Secrets of a Butterfly

Mosaic on Monday - moments like these

For some it is spring, for some it is autumn,
.. somehow this mosaic is a little of both.

1. summer essentials, 2. Lovelies that needed to be picked up for spring, 3. Untitled, 4. in the hallway, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. oh, deer, 8. Book Spines, 9. Farmers Market

The summer clothes and pj's have just been put away, and yet Monday has dawned with the bluest of skies and a warmth in the air. It is said to be 25 degrees this week, warmer than most days in July or August, an indian summer perhaps?

Shabby Chic inspirations by Rachel Ashwell

My copy of Rachel Ashwell's new book Shabby Chic Inspirations & Beautiful spaces arrived and I couldn't wait to show you some of my favourite pictures from inside it's pages.

These are pages that I know I shall be turning for some time to come too. There is much to read about her time in Nottinghill London and the people she was inspired by.

The bedrooms here are in the home of Pearl Lowe, beautiful soft peachy pink, with a brighter chandelier and a butterfly mirror, a distressed chest in chalk pink and floral bedding. Just perfect.

love

Beauty in simplicity

a favourite place to visit...
gentle, delicate, vintage touches, and a little bebe who's almost 1.
Aileen's world...beauty in simplicity.

xxxx

In our hearts we are united

The places we exist in time and space, are not the ways we are seperated,
we are seperated only by how much we close our hearts to one another

When we are open to feel anothers pain or happiness,
we realise we are no different
And in that realisation, we are united

In the world there are many excuses to use our differences as weapons against one another

Let us look always for ways that we can use our hearts to unite

Divisions are illusions that we conjure to justify attack of another,
we do so only to make ourselves feel less fear

Choose a different way to turn away from fear
choose to replace it with love instead

Mosaic on monday - becoming jane

1. Reader, I married him., 2. Mascarpone cheese cupcakes, 3. Blooming Bucket, 4. i imagine that yes is the only living thing, 5. peony-2, 6. IMG_5504, 7. pictures in print. {more in comments}, 8. そしてあなたも本の虫。, 9. 27

A selection of treats and something sweet. Here a quiet weekend, grey skies and colder days. Time to look out the wintery clothes...and time to watch my favourite drama, Downton Abbey.
speak through the week my friends,
and thank you for your lovely comments they mean so much

Handmade and heartfelt parcels

My beautiful friend Julie, in NSW Australia, sent me this care package lately. We like to exchange packages in the mail between England and Australia.
I don't think i ever shared the angel collage i made her in the Spring, so before i show you what was inside my parcel, here are a few photos of my gifts to her and her little daughter Ruby.

The bunny has been named Whispy by Ruby, in honour of my rabbit Whisper (smile)

And this is the collage i mage for Julie, with her initial, a butterfly, and butterfly key, dream wording and i included lots of purple - her favourite colour.

And here is the care parcel that she made me, it was such a heart warming package to open,so very full of love, that i have to say i had a few tears upon looking at it all on my bed and reading her letter to me. As so often with this type of thing, it arrived just at the right time, after a difficult patch, and was a tonic that lifted my spirits. (thank you darling!)

Inside, as you can see, i found lots of little organza bags, filled with bath treats that Julie made herself, adding flowers from her garden and specially chosen aromatherapy oils. Isnt she clever to be able to make these things by hand.

There was also a sachet of bath salts, again made by her sweet hands,so full of care, and a gorgeous rose quartz butterfly bracelet - she knows that is my favourite gemstone. (smile)

And a collection of images from magazines, made into little cards, to uplift and use for visulising.

I waited to do this post as i wanted to take some pictures today of the bath treats out from their organza bags..

These bowls are perfect for bath things, they are from the Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell range, that i mentioned is at House of fraser. They were just £12 for the set of 4. I think they are designed to be measuring cups for baking, but i love them for little trinket dishes. The colours are so me (smile)

I also got a jug from the range which i shall share another post.
Hope you enjoyed seeing my special mail. Do fly by Julie's blog Ruby Blooms, where her love of flowers shines and where she finds the most magical images from tumblr to share with us all,

love and wishes

xxxxxxx

My dream outfit from Zalando

 
This is my dream outfit, with all pieces chosen from Zalando, a gem in the world of online shopping, it carries some of my favourite premium labels such as Ganni, whose suede boots feature here, and By Malene Birger, whom all the clothing items in this collection are by, and Day Birger from which i chose the hat. And lastly the bag is a British brand named Modalu.

With my imaginary limitless budget i played around with combining colour and texture. I liked the coral cardigan with its angora softness, then the texture of the brown suede boots, and the floaty fabric of the skirt, which just has the most beautiful rose pattern to it.

 Too often we go for dark colours come the darker nights, but i wanted to hang onto summer, while still evoking the colours of autumn, with the brown and peach tones echoing the changing of the leaves that is soon to come.

Tiarris Cardigan - By malene Birger £195, Chintall Blouse - by Malene Birger £170, Sillae skirt - By Malene Birger £419, Hat - DAY £104, Tamara boots - Ganni £155, Havana bag - by Modalu £114

The key and lights photos are by Aileen.

I found out about the competition to enter your dream outfit from Zalando, at my lovely friend Paula's blog, read that post here : Pink Bow and more info on the competition whose prize is a £300 voucher to use at Zalando every month for a year, visit here

Love and autumnal wishes

 

Mosaic on monday - peonies and cherries

peonies, a bowl of cherries, a kitty and a beautiful hat. looking out the window, and arranging precious things.

don't you love the little teacups Susannah took...
see more at her blog

please note the credits for the mosaic of images are...1. Untitled, 2. The Tea Cups , 3. Life, 4. peonies, 5. Untitled, 6. byrå, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. diary, where 2008-2009 is documented

love

Etsy treasury - a moment of grace

 
 
 I love this shawl by Elde a shop based in Turkey that carries beautifully knitted wristwarmers, scarves and shawls. Everything is such a good price for handmade too, fingerless gloves start at £18, and the shawl here is £53, amazing considering all the detail and work involved.

I based the rest of this collection around the colour tones, simple dove greys and white.

 
 

Etsy is such a treasure chest of handmade and heartfelt pieces. It's a while since i shared my finds. Maybe i shall more often... if its a post you like and enjoy let me know. You can find all the links to these Etsy goodies, at my treasury here

love

 

Enchanted wood - entering the fairy realm

 

Enchanted Wood, is a category of posts upon my blog, where we can revisit and reawaken the connection to nature and the magic that we may miss from childhood. My favourite childhood books were The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton and these woodland themed posts take inspiration from the magical world within those stories.

The photographs can take you inside of them, into another world, where you can rest a while, feel the enchantment about you and begin to remember your self and your dreams beyond ordinary reality.

Where pixie dust, and fallen leaves mix together, where bells can be heard and magicalness lives. Come with me, take steps into the Enchanted Wood, hear its forgotten whispers with your heart and breathe in its peacefulness

 

 It has been some time since i composed an enchanted wood post, but i felt such a need to spend some moments in nature today, that this was my way of evoking the atmosphere and experiencing the magic of the forest....

 
 

 

A tiny moment of unhurried presence is worth a thousand dashed steps.
Place your foot upon the earth's forest floor, let support come to you, as nourishing as the soil is to a flower and to the roots that allow a tree to soar to it's heights. Nothing exists in this forest alone, all things entwine.

This is fairy-lore. It is something humans have forgotten, they think they must "do" it all, that no one will get them where they need to be, but themselves. But fairies know, that they are mistaken.

 

Breathe deeply, soak up the wonder of this forest and the simple, interconnectedness that makes all life within it possible. Remember your own interconnectedness and how nourished and loved you are in the very fabric of life.

 
photo credits from top: -magic
sabrina_8639
eleanore bridge
Mru
paul mitchell
forest fiction