I am pleased to introduce the illustrated Vol. I of The Love Letter Diaries, Leona’s Homecoming. These darling books are my favourite. They are my heart. I hope they become a part of yours, too. So, if you like romance, peaceful living, gardening, art, seasonal holidays, delicious foods, love, mer-mysteries, and sweet families, then allow these life-long friends to invite you into their beautiful world. Hold them dear, and they will whisper amusing ideas for you to try as you write your own days.
Unfold mysteries of past, present, and future lives and loves through the empathic souls of Leona’s town of friends as they invent and enjoy simple pleasures and Nature’s joy during the first year of seasonal festivals. The illustrations reflect the memory-based scrapbook evolution of the story. This is an ongoing tale of real love, healing, connection, and the endless benefits of growing an ever-expanding web of kind hearts. Adoration lives in each character of this Italian seaside town, guided in love by one lovely woman. Her granddaughter, and her friends, continue sharing this positive energy together.
This ethically made book series allows the reader to explore the four seasons of Leona’s beautifully sensitive world. The books are a delight and a chance for planting and growing seeds of positive change for all. The festivals are full of delicious foods and exciting events where every person’s gifts are celebrated. (Printed on cream FSC Certified Paper in the USA.)
I have written these books in love and gratitude in the hope that these pages will blend peacefully into my readers’ lives. These loving novels are wonderful gifts for the Self and Dear Ones to explore your own passions, while appreciating each season of nature’s gifts. Read these books in order for a sense of how simple pleasures and small acts of kindness can add up to connective positive changes that benefit all for ages.
I am taking time this week to fill up my new Etsy Shop. For my customers who are already over on that site, this makes it a little easier to check out. I will be adding in a few products a week. This is a curated core collection of my art, books, stationery, wax seals, and home gifts, so to shop the full range of growing collections stay here on my official site at amormilagre.com
Wishing the August babes an early Happy Birthday! Love, ~Amor Milagre
Amor Milagre Journal, Our Summer family gifts from The Bees Knees British Imports, Paddington, Peter Rabbit, Pretty Mugs, Sewing Thread Tin
I love gift shops so much that it was my dream to have my own, but full of my original art, books, stationery, and home goods. While we do use and decorate our home with my lovely seasonal gifts for special occasions, we also like to shop once a year at The Bees Knees British Imports shop. These women exude happiness. It’s so fun to visit their online shop, and we hope to one day visit their MA store.
The British Store, Bridgham & Cook shop in Freeport Maine, is a local (to us) place to choose our annual themed ornament. I used to love exploring every UK-sourced shop in whichever city I was living. I’m a collector of newsboy hats, tartan scarves, and cable knit jumpers, but only the rare organic cotton ones. (As always, not a sponsored post, just like this co.)
Then for some extra flavour, we bake and snuggle up with our favourite BBC programs like Gardener’s World and Agatha Raisin, Miss Scarlet, Jane Austen movies, old stop-motion Paddington episodes, Beatrix Potter’s friends, Mr. Bean (not while eating), and our silly old Pooh Bear movies. Recently, we found an odd but funny little show called, Five Children and It. Very odd, but fun to see what the kids wish for. Many of our books are by British authors, so it’s a cosy day of tea and reading in the sitting room nook, curled up in bed, or in the sun of the library. We hope the Brambly Hedge fine china designs come back! We love the puzzles.
This week, we’re organising our sewing supplies. This little thread tin will help to keep our current threads in one place…and not rolling off the table. The prettily threaded tote bags will hop along with us on outtings in town. We’re very much a family of library owls. And, the mugs…we just use daily so it’s fun to catch up on certain ones. Love the flora-fauna one. It has a good feel, and when we find some each year, it builds up a nice collection in our custom-made tea drawer. Ours is a home of artists and writers, so having these classic illustrations about is another fun way to celebrate the imagination. I’ve been waiting years to see these lovelies in shops again, and done very well. Quality matters a lot to me. We only buy special things that will last lifetimes. We only make special things that will last for ages. It’s fun to take care of your treasures.
When I was a teen, there was a beautiful online French gift shop where I got some lovely tablecloths and some amazing rainbow striped high-top espadrilles. There is just something about wanting to find a gift for yourself, or a Dear One, and being surrounded with a curated array of gorgeous options to wander and choose as you like. As a child, there was a local gift shop that was absolutely bewitching to explore. I recall a very elegant (expertly handmade) winged frog fae on a shelf that really sparked a new kind of magic in me. I have many plans to add to A Gentle Life Collection…coming up, my Darlings.
Well, we’re away laughing on a fast camel…bringing strawberry vegan icecream cones down to the beach. Happy summer birthdays! Love, ~Amor Milagre
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
I’m sipping a festive mug of spiced cocoa and ready to regale our recent trip.
To reward ourselves for finishing our home renovations, we explored some shops in New Hampshire in the hopes of bringing back a few sweet holiday treasures. The amazing, themed rooms in The Christmas Loft shop held our attention all morning. The center of the store was especially captivating as it showcased a full-scale village. We’ll have to dress in tails and top hats upon our next visit when it begins to snow so we fit in with the toymakers and carol singers. It’s the first time our family got to wander through a themed shop like this. All eyes were aglow with the magic within. And outside, the natural view is a refreshing mix of earthy jungles, smooth mountains, and fluffy air that bent down to us. We’re enjoying this town more and more, despite the heat and crowds. We had a car-picnic on the way home as every shop had lines out the door. I think it will be very cosy to revisit in autumn and winter. Look out, below, well really above…for the flying reindeer! This place had so many specific styles and items that it’d be super fun to buy gifts for Dear Ones, too.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
This night scene was wonderful…
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
Look up!
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
So much to see in every window.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
Next door, as a part of this co., there was a little toy-Halloween shop. It was a little too spooky for me, not shown. I like sweeter pumpkins and ghosts. My new Halloween cards will reflect this trick-or-treat spirit. We also sculpted and painted some pumpkin decor this week to display on our mantle. Our crafts are a part of our homeschool art class.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
Love this hutch though…so many drawers.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
When you’re a little elf, it’s so magical to be able to choose your own precious things. The train moves around the track with the music, even around the back. We’ll try the real train ride in this town sometime, maybe even dressing up for our first day of witching school. North Pole elves would love to try returning back home the mortal way.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor MilagreChristmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
When you’re older, it’s possibly even more fun…? This piece will probably stay out all year as we have many cardinals in our garden, and this sitting room nook likes this glow.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
We were a bit overwhelmed in there, but we managed to hold on to our favourites today. I like to note the date and location on the tags, if the ornaments have them. It helps us to remember what age the little elves were and where we found these gifts. We recently got into ornament felting, so we’ll be having fun with this new form of expression.
Christmas in July, Holiday Decor Shopping in North Conway NH Mountains, Interiors by Amor Milagre
I still have a list of certain kinds of very special holiday decor pieces that I have yet to find anywhere. I remember seeing them when young. We make as much as we can, but there are dreams of snow-encrusted snowglobes and elegantly hand-crafted pieces of art that I cannot find anymore. I do think that everything used to be made with more care, detail, quality, and dreaminess long ago. As we have more time, we can make more of these. It’s a bit ironic with all the modern technology that so much is only mass-produced, but still I’ll keep a look out. This shop did have some lovely painted advent house-shaped boxes and German candle-powered carousels, as well as some laser cut wooden items. Little ceramic village cottages are on my list. Of these, they had many but they weren’t the old-style I’m looking for. They did look glowy and pretty with the lights out, see first photo above. We may just make some with clay and paint them up very prettily to match our rooms. Making things together builds the best childhood memories, but this was a very fun experience! It really did give the feeling of entering Santa’s work shop, and also a Dickens’ novel… We just forgot our bonnets today!
This shop was near the Storyland park we visited recently. We’ll have to try out Santa’s Village, too.
Now, we’re off to install our handmade pantry counters. Our custom woodworking post will release soon. Stay cool… Love, ~Amor Milagre
Amor Milagre Nursery Bathroom Renovation & Decor, Blues and Creams, Interior Design
The snow princess now resides over the icy blue-cream nursery bathroom.
