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Theme week at Secrets....White Christmas
As i mentioned yesterday, i have chosen kraft paper for my wrap this year and white doilies wrapped around them. ( The bird tags are from cavalinni and co. and the ribbon is from Cox and Cox ) there are more photots here
Not long till theses packages will be popped in the post,
with love and light
I am having another theme week at Secrets...
this time it's White Christmas, which seems fitting, since we have had such a lot of snow in the past 3 days! 12 inches lying, all fluffy and pure white in the garden.
Today all the photos are by Elena. She keeps a beautiful blog named Pretty Light.
This top image has inspired my wrapping plans. I knew i wanted to use kraft paper and doillies and this ribbon adds the perfect touch.
this heart garland is amongst my favourites of her images shared at her flickr
And i like the simple idea of doilies clipped to a string to form an inexpensive yet uplifting decoration. It reminds me of the snowflakes you cut out as children.
Often the shops are full of bright colours at christmas, greens, reds, silvers, golds, which is lovely...but sometimes i like to imagine decorating softer, with sage greens, ivory, beiges, winter whites...
Thats why i found Elena's photos from last Christmas giving me ideas. Such as here with the simplicity of gypsophelia and candle light.
fresh greenery, berries, and white flowers are perfect.
while it may be cold outide, a cosy home always gives a warm welcome
this last image is from Elena's shared blog with her friend Anya named
7500 km away, as thats the distance between where they live in Toronto and in Moscow suburbs.
here is what they say about their inspiration for keeping the blog
"Every week we take turns sending photographs to each other and as long as the photograph reaches its destination a new story begins. The person who receives an image creates the continuation of the story. We never discuss themes and we never know what story we will get. The name of every story comes only at the end."
Thank you for the christmas inspiration Elena.
Tomorrow i shall share my wrapped gifts, kraft paper and doilies with vintage bird tags :)
love
Soft falling snow, begins covering the ground in a blanket of white.
The trees in our enchanted forest, dusted with its delight, are whispering to us still....
"allow there to be a time for envisioning your dreams...have faith that there are wonders to still be uncovered. as if hidden beneath a soft blanket, just like the snow that covers the forest in winter."
A little bird told me that she discovered my blog on Friday, through Casee Marie of the blog The girl who stole the Eiffel tower. So thanks Lisa of Lissylou and the 2 little boys for letting me know how you came by Secrets.
Without Lisa mentioning it, i doubt i would have discovered that Casee had so kindly featured my blog, (along with Oh hello friend and Wolf and willow) in her post :Weekend reads - Five beautiful blogs on Friday.
here's what she said, "It's a truly serene and peaceful blog-reading experience. You can almost hear The Honey Trees playing softly as you browse the endless pages of inspiration. This is the happy place to steal away to when life gets too busy, too loud or just too overwhelming. Secrets of a Butterfly is like a little secret garden, perfectly magical."
i was touched that she wrote such nice things! and so pleased thats the atmosphere my blog has, as its always what i want to create.
The girl who stole the Eiffel Tower is a special place itself with beautifully laid out graphics and posts. This is what Casee says of her own blog.... "this is a place for fashion, art, literature, culture and glamour. It is the collected fancies of a whimsical gal with a big imagination and a flair for the old-fashioned. Join me as I attempt to fill the pages of my blog with inspiration and joie de vivre. "
Sounds very much like what i share here and I will certainly be taking time to explore it more,
Love Kathryn x
Discovering new spaces, finding inspiration....
This is a gathering of some of my "discovery journal" pages and some pretty bits and pieces around my room lately.
Thanksgiving in America today and i want to thank you all, dear readers, for all you bring to my day and for spending time with me here. I want too, to say thank you for the treasured friendships and the happiness i feel in having a space to call my own and to share things with you.
It gives me so much, more than i can really get across. My world has been at times very very quiet, so to make connections is such a valued part of blogging to me. The world seems so small when i am speaking to people in Australia and America. Its also been fun lately to find blogs nearby who share things about the area i live.
Thank you
for the gift of blogs and for the friends we make among them
and thank you Universe for the gift of feeling gratitude and all the magic that contains
for when we are thankful we attract more into our life to be thankful for
.... Kathryn xox
1. butterfly whispers, 2. Lilacs...Can't You Smell Them ♥, 3. Mrs Press Lookbook - inspiring, 4. finger-tip action, 5. Countryside Wedding, 6. 154/365: dame's rocket
Today i wanted to share a collection of photographs from flickr. So that it can soothe our cares,as we pause to reflect on the simplicity and peace captured in each of these moments.
Being in the moment is definately a practice that i use while coping with difficult feelings either physical, or emotional and also seek to apply in general as part of healing, whenever i can.
"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." -- Buddha
"One of the true sources of happiness and health, as the Buddha discovered more than 2500 years ago, is the ability to be in the present moment. In truth, reality only exists right now—it's as close and accessible as our breath—and this awareness heals suffering caused by past regrets or future fears. Research shows the many physical benefits of learning to be in the moment—from lower blood pressure to reduced levels of stress and anxiety. But the spiritual benefits, explored by modern teachers such as Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass,and Byron Katie—are many." (extract from here)
A book i have found SO benefitial in teaching simple techniques to aid being in the moment with self awareness and to help release the patterns of thinking and feeling associated with anxiety and stress is this one:
Transforming Anxiety by Doc Lew Childre.
My friend Suzi made this picture for me, with my photo within it. To me it has such a peace about it. She used imikimi.com
Thankyou darling i love it!!
Here's to being in the moment as much as possible,and to the awareness to choose how we think, feel and live...
with peacefulness
You know how i love Jenny Loves Benny bears as i shared the beautiful Sayumi that i got on my birthday. Well i have been saving and waiting and so was delighted to spot some Anime bears a month or so ago at Jenny's shop. I chose Biscuit from the 3 gorgeous little ones avaliable.
..and this is my twinkee keyring in pink!
Little Biscuit looks so sweet sitting with Tiffy my rabbit anime bear from last year.
i love them so much!
check out Jenny's gallery of previously created bears and where they have found new homes and also her flickr stream jlbbears for lots more cuteness!
If you want to keep up to date and be among the first to see her new bears for sale her facebook page is great: Jenny Loves benny bear boutique
love and blessings
by Anastasia Volkova 
by Anna Ristuccia 
by Danske 
by anja verdugo
my butterfly girl category is back in a renewed form.
these are collections of photos that are dreamy, inspiring and ethereal,
with a girl at the fore who emodies grace, and freedom of expression,
strength of femininity and yet a delicacy too...
like they have just stepped out from the pages of a fairytale.
they are for you, dreamers and believers and my fairies in disguise
love,
Just wanted to share the thankyou card that i made to send Selina Lake, to thank her for her book Romantic Style which i was lucky enough to win a couple of months ago.
When i set about making the card I was inspired by the book's cover and roses of course!
I used vintage lace to tie the card.
For anyone wanting to see a peek inside the book, Selina shared a fab post with a clever clip of flicking through the pages,find that here
Here are a few photos of Selina's styling that i love...
love
by rockie nolan
when despair creeps over your day like a cloud over the sun
take heart, the light still remains, even if you cannot see it for a time.
you are golden, you carry a light within your own heart.
that can help you to shine a way through the darkness
you can make it, i believe in you.
by cocoaloco
ps see more in my gallery Golden Slumbers
