the earth and sun catchers too

saturday night, starting at 8:30 p.m. was earth hour. natalie was so thrilled that all the lights would be turned off and the only illuminations we would have around would be the soft glow of candles. once it was 8:30, she went around the house telling everyone it was earth hour and making sure all the lights were out. last night too, we unofficially had another earth hour of our own, turning the lights off and the candles on.

i've begun writing in a diary/journal again, so as not to just have virtual 'diaries' but something tangible as well. something i can hand down and put other thoughts into. i wrote about our first earth hour and how it was just so nice to be surrounded by the candles. it just reminded me of simpler times, when technology wasn't paramount. anyhow, i think we might do 'earth hours' more often.

today i let nat stay home since she has a bit of nasty cough. she wanted to create a few things so we made a few paper flowers out of yellow construction paper and i put them onto brown pipe cleaners (the only colors i have). afterwards she cut out a couple of star shapes and punctured little holes through them using a pin and cardboard and made sun catchers. one is hung up on one of my bedroom windows (her room, unfortunately, has no windows) and the other in the bath room.
also gracing the window, well, windowsill is my little red pot waiting to see if some lavender will sprout (cross fingers)!


while looking for various craft ideas i found a couple i really liked. i would love to do these nature prints and some tin can herb pots as well. i know decorating the tin cans would be fun but i also like just the rustic pewter colored look of the cans as well so, i suppose we will see how we end up doing them.

i've also been discovering a few other things, especially from twitter since i have been on that a lot lately. one of the things i've discovered is earth tweet tweet-a-thon. what you do is you use the tag #earthtweet to share what you are doing to help celebrate earth day. they will also be handing out prizes for extra special earth tweets. i thought i would pass along the word for any twitterers out there who might be interested.

i leave this monday post with a photo of nat from a few weeks ago. this picture always puts a smile on my face (even though i thought she was wearing my mom's real glasses and not the play glasses i thought). she just brightens my life and i am so thankful for her, for my husband, for my family...

the second friday of spring

where to begin! well friday is here and today i am feeling happy and full of 'spring'. i've started walking again and just trying to contain certain gloomy thoughts from sprouting the 'uglies' in my life. funny enouhg, on wednesday, hump day, they seemed to get to me a little more but thankfully i got through that day. thursday i got a call from a friend who lives in another state from me and it was such a joy to talk to her. things are looking up even when you are feeling down and i know i am being lead to where i should be going, even if i don't see the destination. so, here is my week in pictures...

this morning i received my prize from an herbal blog giveaway on herbs from the labyrinth. the prize (which was hosted by sunrose aromatics) is an apricot kernel meal scrub with an organic liquid castile cleanser to mix together and scrub your face with. i also got a sample of their organic aloe vera and seaweed gel to for wounds, minor burns, skin irritations and such. how nice! you can see more of what sunrose aromatics offers on their online shop.

from time to time, i do like to donate to ecolibris to help balance out trees for new books we have purchased. i am trying to teach nat about the importance of taking care of our environment and so she was thrilled to see one of the ecolibris stickers (printed on recycled paper with soy inks too) on her 'the snowman' book. i usually save two of the five stickers for her books only and i am still looking for her other book we just bought (it must be buried somewhere in her new room!) i like doing this for many reasons but also to see her feel like a part of such a bigger thing. she feels proud that her book helped plant a tree. :)



i'm not sure if you remember the black radishes i posted about a couple of weeks ago. well, i do believe they are completely 'shrunken' now and have found their permanent residence in a jar for our own little cabinet of curiousities. i love hoe the jasmine pearls make them look like they have bug eyes and their cut smile look old and wrinkled like they lost all their teeth. they do remind me of the shrunken head from the film harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban and i think resemble the real things more than the shrunken apple heads we did last year.

i worked on another tea rubbing/stained paper this week as well. i am trying to get the hang of how to create the stains/rub without having the paper wrinkle too much. of course, a heavy book does help with the ironing out of the folds. this week, i saved tea leaves from two different types of teas, a green rooibos and berries (thank you mathyld and miss maple!) and another herbal tea with nettle, rooibos and rose petals.



once the paper was dried and i removed the leaves i used it to draw 'when the sun married the moon'. i found the perfect frame for it and now i have it up at the shop. i am really happy with the final product. it has just the right amount of an antiquated look along with a simple, almost primitive style of drawing. i do like this celestial couple very much and when they find the right home, it will sadden my heart a bit to let it go but also make me very happy as well.



yesterday afternoon, nat and i decided to sit outside the front yard by the lamp post and flower bed to do some drawing and just to enjoy being outside. i took along some books and read her a few poems. we look for ladybugs in the flower bed and behold, found just one orange tinged little guy whom she named freddie. she then drew freddie, along with the pollen found in the flower we placed him in. afterwards she wanted to just draw things that started with the little P and so she drew a pixie, the color purple, more pollen and a plant. she is going to send this to her new friend in oklahoma whose momma is my newest penpal.



ah the life of a child, laying about in the sun with a visor over her eyes and a pen in her mouth, thinking about what to draw next!

as the day waned, i was thinking about a verse that jumped out to me this week. it gave me a little visual as i read it several times and this is the outcome of it in my newest journal.

happy friday my friends!

what i did with one tea stained paper...

happy sunday! here is my first drawing on tea stained paper. i've called it 'when the moon is full...' between the horse and the kite, you might find them there. a celestial and forestry map to find where the sweet ghosts and magical creatures abound. i've listed in at the shop. i have another idea for my next work and it involves the moon. that's all i'm going to say! :)

spring wishes...

in honor of spring, tell me what your wishes are for this season...

mine are:
- create more artwork, whether on paper or other things
- begin herb and flower endeavor (more on that later)
- start walking again
- cook more
- begin our garden
- enjoy the days more too

♥

letters and tea staining...

this week has been wonderful. natalie seems to have finally adjusted to school and her behavior in the mornings bring me such happiness. i am truly thankful! i've been trying to do some things but hopefully i get to the post office today (my car is 'sleeping' at the moment and doesn't seem to want to 'wake' up for me to drive it). i have several boxes to send out including an etsy order (thanks so much johanna! i hope you enjoy the mandrakes!) i've written a few letters this week to new mail friends which i am very excited about it. i was able to use my new owl seal as well. it's little things like this that bring small joys into my heart. they really do.

i've been thinking for some time now on how i could tea stain paper. the other day i drank some mighty leaf pomegranate acai decaf black tea and reserved the leaves after. it such a beautiful infusion with a rich berry color. i tried out two different ways of staining on two pieces of medium drawing paper.

after i take out the infuser from my tea i place it in a small dish that strains the liquid into a bottom dish. so with the first paper, i actually took a painting brush and brushed the tea liquid onto the paper. of course, the tea caused the paper to curl a bit in certain areas but i am still going to try to draw something on it and maybe pressed the paper a bit with a few heavy books.

on the second paper i took the tea leaves and rubbed them all over. then i let the set over night. the next day i brushed the leaves off and they left a wonderful pattern on the paper. i'll try drawing something on this paper too but next time i am going to try drawing on the papers before and seeing what the outcome of the tea stains will be.


today is the first of spring and i just want to wish everyone a very happy spring season!

blinded by bright twinking stars...

new finds on etsy that have me seeing stars...i'm so in love with these...


reading the stars from miniature rhino.


man in the moon by little black forest.


whilst you are at war, we still exist by the black spot books (absolutely love this shop!)

other beauties feed my yearning old soul at the moment...


a delightful barn owl tea set from louche lab, just ready for me to pour some delicious morning, afternoon and evening tea into it, yes, i would use this set for the rest of my life...


i would live everyday in this ginger and black patch wrap skirt from sarah clemens clothing. it has such a wonderful old time feel with a little strange whimsy that is perfect for me...


how awesome is this little amber tinted bottle necklace from rag trader. i could out my favorite little fragrant tea leaves in it!


some medicinal tummy coat tea from flying bird botanicals might help me a bit with some of my uneasy stomach issues...


this tisane waterlilly loose leaf tea from liliths apothecary might help with those issues as well...


i love all of shaving kit supplies moth creations, including this one, mothra made from quilted muslin...

oh there's more, always so much more, including stuffed creatures, botanical and herb seeds, tiny fragrant pillows. you can view them all at my favorites. it seems like i am constantly adding because there are some really talented and crafty people out there.

i've also began to peruse around artfire a bit to see what catches my fancy there.

i really want to begin my garden and begin to make my own botanical goodness like teas, soaps, oils and such too. natalie can't wait either so we have our names for our little 'hopefully one day' business endeavor. i love the name she has, which of course, would be a subdivision of mine. she wants to make teas and soaps for the little ones. i really hope we do this. i really hope to engage her sense of creativity and exploration too.

well, off i go to do some domestic duties. i'm hoping to be able to paint and create somethings later on too. before i go, i invite you all to help me begin to new groups for sharing: herbs and roots for recipes and good cooking and the flower apothecaire, a group to correspond with my tumblr of the same name (and the soup.io group, herbology). please join if you are interested and we can get the ball in motion. ♥

p.s. happy st. patrick's day!

what i would like on her walls...

the days have been busy, but in my spare online time, i find myself perusing etsy for new handcrafted goodies. i see loads of things i would love for me, and for her too. her walls are bare and we have yet to hang up anything in her room yet. i have a few things already that will grace them but i want to fill one of her walls up with beautiful pictures. here are some of the things on my etsy favorites that i wish i had for her room...





these two lovely prints from the black apple. the first is the gardener, so sweet and serene. the second is the milkland bandit, a quiet little rascal.


by eekdesign, forest and fields, a bright eyed girl with her furry rabbit companions.


this little owl card from ethel and iris would be perfect for my owl loving girl.


this sepia-toned paper doll by dear dodo seems to evoke such simple imagination.


a big beautiful owl. enough said, we love them! this one is by fragments.


another pretty bird for us friends of feathered folk from pipodoll.


this darling victorian girl by munieca would fit perfectly in any little girl's room.

of course there are more goodness i would love for her (and for me too. we share a lot of things!) but i'll leave this visual list as is for now. later, i will post some need findings i am coveting at the moment as well, stay tuned friends...

black radishes and other things on friday the thirteenth

earlier this week we went to our local fruit and vegetable market to buy some veggies for this week's cooking. i spotted this black radishes (or are they turnips, i forgot! well, we'll go with radishes) and i fell in love! i know it sounds silly but i thought, why not make them into little tuber heads, like when we made shrunken heads out of apples. i followed the same recipe as before, except i didn't peel the radishes. i didn't have cloves for eyes (i forgot to buy them) so i use jasmine pearl teas instead! you need to let them dry out for two weeks, so here, the day after, are how my two little tubers look.

i've been in the writing mood lately, so yesterday i grabbed a few envelopes and started drawing on them. to my friend hollie in pennsylvania, i sent her a letter with, what else? two black radishes on them.

i drew a new owl on the second envelope. i rather fancy this new owl so i took a closer photo so i can remember him. the letter went on to rachael in france. the last envelope has a sunflower on it. it was inspired by the black sunflower. i still want to perfect 'my' black sunflower but for now, this envelope has the first and to whom it will be sent to, i don't know yet.

today was crazy socks day at nat's school. i thought i would show a few pictures of her before she headed off in the morning. thank goodness for crazy socks day! she was so distracted by it she didn't even cry for me when it was time for me to go! this is the first day like this since the beginning of february and i was very thankful for it.


another thing that i did today was make cinnamon honey. i got the idea from a post about herbal honey at lilith's apothecary. i can't wait to try it with lavender, ginger and lemon balm too.

awhile ago i had bought some pure & natural cleansing rosemary and mint soaps from target. one of the things i loved about them was that the soaps are packaged in cardboard boxes that are embedded with baby's breath seeds. nat and i have been meaning to plant them for the longest when i finally bought some potting soil today. of course, she was delighted to put the soil in the container and bury oour soon to be flower treasure.

well, it's friday evening now but you wouldn't know it since the time change. the sun is still shining and there is a nice breeze coming in from the window. i've had my evening chamomile and the husband (whom i have now, affectionately began to call my black radish. don't ask, i have no idea why!) has left for a poker evening with the guys. nat and i will watch movies later on, most likely monster house and settle in for the weekend.

more mandrakes and meanderings..

i just listed this original drawing at the etsy shop. i have photos i need to upload and share. things have been still a bit hectic but i have been twittering like mad (if you want to keep up with little odds and ends here and there). i'm still letter writing. i have two letters ready to get sealed and stamped, a few more to write, and still i need to get some small packages to send some tea out to far away friends. busy! oh, and let's not forget cleaning up and cooking soon! which by the way, i must remember to tell you all of our little black radish heads, but later, later! happy friday the thirteenth!!

p.s. i started a folia account for when nat and i finally begin our little garden. if you would like, i would love to have some friends there. if you are interested, please visit this link.

sundays are for mandrakes, and other things...

a beginning of my ghost for a ghost for astulabee's flickr project. it is suppose to be anonymous but i think with some of the entries, you are going to figure out who did them based on their writing and/or drawings styles if you are familiar with them. so this one is my 'secret' but that's all i will show, at least for now :)

now, if you have been keeping up with the secret cabinet, i have had mandrakes on the mind a lot lately. today, i finally managed to draw one, and inspired by alicia carrier's blog, ten dollar drawings, i drew him on brown paper (which i think suits him best). i will most likely be making him a part of my new field-discover-wonder type journal, the diary of found things and such. natalie loves the mandrake and wants a mandrake doll. i have sewn anything in years and haven't used my sewing machine in so long, i have forgotten how to use it. maybe i will do something by hand. it will be crude most likely, but i think she will love it just the same, so we will see!

of course, a little photo of natalie, taken on friday at borders bookstore, wearing her dr. seuss horton the elephant ears she made at school. she totally looks like she is advertising this izze green apple soda, but then again, it is her favorite drink whenever we go to border's!

oh, and by the way, i invite youto start your own soup.io where i have the secret cabinet. i need to have some friends on there, some people i know. use it to to spill your secrets and share your imagination. it's sort of my online, visual, scrapbook diary of sorts. i have my twitter feed, my blip.fm and a few other feeds that go directly there. i want to friend people that i know (like you emily!) and i have started a group on there too called ephemera. so, if you are interested, it's quite simple and of course, i would love to have you there. okay, last time i am going to beg :)