Phoenix Rising

Still can't share any awesome crafting *grumble* so I will share a story with a happy ending instead.

For as long as I can remember my mum has loved horses. When I was growing up there wasn't money for much of anything (heck, we didn't even have a phone) never mind money for a filly or riding of any sort. Still, my mum maintained her adoration and would get that dreamy look in her eyes thinking about them. It's the same look some girls get when they talk about shoes and designer clothes. It's the one I get when I think about glitter and collecting old buttons.

For the past couple of years my mum has been going riding and spending time at the stables. She goes to the stable and earns her keep. She shovels poo and does all that horsey stuff that horsey people enjoy. Christ, I'm sure she even does some of the stuff no one in their right mind would want to do because she's so damned horse crazy she'll do anything for the hoofed things.

One day, just a couple of months ago, she excitedly announced that she was buying a horse.

This is the horse she bought.

The lady who owns the stable bought the horse in this condition, brought her to the stables, and named her Phoenix. A month after the above photo was taken Phoenix looked like this...

When my mum showed off photos of her new 'baby' there were a number of comments about her changing colour and that she looked "different". I'll admit to being a bit skeptical myself, but she looked like a sweet thing.

Just a few weeks later and Phoenix went to her first horse show.

My mum had mentioned changing Phoenix's name but she had never heard the story of the mythical bird. As any Harry Potter fan can tell you, the phoenix is beautiful bird which dies in a burst of flames but is reborn again, rising from the ashes. The stable owner just happens to be a Potter fan.

Above is a photo of Phoenix my mum posted today. Just three short months after that first sad snapshot and it seems Phoenix is living up to her name.

Oh Lucky Day

Rolling around on the lawn ticking the kiddo this evening I gathered myself a wee bouquet of four leave clovers. Heck, I started things off by finding a five leaf one!

Nothing fantastically fabulous happened today, and I don't expect that a pot of gold will land on my doorstep, but I do like finding the wee things. They give me a bit of perk :)

A tiny peeping tom

After reading D his bed time story I walked over to turn out the light. Something caught my eye at the window and I found this little fellow staring up at me.

A teeny weeny little green frog sitting on the ledge of a second story window! Perhaps he needed a bedtime story too. He stayed for quite a while but was gone in the morning. I sure do hope he got down safely.

A peek

I've been a busy gal over the past few weeks. Moving in, houseguests, swaps... phew!

I STILL can't really post anything pretty just yet but I will post a sneaky peek of my favourite recently crafted item...

It should have been in the post yesterday but it needed a few last finishing touches. Better late than never *sigh* Heck, I had to talk myself into sending this one :)

A Mid-Summer Night Dream

Hope your summer celebration is as magical as can be :)

Berries!

I'm still plugging away on swap stuff that I can't show off. Add house guests and a fresh load of design work and there's really not a heck of a lot time left over.

I noticed some lovely red spots hovering close to the ground yesterday. Tiny wild strawberries! How lovely is that?

I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the dramatic lighting here. Thanks to the morning sun I didn't even need to crack open photoshop to get this effect.

We'll have to see if we can gather enough for a small batch of jam :)

Morning Dew and Mozzie Bites

I can't really show you any of my crafty goods at the moment because they are for swaps. I know, I know, it hasn't stopped me before. I'm going to try my best to behave and post something else instead.

One of the projects I'm working on at the mo' is all about inspiration and wonder. For me inspiration springs from finding loveliness in little things and making magical the ordinary.  I think that eggbeaters are just about the neatest thing ever invented... I'm sure that given the opportunity they could do just about anything. I'm also rather in love with mossy places. How can there not be magic in those incredible colours and textures? Here are a few mossy landscapes that I took snaps of this morning while getting eaten alive by the mozzie brigade.