Inspiration #16 - "Fairy" Tales

I DO Believe!

I don't have good images yet for this topic, so until I do, the fairy dolls will have to be stand-ins. I wish so much for a fairy tale life. With magic and greenery and nature surround. I know that it's completely unrealistic to wish for things like that however, I do believe that we can attempt at creating our own versions of these things. By attempting to surround myself with the things I find beauty in or by learning to embrace what we have to work with, I can create my own version of a fairy tale. Okay, so I might not live in a mushroom, or in a tree trunk, or have wings to fly about, I am aware of this. But if I don't try to come close to the idea, what am I really doing? I recently made myself some soft, sheer, billowy type curtains for my bedroom for this purpose. I find it adds an air of whimsy and romance that wasn't there before. Silly? Maybe so, but I definitely enjoy looking at them more than I did before! And isn't that what it's all about? I recently redecorated the living room as well, and while there is nothing fairy tale about it, I feel it is more romantic and whimsical than it was before and I far more enjoy sitting out there now.

Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels. But their magic sparkles in nature. ~ Lynn Holland

Upon finding this quote I realized, this is exactly what I think. I believe in the beauty of nature. Dew drops on flower petals. Lacy leaves scattering sprinkled light onto the soft grass below. Mossy rocks and glittering streams. I love all of these things, I so enjoy nature and the gifts found there. I try to bring a bit of that into my life as much as possible. And if fairy magic sparkles in nature, and I bring nature to me, then just maybe I will be fortunate enough to encounter my own lil "fairy" tale.

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~ Author Unknown

Inspiration #15- Remembering to Dream

Sounds so simple, but it seems all too easily we forget.

I've had my share of difficulty remembering this because, as I sleep I rarely dream. And when I do, it's almost never good. So I've got to remind myself that if sleeping dreams do not come, I need to think more of lucid dreaming. Whatever it was I wanted all my life some how escapes me more times than not. Yet, I am married to the man I love, I have a wonderful, albeit crazy, son. So far, majority of my dreams have come true. I still want for a larger family, a house of my own, some place I can create an oasis of the things I love. I want my own castle of a home, a place that can be changed as we need it to be. But the dream? Right now I have no idea what that is. So I thought this was a good quote to help remind myself, if no-one else, dream. Because if you can dream, you can turn your dreams into wishes, wishes into goals, goals into success and finally, success of the dream into reality.

Inspiration #14 - Beholding What We See

Mirrors to the soul. Pretty graphic I found online.

Sometimes the most beautiful thing to me is looking into my son's eyes as he looks up at me. He's so full of wonder and curiosity. Funny I love to look at him while he's sleeping and his eyes are closed, but I can still tell how he sleeps from the amount of peace and serenity I find in his eyes. Eyes are one of the absolute first things I notice about a person, animal, creature. They can tell and hide so much. I am one that believes in the saying that eyes are the window to the soul. There are so many wonderful quotes out there about eyes, I thought I'd let some of them do the talking for me!

“The eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful, because his eyes, fearlessly accepting all exterior truth, read there, as in an open book, all the inner truth.” ~ Auguste Rodin

“The eye sees a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination awake.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“My eyes are an ocean in which my dreams are reflected.” ~ Author Unknown

“There is a road from the eye to heart that does not go through the intellect.” ~ G. K. Chesterton

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” ~ Henri Bergson

“Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes.” ~ Pablo Picasso

“Nature and Books belong to the eyes that see them.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are so many more of these wonderful quotes that I could go on forever! There can be so much said in a simple look, love and anger, sympathy and compassion. They shed tears of joy and sadness, express pain and elation. Eyes have this mystery about them. Sometimes what they are not telling is more telling than words on lips. We can find comfort and peace or trepidation through someone's eyes. You can find smiles and laughter in someone's eyes. Sometimes you can see their whole lives without speaking a word. I had to pick eyes as an inspiration because there are precious few things in this world that do so much by just being what they are.

Inspiration #13 - Orchids

A true luxury of beauty and elegance. I believe the species of orchid in the picture is: Phalaenopsis.

An incredible flower, the orchid has many amazing variations. The symbolism that revolves around the orchid is as follows: luxury, love, strength, and of course beauty. The orchid is seemingly delicate yet are found in the strangest more precarious places. To me, the orchid is exotic and luxurious. A symbol of class, power, understated strength and respect. There are so many different types of orchids, from the common dendrobium, to something more exotic like the Brassia there is bound to be something for everyone to fall in love with!

I found this poem online, it seems to fit nicely here:

The Orchid Flower
by Sam Hamill

Just as I wonder
whether it's going to die,
the orchid blossoms

and I can't explain why it
moves my heart, why such pleasure

comes from one small bud
on a long spindly stem, one
blood red gold flower

opening at mid-summer,
tiny, perfect in its hour.

Even to a white-
haired craggy poet, it's
purely erotic,

pistil and stamen, pollen,
dew of the world, a spoonful

of earth, and water.
Erotic because there's death
at the heart of birth,

drama in those old sunrise
prisms in wet cedar boughs,

deepest mystery
in washing evening dishes
or teasing my wife,

who grows, yes, more beautiful
because one of us will die.


Sad, ironic, and true. I have such an appreciation for orchids since my grandmother had such a large garden including many different varieties of orchids. Including some that I got for her a few years ago. Orchids really do set apart from other flowers. They are a true standout among the many in nature. And let us not forget the wonderful Vanilla orchids! Not just beautiful!

Inspiration #12 - Dragonflies

Dragonflies have awesome glass-like wings!

How cool are dragonflies?! When I see them I feel so privileged, they are fairly rare around here. Found mostly near or around water, they are around in Southern California, just not as common as in other places. They fly by with such ease and make me feel lucky to see them. I've always thought of them as good luck symbols and as creatures of wind, they are bearers of change.

There are around 5,574 different species of dragonflies.
Fun Fact: Dragonflies have 6 legs but cannot walk.
Some of the meanings or symbolism of the dragonfly are:
• Maturity
• Power & Poise
• Living In the Moment
• Opening of One's Eyes
• Prosperity
• Strength
• Peace
• Good Luck
• Harmony
• Purity
• Renewal
• Change

They are so intriguing the way they skitter over the water and flit around. They are strange and beautiful all at the same time, with glassy wings and brilliant shimmering colors. It's said the movement of the dragonfly's darting on the water is said to symbolize deep thoughts surfacing and represent lessons learned. It's amazing how many cultures and symbols are linked to this creature!


My own photo, taken at Descanso Gardens. Click on the photo for larger image.

Inspiration #11 - Polyvore is neat!

Find me on Polyvore

Here I picked a really cool site to share with you. This site is awesome because if you are a creative type this site allows you to express it, and if you aren't a creative type but want to make things it magically gives you ideas and inspiration. It also makes creating something cool really easy. The images above are what I created there and I've only belonged to the site for like 4 days! In any event, all you need is an idea, and if you don't have one, you can explore and see other things people have made, it's quite fun. Happy creating!

Inspiration #10 - Pick Me a Posy... or Peony!

Beautiful and lovely, so delicate and sweet. Simply love peonies!

Flowers play a large part in nature ( as the reproductive structure in flowering plants ), bees and birds alike frequent the fragrant beauties. Not only are they an integral part of nature, but they play a big part in human life. We grow them for our viewing pleasure, trim them to pretty-up our homes or give to loved ones. We use them at funerals to honor the people we've lost. They are also symbols in many different cultures and represent many different things. I've chosen the peony because they are so classically beautiful and remind me of my Aunt and Grandmother who had them growing in their yard. I actually hand carried a bunch on a plane from PA all the way to CA. ( Back when they still let you do that sort of thing! ) Memories of a simpler time I suppose.

Inspiration #9 - A Mourning Dove

Late at night I sit and wonder,
what does a dove so lovely mourn over?

Is it for love that's not yet found,
or maybe one that's worn and broken down?

Could it be for love that's lost?
Here you sit broken, heart cold as frost.

No, that feels more like me,
sometimes when I cannot see,
the full lush forrest whilst I wander out amongst the trees.

Is it for self that you mourn,
or is it something much more forlorn?

Perhaps you are singing songs of sadness and despair,
to show us that our world's in disrepair.

For my part I know the fate,
right now I feel I must escape,
run from all my hurt and pain,
oh please lord just let it rain.

And then you sing that haunting song,
your coo-ing makes me strangely calm.

With your song I reminisce,
on all the love in my life that I now miss.
But in the hopes one day they will return,
I sing with you that sad, sad song,
my heart unburdened.

~D. Archer

Normally, I wouldn't post this sort of thing on this site, but as of late there has been much suffering in my life. I find comfort in knowing that there are other things out there that can still be beautiful, while carrying such a deep, evoking name. These creatures are not only beautiful but a true wonder in their peaceful calm nature, thus they inspired me to write this poem and post it for everyone to see.

Inspiration #8 - The Perfect Time

An inside thing shared between me & my husband.

So, I bet you're wondering just why I'd post something like this, huh? I am aware that this may seem trivial to some, but it means something to me. See, I hadn't thought about this in a long time, then I came across this little quote, and smiled. It was something so truly silly, but sweet. I always had this idea that 12:34 was the perfect time, and it was the best time to tell each other that we loved one another. I smiled for the memory, but also because we weren't the only crazy ones out there that thought that 12:34 was special!

~ Love is time well spent, not wasted.

Inspiration #7 - Little Things

It is all about the little things, isn't it?!

I found this quote online some place, and I fell in love with it! How true is this? I know that we all know this, but it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves every now and again. Take time to enjoy some of the simplicities during the day, sometimes things don't seem as rough. The little things can be some of the best things in
life! I love the sound of my baby laughing, or watching him play with his daddy. Going outside in the rain to watch the water or play in the puddles. Buying a gift for someone for no specific reason, just because ( the best reason in the world! ).

Progression from something small!


~ Small doesn't feel so small after all!

Inspiration #6 - Luscious Lips

Lips can be so pretty and sexy and inspire all kinds of things! ( Random free image )

There are so many wonderful things in life, and lips are definitely one (pair!) of those special things. You can give a healing kiss to a suffering child, a loving kiss to someone dear to you, a passionate earth-moving kiss that leads to something more. They facilitate one of the greatest fascinations known to man; a smile. Without lips life would definitely be dull and boring! Whether smiling or pouting or pursed up in anger, lips help make us as expressive as we are. Sparkling or plain to sugar coated or glossy lips can be quite inspiring.. of what? That depends on the lips! People should strive to be so versatile!

~ Smooches!

Inspiration #5 - Hummingbirds

Beautiful example of the ability of hummingbirds. Photo by Marianne; shared on morgueFile

The other day, I was taking a walk with my husband and son and we noticed several hummingbirds visiting some flowers. We stopped to watch them as they came back and forth to the flowers and trees beside us. It was so amazing to watch them flit between the leaves with such amazing precision and poise. While they were aware of us, they weren't afraid. The way they moved was so swift and clean it was simply inspiring to watch them.
They are so fast and so accurate it was amazing to watch them just being themselves and doing their own thing. The way they can stop and hover mid-air is cool, but not half as cool as how they can fly backwards!It's just unreal! So fun to watch!

~ Feeling Fluttery!