Book Covers: A Little Princess
Images belong to the movie “A Little Princess” 1995, cover design by The little Hibou
As I recently told you, I was reading “A Little Princess” by Frances Hogson Burnet, because after watching the 1995 movie I was so enchanted by this story I had to know more. The movie is not completely faithful to the book (as usual), it changes the ending to make it more magical and happy. I’m not going to spoil it for you, so I won’t say how the book ends, but it may be a more realistic conclusion.
For a class project I had to design 3 different versions of book covers for the same book. Since I was currently reading “A Little Princess”, and I also noticed that all of the book covers that actually exist for it are very outdated and not very pretty, I chose to give this book a new face. The first version has images from the movie, and I included a fake bar code and a web page (I don’t know to which publisher this book belongs, so I just put harper to make it look more realistic). For the second version I used a picture of my niece (made by yours truly) and I made it with a happier vive, to give the magical feeling that Sara always talked about when she “pretended” and “supposed”. The third version is very girly and pink, with hand writing and little details and with the image in black and white so that it was very coordinated.
I hope you like my versions of the book covers, maybe I should make it a regular thing to show you how I think a book cover should have been for some of my favorite books. We’ll see 
Cover Image and Design by The little Hibou
Images belong to the movie “A Little Princess” 1995, cover design by The little Hibou
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Lomography: Sailing day
Photography by the little hibou
I’m very proud of this batch of photos, even though most of the faces have too many shadows because of the very strong sun that day, the colors are what I was expecting. And also I am very happy because I was almost giving up because every lab I took my films would ruin them. But well seeing that this lab finally got it right, i will be taking more pictures in the future. The pictures were taken with a Diana F+ medium format camera, with a Kodak Ektar 100 film, this are more expensive but totally worth it for the colors you can capture.
In the pictures we have El Matador‘s first family ride, I had not been on a sail boat in so long that I can’t remember. It was very nice because it brought out childhood memories. My dad looks so happy when he sails it is obvious that this is his true passion. He is teaching me to sail too, it is more difficult than I imagined but the sense of freedom is amazing. Just imagine being able to control this big boat and to see only ocean and sky in front of you and feeling the wind on your face. It is priceless, I guess I finally understand why he loves this so much.
Photography by the little hibou
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Its a guy thing. Boyfriend gift ideas
Every time I have to find a gift for my boyfriend I look for help on the internet and all that comes out are either some very cheesy valentine’s day sort of thing or sexy shop things… So, since the holidays are coming up and everyone is getting their shopping done, I thought I might give you some help on one of the most difficult gifts on the list. Guys often don’t shop for themselves, so there you have an advantage, but at the same time its hard to get something special because all men’s apparel looks exactly the same. Here is a little list of some ideas I think are very special and your boo is going to like. Just remember, always go for the functional, guys don’t like things that don’t really have a useful purpose.
1. Smartphone case. This one may only apply if he has a smartphone, but since these are very expensive phones you want to have it protected. Specially because boys like to play football with their phones or something, and they break them fast. I thought this case would be extra useful since it also works as a wallet, its perfect for when they don’t want too much stuff in their pockets (in a party or at the beach, etc).
2. Cuff Links. This would be the equivalent of giving him jewelry. This gift is for the business formal type of guy, this is perfect if he likes wearing suits, or he has many occasions in which he has to wear them. If this does not describe your guy, don’t even consider giving him this.
3. Sports Documentaries. This one is for the sports ultimate fan, it could be for any sport, you just have to find the one he likes and be sure to read the reviews as you may not be an expert on the subject. this one
4. Bluetooth Speakers. We all need music in our lives, and even though we have headphones for our iPods or other mp3 players, nothing beets a good speaker. This
5. Any gadget for his special hobby. Whether he likes to play Airsoft, paintball, golf, poker, quidditch (there is actually a collegiate league for that so don’t look at me like a crazy person), etc. Anything that is out of the ordinary, that its not that easy to find in a store, but you can find on the internet, your guy will love it. This shows you pay attention to his weird interests and care. I put an Airsoft Gun
6. Sports Jersey. You should definitely know what his favorite team is, because he probably talks about it A LOT. This applies to any sport. Bonus points if you get it with his favorite player’s number and name printed. This is the Real Madrid jersey, and the Goalie’s jersey
7. Newest Xbox or Playstation game. Depending on which console he has, but most of the games nowadays come for any console. Find out what is the newest release in the genre of game he likes to play. Try to preorder it if you can because they tend to run out fast. If it is a very famous game like FIFA or Call of Duty, you can also look for special edition packages that come with extra props for the game, it makes it an even better gift.
8. Watch. Every guy needs a watch, some friends tell me that they feel naked if they get out of the house without wearing one. The tricky part is figuring out which type of watch he likes. This would depend on the way he dresses, and also the price range you would want to pay. I thought this Fossil with leather strap is very nice and affordable.
9. Shoes. Men are very easy to shop for shoes because there are only a handful of kinds. This would also depend on the price range you want to pay, but I think TOMS are a very good option for a gift, specially since you are also giving another pair to someone in need.
That should be a good list to get you going, just remember that the more you think about what he likes and what his specific interests are, the more special the gift will be.
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iPhone 4s stylish covers
Since I switched to Mac my life has been so much easier, I’m in love with my iMac desktop and couldn’t be happier with my iPad (which I’m still waiting to get the new one with the warranty). The whole concept of combining technology with good design is plane genius, and frankly I can’t seem to find a better group of gadgets that work so well together as the i family does. The only thing I was missing is an iPhone, and finally after so many years since it was released I got myself the new iPhone 4s. It combines everything I need right now: a very good point and shoot camera, a personal assistant, instant messaging, and all of my apps on the go. I’m so excited I can’t wait until it gets here, so as I’m looking for the perfect cover, I decided to show you guys some of my finds. There are some very well designed covers out there, a bit pricey, but if you are getting such a good phone you better not slack off with the cover.
1. Tory Burch
Get it here
2. Kate Spade
Get it here
3. Marc Jacobs
Get it here
4. Tech Candy “Barcelona” Case
Get it here
5. Jessica Swift for Case-Mate
Get it here
Well, there you go. I hope you liked the list!! If you have any other cover recommendation hit me up.
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A Little Princess
My nieces stayed at my house for the weekend because my sister was traveling. Yesterday they wanted to watch a movie, and since one is 4 years old and the other one is 6, they could not agree on the movie. I ended up having to watch two movies: Montecarlo and Tinker Bell. When i was looking for the movies on iTunes, it recommended me “A little princess”, I had already seen it when it came out (I was probably 6 years old) and I remember it beig very sad. After the two movie marathon, the girls went to sleep, but i really wanted to watch “a little princess”.
I have to say, this has got to be the best children’s movie I have ever seen. It has a very good script, excellemt actors, and very realistic emotions. It is set in New York City during world war I. The movie tells the story of a privileged kid, Sara, who lived in India with his loving father. When her father has to go to war, he takes her to New York to live at a boarding school where she would be safe. She quickly becomes very popular among the girls because of her loving nature and ability to tell very vivid stories.
Later on, the headmaster of the school learns that Sara’s father is missing in action and pressumed to be dead. For some reason his assets are held by the government, leaving Sara poor and orphan. She now has to earn her room and board by working as a servant at the school, and all of her belongings are taken away from her.
I will no tell you more if what happens because this movie is so good you have to see it for yourself. It drals with issues of racism, socioeconomical differences, and cruelty to children. In my opinion, the main message of the story is to never lose faith, to confront tragedy wih a graceful face and to remeber that others may have it worse. Sara was a girl who had it all and lost it, she could have easily blamed it on the works, but instead she accepted her situation and tried to make the best of it.
The movie was inspired on a book also called “A little princess” by Frances Burnett, which I also started reading (you can get it free on the kindle here). I found a very good quote that described why Sara thought that every girl was a princess:
“it has nothing to do with what you look like, or what you have. It has only to do with what you think of, and what you do.”
We should always remember this the next time we want to judge someone, because we never know their circumstances. Sara may be at times unrealistically kind, but we have a lot to learn from her if we want to lead a happy life.
Photo Credit: Stills from the movie “A Little Princess”
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Analogue beach shots
I went to the beach last weekend, and it got me really excited about photography. The atmosphere is practically magic and the lighting is perfect for amazing shots. However, I only took my Diana F+ which is an analogue camera, and for some reason I either don’t get the hang of it, or my film isn’t correctly developed (sadly there aren’t many photography labs where I live). However, I still have a strong conviction to learn how to make great pictures, so I’m going to stick to digital right now so that I can have more practice without spending so much money on developing. This is probably the first visual media that has given me such a hard time, that’s probably why I’m so determined to learn. There is just something so special about capturing a moment that I can’t quite explain. I’m really good at editing, but without a well taken picture you can’t really do much more.
Anyways, since you probably were expecting some beach pictures, I found this incredible photo shoot on Flikr that was taken with an analogue camera by Australian photographer Beth Lane. I’m in love with the lighting and the colors portrayed, it looks so real like you are looking right at the moment instead of looking at it through a camera. I’m not sure if this pictures were for a fashion shoot, since the photographer did not give any description to them, but the outfits are very cute. It definitely has a vintage vibe that its not only represented in the clothes, but in the whole scenario. It really inspired me to try my best to sometime get there, and I really hope it can inspire you too. Enjoy!
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Fahrenheit 451 Review
Fahrenheit 451 was the degree at which the books would burn including the house that hid them. Ray Bradbury presents us a futuristic dystopian society in which the main prohibition was to possess or read a book. Its the classic novel about censorship, and it presents us with the scenario of what would happen to all of us if we did not have books to read. Although the issue goes beyond just banning books, in a more subtle way, people are discouraged to have a critical thinking or to question things. Since we are now living in the century this book was probably written about, we know that books are not banned, in fact they are publishing an insane amount every year. But it has so many resemblance with society nowadays, the problem wasn’t really censorship, it was that people stopped caring. They where so overwhelmed by technology that they spent countless hours watching TV mindlessly, only considering what made them happy and comfortable.
While the book does have a plot, it concentrates more in the message that it wants to conceive. The writing is a little too adorned for my taste, it has so many metaphors that I often got lost on the train of thought and forgot what he was talking about. The plot is not very eventful, it mainly consists of long conversations between people trying to explain or understand what happened, or how society got to where they where. The main character Guy Montag, who is a Fireman (meaning he burnt books), starts questioning everything and he starts a journey to discover the reason why everything is so messed up. He quickly discovers that the issue is more complicated than just the absence of books. The story doesn’t have a conclusion, it is more like a cautionary tale.
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