Jikana Damaru

~ Party Favours ~

The second half of this year is going to be filled with a few parties for us so I have been in search of some ideas for party favours - here are some fantastic images I found care of Martha Stewart.

This would be cute for daughter number one's birthday party

Either of these could work for a christening

And these could work for just about any theme - Yum!

They might just be too nice to give away!!

I recently bought some adorable postcards in Paperchase and turned them over to see who the artist was. Belle & Boo is the work of illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe:

"Belle & Boo are two of Mandy’s favourite characters. Belle with her bobbed hair, bright eyes and wearing vintage clothing, is insistently curious about the world around her, and based on elements of Mandy as a child.

With her magical imagination Mandy was always surrounded by friends, and together they fulfilled many a daydream. So when creating Belle she gave her Boo - Belle’s adorable bunny rabbit companion and confidant."

I discovered she has a website www.belleandboo.com where you can purchase prints of her adorable art along with bags, buttons, clothes, tags and cards etc.

She also has an adorable blog where she posts pics of the original drawings.

Birdy love

For my second Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you a bird-inspired mosaic (no surprise there!). Check back next week for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Birdy Love! Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (clockwise from top left):

I love the bird cage and the back drop on Just wandering... from Megan Elizabeth Ann.
The beautiful wallpaper and nest in * from Estrelinhacuca.
The vintage style pic of a chunky wooden birdcage in Untitled from Janet Matthews.
The adorable coloured handmade papier mache eggs, covered in handmade paper flowers in Turquoise Hydrangea Easter Egg from Pickala Poopa.

Have You Checked Your Happiness Lately

Here is a happiness health check - food for thought at least. "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections"

Do you judge your happiness on everything being perfect in your life - if you do are you denying yourself happiness - lets face it nothing is perfect and does it really have to be, is not choosing perfection as a benchmark making a rod for your back - as you will always be striving for something that may not be possible? This doesn't mean you should accept second best but be realistic in your expectations.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognising and appreciating what we do have." - Frederick Keonig

Do you constantly crave what is unachievable - like thinking you would be happier if you won the lottery or had a different job. There are no guarantees that achieving these things would make you happier - they might, but they also may bring other pressure and hardships you don't expect. If you seriously look at what you do have in your life - is it really that bad?

"Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold, the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul." - Democritus and "Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have"

It is easy for us to get caught up in our struggles, my hope is that you find the time to find your inner peace and to be happy within yourself - that really is the only thing we have control over.

My life, like everyone elses has its ups and downs, sometimes like now there seem to be more downs than ups - I give myself permission to be sad and angry, but above all I give myself permission to rise above and see the world in a different light.

If your life is full of serious troubles, please don't think I am making light or saying it is easy for you - I am only writing from my place of thought.

~ Pretty Pink Post ~

As my world is filled with even more pink now I could not resist a Pretty Pink Friday Post so here are some very pretty pink things.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Bird Cage

My sister gave me a bird cage as a present. I had originally put it in my office, but on completing decorating our bedroom I thought it looked great sat on top of my wardrobe with a small decorative bird inside instead.