Enchantment and New Beginnings

Image found @ Tumblr. Source unknown.

"Luna has now moved into Gemini - so many of you may feel torn between catching up with friends & working. This is because the asteroid Athena (the archetype of the Golden Heroine) was conjunct the Sun over yesterday's new moon. The next two weeks as the moon waxes to full offer a magnified opportunity for abundance for those projects which are aligned with your deepest values...thanks to the recent new moon Solar eclipse in Taurus. So do take this fecund opportunity to set your conscious intent into the matrix of co-creation."

Call me superstitious or tell me it's only coincidences, but I am increasily amazed by astrology and ancient wisdom. And Tanishka Tantrica from The Moon Woman couldn't be more correct as she typed her most recent moon guidance. Her speech totally matches my today's mood.

This week, I'll have 3 different deadlines for my Master's: a territorial development group project, a landscape recovery individual project and a test for a subject which hasn't even hosted any theoretical lectures (what the hell am I supposed to study again?). Everything is going kind of  s l o w l y  because these are quite complex projects and, to make things even worse, my ADHD mode will sometimes kick in and I'll find myself trying to do everything at the same time - and screwing it all up. I'm going through a major struggle to focus on a single task and just get on with it all. How. Frustrating.

I had planned, together with my boyfriend and his mother, to visit a medieval faire this afternoon. Also, a friend is hosting a dinner for his birthday tonight. This morning right after I woke up, I found myself debating and trying to decide whether I should attend both appointments or stay home working. After a long moment of pure frustration, I've decided to skip the faire (which ends tomorrow), work as much as I can through the afternoon and call it a day with friends I haven't met in months. I hate having to cut on things I love to do because of college. It feels like it is the only thing I keep on doing lately.

On the other hand, my heart and the other half of my mind have been with Wilwarin Designs and the big change my small business is about to face. I'm super excited for the transformation and feeling really inspired to walk a path of uniqueness and self-expression. I will definitely work hard for this dream to turn lovely reality as the Maiden grows to awaken and bloom in abundance and fulfillment!

Sneak peek: it all begins with a clutter of young ideas...

Butterfly wishes,

Ana ❤

Wandering in Whimsical Wonders: Crystal Palace Gardens of Porto, Portugal

It's been so long since last time I've visited the gardens of Porto's Crystal Palace, I almost forgot what a gorgeous and soothing place it is to be. These gardens were at first created during the 1860's, along with the construction of the original Crystal Palace building. Although the Crystal Palace itself has been (very sadly) demolished and given place to the current Rosa Mota pavilion, the gardens remain as a haven right in the heart of the city; the open designed spaces invite for snug sunbathing and the old, luxuriant woods whisper memoirs of a long past time. There is a semi-natural lake where the ducks and gooses swim and there are peacocks wandering around people in a wide and neverending avenue of centenary linden trees with breathtaking views upon the Douro river. There are dripping romantic grottos embedded in quiet verdant nooks and palm trees that reach for the sky. Alas, taking a walk through these immense gardens is like a journey to our deep inner selves.

I am currently working on a historic garden conservation project for the Crystal Palace within my Master's and managed to convince my boyfriend to come visit the gardens and enjoy the sun with me yesterday afternoon. Since he's such an indoor person, going out together is a really rare thing for us. We are total opposites in this matter; while I would grab a backpack and throw myself to places unknown every weekend if I could, he prefers to stay home cozy and at pleasure. Needless to say I keep telling him that for a person who enjoys nature and camping and stargazing so much, we spend way too much time indoors. Anyhoo... here are some pictures of the amazing gardens we've visited together for the first time in 6 years!

Also, today we celebrate Mother's Day in my country. I don't think I will ever find the words to describe how grateful I am for everything and all the love my mother has given me during these 24 years of life. I love my mom! We're having a family late snack to celebrate. Shellfish in such a gorgeous Spring sunday sounds the best! Yummy. But first, I'm off for the hard part... studying. Yay.

Buterfly wishes,

Ana ❤

Back to College

Although it was nice to spend two entire weeks at home recovering from surgery and chilling, it is good to be finally back to real life - I'm not so happy about the routine, but oh well. Anyhoo... I'm only missing about 6 weeks of academic rushing until I finally get on summer vacation. Ah, Summer! I feel I can almost touch it!

I am also back to Wilwarin Designs at full force. Been taking care of more orders than I could expect (for my delight), however, my latest supply shipments are taking a really long time to arrive, which means that the new collection's launch might have to be delayed... I''ve got huge plans but so little time and so many obstacles. Sad face.

A little note: since tomorrow is a holiday in Portugal, this week's orders will only be sent out next Thursday (2nd May). Thanks! 

Butterfly wishes,

Ana ❤

Back to orders

Day 7 of my septoplasty surgery recovery: At last, I was able to sit for a few hours and finish taking care of pending orders. Between the ache and the difficulty to breathe, focusing on a task still troubles me a lot. But slowly, I'm trying to get back to normal life. My silicone plates are probably going to get removed tomorrow morning - I can't wait to feel my poor nose finally alleviated! In the meanwhile, my fingers hurt from so much braiding. :)

Some "made-to-order" requests in the making.

For the first time since I got home from the hospital, I went outside for a walk. The weather has been pretty amazing, but I could never enjoy the outdoors because of my nose bleeding. It had been painful to appreciate these Spring sunny days from behind the window. But then again, I am slowly getting back to day-to-day life.

Gratitude to everybody who's been patiently waiting for their orders to be shipped! This last week has been quite the mess but I'm planning to have all orders proccessed and left at the post office in the next couple of days. Thanks again!

Butterfly wishes,

Ana ♥

Colors of the Wind

Day 4 of my septoplasty surgery recovery: I still feel quite miserable, even though my nose ain't swollen anymore. My muscles hurt from spending so much time lying on my bed, chewing is still a lot awkward and the bleeding hasn't ceased yet, not to mention that today is a beautiful day and my eyes can't even handle so much light. Sadly I still don't feel good enough to finish proccessing open orders.

Between sleeping, watching series and trying to eat like a proper human being, all I can do is spending some time relaxing and searching for a little more inspiration for the upcoming season. I have always loved Disney movies and Pocahontas used to be one of my favorites; even as a kid, I could sense there was a much stronger meaning behind the improbable romance that connected two different worlds. The (beautiful) expression "Colors of the Wind" seems to be self-explanatory. To my eyes, it is not only about respecting all living forces, but also about working with what we have and not forcing anything. It is about being free, while going with the flow.

The new Summer collection is on the run and will bring a huge transformation to Wilwarin Designs. I cannot tell anything concrete about it yet, but I hope the ideas behind my new concept might be of inspiration to many women. :)

Butterfly wishes,

Ana ♥

My nose looks like a...

Being unable to properly breathe through your nose might not be the end of the world, but I have experienced such a sensation for years and can tell that sometimes it couldn't get more despairing indeed, especially when it came to sleep. Constant nasal congestion has been troubling me pretty much since my teenage years but I took a long time to decide it wasn't, well... normal? Then, a couple of years ago, I found out I am allergic to house dust, which came to worsen my nose issues like sneezing, stuffy nose and constant nasal runoff. Then the headaches and throat infections came.

I have had several medical appointments during the last year to figure out the best way to reduce my nose problems. This was when I also came to know that I had a very deviated nasal septum. What a vicious, miserable little fella my parents gave me... *sad face*

So last monday, I've finally had my septoplasty and turbinate reduction surgery. It actually went much better than I was expecting and I could say that I'm feeling great if it wasn't for the slight face swelling and all the bleeding. My lips seem like they're going to explode, no matter how many glasses of water I drink to keep myself well hydrated. Not to mention that little Misha has been crying by the other side of the door because he wants to be with me but I have to avoid pet contact at least until the bleeding ceases. :( But yeah, it could be worse!

Due to my medical condition, recent orders might take a little longer to be proccessed and shipped. My sweet boyfriend is a gentleman who's going to help me by taking the packages to the post office until I can go outside. :)

Now off to enjoy a little rest together with some mint tea and Game of Thrones!

Butterfly wishes,

Ana ♥

Seems like a whole new life...

The Etsy shop is reopen for business! :)

I am now living in my hometown... the transition has gone well, although there's still much to handle and organize. I am still missing internet in my new home, so I'm doing it one step at a time. The Etsy shop has been slightly remodeled, featuring all items which remained from the Winter clearance sale.

I have many new items too, created over the last couple of months... but due to last week's heavy quantity of hand-ins for my Master's, I couldn't even finish organizing my crafty corner and completing preparations for the new collection. But I can already mention that, this season, I've decided to make a more minimalist approach... lots of simpler and subtle pieces, without losing the delicate and romantic touch of Spring! My ideas for next Summer are even more different... but one thing at a time. :)

Now that we live pretty close to each other, me and my boyfriend finally managed to spend a relaxing weekend together. After last Saturday's family lunch, we headed to IKEA in order to purchase a couple of furniture pieces for my new room - followed by a few hours to assemble them. :p We called it a day as we sat to watch Spartacus, one of our very favorite TV shows.

As I said goodbye to the home where I've lived for 20 years, I managed to welcome new opportunities with open arms... I've tried not to be afraid of change, but accept it as my own fantasy doorway: a portal to infinite possibilities. There are still lots of stuff to organize, but I know this is going to be a great new chapter in my life!

My patina aqua desk and bookcase - hand painted by myself :) - along with some of our other furniture, ready to move!

Home Sweet Home...

Every new year it's a new life, they say. And in my case, I couldn't agree more!

I am moving to a new home tomorrow (March 2nd). This is something I've been expecting for far too long - and finally, it is happening... Of course I will miss my current home since it is where I've lived almost my entire life. It is where I've grown up, where I've made friends, where I've owned lovable cats and dogs and watched them departing the physical world. It is where I've lived my most strong and precious moments and emotions.

Image source is unknown.

But starting anew is never a bad idea, and we believe the home we're moving to will bring us much fortune and a whole new life. We're moving to our beloved hometown, close to pretty much everything; college, services, family, friends - even my boyfriend lives there. This means I'll never spend around three hours in transports to college (every day). :) With all kind of services nearby (including a post office), I'll save so much time it might even confuse me at first *laughs*. I'll have more time to sleep(!), to be with friends, to do things I like and of course to work on Wilwarin Designs. I feel anxious, happy yet nostalgic...

In the midst of such mixed emotions, of course I had to stop my handcrafting activity. If you have visited my Etsy shop during the last few hours, you might have noticed the message already. The shop is closed for "vacation" but I will reopen it in a week if everything goes as planned. :) I'm sorry since I should have informed you earlier of the big news, but time has been so tight with so many things to do. I'll be making another post here explaining how the transition will work on Wilwarin Designs in a while.

Thank you to everyone who have enjoyed my Winter Clearance Sale! ♥

Valentine's Day

Image source: Tumblr.

Whether you've found your better half or not yet, I hope you've had a nice Valentine's day filled with smiles and happy moments with your loved one(s). For me it was an ordinary day. My boyfriend has never been into what he calls "Valentine commercialism", so I just spent my time in classes and relaxing at home in the evening. It may sound depressing indeed - especially because I am of the romantic type - but our 6th anniversary as a couple is almost there anyway. I'd rather celebrate that. :)

Wishing a lovely Friday and a peaceful weekend to everyone. ♥

Loving Wilwarin's packaging

This is how I package orders and gifts. Until a few months ago I used to ship every item in a cute organza bag (like the one in the picture), but nowadays I'll only leave that option for those clients who prefer it. I like the simplicity and daintiness of organza bags, but on the other hand, I am truly in love with these natural kraft pillow gift boxes! For each order, they are decorated with paper graphics I created myself on Photoshop from scratch, combining light, grungy beige with a beautiful and rare periwinkle tone. This color is so tender and pretty, even though it gives me headaches everytime it's time to print new cards and papers, because most printers seem not to be able to recognize it... and I usually get dark purple instead! Sure it is a real love-hate relationship between me and periwikle. ;)

From the various parts of running a small business such as mine, I sure like the packaging one above most. I love encaising a little bit of me along with my pieces. That is why I always package orders with most tenderness and care.

Have a lovely weekend everyone! It's another bee-busy one for me although. *sad face*

End of semester!

Again, it's been so long since last I wrote! I wish I could take less time between posts. That's definitely another 2013 resolution for me. ;)

The last three weeks have been truly hardcore, bustling and too stressful for my own good. My Master's first semester is finally bidding goodbye, but the damages left behind by it in my daily life are many. Lots and loads of sleepless nights (I've spent two entire days with no sleep at all, and more than 30 hours straight working on the computer on my final project...), poor diet, the absence of ANY exercise and the lack of time for any other activities such as jewelry making... I know it will take a while to rectify everything - perhaps too long, considering that my next semester starts in less than a month away. But one should start today, right? And so I did, sleeping about 14h straight. :))

Speaking of damage left behind, the weather has been really bad and quite dangerous here in Portugal. The strong winds have knocked many trees down and caused some accidents on the road, which makes this a perfect day to stay home resting after such a hardcore season. Poor little Misha has been panicking the entire day, running and meowing around the house and staring from the windows with eyes wide open. I can even see street lamps waggle from my bedroom window. But however Mother Nature rages outside, I feel good and free because I've finally accomplished many tiring tasks and projects. That aside, I know everything will be alright.

I got to craft a tiny little bit during the last few weeks, but the weather doesn't let me take any good pictures. It doesn't let me go outside to hunt for supplies either. And sadly today I still feel too tired, thus my inspiration is not afoot. I decided I'd then start by gathering some inspiration for my next collection, and I ended up with creating a treasury list on Etsy. The ideas are now starting to flow and I intend to bring more news really soon. :)

Clicky-clicky on the picture to see the whole collection on Etsy!

2013 Resolutions?

Lovely and inspirational art print by Parada Creations.

So the Christmas season is finally over and here we are, looking forward to this brand new year. And, as most say, a new year brings a new life. Have you ever asked yourself why is that so? And how do you feel about that concept?

We all know there isn't a straight relationship between calendar seasons and changes in our personal lives, but most of the time I find myself believing that a new year is equivalent to a new cycle and many new oportunities.

Like many, I also like to look over my last 12 months, appraising all the recent events in my life. Then, I decide what things (be it daily customs or aspects of my personality) are good for me to keep and what aspects are bad and tend to wither my life and inner self. And then some lots of resolutions arise. I have many, many goals for this year, such as

• Try new jewelry making styles and techniques
• Develop Wilwarin Designs' international website
• Take more pictures
• Visit new places
• Learn to properly cook
• Learn to make my own candles and soaps
• Meditate everyday
• Start practising yoga
• Read more
• Blog more!
• Find happiness in what I do (obviously I don't mean jewelry making).

What about your goals/resolutions? ;)

Meet my family's newest member...

He's cute, he's sweet, and he's a purring machine! He's Misha, our new whiskered baby. :)

I've been what they call a "crazy cat lady" since a teenager. In fact, my feline fascination is so big that my friends say I'll get old in a big country house bursting with kitties. Thanks to Wilwarin Designs and all the effort I've put into it, I've managed to save some pennies to sustain a furry buddy - and give it the best life it could possibly have!

Misha is only around 3 months old and he was available for adoption from a local street cat housing project (they're not really an association but more of a group of friends who share the same passion). It's amazing, the amount of animals which are daily abandoned and/or neglected. Knowing how much I love kitties, I just couldn't stand doing nothing about it.

Before finding Misha, I browsed so many adoption websites and replied to so many ads. I was initially looking for a longhaired buddy, because I'm so freaking obsessed with fluffy creatures and my last cat, whom I loved so much and miss even more, had this beautiful and oh-so-smooth long hair. But soon (after a dozen adoption failures) I realized that medium-long haired cats were the most sought ones because most people feel the same way I do (or just like to display them)... So, instead, I decided to put my 'greed' away and just go for a sweet kitty looking for love. And then, I found Misha.

I stumbled on this project's blog the other day and, as I browsed their list of homeless cats, this baby drawed my attention. When I picked up the phone and dialed their number, my hopes weren't actually high at all because I'd heard the sentence "that cat has already been adopted" so many times the last two or three weeks. But not Misha (he had another name before we adopted him but we find 'Misha' much more fitting) - and after a few questions, they let me stay with him.

Despite of not having the looks I was hoping for when I started searching for a cat, I'm so so far from regreting my choice. Misha is truly adorable! His adaptation in the new home and family was nice and quick. After just a few hours, he plays a lot, purrs on my lap, sleeps with me at night and, of course, messes everything up :)) He seems a very happy kitten - and I'm a very happy own- ...pardon me, slave!

He luvs to sleep on my lap... for HOURS if possible. Who can resist such cuteness!

Peek-a-boo :)

Misha staring mindfully at one of his favourite toys.

I'm now logging off to try to tire Misha, because it's bed time for me and he's still electric. I'm so screwed. :D

Have a great week everyone, and for my north american followers in the east, be safe and believe. "After a storm, a rainbow always appears". My prayers are with you!

Yours,

Ana

International Giveaway - by Wilwarin Designs & Ink and Iridescence!

Ahoy!

I know it's been a long time (again) since my last post; and that would thanks to my brand new "super time consumer": my Master's. A single week of classes was enough to make pull half my hair off as I realized it would be really hard to manage my routine and free time - because most of these days I simply don't have any. Although I looove to learn new things everyday, this course has been pushing me to the very limit, gifting me with many sleepless nights and too many hours of computer working (all landscape architecture and territorial development related). Thus, it's been a huge task to keep Wilwarin Designs and this blog updated. Anyway, here I am now. Right? :)

So this is a very special weekend for me, as one of my autumnal items is featured in this super, fantastic, truly delightful giveaway by the blogger Jemimah C. from Ink and Iridescence. I hereby invite you all to participate, as this necklace is one of my very favourite pieces and pretty much ANYONE in the world can get it... absolutely for free!! :) For a direct link to Jemimah's giveaway post, just click in the prize's picture...

Clicky clicky to enter the giveaway! :)

I personally would love to thank Jemimah C. one more time for this amazing oportunity and also for all the LOVELY feedback from her and all the other ladies who have already met my shop and work. I hope you all will enjoy your staying here and all my other pages. Good luck all!

Finally, I won't have to spend this weekend at college working, so I'll certainly dedicate some of my precious time working on Wilwarin Designs and updating my store (wee!)... so be on the lookout! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,

Ana

Welcome Fall! (plus Apple Mabon Bread recipe)

"With the feast of Mabon, the fall Equinox, we acknowledge the balance of light and dark, life and death, growth and rot. We honor all those things that enable our world to grow and restore itself. On this holy tide, we hail the hunter and the hunted, the predator and the prey, the plough and the scythe, the blessings of growth and of decay. We honor our resources, and the frugality and careful planning of every ancestor whose careful household management got their families safely through the cold constraints of winter. Mabon is a time of remembrance and of culling away, of honoring what we have, what we need, but also what we can provide to others. It is a time to look clearly at where we are weak in spirit, where we are strong, and where we stand somewhere in between, a time to take stock of our portion of gratitude and blessings for the coming season."

~from Patheos.com, author unknown~

So this is it, Autumn has arrived! I'm a little too tired for blogging right now so I've decided to just leave this small yet wonderful excerpt for one to meditate on - which is better than anything I could try to write right now, really. I've had a very busy day with many college issues to manage. But still, I've had a little time for some crafting and even a little kitchen magick! :)

My first this year's Autumnal creations...

And my first attempt at the called Apple Mabon Bread; perhaps I should have added more apples and not so much honey... maybe a little too wet, still, it is delicious! :) Here's the recipe by CharmingPixieFlora right below for you to try it as well:

I'm now off to eat some of my sweet bread, sip on some ginger ale and meditate on what I'm thankful for... what about you; how are you greeting Fall? :)

Preparing for a new season

Ahoy!

Autumn is almost knocking on our door and I know lots of you can't wait to drink some delicious homemade apple cider and jump on crunchy leaves. Even I, a Summer creature, am really looking forward to it. Well, I've never tried to make apple cider myself but that's one of my goals for the next couple of months! :)

As the new season of the year takes place, so does a new season of my life. Finally, after a whole year waiting, I'll be starting my Master's on Landscape Architecture in less than a week. I must confess I'm a little nervous because it's been such a long time, but on the other hand I'm really looking forward to it and to learn more. Of course, and sadly, there won't be so much free time for crafting, so I've been spending a good part of my time organising my supplies and Wilwarin Designs itself (also as I wait for the rest of my brand new Autumn supplies to arrive).

Sneak peek... Boho charms, marine pendants and Autumnal woodland goodies... I love love LOVE gilder's paste so much and I wish I could afford more colors!

I have five new frequent customers, as well - as I like to call them. They're all really shy but oh-so-lovely. And they also have... whiskers! :) A young cat happened to give birth to a litter of four beautiful baby kittens near my home and, since we have the habbit of leaving some of our meal leftovers (safe food, of course) everyday in our yard for street cats, they slowly started sneaking around. It's been a couple of months since we saw them for the first time, however they've always been too fearful to let us get any close. They are quite used to our presence nowadays, but still won't trust us as I'd like them to. It's actually funny because they have the courage to stand right on our porch, even with the door open, staring at us as if asking for their meal, but will run like little rockets to the safety of the bushes everytime we step into the yard with a dish of cat feed or meat. They really like our little garden, although. :) Today they've spent pretty much the entire day sleeping and playing around the garden, while I did some cleaning, listened to Wicca radio and took sips of delicious forest fruit handmade tea.

Mama Kitty on the top (she's a really pretty tuxedo cat) and two of her babies sleeping on the grass. This was the closest I could get, afraid that otherwise I would disturb them :) 

The four baby kitties sleeping on top of each others behind our orange tree and belladonna lilies... it was so damn cute to watch.

The babies (well, they're not really babies anymore) are two black kitties, a grey tabby and a grey tuxedo. These last two make me believe that my missing cat, Simba, happens to be the father of the litter, since he used to be the only grey cat in the zone (he is/was a long haired grey tabby). Maybe that's why I felt so attached to them the moment I saw them. I miss my cat so much.

Summer is saying goodbye...

Image source: Tumblr (unknown author)

September has come and, however these few past days have been pleasantly sunny and warm, I can feel nostalgia taking over me already. I absolutely love Summer and I will certainly miss it in no time. I'll miss the heat and the ocean calling for me, wearing shorts and reading a nice book under the comforting sun... However, the next season is oh-so-inspiring to me. One can now notice the days going shorter and the fairies slowly painting the leaves red and gold. The time of harvest and golden woods is coming and, even though I'm a Summer creature, I admit I can't wait for stepping on crunchy leaves on the sidewalk and wear knitted sweaters and comfy boots in earthy tones.

As many people know, I am extremely and constantly inspired by Nature and Her wonderful manifestations in our physical world. As I stare at images like the one above, a thousand pictures and ideas play in my mind! I am now planning Autumn ahead and, as I wait for the results of my Master's Degree candidacy, I'm preparing Wilwarin Designs for the next few months. This is a crucial step as (considering everything goes as predicted) my Master's alone will be a huge time consumer. So, as my autumnal inspiration awakes, I've been ordering fancy new supplies and drawing pieces for my next Fall-Winter collections.

I have also been babysitting for the last couple of weeks. Taking care of my 6-year old niece makes it hard to keep working and creating in an appropriate pace, especially with such sunny days... but today the poor girl surprised me with a desire of staying home this afternoon, playing in the yard and watching cartoons, so I took a little time to finish bringing these new pretties into the world... they will be listed on Etsy later on!

Little Summer treasures from Nature to carry close to your heart! These feature a foxtail barley (Hordeum spp.) ear and a  lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) flowery stem, both hand collected and dried by myself.

Who doesn't love fairies! These glass vial necklace features capri blue fairy dust for good luck. A great gift for the dreamer girl. :)

  

Sick and wishful

My work has been kind of frozen during the last week and it breaks my heart that it is so. And why? Because I've been sick... I know, it sounds crazy. I haven't caught the flu for the entire Winter but I had to suffer a terrible throat infection right in August. I was immediately prescribed with these nasty antibiotics which have been really messing my entire body up. I haven't slept, nor being able to eat properly for nine days now. Not to mention that I got a second infection a couple of days ago - a fungal one, since the antibiotics seem to have exterminated most of my probiotic bacteria, leaving me exposed to all kind of other nasty things!

Obviously - and sadly - I haven't had the energy to work on brand new jewelry... but today, finally, I'm feeling better and decided I would update you with some stuff I had prepared. So I've just added new ocean inspired vial necklaces and a couple of two amazing, OOAK, natural sea urchin rings to my Etsy store. Be sure to check on them and also, don't forget that all items are 15% off until the end of the month!

Glass vial necklace with natural European cowrie conches, a starfish charm in antique copper and a Swarovski crystal. It is available for purchase here.

Adjustable ring with a big sized natural sea urchin skeleton in gorgeous dark green and purple tones. It is available here.

My deepest apologies for my low speed on proccessing orders and replying to messages. I promise I'll come back at full force soon enough!

Thanks for the understanding!

My Medieval Journey

I've spent the last weekend at a Medieval/Renaissance Faire in Santa Maria da Feira (Aveiro, Portugal). I had been expecting it for so long! Although I've known the Medieval Journey faire for five years now, I had never visited it at night time. And my boyfriend and I have waited for the opportunity to camp during the event for quite of a long time. This year, we finally grabbed it. :)

Tent, sleeping bags, a change of clothes and fresh water and fruit was practically all we needed to carry in our trip (a long one since we have no car) to Santa Maria - and consequently to the 12th and 13th centuries.

Nowadays, the Medieval Journey is one of the events that most trill me each passing year (thanks to my boufriend and his mother :p) and, although I'm not a big fan of History, medieval times and its mystical character have always fascinated me. To me, being in the middle of the Medieval Journey means being surrounded by things I love: handicrafts, natural soaps and candles, incense, tea, crystals... and, also, in a big party! There's always a lot of music, food and drink, games, performances and many other unexpected surprises right in the middle of the street. And there is also a lot of... handmade jewelry! Amazingly or not, I can always spend a long time observing other people's work... and that is all I need to trigger my own inspiration. In fact, that's the best "study" method! :)

I can't forget to mention that Wilwarin Designs itself was also born of this same fantasy concept, associated with old, mystic times. Unfortunately, Wilwarin is still a too young business to have its own stall, but I hope someday some year I can bring my work onto a fair of this size.

Here are some of my best memories of this weekend:

Dramatization at one of the various meal areas; a young peasant is cheated in a tabern and forced to pay what he consumed with his own clothes. Very funny! :)

King D. Sancho I's royal paladin.

Visiting the Medieval Journey faire without yielding to a few temptations is not the same thing! Like this  forest fruits pie. Fancy a bite? ;D

Musical performance (artists unknown).

Birds of prey, always conquering everyone's hearts...

Nocture jousting show. Very entertaining!

The blacksmith and his forge, near the military camp.

Our tent right in the corner of the camping field. If only we didn't have to deal with the noise at night, the lack of a mattress (damn, my poor back), nor the slope which made us slide and "climb" the floor of the tent every 30 minutes of sleep! :)

Now I'm back to the 21st century, but having spent two entire days surrounded by so many things I love, I couldn't avoid bringing with me, besides the fantastic memories, some material souvenirs. Better show them another time as this post is getting too long already! ;)

Future "Studio" & International Orders

Despite of being on vacation at the moment, I have to admit that it has been a little tricky to keep all my plans and certain obligations in perfect organization. So today I thought I should write a bit about my most recent experiences with Wilwarin Designs and what I have been planning for the next weeks.

My most ambitious project at the moment is to create a workspace (or a "studio" - it sounds cooler!) here at my home, open to all my local customers. I am currently putting almost my entire efforts (excluding for "obligations" of life, of course) in this small corner, to make it as comfy and cute as possible. There have been some obstacles, such as the fact that I've been working on this all by myself, or my half empty pocket, hehe. But grain by grain, the hen fills her belly, right? =) Between treating a ceiling and walls affected by dampness and remodeling a few old furniture pieces, this trip has been far from over now...

One of the pieces of furniture I have remodeled - the desk I shall start working on. =) Painted in aqua blue and with white patina for a more Shabby Chicm aged look. The pictures I took can't capture the real beauty of its new look!

Another thing which has been occupying lots of my time - and that makes me VERY happy... - is international orders. When I threw myself into the world of jewelry and crafting, exporting was far from being my main goal. At this point, I can say that it is, on the other hand and fortunately, one of the most important and time consuming parts of my small business. During the last few months I have met great people all over the Web, willing to teach me or even learn with me and, most of all, who trust me and in my (small) name, despite the distance... My Etsy Shop is one of my greatest passions, and I'll always keep on working on it whenever I can, so as to make it more friendly and inviting to fans of jewelry and crafting. Every time I ship one of my pieces to another corner of the world, it's like sending a piece of me to that place. How to describe this feeling?! =)

One of my Bird's Nest rings in the hand of Lisa, a north American customer. Thanks again Lisa for the picture!

One of my bookmarks featured at Lilyshop's homepage.

In the beggining of this week, I've had 3 Etsy orders in less than 48 hours, and one of the items sold in less than six hours. That's two personal records in a row! It is a wonder, to watch our own work maturing in such a way!

My three latest international orders, ready to be shipped in my brand new customized pillow gift boxes!

Over the last few months, I have worked to bring a little of myself into the world. As a result, I've seen my own little world growing. And none of this would have been possible if not for all of you, my dear friends, customers and followers. So today I take a little of my time to thank you all who have supported and trusted me. Wilwarin Designs has been a wonderful journey for me, like a seed that germinated to bloom. And therefore, I hope to make my passion grow even more, so I can keep on materializing my affection into my jewelry pieces - and thus bringing them to reality as food to your own fantasies!

Thank you so much! x