on journaling // molly.

// nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it. //

lucy maud montgomery

little miss molly hooper - petite, charming, adorable, british, and a dear - just like the darling character she's named after. molly is a bit different from her antecedents in that she is thinner and composed of mainly art and other bits n' pieces of summertime life, but already her pages are becoming bulky with envelopes being stuffed with paint chips, poetry, and other notes. if I were forced to choose between this pretty and a notebook, molly would win without question.

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obviously, I am not a professional at journaling {I mean, who is really?}, and am still trying to find my own unique style in this art, but I thought I would compose a list with a few things that have helped me in my journaling journey in hopes that they will help you spice up a normally dull book that eventually ends up blank collecting dust up on the shelf.

+ naming the journal.
for some unexplainable reason, naming my journals have helped immensely. my first completed journal was named livvy, and since she was a decent success, the two following notebooks have been named as well. perhaps, I view notebooks more like writing a letter to an inanimate friend - the best friend for not judging silly thoughts or critically pointing out all my mistakes. ;) 

+ you are an artist. 
SMASH journaling has really helped inspire me to think unconventionally in adding anything and everything that will fit into a book. I type lists, quotes, and poems on paper bags, envelopes, and paint chips while feathers always add a touch of adventure to any page. quotes are an incredible inspiration, and thanks to good reads and pinterest - these are sources that will never run out.

+ typography practice.
this woman is my top inspiration on journaling. her work is absolutely superb, combining anything and everything into a journal - and her style of art is definitely distinct, her own trademark. in all my researching, I have not stumbled upon anything that looks like her projects. she occasionally gives tips on her site. one of her tips that she suggested was to create a separate book to practice different handwriting every day. well, unlike most people {apparently}, I have little time to sit down and write in my journal let alone time to practice my handwriting! so whenever I'm not in a hurry with my entry, I try to combine different styles of writing. elongated printing, tall cursive, swirls, arrows, dots, lines, curls, - for the most part my handwriting stays the same, but adding those small details to the heading or a quote really makes a difference [another style I'm loving, right now, is faux calligraphy in the middle of the page and writing around it].  

+ copy and pinterest. 
part of being an adventurer/documenter is observing patterns, gathering inspiration, and adapting other people's works into your own. if there is an artist I specifically love, I try to copy their techniques and style. now, before you label me as a, "copycat," let me just say that try is the key word. usually when I try it turns out to be something so completely different that I end up going with my own ideas. pinterest is an incredible source of inspiration in general, but I know I would not be journaling like I am now without inspiration from this board.  

+ having the peace of mind...
that this journal is yours and yours alone. as a perfectionist, it is difficult to say, "who cares?" when I make a mistake as a lot of effort is put into each page. but truly, it's one of the things that you learn with journaling: you are going to make mistakes. I personally don't mind if somebody would look at my journal, but I do take comfort in the fact that nobody probably will ever be interested in viewing my silly thoughts. most of the entries comprise silly notions, trailing thoughts, and every day happenstances; but somehow I just know that it will be worth all the pains of taking careful note of present things in the future. 

+ writer's block. 
don't worry. I'm there at the moment, and in all honesty, sometimes I'm not at all enthusiastic at the idea of journaling. I suppose, it's just like any other art form - sometimes you're incredibly inspired, while other times, you're at a standstill. lists are great "filler entries," if I'm absolutely determined to scribble in my journal that day.

+ being comfortable...
finding a place where you are comfortable with journaling is key. forced entries, when read over again, can be determined just that: forced. if journaling is not your thing, don't stress. there are plenty of other creative writing outlets {like blogging for one} out there in the great wide somewhere. but to those who are interested yet don't think they can keep it up, I highly encourage them to give it a try. because eventually memories fade as swiftly as they came, and sometimes your stories are just too good to loose. 
  

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other than blogging, what's your daily creative outlet? 
xx 

SUN RISE // SUNSET 

I CRAVED the BUSY - 

I CRAVE THE SILENCE EVEN MORE NOW. 

SOMETIMES,
when the sun filters through
the dustiest of corners, the ones wishing 
longing
waiting
to be filled with light
only then to disperse in fear 
at the awaited splashes of brightness

I THINK, WE'RE ALL JUST RUNNING IN CIRCLES 
like the shadows, 
WANTING THINGS JUST 

FOR THE MERE SAKE OF

HAVING THEM. 

I WONDER

WHAT WOULD WE BE -

WHAT WE WOULD ACCOMPLISH

IF IT WERE OTHERWISE.

happy sunday!

xx

postscript :: outgoing mail to a doll || taken with vsco cam on mum's ipad 

secret garden...

during the rest of the year, I feel my soul slumber,

trudging through monotony. 

but somehow in the summer,
(especially in the garden)
a spark is lit. a melody is sung. everything becomes poetry. 

in the wisps of the morning air

&

in the quiet spills of eventide

I am gently reminded of the stark difference

between living 

and being indescribably
 ALIVE.

across the lane, is a fence -
quite an ordinary fence at first glance. 
but there is a purpose in the truth of 
always look again, for
within its grasp lies a spot o' earth where succulents grow in every nook and spindly tendrils of wisterias flourish wild amidst the verdure. 
greenery tumbles down the terraces, like words stumble down paragraphs. 
a fountain bubbles cheerily, and little oddities serve different purposes: a tea cup for seeds and a bright blue teapot nobly brims with cheerful yellow blooms.  
in the morning, light splashes airily on the blushing peach-tinted roses 
while in the evening, 
crickets strum their lullaby 
and the cats dream contently in the attic. 

xx | the girl {in her neighbor's} garden

oh, hodgepodge. vol ii.

of late // 

+ we went camping this past weekend {if by camping you mean staying inside a thoroughly warmed, "luxurious," fifth wheel with hot, running water and roasting marshmallows without a camp fire [good o'le butane lighters!] - then yes, we went camping}.

+ how much does it say of me that I completely and hopelessly forgot to pack my toothbrush, but definitely remembered Mr. Pond? yeah, I supposed the same. *sheepish grin*
+ I'm starting to catch myself saying, "eh?" a lot, and I find it rather funny since I haven't watched a canadian in a very long while.
+star trek into darkness was absolutely phenomenal. [so good I saw it two times ;)] and of course for one obvious reason: benedict cumberbatch. ohmygoodness al;jfdlkasjf;ljsdaf. I loved him to begin with, but but but but - he just left me speechless!!!!! it's one of those things that hurts so much because you can't completely properly describe in words [or actions] how absolutely marvelous something/someone is. just watching him act on the big screens was an absolute treat n' a half. just his voice - gaaaah. and khan's hair! so different from sherlock's curly locks. okay, I suppose, I could ramble all day about him, so I'll stop [for now].
+ need to cry for a play on cue? listen to les miserables music, minutes before going on stage. but timing is key importance as results are instant.
+ did I mention before how absolutely marvelous BC was in star trek, yeah? *smiles*
+ I am ruing over that Doctor Who is completely done for awhile yet, until November and am torn between excitement and melancholy as my dear eleventh doctor will be regenerating in the Christmas special. how Moffat tangles our emotions, eh?
+ yesterday was my last homeschool graduation/promotion ceremony. it was a bit bittersweet, I'll admit. there are many families I will miss dearly. however, upon entering in my last year of high school and being one of the eldest in our homeschool group [not to mention one of the last of the original group], we are going to skip graduation next year and fly out to the sunny eastern side of the states for my A Beka graduation. *eeep!* how different it shall be to talk about teachers with fellow students. *smiles* ya'll are invited by the way to Pensacola next year. ;)
+ I can't sing soprano. I just can't. nope. and so, the question is now...how on earth am I going to sing in this play?!!!  
+ I kind of did a squealish happy dance, when I discovered that my two good friend through this reenactment were pronounced whovians + sherlockians. [the things that get me excited, I tell ya!] and all evening between singing my friend and I kept jotting quotes down {since we were supposed to be singing and hadn't any time to chat} as fast as our fumbling hands could write. 
+ after two hours of prepping + cooking + having a row with my blender + accidentally putting too much salt in the blender + then not adding enough salt in the blender and having to fetch some more basil + having another row with the cooking appliance = I finally made homemade pesto with basil used from my garden. 
[take a peek at my creation].

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xx 
from a fellow fangirl 

postscript: I dearly want to host another Sherlockian/Whovian Wholockian Google Hangout get-together again soon, and would like to add as many of you, pretty lady fangirls, as I can. friend me on G+ here, if you would like to be updated on times as to when that will be this summer [aiming for late June/early July]. ;) 
p.s.s. I can't really remember, but did I mention how brilliant BC is? *smiles* 

a day study.

“Anne stood under the willows, tasting the poignant sweetness of life when some great dread has been removed from it. The morning was a cup filled with mist and glamor. In the corner near her was a rich surprise of new-blown, crystal-dewed roses. The trills and trickles of song from the birds in the big tree above her seemed in perfect accord with her mood." anne of the island.

morning:

I like the smell of morning -
that awakening feeling
rustling in your sleepy bones.
i may not be a morning person 
in broad terms {i'd rather keep my 
head nestled on my pillow
tangled in my dreams}
but the first rays of light
upon the world
taste like no other.

"at noontime when the earth is bright with flaming heat falling straight down..." sappho

noontime: 

I like the feeling of day. 
the sun sewing its rays
into my skin, imprinting
itself. it's hot 
and perhaps muggy {california
summers are not gentle 
but ruthless} but to feel in 
general indicates aliveness. 
and it feels so good to be such. 

"i often think that night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." van gogh.

eventide: 

I like the sound of evening
which resonates within my heart 
like no other. it is watching
the wind cool the earth
with her kisses
and hearing the spindly tendrils 
of breeze weave stories through 
the brambles; the sun, 
flecking the crests 
with gold; and the night
scintillating with innumerable
flecks of silver that strike
awe in my heart and life
in my soul.   

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what is your favorite time of the day? 
one || two || three
xx