Happy Birthday to Me Today

When I was a kid my birthday was always bitter sweet. I could not wait for it to come because it meant fun goodies for me but it also marked the end of summer and the return of the school year which was not so exciting to think about.

"Let Them eat Cake" on Pinterest

I have posted very little this past month. It's been nice to have the breather for awhile, kind of like my summer vacation. Still working on Halloween projects so look for those to show up in the coming weeks. In the meantime, join me for cake and coffee. Cheers!

Aged Sea Glass Tutorial

Homemade beach decor, how fun is that! You could decorate an entire room in a beach theme no matter where you live and if you like all the shabby chic, distressed vintage stuff then you might love this DIY tutorial for making your own beach glass as presented by Twigg Studios.

Twigg Studios - aged sea glass tutorial

This is a great tutorial although keep in mind that Mod Podge isn't waterproof so if you're thinking of using those jars as flower vases you might want to consider using Vitrea glass paint instead. This tutorial gives me all kinds of yummy ideas for up cycling my vintage spice bottles!

Printable Tombstone Place Cards

Printable parties have gained popularity in the digital age of DYI so as a designer I feel it's my duty to offer my take on this for your holiday pleasure. I think I'll make a whole series that includes favor bags, boxes and other paper projects

tombstone place cards on Etsy

First up are these printable tombstone place cards. The beauty of these is that they print out on a single sheet of paper and in one piece making their assembly fast and easy.

halloween favor bag on Etsy

Customize these by typing your verbiage in your favorite word processor. Print on clear labels and adhere to the tombstone. Look how cute these are together! What a fun party.

Bird Divination - The Answers to your Questions

Yesterday I posed the question about what a flock of birds might symbolize. After a little reading I discovered that I've really only touched the surface about what birds can tell you about what is to come for you. You can look at things like how they fly. Are they flying straight or weaving in and out? How many are there? What kind of birds are they? What do these images mean to you? Is it smooth sailing or chaos? Is it crowded or lonely?

The cardinal symbolizes life-changing events taking care of your health.
via Capella University - other meanings can also be found in this article

I did get one response yesterday from someone who suggested that a flock of birds flying overhead could foretell of trouble on the way since they may have taken flight to escape a predator. Firstly I would ask my commenter where in their life they feel like they need to escape from trouble? Reading the tarot is all about interpreting symbolism just like this and your perceptions most definitely play into what's happening in your life right now.

The other part of my commenter's response had to do with winds of change being stirred up. Okay, good! That makes me think of cycles. The end of one cycle usually means the beginning of another like summer turning to autumn which is when birds start thinking about heading to Palm Springs to winter with the other snow birds including those of the human variety. Ah! Another bird metaphor.

The images conjured up for me by that flock of birds were: flying south for the winter, spreading my wings and taking flight. The last two ideas were all about transitioning from total beginner to someone with enough understanding that I could begin incorporating my own style into my tarot reading and aromatherapy and that fills me with optimism. My dream is moving from the nebulous ether and beginning to solidify into manifested reality.

Here's something you can try next time you are driving and you have a burning question you want answered. Ask the birds. One bird flying from right to left could symbolize a yes answer and one bird flying from left to right could symbolize a no answer, or reverse them, it really doesn't matter. Just don't reverse after you receive an answer just because a no bird flew by and you really wanted a yes bird answer. Ask your question and wait for the first bird you see to give you your answer. Have fun! :)

What Does a Flock of Birds Symbolize?

Okay, so now I'm beginning to see omens in the every day. The other night while driving home from my psychic class I saw a large flock of birds flying overhead. The imagination was suddenly engaged with possibility about what this could represent.

what images come to you from a flock of birds?

What metaphors can you draw from a flock of birds?  How do they relate to what is currently going on in your life? I'll tell you what I came up with tomorrow but today I invite you to tell me what speaks to you about a flock of birds. I may learn something from you that I hadn't considered and vice versa.

Confessions of an Apprentice Tarot Reader

The other day I became a member of the free tarot network where I signed up to give free readings to the public at large. As if that wasn't a scary enough step, last night I attended the second to last class in the psychic certification course I began back in January. Last night's class was about giving card readings to fellow class mates. As I sat in front of my querent listening to her story I realized that I would be giving readings to real people with real problems who would eventually move from behind a computer screen and be sitting right in front of me expecting answers.

courtesy of handanalysis.co.uk

How do I give them hope? How do I put a positive spin on the energy of a card I perceive as being something they won't like if it manifests? I never considered myself to be someone who would ever make a profession out of a customer service related field like retail or banking but then what did I think tarot reading or aromatherapy consulting involved? With tarot and aromatherapy I believe I can help others realize their own potential. I can help them get in touch with their personal power because that is exactly what I am receiving through my learning process.

step into my parlor

I think part of the reason I signed up to give free readings is so that I can gain the confidence to gently guide my clients in ways that are going to be helpful to them. Sure, it scares the bejeezus outta me and that is exactly why I'm doing it. I've spent too much time in life giving myself excuses not to try. Those excuses creep up in the form of phrases like "I'll do it tomorrow." "I don't have time right now." "I'll look at it later." Except that tomorrow becomes next week or next month, right now becomes later and later eventually becomes never. You might recognize a few of these venomous toads at work in your own life.

via metaphysical journeys on Pinterest

What do you do about it? You simply begin. Thankfully it is a comfort to know that when my tarot teacher was first learning she also experienced the same fear and anxiety that I have now. The way to overcome is to feel the fear and do it anyway. I'm still acclimating myself to the network and as soon as I know how you can get in touch with me there for a free reading I'll let you know.

Living the Magical Life: Let It Go

Lately, whenever I start to get upset about something I start to ask myself this question. What am I afraid will happen if I just let this go? Surprisingly, the mind actually stops its chatter to briefly ponder this question. Mine generally can't come up with an answer that makes any sense.

from my Quotes board on Pinterest

My father miniaturizes his frustrations. He plops them in an imaginary box, closes the lid and thinks of them no more. In this way the anger stops with us and is not perpetuated. This is the only way to find true peace in the world.

Halloween Favor Bag

Can you believe that holiday season is right around the corner? I thought I would get an early start this year and begin creating a series of favor items to be introduced gradually over the next several weeks, starting with this Halloween favor bag.

Halloween favor bag in the Kell Belle Boutique

This little treat bag was a lot of fun to make. For those on the go, assembly is fast and easy, just score, cut, glue and enjoy. I'll have more of these available soon but for now you can find this item in the Kell Belle Boutique.