Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Beltane

This year is my first Beltane, and I love the whole fertility aspect of this sabbat, even though I've never been pregnant. Because I haven't found a group to participate with, I'll be alone this time. But that's okay.

It will be a subtle day of festivity for me. I'll walk in the woods, drink some strawberry wine, and eat sweet strawberries (which are associated with both Beltane and creativity). Since fertility is creating life, I'll also be creating life in art.

My altar hasn't changed much; it's now full of a cluster of brightly coloured candles, and a besom I made specifically for the sabbat.


The little broom has been in my MIL's craft stash for about twenty years. I dressed it up and thought the knotted heart charm was appropriate. I knotted the ribbon three times to follow the rule of threes :)

Need ideas for Beltane decorations? Check out this post at The Witch of Howling Creek for inspiration!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Recent Swaps and My Weekend

So I promised I would post on the weekend, but that just didn't happen! Surprise, surprise ;)


As you, my readers, probably know, Trevor and I had a simple civil ceremony four years ago. We wanted to get the legal stuff out of the way so we could apply for my permanent residence, and we always planned to have a bigger event later for family and friends who couldn't attend the civil ceremony. Well, things just kept getting in the way, like me having to return to Virginia for eighteen months and for seemingly constant financial hurdles to be overcome, and we kept postponing the bigger event.

Now that event will finally be happening at the end of June! I can't tell you how excited I am that it's actually coming to pass! :)

Trevor and I never got a stag and doe before our wedding. In anticipation of our event, Trevor's and my male friends took him out for one helluva stag night on Saturday. A limosine and plenty of booze and games at Dave & Buster's! The girls are planning my doe night for sometime in June, but my close friends Liat and Alora didn't want me feeling left out anyway, so they had me come over and party with them all night! We were joined by two other close friends, one of whom is Liat's sister, and we had a truly amazing time.

We made two homemade pizzas loaded with tons and tons of toppings. I've never eaten so much cheese in my life! This first pizza was supposed to be *ahem* inappropriately shaped, but after it rose in the oven it just looked like a blob. A delicious, cheesy, pepperoni-laden blob.

Later, we divulged in sweets and junk food, tons of tea, and movies.

Liat, Alora and I all draw like our lives depend on it, so we did a lot of that as well. We finally went to bed once the sun rose!

Having quality girl time is something I never had growing up, which is what made me so darn awkward around other females until recently. It's a very liberating and therapeutic thing to have, and I will never again allow my anxiety to prevent it. It was my second time hanging out with just my female friends, without Trevor or any of the guys being present. And there's going to be much more of it in the coming weeks. I need time with my goddesses.


I wanted to show off some of the wonderful swaps I have received in the past couple of months. Swap Bot is one heck of an amazing site and I've met some amazing ladies there. I've learned new crafts and skills which I will be talking about in near-future posts. Here are the goodies!


Handmade notecards with envelopes, and a handmade watercolour journal!


Two of the winter zines I received in a recent swap. Google "zines"; you won't regret it!


This was supposed to just be a penpal letter, but my partner went crazy and spoiled me with things I love, such as zebra print, kawaii letters, and dolphins!


An ATC swap for artistic interpretations of alcoholic drinks... :)


UFO dotee and goodies from Postcardpeggy, a friend of mine...


For a swap called "Happy Mail Every Month"... and it sure was! :)


Tea, what my partner loves about Canada, and extra goodies!



Just fabulous!! I love getting these wonderful things in the mail and I love all my partners! :)

See you all soon! I will be posting about smash books and journals and how I am totally obsessed with them...!

Friday, April 19, 2013

I'm not dead...!

Yes, friends and readers, I'm alive! :) I've spent the last month doing swaps on Swap-Bot, art, healing mentally, and looking for a job. No luck in that last front, but hopefully soon.

Spring has finally arrived here in southern Ontario. We had possible tornado damage around Newmarket last night, and lots and lots of rain. The grass is emerald-green, the robins are singing, trees have big fat buds, and the restaurants have their patios ready. I love this precious season so much, and it never seems to last very long.

I've gotten a few more things done in my 100 Things to Do This Year list...!

To refresh, here is the original post about the list.


Complete my 1st gratitude diary.

Writing down five gratitudes per day not only reminds us of the important things in our lives, but it also improves our mindset and mood! I highly recommend getting a journal to jot down five wonderful things in your day, whether they're big things or little things.

Leonie Dawson's got an adorable pocket gratitude diary to print and keep in your purse for 21 days! Get it here!






Create a Dreamboard.

This is something really neat featured in Leonie Dawson's Incredible Year workbook and you can check it out here!. Filling it with words and/or pictures that inspire you and keep it wherever you can see it, it helps to manifest your dreams for this year :)

My dream board is very small, but it sits right on my computer desk where I can see it always and be reminded!




Sew Curtains for the Living Room.

I forgot to take a picture of this, oops! But basically I bought a cute sheet at Value Village and made equally cute curtains for our living room. The fabric is light blue and yellow plaid and it adds a nice bit of colour to our apartment which mostly consists of wood and beige colours!

Own an iPod!
A small, silly thing, but I've ALWAYS wanted one!



On top of the Kobo that my MIL got me for Christmas :)


Buy a DSLR Camera.

This is something I've wanted to own for a looonggg time now. We decided to go with an older model of the Canon Rebel due to financial restrictions.



Isn't she a beauty? She needs a name! ;)

Thanks to my MIL, who has been a photographer for most of her life, we procured two external flashes! We also got a telephoto lens from her friend. So now I just need a hood and a couple other items for the flashes, and I'm good. Here are some pictures I've taken with this camera before we got the telephoto lens:



Nurture Relationships.

This is probably my most important thing on this year's list. Family, friends, no excuses. I'm not letting my anxiety and social awkwardness get in my way. I'm letting old emotions come to the surface with my family and heal. I'm spending time with my female friends, going out to lunch and D&D with others. I'm having monthly craft meetings with my girls. I'm connecting on a high level with my biological mother, and making sure I tell my online friends how much I love them.


I will update again this weekend, I promise! :)