One of my dearest friends in the faerie world, is the talented Paulina Stuckey-Cassidy. She is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, dream filled people I have had the privilege to know and work with and is extremely modest about her astonishing abilities. This lovely lady thinks on a very deep level which is why I’ve been an ardent fan of her gentle art for many years and adore all her imaginative, quirky, humorous and wonderful drawings. Paulina’s enchanting style is so refreshingly different and reminds me of the illustrated fairy tale books that were so dear to me as a child and are priceless to me now… There is a fun side to her beautiful original art, a whimsical side, a darker side and a side that’s just fantastically odd! Canadian born Paulina is also an amazing storyteller and has put together a series of gorgeous chapbooks, written and illustrated especially by her for self-publication, just like folk used to do before everything became more commercial. (Look out for a feature on Paulina in Faerie Magazine International next year.) Her charming web site is www.paulina.ws - enjoy the treasures within!

As I’m not very good at dealing with the winter months, this time of year I tend to wish I was able to find a nice cozy place to hibernate as soon as it begins to get colder. Somewhere warm and safe where I can be woken up in time for our birthdays in the spring… So one of the blessings I give thanks for this season, is to be able to light a log fire in our old living room wood burner. Not only do I love the crackling sounds and smells of the wood smoke – especially as it lingers in the cottage the following morning – but I could spend hours just gazing into the dancing flames as they curl up over the logs and create colours that only seem possible in that kind of heat. It is a comforting natural phenomena which sheds a magical light all its own and I’m sure that my mind on some primeval level remembers this, can you tell I’m a fire sign?!

Magical Blessings, Be

“ ‘There is no use trying,’ said Alice, ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’ ‘I dare say you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ ” – Lewis Carroll