My business is to create...

“ my business is to create…it doesn’t matter if it’s a work of art, or a taco, or a pair of socks; just create something new, and there it is…it’s you, out in the world outside of you. and you can look at it, or hear it, or read it, or feel it…and you know a little bit more about you, a little more than anybody else does." PS I love you

Poor poor William Blake - sorry my dear for using the chick-flick movie's adaptation of your quote, but it has felt so relevant to me these past few days.

I have been going through a creative frenzy, with ideas and projects hopping around in my little mind. From photography to sewing to knitting via a few professional projects. Frenzy yes, but I have to say, it feels gooooooooooooooood :)

Ohhhhh fabrics....it's like a drug :)

My first hat knitting in the round :) I used this pattern.

The highlight of my week was to photograph my friend Kath. Anders and her are ready to welcome their baby mid-April and I could not resist kidnapping her for some shots. I have to admit, I am just totally jealous of her beautiful pregnant belly - regardless of the fact that I just had one of my own only a few months ago!

There is just something about pregnancy that is so mysterious and so magical - thanks Kath for letting me try to capture some of that.






And meanwhile, our little Tinymus is growing and changing everyday, and I can't help to think about the next few months and years. Finding out about the things she will love and won't, watching her discover the world around her. Oh the happiness of being around a little soul that is about to bloom.

What will she want to be when she grows up? Who knows, but I sure hope to share this joy of creating with her if I can manage.

Et voila Isabella!

And another little friend for Olivia! Heidi and Mikkel welcomed their daughter Isabella a week ago, and I know they are already in love...just look at them three together :) we celebrated her arrival with a lovely diner and some lovely bubbles -and I am not talking about soap here :)

Can't wait to see Olivia and Isabella crawl together in a few months, jump in puddles, and all the games little girls play together.

Our little Supermodel

New inspiration for mamma = Modeling career for Olivia.

My photo mojo is back, and well what better subject than my sweetpea for some pratice? Or course for her it means a modeling career that she didn't choose, poor little thing. I dress her underdress her redress her, put a hat on...no maybe that one....or that one? And she (almost) doesn't say a thing. However, she still wonders why her mamma's face keeps disappearing behind that big black thing that make weird click sounds - I can tell she has this "but...but...she was just here a moment ago????? Where did she go?!" expression in her eyes :) Soon enough hopefully she'll understand what this is all about and like it.

For now, thanks for being such a good little model my love :)

An Olivia kind of morning

Olivia and I have had the best mornings lately. A warm cup of tea on my night desk to wake up en douceur, Tinymus and I curl up under the covers for some much needed kisses and calins, smiles and snuggles. We chat her and I, talk about our worlds and the future - if daddy pops back in the room, he'll tell her that no matter what I tell her during our little morning conversations, she is absolutely not allowed to date before she is at least 30! Like I said.....Daddy's little girl :)



While a get dressed I usually put her down in her bed to look at all the fairies and bugs going round and round above her head. She is crazy about them - after all, I think they might be her first friends ever. I get my morning laugh looking at her while she concentrates to try and follow each of them, and smiles at them with the biggest smiles and giggles.







Focus, this is some serious business. If I wink they will be gone!

She might still wake me up during the night - but mornings with her just make it all up!

Sweet sweet Spring.

Daddy's little girl

I love the way he kisses her. And tickles her. And loves her.
I love the way she just smiles her biggest smile when he enters the room.
I love them both to pieces.

Tonight we played a little game of "who-she-will-pick-and-smile-at-first", Troels and I begging for her attention. And she picked daddy. And looked and smiled at him with sparkles in her eyes. And that just made my day :)

Lost and Found - Inspiration

These past few months I had lost my photo inspiration. Not sure where it went. No mojo. Nada. And then last I stumbled upon Kelle's blog (cf her daughter's birth story in my previous blog post), and my brain just went "Audrey - why the h*** haven't you been taking more pictures these past few months??? Shame on you, girl!"....Yes brain, I am very ashamed, sorry sorry sorry!

Kelly's picture and experience as a photographer over the past few years have just made me want to go full speed with photography. Also, having our little Olivia around just makes me want to be more creative, to be a source of inspiration for her when she grows up. So here I come, ready to learn! I want you, my readers -yes, all two of you :)-, to hold me accountable for putting more pictures on this blog. There will be bumps in the road as I learn - but I am ready for them. Like we used to say when we were kids "Meme pas peur!" :)


Found: inspiration.

Sssssssmoooooccchh

The Sleeping Garden

I am the Sleeping Beauty. All the plants in my kingdom have gone wild and unruly. Or so it seems at our house :)

When we first saw this house, we completely fell in love with it - and especially it's garden. I could just picture our little Tinymus crawling around the garden, chasing the ladybugs....eating the dirt. Of course, I knew the garden needed a little bit of work....little did I know how much that "little" was! We've had nice weather al weeks, so I geared up in my new found garden outfit, digged up the gardening tools in our shed. Walking with the tools on my shoulder, I felt like the dwarfs in Snow white except in my case "It's home to work I go".

And I started cleaning.

And cleaning.

And cleaning.

That's when I realized that our garden "spring cleaning" would probably last until fall. Now that I look at it, the garden probably hasn't been cleaned in about 5 years. 5 Years of leaves and dirt and snails and renter's treasures accumulating. I thought the side of our house was a nice patch of dirt where I could make my vegetable garden - only to find a while patio made of brick under 10 centimeters of dirt. Lovely!

But no loosing hope that I can fix this garden - so come back in a few weeks for before/after picture of the big makeover!

I held her a bit tighter this afternoon

I had plans this afternoon, 100 things I wanted to do. Instead I let her fall asleep in my arms and held her tight for a few hours. After reading about Kelle and Nella, I could not let go of our little Tinymus. One of the mums in my Babycenter group posted a link to this incredible birth story, a story that moved me to the bones. Here is the Link to Nella's birth Story

Probably the most beautiful story I've ever read. Olivia was breastfeeding while I was reading, and the more the story went, the tighter I held her and the more I kissed her. I held our little Olivia tight, not because Olivia doesn't have Nella's condition, but because of that feeling of unconditional love that Kelle shows for her daughter(s) and shared with her readers. Such a lesson for all of us. Please go read her story when you have fifteen minutes alone.

Petite coquette :)

Spring

Oh the bees and the birds and the Tinymus come out to play. Lovely lovely Spring, we missed you! Please stick around a little longer, will you? At least until your friend Summer arrives? That would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Spring!
Love, Audrey

the Dd, the T and the Tinymus

Soiree Belotte :)

What do old people like us do when they get together with their friends? Well they play Belotte pardis!!!! Well....not really, but any excuse for the Belliard-Poullain-Gardais gang to get together. Oh the champagne (what? It's actually beer???). Oh the uncovered secrets. Oh the fantastic dessert by Soaz (don't cry, Soaz). Oh the drunk Melie Melo. We need another one of these very soon.

When you are two...

When you are two months old, you smile a lot. You don't know why. But you smile. A lot. Because really, what is there to be sad about? Food-check.Sleep - check. Diaper changed - check. Life is good! You also talk. To your mummy. To your daddy. To your rubber duck. To the mouton. To Sophie la Giraffe. You look at things - everything, anything. You look and you don't want to sleep. Because if you sleep, who knows, you might miss something. And that would be just terrible. Oh sweetpea we can't wait for you to turn 3 (months) now :)

Watch out, France - here comes the Olivia!

Olivia was complaining from not being fed Calvados and Camembert and not having a beret to wear on her outtings - so we thought we'd solve these big big issues by taking a little vacation to La France! Lovely time, perfect opportunity to present Olivia to all our beloved frog-eaters. Even tatate Soaz came from Paris to see her - what a lucky little girl she is :) Olivia must have met about a 100 new people while we were there...so please don't hold it against you if she doesn't remember who you are next time she sees you ;)