A Little Bit of Colour in Winter

 I have an orchid plant that was gifted to me for Christmas in 2012 and I haven't managed to kill it yet. I love it. When it flowers, it is such a pretty, happy sight. Especially in winter, when everything is cold, white and dead.
It is that little bit of colour in the winter.

That little bit of life in death.

 That monumental struggle to break free.

That monumental struggle to just be.

A Wonderful Gift

A quick apology: I am sorry I am not blogging much right now, I am getting ready for my wedding and though it is a small wedding, it is amazing how much of my time it is taking up with all of the preparations. I will get back to more regular blogging (God willing) as soon as possible :)
Arwen Sniffs the Large, Mysterious Package
A few months ago, I purchased some beautiful vintage pins from my good friend Jen at Epic Farms (http://www.epicfarms.etsy.com). While purchasing them I mentioned that Brennan and I are getting married in September. Well, she then said that she had a little something in mind and that, as I wasn't in a rush to get the pins (I'm using them in my wedding, details below and to come), she wanted to do a little something to go with them. Now, I was thinking a little something to be just that, but I wasn't thinking it would be this wonderful something. I want to share with you one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received. Upon getting the package from the post office, I noticed it was rather large. When I opened it I found...
The "Bliss Box", and its Beautiful Poem
...An absolutely beautiful box! On the outside it was decorated with beautiful paper, reminiscent of Italy, and the front had a label saying "Bliss Box" and on top was a poem:
"The Bliss Box
In this box when you are joined together,
place joyous memories to cherish forever.
Your wedding announcement, a special note,
a flower, some ribbon, a thoughtful quote.
And on the papers of pink and blue,
write a loving word or two.
Then set it aside in a special place,
secure it with ribbon or tie it with lace.
When you are down and feeling blue,
pull out this box and look it through.
In times of struggle, it times of trial,
inside this box you'll find a smile.
Remember why your love is true,
encourage each other and find joy anew.
Keep God as your center, your focus heavenly,
for marriage does not take two but three.
Jen Crowe, Feb. 2010"
Isn't that beautiful?? I've already said that she should make more, similar ones to sell in her delightful Etsy shops (epicfarms.etsy.com and wysiwigs.etsy.com), as I am sure more people would want them. I thought that would be all, and to find my little pins inside, but I was wrong...
A Handful of Envelopes
...A pack of envelopes! I wasn't sure which ones to open first, but fortunately I opened the orange envelope first and found...
Some Envelopes
...a delightful card from Jen. I then opened the pink envelopes and found...
Gorgeous Scrapbook Die Cuts From Jen
...Some incredible die cuts for my wedding scrapbook! I just went out today and got a scrapbook for our wedding photos (okay, okay, I like to be prepared, lol), and thse are going to be perfect! There is a little couple, gold hearts (the gold doesn't show in the photos, sorry), gold interlace rings, doves and hearts and heart labels and so much more, including a set that reads "Our Wedding". They are gorgeous, you need to see Jen's shop for these and more.

A Jumble of Letters Makes...
The next envelope contained a jumble of letters...what did they make? I will admit, it took me a while to figure it out (yeah, brain wasn't working well, the envelope said it all, lol). Brennan and Meghann in beautiful opalescent paper, with a beautiful green tree with matching green crystals attached to it.
The Final Two Envelopes
The final two envelopes had more stunning cuts, including a little car and sign that says, "Just Married" and letters in a little plastic envelope that say Just married as well ( I didn't take them out as they are delicate). The final cut is a beautiful cake with gorgeous pink flowers and a small pink crystal on the top. Okay, I admit it, I cried happy tears when I saw the cake cut. I don't know why, but for some reason that one made me realize I'm finally going to marry the man I've loved for almost 9 years. But STILL the package wasn't done!
Vintage Bits and Bobs
Jen also included some beautiful vintage pieces of jewelry for me to play with. I've already got some great ideas for these, let me tell you!
The Vintage Pins for My Wedding
Finally I got to the package I had ordered (seems funny, doesn't it? LOL!). These are the vintage pins I'm using in my wedding. They are silver plate with faux pearl and rhinestones on the left, and the flower one has rhinestones and some sort of mother of pearl in the petals. Here is what I'm doing with them:

Handmade Ribbon Bouquets
I ordered a bunch of ribbon from a great Etsy seller a few months ago in blue, pink and white, the colors of our wedding. I then made bouquets of ribbon roses - one for my bouquet to hold, and a small one to put in my hair (I'm wearing my hair half up and half down, so it will go where the elastics/pins will go). But where is the flower pin?

The Bouquet with Pin, and the Bliss Box
Why, the pin went on the bottom front of the bouquet I'm going to hold. It sits just below my hands, so it will add some beautiful sparkle - plus, as the bouquet will never die, it will eventually become an ornament in my bedroom! I now have filled the Bliss Box with my bouquets, as well as the jewelry I'm wearing (I'll show you that later!), and the jewelry I'm giving to my mom, soon to be mother-in-law, and friend doing my photos. After the wedding, I am looking forward to filling it with things from our marriage!
Oh, and the second pin? I'm wearing it on my dress, I'll post photos when I get married ;-)
The big day is September 10, my birthday (Brennan chose it, not me, as he says he'll never be able to forget it, lol). I'll keep you up to date with other things that are going on as I'm able to...some things I'm giving away and I want them to be a surprise, so I'll photograph them and post them after the wedding :)
Thank you for sharing in my Wonderful Gift, I hope you have a wonderful gift of your own soon!

Tuesday's Treasures: Another Great Day at the Cottage

~Misty Morning from Our Neighbor's Dock~

I awoke one morning to find Arwen eager to do her business and when I went out to our dock I found a beautiful misty morning! After running inside to grab the camera (and make myself decent!) I found this photo waiting to be taken - it is a view from the neighbor's dock. They were truly delightful people and after I gave them a few of my birthday cupcakes, they reciprocated by giving us a HUGE jar of delicious homemade maple syrup! They have some massive maple trees on their property and each year they tap them to make the most amazing maple syrup I've ever tasted. (Thank you again if you are reading this!).

~BOO!~

I heard a noise while taking photos (sort of a screech followed by a splash) and looked down to find this big guy staring at me. I had no idea bullfrogs can scream, but then again, if they get that big, I suppose anything is possible!

~Our Boat~

This was the view from the boat that we got with the cottage. You can really see all of the beautiful lily pads and a bit of the fog. By this time the fog had started to burn away as the sun was really rising.

~Waterlily~

When I went back onto the deck to enjoy the view, I looked down and found this beautiful little lady waiting for her own closeup. I love these waterlilies and was so very fortunate to capture one open - they close completely as soon as there is too much shade, which happens fairly often as there are many beautiful, mature trees on the shore, waiting to be admired.

~Brennan and a Friend Fishing~

Later on in the day, Brennan had a friend over for fishing and steaks. I also gave him some of my birthday cupcakes and I was delighted to see that he loved them as much as Brennan and I do. He even asked for the recipe - score one for Meghann and my gluten free, Vegan chocolate cupcakes!

I'll have more photos tomorrow....here is another happy one of Arwen - I actually got her with her ears up!!
and Arwen

Melodious Monday: Charity Update and Some Photos

I wanted to update you all on the charity of the month, as we are halfway through July already - where has the time gone? As the summer months are usually slow, and as I have had a few sales in the last few days, I have decided to continue last month's charity over to this one to try and donate as much as possible to the Lanark Animal Welfare Society.
I also thought I would share my pansies with you - they are the "Sand 'n Sky" mix and I love them :)

Remember to enter my monthly contest by adding your name and email to my monthly newsletter (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Tuesday's Treasures - A Wee Garden Visit

I know I promised you a new bracelet inspired by Queen Victoria and I am working on it, I promise, but it is a new stitch and is taking a very long time to finish as I want to get it perfect the first time.
However, never wanting to disappoint, I bring you photos of my cotton candy colored lilies. They went from tiny buds to full-fledged open blooms in the space of about 24 hours and I love it! They also have very little smell, which is great if you have allergies. The bottom photo shows Arwen smelling the flowers before we took our walk :)
I will try to have the new bracelet up next Tuesday so please check back for that. Also, see tomorrow's post for a new segment I am doing, with the help of my wonderful grown-up puppy Arwen, called Wednesday's Walks with Arwen.

Remember to enter my monthly contest by adding your name and email to my monthly newsletter (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Happy Saturday!

My "little BIG thing" today: I took some photos in my yard, and had a blast!
I'm sore (as always) but this "little BIG thing" is actually quite a bit of fun - I'm trying to do one thing each day that (though it may seem small to some people) makes a difference in my happiness. I'll try to post here more regularly, but if I'm absent from here, please do check out my Little Studio Photography and Jewellery Blog
Thanks for visiting, I hope you have a great day!