Butterfly Artwork

Once a year a few of the girlies and I jump on a train from Somerset and head to London for what has now become an annual tradition. At the end of March we don our comfortable shoes in preparation for an epic day ... an 8 hour shopping spree!

Ironically we are all country girls born and bred and as it was pointed out to us by a perfect stranger, we choose to leave the comfort of our rural lifestyle and head up to town in search of country products we could probably source cheaper on our doorstep!

.... The country Living Fair



True to form we were there on the opening day as the gates opened. It was heaving with hungry shoppers hoping to pick up the perfect cushion to add to their ever expanding collection. I was very inspired and excited to see some really talented designers and artists exhibiting such beautiful pieces of artwork, textiles, ceramics and more. There were some beautiful gifts and displays to get your creative juices flowing, however I was disappointed by a fair few stall holders selling items that were obviously not made or sourced in the UK, and a familiar sight of repeated items throughout the exhibition. However...

I was inspired by a stall - Cissy Cook Designs

She creates 3D artwork of butterflies in flight set within a deep shadow box. One of my friends fell in love with her work and was tempted to part with £660 for one of her larger pieces.

Of course this got me thinking ... surely I could produce something similar at a fraction of the price!

So I set to work ...

I started by simply using Google and was amazed at the amount of images I came across of people either selling their work through websites such as notonthehighstreet.com, bloggers and even Ikea! It appears that cutting out butterflies and mounting them on card has become a bit of a phenomenon!

I have four christenings over the coming months and I thought this would make a lovely and personal gift.

I hope to think I have not 'copied' any of the designs I have come across but have taken inspiration from all of them and created something that I feel will be a treasured gift for my friends children.

To make it even more personal I chose a blessing or poem to stick to the back of the frame. These were my four favourites....

Wishing you many smiles and happy times to come
May life’s adventures be exciting and sweet
Filled with love from the friends that you’ll meet
You’ll soon grow up for time does fly
So cherish each moment as it goes by
From crawling and walking
To toddling and talking
There’s no knowing what you’ll do next
There’s a threshold to cross and a wide open door
And a wonderful world for you to explore
Sleep with the moonbeams and play in the sun
Let your life be a long one and filled with fun
May today and tomorrow and all days hereafter
Be days that are happy and filled with your laughter.

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen has been proven by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
 Do one thing every day that scares you.Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind...the race is long, and in the end it’s only with yourself.
 Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
 Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.
 Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life….the most interesting people I know, didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
 Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
 Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
 Get to know your parents; you’ll never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
 Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
 Be careful who’s advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
 But trust me on the sunscreen...

May God bless and keep you always, 
May your wishes all come true, 
May you always do for others 
And let others do for you. 

May you build a ladder to the stars 
And climb on every rung, 
May you stay forever young. 

May you grow up to be righteous, 
May you grow up to be true, 
May you always know the truth 
And see the lights surrounding you. 

May you always be courageous, 
Stand upright and be strong, 
May you stay forever young. 

May your hands always be busy, 
May your feet always be swift, 
May you have a strong foundation 
When the winds of changes shift. 

May your heart always be joyful, 
May your song always be sung, 
May you stay forever young, 
Forever young, forever young, 
May you stay forever young.

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and bends you with might that the arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as the Archer loves the arrow that flies,
so the Archer also loves the bow that is stable.

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