This is a fantastic post - very inspiring! You are beautiful inside and out. Your confidence shines through in these lovely photos, and I love how you turn your thoughts about your body into positive thoughts.

I think I would faint if I saw a gorgeous quilt like that in a thrift store or garage sale! I just adore them and love how you are giving them new life too :)

This post brings back memories: I visited Long Island off Corpus Christi with my dad some years ago. It was beautiful - and we too saw dolphins leaping in the lagoon as we crossed it in the ferry. But it was also strange: the sea was hot like a bath, freaky for an English girl! And people - us included - drove onto and along the beach to simply park at their spot. There was quite a bit of garbage floating on the shoreline, which made me angry. But I too loved the beautiful expanse of it - Texas is all about expanse for me (as your map shows, lol!) It was an incredible place.

I love the seaside feeling and the sunlight in these photographs - and of course the adorable creatures themselves, stars of the show!

So pretty! I feel like these are some wonderful treasures found in an attic :) I always love seeing your creative process.

I love this post too! Your wildlife photographs are stunning - you really capture the moment. The racoon is brilliant! I wish we had all this wildlife here in Cambridge.

These are wonderful - I can really see those fish taking shape (and I love the inspiration too). I think your limbs look great - so expressive and beautifully textured. Maybe not quite right for your mermaid though, I agree! :)

What a wonderful idea! I look forward to seeing them in your shop.

I love seeing your creations come into being. And also the bug... which I had no idea what it is... I gather from another comment it is a cicada? They are not that big in Europe I can tell you! I think he's rather beautiful but if he had flown into my hair I would have also gone completely crazy!!

You are truly the queen of thrifting!! Ashlie had already told me about your great thrifting talent (and the repurposing gift that is evident in your shop!) It's lovely to hear more about the history of that and see your latest finds! I get thrift-envy a lot: the city I live in has what we call "charity shops" - quite a few of them. But they are quite canny about pricing and it's hard to get a real bargain. It's still all for a good cause, of course, but there's less satisfaction in it than when I was a broke teenager who wore nothing but second-hand and could pick up levis jeans and Dior shirts for £1!

Those pictures of cupcakes look dee-lish indeed! Funnily enough I don't think I've ever tasted a truly great cupcake. I've had a lot of lovely "fairy cakes" - which is what cupcakes used to be when I was little. Basically the same but with different, thinner (non-butter) icing. I've been wondering where I could find a cupcake that would inspire the feelings in your ode... maybe I should just make some myself!

Oh I'd love to win this! I think my little one would enjoy playing the game :) I think I'd pick the Eden set but they are all lovely! theowlclub {at} rocketmail {dot} com http://theowlclub.blogspot.com

Oh wow, lovely post! I almost forgot you live in Texas! I love TX and my dad lives in Austin. I am fascinated by Texas history & atmosphere. That image of the overgrown church is incredible! I love it when nature reclaims man-made things, even though it is sad.

Wow, so much inspiration in one post! I can't wait to see more. I have metal stamps like that but bought them to stamp letters in polymer clay... are you telling me I can stamp METAL with them?! That would be awesome!

I love these adorable kitties and just can't wait to make one! Just had a conversation with my husband we were trying to work out if we had any vibant enough sweaters to use, lol! I also love the images of bluebonnets... my dad lives in Texas (Austin) and I like to think of him being surrounded by them at the moment :)

I'd love to win this! theowlclub (Suki) theowlclub {at} rocketmail {dot} com