~ message in a bottle ~

...hello my dears

do you find that sometimes in life,

you feel shipwrecked?

 by that i mean ~

you have lost your footing

and things appear so upside down,

you feel as though you have awakened

on some deserted island somewhere...

which wouldn't be bad if J.D. were stranded there too

hee-hee!!!

(OH!)

((and WHO may J.D. be? you are wondering?!))

ahhhh...

JOHNNY DEPP

of course!!

(((i know, i know)))

yah, right!

anyhoo

back on that desert island thought...

 

here you are,

making the best of it,

gathering your sticks to build your beach shack,

and a sand storm blows outta nowhere and

BURIES

you

 

 

darn!

and those were pretty sticks too:)

FINE!

no problem you say

as you brush the sand off

and dig your heels in deeper.

 i'll look for a cave of shells instead...

not quite what you had envisioned

but you can make this work!!

after a long spell of shell cave hunting,

you close one eye for a bit of rest

(you know those starfish are carnivores ~ RIGHT?!?)

as you gaze up to those vultures circling above

 your thinking to yourself,

"self ~ how in the h-e-double-toothpicks did this all happen??)  

self doesn't say nothin'!

self!

SELF!
~ are you listing?!

nope!

~ but listen closely my dears ~

HE is!!

 one random day

you catch a glimpse of a bottle floating towards you

~ glee ~

perhaps a friend sent a "message in a bottle" to your floating island...

(them "c.i.a.gulls" know too much!!)

 

and there is no mistaking it.

a gift from a dear friend

has a message

L-O-U-D and clear...

 

 

your singed eyebrows furrow with disbelief

as a salty tear rolls down your sand stained face

you watch the clouds roll away

 as the SON shines down upon your greasy hair

(who knew travel size shampoos really ARE useful!!)

...grant it

you are still on that island ...

but you know that HE loves you

and He's got your back...

 

 

thank you my sweet friend,

for a most lovely mermaid's purse!

the fairies embellished it a wee bit :)

sharing this fairytale with

faded charm's: white wednesday

here's to those messages in a bottle!

...things of fairy dust, decorating and silver linings

...hello dear readers

sometimes in life,

i find it useful,

to carry a few shiny bits of magic around with me

for those occasional moments,

that sneak up and try to steal my joy away!

aaahhh ~

yah no!

"NOT today!!"

i say, as i toss a bit of fairy dust in the air!

this is my mantel

~ i put up a grey linen/vintage bit of irish lace backdrop

because,

long pause......

deep breath

(and even then, i hesitate to tell you)

but

this is just our temp abode!!

(yes, we are seeking a house ~ STILL!)

so needless to say,

if i had my druthers

(does anyone say this anymore??!)

 my wall colors would be more along this line...

as we are only here until july-ish,

i have no extra energy to paint it!

(what's that you say??)

((you think i'm a nomad??!!))

(((yes,

yes my dears,

it IS beginning to appear as such)))

HA!!

but on this journey to my most authentic self,

it is simply a must

A MUST!

i tell you,

to remain open to the twists and turns in life

for i have found,

those turns do have a purpose...

so i adorn my spaces,

for however long,

as best as i can...

with things that i find beauty in,

and fill in the rest with as much love as i am able

i recently read somewhere

something that struck a cord with me

 and made me throw my head back in laughter...

would you like to hear?!

well then,

here.

it.

is.

be the kind of woman

that when your feet hit the floor each morning

the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

i know right?

~ AWESOME ~

i read this as the kind of woman i want to be!

which in no means is as a negative woman

but instead,

a woman that is strong in her soul

that knows that with those glorious rainbows

that also,

the storms will come

but

she can deal with it graciously and she won't fall over!!

i believe that at the end of every challenging road,

there stands a silver lining...

if you give up,

you will never see it!

but if you keep on,

you may see a glimpse of heaven...

my heart is broken in many places

and i wouldn't trade it in for a new one if i had too!!

would you?!

i have earned those cracks

and it is my hope

that through those cracks,

you can see a lovely light within me...

and perhaps, my whimsy:)

sharing this post with

Faded Charm's: White Wednesday

here's to silver linings!

...an angel for annabelle

...whew!

this morning i thought i was lost

FOREVER!!

 

nooo,

not me personally

per say

(although, to be honest, i am at times...)

but my blog,

and all the contents therein!!

apparently "google"

is now "google plus"

and wants everyone to plus up!!

lol!!

whew...

did this happen to any of you??!!

ok

enough of that!!

~

back to today's post ~

"an angel for annabelle"

sometimes, some things are just

serendipitous...

as in,

they were just meant to be

this dollie

was just that!

i found her in my travels one day

(ie. thrifting)

or should i say,

SHE found me:)

i fell in love with her straight away!

so i brought her home,

and assesed what needed to be done.

well first,

her gauzy gown was in need of a wash

so i carefully removed it,

hand washed it in lavender suds

and hung it up to dry...

then i got to work

giving this dear dollie

a new life:)

first,

i "A.S.ed" her face and hands

(annie sloaned)

oh yes i did!!

and the whole time i was doing it

i kept saying to myself

can i do this??

well,

yes!

i think i can...

in fact,

i'm sure i can!!

(i felt like willy wonka, i tell ya')

then,

i added bits of lace to her gown...

i loved how she was beginning to come alive again!!

and i think she did too:)

for i swear i thought i heard her whisper

"may i have a crown please??"

and you know how i love my crowns!

so i waved my magic wand and

wha-la!

a crown!!

AND

a pair of wings!

AND

a pair of lace ballerina slippers...

you don't have to ask me twice for fairytale sprinkles!!

LOTS O' SPINKLES please!

 i was delighted!!

now here is the serendipity part...

the texture i used on these pictures today,

is Kim Klassen's.

but i betcha' can't guess what she calls it??!

ANNABELLE

get out!! no way!!

yep!

it's true

and that is how i know that she was just meant to be...

an angel for annabelle

(yes, that is my mom!)

sharing this post with:

Faded Charm's: White Wednesday

Ivy and Elephant's: What's it Wednesday

here's to NOT having my blog deleted

and to finding an angel!

...scents of christmas...or...dear Martha...

...ah yes

the wondrous scents of Christmas time!!

fresh pine...

warm cookies...

or gingerbread to be more exact!

every year,

i am bound and determined to make a gingerbread house

and every year,

guess what

yep!

not a ginger house to be found in my home

well

not this year...

okay

granted,

i did not bake these from scratch...

 as all of you,

 i have many,

MANY things on my Christmas "to do" list

so,

i took a little help from "those" kits that are out there.

you know the ones!

these are the results...

i bought 2 kits from Target

* the gingerbread mini village

and

* the pre-built gingerbread house kit

i tossed ALL of the candies inside

(yuck!!)

and keep only the white icing and coconut shreds

i did pull out a few of my pretty baking supplies

(yes! i LOVE baking pretty too!!)

silver dragees

and

sparkling white sanding sugar where all that was required

then i assembled my town

very simply...

pure, clean and white!

it couldn't be any easier than coloring in the lines

everything is pre-stamped where to lay your icing.

i wanted a ginger church so bad

and look for one HIGH and lo

but ~

yah no!

so i consoled myself

with making a steeple out of one of the tiny village houses

lol!!

i sawed my ginger walls with a serrated edge knife

to be able to etch a V shape out to fit on my roof...

what's a little ginger dust??!

once complete, i piped out an icing cross.

sure, you can still see where a window was supposed to be

but

from across the room

none the wiser!

as i was making these

i got to thinking of writing a letter to Martha

it would sound something like this:

dear Martha,

please, Please, PLEASE

design a gingerbread house kit

as only YOU could!

Filled with elegant shaped lines and clear candy windows.

~ and if you please,

a few, little tiny cellophane bags filled with silver dragees,

wisps of cotton candy for smoke stacks,

and iridescent sugar for the rooftops.

I'd be ever so grateful

and HAPPILY pay the price of such a kit!

For there are no others

 who bring us lovely, quality creating items

to embellish our worlds with.

I thank you for that, 

and hope that next year, 

I am putting together a ginger house

designed by you!

sincerely,

Rosemary

what do you think??

would she read it?

i know,

i won't hold my breath...

but a girl can dream

and even ask Santa!

LOL!!!

they do smell wonderful,

would you like to smell them??

come close

closer...

closer my dear!

 yum

you want a cookie now, don't you??

or maybe you were thinking about Hansel and Gretal?!

hahahahhha!!

no worries my dears,

no wicked witch lives in my ginger houses!!

sharing this post with

Faded Charm's: White Wednesday

here's to the scents of Christmas and Martha!

...a pair of wings

...hello my dears!

i hope this post finds you all joyful

and dreaming of

the happiest holiday's ever!

i have been like a ping pong ball this week ~

all over the place

in my studio creating a few pretties...

packing up boxes for our impending move??

strategically planning the next few months

you know...just living life!

one of the things on my ~

"if i do nothing else, i just have to do this list"

 this year,

were ethereal angel wings...

i have literally been trying to get to these for years

ever since i first laid eyes on them in my first jeanne d'arc christmas book

i have desired a vintage pair

but they are few and far between

so to create a few pairs this year,

has been my top priority!

i set out to make 8 pairs...

out of which

2 have already been spoken for

this pair however,

 is the next pair that is will be available

 in my etsy shop

i will list each one as i finish them.

hopefully finishing all remaining pairs

no two will be alike but they will all be beautiful...

when i started,

i envisioned how the french nun's

would have perhaps designed them for the Christmas pageants every year

and wondered if they were giddy with excitement

to create such things as a pair of angel wings!

gathering precious bits of beautiful lace and gossamer gauze...

bending and twisting the wire into wing shapes

and then, very lovingly,

hand sewing all these beautiful materials into

 a pair of wings

i pondered if they quietly sang hymns of holiness,

infusing more into these wings than just what meets the eye... 

perhaps ~

a sprinkle of enlightenment and joy went into them too?!

i know that i have enjoyed making them,

taking my time as i too,

lovingly stitch on the most beautiful lace bits i could get my hands on,

smiling to myself, as i whispered the words of  "silent night, holy night"

but,

more than that,

 they have somehow inspired me to keep my heart real this season

and to float above all the entrapment's of the "holiday's"

and all the hustle and bustle...

don't get me wrong

i know i will still be hustlin' and bustlin'

but

my Christmas wish came early this year

for my heart is already filled with such joy and peace!

i guess you could say

that i have been touched by an angel!

now,

i wonder if one of these pairs of wings will fit me??!

ha!

i think our church's "Christmas pageants angel" position

has already been filled!!

no worries though,

if you hear any carolers outside your window this year

i'll be the one with a pair of wings on :)

~ 

sharing this angel wing post with:

My Shabby Streamside's: Vintage Holiday Decor

Faded Charm's: White Wednesday

here's to angel wings!

...to be as a mute swan

  

...hello out there

to all you dear girlie's!

today's musing is about something close to my heart

a beautiful swan

i have several of these ethereal creatures

adorning my home

their elegant presence,

 inspires me to always be graceful in my everyday life.

next week,

we are traveling back east

in search of our future lovely nest,

truth be told,

i am nervous about those small details...

i am seeking grace.

~

~to be as a mute swan ~

you never hear her approaching

for she quietly glides across the sparkling water,

facing forward,

a sight to behold,

s-i-l-e-n-t-l-y wise,

always ready to face whatever challenges that lie before her...

oh dear, there is a storm moving in...

but ~

this does not deter her,

and she continues to glide.

unwavering.

calm.

even when the wind sends out it's worst howls

and tries it's very best to blow her away from her chosen path,

she wades,

feet pedaling,

head strong,

quietly ~ gliding along...

that old, nasty wind will have a piece of her, regardless!

and whisks away a few of her precious plumes

but still,

the mute swan continues on...

never lashing out,

although, so very close to tears.

she struggles on

 believing that just beyond her sights

there is a peaceful place to rest...

she only has to trust in her inner strength

with all her might.

ravaged by the fierce storm,

she clings to the gentle voice that woes her on...

"be still, and know that I am"

glide on

oh beautiful one...

you inspire me so...

to be as a mute swan during a difficult storm is not easy ~

i wonder what wisdom she would impart

if i were to humbly ask...

as the Sonshine

grows more apparent

i realize ~ as she gazes my way,

she has already imparted her wisdom

without ever speaking...

i am ashamed of my own disbelief at times,

i lower my head

and beneath my feet

are a few of her beautiful plumes

carried to shore by those once turmoiled waters...

 i bend down to gather a few,

upon further inspection,

i  can surmise that these feathers

never went under water during that storm,

but merely floated upon the top of the water.

that beautiful swan was made to ~ float!!

how magnificent is that detail, i ask you??!

as i make my way home,

swan plumes in hand

i hear ~

"so do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself"

just

"be still, and know that I am!"

~

sharing today's musing with

Faded Charm's: White Wednesday

here's to gliding along!