Secrets of a Butterfly

Corbridge,Pub meal and family time

I could be watching big brother(which i can't quite gel with as much this year) or i could watch Katie and Peter but instead i thought i wanted more to spend time with you tonight,yur company matters more and to share with you what a nice day i had out with my parents, before Dad returns to work next week. We went to Corbridge,somewhere we havent been since the autumn and it was nice and warm. I found a new shop there called Katie Kerr and the good news is they are going to be stocking Noa Noa next season. So starting to save for those clothes now! (more on them in another post sometime)

i took some pics of the village to just give you a feel for the place more than anything. i think a picture is worth a thousand words. there are some lovely hanging baskets around at the minute.

this was a pretty pink display on someones window ledge hope they didnt mind the photo being taken!!

Then on the way home we stopped for tea in a pub called The Poacher's Cottage. I have only eaten out a handful of times since my recovery began and so it still holds a novelty factor for me. I had scampi,and it was lovely.

Here we are together,i am forever finding places to balance my camera and use the timer function and this was about the 3rd attempt to fit us all in the shot, but worth i i think.

My brother Neill and girlfriend Debbie came round this evening,i gave them some gifts from holiday to thank them for looking after the bunnies and Deb told us she passed her driving test ( :

I am in large picture mood tonight as you can tell,so hope these havent come out too big on the post!!  Thanks for your company and your comments last time,i will get back to you soon, love kat x

ps Bonnie have a lovely time when you holiday in England soon, and Tracy hope you've been enjoyin London!!

A week in Windermere

Hi i'm back from my holiday in Windermere in the Lake district. I had a lovely time.

The weather wasnt too favourable but Mam, Dad and I, wrapped up in waterproofs most days and ventured out! This photo is of Windermere itself from the bottom near where we were staying in a large house. The house was converted into two flats and ours was on the ground floor. There wasnt the useable lake access or views that the property owners had described (and was our reason for choosing it). So that was disappointing, but the house itself was done out nicely and instead we drove to a park about 10mins away in order to get down to the water and see this view. Quite alot of the Lake side is in accessible around there because the private houses have their gardens and own jetty's.So it was good that the National Trust had Fell Foot park (as it was called). It was nice down there and i had organic vegetable soup in the cafe. That was how things went hot soup instead of ice creams!! because the temperature was around 11 C,instead of the average for June being round 20. I was just glad i had taken some warm clothes ( :

It was a good base from which to explore the nearby villages and small towns. I saw more of the area than i was able to last year so i noticed how my general strength has grown. I also handled a few things that didnt go quite to plan along the way again something that i wouldnt have coped with at one time.here are a few pictures from the week...this first one is at Esthwaite water which we came across one afternoon. It was very peaceful there. I took a few video clips which i will put on flickr shortly if you wanted to see more of it and get a feel of the place.

The three of us together in the grounds of Sizbergh castle with a barn in the background. This smaller picture on the left was the house we stayed in self catering.And an example of the roads around the lake,i had been nervous at first about coping with them,as travelling like that does take quite a bit of energy. So it was a major thing to go round the whole lake one day. stopping off at a few places on the way and avoiding the rain for the most part.

                                           There were some lovely little gifty shops and galleries and i was able to do some shopping. i tend to use the wheelchair most of the time as not knowing the area its hard to judge my capabilities with it and i also i am aware of pacing things out over the whole week. I can then go round a few shops on foot which makes things easier as not everywhere is wheelchair friendly. I am very grateful to my dad for all the pushing he did! especially in Ambleside(above) where there were alot of banks,though Kendal was by far the steepest!

 i am going to do a few seperate posts over the coming weeks on one or two of the shops and special moments that i had.Here's me warming up next to the open fire in the living area of the house.i hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into my week away. It wasnt quite a 'summer' holiday but it was a nice change to be discovering different places,eating in little cafes and generally enjoying the progress i have made.

 

I had some fabulous news not long after our return. I was a runner up in the Decor8 mood board competition!! it was such a suprise as there were so many enteries that were original and beautiful and i hadnt entered with the aim of trying to win,like you might with some things. It was just because i love to do what the criteria called for. so the prize of an Amy Butler bag is an added treat! I will post a picture when i recieve it from Holly.

thats all for now,take care love and summery wishes Kat x

Bazaar Style

Hi i hope you have a had a sunny day today.

 i just wanted to do a post on Bazaar Style:Decorating with market and vintage finds by Selina Lake as its a book i've been waiting to get and it came last week. I wasn't disappointed as the contents and photography is wonderful. I like how the light has been captured and alot of the settings have white walls making the colours really pop. Its such a skill to style what looks like a random flea market find, it takes an innate understanding of colours and what mixes well together. i think Selina has done an excellent job and i found so many of the pictures inspiring. I have made a little mosaic here and you can see more on my Flickr. I always appreciate it when a blogger shows inside a book as i think its a great way to see before you order online. i can only recommend this book very highly.

The two pics in the bottom right corner aren't from the book. The sweet peas were in Red magazine, i love how they used a vintage milk jug to hold them. I wonder if dad will grow as many in pink so i can recreate it,we shall see!. The other picture was a spread in my journal. I also wanted to share these two with you I hadnt done any discovery journalling for a while so with doing the mood board i thought i'd get back into it again and see where it takes me. Nature and a need for greenery was a strong draw in the pictures i chose,and this is very apt as i go for a short break in the Lake District at the end of the week. Its my joy to take photos outdoors and i hope you enjoy seeing them when i get back. I want to share a little of the essence of the area,especailly with any of my friends who visit my blog pages, and who cannot get out into the country side themselves yet because of their health difficulties.or indeed for anyone from overseas who likes to see the british scenery and how it compares to where you live.

which reminds me to mention how much i enjoyed watching a video clip on Hazel's blog the other day, if you pop across scroll down to the lobelia hanging baskets and see the most A-Maz-ing hummingbirds! they never stop flying, and like hazel says are almost like fairies dancing about amongst the flowers. We have lobelia in our hanging baskets but we don't have such entrancing visitors as those. so it was a wonderful treat to see them, and an insight into life in Nova Scotia,Canada.

i'll sign off for now and if i don't 'speak' with you before friday, do think of me on my little excursion to Windermere Lake (for a week) and wish me well, it is just my 2nd time away and i do find it a bit strange preparing, but enjoyable too, i know you'll know what i mean, love Kat x

Seaglass and seashells

Here is my entry for the mood board competition on Decor8 I chose to use the blue and green fabrics from the Ohio Sky range of Amy Butler's Midwest fabric color palette.That lead me into realising a connection to the beautiful muted tones of sea glass that you find on the beach. Which then made me think of a coastal cottage somewhere like Cornwall and being in a warm friendly kitchen which was open plan into an eating area. Like the picture above, the furniture would be retro in feel or recyled from something else. There are some more close up pics on my flickr.

Inspiration:
The setting is a coastal retreat on the Cornish coastline of England. Here the fabrics have been used within a kitchen/diner,suggested for curtains,seat pads and place mats.
Amy's fabrics have also been used upon the sails of a miniature boat.
The theme is laid back, retro furniture combining with a modern fresh colour palette.
Tones of greens and blues inspired me,reminding me of sea glass washed up on the shore line.
Flower shaped dishes echo the floral fabric and other handcrafted accessories compliment the rustic seaside feel. 
 
The main room images featured were from Country Living and Living Etc magazines.
I enjoyed sourcing accessories that complimented the colours of the fabrics.

Accessories:
The duck egg paint is from www.LauraAshley.com
Storm lanterns £10 from www.plumo.com
Madonna Trocha shell and rope tiebacks £29.50 www.grahamandgreen.co.uk
Lotus dishes £20 for 3  from www.lavender-room.co.uk
Set of 3 botanical framed pictures £58.50 from www.usefulandbeautiful.co.uk
Ingrid Jug £38 by www.katrinmoye.com
Platter £80 by ceramicist Lucy Dunce 
 
The following are from designers/crafters at www.notonthehighstreet.co.uk an umbrella organisation that showcases a vast array of art and crafts,with each having links to their own shop,website or gallery-
Organic shaped bowls from £12 at Roost living
Flower tile £19.50 handcrafted from sea glass in Cornwall by Wendy Wilbraham
Boat £29.99 from Nautical Living

This morning after entering yesterday,i recieved a wonderful email back from Holly of Decor8 who i have admired and been inspired by since becoming a blogger myself. Its made my day to hear back from her and that she really likes my board and felt a connection to it and the music of Au Revoir Simone which she saw  i like as i have a picture of their cd on Flickr. If you want to here the 3 girls, Annie Heather and Erika singing,click through on the link and it plays on their website.

with love to you today,Kat xox

Truly a good day in so many ways

Hello

it seems a while since i wrote on here i have had to focus a bit more on my recovery and havent had as many nice things to share, though i'm glad you liked the poem i posted last time.

I have some GREAT news today i got for my hair cut for the 1st time in over a year! and i am thrilled and bursting with happiness that i went and that i Did it!! it was so great to be able to go. i am pleased with the cut and the girl Sam was lovely,really gentle and kind hearted. And i found out while over in the area there, that the shop next door, where i had 2 of my canvas pictures,one had sold that very morning!! so it was certainly a good day ( : and the money went towards my hair so that was also handy!

its not a wonderful picture cause i havent got makeup on toady, but at least i can share with you how its shorter and much nicer.

I got some goodies in wooly blue (the shop my picture was in)it is my favourite shop ever for gifts and Julie the owner displays it all beautifully, can you tell i'd hanker after a job there, you never know maybe one day i will get to that point.Anyway in the meantime, here is a peek inside my bag and the little fellow inside is for a special little one that will very soon be with us.....Camille my friend is due in July and i am excitiedly buying little boy's goodies to send them.Hopefully i will be able to post a picture i will have to ask her when the time comes won't i.

I love jelly cat toys they are just the softest things! and thats what this bunny is.

Julie also had Cath kidston wrapping paper which i've not seen before so i stocked up on a few sheets.

The other thing goin on for me at the mo, is i am wanting to enter the mood board competition on the blog Decor8. if you fancy having a look at the entries yourself they are on her flickr account of the same name. i would paste a link but i still havent fathomed out how this new typepad is working yet with that!

anyway i have started a kitchen/diner themed room and have sourced some products to co-ordinate with the fabrics by amy Butler. here is a little taster,the name i've come up with is seaglass and seashells...because the fabrics have that colour to me. these pics show some of the selected pictures i will incorporate into my final mood board. There is a deadline of the 23rd if you want to consider entering yourselves.

well i hope this entry has brought you up to date with how things are going and i look forward to hearing from you as ever,i will be popping by to look at your blog soon, for those of my friends with them, take care and enjoy this sunshine that we're having, love and angel blessings kat x

A multitude of facets

Within ourselves there is a multitude of

facets waiting to be unveiled. On the right

day,the most fortunate of us are able

to loose our inner boundaries,allowing

ourselves to take on a new and refreshing

image. in that state of existence,where old

habits are cast aside and new thoughts are

given a chance,we discover a luscious cross

field where we take in impressions,colours,

and shapes with a completely open mind.

A truly enriching state.

This invigorating process of self-development

is known and described in many cultures and

often praised in ancient,however eternally

young,symbols. The region bordered by the

Caucasian Mountains in Russia is home to the

famous Babushka doll,which with its many

reincarnations is the most inspiring and pre-

cise icon of eternal fertility and self-renewal.

The Babushka invites reflection-and rightfully

asks the eternal question: Do we live well

enough with our old forms and facets,

or do we give our inner, unborn truth

the new chance it really deserves?

(words & image from a Pilgrim jewellery leaflet)

love k x

A day along the coastline

 

Had a drive along the coast this afternoon,pretty windy out and plenty of kite surfer's taking advantage of that. Enjoyed the sea,air,waves and had some chips along the way!

Wrapped up warm when out the car, had a little browse around a flea market thats inside the train station. Got a gemstone in the shape of a heart,its blue goldstone and sparkles amazingly.

Watched a spaniel running in and out the waves, how much energy it had!

Just waiting now to catch the end of Chelsea flower show and see who won the people's award...its the Bupa garden thats won,which had some beautiful planting and was very sensitively thought out for those with alzheimer's disease

I'd hoped it would have been 'Life to Life' the tribute to George Harrison.This garden is inspired by the life of George Harrison of The Beatles.His childhood, the colourful 1960s, his later years and finally his spirituality are all represented in it.Designed by Yvonne Innes and Olivia Harrison. I loved that one, the different sections representing different times of his life with a pyschedelic pathway through the whole,leading to the top part where there is a beautiful lotus like temple,so peaceful with white themed planting there.i had been going to give you a link but typepad has changed and i can't get it to work....anyone else having difficulties getting used to it or is it me?so here's the link written out instead http://www.bbc.co.uk/chelsea/show_gardens/life.shtml

better luck next post,love kat x   and thanks to Michele at cowboys and custard for the mention -see my list of blogs for link ( ;

Handmade items to give and to treasure

I have revamped my etsy shop, its something i have been wanting to do for ages now, and i'm pleased to say i am well on the way to stocking it with some of the items i've been making. i did this mosaic on big huge labs to showcase my range. Most of the pieces have a french vibe, with eiffel towers and old vintage postcard images featuring. Along with the wording you know i love so much like, 'wish upon a star' or 'believe'.

Do you like my new business card? Mandy of Belle and boo did it for me! i am very honored as the butterfly and meadow feel is just what i wanted. I sent her some star jasmine as she has been such a star to me.There's new things coming from Belle and boo too soon,so watch out for them.here's a sneaky peek at the new website front page!! i love swings in the trees and this was one of my favourite moments on holiday last year.... it would'nt seem much to many people,and may even seem too young a thing to do to others, but to me - the sense of freedom was amazing after many years ill in bed, in one room. To be out in nature surrounded by the birds song and to hear the branches and leaves of the tree and feel the wind against my face was an experience both of freedom and of fun, both of which were almost entirely absent for a long long time. i havent come across another tree swing as yet,but if i do, i hope to go on it.

One thing i have come to appreciate is to be in and to live each moment as much as i can,i did this even before i had much of an' out an about' life to lead,and it still supports me now. Also i must never hold back, worrying what others might think of me. Its my life, and as much as i can, i want to live it in my way. Maybe there will be a swing near Windermere this time,(in a different area of the Lake District) where we are going at the end of June-lets hope so ( ;

love and butterflies kat xxx

Handmade notebooks for the Boutique

Just thought i'd share some of the things i made and took across to the boutique Have to love last week. It was the first time i'd been out as far in a while and i felt it was a major thing to get over and to leave some new cards i'd been making, along with these little notebooks and 2 larger journals. I always love making things to take across to Kate,as she and i share a love of vintage and Paris in particular. So much of what i make has these elements to it,either in wording or images.

The shop is soley a clothes boutique the likes of which you'd usually only come across in London.So my cards and books are just added extras for people to browse as they choose from the ranges.Alot of the clothes are from French labels along with some from New york-there really isnt a shop like it around in our area of England so it has a unique vibe. I would spend much more there if i could afford it! as it is i like to save up for one or two things a season and this time along with my jeans i shared in a previous post i got a white broderie anglais type top by Tibi.If you can visit then do,but if not then Kate has a website at Have to love

I hope to make some more of the notebooks to put in my etsy shop,if anyone is interested perhaps leave me a comment on this post sometime,its always a treat to hear feedback and encouraging too.So far each one i've made has been totally unique,but i am open to requests if you have a particular idea in mind or would like one very similar to those photographed.

mmm an icecream patterned dress hanging here....reminds me to show you this treat i had at the riverside,because of the warmer weather, no other reason really..

I enjoy making these larger journals as there's a much bigger surface to work with and i can add more details. I liked adding the vintage brooch image and the ribbon to this one as the colours matched in well. The background papers i use tend to be either by K and Co or Daisy D's. As with the smaller notebooks the pages inside are plain white,(but these are thicker paper) which i prefer from a journalling point of few, to the lined or graphed versions. If you write in journals yourself then maybe you can relate to what i mean. I feel plain pages give you more freedom to express as you wish,lined ones are better for making lists and remind you of school work!  love and smiles kat x

The water of life

The beauty of the heart

is the lasting beauty:

its lips give to drink

of the water of life.
Truly it is the water,

that which pours,

and the one who drinks.

All three become one when

your talisman is shattered.

That oneness you can't know

by reasoning.

Rumi