Celebrating Teeny Tiny Joys
Dearest Friends,
Unusual times call for unusual actions. This year my car-geek boyfriend bought a teeny tiny fire truck from Japan. Although it looks like a toy, the truck was used to put out real fires in a Japanese mountain town. Some other fun facts: It sports a bamboo frog filter; it has a booming PA system; and in relative-car terms, it’s two feet SHORTER than a Miata.
At first, I thought the whole thing was nuts, but this little car has been a source of hilarity and happiness. Kids light up when they see it (and so do their parents.) People wonder and wave! When we brought it to our local fire station, the firefighters exclaimed with glee. Everywhere it goes--whether on a picnic or to run errands--the truck makes people laugh. Especially at this uncertain time, it has been a vehicle of hope and joy.
At Connected Dots Media, we believe there is delight in the small and unexpected. This year we took on many small but mighty projects: from Mochi Magic, a book about adorable mochi treats and The Little Local Cookbooks, small compendiums of regional recipes, to Postmark Paris, a mini-memoir told through postage-stamps. While these topics may seem diminutive, like the teeny tiny fire truck, they offer meaningful ways to connect with each other and the world.
We look forward to sharing many more tiny joys with you this year and beyond.
With so much love,
Leslie
All the Little Small Things
The Teeny Tiny Fire Truck
The Teeny Tiny Firetruck hails from the mountain town of Kiragame, Japan. We call it “Kiri” for short! In Japanese Kiri means “fog” (which is funny because now Kiri lives in San Francisco, a town famous for its fickle cloud cover!) The truck was used to put out fires as part of a “Self Defense Brigade” (which is like a local volunteer fire department!) After 29 years it was retired and put up for auction where my boyfriend rescued it! Fun fact: The truck has a booming PA system!
Follow the Teeny Tiny Firetruck on Instagram.
Tiny Day
Once a week, I receive a real-life newspaper in the mail! My dear friend and publisher Dani Leone created Tiny Day to feature the small but important things that happen in a day. It turns out that there are many newsworthy moments to capture when we pay attention. Ace reporter Elise Cannon is always on the lookout for a story! She encouraged me to write about foraged art, plum jam, and a grove of fluttering Ginko trees. I never knew there were many stories to tell. They publish and pay for stories written by kids! If you know a kid who may be interested, let me know by email! Here is the deal: Tiny Day is not available online. It’s two pieces of A6 paper, two staples, and a stamp, and it supports artists and the Post Office! It is the REAL thing!
Subscribe at Venmo@TinyDay! For just $31, you can buy a 6-month subscription!
The Tiny Chef
The Tiny Chef is one of the most adorable, cutest shows you will ever see! Just watch the video above! And if you want to find out more, this article in the New York Times says it best “the rotund, blissfully humming protagonist of a hit stop-motion video series online, is just the latest testament to the charms of miniature food.”
To subscribe to the Tiny Chef check out his Instagram here.
Small Things to Make and Do
Make Mochi Magic!
Mochi -- the traditional Japanese treat made of chewy rice dough- is a popular and versatile vehicle for all kinds of sweet and savory fillings, and easily molded into adorable shapes and characters that define Japan's culture of cuteness. Mochi expert and teacher Kaori Becker's easy-to-follow techniques for creating and cooking with mochi deliver the perfect mix of fun and tradition! For a fun recipe to do with kids this holiday try making these adorable animals.
To make more mochi magic, check out Kaori’s book.
Travel with the Little Local Cookbooks
Take a little trip and explore the US through food. The Little Local Cookbooks include essential recipes from 8 different regions! This beautiful series focuses on landmark culinary destinations around the country including San Francisco, the Southwest, Maine, Cape Cod, Portland Oregon, New Orleans, Texas, and Vermont. Small, illustrated—and imminently giftable—these little guides are a celebration of regional culinary traditions. Read more about the joys of cooking local.
Collect a Mini Art Museum
The first stamp I ever bought—at the age of eight—showed a woman in a long green dress, carrying an even longer black stick. Behind her, the background is orange and white. I loved that stamp, because I thought it showed Annie Oakley holding a rifle, with fire and smoke rising behind her. Later on, I learned that the picture wasn’t actually of Annie Oakley at all. In fact, it was a miniature recreation of Woman Playing Lute, a painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau. I didn’t know it that day, but I had just acquired my first mini-masterpiece. Read up on how to create a postage-stamp art collection.
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