Mondays Quote & a Showcase

Well as you can tell, Monday's Quotation is a little late.  I was so busy Monday with the grandson and he didn't have a long nap so I was unable to get to my laptop to post it.  Never mind, they say a change is as good as a rest so I will do it today instead.   Also, the lovely Jenny has sent me a picture of a recent card that she made using the border technique I showed you last month and I wanted to let you see it to;  so let's get started.
The quotation I have for you today is one of several that the smashing Christine Harrop sent to me.  I have been saving them to use for a special day and today is as special as any in my book; we are after all, alive!!

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, 

and the life of a candle will not be shortened. 

Happiness never decreases by being shared. 

                                                                     Buddha

 

and as Aristotle said

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

Thank you for sharing some of your favourite quotations with me Christine, it's lovely to see what words inspire others too.  
Now to Jenny's card.

 So much work has gone into this flamboyant but elegant creation, making it a beautiful keepsake that will be adored for many, many years to come.  
Jenny used my 'Grown Border' technique that I posted for you to see on June 22nd, but she has adapted it and I think it looks even better than my attempt.  If you look closely you will see that Jenny has linked the 'arms' at the bottom of the border diecut with the top of the border on the previous row.  This is very effective and an easier way to join them too. 
The K card or Star card can take alot longer to make, but it still is a top favourite among crafters as it allows you to be very creative, even going as far as to create totally different 'scenes' within each section.   I love the way you have used different apertures in your card Jenny and have 'recycled' the waste bits from the Parisian diecuts to make the fancy shapes all the way around the edges of them.  Totally inspired and a very creative card indeed.  Thank you again for letting us see your lovely work.


Thats it for today, I am off for a couple of hours sleep now as I have been up all night again.  I just hope this rain has eased by the time I wake because it has gotten really heavy again and the wind is picking up too.
I do hope the weather is nicer where you are and you all have a good day.  
I have a card with something a bit different tomorrow;  Glossy accents & Microbeads is all I will say for now.  Catch you soon Linda xx

Monday Quotation

 I had so much to do earlier with the Commenters draw and the BIG 100 followers Candy that I wasn't able to do my quote, so here it is. 
I found this beautiful and thought provoking quote on the blog of a lovely lady by the name of Megan. She has an inspiring blog full of freebies that she designs using freebies from around the web.  It is really worth a visit if you have time. Click  Here  if you would like to go straight there.

Whoever you are, be noble;
Whatever you do, do well.
Whenever you speak, speak kindly;
Give joy wherever you dwell.

The Second Ontario Reader, 1923

Isn't this a good life philosophy.  How sweet life would be if we all lived by these simple things.

Bye for now.  Be happy.  Linda xx 

Storage idea

Morning all,
I hope you have all had a good weekend.  It has rained all weekend where we are in S. Wales, UK, but at least we have not had floods as some poor people have.  My heart goes out to them all, it must be devastating.
I would like to thank everyone again for the lovely comments for my Butterflies Challenge card, I was very nervous about entering it into challenges, but I am glad I have, at last, had a go.

Today I have the last of my storage ideas to share with you.  Lots of pictures that I hope will give you some inspiration.
I acquired a set of filing drawers when my sister moved back to Canada and it has been such a bonus in my craft room.  To go inside I purchased a bulk pack of the hanging (suspension) files and started sorting through my boxes.

When my craftroom was set up I had the drawers put under my main desk so they sat right next to my legs.  This allows for easy access.






In each of the files I keep alot of the items I would like to grab quickly to help with my creating or finishing on my cards etc.

Here I have my acetate pieces from my Spellbinders packaging, plain cds for altering, doeflex and spare acetate.

 


I also store my craft sheets, cutting mats for my diecutting machines, sticky adhesive sheets and wax sheets etc





 A large cardboard backed plastic wallet holds A4 magnetic sheets for all my border dies and Grand die.
There are some new Cricut cutting mats here too.

(Sorry about this blurred picture, I think I had the shakes taking it.)



Thickers, rubs on and adhesive alphabets are all kept here too.  I can add them to a project quickly, without having to get up and go hunting around for them.

The last picture I have for you is the file for my fabrics that I use for flowers etc.   They include wool felt, paper backed felt, hessian (burlap), metallic mesh, thin leather etc.





The bottom drawer of the two is kept for storing the papers from my CDs etc.  A few year ago, I found two expandable files in the sale and that was how I first stored all my papers.  When I had my craftroom done I was going to get rid of them but I found they fitted well into these drawers and so I kept them.  Now all the papers I print go in here.



There are approx 10 more files in the drawers that I didn't show.  I just wanted to give you some ideas of the things that store well in hanging files and show you how easy it makes it to have them very close at hand.
I hope that some of you have been able to find something of help within my storage ideas.
I don't have fancy cupboards or coordinating fitments but my area has been designed to be fairly inexpensive, easily accessible and space saving.
Well that's it for now, except for the usual Monday Quotation, it is one that I had to learn early in my life and have tried to live by since (not always successfully, but I try!!)

Have patience with all things, 

but chiefly have patience with yourself.   

(Francis de Salle)

I hope you all have a great start to the week.    Hugs Linda xx

How to make your day better

Hi all,
you may think this post is a bit of an oddity but I thought it would be nice to do something a little different before I posted my card for the day  (I've scheduled the card for lunch time, hope that's ok).
We all have days where we, for one reason or another, don't feel as happy or as chirpy as we should and so I thought I would post these ways to be happy ideas for a bit of inspiration.
As you read them you will see the ones that I truly agree with and you will also notice what I love to do in my life - spend my life in the bath!  Only joking, I only do that once a day I promise.  LOL!
It is, in fact, a wonderful way to ease my back but also boost my spirits at the beginning of every day.  I have used my bath time to cry away my troubles, think things through, organise my day, even design card layouts.  But my most obscure use of bathtime is thinking up ways to use my new dies... how about that for whacky!!  I tell you I can bath, daydream and dream cutting dies, I love them so much.
Anyway, I am side tracking again.  Boy I can waffle with the best of them, probably beat them actually (see I'm doing it again....arrrghhh)

Here they are:-

How to make your day better

1:  Wake up a few minutes earlier.   (This is definitely true!!)

You know the scenario; you wake up in a flurry of panic the moment your alarm goes off because you need to be on time for work. You rush around the house trying to get ready but somehow get more cereal down your crisp white shirt than in your mouth; you put the milk in the dishwasher instead of the fridge; and, as you rush from room to room your sleeve gets stuck on the door handle, sending you hurtling back a metre as you were mid-way through marching out of the living room on a mission (is there anything more annoying when you’re in a rush?). As you can probably relate to from this example, being short of time makes your stress levels rise and you’re in a pickle faster than you can say “should have set my alarm earlier”. Make your mornings easier by setting your alarm 15 minutes before you need to get up. This will leave plenty of time for your body and mind to wake up so you can get ready without the stress.

2:  Have a bath.   (My ultimate favourite and proved true by me....... LOL!!)

Rather than that quick dash in and out of the shower, make some me-time and have a bubble bath and some time to work on your personal appearance. Our day always seems to go better when we look and feel our best, so gentlemen, have a shave and use a deep moisturising balm. Ladies, apply face and hair masks and paint your nails alongside your bath. It’s surprising how much a little me-time can perk up your day.

3:  Make a happy list   (This one is why I love doing my Monday Quotes!)

Sometimes we dwell on the things that make us sad rather than concentrating on what makes us happy. It takes a little brain training to change your thought process from negative to positive, and a good way to do this is make a list of things that make you happy and keep referring to it every time you feel sad. Whether you want to write down your favourite quote from a movie, the date of a holiday you have booked, or you stick down a photograph of yourself on one of the happiest days of your life, it’s sure to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down in the dumps. Corny? Yes. Helpful? Most definitely.

4:  Housework   (Life drama?  I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards…. now I clean whatever I can reach…….. LOL!)

It may not be your favourite activity, yet keeping your home clean and tidy could help you stay fit and healthy and keep off those extra pounds. According to a poll on household chores, the average person walks more than 22 miles and burns off 50,000 calories a year while cleaning their home, making it a great alternative to the gym. Furthermore, research funded by Cancer Research UK found that doing household chores can reduce women’s risk of breast cancer by 30% in pre-menopausal women and 20% in those post-menopause.

5:  Prioritise your tasks   (I write lists for cards to make, shopping, jobs to be done……… I’ve always done it)

A common reason for us to be having a bad day is stress. Having a long list of tasks to do can be overwhelming so tackle any problems head-on at the start of the day to get them out of the way as early as possible. Tackling your problems in the morning will eliminate feelings of worry throughout the rest of your day. A good way to prioritise your tasks is to write them all down and then number them from one to 10, with one being the most important, and 10 being the least important. Work your way through the tasks starting with the most important first, and tick them off as you go along. You will feel a sense of achievement each time you tick a task off.

6:  Sniff a lemon   (I use citrus in my revitaliser, it really lifts the mood in the house)

Yep, you read that right. To improve your day, simply sniff a lemon. Scientists at Tel Aviv University suggest that citrus fragrances – particularly lemon – can alleviate depression and boost our mood. Indeed, the smell of a lemon boosts your levels of serotonin (a feel-good hormone) and lowers levels of norepinephrine (a stress hormone), so improve your day by burning a lemon scented candle or spritzing on a lemony fragrance, or you could just go all out and sniff a lemon.

7:  Sweat it out   (Gym? Couldn't if I wanted to (phew!!) but dance in the living room? That's me!!)

Encourage your body’s natural feel good hormones to give your mood – and ultimately your day – a boost. Walk the dog, go for a run, or dance around the living room for half an hour; anything that gets your blood pumping and makes you sweat will do the trick. The endorphins released during exercise are scientifically proven to boost your mood, making any form of physical activity a sure-fire way to boost your day.

8:  Cuddle someone   (Cuddles from my grandkids. The best destress ever!! Ooooo! I do love them!!)

With the soaring popularity of the ‘cuddle party’ phenomenon, more and more people are discovering the benefits of a good snuggle. A warm embrace boosts the natural feel-good hormones released by the body, reduces stress, and creates a feeling of mutual trust. Beware though, whilst cuddling is a great mood-enhancer, we do recommend that you be selective over whom you choose to embrace; your boss or the window cleaner may not appreciate a cuddle as much as your spouse or your pet. If you prefer something a little less intimate, there’s nothing to stop you from expressing your feelings through a man hug (yes, this can be done by the ladies too), or maybe even a high-five to release those happy hormones.

(Credit and Thanks toYahoo Lifestyle & Realbuzz.com) 

Well that's it for now, I hope you liked some of the ideas.  See you at lunchtime with my latest creation.  It's back to the Spellbinders as I am having withdrawal symptoms again! :)
Regards Linda xx

Monday Quote

A very quick post this morning as I am up to my eyes with the grandson.  I will, however, be back later this evening with something very special and worth the visit I think.  (Hint...... think  'Pay it Forward')

My first quote for this morning is one by Victor Hugo.  I love this one because it truly discribes how a laughter or just a simple smile can totally light up the face....

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

The second quote is by George Bernanos....

To be able to find joy in another's joy:  that is the secret of happiness.

Isn't that just too true.  So many times I have seen the joy in the faces of my family & friends or heard it in their voice and instantly I begin to smile myself and it can make my day brighter too.  In the same but opposite vein, if they suffer then so do I.  I think our love for those important people in our lives links us with an invisible thread that binds more than just our hearts.  It also binds our emotion to them in so many ways.

I hope your day has begun bright and cheerful, if not I hope it turns out a good day very soon. 

Have a good week all.   Best wishes and regards Linda xx 

(By the way, I have more storage ideas and some useful recycling tips to share with you throughout the week!!) 

Now this is what I call bright!

Hi all
I hope your Saturday has started well and you are able to look forward to some 'me time'.
Again, before I start, I would like to thank you all for your beautiful comments recently, they have been thoughtful and so very considerate and I am so grateful for them all.
Well, I managed to get some crafting done over the past 3or 4days but I have ended up with a stiff neck and I cannot think what I am doing that is causing it.  Maybe I am not sitting properly or I am tilting my head incorrectly when crafting, I really don't know, but boy is it a bother.
Well I have now moved myself downstairs and I am sat on the sofa, its seems alot easier here so I will finish my blog post in a little more comfort.
I started off todays card with a plan to just do something with holes and bows.  I wasn't sure at first of the overall design or the paper I was going to use, but as I pulled out my 12x12 paper pads I knew it had to be the stunning Mariposa papers.  They are such a mix of bright and brilliant colours and of course having butterflies all over there was an added bonus for me!  What person in their right mind doesn't like butterflies.  I like them not only for their beauty and ethereal qualities but also for what they stand for.  Their life is short and yet they work diligently until the end. Making the best of the life they have. A lesson in there for us all I think.
Ok thats deep enough for a Saturday morning, now to the card.......

 

I can remember, only a short while ago, when a busy card was  a no-no for me.  I adored them made by other fabulous crafters, but for me it was always too much of a risk.  Everytime I tried it I seemed to end up thinking the same thing 'Too busy and I don't think it looks right'.  Then one day I just decided to try again and slowly, the more I relaxed and just let it happen, the easier it got.  I don't think I have mastered the 'busy' card yet but I am definitely liking it more now and I actually looked at this card again after completion and was pretty pleased.  Whey hey!!

Well that's it for today.  I am going to try to get another card made now to schedule for tomorrow.  As it will be Sunday, it is, of course my 1st Grandsons birthday and we have a party to go to. My daughter will not be taking me this time as she has to work, but I am hoping that my eldest son or his wife will come along and then I will have all the grandchildren together for the day.   I really cannot believe he'll be 4 tomorrow, where does the time go.

Funnily enough that thought takes me back to butterflies and a quote that I really like: 

The butterfly counts not 

months but moments

and it has time enough! 

Rabindranath Tagore

This leads me on to a final thought for you:-

 We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.
Alice Bloch

Well I hope you have time enough to do everything you planned for this weekend.  Take care of yourselves and stay crafting.  See you soon.  

Hugs Linda xx

My Recipe

Red smooth card & Ivory Linen card -  Papermill Direct

Spellbinders Damask Accents (border) - Sam Poole Studios

DCWV Mariposa 12x12 paper stack ( Ebay, Papermaze, Craft at Home & Hobbycraft )

Wild Honey Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad

Red & Yellow organza ribbon from my stash

Quotation Monday and a clean up!

Good morning all,
I did it, all my beads/spacers are sorted and tidied away in their boxes and boy does it feel good having them all nice and tidy. Is that sad?  I can't help liking things organised.  It's another big job done............  then I looked at my craft room,  how the heck did it get to look like that?  I normally put my card back into the draws or boxes and even hang up all my tapes, tweezers etc when I am done for the day and yet all across BOTH of my desks there were papers, scissors, empty packages etc.  Then I looked below my desks and realised my organisation of recent times is as messed up as me!!  Well that had to change so Saturday evening and Sunday before the family came for dinner I  started to clear up and reorganise.  But it is far from over, I think the finished job is a long way off. 
Anyway, here's a couple of pics of the mess.......
You can see that I have done some of my shelves already in the first picture (I forgot to take pics until I had already started).

The plastic boxes are my A4 decorative papers.
The coloured boxes are my collections of stamps
The pink one in the middle is my Spellbinders and other dies sorted into plastic cd wallets - it's now so easy to find my dies and they store away easily and safely, so I am a happy chicky.
At the bottom, at the back of my desk you can see my newest purchase: the little floral boxes. I spotted these in Wilkinson on Saturday reduced to just £2 and I couldn't resist them.  I am going to organise all my flowers using these (new order coming from WOC, oh yea!) 

On the right you can see all my drawers: drawers for lace, drawers for brads, buttons, pins, drawers for images ready to colour and drawers for metal embellishments etc, the list goes on.
You can even see my recycling box of paper under my righthand desk, another bit of laziness from me lately.  It so needs shredding but I put it off time and time again 'cos my shredder is so  s...l...o...w! (well, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it).




My wonderful Grand Calibre looks so unloved sat there under the desk, but please don't think that,
it only goes under there on the floor when I have
all my beading equipment out.  I am so afraid
of popping a bead and it jumping into the
mechanism and then my beloved machine
giving up the ghost -what would I do then!?












Now some pics of the reorganisation:-
I cut out some large heavyweight card bobbins and wound my reeled ribbons onto them and then used foamboard to divide up a 12x12 deep drawer to keep them in order.  Not bad aye!?  I am proud of this one and keep opening the drawer just to have a look... :¬)
(Just need to buy some new ribbons as I realised while doing this that I have only 3 wide ribbons; so next months spending has to be on ribbons!)







Well, that got me going so I thought lets do a bit more and so I started sorting the card drawers (it is not perfect yet but I am getting there).

On the left is a wardrobe I had off my daughter that I use it to store my boxes for other crafts, including candles, painting, etc and also you can see my sons remote controlled buggy at the bottom (it's too good to throw away).







Well that's it for now.  A disorganised craftroom and a bit of a disorganised post.  I am sorry it's so bitty but I hope you have enjoyed a little tour of my mess.  When I have progressed with the reorganisation and tidying I will post some more photos for you to see the improvement.
I will end with my quote for the week:

Imagination is the first step in creation whether in words or trifles.

The mental pattern always precedes the material form

(William W. Atkinson)  

Have a good day and a great week.  Thank you so much for popping by and supporting me.

Hugs Linda xx

CASE of card by Dena Concienne

Good morning all,
I am so thrilled to know that you all liked the pins I showed yesterday, thank you all so much for the wonderful comments that you left for me.  I have been sourching new suppliers of beads, findings etc and have been really impressed with the variety of things I now have to use.  My beading arsenal has gone from one 5x10 Craftmate box to approx 12boxes now and I still haven't enough large beads. Oh we crafters are never satisfied are we; always on the look out for more.   Of course I am still using alot of the old stuff because it is so lovely and you 'don't change what ain't broken' so they say...lol!

Well, it seems an age since I did my last CASE card and I planned to do at least one every single week, shame on me I know.  I still forget what day of the week it is;  try to remember what week of the month.....now that is asking for trouble.........  I think we are about half way through May..., ah that's good enough for me (hanging head in shame)!!
Anyway guys and gals I am feeling a little stronger today after taking time out in the garden with my grandson yesterday.  I just sat in full sunlight, letting the rays power all over me and it was dreamy.  The heat was fabulous as I drifted into a world of my own and for a couple of minutes I was the happiest girl alive.... and then my grandson shouted 'NANNIE, what ya doing?' and my peace was shattered.  I didn't mind in the slightest, my grandson is the most adorable little man, he is friendly, happy (most of the time), polite and totally charming... oh, and so very cute!  He has only just turned 3 and already speaks very well, infact most of the time he doesn't shut up and chatters on about anything and everything.  To be precise, he only shuts up when he goes down for his nap around 2.30pm and that's when I can (sometimes) have a quick check of the blog and if I am lucky check some emails too.  All that said, he is my world and I adore him.  I have been blessed with 5lovely grandchildren but I don't get to see the other 4 so often, much to my great disappointment.  They are 3 funny and energetic little boys and a gorgeous girl who always seems so pleased to see me it bowls me over.  Ok, I had better stop now, I am rabbiting on again, but those of you with grandchildren will understand. I just hope I haven't bored you to death.


Here is the card that I have cased today and also the LINK so you can go to the blog and see the full post for yourselves.
It is a stunning creation by the wonderful Dena Concienne.   Dena has used a Magnolia stamped image and Making Memories - Je t' Adore papers.   Je t' Adore the card!!!!

I went for a sentiment instead of an image, but other than that I kept quite true to the plan.  I can't wait to read your opinions of the comparison.

A big chunky rose isn't it.  They are beautiful roses.
As you can see I completely changed the look of the card but kept the basic ideas: tied to the side,  floral corner and lace edging.  I thought they were, for me, the main features that I really wanted to copy.  I have made a gatefold card and the left-hand side with the crocheted lace is the one that closes over.
Dena was your original card a side fold or gatefold?  (Fingers crossed Dena will read this!!)
For this card I used some fabulous Hot off the Press papers (don't ask me which ones please,  as I honestly cannot remember the collection name).  I just love the sketchy flowers and the mix of colours.   The lace and flowers are some I have had in my box for ages now but they're all from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The larger of the flowers was part of a Candy win from the lovely Bev Rochester and it was a tan colour to begin with, but I changed the colour using my promarkers.  I added 'Shale' to it and created a beautiful brown to coordinate with the papers and overall colour scheme of the card.  Good don't you think?  I don't waste money buying lots of different colours now, how many of us can afford to do that?  I just get out my promarkers, Whisper pens or spritzers and colour my flowers to coordinate with my project.   I don't always start with white or ivory either, as long as the colour will blend over the original almost any colour can be achieved.  I usually test the colours underneath where the glue will go, to check the end result first before attempting to colour the whole thing.  Another way to do this is to find a petal the flower can live without, remove it and then use it as the tester.  That way, I don't waste flowers and I can work out if I need to mix colours to get the right shade.
Well that's it for me today, it is almost 5am and I must attempt some sleep before the grandson is back at lunchtime.  I hope you all have a wonderful day, but before I leave I would like to give you a thought for the day that I found on MotivateUs.com

" Let our hearts never get used to the miracles that happen around us & within us everyday. Let every sunrise, every flower, every smile, every raindrop and every child make us rejoice at the miracles in our lives." Copyright Caroline Naoroji

Regards Linda xx

Thought for the day

I am truly sorry that I didn't have a card for you yesterday but I was really low and unable to do any crafting.  Same goes today I am sorry to say, but I do have some wonderful words to share with you

'Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, 
negative thoughts or things you cannot control.   

 Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.'

This is taken from the Tips for Life and there are so many versions, I was unable to find out who actually wrote them.  

Todays 'Thought for the Day' is very true if only we are all honest with ourselves.   We all spend too much time contemplating the unchangeable issues of the past  and then worry about things we cannot control in the present, allowing those negative thoughts to sap away our joy (energy vampires).  As to gossip, well I think at one time or another we have all probably been guilty of that too and that definitely saps energy (and our humanity).  How much better it is when we plough all our energy into the positive.   We crafters know this better than most because our use of positive thought means we end up with things of beauty, creations that make us smile (and if we are lucky, others will smile too).  I somehow cannot imagine us making anything worthwhile if we crafted in the negative or if we did it would be very dark and bleak and most certainly not a creation worthy of praise, don't you agree?!

Well there we have it, my thought for today.   I would love to know what you think or maybe you have a quote or thought for the day that you would love to share.  If you have the time I would truly love to read them all, no matter how long, they are all worthwhile to me.

Have a wonderful day and thank you all for popping by again.  Your words of late have really helped to lift to lift my spirits and I am truly grateful.
Before I go I would just like to remind you all about the Bookmark Challenge, we have some new entries and I would love it if you would pop over to take a look and leave the entrants some feedback. They have created some beautiful examples.  Thanks so much.

Bye for now and stay positive. Linda x 

Quotation Monday - A Secret Place

Hi all
Before I start I must say thank you so much for all your prayers, thoughts and good wishes for my niece and her baby son.  Baby is still holding his own and mum is much stronger today.  There is a long way to go, I know that, but he is strong it seems and doesn't want to give up.   Bless you all.  

While having a bit of me time this weekend, I found a question about a lovely quote by Louise Driscol on the web.  The person wanted to know what the quotation really meant,  I was so impressed with the reply that I thought I would share it with you today, being that it is Quotation Monday.   Here is the quote:-

'WITHIN your heart keep one still, SECRET place WHERE your dreams may GO'

(By Louise Driscol)

Now the answer, I think it is a clever and wise interpretation:- 

Keep your dreams alive. Never let your heart believe the lie that anything is impossible. Keep it safe within your heart protected from the shattering jading of those who have lost their faith in the possible.
The U.S. Navy Seals are instructed to create in themselves a secret place in their minds where they can retreat when they are being tortured. A peaceful place to dwell in, that only the invited may come. It allows them to endure unimaginable hardship and survive with their minds intact.
Without our hope we are frail and easily destroyed. But protected in our secret place where our dreams reside for another opportunity, we can endure and even find joy. 

(BT Yahoo answers.com)

If you think about it, we all, in one way or another, have a secret place that we can go to;  that place where we shut everyone off and pretend not to have heard when it is getting too much.  But that is the problem, as we get older we use it too often to escape the everyday troubles and we forget to tune it in as a peaceful retreat for our aspirations and our dreams.  Why did we stop doing that?  As young children, even as young adults we would spend blissful times pondering our future, tucking little hopes and dreams into our secret place.  Then one day we find we've lost the key to the door and our hopes and dreams became something we 'used to do'.   Who said that at 'this age' or 'that' you should no longer dream.  Shouldn't we all be allowed to shut our eyes, drift away into our safe peaceful place.  I think we could all do with finding the key again and using that place for revitalising ourselves, to give ourselves a sunny side of hope again.

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,

I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty

Believe in them and follow where they lead.

(Louisa May Alcott)

What would you fill your 'secret dream place' with?  What do you think it would take to give you back your sunny dreams again or are you one of the lucky ones who retained a youthful state of hopefulness?
Well that's words from me.  I will be back lunch time with the New Candy and some new creations tomorrow.

Take care everyone.

Hugs Linda xx