Write your book of spring

This postcard is quite old and suffered many changes. During the process, it inspired new ideas that time will hopefully contribute to their making.

At the beginning, the postcard was under the spell of the motto: "fold your secrets". The many layers were there to offer hidden paths and corners for wishful thoughts or torment.

Then spring came and the secrets turned into season's wishes, the layers into the pages of an unwritten book of someone's hopes and the ladybug came to visit.

The final version of the postcard, as it fights the light of night:

As it evolved:

It's spring!

It's spring ... by some calendars at least.
Outside is just a rumored spring and if you heard of Dragobete, you probably know it was the symbol of spring and people used to prepare for this season already from the 24th of February.
Dragobete is a pagan celebration known to Romanians.

The white and red thread is specific for March.
Initially, the threads were black and white, as a symbol of the winter's darkness and the spring's light.
In the context of the Baba Dochia story and her daughter-in-law, one thread changes to red as a symbol of the daughter-in-law's sacrifice.

The white and red thread also symbolizes the sexes: red for the woman, white for the man. Their unity has the meaning of life and perpetuation of nature's cycles.

The white and red threads are said to bring luck.
They were also used to protect from evil by hanging them in trees in this time of year. This ritual is related to Mars, the Roman god whom was initially a protector of agriculture.

These threads are usually attached to a piece of jewelry and can be bought in the beginning of March.

It is always a matter of choice: you can buy or you can make it yourself.
The following postcard contains recycled parts - they were cut from various boxes or found cards.

wannabe pretty box

It's not always easy to wrap up a gift, it feels like you need to have practiced before, to have all sort of tools and of course, time to do it. That's why we rarely do it ourselves. Instead, we go shopping, we pay, they wrap it up, we pass it on.
But wouldn't be nice to have gifts all over your house? I sure know a couple of people which would love that.

What I am showing you today is how to wrap up a box so that you can actually use it for something while it still looks like a beautiful gift. I've got this idea from my sister actually, but this is the first box I dress up. 

Let's say you buy some shoes and the box has its full functionality intact - it can store things, it's solid enough and it has just the right size.
Instead of buy ready-made expensive boxes for storing you memories and dreams, you can buy wrapping paper and start making your own.
You can, of course, buy just plain wrapping paper and draw/paint it yourself and then use it for the box.

It is not mandatory to have a ruler or special measuring tools. All you need is some thread:
You take the bigger part of the box and use the thread to go around it, first on the longitude, including aprox. 2 fingers length inside the box as well, and then you cut the thread. You do the same for the latitude with a different thread and after this you have your measurements for the wrapping paper without the use of a ruler.

In order to cut the paper square, you can use any straight object (including the box itself) around the house to draw the lines that will guide the scissors.

You need to cut the paper on the diagonal, up to the limit of the contour of the box itself  - this separates the paper into four sides for each wall of the box.

Then you start dressing up the walls of the box. Start on the longitude, it will be easier to finalize it on the short side of the box.
Before you fold the paper toward the interior of the box, you need to make new cuts that will define the length of the paper that needs to go inside the box.
The extra edges from the previous diagonal cut will just go around to the shorter side of the box.

You have to do the same on the shorter side of the box, but the extra paper left from the diagonal cut needs to be folded. Do not cut it, folding it will provide stronger edges.

The process repeats for the cover of the box. You may use the same threads for the measurement. This time they will become shorter.

When you are done, you have a brand new gift box to store your things. And you also partially recycled.
The box can store whatever you want and can look however you want.

Enjoy doing it yourself!

music and a man

see through

Birthday card and envelope

"La Mulţi Ani" is the Romanian "Happy Birthday"
It is like a painting, does not fold.

what I used to write ... [om si idee]

The following text is in Romanian.

~The text was published on dbrom sometime in 2004.

ma doare capul, picioarele si parca imi e rau. psihic nu imi e mai bine, ma framanta niste ganduri. de ce nu se pot accepta oamenii? incerc sa inteleg de ce sunt atacati cei care isi permit sa traiasca cu alte idei decat cele cunoscute. sau cel putin indraznesc sa vada mai mult decat de obicei, sa echilibreze situatia.

da, suntem niste viermi, iata cum se descompune pretuitul nostru trup, cum se spulbera rezultatul trudei noastre, orele petrecute la fitness, la sala de forta, hrana cu grija cantarita si kilogramele de produse cosmetice. suntem mici, nesemnificativi, o mica piesa dintr-un puzzle imens, interminabil, a carui imagine nu o intrezarim. daca am reusi sa vedem, ne-am da seama ca fara acea piesa nu mai exista completul, deplinul.

de ce sa fiu eu sau altul cea mai lipsita de importanta fiinta? cu cat ma afund mai mult in abisul disperarii conditiei umane, cu atat mai mult se zbate in mine o voce care vrea sa trezeasca in mine constiinta puterii, speranta intr-o idee a nemuririi. rolul meu nu e nesemnificativ. scopul este important. trupul e perisabil, e un depozit de mizerie.

ma doare capul. nu pot scrie... mi-e greu. se amesteca durerea cu multimea de idei pe care vreau sa le astern pe hartie. ma gandesc la libertate, la faptul ca am putea presupune ca sunt toti liberi sa judece si sa atace in mod grosolan idei ce nu le sunt compatibile, dar oare nu e asta un semn al unei capacitati intelectuale reduse si al lipsei libertatii, din moment ce judeca dupa niste tipare, dupa un cliseu? unilateral, dezaxare.

cine poate pretinde ca a descoperit Adevarul? cine poate indrazni sa isi ofere adevarul ca fiind obiectiv? ce anume din structura lor le intretine aceasta iluzie? omul e prin natura lui subiectiv si viziunea lui nu poate fi, in consecinta, altfel. psihicul este un spatiu inca, intr-un procent destul de mare, necunoscut. il presupunem mult mai larg decat ne asteptam, dar nu ne putem inchipui limitele sale. ascunde atatea forte care actioneaza
asupra nostra fara a le constientiza tot timpul si pretindem ca rationamentele noastre exprimate in niste idei fugitive sunt obiective, pretindem universalitate, aplicabilitate pe scara larga. aici apare greseala si naste razboiul, razboiul din univers, terenul conflictelor scanteietoare.

nu suntem izolati, interactionam, suntem niste forte care determina o reactie in lant. mai multe lanturi creeaza deja o retea cu specificul sau. mai multe retele creeaza un ansamblu cu un caracter pregnant, viu, care determina faptele mari, istorice. toate se leaga pe un plan transcendent. avand in vedere ca nu prea constientizam faptul, pretentia noastra de a oferi Adevarul este absurda, iar ideea ca suntem nesemnificativi este nefondata sau se bazeaza pe niste complexe si o existenta dezamagitoare. iar Adevarul, oricat am vedea, nu ni-l putem oferi, eventual putem avea senzatia ca l-am simtit, ca am patruns Totul... dar nu il putem oferi.

adevaruri general valabile sunt suficiente. trebuie depasita bariera iluziei, sa patrund cu adevarat inauntru.