A Summer Sale

Everything in SHOP is on sale now through August 3rd as we near the Celtic festival of Lunasa (or Lughnasadh) marking the beginning of the harvest season, inklings of Autumn, and a turn toward the cool and the colorful bounty that awaits us (I can't wait!). Also newly added to the shop are some vintage travel guide books and pamphlets. Check them out HERE.

Wishing Well - A Candle & Tradition

Sacred Springs & Holy Wells can be found throughout the Celtic Isles of Ireland and Great Britain. At these revered sites, you may find candles burning as votive offerings, coins tossed into water with silent wishes, or ribbons & cloth hanging from a nearby sacred tree, tied in prayer. This candle, tied with ribbon & containing a lucky Irish (or British) coin at the bottom, signifies an ancient tradition of pilgrimage to holy places of prayer & healing, to sacred waters in sacred woods, welling up from the Otherworld. 

Light this candle in prayer or meditation in the hearth of your home or in a place you find sacred, as a glowing manifestation of the unseen spirit. Give it as a gift to someone who cherishes the old ways of Ireland, Britain and Celtic spirituality. When the candle burns out, retrieve the lucky coin from the bottom and carry it with you, leave it for someone in need of a little luck, or toss it into the sacred water well of your choice.

Kindle the flame of Celtic Spirit with this 2 ounce - sage green or natural yellow - unscented - pure beeswax candle with an astonishing burn time of 12-14 hours! Poured into a lidded miniature mason jar with an Irish or British coin at the bottom.

Hop over to the SHOP to purchase a Wishing Well Candle for $9.

You can also sign up for the Emerald Post Herald E-mail Newsletter HERE to receive updates, coupons, specials, and a healthy dose of Irish & Celtic Culture.

Irish & Celtic Gifts for the Holidays

New Handpainted Signs and Wood Burned Décor up in Shop Now & More to come soon.

I've paused Emerald Post monthly parcels to work on some other exciting creations. I've been crafting woodburned ornaments and wall hangings,and hand painted signs among other things. Several of these are already available in the SHOP and other delights to come shortly. If you have your eye on something here that isn't in the shop yet, do let me know and I'll reserve and list it for you. 

August in a Sun-Dappled Wood

I went into a hazel wood, 

Because a fire was in my head

- William Butler Yeats

Contents: 5x7 Print of Beech Tree, 4x6 Print of Torc Waterfall, Hazel Botanical Card, Fern Bookmark, Decorated Yeats' Poem "Song of Wandering Aengus," sorry leaves not included. 

The August Issue of Emerald Post is inspired by the wild woods of Celtic Lands, the reverence that ancient people held for trees, and the liminal, mystical magic of woodland and an enchanting poem by Ireland's own William Butler Yeats. A walk through a sun dappled wood delivered right to your mailbox. Cool your feet at the base of Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park, Ireland. Marvel up at a towering beech tree in Tollymore Forest Park, Northern Ireland. Stoop to trace the details of a fern on the forest floor and learn of the lore of the Hazel Tree. Hear the verses of W.B. Yeats on the wind and as the forest canopy sways above you.  Send a woodland walk to a friend of take one for yourself HERE.

Anatomy of a Castle: Fortress Block Print

Fortress Block Print $11

This hand carved and hand pressed Fortress Block Print was featured in the Castle Edition of Emerald Post. You can still get one in the July Issue of Emerald Post HERE or the Fortress Print individually HERE. This is no particular one castle but a concoction of many that I've visited. You can see many parts of the castle here: castle walls, a drawbridge, gatehouse, a portcullis, arrow loops, and the castle keep. You can have your castle printed on black, ivory, or and old page from The Death of King Arthur. The Anatomy of a Castle Series will continued tomorrow so keep the comments coming to enter the giveaway!

July Castle Edition - $15

The July Editions of Emerald Post contains a 5x7 Notecard & Envelope featuring Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland, the 5x7 Fortress Block Print, and 5 Polaroid inspired photos nestled into a tiny envelope.

Lambs of Celtic Lands

From April's Post, I have some leftover lambs looking for a home:

5x7 Lamb Notecards in shop for $4. Get one (or more) HERE

June Emerald Post - History in Stone

I'm a bit behind in sharing but here is the bounty that was included in the June Special Stone Issue of Emerald Post. I still have 2 in stock HERE for $15 and you can get the Stone Watercolor Print HERE for $9. There was really a lot included in June's Issue as well as the upcoming July Castle Issue which is just about to hit mailboxes. It's not to late to snatch up a Castle Issue HERE. Wishing you all summers of bounty & beauty (but secretly wishing for fall).

Castles Coming

Castles will be featured in the July edition of Emerald Post. Get yours HERE.

Stones & Solstices

June's Issue of Emerald Post will be dedicated to the thousands of ancient stone monuments across the Celtic Isles, several of which are aligned with the summer solstice (coming up on June 21). Above is a sneak peek at a watercolor print that is included. A 4x6 Postcard Print of a stone circle, a timeline chart, and 5 more photos will be included! Hop over to Emerald Post Shop to get your June Issue today.

To learn more about these ancient monuments and my travels through the shadows of stones join Emerald Post Herald - an occasional e-mail newsletter full of tales and photos from travels, Emerald Post Updates and links to my favorite virtual places. Join HERE.

May Emerald Post

June's Emerald Post is being prepared to dispatch. It is inspired the ancient history of the Celtic Isles which can be experienced by visiting the ancient stone monuments dating as far back as the Neolithic & Bronze ages. It will include a watercolor of stone monuments, a print of an Irish Stone Circle among other treasures. Snatch up a June Emerald Post up HERE.

May's Emerald Post is still available, too. It included a 5x7 print of an Oak Stained Glass Panel in watercolor, a 4x6 print of an illuminated oak leaf, a botanical card for Hawthorn, and an ivy laden mini notecard.  Get a May issue HERE or you can purchase the Oak Panel individually HERE.

April Emerald Post

The April Issue of Emerald Post (apologies for late arrival - I squeezed in a mini vacation to the Rockies in there) features some inquisitive natives. Pictured above is a 5x7 notecard and envelope featuring lambs at Walltown Crags which is the site of Hadrian's Wall near the border of Scotland and England. Around 122 AD, Roman Emperor Hadrian set to building a fortified wall along the Scottish border for patrol and defense from what he considered the barbarian, and unconquerable, tribes of the Highlands, such as the native Pict tribe. The Wall stretched from the east coast to the west, with several strategic manned forts along the way. You can read more of my visit there HERE. The April issue contained a mini notecard and envelope as well, featuring a sheep scrambling up to the base of Carreg Cennen Castle in Wales. Also included was a 4x6 postcard of the arched threshold between Cong Abbey ruins and the Cong Woodland in Ireland. Can you spot a Green Man left by the master mason? 

March Emerald Post

Well, I hope your spring is off to a colorful start and surely the predominant color of spring is green. Ireland and its awe-inspiring shades of green were the fertile seeds that grew into the March issue of Emerald Post, for March is the month we celebrate not only St. Patrick but Irish culture in general (albeit sometimes in ways that are inaccurate or misguided). Besides an annual St. Patrick's fest, I celebrate Ireland and spring by bringing fresh flowers inside, taking hot cups of tea outside, revisiting Irish films, books, and of course music, and cooking up my favorite Irish meals. 

The March Issue was a lot of fun to create and curate. To honor the Emerald Isle, I included a large print of a hand-painted watercolor map of Ireland.  

Also included in the March issue: a lovely postcard print of a gothic green doorway at St. Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny (which can still be obtained with 7 other postcards in the Portal Collection), a cute miniature notecard and envelope featuring a lucky 4-leaf clover, and a 5x7 print of my favorite - 40 Shades of Green Butterfly which mimics stained glass. The Butterfly print is available individually HERE. It's time now to go outside and enjoy Spring's bounty and gather inspiration for April's issue which is fast approaching.

Irish Post

It's not too late to get your extra-Irish March Emerald Post. This edition features all the shades of green that make up the Emerald Isle in the form of a watercolor print, photo postcard, mini notecard, and large watercolor print map. Use the coupon code IRELAND10 to get 10% off anything in the Emerald Post Shop by March 31st.

Celtic Portal Collection

Always, I've been drawn to doorways, to portals, tunnels to other times. They are physically beautiful, metaphorically powerful, and always evocative, beckoning. There are so many exquisite doorways in the Celtic lands of Ireland & Scotland. They generously pepper my travel photos. I've collected 8 (this was a challenge) of my favorites to offer as Emerald Post's first collection. Go ahead, turn the handle, pass through. Wonders surely await .

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, you can get your hands on the Celtic Portal Collection of 4x6 photo Postcards. The stunning postcards transport you to lands & times faraway, to crumbling castle ruins, to ivy-clad cathedrals, to enchanted forests. Hop over the Emerald Post Shop to get your collection now or send a set for a charming, unique gift!

Eight high gloss, color rich, 4x6 Photo Postcards

Backsides printed for Postcard use, complete with Emerald Post Postmark.

Set is bound with unique Portal Collection Band and send in the standard green, hand addressed envelope to you.

Inside February Emerald Post

February's Parcel all bundled up.

An Original 5x7 Block Print of Glendalough - Valley of the Two Lakes

Black ink on a Mossy Green Paper.

Accompanied by some history of the ancient site.

5x7 Notecard of Doorway at St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland

4x6 Postcard of Grazing Sheep near Charleville Forest, Ireland

5x7 Original Blockprint of Glendalough

Miniature Notecard & Envelope - Blooming Fuchsia

Inside January Emerald Post

January is already behind us as we inch closer to Spring, to green, and to March throughout which I celebrate Irish Culture & St. Patrick and the renewal of the natural world. You can bet that the March Edition of Emerald Post will be extra special & Irish. For the curious, below are the contents of the January Edition: A lovely print of a watercolor cityscape of Dublin and it's architectural icons, a large notecard featuring a view from the Rock of Dunamase, and a small notecard of Bloody Bridge on the coast near Newcastle, Northern Ireland. Read more about Bloody Bridge HERE on my Traveling Chariot Blog.

5x7 Art Print of Dublin Icons
(left to right) Dublin Castle, Brazen Head Pub, Christ's Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The General Post Office

Watercolor on Paper

Beneath Bloody Bridge, Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland

3.5x5 Notecard with envelope

View from Rock of Dunamase, County Laois, Ireland

 5x7 Notecard with Celtic Stamped Envelope

*Watermarks on artwork/photos are not present on actual items

Yuletide Contents

For those who are curious what treasures were sent out in the Yuletide Edition of Emerald Post, I am sharing the contents below. This collection should give you an idea of what Emerald Post is all about. Most editions will contain 3-5 items depending on size and intricacy of work. They come bundles as you see below and nestled inside of a cellophane sleeve to protect them. Then it's all put in a bright green envelope, decorated and artistically addressed to you. AND if you missed out, the Yuletide Edition is still for sale and discounted at $13. Also, you can purchase "Gathering the Greens" alone for $10. Swing over to the Emerald Post Shop to fill your mailboxes for 2017!

5x7 Print of "Gathering the Greens" a watercolor painting on paper

The backside of the print tells of the ancient and enduring Celtic traditions of decorating with Holly, Ivy & Misteltoe

Everything is bundled in a band of Gaelic text and sealed with an Emerald Postmark Sticker.

Here is the whole package that went out to mailboxes in December

Contents (clockwise from top):

5x7 Fine Art Print "Gathering the Greens"
Mini Notecard & Envelope - photo of green rolling hills
Note from me to recipient - my musings on this edition
4x6 Postcard - Red Door Edinburgh, Scotland
5x5 Photo Print of St. Columb's Cathedral, Derry, Ireland
Bookmark - Gothic Window from Chepstow Castle, Wales

My Celtic Christmas

Ornaments are some of my favorite things to bring home from trips as souvenirs. They are usually inexpensive, lightweight and small so they make the journey home easily (except that glass Guinness one). Every year as I trim my tree, I'm reminded of past journeys. Some of the ones below are from my trips to Ireland and Scotland, others are gifts given to me which are just as special. Nutcrackers hail from German culture but my collection of 40+ does, indeed, include a few from Celtic Lands.