as I find it is much more interesting to talk about life and art. I am doing art full time, it has its challenges but also it is so rewarding as I do not think am capable for nothing else. I have my studio set in my living room at the moment as I am renovating my studio. I love to draw, love simplicity of it. It gives me certain freedom to take my art with me and scrabble and scribble wherever , always carry a few sheets of plain print paper to do some sketches. It turns my inner sensitivity on and I can see inspiration in a strange and different places. Lately I do it in a small notebooks as it is convenient and it keeps my ideas organized in one place as opposed to hundreds of little papers spilling everywhere. Lots of my art come through contemplation of inner emotional processes. I am fascinated by how mind and heart works, how we cloud and clear ourself emotionally, and for the most of time are not really aware what is going on inside us. I find silence necessary for being creative. What’s your dream assignment? It would be to do a short animation and have sufficient budget to do it . That is my next challenge as I do not have real skill to do it. I would required lot of technical help but I am really curious to see where I can bring stories from my pictures to unfold. Which of your paintings is your favorite? I have few favorites actually, the first is "the unicorn" it represented somehow my emotions about being true to yourself no matter what, holding to that innocence, sincerity and strength, to that particular moment of going in between being a child and a girl. Remembering our inner beauty and protecting it. Second one would be "I'm so glad you find me". It is a very personal story about a girl lost and a boy, and time gone and memories and love. Lots of my paintings and drawings are at the same time personal and not, I deliberately live space for the observer to find their own inner connections and narratives. I love the feedback from different people that I got about their own responses and what they find interesting in my work and how it touches them emotionally. What kinda materials do you use for one painting? I am deliberately simple as much as I can. I sketch in my trusted moleskin notebook with plain pencils. Watercolors and old paper, sometimes water based oil paint, wooden board, some paper collage form old books that I find on the streets. As less as possible. I have beautiful canvas pencil organizer that I was given as a present and I do not go anywhere without it. It keeps my pencil collection as neat as possible in my messy bag.
When did you start and Etsy shop and in what way did Etsy help you growing as an artist? I started with Etsy in March 2008. I was curious and did my research, all the technical stuff, for few months before I actually opened my shop. I was not sure that anybody will like my art or even find me among so many talented artists. I started small with just a few drawings, did not expect to actually sell anything but it gave me a focus to do my art continuously. As I was lucky enough to be picked upon by blog community from a start I got great feedback and gained more confidence to continue drawing and painting and posting. As I started to sell I realized that I can really be my own boss and there was no turning back for me.
What do you like most about Etsy? I love that it promoted unique way of going out and being present in a marketplace as an artist and being completely self-reliant through their platform. It also created these wonderful community of fellow artists and artisans that can support you and give you advice or help you in any way. I found Etsy community to be generous sharing and open to a new comer as I was. I am trying to return those favors and be helpful as much as I can. I am in three Etsy teams; Artisans Collective, Indie Free Spirits and New New. Love to see what is going on with my fellow artists , love participation, help and exchange of ideas that teams offer. What would you like to accomplish in the future? As an artist I would like to gain more exposure, continue to draw, and surprise myself how far can I go. As a human I would love to be happy with people that I love deeply.♼
Oh Nevin, take us to your little world.. Paintings: Nevin Hirik http://nevinhirik.blogspot.com http://nevinhirik.com (COMING SOON)
Hi Nevin, Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I was born in Turkey where I studied Fine Arts and Textile design at Uludag University. I emigrated to Australia in 1993. I currently live in Melbourne with my beautiful man and our two kids. Are you a full time painter? Yes.
What’s your dream assignment? To be a full time painter :) Which of your paintings is your favourite? Garden speech. It‟s a painting I created after a conversation that Michael and I had in our garden. It changed my life and that‟s why I love that painting. What kind of materials do you use for your painting? Mainly acrylic on linen. I initially used mixed media on paper, and I am starting to play with this again. What inspires you? Everything that stimulates my sense‟s. What’s your favourite cupcake? My daughters! They are delicious.
You just opened your studio can you tell us a little bit more about that? It‟s like a dream for me. It excited me the moment I saw it. It is two storeys. Downstairs it has a great window at the front which I will display my paintings or whatever I feel like, it could be an installation. The front room will be a space where I can invite people to come and look at my work. Upstairs is my space to paint. When did you start painting? For me really painting started after I finished University.
In what way is your personal life reflected in your paintings? My paintings are all about me, and my life. Everything I read, music I listen to, stories I am told, are part of my life and this is what I paint. Its part of this incredible connection I feel exists in all of our lives. What are your plans for the future? I would like to have a cold Raki with ice on the Aegean coast and paint. What kind of music do you listen to? (if you’re painting..) Everything and anything. It might be Opera, it could be rap. It depends on my mood, but once I am painting I don‟t even hear it. What would you like to do in the future? “future is hidden” another painting for me.. ♥
Letters to Crushes
Photo: Noni May Model: Jamie @ MTQ
Itâ€&#x;s hard to believe in love if love doesnâ€&#x;t come around. But we found a website that inspires us to believe..
To a future soulmate, we haven’t met. i’m not sure if we ever will. but i hope we do - sometime soon. i hope you’ll understand me and i won’t hurt you. —i
Letters to Crushes Hi, I'm trying to figure out where to begin. I am 67 and have a grand daughter that likes this site. She doesn't believe in love though. Well, I have been married to my wife since we were eighteen, but really time doesn't matter because what we have is eternal and I discover more things that are beautiful about her everyday. I like the way her wrists are shaped, her hair is almost nearly askew in her bun, and how she breaths. I just want to feel her heartbeat and laugh at the ridiculous meals she prepares. We're not perfect. Hell, no relationship is perfect. But, we're a bunch of haphazard pieces that make something so amazing. I would want to be with her everyday, regardless. Just believe in initiation. Believe in yourself. Believe in the creases that form around the person you love's mouth as they smile. And thanks, Laurie, for teaching me how to love. You're my forever crush. -Ray, a grandfather that knows love exists.
Dear girl with glasses, i think you are beautiful. i wish i could talk to you. all i can do is stare, but i see you stare back and that's all it takes to complete my day. i know i must have hurt you when i moved away this year. i'm sorry, i had to. i then decided to make a Facebook, but i was too afraid to add you, but i'm really glad you added me. i try to play sports to get you off my mind, but it never works. but it's okay, because everytime we have a tournament i pretend you're in the crowd cheering me on. i hope and pray that we can see each other again. i miss you so much. love, boy with 20/20 vision
Letters to Crushes
I could have sworn I loved you in 6th grade. Fell to pieces when you switched schools. Found you again, and would reroute my walk to classes just to see you. Heard of you through friends of friends.
And right now you're laying next to me 6 years later. It was worth it.
Age Of Consent Photography & Styling: Noni May http://www.nonimay.com Hair & Make-up: Sandra Bakker Model: Raquel @ Ragazza Model Management
Poetry
MERI MOOR (21) FROM MONTEVDEO, URUGUAY
FlickrFeature
My name is Anna Ådén. I´m 24 years old and grew up in the northern part of Sweden, where most of my pictures also are taken. In the past year I have lived and studied photography at a college in southern Sweden. I shoot often digital but i‟ve also an interest in film. My models are often friends and acquaintances. And I am inspired by women's sensuality, nature and the natural light.♥ http://www.flickr.com/photos/imable/
How to live your life If you want to be happier, you can do two things. Shorten your needs to be happy or shorten the things that makes you unhappy. It‟s your choice but let‟s start with simplify your life. Written by Leo Babauta 1. Make a short list. Take out a sheet of paper and fold it into a small square, perhaps 3×5 inches. Or take out an index card. Now make a short list of the 4-5 most important things in your life. What‟s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things. 2. Drop 1 commitment. Think about all the things in your life that you’re committed to doing, and try to find one that you dread doing. Something that takes up time but doesn‟t give you much value. Perhaps you‟re on a team, or coaching something, or on a board or committee, or whatever. Something that you do each day or week or month that you don‟t really want to do. Now take action today to drop that commitment. Call someone, send an email, telling the appropriate person or people that you just don‟t have the time. You will feel relief. I‟d recommend dropping all commitments that don‟t contribute to your short list (from Item #1), but for today, just drop 1 commitment. 3. Purge a drawer. Or a shelf, or a countertop, or a corner of a room. Not an entire room or even an entire closet. Just one small area. You can use that small area as your base of simplicity, and then expand from there. Here‟s how to purge: 1) empty everything from the drawer or shelf or corner into a pile. 2) From this pile, pick out only the most important things, the stuff you use and love. 3) Get rid of the rest. Right now. Trash it, or put it in your car to give away or donate. 4) Put the stuff you love and use back, in a neat and orderly manner. 4. Set limits. Basically, you set limits for things you do regularly: email, RSS posts, tasks, feeds, items in your life, etc. And try to stick with the limits. Today, all you have to do is set limits for a few things in your life. Tomorrow, try to stick with them. 5. Simplify your to-do list. Take a look at your to-do list. If it’s more than 10 items long, you can probably simplify it a bit. Try to find at least a few items that can be eliminated, delegated, automated, outsourced, or ignored. Shorten the list. This is a good habit to do once a week. 6. Free up time. Simplifying your life in general is a way to free up time to do the stuff you want to do. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find time to even think about how to simplify your life. If that‟s the case, free up at least 30 minutes a day for thinking about simplifying. Or alternatively, free up a weekend and think about it then. How can you free up 30 minutes a day? Just a few ideas: wake earlier, watch less TV, eat lunch at your desk, take a walk for lunch, disconnect from the Internet, do email only once today, shut off your phones, do 1 less thing each day. 7. Clear your desk. I can personally attest to the amazing feeling that a clean desk can give you. It’s such a simple thing to do, and yet it does so much for you. If your desk is covered with papers and notes and gadgets and office supplies, you might not be able to get this done today. But here are the basic steps: 1) Clear everything off your desk and put it in a pile (either in your inbox or on the floor). 2) Process the pile from top to bottom, one item at a time. Do not defer decisions on any item — deal with them immediately and quickly. 3) For each item, either file it immediately, route it to someone else, trash it, or note it on your to-do list (and put it in an “action” folder). If it‟s a gadget or office supply, find a place for it in your desk drawers (or get rid of it). 4) Repeat until your pile is empty and your desk is clear. Be sure to get rid of any knick knacks. Your desk should have your computer, your inbox, perhaps a notepad, and maybe a family photo (but not many). Ahh, a clear desk! 5) From now on, put everything in your inbox, and at least once a day, process it in the same way as above. 8. Clear out your email inbox. This has the same psychological effect as a clear desk. Is your email inbox always full of read and unread messages? That‟s because you‟re delaying decisions on your emails. If you have 50, let‟s say, or fewer emails in your inbox, you can process them all today. If you have hundreds, you should put them in a temporary folder and get to them one chunk at a time (do 20 per day or something). Here‟s how you process your inbox to empty — including emails already in your inbox, and all future incoming emails: 1) process them top to bottom, one at a time, deciding and disposing of each one immediately. 2) Your choices are to delete, archive, respond immediately (and archive or delete), forward (and archive or delete), or mark it with a star (or something like that) and note it on your todo list to respond to later (and archive). 3) Process each email like that until the inbox is empty. 4) Each time you check your email, process to empty. Ahh, an empty inbox! 9. Move slower. We rush through the day, from one task to another, from one appointment to another, until we collapse on the couch, exhausted, at the end of the day. Instead, simplify your life by doing less (see Items 1, 4 and 5) and doing them more slowly. Eat slower, drive slower, walk slower, shower slower, work slower. Be more deliberate. Be present. This isn‟t something you‟re going to master today, but you can start practicing today. 10. Single-task. Instead of multi-tasking, do one thing at a time. Remove all distractions, resist any urge to check email or do some other habitual task like that while you‟re doing the task at hand. Stick to that one task, until you‟re done. It‟ll make a huge difference in both your stress level and your productivity.
Life Is A Playground Photography: Bryant Eslava Model: Johanna Williams http://www.flickr.com/eslava // http://www.etiamvita.net
WONDERW The Walls in your home.. They are like empty canvasses you can paint, but you can also decorate them in so many ways! Lots of people decorate their walls with photographs. Which makes them personal ad beautiful. Art is also a great way to decorate your own wonderwalls. And the best thing is: art doesnâ€&#x;t have to be super expensive, it can be afforadable, yet original and one of a kind too! Letâ€&#x;s take a look at some art to create your own wonderwall!
WALLS
Email us: unicorndreammag@gmail.com and win!
http://www.etsy.com/ shop/ lovelysweetwilliam
http://www.etsy.com/shop/IrenaSophia
http://www.etsy.com/ shop/siiso
Featured artist IrenaSophia sent us some backstage photos. Where does she lives and how does she work?
CREDITS WONDERWALLS PAGE: Upper frame on the right page: www.etsy.com /shop/yellena From left till right: Frame 1 and 3: www.etsy.com /shop/siiso Frame 2 and 4: www.etsy.com /shop/ lovelysweetwilliam Frame 5: www.etsy.com /shop/krize Frame 6: www.etsy.com /shop/ cleverviolet
I've met you once and I've fallen for your notions I don't know why I don't know why
Lyric from „just a boy‟ . Angus and Julia aren‟t the typical brother and sister. They grew up very free in Australia. We talk about dreams, growing up, music and inspiration. Interview by Dieuwertje Heuvelings and Noni May.
Where did you grew up? Julia: “We grew up in a few places... our family home is in the town of newport- the northern beaches of sydney. our grandparents had a farm up in nimbin which is north nsw... where we spent our school holidays and later they moved to farm a few hours north of sydney where we spent a lot of time... a place called bindawalla.... we also grew up on the ocean. our parents both love sailing so we spent many days and nights out on the hawkesbury river and on pitwater...” Can you tell us something more about your parents, how were you raised? Did it involve music? Angus: “Dad has always been in a band... before they had us kids, mum and dad were playing music in restaurants and cafes--- and dad also played in a band called „barnaby rudge‟ named after the dickens novel... once we were born he started a covers band and they played anything from the neville brothers to fleetwood mac, the beach boys and the blues brothers music.” Julia: “Yeah... and mum was always singing. She would sing when we were in the super market buying food, at the top of her voice. People would look at her while she strolled up and down singing along to the songs that play on the radio... it was pretty cool.”
I don’t think we too serious abou What has changed since Chocolates and Cigarettes? Julia: “So much- it is hard to identify exactly all the things that and now it feels have changed.... only i know that things have changed, things feel a little bit more relaxed. I don‟t think we have ever been too seri- there is anything ous about anything--- and now it feels even less like there is anything to take too seriously. Everything, even the waiting in the air- seriously. ports has taken on a comic quality.”
What did you study? Or maybe you didn’t study because you both seemed to be very creative: making music and directing your own video’s. Julia: “I was really interested in any subject at school. School was a place that i enjoyed a lot, i felt most happy when i had lots of different ideas to think about. I liked going from a class about biology to a maths class to a cooking class and then to the history of France in the 40‟s-- it is such a strange place in many ways- school--- but when it comes to the joy of learning there were some teachers that really got it right.” Angus: “I really liked all the subjects at school that involved not being in class. I loved photography and wood work, textiles and design, music.. all these classes and we could just float about and kind of do whatever we felt like, as long as in the end we came up with something to show the teacher. That meant some days, cause our school was right by the beach- a class of music meant an hour in the surf.” What’s your inspiration? Angus: “anything and everything. The people we meet, the places we go, falling in love, falling out of love...”
Which video you directed do you like the most? Julia: “I really enjoy „what you wanted‟- the house we shot that video in was where our grandmother grew up. Our trip up to the house with our friends to shoot that video was such a good time. We camped by the river and looked through old books in the house that was falling apart beneath our feet... the smells of the house reminded me of being a little girl. It is such beautiful land up in nimbin... the countryside is so perfect; the horses, the rainforest, the creeks.” What do you prefer? Performing or making music in the studio? Julia: “I like both for different reasons. Neither is better or worse- they are so so different. I like all the unknowable factors involved in playing live shows. I love that there are people in the room who we are meeting for the first time and so often they feel like family. I like the sound that is created in different venues: like old theatres have beautiful natural reverb, or churches.. like the Paradiso in Amsterdam have an incredible sound, where the drums, the guitars float around the room. I like the difficulties of dodgy P/A‟s and broken monitors and drunk people spilling drinks on the stage. I like all those things... they are exciting and we never know where the night will end up. I like being in the studio because it becomes like a little home: making tea and building a little family unit that can hang out and jam. I love hearing a song grow and evolve. I like the process and trying things that we cannot try live- for instance usually when we play live i am always playing guitar or piano... and in the studio all of the sudden there is the freedom to play any instrument over the top of the guitar or piano part, that is rad.”
e have ever been ut anything--s even less like g to take too
Are you in a relationship? Julia: “i am in lots of relationships” Angus: “Ask me in six years…” What’s the soundtrack of your life? Julia: “Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. I used to listen to that record on repeat when i first fell in love... brings back so many beautiful memories.” Angus: “Elliot smith- either/or”
What was the hardest thing you ever had to do in your life? Julia: “We had a little lamb when we were children. His mother had rejected him and left him out in the field at the farm, we loved him so much and we tried so, so hard to make him healthy--- but without his mothers milk he got more and more sick. Our grandfather told us that the kindest thing to do was to kill him... so we had to say goodbye and let grandpa shoot him. I remember watching as grandpa carried him out into the field and the sound of the gunshot...” Where do you feel like home? Julia: “Most places we visit have some kind of feeling of home. Anywhere that we stay with friends, anywhere that we have a home cooked meal is home.” What’s your ultimate life goal since you where young? Julia: “I can‟t remember if i ever had an ultimate life goal? I suppose it would have been something kind of lame like I want to walk on the moon... I can‟t think of anything worse now: to go to the moon in a space ship is last thing I want to do” Angus: “I think I wanted to be an Amazonian tribesman... to be part of a shamanic community.” What’s your favourite children’s book? Julia: “I loved the grug books as a kid” Angus: “I really liked the Goosebumps books when i was little....they freaked me out.” What’s your most inspiring movie? Julia: “You, me and everyone we know” Angus: “The squid and the whale” Who was your teen crush? Julia: “I kind of thought Jack Nicolson was pretty hot” Angus: “Miss fairburn... my primary school teacher.” When are you the happiest? Julia: “When i am warm in the sun light and the I can smell the ocean.” Angus: “When i am lying in the sun with malakai.” What’s the worst nightmare you ever had and what was it about? Julia: “I was stuck under the water, something was holding me down just beneath the surface so i could still see clearly out of the water and above me i could see a perfect bird floating on the wind. It was so calm and peaceful and the more i looked at the bird, the more the fear and the
panic of dying took over. It was like the bird represented everything i wanted and i knew i wasn‟t going to feel that or ever feel that because death was inevitable in that moment.” What’s your favourite quote? Julia: „Success is going from one failure to the next with the same level of enthusiasm‟- winston churchill Angus: „The art of letting go is to understand that nothing exists‟- Billy What’s your guilty pleasure? Julia: “I love dark chocolate.” Angus: “I like strawberries and ice-cream.” Which impossible thing do you really want to do in your life? Julia: “I don‟t believe it is impossible though i do believe it is going to be very tricky. I would like to balance on one hand with complete stillness.” Angus: “I would love to live in the jungle.” What can we expect from you in the future? Julia: “I have no idea. I don‟t quite know what to expect from myself or anyone else....”♥
Poetry
Awallpapering
private party, surrounded by a
of spiny cobalt evergreens. they gather from all directions
a e T
on all fours, noiseless on pads below paws, through twigs swept to the outskirts of the evergreen circle. they inattentively discuss loving wild entities on a rug of crushed velveteen moss that sponges upward to tickle furry ankles. they sip on sparkling emerald stinging-nettle tea from maroon painted mouse skulls. their tongue-furrowed fur is adorned with leaf-skeleton lace; sharp claws puncture innocent pallid cotton gloves. radiant raccoons convene with majestic red foxes. they are pretentious on satin willow stump stools. Rachael Kearley
y t r a P
Thenotebookdoodles
Home is not where you live, but where they understand you Rotterdam (The Netherlands) based Sophia van den Hoek seems to have it all. Not only does she have a stunning, breath taking styling portfolio, she also takes beautiful photos herself. Sophia used her talent to style her house to her perfect home and oh boy, we do love! http://www.sophiavandenhoek.nl/ Interview: Sifra Hartog
How would you describe your interior? Romantic with a rough twist. I love vintage mixed with modern items. I mix my flowerwallpaper with a wooden table and a romantic fabric on my Ikea couch. What does your house and interior mean to you? Iâ€&#x;m a real homester so this is very important for me. I feel at home because of my interior and with personal stuff I create my own space.
Since when are you interested in interior? Ever since I was a child. I was busier with style my Barbie house than play with the dolls. I liked to make little furniture and curtains. Do you have an interior related dream? My biggest dream is to one day own an apartment in my favourite city Paris. A house with lovely French details and a little balcony with a curly fence. But besides this dream Iâ€&#x;d love to have a farm with a big garden. Quit but with a big kitchen to make delicious things! For now Iâ€&#x;m fine in my apartment in Rotterdam but I love to dream once and a while! ♼
Our inspiration for issue 1
Still from”Dreamland”, go see that movie!
Thanks to: www.puglypixel.com /
Our music playlist for issue 1: ♥ She & Him ♥ Angus & Julia Stone ♥ Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson ♥ Au Revoir Simone ♥ Jane Birkin
Tell Us Your Dream...
To live with you my secret love on a island where we can spend our days with cocktails and relaxing.
Debra B (18), London, UK
A lovely dream with a happy ending "One of the most delicious dreams I can recall, was had on a lonely night after moving five thousand miles away from my home to begin life away from my family as a young professionallady. In my dream I had to make a lengthy trip across the sea...on nothing less than a beautiful orca whale. The trip was long, but I was too happy. I was using a whale to travel from shore to shore. On the whale I could even carry my bags, and all those little things I would need in my new home. I was the most delightful way to travel, on an orca with the orange sunset in front of me. I arrived at my destination, to find that it was a giant, dark and gloomy aquarium. I was walking around the tank, seing mad little fish swimming by themselves. To my horror, I saw the tank was breaking . It was as tall as a skyscraper and it was about to collapse onto me. Inside the tank was a large and omnious looking whale, waiting....just waiting... Suddenly, I saw the beast was waiting to fall over the loveliest little girl, calmly playing in a puddle in front of the tank. Then the tank broke. Slowly, ever so slowly, the water fell out. The little girl just stood there, in front of the rushing wave that came onto her. I closed my eyes and waited for he worst. To my happpiness and serenity...the water rushed past the girl and away from her. People continued to walk past the broken aquarium...as if nothing had happened and nothing bad ever will. "
A lovely dream in life My dream in life…That secret hope that keeps me going...That wish that I store deep inside my heart...Is that people remain good at heart. That thousands of years from now, in a future that I cannot fathom to imagine, in an Earth physically transformed, we still smile at the sight of a rainbow, we still laugh at awful joke, we still cry at the sappy movie. I dream that no matter how much we all change, we stay the same inside.
Both these dreams are from: Laura C (24) from Seattle, WA. She‟s a dreamer that works from 9 to 5 telling machines how to think (others call it computer engineer). When she‟s at home she relish in making baked and dainty treats, crocheting lace into my life and walking through nature and the city. Blog: Http://lauracruz.wordpress.com
Blog feature
A LITTLE HAMSTER Hey Lenneke, can you tell us a little bit more about the woman behind the blog? I am a Rotterdam based blogger and own a small jewelry label ‘made by l e n n e b e l l e'. I love traveling and white & red squared fabric. I love crockery and taking photos. I love rolled up sleeves and warm socks. I love a cookie with my tea and reading reviews. I love oisters and baking pies. I love things with a past and a story. I love to make my own cloth and grow herbs on the balcony. I love a fireplace and hope to live near the sea one day. When did you start blogging? In the summer of 2007. I was looking for a way to archive all inspirational things I came across. Bloggers Bloesem and Siagrafica got me motivated to start my own blog. In the beginning I was never really busy with my blog being a succes. It started out as a online „notebook‟ for myself. Now I see an increase of visitors and that‟s nice! What do you do besides blog and run made by lennebelle? I just came back from a long trip backpacking in Asia so at this moment I am jobhunting and devolping some new ideas which might have a big impact on my life as I know it! What’s your favourite blog? I have a few fellow dutch bloggers who I visit daily and know „personally‟ like: Sophia from Sobinique, Mady from Abundance, Danielle from the Style Files and Mila from Loveology. One of my all time favorites is Scout Holiday. I really like her style. For fashion updates I love Garance Dore. And ofcourse my boyfriends blog Cloud Cuckoo. What are your fav. Magazines/books? The „Made by hand‟ books from Pia Jane Bijkerk. I love the one from Paris and am looking forward to the one from Amsterdam. Next weekend I have a „wander through Amststerdam trip‟ with Pia Jane herself to discover all the secret and special shops! I am so excited! What’s your guilty pleasure? I love eating chips, whole bags at the time. If it wasn‟t so unhealthy I would eat it as dinner. What do you like to do on a free Saturday? Sleep in and make a pile (like in „Where the wild things are‟) with my boyfriend and Jack the cat. Have a nice brunch with friends at Lof der Zoetheid, Picknick or Urban Espresso bar. Go to the market and buy fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers. Take a ride to the park with our vintage Vespa, watch a good movie at home and ending the day in a bed with fresh, clean sheets. What can we expect from you in the future? Made by l e n n e b e l l e in more shops worldwide. New designs for made by l e n n e b e l l e and I am planning to make cute small leather pouches using the tassels I make for my jewelry. So check out te shop in the near future. ♥
http://www.alittlehamster.com/