Secrets of a Butterfly

Pin it forward - shabby chic inspirations

A touch of Shabby Chic

I do love Pinterest, i have been using it since it first launched.
Put simply, its an online scrapbook, (without the mess of a glue stick!)
You can collect any and all sorts of inspiration from around the web, and place those pictures with their links to certain blog posts, or online items, on your boards. It gets a lot of what you have swimming around your head trying to keep track of online, out and into an easy place to re-find the info when you want it!

Lately they have been aiming to get more UK users into pinning, with a Pin it forward series of posts, so i thought i would take part. The board i have chosen as my feature one is ..A touch of shabby chic. The links for the top image and those below can be found on that board.

Shabby Chic styling from some of my favourite authors along with the special details of the handcrafted, feature on my board. Helping me with decor choices of my own, and also ideas for what to look out for in terms of thrifting and upcycling.

thrifted fabrics, faded florals, memories gone by, and the old made new, shabby chic how i love you

 

 

Overall i have 46 boards

I have my ideas boards.....
If i find craft ideas i pin those to Craft corner.
I have a Looks i love for outfit and hairstyle ideas.
I have boards for my favourite room settings,
and one for more smaller interior details.
I also keep one for wrapping inspiration and one for floral displays
And one for books i am interested in buying or love alot

Then theres the mood boards......
(i like pinning to these the most)
Simplicity  
A touch of shabby chic
Enchanted wood
Vintage days
Gorgeous and feminine
Free Spirit
A walk through a magical meadow
Once upon a hanger
Peaches and cream
Softest blues
multicoloured dreamer

I also keep inspirational boards....
Meaningful words
Hope and Inspiration
these give me upliftment to look through.

my Pinterest boards are a good reflection of my interests, my passions, and what i love. Before pinterest i would save things sometimes on my computer, but i dont need to now, as i can pin it and refer back to it at anytime.

Here's some more of the front covers of my boards...

alot of what you add to your boards, can be re-pinning things from others that you follow. but you can also choose to pin easily from many sites now, that give you a pin symbol to click, or you download a pinning tool to add to your toolbar, enabling you to pin from a web page anywhere.I also like to grab a website and type it direct into the pinterest app, and then pinning from my ipad is possible too.

Not only is it a great way of collecting what you yourself find, its also a great way to pick up on what others are into, and find new ideas, things to purchase, and looks to recreate. I follow all my friends and fellow bloggers, and people i respect or admire in fashion, and interiors.

 

I would recommend only pin what you really really like or love.
The boards will be with you a long time, its not about filling them up fast, sometimes its quality over quantity or it gets to be a case of just pinning for pinning sake, and that takes the inspiration out of it a bit.

You want to aim for what makes you feel good looking at individual boards when you go back to browse them.

i would like to finish by adding the link for the next blogger taking part tomorrow in #PinItForwardUK :
Paula Holmes of The Pho diaries

Join in the fun, click through to Pinterest

love kathryn x

 

Vintage treasures

These are some vintage treasures i saw in etsy shops lately, they have all found homes, but i thought i would share their beauty with you still.

above a lily of the valley spray

 

a darling of a locket, again lily of the valley

and within, a photo that sets you to wondering of its story and its love

Embroidered clutch and picture, the deers (oh my, so sweet!)

These were found (in order of posting here) JulieCollings, TreasureBooth, Whichgoose, Wolfhouse

love Kathryn xox

Stitches renewed

Source: blog.freepeople.com via Kat on Pinterest

Source: ohjackson.tumblr.com via Kat on Pinterest

Source: vintageindie.typepad.com via Kat on Pinterest

Source: abeachcottage.com via Kat on Pinterest

Source: batixa.tumblr.com via Kat on Pinterest

Source: tora-style.blogspot.com via Kat on Pinterest

"lace, vintage tones, crochet, all these things i am drawn to
delight the eye, memories long forgotten
stitches renewed, brings life to such delicate things
they last so long despite their fragile nature."

I haven't been posting here quite so much as I'd like, and I have flu at the moment, but when things are better, I have lots of ideas for posts and will enjoy sharing those with you. Thanks for the comments and visiting me here at Secrets, even if I haven't replied personally at the moment I do appreciate your messages lots,

kat xxxxxx

Lace divine

sasha

lace hearts

lace bunting

lace shawl

Pretty boutique finds

Some prettiness i found at these lovely online boutiques...
1) Quilt at Velvet ribbon boutique 2) Noa Noa at The Bohemian Wardrobe Company 3) teacup candle by Bow-boutique 4) cushion by angel-lifestyle
Love and butterflies

A thankyou card

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

Touches of vintage style

This was a guest post i did over the summer at Rachel's beautiful blog Lovely Clusters. Just thought i'd re post it here, incase you havent seen it before and also so i can refer to it for all the links in the future.

credits for the top mosaic: 1. anniversaryselfportrait, 2. vintage, 3. ., 4. Rest)

So I thought i would talk about one of my passions today as thats always a good place to start isnt it.
One of my favourite things is collecting interiors books with vintage or flea market styling. I am sure we all have our favourites, among mine are Bazaar Style, Shabby Chic Interiors and Easy Elegance I dream of decorating in this style someday and like to be inspired by the vintage decoration i see in people's homes.

Inside the pages of our favourite interior books, we see a complete look. Sometimes its a little daunting to achieve the same. Maybe as its not practical, affordable, or the items are hard to come by in the area we live. Maybe too, the people we live with, wouldn't be too happy with a full shabby-chic-d abode!

Luckily the thing about vintage, is it can find a home quite happily amongst any style you may already have. You don't have to spend a great amount and add much, to still bring the essence of vintage to your home.

Little touches such as old china,(like this set i got from Scotland lately) crochet throws, or repurposed fabrics can blend into your rooms and add a unique touch. Think of it like fashion where there has been an ever growing trend for mixing vintage with modern pieces. The secret is always to follow what you love and by adding only that, well, you can't really go wrong.

1. miniature, 2. I love cooking.... , 3. part of drape..., 4. Guest Bedroom

I have gathered together some images here that inspire me with ways to add in touches of vintage. Old books, cushions, a pottery jug....china, bedding and postcards.

1. sofa, 2. Cath Kidston roses, 3. Handknit socks, 4. windowsill

But where to source these items, especially if there are no local flea markets or antique shops to hand....luckily we now have the wonder of online shops! Clever people who can come by the most special of old treasures and we get to browse them from our sofas!

Rachel has done a beautiful job of highlighting just the type of shops we are looking for in the decor section of Lovely clusters. Here you'll find sections for wall decoration, cushions, ornaments and linens.

As i live in England i wanted to include some Uk based websites that have vintage homewares, but here are also some in the States. I'm sure all will be happy to cater to international buyers.( Just bare in mind the postage cost for weightier items and any import duties.)

Sources for vintage online: Uk based shops

This Vintage Life

Vintage Home

Vintage Lifestyle

Live Laugh Love

Happy Loves Rosie

Decorative Country Living

Hen House Emporium which is where these Union jack cushions are to be found...

And US/Australia based online shops:

Looking Glass House

Gathering Vintage

Dottie Angel(closed over the summer)

Le Vintage Maison

Tiny Happy

Happy browsing...

The girl with the bow in her hair

1. Thursday [Explore #260], 2. Untitled, 3. .sweet teeth, 4. {film.256}, 5. Ginny + Ed's Wedding, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. shop update, 9. remembering my birthday, 10. cards printed by hand, 11. lace love, 12. shoes, 13. Magic

Hello my friends, this is a mosaic i made a little while ago of all things vintage. I love the colours in the rooms and the little touches...the frames and the china. Thought it'd be nice to share with you today.
As for me, I've not been so well for a bit, just one of those things but its meaning i have even less energy than is normal for me. So taking things gentle and not able to get any new posts done for the moment.

For the time being i'll rely on my pre-made posts. I have a couple in my drafts folder (luckily!)
So you'll still hear from me at Secrets, but don't worry if you don't hear from me personally for a while (like responses to comments or by email) and i wont worry either as i know you understand,
peaceful wishes,

p.s. i did a guest post for the lovely Heather at Gathering spriggs last week, its swedish interiors, if you like you can see it here : Less is sometimes more

Romantic style postcard collage

If you are a long time follower of Secrets you'll know my favourite interior stylist is Selina Lake. Who's new book Romantic Style is out very soon. (i Can't wait!)
Selina is hosting a competition at her blog to win a signed copy. You have to enter a photo that represents romantic style to you. This photo (top) is my entry.

It's a vintage postcard collage on my wall. I made it up last month,on a day i was feeling up to it. I'd wanted to have a go, since being inspired by one Selina did a while ago. I used my Elena Deshmukh cards (who i mentioned last post) along with some vintage ones i had collected and there's a photo of my grandma, holding my mam when she was little. The hearts are lavender filled and made from vintage fabrics.

If you'd like to enter as well, the details are all here, and the closing date is 31st August.

Thankyou to everyone who's left comments lately its great hearing from you, and i hope to be stopping by your blogs soon,

Love

Vintage china and roses

These roses were right at home in my new little jug. I found this Taylor and Kent vintage china tea set on ebay. A scottish seller named Posy Green. It dates from pre 1891 and has been handpainted. It caught my eye as i like the delicacy of the pink floral design along with the shape and the lightness of the porcelain.

Being Victorian and so old the glaze has a few little marks upon it and yet the imperfections add to its charm for me. I am amazed at how it has lasted so long and wonder about its story over the past 120 years! Where it has lived, who's shelves has it nestled upon, was it loved and kept for best or loved and used everyday. There is obviously a strength in even the most fragile of things.

I am always so taken with the photographers that incorporate vintage china into their flower photos and felt this set would enable me to have a play and create some prettiness of my own.

I love the way seeing people creating what they love, inspires my own creativity and makes me want to continue to express through photography and develop a style.

Some of my most favourites have fine art photography shops of their very own at etsy:
Yvette Inufio,
Georgianna Lane
City of blackbirds
Gabrielle Kai
Kristybee
Lynda Naranjo
My Fine Garden
Bella Luce
Vintage chic images

I may currently only use the auto setting on my Nikon but i still feel i am developing, especially when it comes to compostion. Its something creative i can enjoy even with limited energy, so i think thats why i love it so. That and the fact that i get to focus on roses and flowers, another big love of mine.

Thankyou vintage china for finding a new home with me,and thankyou friends fo looking at my photos today. Do have a spot of tea and a little treat before you go...