Hello and Welcome! I’m Ella and I’m something of an artistic, creative, curious and fanciful spirit. I love vintage doodads, cuddly animals, pink squirrels, embroidery, soft sculpture, stuffies, books, words, history, tacky tourist sites and a ton of other random, quirky things that make up my world.
Contact me at lawhimsy(at)gmail(dot)com or go here and use the form.
Whimsical Babble
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All posts tagged nature

WeekDay Wrap-Up 17: Just Being

I’m not quite sure how, but at some point between Tuesday and Wednesday we went from mild, chill weather to almost Summer warmth. Monday I was curled up in a cozy sweater coat (one of the best gifts I ever gave to Glory…’cause I get to borrow it all the time, tee-hee!) and today I am in light cotton shorts and open-toed sandals. No wonder my head has been swimmy!

untitled by Maria Louceiro on Flickr.

Weird weather aside (sometimes I feel like I talk about the weather a bit too much, but I do truly find it to be a fascinating subject. I like to fancy myself something of an amateur meteorologist.) I’ve been keeping busy this week with all sorts of random happenings. First, my darling Jojo has been suffering from allergies something fierce but refuses to take medicine for it, so I do what I can to keep her comfortable (even if that means she ends up tearing my finger up trying to get away from me as I wipe down her fur…usually it’s okay but I caught her at a bad time, sigh).

How can I stay mad at that?!

This week also saw me starting a few new projects that I am planning on using for a new feature here on the blog. Just a tantalizing hint – it’ll have something to do with my Pinterest. I’m thinking this place could use a freshening-up and a slight make-over so stay tuned for news about that!

Now I’m off to clean up the house and maybe tackle my cloths – I want to get rid of a bunch, sort through and put away my Winter stuff and gather up and enjoy all my Summery cloths again.

Visual approximation of my dream closet…(Vintage Fashion print by Mandy Lynne)

Have a lovely weekend y’all!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

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by lawhimsy on May 17, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on May 17, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/weekday-wrap-up-17-just-being/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 15: Quaint and Quirky

Illustration by yelena bryksenkova

It’s another Friday, this one sunny and cool with the promise of warmth as the day goes on. I’m feeling all quaint and quirky and I’m not quite sure why. It’s a moody, happy, dreamy sort of state of being, like I could slip off into a world of my own making at any moment and yet I’m still aware of what’s going on around me. I think part of it is this insane weather (and we are supposed to be getting rain all weekend – I do enjoy a nice rainy weekend from time to time) and the other part is just me.

Yeah, those are the windows to my zany soul…

It’s not like the week was a weird one, actually it was a rather normal one with a few jaunts thrown in for good measure. I even got myself some new washi tape and few more notebooks…but can you blame me when they are so pretty?!

I’ve also started to reread “The Crimson Petal and The White” by Michel Faber. It’s a long, detailed read but I have to say that I have a much deeper appreciation for it and for the characters (whom I found to be rather unlikable before) since seeing the mini-series starring Romola Garai, Chris O’Dowd, and Amanda Hale. They bring a whole new light to the novel with their stunning performances and the series it’s self is brilliantly interpreted and filmed. Mind you, this is very high praise from me since I find most book to screen adaptations to be poor to mildly fair at best (I’m such a stickler for keeping true to the author’s vision – I know word-for-word will never happen, but the spirit and essence of the story and characters should remain well-intact).

The studio Spring cleaning that got started last weekend is coming along nicely and now it’s down to decorating and organizing things like my desk and the bookshelf (I swear this place needs more shelving, so a-thrifting I shall go!). I am starting to feel a bit more motivated to make things and my fingers are starting to get the stitcher’s itch again. Finding cute and amazing things like these is adding to the creative lust…

I will so be making at least one of those cases from Gingermelon – they are to die for cute. Those mushrooms, on the other hand, simply tickle my mind with all kinds of ideas of my own making. Here’s to a quaint, quirky weekend for us all!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

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by lawhimsy on April 26, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on April 26, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/weekday-wrap-up-15-quaint-quirky/

Earth Day

It’s Earth Day again, and I am delighted to celebrate a day that brings about awareness of this precious Earth we call home. Everyday should really be considered Earth Day since we do live upon and utilize the precious resources the Earth provides each and every day, but having a special day to focus on is always a great thing. Like I spoke about last year (see this post), I do my best to lead a proactive, Earth friendly life, even if it can become a bit overwhelming at times. I just do my best to take a deep breath and tackle all those simple, little things that can so easily become second nature. It’s all about kaizen and being an everyday sort of example of green, positive, always changing and growing living. After the events of this past week, my nerves have been shaken and I feel a need for balance and a healthy connection to the Earth more than ever. I keep focusing on all the good that has come out of each of the tragedies and how human-kind really does show it’s awesomeness in such dark times. That’s what makes it all worth it and that’s what makes me want to do all that I can to leave a better World for tomorrow. Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Namaste ~ Ella

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by lawhimsy on April 22, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Tagged Being You, Change, color my world, Earth, Earth Day, Earth Day My Way, Earth Love, environment, holiday, inspiration, Intellectual Badass, Kaizen, LaWhimsy, My Way, nature, Polyvore, Whimsy, Whimsy Thought

Posted by lawhimsy on April 22, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/earth-day/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 14: Sleepy Spring

It’s truly astonishing how within the span of two weeks we went from 8inches of snow to cherry-blossoms in full bloom and a green hazy covering the mountain sides. Hanami party season is in full swing and here I am, enjoying the beauty to be sure, but also suffering from my own migraine woes.

I am more than grateful that my woes are so basic and my heart goes out to Boston and Texas and everyone who had been affected. I’m sure the hectic energy vibes in the air have not been helping my head any. I am so sensitive to energy shifts like these, not to sound super hippy-dippy, but we are all connected and I believe we can all feel the constant energy shifts and pulses to varying degrees. When tragic and upsetting events such as those of this past week occur, it can be a real shock to the system – mentally, physically, emotionally and subconsciously.

I find a certain comfort in knowing that hero’s and wonderful, helpful people always rise to the occasion and that their goodness actually shows the very best of human nature in such situations and that does provide a certain balm and quiet pride to these otherwise daily-life shattering sort of events. I do retain a deep sense of peace in knowing that given a chance, most people will actually prove to be wonderful, caring and giving of themselves and that while individuals may try to destroy that faith, they are always ultimately proven to be nothing more then scared, sick, mentally unhinged cowards. All that said, I think I will focus a bit more on pleasant things to provide a brighter outlook for the weekend…

What deep, wondrous being we mere mortals can be…

I have been waking up to the most delightful view from my bedroom window, though I’m afraid that the blossoms will be gone after this weekend since the wind’s been blowing and it’s been raining a bit.

I’ve been slowly making progress on my studio and I think that re-doing the space and refreshing the decor has been a great thing since I can slowly feel my creative juices flowing again. I have been pinning a good deal (well, actually, I’ve been liking pins and have to go back and sort through to make sure links are sound and assess which board I want them in. Oh, what do you think of the newish Pinterest set-up? The only thing I don’t care for is that I am having a dickens of a time tracing a pin back to the original pinner and what board they have it pinned on – am I the only one?)

Here’s to less headaches and more joy- in every aspect of life!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

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by lawhimsy on April 19, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on April 19, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/weekday-wrap-up-14-sleepy-spring/

Word Nerd : Hanami

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Hanami (hana-mi) verb

Flower viewing. Enjoying the beauty of flowers and blossoms. Gather or pick flowers.

Spring is the penultimate hanami season, since after the bleak, quiet stillness of winter, the bright floral blooms simply beg for a celebration. In Japan the appreciation of the cherry blossom, or sakura, is practically a religion and hanami has all but become synonymous with the cherry blossom festivals that occur every spring. The plum and apricot, or ume, blossoms are also out in full bloom at the same time, though the cherry blossom is ubiquitous at most hanami celebrations.

For myself, I practice hanami year-round, though in my own sort of way. I admire the beauty of the grand blossoms of spring, the warm, hardy blooms of summer, the bright pops of autumn flowers and the green-house nurtured bouquets of winter. My favorites are the wild flowers that grow here and there and are often referred to as weeds (I don’t care how many seeds are spread when I make a wish on a dandelion, tee-hee!). To picnic amongst nature’s pallet of brightly colored flowers is one of the sweetest pleasures I know of (allergies aside).

“The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.” Auguste Rodin

Namaste ~ Ella

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by lawhimsy on April 17, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on April 17, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/word-nerd-hanami/

Word Nerd : Welkin

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Welkin (wel-kin) noun

The sky; the vault of the sky. The apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected; Heaven.

Who among us hasn’t gazed up, into the welkin, and wondered just what lay beyond the varying blues, the cloudy whites and grays, the deepness of the black night flung over with millions of glittering stars? The sheer majesty and limitless expanse of the sky makes one feel so small, a mere speck in the vast ether of this grand, glorious universe and yet, at the same time, it can make one so awesomely aware of their miniscule place in this tremendous space. The word welkin adds a certain mystic and majesty to the sky and it hints at life well beyond our own sphere and knowledge. Welkin is also poetic, as Shakespeare and Milton show us.

“She is the weeping welkin, I the earth:
Then must my sea be moved with her sighs;
Then must my earth with her continual tears
Become a deluge, overflow’d and drown’d…”

- Shakespeare

“But now my task is smoothly done, I can fly, or I can run Quickly to the green earth’s end, Where the bow’d welkin slow doth bend, And from thence can soar as soon To the corners of the Moon.” – John Milton (Comus, A Mask)

She sheds Her wings as She moves toward the dawn – embracing the golden rush to which She belongs… ~ La

I know that I never set my gaze toward the sky without it touching something deep within my soul and I think that by adding the word welkin to my vocab will only enhance this or at least it will enhance my descriptions of it, hehe!

Namaste ~ Ella

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by lawhimsy on April 10, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on April 10, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/word-nerd-welkin/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 13: April SnowShowers

Yeah, okay, Winter? Mother Nature called and it’s time for you to leave now. Seriously, you were an awesome season and I do look forward to seeing you return, but in order to miss you, you really have to go away. I mean it – no more of this hint of warmer, delicious Spring weather only to have it turn cold and snowy. It’s April now, and this is all getting to be a wee bit much. We’ve had a good laugh and time of it, now scoot along and let Spring have a chance to shine.

‘Shrooms by ricksphotos101

Well, that’s a wee bit more like it anyway. The surprise snow we received yesterday was worth a giggle, especially considering that the forecast through next week is looking incredibly promising – all 60′s (maybe even a few low 70′s) and some sunshine (not that I’m holding my breath or anything, since they didn’t really call yesterday’s weather until after it was happening, lol). Already it’s almost 50 out and the all one can hear outside is running water from the rapidly melting snow and birdsong. Now onto wrapping up my week, though really, let’s face it, these weekday wrap-ups are more of an excuse for me to ramble on and share some otherwise unconnected bits of Internet and life happenings and findings.

How else are you going to get great shots like this one of my favorite boots, like, ever (I also have them in the blue – pictures coming soon)?! I am such a boot gal – from my first pair of classic black Dr. Martens in the forth grade (I wore them proudly with my plaid uniform skirt) to my over-the-knee ones and now these darlings.

untitled by Chichi Huang on Flickr

Boots aside, I have been in a slight rut as of late. Sure, I’ve been doing things, getting things done, etc, but I’ve been feeling antsy, impatient and like my creative-head space is a jumbled, chaotic mess…more so than it usually is. I suppose it could be Spring fever, or the fact that my studio is a hot mess (I swear it sorta imploded just all of a sudden-like) or this low-burning desire I have to start so many things, yet lack the total conviction to just get going, or maybe, truthfully, it’s a combination of all of the above. It’s like I know what I should do, what I need to do and what I want to do – in theory, and while they all sorta meet-up and cross-purpose, I am still hemming and hawing and dragging my proverbial and physical feet about it. Does anybody else feel that way sometimes? What do you do about it?

Here’s to a whimsical and hopefully much more Spring-like weekend!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

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by lawhimsy on April 5, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on April 5, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/weekday-wrap-up-13-april-snowshowers/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 12: End of March

The snow is melting, the temperatures are very slowly climbing and I am dreaming of open windows, fresh, warm Spring breezes and bright blooms…

At least this weekend looks like it will be a promising one, with no snow to speak of (though making a snow-bunny would be a lot of fun…just saying, tee-hee). I spent most of this week puttering around, doing a bit of Spring cleaning and doing my best to not go completely mad due to migraine pain. I am really hoping that an evening out of the weather (hey, it’s happened before, I’m sure it has) will bring about some relief and maybe even some new inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, I have been thinking about adding a few more houseplants to my living space. I’m not much of a green-thumb, though I think that has more to do with a poor attention-span and a lack of proper education on the matter – both of which can and should be remedied. Plants add such a nice feeling to a space – they detoxify the air, provide oxygen, are a healing and give off positive energy. I’m thinking that I could start with a few succulents and maybe an easy fern or two (I have a few rooms that get only reflective sunlight. They are bright enough but I’d hate to kill of anything that might need direct sunlight.). Of course, I’ll look into what’s safe for cats and dogs and place them where they are the least likely to be knocked around (hanging plants are a very good thing sometimes!).

Even watercolor puppies don’t always know what plants are good for them!

On that note, I think I’ll leave off by wishing you all a Hoppy and Whimsical Weekend!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

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by lawhimsy on March 29, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on March 29, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/weekday-wrap-up-12-end-of-march/

Word Nerd : Mycology

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Mycology (my-col-o-gy) noun

The branch of botany that deals with fungi; the scientific study of fungi. The fungi native to a region.

Mycology is a truly fascinating field of study and interest. While I am nowhere near well-versed enough to even consider myself an amateur mycologist, I do thoroughly enjoy discovering and stumbling upon various mushrooms as I ramble about outside. As a child I was very aware of how toadstools and mushrooms were linked with the Faerie Folk (Brian Froud books were a steady presence on my life from very, very early on) and I was quite in awe of them as a result. I felt they must all be magical and I steadfastly refused to trample on them, pick them or eat any of them.

Many mushrooms have been claimed by the Faerie, however, the red Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) is the most associated with the Faerie. Various myths hold that Amanita Muscaria is the nectar or gift of the Gods and it is considered a sacred mushroom in many cultures. Vikings even ate this ‘magic mushroom’ to gain their fighting frenzy known as “Berserk” and extracts from it induce their partakers into great animation, wild dancing and give visions and hallucinations. What better mushroom to be the classic European fairytale mushroom and a gateway to Faerieland? How’s that for a mycology lesson, eh?

Okay, so maybe I’m a wee bit of an amateur mycologist, but I am quite rusty when it comes to naming mushrooms as I find them. I suppose I should brush up on my identifications and whatnot, but even if I never quite know without some help (thank you Internet for such grand sources!) I still enjoy mushrooms in all their glorious forms!

Anybody else into Mycology (or some of it’s creative off-shoots)?

Namaste ~ Ella

1 Comment

by lawhimsy on March 27, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on March 27, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/word-nerd-mycology/

Earth Hour 2013

Today is the day for Earth Hour 2013. It’s a day when everyone across the globe is challenged to turn off their lights for one hour in a symbolic mass show of concern for our planet and it’s dear resources that provide so much for us every second of our lives. To take one simple step and join millions of others is an awe-inspiring, goose-bump inducing thing…at least for me it is. To think of so many individuals doing the same thing, with the same goal in mind, makes me proud of all society since it shows that, at our very core, we all have the same loving, caring, worldly heart – and that is what does and will make all the difference today, tomorrow and for the future! Take your pledge and find out how you can get involved here.

Lights out at 8:30pm tonight (March 23, 2013)!

Namaste ~ Ella

1 Comment

by lawhimsy on March 23, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Wandering

Tagged Being Green, Being You, climate, Dare to Save the Planet, Earth, Earth Hour, Earth Hour 2013, Earth Love, environment, Green Love, Intellectual Badass, LaWhimsy, nature, Save the World, Take Part, What You Can Do, Whimsy

Posted by lawhimsy on March 23, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/earth-hour-2013/

I’m the type of gal who will burst out laughing today at something that happened yesterday…
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Creating Whimsy Curating embroidery Images Just Breathe Musings and Mutterings Poetry Polyvore Quotes Stuffies Thrifty Treasures Wandering Weekday Wrap-Up Word Nerd

Lawhimsy's Blog

Whimsical Babble

All posts tagged nature

WeekDay Wrap-Up 17: Just Being

WeekDay Wrap-Up 15: Quaint and Quirky

Earth Day

WeekDay Wrap-Up 14: Sleepy Spring

Word Nerd : Hanami

Word Nerd : Welkin

WeekDay Wrap-Up 13: April SnowShowers

WeekDay Wrap-Up 12: End of March

Word Nerd : Mycology

Earth Hour 2013

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