Bits of Paradise from across the Blogosphere

One of my favourite things about blogging is that it introduced me to a whole world of beautiful people and things I might have otherwise missed. It's so easy to go through life without taking time to enjoy all the beauty there is in this world, but blogging forces me to slow down a little and take time to appreciate the little bits of paradise all around us. I saw so many beautiful posts this week that I decided to make a little link post featuring some of my favourites.


I'm always fascinated by the beautiful works of art so many of you create. I did a post a while ago on Michelle Hill's beautiful William Morris-inspired quilts, and I just discovered the other day that she has her own blog, William Morris in quilting. Be sure to visit her blog to catch a glimpse of her latest projects! (Right now Michelle is busy producing a book on Morris that will be coming out in 2009).

Tracy, who never ceases to inspire me with her constant creativity, just spent what appears to have been a heavenly vacation in England. She posted some photos of her trip to Kent that simply took my breath away. I haven't been to England since highschool, but seeing photos like these makes me ache to go back. Visit this lovely picture-filled post--"England--Until We Meet Again"--and be transported!

Gillian of Reflections in the Afternoon did another beautiful photoblog post on her trip to Banff and Lake Louise. The photographs made me feel like I was right there! I live very close to Banff, but I always seem to go in the winter. It's a real treat to see photos of the park during the summertime when everything is so full of life.

Valerie at Acorn Moon is a spectacular artist in her own right. But she did a great interview on her blog last week with illustrator Patricia Papps that I really enjoyed. Papps' art is inspired by William Morris, Art Nouveau, and Egypt...can you tell? Papps illustrates a lot of children's books--I'd love to get my hands on one, her artwork is so beautiful and imaginative--two things I think are key to illustrating books for children.