Rhapsody in Blue to animation

Have you ever watched a live classical music performance that was accompanied by a fireworks display and all the explosions and bursts of colour seemed to match the music perfectly? I'm thinking in particular of the concert at the end of the Edinburgh festival but I'm sure you'll have seen something similar in your respective countries. And if you haven't, take a look at this video, which follows the same idea but with illustration instead of fireworks. The animation is so well timed to the music, it's hard to take your eyes off it. 

Have you seen this DIsney film? I came across it purely by chance and although I recognised the name (Fantasia 2000, a sequel to Fantasia 60 years after) I had never seen it before.

Carla

Ballerina project

I found this photo project the other day and thought it was so lovely I had to share it with you. It's by New York City-based photographer, Dane Shitagi, originally from Honolulu, and is a series of pictures of ballerinas taken over the last ten years. They all look so graceful, it makes me want to be a ballerina!

"...the Ballerina Project is not “dance photography” but an etching of a ballerinas heart and emotions.

Every aspect of the Ballerina Project is carefully crafted and cultivated. The project has  been photographed entirely on traditional photographic film and not with modern digital cameras."

Ballerina Project

They all look so calm but I'm sure it can't have been easy to hold those poses. What do you make of them?

Carla

New feature: Double exposure

For a while now, Carla and I have been wanting to start a photography project to share on the blog. We've finally got our act together and our cameras are very happy they'll get to go out on more walkies :) 

As you already know, we live in different countries - I'm in Spain and Carla's in the UK (although temporarily in Switzerland just now). We have our own little shared universe here on PolkaDot Lighthouse but the little details that make up our day-to-day lives are very different.

A top-floor flat with views over Madrid 

and the sun streaming in through all the nooks and crannies, 

a big house with squirrels in the garden 

surrounded by all the greenery that only British rain can bring.

Yellow post boxes, red post boxes.

Café con leche, tea with milk.

Churros, scones.

Euros and cents, pounds and pennies.

Afternoon snack time, dinnertime.

And so on and so on...

So we decided to share our own particular ways of capturing something through the lens: a moment in the day, a scent, a sound, a flavour...and that will form the basis of our photography project - a very distinctive double exposure.

Colours will be the name of the game in these first few months, starting with red.

Olga on the left                                                            Carla on the right

We would be more than happy if any of you want to join in on this project. Just send us your photo of something red or a link to it and we'll publish it in the next Double Exposure post.

We hope you like it!

Same, same but different: Breakfasts

Happy Wednesday dear readers - Saturday and Sunday are not that far away now! I don't know about you but one of the things I like most about the weekend is indulging in a nice relaxed (and plentiful) breakfast. It's one of my favourite meals of the day and I love how different it can be from one country to the next.

I'm in Zurich just now and will be for the next month or so, giving me ample time to sample the delights of this country. The breakfasts where I'm staying are amazing and so filling. The cheese platter takes centre stage, (as it has done for most of my stay here so far):

Aside from the wonderful chocolate, the selection of cheese available in this country is astounding!

For a sweeter breakfast, you can't beat some pancakes with blueberries a la americain...

This Homemade Life (click here for recipe)

or some croissants and a coffee a la francais...

Suit up or die

I do like a nice bowl of porridge too, it's the Scottish in me.

 Veggie num.num (click here for recipe)

And I also found this which looks interesting and is something I've never tried before:

Lifehacker (click here for recipe)

I found a few of the above images (except for the top one which is my own) over at this lovely tumblr page dedicated to photos of delicious breakfasts.

What is your favourite kind of breakfast? Please let us know if you have any good recipes or combinations...or even any insider tips on Zurich!

Carla

Beauty on the walls

In one of our very first posts, we told you about a project that involved filling several different cities around the world with colour and when I discovered what we're going to show you today, it reminded me of that.

This is a lovely collaborative street art project by a creative collective from Madrid called Boa Mistura. The project was completed in Vila Brâsilandia - a favela on the outskirts of São Paulo.

Walls served as the canvas on which to print a series of words charged with emotions that were painted in perspective meaning that the messages only become clear from the exact point where all the lines join up.

Via: Juxtapoz

The result is fantastic but the meaning of the project holds even greater value. Art and design have made their way into the lives of a lot of people who are normally distanced from artisitic manifestations. 

It makes me happy to know that every time someone passes through these streets, they will give a hint of a smile.

Have a good week!

Olga

Siren Lauvdal

We thought we would delight you with some lovely images by photographer Siren Lauvdal today. The settings offer a pallete of colours that transmit calm and serenity, gently framed by touches of neon pink.

After a busy week who wouldn't want to spend some time in such a beautiful space? 

Via: Desire to inspire

Grab a good book and go from your bed to the sofa and from the sofa to bed...what more could you ask for?

Have a great weekend!

Feeling the love

We were recently awarded not 1, not 2 but...4 Liebster Blog awards. A little overwhelming but a very nice surprise indeed. Thanks to Hello Olive, It's all so Scarlett, Sarah-Rose Goes and Strebergarten for picking us. And while we're on the subject of awards, we also got a couple more for being an original blog and for being a creative blog from No me manches el suelo and Lo que ven mis ojos. Thank you!

'Liebster' loosely translates as 'favourite' or 'beloved' and the Liebster Blog award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers, making it a great way to find out about blogs you might not otherwise find.

The idea is that you comment on the blog of the person who awarded you by thanking them and also linking their blog, then select five of your favourite bloggers who have less than 200 followers and then notify them by commenting on their blog.

So without further ado our awards go to...

Kitty Litter

 Little Tree Designs

Taffeta Ramblings

   

Strebergarten

 La chef A

 Just white 

 

No me manches el suelo

Lo que ven mis ojos

We went over the five blog limit but never mind, we had a lot of love to spread!

Carla and Olga