may flower

Hallo again friends!

I'm back from adventuring through my old haunts in London these past six days... and my Thirtieth birthday turned out to be my best yet! 

I have tons of photos of my trip to sift through before I start posting my escapades, but I can say that after such a long period away from my home city I kind of saw it anew, as if for the first time... and it sure made me swoon.

The weather was flirting with Spring, April cherry blossoms were putting on a show, the Tube smelt the same and there were plenty of fly by the wind opportunities for doing something completely random...like going to the circus!

The trip was a great salve for my ache for a change in scenery, and not only that, I feel a move back to the big smoke coming on!

But more on that later ^.~

I have returned to Ireland to welcome a fresh new month, sun spots on my bedroom wall, a half-grown pup, birthday card making and lots and lots of planning and scheming for my future....

{craft feather c/o Wholeport}

Oh how short, sweet escapes can do wonders for ones soul!

shepherd's delight

I love this time of year with her pink skies and dandelion fairies and seedlings putting on a show....

pulling the car over to the side of the road to pick wild primrose so my Mom can check they smell the same as she remembers from when she was a girl.

I love waking early and pulling up the blinds, enjoying a cup of strong tea while looking out at the morning clouds....wondering if today they will break and let the sun say hello or they'll churn up a rainstorm instead.

Such mornings call for stove top porridge with an extra spoonful of honey, Skype dates with Dallas and alone time at my desk writing pages to sweet friends across the seas.

The sting of losing our little friend is still present but losing myself in sweet moments and reminding myself she is no longer suffering is the tonic that works best for now.

This weekend I will celebrate my Thirtieth birthday with a trip to London!

I'm looking forward to bike rides and art exhibitions, good East London curry and a Jack the Ripper walk~ stay tuned ^.^

⋙⋙⋙currently⋙⋙⋙

⋙⋙⋙ reading⋙⋙⋙

I've been scavenging through old keepsake boxes, pulling out and reading through old letters from friends past and present. Reminiscing over old travel photos and more journals I kept during different travelling trips.

I'm so happy I kept these journals as they have brought back such beautiful memories that I hadn't remembered in years and years. It's a lot of fun to view the world through 23 year old Louise's eyes again ^.~

⋙⋙⋙ planning⋙⋙⋙

The wonderful folks at Wholeport sent me these magnificent feathers and an embroidery hoop last month.
I'm planning on fashioning a dreamctacher out of these beauties.
Keep your eye out for a DIY post very soon!

⋙⋙⋙ watching⋙⋙⋙

Lot's of antiques and wildlife shows with my parents and B-horror movies at night.
'Nude Nuns with Big Guns'.
I an't even kidding.

⋙⋙⋙ eating⋙⋙⋙

I posted yesterday about my clean eating regime and I'm still loving every bite, every nut, every berry, lots of green tea...and hot buttered toast with jam, of course!

⋙⋙⋙ writing⋙⋙⋙

No big surprises here, I'm still hooked on my letter writing and I get so excited when a new reader contacts me for a mail swap!

⋙⋙⋙ listening⋙⋙⋙

I'm hooked on Phosphorescent's new album Muchacho, particularly 'Song for Zula' is just heavenly. 

But I do always come back to this tried and true track 'Wolves' from 2007~ the lyrics are just so perfect. 

⋙⋙⋙ learning⋙⋙⋙

{{source}}

The truth

P.S// don't forget Stars in Jars has a new Facebook page~ let's be friends!

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travel//journal

These past few days have been chilly, snowy, nothing to do but roam around the house days.

I have reminiscence written all over me.

Photo albums are being pored over, old love notes read and re-read and journals flipped through and smiled at fondly.

Above is the journal I kept on my first trip to India back in 2009, it's probably been about three years since I last read through it. My fingers tips are worn smooth from turning so many pages that still smell like a mixture of incense and spices, a ghost of a scent trapped and preserved between the pages after all these years.

Reading through my entries I'm amazed at how resolved I was to document not just the events of my trip but the emotions, the connections, the conversations and the lessons learned.

I scribbled down quotes and snatches gleaned from chats with fellow travelers; things that resonated with me or I wanted to remember for future reference. Compliments given to me or assertions on life that had never occurred to me before.

I wrote lengthy excerpts from books that I was reading while I traveled, stories told by taxi and rickshaw drivers, my fortune given by a palm reader.

 There are maps, phone numbers and email addresses scribbled in the margins alongside my own doodles and calender entries detailing what I did each day.

 I will forever know that on June 4th of 2009 I "Sat next to the ocean reading Hemingway and drinking Ginger Lemon Honey Tea".

Every page is filled with the people I met, their impressions on me, the experiences I had, the romances and what I learned from them.

I'm so glad I have this keepsake from the most magical and influential 4 months of my life to treasure and keep for always.

It's a reminder in this time of healing of what once was and what once again can be.

I'll leave you with a final thought- a sentence scribbled on to the first page of my book, whether it was a quote I heard or read or it came from my own brain I can't remember, but it's a nice thought, and one that serves me well in this current path I'm taking...

pen + paper

It makes my heart so happy to know so many of my readers share my adoration for pretty handritten letter swaps and I've had such a wonderful time creating individual little pen and paper creations for everyone who has contacted me for mail and package swaps.

Since I will be relocating very soon to Ireland my return address for all those who I am currently pen-palling with will be different.

I have emailed everyone who I am actively involved in exchanges with right now to let them know my new mailing address but in case I have overlooked anyone and you haven't heard from me please email me at tremblingstarz {at} gmail {dot} com for my new address.

I don't want this move to affect any standing pen-pals I've already made, I'm forever happy when I'm sitting down surrounded by paper and pen and handmade envelopes connecting with mysterious people from faraway places.

If you want to become a pen-pal don't hesitate to email me.

I'd love to connect with you via mailbox!

heart sabbatical

This past year since I arrived back in Korea has been a full one, packed like a bulging suitcase with  extremes; extreme highs , extreme lows, landmarks and downfalls in both my personal and love life. Things of which I have alluded to on here but not given the full un-edited version.

Sadly, for the past few months the bad moments have overtaken the good, and while I could brush them off like raindrops before, now I feel as if I'm caught up in a full blown rainstorm. 

For these reasons I have made the difficult decision to cut my contract with my school early and take some time off to go home and be with my family. To give myself the time and space for my heart to recover, for wounds to heal.

Living in a foreign country has the most amazing benefits in terms of life experience and rich memories to treasure but when things turn sour it can be a lonely, lonely position to be in.

Right now I'm looking forward to returning to the familiar, the loved ones, the comfort of my real home.

I hope you guys keep following me while I'm on my healing heart sabbatical.

My parents live in the rural countryside of Ireland, the perfect place for relaxation and wound-licking!

And gosh how I can't wait to give my parents a big koala-bear hug! 

mail swaps

My love for all things sealed inside an envelope and found hidden inside letterboxes is no secret around these parts and today I wanted to give you a little peek inside one of my received envelopes ^^

I had the sweetest gift waiting for me in my mail box last week... a package swap from the beautiful Nicole from Gypsy in Jasper.

Nicole is from the Canadian Rockies and she put together the loveliest little treasures for me to discover in her package including stickers, cute woven bracelets, a scarf, wooden beads and this adorable crochet envelope that she hand-made herself.

Everything was so thoughtful and put together with love and attention, right down to the sweet message inside the card.

Thank you so much Nicole, I was delighted with every last thing and can't wait to send a treasure or two over to your part of the world!

If you are interested in taking part in snail mail or package swaps with me see this post for how to get in touch.

I love connecting with people the world over through this little internet pocket I have or through all things handwritten and lovely!

Also, why don't you pop over to Abhaya today where I am guest posting for Sondra while she gypsy steps her way around India (lucky thing). 

You can discover my second Korean love beside the paper goods...cute cosmetics!

the sunday slowdown

There's nothing a little tea and a sweet letter can't fix.

I love the peace and the quiet of a Sunday,

the way it bookends the week with a little pocket of solitude and wind-down time.

This day of the week keeps me sane and centered.

I dance to a slower melody.

Today I checked the mailbox and found the sweetest snail mail from a dear friend who knew exactly what I needed to lift me out of a little mood rut.

I made myself a hot cup of British tea to remind me of home, set out fresh roses and set aside an hour to slow sip, read over fond memories and just be.

I'm forever blessed to realize I have friendships that have survived time and distance and prolonged absence.

Swoony, cozy, cups of tea-filled Sundays are where it's at.

^^

group giveaway//cute korean stationary

It's no secret around here that I am a certified stationary junkie and it just so happens I am living in the creme de la creme of paper slinging countries.

Korea has the cutest, most decorative and affordable paper goods for all of your journaling, snail mailin' and crafty needs.

If you would like to get your hands on ALL of the hand-selected Korean stationary items shown above then please take part in this super group giveaway I am taking part in hosted by the cutest (and, incidentally Korean-American) gal Sarah over at Love Sarah K.

She is hosting a huge giveaway featuring myself and 6 other contributing bloggers with prizes including free premium ad space for your blog, a Stila palette, Hobby Lobby goodies and Amazon vouchers.

You can choose if you want to enter for one or all of the giveaways in the Rafflecopter on her blog post.

My Dad always says if you ain't in you can't win, so why not? ~.^

Scroll down for more details on my Korean cuties waiting for a new home...

~ flower stamp

~animal book marks

~ 2 sets of decorative washi tape

~ pencil set

~ 2 ink pens

~ recyclable bottle caps

 ~ mini hug cat cards

~ matryoshka doll card

~ vintage stamp stickers

~ scandinavian index label stickers

~ day planner

~ geometric notebook

If you win, ALL of these items will be sent to you!

For entries all you have to so is follow my blog through GFC, follow me on Bloglovin or on Pinterest.

Each follow will gain you one entry.

Head over and get you entries in now...x

the sunday slowdown

Is it almost Spring yet?

I have a hankering for flowering baby buds and warm window panes and

I'm tired of fending off colds that are coming for me left, front and back!

This morning I scooped up my book, pens and writing paper and escaped to the coziness of the coffee shop for a few hours of reading and writing therapy.

Works a charm on me every time.

My soul is craving some good outdoors time, but for now the snow and the frost have me running for cover every time I venture out of the apartment.

I have to remind myself the deeper we move in to February the closer we inch toward Spring and warm air and good changes.

When I think back to Spring last year, when I was home at my parents house in Ireland, taking long walks every day, spotting wild horses in the fields and taking photos of old churches, I realize now just how happy a time that was for me.

As much as there is a hermit in me (incidentally, The Hermit was one of the first cards I pulled at my Tarot reading) who loves the hibernation involved in Winter, there is another part of me that loves the freedom and call of the outdoors that Spring offers.

I hope that Old Man Winter is being sweet to you, he is a charming old wizard after all...but I am ready for a little bit of change ^^

howl.

“The desert and the ocean are realms of desolation on the surface.

The desert is a place of bones, where the innards are turned out, to desiccate into dust.

The ocean is a place of skin, rich outer membranes hiding thick juicy insides, laden with the soup of being.

Inside out and outside in. These are worlds of things that implode or explode, and the only catalyst that determines the direction of eco-movement is the balance of water.

Both worlds are deceptive, dangerous. Both, seething with hidden life.

The only veil that stands between perception of what is underneath the desolate surface is your courage.

Dare to breach the surface and sink.” 

― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

DIY// craft paper envelopes

Raise your hand if you are a stationary fiend.

I'm more than a little obsessed with pretty paper goods and rarely leave a craft/stationary store without a bag of loot in tow.

I found this darling how-to on Pinterest on how to make your own envelopes using wallpaper samples.

I happen to have a box of craft papers which have been sitting on the shelf all sad and lonely since Christmas.

Now they have been transformed into these beautiful envelopes just singing for a handwritten letter to be slipped inside and mailed across the seven seas.

This tutorial is so quick and easy these things practically make themselves.

Ready? Let's go...

The supplies: 

~ craft paper/wrapping paper/wallpaper samples or any pretty patterned paper you have to hand

~an ordinary envelope

~scissors

~pencil

First, open out your envelope, lay it on the back side of your craft paper and use it as a template to trace around with a pencil.

Cut out your template shape with scissors to get an envelope shape.

Fold each corner at the edges.

Use glue to stick together the bottom and each of the two side flaps.

That's it! You are done!

See I told you it was super easy ^^

Decorate with pretty stamps and labels and fill with love notes and pen pal letters and poems and cards and anything else that people love getting in the mail!

the sunday slowdown

The weekend shaped up to be a pretty good one ^^

The weekend was a birthday celebratin', snail mail writin', stationary buyin' kind of a weekend.

It was a music + reading friday, a curry + good company saturday and a pajama + pizza sunday.

My yoga membership expired a couple of weeks ago and my muscles have been really missing it.
This morning I did some lovely deep lower back stretches and managed to set free some little pockets of bad energy that had snuck in and were just hanging out back there...
So long!

I bought a set of darling vintage postage stamp stickers yesterday which set my idle hands into action today and I sat and wrote reams of letters and crafted a string letter with pizza and netflix and a sleepy boy by my side.

There's something so sweet about a Sunday's pace don't you think?

invite

Despite January's deep strides towards it's own middle I have decided to plow on with the advent window art journal prompts for as long as it takes me to be done with them.
These little scraps of paper have been doing work on this gals soul-digging, emotion-grabbing, creativity-pushing capabilities.
And she's lovin' it ^^
I've been promising myself to start an art journal for the longest time and these prompts are just the thing to poke out the inky fingered journaling girl living inside of me.
Today I pulled the word 'invite' so I free-wrote all and everything that I want to invite into my life in this new year.
Do you art journal? Have a link? Please share, I'd love to see it!