free people road trip

Let me see....spectacles, testicles, wallet+ watch.

Ok, I think I have everything >.<

No sooner have I arrived here in London and I'm hitting the road again!

I could have done cartwheels on the moon when this exciting opportunity came up a few weeks ago.

To celebrate their UK launch, clothing brand Free People are hosting a weekend long road trip to the pretty seaside town of Newquay in Cornwall... and they invited me to come down and cover the event for their blog!

Wild stories of VW camper vans, live music and beach yoga classes have my heart skipping beats and I'll probably burst with excitement on the train down there today. To even be asked is such a huge honour and I'm stoked that this brand are launching in my homeland~ I love losing myself in their collections, they always stir the wildness in me.

If you fancy following the fun in Cornwall this weekend you can do so on instagram: #fproadtrip

Back soon!

(with sand in my jorts probably ^.^)

oh lovely readers...I need you!

My heart did ten back flips when I discovered Stars in Jars made it to the top three in the Free People UK Guest Blogger competition this week!!!

I submitted this post into the competition and then didn't give it a second thought so to be told I made the final 3 was so joyful! 

The next stage of the competition is to rack up the most votes. I just took a peek and I am trailing WAY behind the other two finalists haha!! 

Their posts are stellar though so muchos kudos to them >.<

If you, lovely readers, could take two seconds to click on the link below and vote for Stars in Jars today you will receive one sparkly unicorn and a magical rainbow cape in the post tomorrow.

Not really, but you will have made one girl very happy ^.^

Go team!!

http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/08/uk-guest-blogger-competition-vote-favorite-entry/

I'm so glad that you're here! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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Tired eyes and bed head~ I'm planning to sleep for the next 10 hours.

 We drove 8 and a half hours in the rain to collect this little sass-mouth today.

Folks, meet Buddy. The new man in my life.

 Just look at that belly.

Blurry photo c/o my equally exhausted mom.

Buddy post coming soon!

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Currently reading this quirky little illustrated travel diary on my kindle.

 This is such a lovely little book, and proof that sometimes it pays off to judge a book by it's cover! 

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Have you ever seen a wild rose? They are growing in abundance by our house.
They smell like beautifully clean sheets on a freshly made bed. 
I must pick a few to make some rose petal ice cubes.

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I've been treating my sweet tooth here lately. In a clean way.

This week I made Almond Milk for the first time, with a few yummy flavourings thrown in. Perfect for making chai tea and pouring over muesli in the mornings.

The creamiest peach strawberry smoothie, I know it's twee but it's definitely more fun drinking them from a mason jar with a pretty straw ^.^

These ice pops were so yummy and easy to make~ just blend coconut milk, peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 banana and pour liquid into ice pop moulds.

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I've been catching up on my letter writing this week. If your waiting for post from me, it's being sent this Monday I promise!

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So excited about Fleetwood Mac's new single. It's all over the radio at the moment and I turn it all the way up every time.

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I picked up my Dad's copy of Willie Nelson's 'Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" and have started  thumbing through it... my old man managed to find a copy signed and doodled by the bandanna man himself which is pretty cool!

The book is full of hilarious anecdotes... my favorite so far is on the art of farting:

"My grandmother slapped a fart out of me one time that whistled like a freight train. It scared both of us really bad.

 She never hit me again."

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Next week I'll be heading back to Gweedore in Donegal for a few days of beach combing~ I plan on filling the car trunk with rocks, shells and driftwood which I can bring home and paint.

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Jess curled up by my feet, asleep.

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Tomato and basil soup with pesto and sun dried tomato wholemeal bread rolls.

I've also just discovered Sage tea~ it has anxiolytic properties which are of great benefit to me as I'm weaning of anti-anxiety medication right now.

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I love to write my blog posts in the twilight of the day...when the sun has kicked it's boots off 'till the morrow and I can hear the birds shooting the breeze through the open window, ringing and chiming from the trees like little bells.

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Lots of Patti Smith, Willie and Tom Waits, also I discovered Camel Heads through the penabranca tumblr which describes it perfectly and thusly:

"Influenced by Dead Man and North African desert blues, these long-form kraut jams will leave your brains baking on a rock in the Global South, drenched in cosmic sweat. Like waves crashing into the shoreline, the ebb and flow of Anoluz will free your mind, bury your toes in pink sand, and orient your lawn chair towards the sunset." 

Listening to this I kind of feel like I've walked into a bar in one of those Western films and I got a tinglin' in my trigger finger.

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I can always learn a little something from John.

stars in jars facebook page

Good morning campers ^.^

I have finally got around to creating a facebook page for Stars in Jars.

Free cosmic love & hugs all round if you click through and follow along with me there.

Absolutely do NOT like my facebook page if you're not fond of music, books, crafts or photos of gorgeous bearded men.

But! If mountain caves, blog shout outs, fiery nebulas, George Harrison circa 1974, navajo treasures and  frequent Stones/Joplin/Stevie Nicks video rewinds turn you on then...let's be friends!!!

Love you to the ☾ & ★'s

Lou

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...

blogs I dig

There are certain bloggers in my (long) list of daily reads who make my heart beat faster when I see a new post from them when I log in to my Bloglovin every morning.

These chicks are some of the most artistic,  talented, creative, inspirational, spiritual, bookish and wanderlustin' girls to rock the net.

Whether it's their beautiful photography, hand made creations, rad writing skills or eye opening thoughts on life each of these girls inspire me so much in one way or another every single day.

Three cheers for daydreamers + the internet...check these chicks out!

1. Roots and Feathers

2. Pony Gold

3. Sea, Field and Tribe

4. Pencil Box

5. Oana Befort

6. Gennine's Art Blog

7. I Believe in Story

8. The Girl Who Married a Bear

9. Floral Mountains

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! 

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{{source}}

I've just ordered a beautiful deck of Tarot cards and a book on how to read.
I had a very interesting first experience with Tarot reading earlier this year and so far every last thing the reader predicted for me has blossomed into a reality.
The future is and should be the wild unknown, but it can't harm to pull out the map and compass and try and explore it a little can it?
Even if I the cards don't show me anything or the right side of my brain ends up rejecting the concept of readings I'll be happy just to own these cards for the sake of their beauty and mystique.

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To catch up with an old beardy-weirdy friend and ex-cohort and a beautiful gal I've only know through the internet but have managed to magically bond with somehow online.

I can't wait to see them and introduce them to new stomping grounds and make a weekend-load's worth of memories.

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My current tv candy is the exceptional HBO series 'Girls'.

I'm in love with Lena Dunham and how she sticks her two middle fingers up at the stereotypical female body type.

I listened to Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own' on repeat for about a week after watching the episode where Hannah starts jamming out to it while tweeting.

Jessa is one of the most amazing tv characters written. To quote: 

""I'm going to look 50 when I'm 30, I'm going to be so fucking fat like Nico, you know why? Because I'm going to be full of experiences."

A to the men.

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Big ol' mugs of hot British tea and toast dripping with butter and marmalade.

Tastes like home sweet home.

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Lately I've been trying to spend less time typing and more time putting ink to paper.

My first love has always been writing stories and I've been scratching out a few picture and idea mood boards in my notebook for a short story idea I've had.

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{{Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie}}

I've been going rock-steady this past month or so. 

Blasting out eclectic sessions that leave drum-beats on my soul...

Jimmi, The Stones, Janis and Stevie Nicks have all been hollering from my speakers and shaking up this gal to her core.

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"Sometimes the healing is in the aching."

.. ▻▻▻◈◅◅◅ ..

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 ^^

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Reading // 

I've made a start on the Diary of Anaïs Nin~ she is a forever muse of mine and a master at documenting her inner mind and dreams.

Also, so beautiful.

 Planning //

After being bewitched by Beach House playing live in Seoul this month, my heart leaped in to my mouth when I learned Sigur Ros will play Korea in May.

I die!

Their album Takk still stirs me in deep and hidden places when I listen to it, I can't imagine what hearing Jonsi's voice live will do. I plan to find out though.

Watching//

'The Imposter'~ one of the most compelling and gut wrenching documentaries I have seen since 'Catfish'.

This is a real life mystery/thriller which left my jaw just dangling open. 

This is a story you're going to want to hear.

 Eating //

Salty and sweet home-baked Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip and sea salt cookies.

There's a party in my mouth and you're all invited. 

Find the recipe here.

 Writing // 

Stacks and stacks of snail mail. Mail to friends, mail to readers, mail to new-found blogging pals...

In my element.

 Listening // 

Dallas has been playing the new Foxygen album 'We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic' non-stop on Spotify and I've been bee-bop-a-loo-whoppin' along.
 Loving them.

 Learning // 

That to willingly start un-believing in something you unequivocally, irrevocably and invariably believed to be true is one of the worst processes a mind can be put through.



(Thanks to Danielle for this "Currently" list inspiration ^^)