Summer is here!

It's been a couple weeks since my last post! Here's what's gone on since then...

Our three foster kittens are the sweetest little girls anyone could ask for. They make every day happier!


The two tabbies are Lala and Lulu, and the tux is Lola. They had another sister and a grey tux brother, but both of them were adopted a couple weeks back.

The lilac trees on the border of this house and the next burst into bloom and dandelions exploded everywhere...




I got this beautiful spirit doll from my biomom. She is loaded with crystals and fragrant herbs, plus a written blessing.



And my youngest sister, Becky, made me this adorable whimsy jar!



I had my third craft day with my ladies, and we made origami, had sushi and ice cream, and watched Kiki's Delivery Service.

We spent the Victoria Day weekend relaxing, barbecuing, and watching fireworks.

Last Friday, I went to Anime North with said ladies :) It was a LOT of fun and I'm already super-excited for next year, when the girls and I will get a hotel room together and spend the whole weekend dressed up at the con!

On Saturday, Urban Cat Relief held their semi-annual yard & bake sale, and we made over two grand to help cover the costs of the rescue's vet bills! I'm so grateful to everyone who came out and supported us! It was a grand time and, as usual, Trevor, Elisa and I were able to come home with lots of goodies.

I've been very busy with art and swaps...




This is my second mini-zine, created for a swap. It's all about dark fairytales and was a big hit with my swap partners.


My first altered matchbox.

My May has been full of excitement, laughter until tears form, gorgeous weather and delicious barbecues, much-needed time with my girls, and fresh art inspiration. I am truly grateful for everything in my life!

I'm now gearing up for our handfasting at the end of June, another craft day/night, lots more art and working on my Things to Do in 2013 list, and getting back on the weightloss bandwagon. I hope you all have had a beautiful May!

Keep shining, my sparklers!
Mary

In regards to my spiritual path...

I have realized that my spiritual path has offended people I love, even angered them. Not that I wasn't expecting this to happen, but I guess I hadn't really prepared myself for it.

And I know it shouldn't, but it upsets me. I thought of censoring myself completely to halt any negativity, to force myself into being the same woman I was months, if not years, ago, to once again fit into everyone's expectations of me; a religiously acceptable mould. And then I mentally smacked myself upside the head and thought, 'That's stupid, Mary!' Do you know why?

Because my spiritual journey is very, very important to me. It is my driving force, my joy, my strength. It makes me feel incredibly happy and at peace. I'm growing and learning every day of my life and I love it wildly. I am very quiet about my journey except to my biomom, who shares a similar path, but sometimes I just want to shout it from the rooftops! And as a sufferer of severe depression, being able to feel joy about anything must be pretty darn special.

And that, my friends, is what truly matters here.

I can't expect anyone to agree with my views, to understand me, or even to remain being friends with me if they are strongly opposed to it all. I honestly won't be surprised if I lose and/or gain followers of this magical little blog over time because of how I believe.

And I get it. I really do.

You have every right to hate how I believe, to disagree, to say it's wrong, to be angry with me, to choose to not be friends or blog followers, to think I'm stupid for believing in anything at all. Know why? Because those are your thoughts and your opinions, and I respect them all because they come from you! I may not agree with all viewpoints and beliefs, but I respect them all greatly and the people who believe them. I only have a problem with beliefs when someone uses them to threaten, harm or kill other people.

And so I ask you all to please respect me and what I have chosen, even if how I believe upsets you in any way.

Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.


Blessings,
Mary

I Love Spring! PIC HEAVY!

There is such glory in a pure blue sky, a warm breeze, a golden evening sun, and fragrant blooms and bird song both filling the air to create an ah-mazing symphony. On evenings like this, I feel so connected to nature and Spirit, and at such peace and happiness that I want to weep.

Last night's walk with le hubby was serene and beautiful. All we could hear were robins and other birds singing in the trees. Dandelions numbered in the thousands, turning happy faces to the slowly-setting sun. The sunlight was rich and buttery-gold, and the sky turned ice-blue and peach as the light began to fade at 8:30.

I really think that spring is a little bit of Heaven on Earth. A mighty queen reigning over one hemisphere at a time, spilling her mind and heart onto everything the sun can possibly touch. Magick at its finest and purest.

I took oodles of pictures! Enjoy these views of the royal court of spring, dearhearts!


This is the view from our door :)








































Blessings,
Mary

My Smash Books

Smash books are all the rage right now. You may have heard of them.

But what is a "smash book", exactly?

It's a way to capture memories and life moments, channelling the very roots of what scrapbooking used to be: people making simple memory books, stuffing them full of memorabilia, photos and mementos. Of course, scrapbooking has taken its own art form, so the idea of smash books is to get back to that quick and easier way of capturing what is going on in your life. You can write down anything that's in your mind, stick in photos, cut up a magazine or catalogue and glue in things that really speak to you or that you want, or place ticket stubs, flight itineraries, and more! The possibilities are endless.

K&Company have a wonderful line of smash books and coordinating products that you can order online or buy at Michaels. Of course, you could always make your own as well from scrapbook kits, office supplies, and whatever else you fancy. I was starting to make my own smash book inside a new journal I had received as a gift, but then I went to the new Michaels that had opened up by the North York Centre and found some K&Company stuff on clearance!

I ended up with the orange Simple folio for $5.99, then later went back and found the yellow International folio for $4.99, plus some extras. Woohoo!!! I love how each folio has a different cover and a totally different theme inside; it makes me want to collect them all! They've even released a bridal folio.


You can leave the covers as is, or you can decorate them to your heart's content. As you can see, I started tracing the design on Simple's cover, and I'll probably add some cute fabric flowers or something as well. Each folio comes with a dual-ended pen/glue stick.

I want to share some of my pages with you! Some are unfinished, but I'm having a great time :)




The only two pages I've done so far in the International folio, and they're not finished. I glued in my plane tickets and itinerary from when I flew back to Canada to land as a resident. Good memory indeed! :) The rest of the pages are all in the Simple folio.






Virtually anything can work as a pocket to hold cutout words, drawings, photos, and tidbits. I love to use teabag wrappers for this purpose! :)















And each folio has a pocket in the back where you can store stuff!



Check out my growing Smash Corner by my computer :) The painted boxes hold lots of little odds and ends to use in my books.


Like I said before, the possibilities are endless! Make your smash book your own! There are no rules, no limits. Mine are a mix between memory-keeping and journalling. You can go your own way :)

Blessings,
Mary