Secrets of a Butterfly

Ikea autumn/winter

The new ikea came through the door today. I jts thought i'd share some pieces out of it that i like. Alot of the new fabrics are geometric patterns this time and quite bright colours seems to be the scheme they've gone for in a departure from the usual whites and soft linen tones. I liked this room setting which is more the traditional ikea that we're used to. I must say i havent tired of this style at all. i wanted to share these pics, i was thinking of jane (of Posy) and her post on ikea and thought you might like to see them J, especially this throw knitted in a multidude of colours... looks like a huge scarf on this shot and is pretty cool. And finally on my browse through the new items i spotted this embroidered bed linen on a different note entirely i thought this necklace from Whistles nice,and thought i'd include it here as the colours seem to match in fairly nicely with this post! i'm off to put the bunnies out as its sunny,bye for now Kat x

Buddha

Hi all, these beautiful, tranquil Buddha statues were in a unique garden centre i visited while away. They are not the size of the huge ones Neill has seen on his travels to other countries but they were non the less, nice to see.. the whole place had secret garden sort of feel to it as round every corner was another little path or arch way,and many little statues hidden amongst the plants with both for sale. There were large stone apples some with bites out and some as if eaten to just a core,and with golden stalks. This archway shot was taken as i came out of the little cafe there where we'd had a scone and cup of tea.I also got my Mary statue here which i havent taken a photo on my camera of yet but i will get round to it and blog about it too. i hope youve enjoyed the vibe of this tranquil setting,sunday wishes Kat xx

Violets & lily of the valley

I LOVED this dress by Whistles since it came in at the start of the season. Even when it was reduced to half price i thought mmmh i better not since i had no dressy or special occasion in the near future to wear it to. But then the other day in House of fraser sale they had reduced it further to only £40 so i couldnt resist it for that! a saving of £100! Its such a pretty print violets and lily of the valley on silk.

The picture below is of a glass vase i got in Nothern lights gallery in Keswick,they had some lovely things and have quite a large selection avaliable online. i love how the light comes through it and brightens the colours Here is a photo of the outside... and the inside.. i got some wooden bowls here too for myself and for mam and dad. The beads in the picture above were from the Alpaca centre and handmade in Peru.And this one has some of my gemstones in..i love doing this sort of thing,like trays or dishes with pebbles in..where does that come from i wonder, i dont know, all i know is i like creating little displays and the gallery really touched my soul and made me think.. maybe i dont want a girly boutique, so much as a place where i can source and sell arts and crafts,things made with heart and soul,expressing love beauty and meaning in a multitude of ways unique to each artist. Its a dream and i hope it comes about one day. i hope youve enjoyed todays post with wishes K

Sisters

This week saw a new addition,Rosemary fromLittle Cotton Rabbits,a big sister to Tessie,here they are catching up! I enjoyed some time with my friend Caroline (in the red top below)showing her my Lakes photos and catching up on her news too. we've known each other since we were 3! To have that shared history with someone really makes all the difference because they really can appreciate what moving into better times really means to you. And alot of it can go unspoken. In a way being in each others lives that length of time makes you sisters.

I recieved a collage in the post this week that i got from Cindy in vancouver Canada,through her shop on etsy Cindy's Quirks of Art.  She's such a lovely person and even added in an extra of the mini collages that i also got at the same time from her. Its nice having contact with people in such far away places, the world seems alot smaller these days with all the blogs and ways of being in touch through email and mobiles ( or cell phones as american's say)I thought it'd be quite nice to post a photo with Princess Diana in,as its hard to believe,but its 10 years since her passing at the end of August. The mini collages of Cindy's are the peach ones with angels on. The centre boxed collage "Joy",is one i did, a little while ago. This shelf is in my craft room, and is at present about the tidy-est thing in there. It seems to fill up with stuff (and not always of craft nature)and theres very little room for me. But i am doing some mini albums of my Lakes trip, sitting in there of an evening, so somehow miraculously i've found room!

The Lakes

At the start of July i went to the Lakes which was my first holiday for a long time,around 16years. My health has improved to the point where it was now possible to go and though it began with an understandable amount of apprehension i'm pleased to say that i had a lovely time and so did mam and dad. We stayed near Penrith which is in the North of the Lake district. We then visited Keswick,Penrith town itself, Derwent water and Ullswater. It was beautiful and amazing for me to see such wide open spaces with such a tranquility there. The weather stayed overcast but only rained on us one day. mainly the rain fell at night. The cottage was lovely a modern conversion from a barn and the living room was upstairs with a sky light window. We went to a place called The Alpaca center and i got a lovely cardigan there which i'm wearing in this picture.  It was made in peru from alpaca wool. I've discovered how soft baby alpaca wool is,its just gorgeous. Alpaca's themselves were originally bred from camels and they have a resemblance to them but are much smaller and friendlier in nature. The place kept some in the nearby field and uses the wool. I've more photos to share over the coming days its good to be back blogging again i've missed it. There has been alot to catch up on and emotions to work with from my holiday so i havent had as much time to type till now. The bunnies missed me when i was away. My brother came in and fed them and they've grown alot since i last shared any pics with you...here they are on the garden table, it took awhile but i eventually got them to pause side by side!