Spiritual Sunday

Hi friends,

I have been so busy these last few days that I have not had time to do all the things that I have planned to do everyday for my blog, but I am not going to become a slave to doing it so I am not worried and am not going to force myself to do these everyday or beat myself up about it.  I have enough stress in life without stress that I put onto myself as well!  Ok so no more apologising for myself, if I don't do it I don't do it, and if I do, then I do. End of!

So anyhoo, this weekend I went to visit my parents who live is a really beautiful part of Wales.  The weather has been so fantastic and we went for several walks on the beach.  This morning the beach was covered in a heavy mist which was rising from the sea like a soft steam, we wandered on the beach and it was so beautiful and unusual.  Here are some pictures:

When I got home I was inspired by this Bible verse:

Jeremiah 32:17.

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you"

If you believe is a God, any God, then I feel that this verse is really inspiring.  If God made something so beautiful, wonderful and amazing as our world, just think what He can do in our lives.  Even if you don't believe in God, just look outside and meditate on the beauty and wonder in our world it can bring you peace and make you feel part of something bigger than yourself.

I am back to school tomorrow after a really fantastic holiday not exactly thrilled to be going back to be honest and I STILL haven't finished decorating the living room!  (So when I will have the time for that I don't know) but its back to normal life, and eating healthily and regularly, and cycling again so there are some positives.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Hels

Very happy day!!

Hi everyone,

I am so so happy today because I sold my first item in my Etsy shop!!  I sold a set of four Rupert the Bear Badges like this one.  I am really pleased, I honestly thought that I might never sell anything on Etsy!

I am also really happy because a wonderful friend of mine sent me some flowers and a baloon and a lovely box of chocolates to say thankyou for photographing her lovely two children, it really made me feel happy because I really enjoyed photographing them, they were sooooo sweet and funny, I spent the whole afternoon laughing and she gave me a very tasty lunch! 

Here are a couple of pics from the shoot:

I have just included ones where you can't reallly see their faces because I have not asked my friends permission to post them.  Still really cute thought I think.

Still too come today is my tutorial!!  See you later x

Featured Blog

Hi everyone,
As promised, here is my featured blog of this week.  Meet Brittan from littleowlarts, I have been folowing her blog for a little while now, and she is so sweet and real.  She sells her own handmade jewellery, beautiful felted items, handmade paper and artwork in her gorgeous Etsy shop I hope you will have a little look at her blog and her shop, I am certain you will enjoy them as much as I have:

Tell us a little about yourself:
 
I love birds, especially owls, parrots, ducks and chickens. I dream of having my own farm house and many soft and furry critters running around outside of it. I am a bird in the woods with leaves in my hair. I love wool, paper, gardening, and soft rain... I am a multi media artist, gardener, herbalist and educator! Currently, I live in the seaside town of Gloucester, Ma with my boyfriend, Andy, shepherd Jacob, muppet pup Veda and wild parrot, Miss Posey Bird. If you would like to contact me my email is littleowlarts@yahoo.com
 
 
 
 
What is your idea of the perfect day?


I don't know, that is tough to answer, but I love days where I am totally engrossed in creating. When I feel totally inspired and motivated and can't stop working, that makes me happy. Also being outside on a really nice day that isn't too hot or cold working in my garden or going swimming off the rocks at high tide, these things all make me happy. I also love going on outings with my man and our animal friends for the day or weekend. I think these could all qualify as perfect days for me.

What wouldnt you leave home without?

A sketch book and pen or pencil, also my watercolors... I usually bring a bag with me everywhere that has pens, a sketch book, my ipod and wallet in it...
 
 

What are your favorite shops?

I don't know if I have a favorite shop, I love the flea market that goes on around here on sundays during the nice weather. We usually go every weekend that we are able!
 

What is on your wish list?

I would love to be able to have my own space... some land with a house or yurt to live in, no crummy landlords. I would also love to be able to go on a really nice vacation.
 

What is your favorite bargin find or product?

I am not sure, I love going to the flea market and finding things that I have been looking for really cheap!

Who is your favorite artist and why?

I would have to say georgia o'keefe... her art has always grabbed and inspired me, it is so flowing and smooth and the colors are amazing! I also love Monet, I adore his water lilies, they are one of my favorite plants!
 

Where do your find inspiration?

all over the place... nature (we live in the woods up the street from the ocean), but also from other people, art, music, there is alot that inspires me. Also my family, my boyfriend is really encouraging, and my dogs and bird are also inspiration for me!
 

Do you collect anything?

If so what? ugh, loaded question. I have lots of little objects and things from nature that I have collected, stones, sea glass, leaves, etc... I also tend to collect things that have something to do with my art, such as supplies (like wool or paper), although I am not sure if that is really collecting... However, I am trying to downsize, so I am trying not to really collect anything more until we know where we will be next.

 

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?

I don't know, there are a great many people that I would love to have time to have conversations with. Georgia O'keefe, of course, also maybe Tasha Tudor, she was so fascinating and independent, I would love to hear some of her secrets! I would also love to have some more time with my Dad (he passed about 10 years ago), he loved having good conversations.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

I think I have become addicted to etsy and facebook, but I am also such a girl, I really love clothes.

What is your idea of a living hell?

Living on Mars in an artificial environment.

What are some of your favorite websites/blogs that you like to visit?

I love poking around on etsy and just found this site called we heart it that is really fun. Also I love reading Danielle's blog Dinosaur toes, Micaela's blog Dolce Vita, Coles blog Adventures in Love and Happiness, Patsibu, floddertje, and many others! I also like finding new and interesting blogs with great photos.

Hoping you are having a beautiful day!

xoxo

Brittan

Thanks so much to Brittain for answering my sfgirlbybay inspired questions, see you all tomorrow.
xxx

Skin Deep

I recently read a book called "Skin Deep"  By Pat Thomas about the nasty chemicals that are in the cosmetics and toiletries that we use every day.  It was such a shock to me that I instantly stopped using my usual daily moisturiser and shampoo.  I had no idea that the cocktail of chemicals could be so harmful and I decided that I really didn't want this stuff in my body, I wanted to be au naturale.
Annoyingly I am quite a sensitive soul when it comes to skin and mine is quite sensitive.  In past have suffered from eczema and I get flare ups when I am stressed and particularly in the winter, I have tried other moisturisers but my skin has always reacted badly whenever I have changed.  I felt like my skin was addicted to my usual moisturiser!
Pat Thomas recommended using wheatgerm oil for sensitive skin so with some sceptisism I bought some online and have been using it for about two weeks.  After three days or so of not using my usual beloved moisturiser my skin went mad, it was dry and sore and blotchy, I felt like I was wearing a horrible bad skin mask.  My initial reaction was to go back to my normal moisturiser but this time I decided I would persevere with the oil and I am so glad I did because my skin feels wonderful now. 
Because the oil is natural it does not contain the chemicals that drive a normal moisturiser deeper into the skin so it takes longer for my skin to absorb and of course there is the added hassle of leaving an oily residue on everything I touch directly after using it!  But the benefits definatly outweight the negatives.  I would really recommend using natural plant oils to anyone and particularly people with skin problems, there are so many differant types available to suit your skin and you can mix them and add essential oils to make them smell nice, what could be better!

A plan for the future...

....of my  blog.
After perusing many gorgeous blogs that bring joy to my days such as sfgirlbybay I have been inspired to be a little more structured with my blog, not only to make it more interesting to my dear readers but also to force me to post more regularly.  Here are my initial ideas, please do let me know what you think:
Monday - Happy Mondays, Inspirational images to make me feel happy about the week ahead.
Tuesday - Etsy Favorites, Promoting my fellow Etsy sellers and featuring some of my favorite items.
Wednesday - Blog Feature, featuring one of my favorite blogs, maybe I will even ask them some questions to make the feature more personal and interesting,
Thursday - Tutorial Thursday, On this day I will do a tutorial of something I have made during the week.
Friday - Foodie Friday, looking at my favorite recipes, maybe even featuring some photos of my favorite meal of the week.
Saturday - Allotment update, An update of what is going on at my allotment and in my garden.
Sunday - Spiritual Sunday, As its Sunday, and seeing as I am a Christian, what about some Christian inspiration.

Of course I can't promise I will stick ridgedly to this or that I will in fact post everyday, but I will try my best.  I feel quite excited about it actually.
Now, as its Tuesday I am going to show some of my Etsy favorites, this week I have gone for a bird related theme, because I just love birds at the moment! enjoy!

DreamscapeTwilight

bomobob

daileedose

ClutchThat

branchhandmade

MadisonCraft

Thats all for now folks.  See you tomorrow!!

Inspirational photos

Take a look at these courtesy of weheartit.com:

Beautiful day

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Day.  We went to visint my brother and sister in law and their beautiful baby son, it was a lovely day.  Today I have been at the allotment, planting seeds, and photographing the beautiful sun shining through the blossom on my ornamental cherry.  Just look (with a little help from photoshop!):

If you really love this photo you can buy it for a very reasonable price at my Etsy Shop.

Have a lovely day everyone.