Secrets of a Butterfly

Sparkling stars in one big sky

 

image by ivoryfaces on flickr

 “You are a veritable store-house of Divine energy. Open the store and let the eternal splendour that burns within you radiate its light out and dispel the deepening gloom in the world.” – Swami Ramdas

I have started a Tumblr.... its a sort of blog but without so many words, you just let the image and the quote do the talking for you. I think of the enteries i do, or come across from others around the world - as little sparkling lights,like stars in one big sky, (that happens to also be called the world wide web!) I'm finding it a great way to quickly collect and share inspiring pictures and quotes that you find online or make yourself.(and you know i like my quotes!) i hope to add daily, please visit me if you'd like.(florabella ....result of giveaway tomorrow!) love kat   

Always trust your instinct

 Trust my instincts my intuition....Sometimes....sometimes i forget this, i get away from the path and have to remember to come back to centre.( Intuition be close to me.) xxxx

Aquarius, Wednesday, 24 June 2009
 
Shall we list the number of things about which you are now less than happy? No. Let us do no such thing. It would take us far too long - and it would only serve to deepen your disconsolate mood. Let us, instead, go back to the extremely positive forecast that I have for you. Why do you not feel as if you are having a wonderful time? Why is so much becoming so tense, so fraught or so difficult? Because something absolutely crucial is now being sorted out. This is of enormous benefit to you. And it IS happening.
Aquarius, Monday, 29 June 2009

It may just be that there is nothing you can do about a certain situation... yet! Circumstances beyond your control have brought it into existence. Whether you take a passive stance or an active, aggressive one, the outcome is unlikely to alter. OK. Now, here's the good news. If you accept the fact that your options are limited, you can relax - at least a bit. Then, you can focus on what IS possible without feeling frustrated because it seems inadequate or insufficient. This, in turn, will help you regain power

my polyvore set above - image credits here stars from Jonathan Cainer

Dreamy aquamarine

 

I used to make jewellery in my teens and have wanted to get back to it for some time, so i was really pleased last week when i made up an Aquamarine, Moonstone and pearl necklace which is in the picture above on the right, (mixed in with a 'lola rose' amazonite bracelet) I love gemstones and wanted to make a long necklace from these Aquamarine rounds and roundels when they arrived in the mail because the colour was so dreamy to me. I was drawn to them So much i checked their properties in my crystal book and found that the stones are for calmness and aid the nervous system among other things. So that definately fitted with what i need right now.

I bought my stones from a Spanish seller on ebay. I then cleansed them in the sunlight and used flower essences in the water bowl, before stringing them on white silk thread. Cleansing any crystals you have or gemstone necklaces too, restores their vitality and is very benefitial. It removes any negative, low energy from the stones that they may have absorbed on their journey before reaching you or through prolonged wear. It returns them to their inherent uplifting vibration, the one that has such a postive impact upon us, in body, mind or spirit. Its also nice to then dedicate them to a particular cause such as calming, or grounding you.

 Imagine them being beneath a waterfall and the clean, vibrant look they would have when you lifted them out, thats the aim of cleansing. You can achieve what a waterfall achieves by running under a tap, placing in sunlight or moonlight, or upon the earth. A good crystal book will tell you which method is best for each stone, as some don't like water,and sometimes sun can fade others.

I have an Energy Muse necklace which is charged with reiki, which is what gave me the idea to make one in a different colour to have different qualities. love Kat

We are the world

.... in memory of Michael Jackson

Fairies to treasure

 

  This is where Sam McKechnie creates her beautiful vintage fairies...her 'shop' is named The Magpie and the Wardrobe. Based in London Sam specializes in making beautiful things from antique and vintage treasures sourced in England and France.

There are necklaces, fabric covered journals, T shirts and the dolls. Fly by and see her magic for yourself here whether for inspiration or to purchase an extra special keepsake her website is a little alcove of treasures nestled in the web.kat x

 

 

Lucy's Secret Garden

 Thanks to the lovely Tracey of the blog Tracey Loves Pattern...i discovered the gorgeous art work of Lucy Grossmith..above is a painting entitled Secret Garden by Lucy and this is a snippet from her website about what her art means to her....
  

 "All my life I have been passionate about art so over the past 15 years I have made my love my work, painting canvases for exhibitions and commissions and illustrating for books and cards.I live in beautiful rural Suffolk with my family and work from my garden studio where I run  
heart-to-art.I grew up in the countryside so I have always been surrounded and inspired by nature...

I paint wild birds and animals, countryside and coastal scenery along with gardens, old buildings and snippets of country life. My paintings are a magical interpretation of what I see mixed in with happy thoughts or feelings about a place, illustrating special moments in time. My aim is to inspire others and capture their imagination too."

  You have certainly inspired me Lucy, and i found your website so beautiful to browse. if like me, you want to see more of Lucy's beautiful paintings, purchase originals or prints from her website click through here.with wishes Kat x

A dainty dress

 

This beautiful Cath Kidston store photograph came from the lovely Jane over at her blog Posy. She went to St Ives in Cornwall...what a heavenly place it looks, all blue skies and blue sea, sandy beaches and little avenues to explore.

 Upon one of these streets she came across the Cath Kidston shop pictured. Tiny, but decorated throughout in Cath K wallpaper and full of delights like the baby things above! check out her Post to see more.

I mention Jane's post as i have purchased this little jersey dress by Cath Kidston for my friend's baby girl. Alisha is the first little girl to come along that we can now buy for,so i'm probably going to go a bit mad on pink and prettiness and things with flowers on! as previously over the past 8years everyone has had a boy! though my cousin is expecting in August so we shall see whether there will be a baby sister for Kian too. A new baby is exciting and a blessing either way.  kat x

A deer little read

 

the new issue of antler mag is avaliable to download....there is a little charge now of $2 which was £1.25.

 I'd say it was still worthwhile,if you like browsing through online mags like i do and discovering new etsy designers. The fashion pages i didnt find as inspiring as Dujour mag, but then its not as expensive so i think thats reflected.

 If youre a maker or designer or blogger then its a good place to advertise or do an article, they are accepting submissions. click for more here xx

Layers of light

 for image credits click here

Special Florabella textures Giveaway-transform your photos into works of art

A little while ago you may remember my post about Shana Rae and her beautiful pastel toned floral photographs.(the yellow roses above are one of hers) Shana has developed such a unique styling to her work and it really stands out amongst the many talented photographers on flickr,quite an achievement i think you'll agree. Now you can share in a little of her magic with Florabella textures which Shana herself has created and uses on her own work.

 With the use of photoshop elements where you can digitally manipulate your images,the Textures allow the layering in of different effects. There is a vast array of creative choices you can make by applying one or many of the textures that come with the download.I like the idea of giving a washed out or vintage feel to my floral snapshots.

I think it will take me a little while to get up and running with the applications given that i have never used photoshop before (i am at present just working out how to put the Elements program i have had at the back of the cupboard actually onto my PC!). But its always nice to learn things via other people and before Shana emailed me about the textures i really had no idea that these sort of programs existed and could be bought by the talented photographers who developed them. I presumed they had just the limited options of washes and enhancing affects avaliable on the programs you buy, such as Photoshop.

image credits click here

I made these little mosaics up (using the mosaic application at Bighugelabs) to showcase what can be done with the Florabella set, see for yourself the world of possibilities it opens up to play around with your own images. All the pictures here are by different photographers,some professional, some not. They all have one or more of the Florabella Textures applied to them,and are part of the Florabella pool on flickr.

If you too wish to achieve similar then the fantastic news is i have a Giveaway from Shana! Her florabella textures are just $40 (3 versions of 25 fine art textures, 10 overlays, 3 vintage frames) and avaliable here at ther beautiful new website and you can see more of Shana's and others work on the special blog. But if you fancy being in with a chance of winning a set for free(an email will be sent to you to then click through and download them) please leave a comment on this post and i will announce the winner on my blog on July 1st. Good luck and good wishes Kat x

The giveaway has now closed so no more enteries, thanks to all who entered its been amazing Xx

Wings of delight

 

Just had to share these beautiful butterflies part of a collection avaliable from Jeska's etsy shop over at Lobster & swan. kisses n wishes K