LIFE IN A DAY

It seems a little late in the day for happy new year greetings, so I think we'll just bash on shall we?

I've been reading a lot about this project recently. Last year, Scottish filmmaker Kevin MacDonald was commissioned by YouTube to make a film documenting a single day on earth, as seen through the eyes of people around the world. The idea was to use nothing but user-generated content (in short, submissions from the general public) all filmed on a single day: 24 July 2010. From nearly 4500 hours of footage shot on camcorders and mobile phones by 82,000 people in 192 different countries, MacDonald has created a film called Life in a Day.

The Guardian's Jeremy Kay isn't convinced about the result. I'll reserve judgement until I see it but I think it sounds like a potentially fascinating project.

The Sundance premiere of Life in a Day will stream live on YouTube at 1am, Fri 28 Jan (6pm local time).

TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK

Call it hormones; call it a symptom of having just turned 34; call it the fact that I spent the weekend at a wedding surrounded by pregnant friends and young families: but when I saw this photo today of a baby having a wee impromptu snooze it made me laugh. And then cry. I want one.

{photo via Cup of Jo}

SULLEY

I have two completely unrelated things to share with you today. The first is this photo*:

There are so many good things about the picture but I'll just say this: it's brilliant.

Secondly, I recently attended an event hosted by Napiers Herbalists and Real Foods where the topic of the day was Kitchen Cupboard Remedies. Herbalist Dee Atkinson demonstrated how to make simple and effective remedies from every day food items and this recipe was my favourite. Cinnamon has antiseptic properties, and has been used for centuries as a way of stopping flu attacks in their tracks. It is recommended to start the treatment within two to five hours of the start of symptoms.

CINNAMON COLD TREATMENT
Makes one cup

large glass of water
half a large cinnamon stick
3 cloves
honey to taste
squeeze of lemon

Place the water, cinnamon and cloves in a pan, bring to the boil with the lid on, and boil for three minutes. Switch off the heat and infuse for 20 minutes. Add honey and lemon to taste and strain into a cup. Take at the first sign of a cold or if you want to inhale the scent of Christmas.

{*I'm afraid I can't remember where I found it, but if someone wants to claim it I'll be more than happy to add a credit.}

FEATHER WEIGHT

Oh god I want this one too......

GOLD AGAINST THE SOUL

These stunning lockets have been created in a collaboration between Portland-based jewellery studio Verabel and artist Alyson Fox.

The first is my absolute favourite. I love it's vintage Art-Deco feel. I want to wear it around my throat, a scribbled note inside declaring desperately romantic secrets from someone special. My heart speeds up a little every time I look at it for fear that it sells out. What to do?

And isn't this horeshoe necklace adorable? I think Verabel might just be my new favourite jewellery designer.

{via A Cup of Jo}

IT'S MY (BIRTHDAY) PARTY AND I'LL CRY IF I WANT TO

I'm basically a five year-old child when it comes to birthdays. That is to say, I love them. I think everyone should wear a crown on their birthday and be treated accordingly. Mine is on the third of December and this year friends of mine are getting married on the day so I'll be spending the evening at their wedding. I don't doubt that this will be lovely but frankly: IT'S. MY. BIRTHDAY. You wait all year for it and then someone comes along and hijacks it. Not fair.

So I've made like Nanna Betty (she gets to wear a crown every single day) and officially appointed myself another birthday: the twenty seventh of November. Chosen because it happens to be the Saturday before the third of December. One of the most exciting things about Saturday is the weather forecast: sunny and snowy. This is an excellent stroke of luck. A) it means my girlfriends and I can go for a lovely crisp walk before lunch and then drink whisky cocktails in front of an open fire, and B) I can happily wear my wellies without looking like an Edinburgh bohemian fuckwit, ensuring complete comfort and no fire-in-the-balls-of-my-feet as I teeter around in heels. Bonus.

Do you remember the wishlists we used to produce before our birthdays as children? Here's mine.

A name necklace. My name, that is. In gold. And no, definitely not because of Carrie Bradshaw.

This incredible perfume: Escentric Molecules | Escentric 01

Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals. The man is an actual genius. I think this has been one of his best series so far.

A beautiful Victorian bell jar. The new John Hope Gateway building in Edinburgh's Botanic Gardens has a stunning wall display of bell jars housing various plant specimens. For this reason alone I could happily live there.

A trip to New York's Momofuku to eat Cereal Milk soft serve ice cream.

A cameo brooch.

Antlers.

A gorgeous notebook. I've just filled my latest one and I need somewhere new to write lists.

Oh, and a Charlotte Mann mural please. On the wall of a house which belongs to me. Thanks.

'TIL DEATH DO US PART

At the risk of rapidly turning this into a blog which features little more than videos, I just had to show you this. Have some tissues to hand. *Sob*.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.