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Gratefully Grateful 28

A few weeks ago my family and I witnessed a horrible motorcycle accident. It was a Sunday afternoon and we were on our way home after seeing a beautiful Steve McCurry photo exhibit in the nearby city of Monza. The motorcyclist was behind us in a long line of traffic before he decided to pass. We saw his face in the rearview mirror seconds before he died. Unfortunately the woman who was in the passenger seat of the car that crashed into him died as well.

None of us slept that night. We kept playing back the horrific scene in our heads. Besides feeling extreme sadness for the families of the people who died we were left feeling so grateful that it wasn’t us or anyone we knew.

So here’s to a safe spring season full of beautiful colourful blooms, warmer and longer days, visiting family, planting and planning our garden and so much more.

This is Birdie. He loves to tip things off window sills (iphones are his favourite) and he refuses to put on his specially made party hat (while awake) He’s a walking nightmare but for some reason we love him to death. At least 4 of the 5 family members do.

A little unexpected family trip to Milan to visit the Cimitero Monumentale. Who would have thought visiting grave sites could be so much fun. Proof to be found here as well.

An accidental shot found on my camera that I actually love.

Some images of a flower crown workshops that my daughters organised for their grandmother and cousin. They definitely have a future in event planning. The small details of the workshop made my heart burst with pride (fancy snack table, little goody bags, appropriate music and even matching outfits).
Statue seen at the Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery) in Milan. Is there anything more beautiful than a mother breast-feeding her baby?

Gratefully Grateful
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Tags: family, flower crowns, gratefully grateful, photography

Comments 12 Comments
Categories Creative, daily life, Family/Kids, grateful, gratefully grateful, Living in Italia, Living in Italy

Indian Snapshots 5

3 Mar

Threading flowers into garlands on the side of the road.

My husband saw me eyeing these large colourful embroidered umbrellas and said “too bad it would be impossible to bring one home”. I took it as a challenge and successfully got one home. Maybe even more than one.

The impressive Amer Fort in Jaipur. Once again my son made eye contact with a monkey who jumped on his back and started punching him. I spent two weeks screeching ” for the love of Lucy STOP making eye contact with the blasted monkeys!!”.
They’re everywhere. Luckily.

One of the most stylish hairdressers I’ve ever come across. I’d love a few of those chairs for my living-room.One of the favourite past-times for kids in India is kite flying. From almost every rooftop you can see little children with with their arms stretched skywards and their colourful kites floating high above. My kids bought some kites made from chip bags for 5cents in a tiny town in the countryside and flew them off the roof-top of one of our hotels. A highlight of the trip for them and a reminder to me that sometimes it’s the simple things that bring so much pleasure.

Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. Looks peaceful in this photo but the traffic right in front of it is absolutely nuts. I almost died crossing the street to take this photo.More garland threading. Never gets old.

Boiling block printed fabrics in indigo pots.

Our car and driver for our trip to Bagru. This guy was the epitome of cool and classy. And that car was spotless and in mint condition. Until my kids spent the day in it.

Indian Snapshots *1*, *2*, *3*,*4*

Tags: bagru, family travel, family travel in india, India, india with kids, jaipur, travel

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Family/Kids, grateful, gratefully grateful, India, photography, Travel

Urban Jungle Bloggers: Hanging Plants

27 Feb

Time for another Urban Jungle Bloggers post! Unbelievable that a month has already passed since the Plants and Tea theme in January. Is it just me or does February always fly by? Here in Italy we’re already heading into spring and experiencing beautiful sunny warm days. Everyone is walking around with a smile on their face and a spring in their step. My favourite time of year despite the itchy watery eyes.

When I first heard this month’s UJB topic was Hanging Plants images of polyester, multi-toned orange and brown macramé monstrosities from the 70s came to mind. But after browsing through some shops in Milan and Copenhagen and doing some research on Pinterest I came to realise that there are so many beautiful and contemporary ways to hang plants in your home nowadays.

2015UJBhangingplants2 After thinking about it for a few days and looking for the perfect spot in my house for a hanging planter I decided I was going to go the DIY route for this month’s post. I thought it would be a perfect little creative project to do with my kids while they were on February break and my daughters were happy that their room was going to finally get some greenery. First we made some little pots with air-dry clay that I found in a local craft shop. It was really easy to work with and was dry the next day. Plus, I love the milky white colour and texture of the dried clay so there was no need to paint them. Since my daughters are experts at decorating sticks with coloured yarn we decided to get some bamboo from the garden and deck it out a little. The result is so cheery and colourful and perfect for my twin daughters’ bedroom.They’re pretty wonky and crooked but I love them. And more importantly, so do my girls.

*Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month they share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on their Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our website and Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let them know and they’ll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let’s bring some green into our homes and blogs!

Tags: gardening, greenery, home garden, photography, plants, succulents, urban jungle bloggers

Comments 12 Comments
Categories Creative, daily life, diy, Family/Kids, Living in Italia, Living in Italy, photography, urban jungle bloggers

Days For Girls Update

12 Feb

A little over a year ago I posted here about the non-profit grassroots project called Days For Girls. I had just started up Italy’s first (and only) team and was really excited and full of ideas of how I could build up a community of women who would be willing to help me help girls around the world manage their monthly menstrual cycles with ease and dignity.

I’ll be honest, at the beginning it felt slightly awkward talking so openly about periods, pads and menstrual flow with complete strangers. But I’m happy to say that I am now 100% comfortable talking about every detail of women’s reproductive systems with everyone from the local baker to my car mechanic.

For those of you who have never heard of Days For Girls I’ll quickly re-cap what the project is all about.

Days For Girls was started by Celeste Mergens in 2008 after working in a Kenyan orphanage and noticing that a lot of the girls weren’t educated about their menstrual cycles nor equipped to deal with it.

Soon thereafter Celeste started up Days For Girls which is an incredible and supportive network of volunteers around the world who make and put together re-usable menstruation kits that are then delivered to girls in need in over 60 countries around the world (over 60,000 kits have already been delivered).

These kits last for approximately three years and have literally changed the lives of girls and women who before had to miss school or work due to their periods. This in turn has helped lower school drop-out rates in many areas as well as less loss income for days missed at work. So much good!

This project has come to mean so much to me over the last year. I’ve introduced Days For Girls at many local clubs and events and have always had so much enthusiasm from everyone I’ve met. Even the sweet and hilarious 85 year old man who kept insisting that they would make perfect pencil holders before realising their real use.

One of the most common reactions I see from people as I explain the project is the feeling of shock when they realise that they had never actually thought about this problem before. We think of helping people with food, water, clothing and shelter but rarely does it come to mind to help girls deal with monthly menstruation and educate them about women’s health and the female reproductive system. To hear more about our Indian kit delivery and see photos click to read on… Continue reading →

Tags: days for girls, grassroots, India, menstruation, non profit, project, travel

Comments 27 Comments
Categories days for girls, Family/Kids, grateful, Inspiring Souls, photography, Travel

Indian Snapshots 3

2 Feb

After a whole week of being sick with a really bad stomach flu (like REALLY bad) I finally feel like a human being again.

Last week I didn’t even have enough energy to plug in my hard drive and wade through my India photos. If you know me you’ll understand that means that I was practically on my death bed (have I ever mentioned I tend to exaggerate a teeny tiny bit at times?).

But I’m feeling good today and managed to put together the next set of my favourite images from our recent trip to India. Sometimes I can almost taste and smell the memories of that trip just by looking at the photos. Love that so much.

Tasseled pillows in the market place. I resisted. And I regret it so much.

Miniature eggplants and the sweetest red carrots you’ll ever eat.

Basket of flower garlands ready for the temple.

This woman had so much character. My kids were terrified of her though.

We were so fortunate to have a guided private tour of this old palace in Deeg. The ornamental tiger cage (for live pet tiger) was a favourite feature. The kids spent hours running throughout the grounds, jumping over fountains, avoiding gangs of monkeys and having the time of their lives with their friends. A favourite day on our trip in India.

While visiting the fort in Jodphur we came across this sweet little parakeet. He was the most curious little guy who seemed to love getting his photo taken. If you’re interested I have about 659 other photos of him…

This is his shy pose. 2014indiajodhpur12 I almost can’t look at this photo because of the sadness of not being able to get a hot syrupy bowl of Gulab Jamun is too much to bear. There is nothing like it on earth.

Temple visiting.

Indian Snapshots *1*
Indian Snapshots *2*

Tags: deeg, family travel, India, india with kids, jodphur, photography, travel, travel india, Traveling with kids

Comments 13 Comments
Categories Family/Kids, photography, Travel

Urban Jungle Bloggers: Plants and TEA

29 Jan

It’s time for the first Urban Jungle Bloggers Post of 2015!

As I’ve mentioned in my past UJB posts I don’t have what you’d call a green thumb. I think I might have even referred to it once as a sooty black toxic thumb.

But I’m happy to say that after my new re-found love of having lots of greenery in my home (thanks to Judith and Igor) my thumb is turning an ever so slight shade of the lightest mint green possible. And I hope that with every month that passes the greenness will get brighter and more vivacious. And that I’ll be able to keep more and more plants alive and happy.

But really, look how that sweet little succulent above is so healthy and, I like to think, very content looking.

At the moment I have a few that are thriving. And a few that are…not. But I’m keeping positive and learning a lot from all of the great links that the UJB team post and share. It’s become such a fantastic and supportive green community of people around the world.

This month’s theme is Plants and Coffee (or Tea like I chose).Since my twin daughters are laden down with (way too much) homework we rarely have time to sit down to a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate anymore. So a few Sundays ago I decided to hide their books and persuade them to take a study break with me. That’s right, they’re so studious that I have to HIDE their books for them to agree to take a break. I’m a proud mama. And at times like this a bad influence. I used my new teacups from Dutch designer Esther Horchner. I love these so much. I had them on my Wishlist board on Pinterest for years so when I saw them in a local shop on sale I knew I had to get them. I just hadn’t expected them to be so shocking for some of my guests (seriously, some of them have to close their eyes when they sip their tea).I decorated the table with some of my favourite miniature succulents and cacti. I found the little copper container at a second hand shop for 2 euro and it’s perfect for these miniature plants I picked up at my local plant shop (I make a concerted effort to buy all my plants locally from small family businesses). 2015urbanjunglebloggersjan2 And because I’m a fabric and textile lover I decided to use my coveted piece of Japanese double gauze designed by Nani Iro that has been sitting in my fabric cupboard for over a year waiting for the perfect sewing project. Turns out it makes a perfect cloth to adorn an afternoon tea party with the two coolest almost thirteen year olds around. And their equally cool mama (right?). 2015urbanjunglebloggersjanwithlogo *Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month they share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on their Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our website and Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let them know and they’ll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let’s bring some green into our homes and blogs!

Tags: cacti, greenery, indoor gardening, photography, plants, plants and tea, succulents, ujb, urban jungle bloggers

Comments 14 Comments
Categories Creative, daily life, Family/Kids, italia, Living in Italia, Living in Italy, photography, urban jungle bloggers

Gratefully Grateful 27

12 Jan

Here I am, sitting at my computer and wondering how I can start the new year off here in this little space of mine. A space that was pretty much neglected for a lot of 2014. But a space that meant a lot to me just the same.

The last few days I’ve been looking back at old posts and photos and enjoying reliving some beautiful moments of last year. And in the end that’s the reason I keep coming back and sharing here on Jillian In Italy. I love wandering back and taking peeks into my life and the lives of my family.

Last year offered some lovely times and some not so lovely times. Just like any other year.

In 2014 I learned a lot about relationships. I really realised how important and invaluable my friends are in my life. Living away from family can be really hard and having good loyal friends to rely on is essential. My friends are my family. We support each other and step in when family usually would. So 2015 is the year to really cherish, appreciate and have fun with all those people I love so much.

I’ll be continuing this Gratefully Grateful series this year and sharing images that make me smile and remind me how fortunate I am to have the life that I do. Seriously, even though there are rough times, sad times and aggravating times these little moments poke through it all and shine.

A day snowshoeing in the local mountains. It was 20 degrees, the sun was shining and there was a huge plate of polenta waiting at our destination. Oh and I learned that bending over to put on snowshoes after a 2 hour polenta lunch (with dessert) is not an easy task. mercatinodinataleangera14-4

Came across these images of my Christmas market stand with the infamous Patamaga. We may not have sold out of our wares but we had a great day drinking tea, chatting, eating her Mama’s delicious food and trying to stay warm for the 12 hours we were outside. And those yarn-bomb trees that my daughters made were our top sellers of the day. Obviously. On our recent trip to India (more on that soon) we made a Days For Girls kit delivery to the Delhi Council for Child Welfare. Seeing those kits that we’ve been making and assembling for the last year in the hands of happy girls was definitely a highlight of 2014 for every member of my family.

And even though we’re experiencing spring like weather here in Italy I know a lot of you out in the world are suffering through snowy cold winter days. So these Ligurian seaside photos from last summer are for you. May they warm your thoughts a tad and show you there is light (and sun) at the end of the (winter) tunnel.

Have a great week!

Gratefully Grateful
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Tags: colour, daily life, days for girls, family, friends, grateful, gratefully grateful, photography

Comments 6 Comments
Categories daily life, Family/Kids, grateful, gratefully grateful, italia, Living in Italia, Living in Italy, photography

Map Themed Gift Guide

12 Dec

I wrote a map themed gift-guide over on Classic Play that includes some really fantastic options for just about anyone on your holiday gift list. Everything from map adorned leggings and scarves to whiskey flasks and enamel mugs to my favourite map-inspired books on the market at the moment. Take a look at the full post here.

Tags: classic play, gift guide, map, map themed gift guide, map themed gifts, travel, travel gifts

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Creative, daily life, Family/Kids, gift ideas, photography, Travel, Traveling with kids column

Coroncine Floreali

10 Dec

Hello.

I’m still here!

I’m just popping in to share about a lovely fresh flower crown workshop that my twin daughters and I did a few week-ends ago in Milan.

The workshop’s venue was the most charming little café that doubles as a cultural centre called Spazio Culturale My G where they offer all sorts of creative courses for kids and adults. It’s a bright and colourful space filled with charming old couches, mismatched wooden chairs and an amazing book corner (where they even sell my favourite FLOW magazine!).

When we arrived at the workshop we were warmly welcomed by our flower-crown teacher Jessica from the blog Uhlalà. Such a vibrant and happy lady and so talented with flowers.

The flowers that we worked with were Ranunculus, Anemone and Chrysanthemum. There were also branches of a special type of Mimosa that I had never seen before, Eucalyptus branches and some berry branches as well. A beautiful mix of colours and textures. About 15 of us worked around a big wooden table covered in buckets of flowers, berries, special florist tapes and tools and different coloured ribbons. Jessica explained everything perfectly and we dove in and started creating our crowns.
I was amazed at how quickly the girls caught on and unlike me didn’t have to think and re-think about how to put it all together. I had a serious creative block for the first half hour while my daughter Chloe worked like a busy bee non-stop and without any doubt or indecisiveness.

All the ladies in the workshop made beautifully dainty feminine crowns. It was a beautiful sight to see everyone at the end proudly walking around wearing them. As you can see from the two photos above, my daughters’ crowns ended up being completely different. Their unique personalities really showed through in the finished product.

Since the workshop we’ve already had one big flower crown making session. We tried out different blooms and branches that we bought and collected from our garden. They came out beautifully and we can’t wait to make some more. Many thanks to Jessica for such a lovely Sunday morning. And thanks to Yael from Spazio Cultural My G for organising such fun workshops. We can’t wait to come back.

Tags: coroncine floreali, flower, flower crowns, milan, spazio culturale My G, uhlalà, workshop

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Creative, Family/Kids, italia, Living in Italia, Living in Italy, photography

Gratefully Grateful 26

13 Oct

I’m sitting here recovering from a whirlwind 48 hour trip to Belgium. It’s actually amazing how much my daughters and I squeezed into our short trip: passport renewal appointment, visit to the charming city of Brugge, eating waffles and french fries, shopping in HEMA, visit to the girls’ great grandmother and a fun family birthday party with cousins. Exhausting but so much fun.

Here are a few images that are making me smile on this rainy, chilly, grey day here in Northern Italy.

I’m a sucker for colourful garlands. They just make me happy.

My daughters and their friends made this little breakfast for themselves using vegetables from our garden. They have inherited my love of making food beautiful as well as delicious.

Sharing her french fries. I’m not sure if she has a frown or a smile behind there though.My kids are currently obsessed with archery (thanks to Hunger Games of course). We visited a local farm that offers courses and I fell in love with their arrows.