February Sundry

loving of late // 

this playlist 
simply breathing

sunbeams sifting through almond branches laden with snowy blossoms

afternoon rides in daddy's new truck

typewritten letter from a doll 
baking integrated in my weekly routine 
dancing
bare feet
messy hair 
sun setting later
lavender that reminds me of summer months soon to come 
clementine rinds
reading emily dickenson
future adventures
steaming cuppa vanilla tea in the morning
afternoon excursions to the farmer's market
open windows letting in 
spring air

projects // 
heart doilies
cloud mobile
cluster shawl
this embroidery hoop
brown paper parcels tied up in twine

inspired by // 
art journals
wanderlust
this lovely post  

words //
fernweh
sunbeam
jocund
pastel 
onomatopoeia 
appetence
springtide 
and all these

between stifling the dire urge of throwing my geometry book out the window, mourning over reichenbach {not to mention recovering from downton abbey}, frantically finishing up some late-valentine inspired lovelies for a dear friend I am to see next week {finally, spending time in the company with someone who understands [aka started] my insanity}, preparing for a spring vacation trip to OC, scribbling down all my scattered thoughts in my journal at the end of the day, shipping a brown paper package for this pretty lady's sweet sixteen, feeling an overwhelming dose of wanderlust, preparing to audition for a play, dreaming/brainstorming summertime adventures, and drinking numerous cups of vanilla tea to keep relatively sane amidst it all...life has proven to be quite good. new and exciting opportunities are glinting on the horizon and although I am a bit reluctant to spread my wings, one only has this crazy messy life to live. so the only question which remains is...why not?

what have you been up to, lovely? 
xx | the girl in the springtide garden. 

in which the trees are awakened and the glen laughs allegro|springtide overture.

those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. >> rachel carson, silent spring

springtime is the only season to which arrives in our glen's parlor in a timely and reliable manner. she floats across the countryside casting regal airs and feminine grace with an elegant gossamer train trailing behind her that stimulates life in the land deep with slumber. the jocund daffodils come first in the latter days of january, pompously displaying their bonnets on sunny afternoons and shuddering on the rainy ones, while the almond blossoms begin to blink and unfurl their shimmering beauty late in february and lilacs laugh in april time. an effervescent herald of sundry shrills of the waxwings and sparrows and doves alike compose the royal intricate fanfare preceding spring's entrance. the earth stiffens as to salute spring's royal procession, but for a day or two, and suddenly vernal life bursts forth in a celebration of cheerful sunshine, while little sunbeams comb through daffodil beds and the knotted branches of almonds quiver shyly as they present shimmering pearls. the crests of the heaving hills are speckled with trees shaking their boughs awake with life after a long winter's slumber, while the valleys fill with shooting sprays of blossoms kissed with the gentlest of pinks.

the world awakes in spring - and not even the most descriptive of adjectives or the keenest of poetic genius or the sharpest of lenses have any hope in capturing the notes of spring's concerto.

fare thee well, winter. hullo, springtime! 

what is your favorite element of springtide?
xx | the girl in her springtide garden.

to the moon and back|happy birthday, gabby dear!

a friend is a person who knows what you are saying, even if you're not talking. understands what you're feeling,even if you don't understand your own feelings yourself.will always forgive you, usually before you forgive yourself. >> sarah bennett << 

it was just a comment. one simple nonchalant statement on a small-town girl's old blog. however, it became more than just that. her thoughtfulness lead to an email - a simple email filled with knitting resources and warm wishes at my succeeding in my failing attempts at knitting. this was a girl, I little knew, yet somehow felt a genuine love - the sister in Christ type of love - all enveloped within that small electronic message. and somehow that simple email, tugged at my heartstrings, touched me so very deeply, and a seed of a friendship was planted.

to-day. we are here. two years past with many long-distance phone calls, late night skype messaging, video chatting, and a bundle of handwritten letters to count. and you know what? I don't know how I could have lived {more liked survived} these past two years without her. she is the girl who inspires me in everything she does, whether she snaps a photograph, hand-writes a little postcard and sends it to me just because, or she publishes a little essay about her life on in her little corner of the blogging world which always seems to stir something I never knew was within my heart. and there's loads to say about her as she enters into her sixteenth year. like how she is as sweet as her pumpkin spice bars are {not to mention talented for coming up with that recipe}; like how she is a little drop of sunshine in my life that transforms my cloudy days into good ones and good days into fantastic ones; like she's the one who's thoughtful and takes the extra measure of being beyond considerate and supports me in everything, and like how she always makes the best of surrounding circumstances. I am honored and blessed beyond words to say that she is one of my dearest friend and adopted sister in the whole wide world.

darling girl, I wish you could see yourself how I view you, as a beautiful, creative, smart, wise, sweet, inspiring, talented, life-changing friend and godly young lady but most importantly to show you how our Heavenly father views you :: as a faithful servant and a bright light in a very dark world. there's so many things I could wish you as you enter into your sixteenth, and to name only a few: I pray that you will grow closer to our wonderful Savior, that new opportunities open before you, that your days will be filled to the brim with only the fondest of memories, and our friendship will only continue to strengthen as the years go by.

sweet girl {-er, your not a girl anymore but a beautiful sixteen year old lady ;)}, I wish I could be with you in person - for a moment - to give you a little squeeze, but until we meet {maybe sooner than you would expect ;)}, I send you from the bottom of my heart my love that extends no less than to the moon and back a million times o'er.    

happy sweet sixteen, dearest gabby!

love you lots, my dearest turkey!

x | your goosey girl. 

dancing on cloud nine.

on with the dance! let joy be unconfined;                                                                                            no sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet                                                                          to chase the glowing hours with flying feet.                                                                                             Lord Byron

it was my first victorian ball. the muffled sounds of ladies' melodious laughter, stifled squeals, and the rustling of cascading folds of satin skirts mingled about the room, while quiet "pardon me's" from shy gents were whispered occasionally if one "inconveniently" happened to collide with one of the blushing maidens. each surrounding young lady appeared to have another linked with her arm, and the clusters consisting of lace frills and satin ruffles reminded me of chrysanthemums in full bloom. the anticipated whisper rippled through the crowd, "the dancing is starting!" and soon the gymnasium was transformed into "fairyland" as miss fairfax would describe. a handsome young gentleman, unknown to my acquaintance, extended his gloved palm toward me and as soon as the first notes of music filled the room, a night of reels, quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas had begun.

    grand march, soldier's joy, gay gordon, virginian reel, waves of tory, spanish waltz, rip and snort, polka - the evening was filled with much california twirling, promenading,  whirling, breathless laughing, and merry-making as we danced atop the late hours on feet that never felt like they touched the ground. the shutters that dared to capture the magic, caught raw moments blurred with movement and faces that were beaming with laughter. 'twas an unforgettable night that will forever be imprinted within my mind. 
cloud nine is a beautiful place, dear reader, as long as one is prepared for sore feet the next morn. wink lovingly, the girl dancing in her garden.  postscript :: my daddy is the best chaperon one could ever ask for. ;) 

four year blogoversary giveaway

hullo, dearhearts! my, my! four years of tending this lil' garden o' mine and look how far we've come. together. there are a lot of things I really want to say, like how much every single one of you who visits my garden walk and leaves little bits of sunshine is so dear to my heart. and really. 'tis such an honor to write for such a lovely group of people. I suppose expressing my thanks in just a few mere words, will have to do for now as well as a little giveaway I have prepared. let's take a peek into three darling shops, shall we? 

etsy shop || blog || twitter || tumblr 

…a peek into the shop…

our first shop is kept by a pretty lady I have been blessed to become more acquainted with through letter correspondence. the lovely and oh-so-talentedly-creative miss katie of bird + willow runs an etsy shop filled with beautiful vintage and tenderly handcrafted delights. her lookbooks are stunning and each of the pages inside are artfully crafted with a love that is quite evident in her work. if you have not had the chance to view them, I highly encourage you to look here.   

// framed feather wall hanging // 

// renoir painting postcard set of 15 // 

// hello there stamped blank card // 

etsy shop || etsy profile

…a peek into the shop…

sweet karen runs our next establishment which is a delightfully whimsical little place brimming with handcrafted woodland-themed goods made specially for your beauty and health. she carries lip tints and body scrubs that sound almost scrumptious enough to be eaten. ;)   

wild rose lip tint

massage lotion bar

apple blossom lip tint

etsy shop || etsy profile || wine cubby || facebook  

…a peek into the shop…

last but most definitely not the least, we 

// jane austen regency stitch marker non-snag stitch markers // 

// fabulous vintage teapot non-snag stitch markers // 

// jane eyre non-snag stitch markers // 

// charlotte bronte three dimensional book stitch marker // 

// sherlock holmes non-snag stitch markers // 

// elegant cameo non-snag stitch markers // 

... product review...

it was a wonderful honor and pleasure to be able to write up a review to be included in this giveaway. 

dear brittany sweetly and most generously sent me a set of five stitch markers specially customized with some of my own photographs! I choose a few of my favorites from all the times I met this girl as we share a love for knitting. *wink* it will be lovely to knit up a few new creations with these lovelies. 

:: why I recommend brittany's shop :: 

| her customer service was splendid. just splendid! now, I must comment that it takes a lot of patience to work with a silly goose like me who can complicate the simplest of tasks. *smile* my requests were replied to with all promptness and she made sure that all of my questions were answered. it was truly a joy and blessing working with her!
| the high quality of her products could be seen in her work. the time and love she spent making each stitch marker is quite evident in her work.
|  shipping was incredibly fast {especially for a custom made product} and the items came in a neatly packed parcel, wrapped in bright red tissue paper. 

*disclaimer, I was not paid to do this review. all writings and photographs are my own.

__________________________________________________________________

...the giveaway...

| firstly,

my dear friend katie has sweetly contributed this lovely set of stationery from her shop. 

| secondly

karen kindly offered to giveaway this scrumptious sugar scrub...

| thirdly

brittany from knitcubby has most generously provided not one but two sets of knitting stitch markers from her darling shop!!! the first lucky lady will receive a set of four stitch markers, personally customized with their favorite downton abbey characters... 

{winner chooses which images they would like on their stitch markers!}

the second winner will be able to choose a any set of stitch markers $14.99 or under! there is such a lovely selection, it will be very difficult for you to choose. *wink*  

_______________________________________________

you may begin entering now, ladies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*update :: I unfortunately, forgot to mention that this giveaway is open to US readers only. apologies to my sweet International friends!

special, special thanks to katie and karen for making this giveaway possible as well as brittany for graciously sending the darling set for the product review! 

xoxo,

the girl in the garden.