Tuesday, November 19, 2013

My Beaded Designs - sparkle all the way!

Hello lovelies! Today I want to tell you all about a wonderful friend I have. She's been making gorgeous jewellery for over a decade now, and she is a passionate goddess who creates for hours at a time and finds inspiration everywhere she goes. Her name is Maryanne, and My Beaded Designs is her big bundle of sparkly joy.


Website
Facebook Page


Maryanne's creativity centers all around sparkle, using Swarovski chatons. I've never seen a piece of hers that I DON'T absolutely love! Her most famous pieces are her paw necklaces, parts of the proceeds of which go directly to local causes Urban Cat Relief or Cuddly Cat Rescue. They are the necklaces that first drew me to her work.


Here are some more samples of her work and this isn't all she can do! Aren't they amazing??



She takes custom orders and even makes sweet jewellery for little girls! I tell you, her work is PERFECT for holiday gifts for all the ladies in your family (and yourself too!). Her jewellery makes me feel like a sparkly goddess every time I put it on.


This is my latest necklace from her and I think it's my favourite piece of jewellery yet.


WOohoo, thanks for reading, chickies! I hope you go check out Maryanne's work for yourself and maybe snag a little bling bling :)

I forgot to post my list of things to do to beat the blues. You can blame Cipralex fog for that one!! I'll post about that either tomorrow or Wednesday, so stay tuned!


Love and light,
Mary


Friday, November 15, 2013

Lovely Things 11-15-13



Hello, lovelies! Oh my GOSH but I have been ignoring this blog and you all, and I am so sorry for it! I've been in an awful funk ever since my best friend in the world had to go home to England after spending an amazing two weeks with the hubby and I. I miss him so much! Hopefully sometime next year I'll have enough funds to travel to the UK to see him... now there's a goal for the 2014 Create Your Incredible Year!

Since I haven't done Lovely Things in a while, here we go! Today I'm featuring some AWESOME DIY holiday crafts that I've been shown and can't wait to try!

These are utterly fabulous. I'm going to make one to hang over our entranceway.
Cinnamon Christmas Stars

I'm a huge sucker for the current trend of galaxy print, and these are no exception. It's outer space in a ball! I'll be using plastic balls for this craft, since we have cats and need to be careful about having shatterproof ornaments.
Glitter Galaxy Ornaments

How adorable are these? I'll be collecting pinecones this weekend and painting them pastels, gold and silver to put all over the place!
Pine Cone Christmas Trees


This is such a neat idea and I'm going to make one in pink, gold and silver to match my pastel theme!
Christmas Card Wreath


These are so charming, and so easy!
Wee Felt Houses



See you this weekend when I'll be showing you all goddess ways to sack the sucky feelings and days in your life where all you want to do is hide in the bedroom and cover your head.


Love and light,
Mary

Friday, October 25, 2013

Thankful Thursday 10-25-13




Hello lovelies! I'm sorry this is a day late! Jonno (my best friend), Trevor, and I have been having tons of fun together since Jonno arrived from the UK last Sunday. I hate how fast the week has gone, though!

So here are my gratitudes this week!


- My best friend being here and making this one of the most enjoyable weeks I've ever had in my life. I SO wish he could stay here longer!

- Having a venti pumpkin spice latte on a SUPER chilly evening in Toronto.

- Snuggling under cozy blankets on cold nights when the furnace is pumping.

- My new laptop.

- The people in my life who dearly love me. They make me feel so amazing and radiant.

- Finding my rainbow moonstone ring that I lost back in July! Thanks for discovering it, dear hubby!

- Completing crochet projects, and at the same time learning new techniques that I'd previously been too lazy challenged to try.

- Finishing my costume for Hallowe'en!

What are your gratitudes this week, goddesses?

Love and light,
Mary

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

10 Ways to Deal With a Mercury Retrograde

So what is Mercury Retrograde, anyway?
You may have heard some people griping about this, whether in passing or online.

A few times a year, Mercury goes into retrograde, and that seems to be a dreaded houseguest in mine and my family's households. This houseguest barges in uninvited, puts rings on the coffee table, eats all our food, sleeps all day on our couches, and hogs the bathroom. They leave abruptly with a big mess behind them, and while we have to clean it up, we're better equipped to deal with them next time!

All of the planets' movements affect us in different ways. They all go into retrograde, but Mercury seems to impact people so much more than any of the others. Even folks who don't believe in astrology notice the crazy effects of a retrograde!

Mercury is retrograde from October 21st to November 10th this year.

So what happens during a retrograde?
I don't know about you, but during a retrograde things tend to turn a little chaotic in my life. I feel more irritable, more prone to depression and severe bouts of anxiety, and I just don't want to see or deal with anyone. I kind of turn into a hermit during this time.

You personally might find yourself confused, feeling cloudy in the head and frustrated, being super cranky or being on the receiving end of someone who's super cranky! Your computer and other devices are more likely to go goofy on you. A Mercury retrograde can be a total kick in the ass to some people, and it usually is to my family and I.
However, there's good in a Mercury retrograde as well. It's a good time to step back and re-examine areas in your life that might need work. Lovely new perspectives are revealed, and we can reach AWESOME breakthroughs! It's a great time to tie up loose ends, too. Finish that project you've been working on for ages!

I've got a list of ten great ways to cope with a retrograde, all from personal experience!

10 Ways to Deal with Mercury Retrograde

1. Back up your data! You ought to be doing this fairly frequently as it is, but if you've been procrastinating, now's the time to do it.

2. Finish projects you started a while ago but haven't had the inspiration to finish. Write that book! Finish your beautiful knitted sweater! Write that letter or email you've been meaning to send! Join that e-course! Paint a piece of furniture!

3. Get together with old friends or family you haven't connected with in a while. Reminisce, bond, and laugh lots! Listen to stories. Tell your own. Share fun memories! Remember loved ones who are no longer physically with us.

4. Be very wary when purchasing big items such as a car, iPhone, or that lovely new laptop you've been eyeing. Make sure you triple-check everything and get a warranty!

5. Take things with a grain of salt. People might be a bit more edgy, confused, or just plain meaner than usual if they're affected by a retrograde. Don't take stuff personally!

6. A retrograde can cloud your mind, making you feel uncertain or confused. Enjoy some mind-clearing tea (I love anything that has ginseng in it! Tetley makes a lovely blueberry-gingseng tea) that not only tastes yummy, but relaxes you too! This is an opportunity for you to embrace yourself and take it easy in whatever way you can.

7. Read the small print on contracts and other important paperwork. Double-check any information you're given, such as reservations, baggage allowances, and times.

8. Now is a wonderful time to accept, forgive, and forget. Retrogrades encourage us to tie up loose ends, and releasing old bitterness towards someone is a huge relief. Take a deep breath... gulp it in... meditate... write an angry letter and then burn it... you will feel loads better!

9. Step back and allow this retrograde to nudge you in a new direction. See what happens! What can you learn from this new situation?

10. Remember that like with many other things, you can easily slide through a retrograde if you're prepared for it. Go with the flow!


Love and light,
Mary

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Thankful Thursday 10-10-13


Sorry this is a little late, goddesses! But better late than never, right? Haha!

- Soft kitten paws hugging my legs.

- A home that's steadily getting nicer looking by the day as I deep-clean and declutter!

- Walking into Michaels and seeing all the holiday stuff up and smelling wondrous cinnamon and bayberry wafting through the store.

- Pumpkin spice Timbits. That is all.

- Having such a nice nature walk with my MIL yesterday.

- Getting happy mail yesterday!

I won this beautiful Yemaya candle from A Witch By Any Other Name on Day 3 of the Samhain's Sirens festivities! Isn't it beautiful?

And I won this Hard Candy cosmetics package a while back and it arrived along with my Yemaya candle! Woohoo!! I can't wait to wear the nail polishes!

- A bit silly, I know, but I got a pearl pink Nintendo 3DS! FutureShop had a one-day special to trade in two games and get the pink 3DS for $26. Woohoo! You guys probably know by now how much I love pink!

- The pleasant, cleansing feeling of donating items I'm no longer needing or attached to.

- Fulfilling wishes on a group on Swap-Bot =)

- The smell of dry leaves during the day and burning leaves in the evening. I heart this!!



Love and light,
Mary

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Lovely Things 10-9-13



Hello my goddesses! I hope all is well in your world. I'm preparing myself for the next Mercury Retrograde that starts on the 21st of this month and lasts through to November 10th. What can you do to prepare? Check back here next week when I share with you!

My MIL and I went on a lovely nature walk today. It was gorgeous, 19* Celcius, with a cloudless sky. We smelled the dry leaves, took lots of pictures, saw ducks and we saw landlocked Atlantic salmon swimming upstream. We ended the day at Tim Horton's with lattes and pumpkin spice Timbits (heavenly!). It was a perfect Wednesday and I'm going to show you!

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Love and light,
Mary