Secrets of a Butterfly

Mint and Vintage window shopping

 

I found a cool webstore the other day Mint and Vintage its based in Sweden where they have 2 shops. As the name suggests they stock both new and vintage pieces and many are the swedish brands that gradually filter in over here with time.  here's what they say about them...

Clothes and fashion are all about feelings and taste. The feeling for quality, your feeling about the what
is you, and about what goes well with what. It's almost always best when you mix. Cute with cool, rough
materials with soft and new design with vintage.

At Mint & Vintage you will find a combination of the latest jeans styles, the softest basics, new unique
design clothing all mixed with great vintage items.

Spot the bunny above!!

I enjoy a window shop through the new spring ranges and especially at one of my favourites Plumo and i couldnt resist trying this little cotton dress that includes butterflies in the pattern.

there's some gorgeous things in their webshop, online now,along with some updates of old favourites, they still carry the wire heart note holders and they've also got the metal birds which i gave a few friends at christmas from RE.here's a little magnet i spotted...and a Danish quilt thats made of gorgeous prints...i find quilts so pretty but dont have one on the bed as i don't like the weight.somewhere should do a small or lightweight version ( ; this one appears smaller but is actually 200cm square

i want to thank everyone for their heartfelt comments on my last post and it really helps to hear from you all, and know that you are rooting for me as i take small steps forwards into life again. i am so pleased to be able to look myself on photos these days.to the two friends who tagged me from their blogs to post about myself,i will eventually get round to that ( ; thankyou both for including me. butterfly wishes Kat

A beautiful afternoon

We spent a lovely afternoon in the sunshine today and i soaked up the positive effects of that as much as possible after a spell of not getting out for one reason and another it was a very welcome drive through countryside, open fields, trees and sheep to everyside. After a short walk round Corbridge we went up the hill to the art gallery Fifiefofum. It was the second visit and this time round we stayed for a cuppa and scone,the homemade food was as beautiful as the view(above). The paintings, many of local scenes, beaches and hills were so inspiring,and i spoke to the lady who owns it and who was busy painting in oils herself. They run some really good workshops there so thats something to have a think about. Though it would be hard to choose between jewellery ones, painting or embroidery.

The gallery itself is up a winding road and set next to a few private homes   It is a beautiful spot and with the most amazing view,unbroken by buildings or pilons for miles. Being in nature again reminded me of my holiday in the Lakes and how i came back wishing to paint,or at least have a go. I have acrylics but the more professional results seem to come from oils, but they do have a strong smell and i wouldnt know where to begin as far as which canvases. However i know a good website and they sell sets with a video in to guide you so i think i may give one a try...so thats my thoughts for today,bye for now, kat x  P.s. i still sometimes have to pinch myself when i see myself standing outside like this,tis amazing ( :

Honey bears

Blessings of love on Valentine's Day,such a unique day when we all focus on love and those we care for. i feel very lucky to be feeling so much hope for a future of love with someone special i hope they come my way soon,but i know whenever they do it'll be the right timing. enjoy your loves and your 'lights'in life today as i am,kat xxx

Handmade gifts,and the bunnies at tea time

A little picture of the bunnies the other evening, recieving their tea of carrots, apple and pellets.They are keeping warm and are saying hello and that they are looking forward to some warmer spring days so they can be outside on the grass more often.they also miss the mint and dandelion leaves so want the warmth to make them grow back soon!

I made a mini scrapbook for my Granda's birthday on the 13th. He will be 86. He is often asking for photos of the grandchildren, of which i am the eldest of 5 and i thought this would be a way of keeping them all in one place for him. I never quite know what to buy him so it was great to think of something i could make that he would also appreciate. Sometimes its easy to think of girly things and less easy to come up with things for men!  here is a picture of the inside cover and first page which shows my grandparents with me and then on their 60th wedding anniversary in 2006. And one of the other pages showing a photo taken when my cousin visited us with her son Kian, they live on the south coast so we can't see them often,but Granda really enjoyed seeing his first great grandchild at the end of last year as he'd been in hospital the first time that they visited shortly after he was born and so he missed him.

This was a mini canvas i made Grandma for christmas,she likes vintage brooches so there is a picture of a purple one on it along with the lace i like to use and mother of pearl buttons. I am gradually working my way through making these for people that i'm close to for various presents,be it christmas or birthday's.its fun.and its something i can make with my favourite theme other than butterflies which is angels.You've probably guessed that by now if you've seen my other bits and pieces.with warm wishes kat

Through the sunshine and the rain

I am feeling a bit low inside today,i just feel heavy hearted and sad,but am unsure if my heart is seeking to clear past pain(to feel it is to heal it)or future fears.Both of which there are alot of. Either way i am working through it and know that there is a reason for my feeling like this. It effects my energy levels to feel this way. Sometimes there are these days or spells within the process so i am not worried long term, i just feel i wanted to share it. Sometimes we can only share the good stuff in our blogs and that does'nt always give a balanced view of our lives does it.We have a habit of looking into each others lives and imagining everything is rosy don't we,and that we are the only ones who are feeling otherwise every now and then.When really we know the truth is the opposite. I don't seek sympathy though as i don't think that helps,i usually have close people to talk with, but on this occasion i just thought i'd say, because this is a place where there is understanding and compassion and i felt i could and i felt maybe it'd mean we feel more 'realness' between each other. Cause life isnt all the good days and thats what real friendship is about. The sunshine and the rain.

We all have our ups and downs, we are all working upon something in our own heads, hearts and lives and often that can take all our attention day to day can't it.but at other times we can, to various degrees, imagine what another is going through. Its just sometimes we choose not to and instead cut off from anyone in pain and maybe thats because it brings our own pain closer to the surface when we engage. If you know someone who is very ill, especially if its a long term thing, the best thing you can offer aside from practical support like a meal or washing now and then,is to sit with them. To just sit and not have any need to fill the silence,just to offer company, thats what would help them most. it sounds like nothing but it will mean everything. When you're v ill you cant give out so much and you can't always converse but that doesnt mean you don't want someone there to help you feel less alone. We all need that connectedness deep down,(thats why we blog of course)but its magnified in times of trouble.

I just thought i would share that because i know from reading magazines and things that sometimes loved ones and friends, they want to offer support but don't know how, so they stay away. Alot like what happens when someone is in grief,serious ill health is a tricky path to negotiate for all touched by it. I can appreciate that its not always clear whether you would be intruding,so on the off chance that you know someone very ill young or old, and are reading this, thats why i share. to give the point of view of what would have helped me. to have a hand to hold and a prescence there, is a great gift you can offer and it costs nothing. As always thankyou for listening and i promise a more lighthearted entry soon,hopefully very soon girls....k x

To believe is a blessing

Following our own hearts,listening to our intuition and keeping believing that what we hope for deep deep down can become a possibile reality. All theses things are a motto to which i've lived by and still do live by. Sometimes we do so and its relatively easy,at others its much harder to hold to,but its at those very times that its most important. I have found there is a difference in hoping for something and believing in something. When i believe then it feels stronger and much more likely than when i just hope.Believing is something that seems to come from our hearts rather than our heads.Often it can just be a sense we have that someday things will turn out right,even if that goes against all logic. Because if we think too much about something we tend to see alot of the reasons why it won't happen or can't happen. But hope has its unique place too. Sometimes its the only thing that we have left when we can't hear our heart's and so to believe seems itself hopeless.

Words have a power beyond just language expression and communication. They carry a charge or any energy,a vibration. Think of how your heart feels when you see or read the words Love, Happiness, Peacefulness,Harmony,Togetherness,Connection and so on,they all have their own unique warmth and joy to them. When we see a certain word or phrase it has the power to uplift or defeat us. To inspire and elate or to lead us to feel down and stressed even fearful. We only have to think of a loved ones name, or the sound of a child saying mama for the 1st time to realise the importance and significance of words to the ears of our heart's.

This is a new canvas collage i did last week.

I like to see words,to use them in my crafts,to share them,to send them to others and to value recieving them in return, its just a little thing but i think it probably has the power to make more of a differance to us than we at first realise. Because the words also carry the energy out there,they are not just a group of letters strung together. If we say to someone we love them we are sending them the vibration of our love for them. if we wish them peace we are including in that message a peaceful vibration to touch their heart.Our favourite words,along with those we spot that we use most often,they can often tell us alot about where we're at in that moment or where we'd like to be in our lives.Like little signposts to follow i've found.

Someone who uses words beautifully and is certainly following and sharing from her heart with us,in her wonderful blog, is Carol. If among other things you like to see beautiful spring time flowers in jugs and vases,(through the photos  you can almost smell the scent!) then drop by her blog and be inspired like i was today. its titled Clover Yard Thankyou for the lovely comment and for through it meaning i found your blog too C. To connect and share inspirations is beautiful.

Thankyou all for helping my confidence to grow in terms of sharing words from my own heart,love to you all K x