Secrets of a Butterfly

Magazines just like Lula

Lula is still my favourite, but i thought it would be nice to try and find some other magazines of a similar style. Whimsical, enchanting, different, feminine, and brimming with imagination, detail and shoots that you wish to step right into.

Material Girl Magazine, Stella magazine, and Ballad of magazine caught my eye, they fufilled on some of the description above, and lacked on others, but all in all were worth it, though i may not continue to get each issue. Stella was my favourite for the writing content, and Material Girl for the photography...especially the shoot by Marie Zucker, who's image is also on the silver cover.

I found all these magazines online at The Magazine shack

they have lots.. including Frankie, Russh, Betty, Lionheart and Lula

I know lots of people find Lula a difficult magazine to source, so hunt no more.

love and star dust
kat x

Ps this was a post I compiled a while ago and discovered in my drafts x

Vintage craft, by Pearl Lowe

Ever since i saw Pearl Lowe's home
in a magazine some years ago, i have
been hooked on her styling
and home decor choices. 

I especially liked her butterfly mirror (smile)
When I heard she was working on a book I was eager
to see what it would be like. 

Now I have a copy
I can say that I'm not disappointed!
 
Pearl is friends with Rachel Ashwell,
and it seems to me that their
styles have a lot in common too. 
But where Rachel would be known for
soft pastel tones
of pale pink and blue,
with greys and naturals.
 
Pearl goes for peachy or vibrant pink,
soft reds, bold wallpapers,
brighter pastels & turquoise,
and combines them with darker tones
blacks and greys,
producing a slightly edgier,
yet still shabby chic style. 
 
I like both.
I think it's wonderful when your decor
is a natural extension 
of your individual style as a person.

Its more authentic
and must make you feel better
within your own home. 
Pearl's tips and projects
can help us add our own authentic
touches to our home,
in quirky inexpensive ways.
 
Throughout, the beautifully taken photos
of Pearls home,spur you on to source
your own vintage finds, and
the projects take it that step further
helping you with ways to alter them.

One i like most, is how to decorate tiles,
printing images from an inkjet printer.
I also liked the lace curtains
and stationery makes.

But really it's all beautiful!
it was hard to narrow it down
and select my favourite pages for this post,
but let's start with 
a butterfly shall we ....

One of my favourite projects is the fairytale lace canopy above.

The book is divided into rooms,
kitchen, living, bedroom
bathroom, and office,
and gives projects for each,
such as lace window panels (below)
padded headboards, mini bathroom cabinet
lace tablecloth, office in a wardrobe,
and fabric covered box files (want to try this)

With style tips from Pearl,
and a list of favourite shops
and suppliers at the back,
along with advice for salvaging
and upcycling your finds.

If you like Selina lakes's styling in her books
Romantic Style or Bazzar style,
or you are a fan of Sarah Moore's vintage makes
and home, then I'm sure you'll also
love Pearl's book Vintage Craft

Pearl's blog and she also sells cards at Not on the high street

Pearl and her daughter Daisy

are also supporting Fashion targets breast cancer

 

love and wishes, Kathryn x

Vintage Home by Sarah Moore

A book I'm popping on my wish list for April....

Wild jewellery... a book review

Wild jewellery is a book I was kindly offered to review by the publisher. It's a book by Sarah Drew about gathering and recycling, making jewellery from found treasures in nature and in things that would normally go to waste.

I found the book intriguing and there's plenty to learn from the techniques shown. The majority of pieces that have been created for the book are bold in style. As you know i prefer more delicate jewellery but I can imagine its possible to adapt the ideas to fit your own style.

In this post i have shared a few pages, there are lovely nature photos and clear step by step projects throughout. If you are interested in making jewellery from found objects like stones, seaglass, wood and other elements then this is a great place to begin or become re-inspired. There are tips on where best to find supplies and lots of techniques are covered including wirework, metal clay, paper bead making, making clasps, resin work and claw settings.

Sarah Drew teaches at the mid Cornwall school of jewellery and two colleges, her website is SarahDrew.com

 

I am offering the book as a Giveaway to one of my readers, with the only condition being you contribute postage (as it is quite heavy to post, I estimate £5) and that you live in UK (unless prepared to pay much more shipping) If you'd like it, please either email me or leave a comment telling me why you think you should receive the book.

love Kat x

The magic of 3 by Fryd!

Jeanette your magazine amazes me, every issue is beautiful,

you can feel how much heart you put into it

and how much you love to share it with us freely.

So full of light colour and upliftment!THANKYOU!

My favourite pieces this 3rd issue....

the quote - "don't let anyone dull your sparkle" & the dreamcatcher feature!

i recommend you to read it too my lovelies - 3byFryd

it will help you feel like a butterfly

kat xxxxxx

A source of healing wisdom

The Cygnus bookclub review dropped through my letterbox today.
I always take some time out to browse the latest mind body spirit books, and the articles they share are more than just your average paragraph. They are proper excerts from the books, and you can often learn so much from these alone. It has been a real source of wisdom to me over the years of healing.

Cygnus has a real friendly community vibe to it, the newsletter is free and their website also holds all the previous features to read. I have had pretty much all my life changing books from them since the nineties. The reductions in prices are second to none, and their wise, edited selection, mean you can trust you are getting books that can really make a difference.

This article really touched me in the May issue. Its on a book called Dying to be me by Anita Moorjani and is  Hay house published 10.99 usually, but £7.25 cygnus price. Its about her journey through cancer and how after 4 years she almost died, and had a near death experience. It gave her an awakened view of where the cause of her dis-ease or fear lay, and how to overcome it. She needed to see she was good enough just as she was, and to end her deeply held fear of what others thought of her. (read the full article online here)

Often,the cause of a dis-ease on the physical level can be deeply held emotion, such as anger, grief, or fear.
It is within us to open up to a journey that can lead us to finding this, and healing at that level can mean physical symptoms decrease or disolve. This is empowering, but we must remember to never judge another or ourselves in the unfolding on this type of work. For sometimes where the required healing lies isnt always obvious, and may not be as simple as identifying a single issue or fear and removing it with focused willpower. For the depth of any one persons healing, and the true scope of an illness cannot be seen on the surface. There are multitude of facets to anyone's life, and the reason for a condition may involve deeper purposes that either become clearer with time, or to which there isnt an explantion within that life time.

I remember years ago reading Steven Levine's book,Healing into life and death, and how through his work with the terminally ill, he described how healing, in the way he had come to see it, was not just about getting better and remaining alive.
For some the healing that took place in their hearts was deep and profound, it radiated out and touched others in their lives, their work in resolving their pain was complete and yet they may still have gone onto pass away. And for others they may have seemed to barely scratch the surface, they may have still had unease, and yet their condition went into remission.
This outlook from someone who's wisdom was gained through direct experiences working with those who were in hospices and at the end of their life, shifted my understanding of what "to heal" really meant. And it stays with me to this day.

So, with that in mind, i would say, the most appropriate steps to take are simply to believe in healing, but to not seek to define exactly what that must look like. 

To know that your body does have capability to heal, and that your heart and soul are always seeking to guide you in the steps you personally need to take to restore more ease at the levels you need it most. Being aware of what comes our way & feels right at any given moment. An allowing, and a non resistance to what is, combined with an "anything is possible" outllook.

The most help you can be to yourself or another on their path,
is to extend compassion and unconditional love.
And to never have set ideas, or in other words judgements.
Be open, flexible, and flow as much as possible.
Ways of being that books from Cygnus have no doubt helped me in developing.

Lionheart magazine

a new discovery to snuggle down with under a quilt and savour the matt page the written word the sharings on bravery and so much more!

dear Lionheart
you are simply
so very
very lovely!

Find out more here: Lionheart magazine
I found mine here: newsstand and it came the next day.

love and wishes
kathryn x

Precious pastels, in my world

 

Precious pastels

I am reading another of sarah addison allen's books, The Peach keeper.
I discovered you can read the first chapter of it on her website.
She incoporates a lot of the magical into her writing and things that happen have a meaning.
I like that about her stories, and yet at the same time her the characters are always so grounded and believeable.

A pretty mug i have had for quite a while (from John Lewis) and some of my bluebell essence,(i just LOVE flower essences) from Pacific Essences 

and after trying a few different pairs, i finally found a lovely floral skinny jean from Zara, most pleased indeed (smile)

love and pastelly wishes

kathryn xx

 

 

Sewing made simple - a giveaway! - now closed

Sewing Made Simple is a book packed full of instructions and clever tips, it demystifies the subject and provides a wealth of know-how that will give you the confidence to make and customise clothes and home furnishings.
It is a beautiful book, the illustrated steps are concise and clearly thought through. I feel it instills confidence in both the beginner who may not know where and how to start when sitting in front of their new sewing machine,  and also those at the intermediate level of sewing, who may want to broaden their capabilities and feel ready to tackle bigger projects.  

·        An indispensable guide to everything you need to know about sewing, starting with the essential items for your sewing box through to the core skills that will enable you to make your own cushions, curtains, clothes and more

·        From stitching neat seams and inserting zips to basic quilting and embellishing, key techniques are presented in an accessible way

·        Practical advice and tried-and-tested tricks that will help you to achieve professional results 

·        Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs and step-by-step illustrations

·        Includes 20 specially designed projects that will give you the confidence to try your hand at making anything

The author, Tessa Evelegh, is an expert in her field with over 30 titles to her name and a previous career at the British magazine Family circle, her work has also been in Ideal Home and Homes and Gardens magazines. She learnt to sew as a child and has continued to make clothing and soft furnishings to this day.

Where other sewing books i may have bought in the past focused more solely on inspiring projects, this is a real how to book, taking you through the practical sides, with pretty pastel drawings, that are easy to understand and a wealth of explanation on various topics such as types of materials to choose and how to measure for and use a pattern.Then there are some projects towards the second half of the book, for things like curatins, cushions, tablecloths and dresses.

Here is a overview of what's covered....

The first five chapters introduce you to all the tools, equipment and materials you will need for sewing success.

‘The Sewing Box’ explains different threads, needles, pins, scissors and other haberdashery must haves
‘The Secrets of Sewing-Machine Success’ guides you around your machine and its accessories, and includes a useful section on troubleshooting.
‘Stitch Craft’ teaches you the essential hand- and machine-stitches – the building blocks of any sewing project.
‘The Paper Pattern’ explains how patterns work and how to use and adapt them for expert dressmaking.
‘Fabric Choices’ reveals how to select the most appropriate fabrics for your project, taking into account colour, pattern, composition and weave.

 

The last chapter, ‘Basic Sewing Skills’, shows you how it’s done, with the essential techniques for making almost anything explained in plain and simple terms – from sewing on buttons and stitching darts to appliqué and piping.

Interspersed are 20 gorgeous projects that will help you to consolidate your skills. The projects range from a simple bias-cut skirt and tailored cushion to a more complicated apron and lined tote, and include useful basics such as a curtain, blind, child’s dress and customised T-shirt

The publishers Jaqui Small, who gave me a copy to review,
have also kindly offered one as a giveaway to Secrets readers who live in the UK.

So to be in with a chance of owning your own inspiring copy all you have to do is
leave a comment on this post
and i will use a random number generator to pick a winner.

The giveaway will close a week today, good luck! And do remember its Uk only

Find Sewing made simple by Tessa Evelegh on this link at amazon

love

Kat x

Babiekins - a place in the sun

These images are just childhood at it's sweetest.So full of innocence, simplicity and time spent outdoors in nature. They are from within the pages of beautiful Babiekins. An online magazine that's free to browse. Full of delightful finds for children and stunning photo shoots like this one. Enjoy!

Till next time, wishes and love

Kat x