life as of late.

sometimes words are longed to be typed on a blank white canvas. sometimes photographs beckon to be taken. and it's at those right moments, I sit and write and snap and click "publish," sharing with the world my simple story that I claim as my own. 

>> life. has been quiet. sometimes there are points in life when one simply sits back and rests. life has been good. quiet. simple. perhaps, not a flow of inspiration but my hands have been busying themselves with gifts instead of words, but I thank the Lord everyday that there are those sweet, blissful moments when one can simply and peacefully rest in Him. 

>> a season of thanksgiving. thanksgiving festivities have settled down, and life has returned to normal with it's steady rhythm. thanksgiving was a quiet affair, filled with good food, crimson starbuck cups, car trips, and a breath-taking ocean views. for you see, our Californian holidays are spent a little differently than that of the lovely concepts of frost-bitten afternoons as a turkey roasts in the oven. 

blogging help.

I hate to write these types of posts because they seem so out of place, but I woke up this morning to find that I can't upload pictures because I have exceeded my Google memory. what??? that means I can publish pictures in a post but no more pictures on my sidebar or most importantly no new headers!!!

to anyone who knows the solution, please e-mail me here. I really want to post a new header next month, and need to get this fixed. your help is very much appreciated.

thank you,
the distraught blog designer.

wylde ivy product review.

Yes, I'm late with this and I apologize. :) the winner of the blue cheveron notebook from whitney's shop is :: 

comment no. 24

Emily Ruth said... 

24

I added Whitney to my Etsy circle.

borrowingphotographs (at) gmail (dot) com

3:52 pm, november 14, 2011 

congratulations, Emily dear! I am so happy that you won, as one of my faithful followers {and commenter :)} you deserve a prize. ;) please e-mail me here within 48 hr. to claim your prize by including your e-mail address, and I will have whitney get in touch with you shortly.

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| click to enter shop | 

it's amazing how scents can transport you to a place or pull a memory from your mind. wylde ivy esty shop is filled with the most wonderful scents to transport you to beautiful places.  

remember the lovely sponsor I had during the autumn event last month? well, ashlee, the shop owner kindly allowed me to do a review on a few of her products from her shop, and most generously sent two of the loveliest products as well as two heavenly samples which make me swoon whenever I catch a subtle scent from them. :) 

the day the package arrived, I was just about to go out the door to join my neighbor's birthday party celebrations, when my neighbor and her friends came up my path and handed me a package addressed to me. excitement washed over me and I quickly ripped through the packaging. in an instant, a lovely aroma surrounded me as if packaging itself was saturated in a beautiful perfume.

inside I found two big treasures nestled in the white paper packaging. one of which was...

this lovely bella vanilla perfume!!!

now, I am not one who wheres perfumes that often, as my mother cannot handle strong artificial scents {and I have grown to be the same}, but this perfume was different. when I sprayed a bit it permeated the room with warmth and a tingly, sugary aroma filled with a most beautiful vanilla scent. it took a lot of self-control to NOT use a great amount of it. :) 

this perfume is made of extremely fine quality and is long-lasting. sometimes I steal a drop in the morning and can still smell the wonderful aroma by the end of the evening. 

if this one perfume smells this good, I hope to purchase a few of her others someday for gifts or perhaps, for myself. ;) 

to my complete surprise, ashlee also included one of her body scrubs in my favorite scent : lavender. 

mama and I are very fond of soaking our feet in the bathtub on cold winter's nights, thus 'twas a treat to try this in our soaks...

the sugar scrub is for the whole body, thus I tried a bit on my face one evening, and my skin felt so soft. the scent is alluring, filled with both a creamy vanilla and a lovely lavender scent. 

to top it off, she also sent me two samples of her "forgotten rose" and "she walked delicately" oils and perfume. the rose is amazing, and ashlee beautifully accomplished the art of bottling the scent of roses, for whenever I open the petite bottle I am transported back to summer days filled with sunshine and lots of dew covered roses. 

and lastly, but certainly not the least, "she walked delicately" was a simply wonderful aroma. dark and a bit alluring it reminded me of a twilight evening walking in the forest infused with a hint of jassmine. 

from the bottom of my heart I give my thanks to you ashlee, for generously sending the loveliest products. 

I will definitely be saving up a bit of money to purchase from you soon. :) 

:: why you need to purchase from wylde ivy :: 

{one} the shipping was incredibly fast {only two days!} thus it's perfect for last minute Christmas gifts. 

{two} her products are made of extremely fine quality and are long lasting. 

Wylde Ivy perfumes are super concentrated perfume oils dispersed in professional perfumer’s alcohol. These alcohol-based sprays are concentrated and very long lasting.{from a product listing} 

{three} her scents are so enchanting that you and your friends will love her products, making the perfect Christmas gifts for friends! 

{four} she is having a sale right now, so you would be saving money!!! :) 

be sure to add her shop to your favorites!

happy sunday, friends!

the keeper of the garden. 

in focus | a photography project.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. 

// Ansel Adams // 

a year passes so quickly. so silently. so many memories that follow. so many memories lost. yet, a photograph  captures the memory in a minute's time. memory fails. photographs last forever. photography isn't about how lovely a photograph looks, how detailed the camera captures the landscape; it's about embracing life the Lord gave us and cherishing the moments.

{{one}}

sometimes I struggle for words. yet photographs are another story. pictures hold a thousand words; they tell stories by themselves. because behind the shutter lies a photographer, and a mind beholding a memory. so because yesterday was my first anniversary owning my beloved Nikon D3100. because I love photography. because pictures tell a thousand words. I'm introducing my latest project...

{{two}} 

I'm not promising this project is going to be a success, as life gets busy and photography isn't a HUGE priority {though mind you I love it}. but I want to improve and take more photographs and share my journey with you.

{{three}}

{{four}}

won't you come and join?

love,
the keeper of the garden.

{{note :: since I shall be posting my photographic progress here on my main blog, my photography blog will be closing, thus please stop following. thank you so much for your support on my previous A Tinge of Blue, a Speck of Red, a Patch of Green!}}.

postscript :: my dearest friend miss Johanna is hosting a lovely giveaway, giving away some darling prizes. why don't you go visit her parlor here. she's expecting you with tea. ;)
 

the One who's knitting my life together.

it starts with a simple strand of yarn. perhaps, one may call it pretty but they would agree to call it insignificant by itself. yet when two simple needles, made of metal or wood, meet with the simple strand of yarn something beautiful happens.

  

*click, click, click* the captivating needles go. meticulously the hands of the knitter weaves the strand together, magically creating the yarn to dance across the needles. *click, click* with every stitch, with every skimming loop the artist places a bit of their soul into it. soon thereafter a skein, an insignificant strand of yarn is turned into a masterpiece. 

life is busy and most often time chaotic. when I can find a quiet moment to spare, I steal myself away to knit. there is something alluring about the way the needles repeatedly go back and forth creating a row; something comforting as the needles slip through the loops and click to the rhythm of my heart. 

and then, as I was weaving a bit of cotton yarn into a scarflette, I realized that knitting is like my life. it starts with a strand of yarn that the Maker takes and weaves, knowing that every strand - every insignificant strand - serves a purpose in His design.    

over the years, He knits and weaves a complex design by adding different strands to the ultimate masterpiece. perhaps, he adds a color we normally would not have chosen, soon seeing as time progresses the beauty of it and what we call an every-day, "blessing." He adds a new color that lasts perhaps but for a season that we would have normally kept. 

perhaps even sometimes we tend to think we can take the project into our own hands and mimic the design on our own, adding what we think is best. then realizing, what a tangled mess we knit together, we shamefully take it back to the Master once again allowing Him to knit our lives together. so goes our life. 

I often think to myself, I have knit so much....but He's only begun.
and only then when He breaths, "well done," we will know when the project is complete.

postscript :: I have returned from my blogging break! :) oh, and if you're stumped on handmade Christmas presents, be sure to visit my crafting blog.
p.s.s. :: neat giving being hosted here.

add a little whimsy | make life a fairytale.

it's in the little things. in our thoughts. in our dreams. in our fancies. in our memories. 

perhaps, sometimes it's the way the sun gleams upon a bit of grass or draping across the treetops. 

sometimes it's the rustling of the breeze brushing through the willow's quivering branches. 

sometimes it's a blossom or two of early spring adorning a bare branch...

...or a myriad of blossoms in a meadow. 

sometimes it's the reflection in the water. 

sometimes it's a bit of lace or ribbon flitting, twirling about.

sometimes it's the feeling when you listen to the ocean thunder....

...or the silence that overcomes the evening. 

sometimes it's the way the water ripples.

sometimes it's in the gentle rain...

...or on a quiet sunny day. 

sometimes it's the way the lights flicker when eventide falls...

sometimes it's in color.

sometimes it's in black and white.

no matter where it is found or what it might be, it's the little things found in our busy, confusing life that make us stop and sigh, connecting us to a world past our own, a world of vivid imagination. 

it's the little things that make life beautiful. 

add a little whimsy | make life a beautiful fairy tale. 

{for more images like that above, visit my whimsical pinterest board} 

product review + november giveaway {no. two}

the winner of the lovely leave bracelet...

and cute key//lcok necklace from Pure Beauty esty shop is...

miss bethany from jars of sense!!!!

congratulations, dear! I pray that you enjoy your prizes! please contact me here with your contacting information {email and shipping address} within the next 48 hr. as the winner of this giveaway, you will not be permitted to enter my next giveaway to keep things fair. 

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etsy profile // shop // blog // twitter 

I am so excited to host this next giveaway as it has become a favorite among my list of etsy shops. the sweet etsy owner, Whitney, runs a very cute shop filled with unique and modern paper products including...

>> the cutest card sets...

>> and unique notbooks...

at such affordable prices, these would make lovely christmas gifts which are both handmade and inexpensive to ship!  

{ product review }

whitney most generously agreed to send me one of her lovely notebooks//journals as a product review. I was so happy when it arrived in the mail yesterday...

the notebook itself came in very good packaging...

it is of very good quality {love the baker's twine} with a cute, modern, quircky pages within...

it is so perfect! I have been writing my blogging posts down on paper before typing them out, and this is a cute/wonderful place to put them! it's just the right size to tuck in my purse for those "inspiring" moments. ;) 

Although the shipping was a little while {I can't complain since this was so generous of her, and it wasn't an actual purchase} I definitely HIGHLY recommend purchasing from her during this holiday season!!!

:: the giveaway ::

Whitney has kindly contributed this lovely blue chevron journal hand bound with red and white baker's twine for a giveaway! 

:: item description :: 

Handmade mixed paper notebook. 4.25" x 5.5"

This notebook is perfect for throwing in your purse to jot down notes and lists and inspiration. 

Each notebook's front and back cover is made of printed cardstock and the inside includes 30 pages of mixed paper (ie: computer paper, accounting paper, engineering paper, graph paper, and notebook paper). All books are hand bound with divine twine. 

special thanks to Whitney for generously giveaway one of your cute journals. 

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{{rules}}

{{please read carefully}} 

{one} you must complete the mandatory entry else all other entries will not count. 

{two} you must leave separate comments per entry. {a comment worth 2 entries? leave two comments!} 

{three} when following my blogs, you must PUBLICLY follow via Google Friends Connect. 

{four} you must leave a way for me to contact you if you win {blog address, facebook, or email}. 

emails WILL be published, thus you may want to write something like this :: 

lilym{at}gmail{dot}com

{five} giveaway ends Saturday, November 19th at 12:00 Noon Pacific Timing. {a week from to-day} Late entries will not be accepted as the comment form will be closed on that time or a little thereafter. winners will be announced later that day.  

{six} this giveaway is open to US residents only. {sorry to my international readers!}  

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:: how to enter :: 

{mandatory entry} 

>>counting as one entry<<

take a look around Whitney's shop, telling me what catches your eye

AND 

publicly follow my crafting blog. 

{note :: if you do not own a blog or a google account, you do not have to follow my blog} 

{extra entries}

heart whitney's shop. {one entry} 

add whitney to your etsy circle. {one entry} 

visit whitney's blog. take a look around. leave a sweet comment on one of her posts! {two entries}

follow whitney on twitter. {one entry} 

publicly follow this blog, add me to your etsy circle, or follow me on pinterest. 

{one entry per each} 

add your link and join my old-fashion handmade christmas event here. 

{three entries} 

post about this giveaway on any of your favorite social networks. make sure to leave the link. 

{blogger, facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc. etc.} {one entry per each} 

purchase something from whitney's shop. {five entries} 

_____________________________________

alrighty, ladies! ready to win this fabulous journal? 

you may begin writing me promptly! 

>>postscript :: I also started my Old-Fashion, Handmade Christmas a week early!!! be sure to join here. 

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

Giveaway has been closed! Thank you to all the girls who entered!!!