Secrets of a Butterfly

Liberty love

Fabrics in the new Liberty Rocks range - these 4 are my favourites - from top left - pablo pepper, dora, laura & alfie, emma & georgianna.

Pablo pepper is a combination of two well known liberty prints - Pepper from 1974 and Glenjade which dates back to the 1930s.
The prints have been specially reworked for this new season collection, layering the ornate Glenjade foliage over the dotted Pepper flowers.

Emma&Georgianna is a combination of Emmy from 1970 and Georgina from 2001 -
Again the liberty design team have combined some of our favourite florals with miniature blooms for a splendid new season look.

I just love these prints so much, especially in the pinks and greys

Find the whole collection here at Liberty

Floral friday - Vicky Trainor

Now and again you come across people online that have such a wonderful eye for detail and have created an amazing business from their kitchen table.

When i find people like this, it gives me such a warm feeling, their work radiates a happiness that you just don't find in more factory produced items.

Vicky Trainor is one of these skilled crafters, whose line of wedding stationery has expanded into including fabric wares, often recycling embroidered linens, cut, appliqued and trimmed with further flowers and buttons.

Here's what Vicky says about her inspiration behind the collection...

"The seed was sown for this little collection one day whilst sorting through my secret hoarding of vintage linens. On one shelf, in a forgotten box, was my little sewing case that I made when I was only 7. I spent hours, when I was younger, collecting and making things, some useful, some not so useful!" (me too, Vicky!)

"I was excited about creating a range, different to my printed collections but still holding on to my passion for all that is vintage. The style of the vintage tea party, the home spun and the pretty florals of english country gardens, brought a wonderful eclectic mix."

"I wanted to introduce a new twist to stationery, for those in love with vintage as a source of inspiration for their day. That day may be a wedding, a birthday, a tea party, you may wish to send one of my products as a gift or a little treat for yourself such as a brooch, lavender pillow, a hair clip, a sewing case or a 'boudoir' sign to pin to your pretty armoire."

"The vintage and retro haberdashery linens that I have used were a little unloved and unwanted due to their slight imperfections so I have recycled, re-loved, re-stitched and cared for each individual piece to bring a new precious creation that you will want to keep forever or pass down through time."

Isnt that beautiful, i love the recycled side to the business, and that things get given a new purpose, especially given that they were made with such careful stitching in the first place. Now they will bring renewed joy.

Above is a brooch, and below an embroidered sign. Both of these styles are avaliable at Etsy as well as direct in larger amounts from Vicky's website where personalised orders for weddings can be arranged. There are a multitude of pretty words to choose from, many suitable for the home, or for celebrations.

This is just one of the unique designs of paper wedding stationery that Vicky has on her website.

And this beautiful menu below, is exquisite in its detail. All the items are sewn by Vicky in her home studio.

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Vicky's space for creating...

Vicky your work is an inspiration to me, and i'm sure many of my readers here also. I share your love of vintage linen and embroideries, and i love the colour palette of your designs. Thank you for sharing so much of your work with us through your site The Vintage Drawer and studio blog, i was blown away by just how much you create and how much love you pour into everything you make,

It's always those little extra details that are noticed at weddings and celebrations
and i am certain your magical touch makes everyone's special day so much more beautiful as a result.
love

The first butterfly

The first butterfly came to the buddleia, which has just been coming into bloom this past week. I took this photo with my phone. (for any instagram addicts, filter wise i used Tailfins on the magichour app, and then put the early bird filter over the top when it went on instagram) i love taking photos, and of butterflies its extra special.

Sunday, brought some dry weather, a little sunshine, and enough strength for me to be outside for a few hours (smiles) i cannot describe what its like when you miss being outdoors so much... to then get to be there, breath the fresh air, feel the grass beneath your feet and see a blue expanse of sky above you. It really is the little everyday things like this that are the most precious.

I'm weaker having been more poorly for a few weeks, maybe you can tell from my photo. These things can happen within the illness, and i'm just taking each day, as i always do.

It gets tough when you want to build up confidence as well as strength physically, but because of the dips back, you don't always make those steps you'd hoped.
Despite so many years of reading the way i feel, i still find when it goes on for a while that i'm questioning if i'm doing everything right towards feeling that bit better. Other times i feel certain of my path and that it's going ok.

I am grateful for what i can do, and for the upturns when they are there, and i make the most of them, and do build up what i can when i can. It really is a case of being within the moment as much as possible.

Music can be of comfort and even enhance the body's natural healing abilities. With this in mind i have found Musical Rapture (avaliable to download for free) a wonderful soothing piece to listen to.

Here is a little voila or maybe its a tiny pansy, that is in one of the tubs in the back garden. I have been using the space filters they have on picnik.com at the moment to give my photos a fairy feel (smiles)

Thanks for listening and for visiting my secret garden


xxx

Crystal love - amethyst

Do you share a love of crystals with me?

I wanted to take some photos to share my pieces. And include the traditional spiritual meanings. These are my amethyst crystals.

Amethyst is a variety of Quartz

♥ Spiritual awareness ♥ Intuition ♥ calming
♥ Inner peace and healing ♥ Meditation ♥ Balance
♥ Positive transformation ♥ Communication ♥ Relieves stress

Chakras - Crown Chakra
Birthstone - February
Zodiac - Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Planet – Jupiter
Element – Air
Typical colours - light slightly-pinkish violet to a deep grape purple

"Amethyst is a powerful and protective stone.
Soothing. relieves stress and strain, soothes irritability, balancing, dispels anger and anxiety. Alleviates sadness and grief, and dissolves negativity.
Opens spiritual awareness and intuition, enhancing psychic abilities as well as being protective at this level.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Amethyst, I like the lighter, more see through stones, as you can see in my photo. Its a comforting stone, and i find that it helps my boundaries, in that if i feel too open, it helps that lessen, and any imbalance in sensitivity can be decreased. I also like it as an aid to quiet my mind in meditation.

I have a heart shaped stone, which i bought in person, because it really called to me. It was quite a bit more than the other carved stones there on the glass revolving shelf, but its been with me over 10 years now and i havent regretted purchasing it one bit.

I shall share more stones if you like in the coming weeks.

Also if i post any further pictures on instagram - i will use the tag #crystallove
- if you want to share any gems and crystals there too, then use the same tag and we can see each others collections

Love & light

Mosaic on monday - lavender days

1. may03.04, 2. PASTILLO , 3. Untitled, 4. Oh sweet summer, 5. Untitled, 6. Flowers From Dad ♥, 7. residues, 8. Strawberry cardamom cupcake, 9. Untitled

I decided to get back into doing my mosaics from flickr photos. As you know i love to colour combine and these soft pastel tones seemed to blend together dreamily. I love the inspiration that comes through placing such beautiful photographs together

Love and lavender wishes

Dreaming together

Unicorn Dream magazine - issue 6, is now online, browse for free.
I liked the feature on hope, with quotes and photos.
And the photos of Mary Claire Roman, including the front cover (above), i really like. Congrats to Noni on all her work bringing another fab issue together.
Love

Dreams a butterfly has

Sarah Field

I have had such a tough July, sometimes i don't feel like i'm really here, and its easy to forget who i really am.
I seem to feel a little better for a few days, only for it to return, and i really feel sometimes that i'm barely here i'm so exhausted (again).

What to do....how to help myself?
Then i remembered this post i'd made up months ago, and thought it might be a bit of a lift for me.
I also have a piece i wrote on dreaming and i'll get that off my phone as it works quite well in with these images.... here it is

Dream whenever you can

Not only while you're asleep

while you're awake let your mind drift

Allow your heart to wonder about what you'd like to be, where you'd like to go

Think of those you love and of having good times

Never let an opportunity to day dream pass you by

There is a magic in your visions

A foretelling of a future that just may come to be

How best to create your path way towards it

Than to imagine you're already there

Dear Universe, i know youre listening, you read my blog ;)
I would like a bit of sparkle in my life, you can send it anytime, i trust in you to know when that's right, these are my ideas of what sparkle is, (its all about Love really, just dressed up in prettiness and stuff) they are my heartfelt dreams, i surrender to you Universe, and which i know you will treat with tender loving care and they will come to me if it is at all possible in my life, i don't know how, or when, but i know you do, and that brings me comfort
love

(image sources for mosaic 1. Untitled, 2. Flying colours • Summer Love, 3. Mirror/Inspiration Board., 4. Corsage Lace Dress, 5. Untitled, 6. one rose, 7. angel swans, 8. Nicole Richie and baby Harlow, 9. - morning XV -
for all other images click to go to original, hover over to see name)

Sewing and simple pleasures

These photos are by Lisa Marie, upthewoodenhills a lovely friend on instagram

She makes clothes from Liberty fabrics (sigh) and has a very beautiful online shop and blog

Instagram is a wonderful way to see how others live, and share my day to day things too. Most of my pictures from there are going onto my flickr stream as well.

I love Liberty prints, and these ones of Lisa-Marie's are so pretty

Nothing like a cup of tea in a pretty mug right?

And thanks everyone for your care - i have lots more i'd like to share, so my posts will probably become more regular when i pick up a bit, in the meantime, instagram is keeping me company. I watched the film Australia the other evening and really enjoyed it.

this is a lovely short film of Upthewoodenhills clothing

xxxxxxx all images are by Up the wooden hills, and check out the new clothing links, in boxes just to the right here....

Handcrafted crowns inspired by nature

I was doing some online research on fabric dolls this evening and i came across these beautifully handcrafted crowns.
They have been made for dolls, for children and to be worn on the wrist and the immense care taken to handmake each one, shines through in all the tiny details.

Creations such as these, all nature, and fairylike, are always so inspiring to me, and to find the maker's blog - The world of Miss T, was a real treat.

Here, Cheryl shares the collections she creates seasonally, each themed according to their different inspirations. From daisies, to birds, strawberries, to cherry blossom, the intricate details capture the heart and lift my spirit.

"for everything there is a season and a time and a purpose too",thats what these little garlands remind me of, because they reflect the tiny details of nature, that we trust to return in autumn, winter, spring and summer each year

Floral friday - a sweet windowsill

Hi everyone, i thought i would post up these pics from my windowsill, after you enjoyed last weeks. They are put through a 1977 filter, that gives them the slightly hazey look. I had lilac and pink sweetpeas and a hydrangea from the bush in the front garden, which was also in those same shades. They are my absolute favourite colours at the minute. I have taken lots of photos of the delicate hydrangea heads, as they photograph really well and i love the various tones of blue, pink and lilac that they go.

This candle in the shape of a flower i have had for ages, that day i received some answers to some healing questioning and felt it a good thing to light, to show my appreciation for the guidance. Like a gratitude candle, instead of a gratitude journal :)

Since my last personal post i have still had the exhaustion more than normal, which is making even doing this post difficult as my arms are shakey. But i like to keep posting here because it is my way of expressing - talking with you like this helps, or i'd be more lonely i think.

It was a dry sunny day today, the first for what seems like a month. There have been such heavy heavy rain showers, its been an unusual July.
Today i was so happy to make it into the garden to rest instead of being on my bed. I took a few snaps of whisper which i will share another time.

I'm sure it will lift and i shall have more reserves to draw on before too much longer, but if any of my friends seeing this, are owed an email, then you'll know why i'm not in touch.

With love and light to you from my corner of the world to yours