Secrets of a Butterfly

Paper whites and soft cream roses

 

The frost is still heavy on the lawn in the back garden at its almost 4 o'clock! I am tucked up by the radiator typing away to you my friends and staying warm. My dad is in the next room listening to the football match on the radio.

I am drawn to paper whites at the moment. They are the small daffodil like flowers, (some in the picture above). So light and delicate. I saw some in Bloom and wanted to get the tiny arrangement they do. They make the most life like silk flowers you've ever seen and have also started the unique idea of mixing them with fresh ones. I am glad i waited as today an offer for 25% came with their brochure in the post. I have ordered them now, and a rose arrangement for mam (shhhh don't say anything its a secret) a picture is below.

   

Thats the thing about shopping early on the internet, sometimes the offers and sales don't come along till later and you can end up paying more for being well organised! But at the same time i need to do my shopping by mail because i've not been up to going to the shops for a few months. I am of course well practised at this having spent many a christmas this way. Its become much easier since the online shopping took off. 

Speaking of good offers Whistles has 25% off their clothing this weekend. I think Santa is getting me a cardigan from there ( ;

 I love their range this winter-since Jane Sheperdson(previously revamped Topshop) took over, and i expect more great designs will follow in the spring. The quality is excellent,equal to designer labels but at a fraction of the price...so i think they will do well because people are tending to buy things to last nowadays, as opposed to fast fashion that is made to be so cheap it doesnt hold its shape past a couple of wears,not to mention the fairtrade issues that evokes.

Since this post is taking on the theme of 'shop talk' i'll just share with youMy Violet Hill which is a web boutique (and real life shop too here in the Uk!) I found it while googling Lola Rose as you know i am a fan of her gemstone jewellery. Different places have different selections and i was really pleased to see some ones i hadnt seen anywhere else. I got this butterfly bracelet in their sale...and they also have some beautiful new black agate pieces. They have recently added some clothes to their website, by Dari Meya and Lipsy. Their service was brilliant, very fast and wonderfully presented. So i can recommend them to anyone searching for a jewellery gift.They also stock azuni and Alex Monroe among others.     Warm wishes kathryn x

Jigsaw pieces

 

Jigsaw opened today online,(after quite a wait!) so for quirky vintage style clothing with a distinctive british flavour why not take a browse, the photos within their look books have always been a favourite of mine........ Jigsaw There is also a US version of the site which you can buy from too. kat x

A little blessing for the journey

  A Blessing

May your inner visions be securely rooted in Love, and nourished by deep, rich earth;

May you stand strong and upright on the ground of your experience;

May you thrive on life's blessings, and gracefully weather storms;

May the fruits of your being be abundant and satisfy your soul;

May the light of your own bright star - beyond your branches -

inspire and guide you Home.

 by Diane Melanie in an old copy of The Cygnus book club newsletter

I was searching through some old magazine clippings today and i found this poem. I have no way of asking the permission of the writer to share it with you, but somehow since she is a part of the Cygnus bookclub extended family i don't think she will mind that i have reproduced it hear. I just wanted to pass it on, because it felt appropriate somehow for this time and because it fitted in with the collage i made a few weeks ago, which marks an important step in my healing journey. Without this stage happening for me i think i would be a bit lost at present,wondering why my energy was less and my momentum dashed. So i am just so thankful that the insights given to me came when they did.

wishing you well upon your own travels, wherever you may be at just now, internally, or out in the great wide world,with blessings  Kathryn x

You Light up my life

 

Dearest Jo this is for you, you would have had your 40th birthday today.I am celebrating you and your beautiful spirit. i have missed you so much over the 2 and a half years that you have been gone. But i know that you are by my side and that you still light up my life everyday, in your own beautifully, gentle and kind way, the very same way that an angel does. i so often think of you but especially when Oprah is on,as i know  you loved her shows as much as i do.with my love, hugs and kisses to you, always Kathryn xxx

"even if you cannot hear my voice i'll be right beside you dear" -  lyrics from RUN by Snow Patrol,sung by Leona Lewis on X factor on 15th Nov, and soon to be released as a single..... listen here

The meaning of Love

 

The Meaning of Love

 a poem by Jelaluddin Rumi

 

Both light and shadow

are the dance of Love.

Love has no cause;

it is the astrolable of God's secrets.

Lover and Loving are inseperable

and timeless.

 

Although i may try to describe Love

when i experience it I am speechless.

Although i may try to write about Love

I am rendered helpless;

my pen breaks and the paper slips away

at the ineffable place

where Lover, Loving and Loved are one.

 

Every moment is made glorious

by the light of Love.

 

from The Love Poems of Rumi edited by Deepak Chopra

please click here to find who the  mosaic images are credited to on Flickr

hi i just thought i would share this poem by Rumi with you as i haven't much personal news this week,well not news that easy to share in detail about,you know how it is sometimes. My Granda is quite ill and is in hospital, so that's been taking up my thoughts lately and i'm not sure why i just feel a bit low in general,or should that be lonely. i think its just preparation for a lift that's soon to come. But maybe thats why i've been thinking about Love and the many ways it touches our lives,because when all is said, and all is done, thats what really we remember. Its the only Real thing that can touch us,move us, shape us, build us, make or break us isn't it.

"The innocence of my life releases the God I love everywhere." These are the words of Rumi too,he was a 13th-century poet and founder of the Whirling Dervishes of Sufism. I always find such passion and light in his words,even in their translation into English, non of their mysticism is lost. He writes so much about love and specifically the love between the Divine and himself,and the intensity to which he feels it. There is a beautiful CD A Gift of Love also done by Deepak on which some celebrities speak the words of Rumi's poems along with sensual middle eastern influenced music. I find it uplifting and moving. you may too.... love kathryn x

 

Blossom Hill Cottons

 

My friend Hazel in Nova Scotia, Canada, makes the sweetest little felt animals, somehow she sews each tiny stitch by hand! and each turns out so sweet and with a perfect little personality all of its own! I mention them in particular now, because this time last year i found they made v good gifts for posting. Should you need anything small, yet very beautifully made, to put in the mail to a friend over the holiday season then i recommend them. There is a really cute white seal pup i have my eye on, to add to my collection of bunnies i have purchased in the past. Her little shop is here should you want to take a peek,and her blog (on the link of her name) is beautiful to visit too. Thankyou to everyone who commented on what nature has taught them, i found many people gained inspiration from the changing seasons and in particular by trees,it was so lovely to chat with you about it this week,  love k x

There's a flower in my hair

 

There's a flower in my hair,

I stand upon a golden beach,

my lungs breathe in the salty air.

Everything that was beyond my reach

is here in my reality now.

 

The tide rolls in,and strokes the sand

I stand here healed in this new land

And i feel whole

And i feel whole

 

There's a bird singing just for me,

through leaves the wind does blow.

In my life I feel free,

all the sadness i let go,

all the joy, it can flow,

its here, its my reality Now.

 

The tide rolls in and strokes the sand

I stand here healed,in this new land

And we are whole

And we are whole.

 

                                                              kathryn 28/12/06

this was written as an affirming prayer during a time i was at my most ill.

the image was from a very old Red magazine if i remember rightly.

That there is tremendous power in the words we use-is something i seek to remember in my day to day life. To make statements doesnt magic away conditions but it does keep our energy open to change and to new realities rising from the ashes of old ones.

 Life is constantly about letting go of the old so there can be space for the new. We only have to notice the trees in autumn/fall, to remember letting go is part of the cycle. If everything stayed the same it would stagnate and there would be no vibrancy to life. I find its sometimes scary to let go, even if its of things we have outgrown and no longer need. But when we do so, we are creating an opening. We just need to believe that good will come to us. Like it comes to the trees when they bloom afresh in Spring. I gain so much from nature because in its silent beauty lie examples of wisdom that we can all learn from.

I just wanted to share my poem with you today,and pose the question that i am focused on myself just now...

what do you learn from nature?

... if you feel like sharing please leave a comment,it doesnt have to be something immense, just an insight or a metaphor that helps you day to day, Kathryn x

A Cherry Blossom girl

 

The photos above are from Cherry Blossom Girl a blog i like to visit in France. Alix is a fashion graduate and designs her own line, along with interests in drawing, photography and illustration. Her world is one of wonder, pretty outifts,french style, fashions, tea parties and whimsical pictures. A little escape from the everyday. She did a recent post called winter roses where she was photographed in an outift accessorising with some roses from her garden. You also get to take a peek inside her wardrobe and view pictures of her outfits. So cute and very girly,alot like Lula magazine. Alix has a unique style one that can only come from within,its true expression through a love of the clothes she chooses.

Speaking of cherry blossom i recently added these metal branches to the wall beside my bed. A different take on a 'jewellery tree'. They were fairly inexpensive too...avaliable from Rocket St George a british online shop. They can be placed on the wall vertically or horizontally. The website shows them used as a place to hang clothes or bags from. Incase you'd like to know whats on my tree...there is a metal bird,belle and boo magnets,some lola rose bracelets and heart pendant made in Rose quartz, and a les neiredes bird necklace. (my wallpaper is from Laura ashley here in the Uk) The fabric flower at the top was a gift from Jasna(see links under vintage) 

 It maybe winter but i still feel drawn to blossom at the moment so its been fun to share.hope to be back soon, love k x

A moment in history

 

This is a picture that i took of my tv this morning, i switched on not long after waking, to see the US election result, yay! I just want to say hi to my american friends and to post up the picture by way of marking a massive event in history. it feels quite special to see this remarkable day.  i was too young to see Martin Luther King or even the Kennedy's on the news. This seems to have that same energy,of promise and hope about it. Like in the future you will remember where you were today-i'm sure you can relate.

I hope Obama helps us as a world move forward into greater peace and understanding amongst all people's. And aids steps towards renewable energy resources and the recovery of the financial markets. He doesnt have an easy ride ahead does he,but he's proved that he can overcome adversity and achieve what many may've felt impossible not that long ago. So i'm sure he will succeed in office too.As he says 'a change has come'.

Reasons and Rainbows

 

On Friday I visitedDecor8 as i do regularly when i come online,and to my surprise the mosaic i had made on flickr from my favourites, was up on a post about me! along with some beautiful words by Holly,(the 6 images on the base of the mosiac above are Holly's)written from the heart and mentioning my post about what blogging means to me. I was so amazed and honoured really, to be featured as my blog isnt design based and is only little! I came across here to see if anyone had commented on the post that had been referred to. I was so delighted to see all the messages of support left for me, as well as to read everyone's thoughts on what blogging means to them. I have replied to you by email i know, so i won't repeat myself too much here! but thank you again for taking the time to leave a comment and i am going to be checking in with all your blogs soon.I'm really looking forward to that.

Everyones words reaffirmed to me how valuable blogging is and how much of a gift it is to be a part of such a warm friendly community. We certainly are making life a happier place, and we couldnt do any of it alone. So the quote from Eliot about making life less difficult for each other did turn out to strike a chord with alot of people who saw it. Its great when we meet people on the same wave length and i certainly felt that when i was reading all the lovely comments. I gained alot of insight and it refreshed my reason for blogging and my aim to keep writing from the heart as much as i can. It seems that when we do thats when we make the most meaningful connections.

Many thanks especially to Holly for featuring me because without that i wouldnt have met so many nice people over the past few days. One small thing done in kindness certainly ripples out to effect alot of people.

 This was a favourite recent collage that Holly did on Decor 8 (item 111 is from my craft room! ) you can see the full post here .

Also special thanks to Ez(the top 3 images in the mosaic are Ez's) of Creature Comforts, who's blog i have been visiting for a while now and who never fails to inspire me with her gorgeous image collages and the crafters she features.This picture collage below was one of my favourites recently.

I think you will agree both Holly and Ez's blogs stand out like a rainbow amongst the many blogs avaliable, and thats why they have such a following. They brighten our day.

They see the true colors of the designer shinning through their work,be it in photography, illustration, interiors or crafts, and they celebrate that through featuring them. Therefore i feel we as readers get to see more than just the pieces the designer makes, we get a glimpse of their soul, that they then express through their work.

Online where things can often be one dimensional,products for sale upon a page, with no direct communication with the artist, i think blogs and features like the girls do give such a valuable connection to the real life going on behind the page.

The lyrics from Cyndi Laupers 80's hit True Colors (one of my all time favourites)i think sum up what i've focused on in this post today. Thank you to everyone who sees my own true colors shinning, you made me feel a bit like a rainbow all light and colorful! And it was special.

"I see your true colors shinning through, i see your true colors and thats why i love you,so don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors, are beautiful like a rainbow"

and coincidentally on the friday a rainbow was here in the sky outside my window,here's a photo i took to share...don't you just always feel so reasssured that things are going to somehow work out ok,if youre in the midst of something and a rainbow happens to appear. I know i have always felt this way.

so here's a rainbow appearing for you today, love Kathryn