A Victorian Mermaid's Secret Keys To The Treasure Chest Of Our Kingdom

Hello, my darling dear mermaid hearts,

The other morning, through meditation, It came to me that the toiling of our moments upon this earth, for myself and all of us, is to gain clarity. 

I shared a few manifesting success stories on Instagram reels yesterday and one on gaining translucence about ourselves and our world. 

I write on my blog about what I deeply care about, what I believe profoundly within my heart, and what will make the world a better place for those who come across my writings and books. I have always desired a place where folks feel inspired and genuinely uncover what they wish to cultivate by reading my work. I have held the intention that even if I write something that touches upon the wounds of another, it is all meant for the greatest good of the individual as well as the collective as a whole. For the power to ignite within a soul the disturbance to want to and decide to change their lives is what I do this for and will continue forth with doing so. 

As individuals, we should look at our lives and decide what we want to spend our days in pursuit of, what groups we want to remain a part of and which ones we should let go; a kind of catch and release, my darlings. What do we want to continue listening to, and when do we turn the other cheek and disengage? 

As the threshold of the holidays is soon to arrive upon us, I find the autumnal season a precious time of year to create our list of expectations. I also think wholeheartedly (and I've seen the vision for decades) that our universe is at an altogether precipice. The beliefs people hold, activities folks engage in, people we once deemed on social media of importance, all of this will become something of an olde world. Our new world will be homesteading, living off of our land, and bartering; enlightenment will come to the masses; the abundance and extraordinary wealth beyond measure will come to many; the unpopular on social media will become the most popular and profound speakers of the day. Trashy, shouty television will be a thing of the past. There will be good, happy, and wholesome shows created. Naught, will there be any more mainstream media? It will fall away entirely. Many will develop their form of entertainment through outlets yet to manifest, and cable television will disappear. We as a nation (in America) will live as we once did in particular areas that brought us joy and pure charm, not all ways, but the beautiful aspects of our archaic history. The poorly times will eradicate. Human folks will be more self-sufficient and teach their children likewise. We will once again treasure the day-to-day pleasantries such as fellowship, heritage activities, kindness, helping one's neighbour and monumental grassroots assembly from an earlier time will be at the forefront. 

The clutter of the mind will fall away from those who become enlightened, and I am very much "Taking Joy" and relishing in the thought of it. 

Have the happiest day, my darling, dear mermaid hearts. I love you most affably and beyond measure. 

(If you want to see a delightful and fun video, I posted my cottage Halloween wreath craft along on Patreon if you're interested.)

Most affably yours til my next swim, Love Razz

How A Landlocked Victorian Mermaid Washes Her Garments {The Curious Mind of Raquel Carter~Patreon}

My dear mermaid hearts,

Here off the coast of the Florida seaside is where I resolved to create a little life of living my dreams of being an author, illustrator and a landlocked mermaid Victorian lifestyle. 

One of the unique projects I adapted to a few years ago was deciding to live in the 1880s as much as humanly possible on my own accord. By all means, please make no mistake, Im constantly adjusting my sails as those close to me would rather live a modern life. I truly understand their desire to live in the 21st century. Primarily folks think I'm a bit mad that I try to implement olde timey particulars as much as I am capable. Of that lifestyle is learning the art of hand washing my hand-sewn garments.

 
Let us turn back the clock and rediscover what it is like for me to live in the contemporary world but daily dwell as though I am in an age gone by. 
I have published the latest Patreon episode on The Curious Mind of Raquel Carter for free to the public. I have done this to give you, dear mermaid hearts and others who have no idea of what I have been up to as of late, an opportunity to view my artistry and see what you receive monthly.

I hope you'll pitch up and support my work. You may cancel at any time.

 
Here is the link to my Patreon. Take Joy, my fruits!

The Ebb And Flow

Good morning dear mermaid hearts, 

At the start, when I began contemplating how I should or may shift my online presence, I consulted with my dearly beloved husband. He is my closest confidant, and the second is my most cherished friend, P. It has been weighing upon my heart for some time now as I've been truly trying to find those kindred spirits to share with my online offerings. 

In 2006 when I began my online blog, there wasn't competition in my world. I merely wrote to jot down my feelings and diary my daily online giving. Upon tucking my wee cherubs into bed and saying their little prayers that fairy beasts wouldn't come for them from their balcony windows, I would type away, never knowing where or what I was attempting to accomplish. I enjoyed it greatly and deeply felt the desire to share, whether by words or a DIY project; now, looking back, my soul longed for womanly connections. I was somewhat motivated to write and create, yet a great deal of my motivation would ebb and flow like the ocean's tides. It would rise, and then a crashing wave of thunder would knock it back down. 

In the beginning, I was doing it for no other reason than for the love of it, and I enjoyed it whilst it lasted. Then in 2017, when everything came crashing, and through a series of unfortunate events, I lost eleven years of my online words, a swift desire to write online again deeply awakened within me. I knew I would have to utilise my wheelhouse and a great notion of tenacity by beginning all over again. 

My blog has remained, and I plan for it to sustain itself for as long as I can put words together and create art. When I filed for a divorce from my ex-ill-suited mate, my blog was there for me. It was my happy place. When my son died, my blog was there for me; again, it was my happy place. The slow recovery of healing from a most difficult experience brought me back into the land of the living. All that I care for has improved because I have an allegiance to my online presence; this blog. I believe deep within my heart many women also desire similar notions as myself, and this is why I have such a compassionate nature for this space. Though it is small, it is mighty. If you are curious about why I began asking those who enjoy my work to sign up for Patreon, it is for several reasons; one is that for a very long time, I had difficulty loving myself enough to feel I deserved to be rewarded (paid) for my craft. I often think many women also grapple with this notion; this matter at heart is why I feel a great deal of responsibility to inspire women to rise to the occasion of deeply recognising one's worthiness. To find wisdom and delight in writings and illustrations and so many helpful, moving and beautiful things is what brings us together in love and companionship. The notions and matters I care about, read and adore are at the heart of why I carry on with my little niche online. I want you to know how much your example of showing up to read my blog and sign up for my Patreon means the world to me. It is a sign that I mean something to you and you care about me because we have a tethering cord strung about from soul to soul, linking us as dear, intrinsically bound friends. I believe our only challenge as women is if we aren't willing with gentle, loving hearts to unite. Otherwise, nothing is keeping us from creating the most extraordinary fairytale world; fairytales give us our imaginary wings to believe anything is possible. We, as women, are the mothers; we are the rulers asunder the moon and the shining stars of a most wonderful poetic world. 

I understand the weighing and the negatives of the world, yet I am an eternal optimist, and I find when I share goodness, more goodness reigns upon me and (you), my darling friends here in this special little chipmunk's nest. 

As of late, I have felt called upon to discern how to make my online life and business feel more like sitting upon a rock next to the ledge of the ocean sending out my thoughtful ripples whilst also deeply feeling the connectedness of others. And although there will be constant waves, rushing rivers and brewing storms throughout our lives upon the billowy ocean of anxiousness, our underwater haven will be the place of calm, gentle ripples where life is slow, homey, happy, old-timey and simplistic. This kind of life is much needed.

My dear hearts, our lives take fastidious employment, for it will always require toiling away to shift our minds and focus from the algae smudges on the porthole looking out of windows from an outside world full of distraction. It requires conscious effort to swim furiously against the tides and currents that would lead us off course away from our imaginary world of Taking Joy and Following our Bliss, yet as long as we are in this together, no tide can separate us, for we have life rafts for all. Today this is my deepest and most sincere letter messaged in a bottle. 

I hope your day is beautiful and worthy of bringing a smile upon your face. You deserve it.

{P.S. I very much wish upon a star that you'll sign up for Patreon this month. I am not charging for the month of July, although I will be putting out a brilliant video titled; "How A Landlocked Victorian Mermaid Washes Her Garments." I include links to all of my favourite ancient ingredients, victorian labels you can print off for your very own antique bottles and jars, and ancient recipes for bits that are soiled and stained and demonstrate how I made my own dolly from scratch. All of this and much more.}

Most affably, yours til my next swim, Lady Raquel (Or if you're my friend, you can call me Razz)

The Ebb And Flow

Good morning dear mermaid hearts,

 
At the start, when I began contemplating how I should or may shift my online presence, I consulted with my dearly beloved husband. He is my closest confidant and then my most cherished friend P. It has been weighing upon my heart for some time now as I've been truly trying to find those kindred spirits to share with my online offerings.

 
In 2006 when I began my online blog, there wasn't competition in my world. I merely wrote to jot down my feelings and diary my daily online giving. Upon tucking my wee cherubs into bed and saying their little prayers that fairy beasts wouldn't come for them from their balcony windows, I would type away, never knowing where or what I was attempting to accomplish. I enjoyed it greatly and deeply felt the desire to share, whether by words or a DIY project; now, looking back, my soul longed for womanly connections. I was somewhat motivated to write and create, yet a great deal of my motivation would ebb and flow like the ocean's tides. It would rise, and then a crashing wave of thunder would knock it back down.

 
In the beginning, I was doing it for no other reason than for the love of it, and I enjoyed it whilst it lasted. Then in 2017, when everything came crashing down, and through a series of unfortunate events, I lost eleven years of my online words, a swift desire to write online again deeply awakened within me. I knew I would have to utilise my wheelhouse and a great notion of tenacity by beginning all over again.

 
My blog has remained, and I plan for it to sustain itself for as long as I am capable of putting words together and creating art. When I filed for a divorce from my ex-ill-suited mate, my blog was there for me. It was my happy place. When my son died, my blog was there for me; again, it was my happy place. The slow recovery of healing from a most difficult experience brought me back into the land of the living. All that I care for has improved because I have an allegiance to my online presence; this blog. I believe deep within my heart many women also desire similar notions as myself, and this is why I have such a compassionate nature for this space. Though it is small, it is mighty. If you are curious about why I began asking those who enjoy my work to sign up for Patreon, it is for several reasons; one is that for a very long time, I had difficulty loving myself enough to feel I deserved to be rewarded (paid) for my craft. I often think many women also grapple with this notion; this matter at heart is why I feel a great deal of responsibility to inspire women to rise to the occasion of deeply recognising one's worthiness. To find wisdom and delight in writings and illustrations and so many helpful, moving and beautiful things is what brings us together in love and companionship. The notions and matters I care about, read and adore are at the heart of why I carry on with my little niche online. I want you to know how much your example of showing up to read my blog and sign up for my Patreon means the world to me. It is a sign that I mean something to you and you care about me because we have a tethering cord strung about from soul to soul, linking us as dear, intrinsically bound friends. I believe our only challenge as women is if we aren't willing with gentle, loving hearts to unite. Otherwise, nothing is keeping us from creating the most extraordinary fairytale world; fairytales give us our imaginary wings to believe anything is possible. We, as women, are the mothers; we are the rulers asunder the moon and the shining stars of a most wonderful poetic world.

 
I understand the weighing and the negatives of the world, yet I am an eternal optimist, and I find when I share goodness, more goodness reigns upon me and (you), my darling friends here in this special little chipmunk's nest.

 
As of late, I have felt called upon to discern how to make my online life and business feel more like sitting upon a rock next to the ledge of the ocean sending out my thoughtful ripples whilst also deeply feeling the connectedness of others. And although throughout our lives, there will be constant waves, rushing rivers and brewing storms upon the billowy ocean of anxiousness, our underwater haven will be the place of calm, gentle ripples where life is slow, homey, happy, old-timey and simplistic. This kind of life is much needed.

My dear hearts, our lives take fastidious employment, for it will always require toiling away to shift our minds and focus from the algae smudges on the porthole looking out of windows from an outside world full of distraction. It requires conscious effort to swim furiously against the tides and currents that would lead us off course away from our imaginary world of Taking Joy and Following our Bliss, yet as long as we are in this together, no tide can separate us, for we have life rafts for all. Today this is my letter of deepest and most sincere sentiments messaged in a bottle.

 
I hope your day is beautiful and worthy of bringing a smile upon your face. You deserve it.

 
P.S. I am having a book giveaway for The Tale of Sawyer Lamb. Merely comment on this post or the previous post, and next week, I will randomly choose seven winners. I am also sending a sweet little print of the sheep I painted along with each book.

Take Joy in the little things. 

Most affably yours til my next swim, Razz

We Have Illustrations on Teacups and Teapots; Oh My!

Good morning dear mermaid hearts,

 
Here we are, meeting together again, darlings. I love our time spent communing. Do you enjoy it as much as I do?

As I spoke somewhat the other day about all of the new shiny bits and bobs of our future restorative measures (subscription), I thought today I would share what I have on the horizon for future content, which I've begun filming for hitherto; however, it will take me a bit of time for each score as I have quite a bit more of filming for the full videos. I assure you will love it beyond measure.

 
Firstly, do you recall sometime back, I was prattling on about our tea room (I call it OUR tea room because each of you that are a patron is the way I am capable of affording a tea room, a forever home, retreat centre, etc.) therefore the tea room is OURS? A while back, I spoke about having cute little teapots, teacups and saucers with my illustrations on them. They were for the tea room and upon opening The Carter Settlement, in which I would begin selling in the little country mercantile. When things became blurry, and I placed all those matters on the back burner, I also abandoned that notion for a moment; well, now we're back in action, my fruits.

Thusly I decided to contact my source, a lovely, charming fine China bespoke company in England, and we are proceeding to have tea sets with my little illustrated characters on them! In an effort to bring you along, I am working on a video showing the process of the exclusive adventure from idea, mock-up design, selections of style, etc. If you're a willing participant, I would love for you to help me choose the particular designs to place on each cup. Again, my videos and unique content are behind a paid wall (click here if you'd love to support us). Thank you so much to the patrons who've already swam aboard. I appreciate you so much.

 
Wait.

 
Where was I, for bloody sake?

 
Oh yes.

 
Without further ado, let us get onto another matter, the tea room signage! As I was chattering about our tea room and the opening of the "said' tea room, I thought, oh my, I'm going to take my dear mermaid hearts along with me in the making of the sign too. It is "our" Mrs Threadgoode's English Tea Room, after all. To have a tea room, one must have a logo and a sign for said tea room, correct? Indeed indeed. Therefore whilst you are my dear mermaid hearts, you might want to watch me design the sign, carve it and paint it up all ready to go for the big opening celebration!

How does that sound? Therefore this week, I have begun the recording for a fun video for my sweet dear Patrons.

 
All of these notions for this week highlight under all four quadrants for 'Obtaining Your Sealegs'. If you're a wee bit confused about the four quadrants, don't be, I'll write and explain them over time at nausea (teehee), and you'll get them in the shake of a lamb's tail. No fretting, my dear hearts.

 
Do you think the above notions sound fun? I surely hope so, for your engagement is how we have a beautiful Stillwater community. I cannot do this without you, dear friends. Let's plunge right in, shall we?

 
If you haven't joined our little community as of yet, here's my Patreon link. It is $5.00, and if you feel it's not the right place for you, you can cancel anytime, my darling.

Let us carry on tomorrow, shall we? 

Most affably, yours til my next swim, Lady Rxxx (Razz)

In The Eye Of The Beholder (And Introducing My Online Subscription)

Good morning, my dear mermaid hearts,

I left you with quite a heavy-laden post last week, so today, I thought I'd share with you how I've been getting on with what I've been in preparation accomplishing for you; actually, I should say for us.

The Art of a Victorian Mermaid Life/Live~Physical & The Art of a Victorian Mermaid Soul/Leave a Legacy~Spiritual

If you follow me on Instagram (which is my only form of social media), I have been gently tossing out the notion of an online subscription for my blog. There is a twofold to this. As many artists come to find within, such as myself, I am worthy of making a living from the work I put out into the Universe. I firmly believe in sharing my natural abilities and talents with the world, yet to give everything out for free is not feasible for me at this juncture. I have remained a blog free of ads for over seven years, and I also rarely put commercial ad sense on my youtube videos, which has kept me from earning a flourishing income. I am not pleading poor by any stretch of the imagination. I have never asked anyone to join or buy a course, nor would I ever. I have come to terms with my means of making a living from my books, and now it will be my online subscription as well (if you will.) I have a stable monthly income that I receive regardless (thanks to my power to manifest); however, it is time to begin rendering a charge for my crafts. Just as one would collect a magazine on the shelf at the supermarket, no one questions why they are being charged a whopping 20 dollars; ( no, mine is not $20.00; I am merely making a point). I feel I am worthy of payment for my blog content. I am assisting in facilitating women (and children) to change their lives, of which there must happily be a reward. If that feels gentle and the spirit communes that you would like to be a part of our community behind a paid wall, please ensure you've signed up for my newsletter and signed up for Patreon. There is a $5.00 subscription per month (which I feel is an elegant economy.) 

You might say, well, you have the Patreon Razz, and yes, that is true, and in the meantime, that is where I will remain until I can logically understand and implement how to code the subscription portion of my blog. So, for now (the subscription) will continue going to my Patreon.

(If you sign up now until the end of July, you will not be charged until August. It is $5.oo. I have a placeholder to see how many folks are subscribing, so bear that in mind. There is a method to my madness, my dear hearts. This is such an exciting new adventure; it finally feels as though I am home.)

Let me explain how my Patreon is changing a bit. Whereas previously, It was only for my projects here at my folk's, crafts and an occasional post, It will now be for all sorts of notions of "Obtaining Your Sealegs", and the bit and bobs of The Carter Settlement. The Patreon will also have behind-the-scenes content about my forever home, us moving, where our home is and all the joyful implements of that adventure, projects, future gatherings and celebrations, the opening of the tea room and The Carter Settlement, and what we are planning for the calendar years ahead, etc. The reason for this is my way of incorporating something special and lovely for ONLY my dear mermaid hearts. I want to encourage a special soft place for gentle souls (such as myself) to land where we can feel a kinship of like-mindedness, to commune at one with ourselves and as a community without the world at our tails.

 
Allow me to explain a bit further. Now mind you, I have been thinking about this for some time now, and I have so many notions at work in the background which I have yet to reveal. I have wanted to share it with you, yet for now, until I am truly ready to launch it, as I have a few more blemishes to fine-tune. This blog post is a test to see how much interest I receive. It will be quite similar to a magazine subscription. There will be oodles of notions, with a special focus on a Victorian mermaid lifestyle, teachings of the four quadrants and much more. Each day of the week, I will have enormous bits of content, a true mermaid map for how to create a life you love. Now that I've cleared that out of the way let me get on with the post.

Peter, Prudence and Constantine (my dear little rescued feral kittens) are getting on quite well. They've warmed up to me completely, and they especially love to sleep in a fur ball next to
me whilst im either painting, writing lovely little blog posts or busy on a manuscript. I never knew I'd fall so in love with kittens, yet here I am, entirely spellbound.

If you're wondering (which you may not be, yet I'll divulge the secret anyway) how each little kitten received their name, it's from one of my muses and protagonist in my novel Deceit and Dissension; the real American-born British actress and author of the Victorian period Elizabeth Robins. Her personality and the entirety of her character are thinly veiled all throughout, which I skimmed from the true Elizabeth Robins.

I've implemented enormous research on Elizabeth for over four years and still feel as though I'm just touching the surface of the woman she was. If you weren't aware, Elizabeth also wrote children's books. Have you ever visited Chinsegut Hill, the beautiful historic plantation manor house in Brooksville, Florida? (Elizabeth bought Chinsegut Hill with her author's money).

One of the books she wrote with her dear friend Octavia Wilberforce is titled Prudence and Peter—(And Their Adventures with Pots and Pans), as one would suspect, has lovely little receipts (recipes) in it along with a sweet storyline. I've begun placing a few recipes in my current children's manuscript, The Tale of Molly Kitten.

Now let us turn to my garden. I must be honest; I turned it loose. I gave up on it and let everything except a few vines go bust. It was not thriving at all, and what was sufficiently performing, the deer ate. I was heartbroken and gave up. My flowers remain thriving, and we've been accumulating buckets of rain (of which the ducks approve) which also helps immensely. There is something beautiful in rainwater that reveals the beauty in the living. It makes everything pronounce prosperously.

I don't believe I showed you the final result of Sir Oliver Twisty Topsy when I brought him home from the taxidermist. I went at the beginning of June and collected him, and he looks majestic and perfect, do you not agree? At the weekend, I was finishing up a bit more packing in the cottage and came across an antique display case Jeffrey Shawn had aquired for me at the flea market some years ago, and much to my delight Sir Oliver Twisty Topsy fit perfectly. I was so amused. Manifesting is such a lovely notion.

Did you, per se, have a chance to read my last blog post about Instagram influencers? If not, and even if you're not on social media at all, I know you will derive some benefit from it. I speak mostly about mindset work, why women have jealousy and how to change it.

 
Im working on an entirely new layout for ye olde blog (not a new blog), but the structure is because I am planning to implement (in the near future) a new feature which will be a subscription portion on the actual blog. Also, before I love you and leave you, thank you so much to each of you for committing to giving me a review on Amazon for The Tale of Sawyer Lamb. The reviews assist in my book ranking higher on the algorithm exploration, so it is a delightful measure; a feather in my cap to have many reviews; if you have purchased my book and want to give me a review, here's the link.

Most affably yours til my next swim, Lady Rxxx