A Sacred, Creative Life...

Welcome to Perennial Heart - a shop for conscious consumers & incubator for sacred creative living.

I’m Charity, an artist and writer who has spent much of my life in service through advocacy and mental health, but whose heart has always been in artmaking, ceremony & sacred practice.

While these realms are often regarded as mutually exclusive, Perennial Heart exists as a sacred third, a place where wholeness & healing merge with beauty & the material world.

My Heart's Work

In the shop I offer handmade garments, adornments & decor - special pieces made to endure, to be cherished, and to bring joy and meaning to daily life. There, you’ll also find my own artwork in various forms, curated vintage apparel & curio, rarified art supplies and offerings to support your own sacred, creative journey.

Perennial Heart is also a space for your personal evolution. Through my writing, ritual art kits and seasonal workshops & retreats, I invite you into a more sacred, creative life - a way of weaving beauty, presence, and spiritual awareness into your everyday experience.

Re-weaving, Inside & Out

Here you'll find a blend of offerings for the conscious consumer and nourishment for soul cultivation - artful pieces for your home and wardrobe, and inspiration to create a more intentional, reverent life of your own.

Perennial Heart is both my practice and an invitation: to live beautifully, to create with purpose, and to remember that devotion can live in the details.

Let's Connect!

Get shop updates, event invites & entry in the monthly giveaway!

It’s an unglamorous job, but someone’s gotta do it.

#moondoggie
#lunalovesmomma

A Heartfelt self-reflection for personal growth… and a favorite of mine as a therapist:

“The parts of us that are hard to love are still worthy of love”.

An important reminder for one and all. Creating some sentimental word art with this expression today, as well as a fun, new DIY offering.

❤️ Like, follow & SHARE with someone who needs this reminder!

Xo,
Charity

Happy Fall & (almost) Halloween! The flowers, wild & cultivated, are hard at work on their season finale.

Hoping my dreamy peach foxglove comes back in the spring.
And the green + white echinacea.
And the black hollyhocks.
And the bluebirds…

We didn’t start the house this season but we started my perennial gardens, and that’s something ;)

#vermontbyvermonters
#perennialgardening
#fall
#shadowseason
#underworld

Golden hour couldn’t be more golden than in the fall in Vermont. Took a scenic detour on my way home from the ER Saturday - a nice energy reset.

Things I give a F about: the new, non-renewable resource 😜

Last of the Dahlias, 2025! There were frightfully few blooms out of all 30 tubers… they were planted on my building lot with no water supply in an epic drought season. But, nonetheless, these little beauties persisted!

They’re all dug up now and ready for bed, hopefully to wake and find a well installed on our property in the spring!

Water Maple leaves on cotton Sateen. Fall is, by far, the best shape-hunting season.

This cyanotype panel came out beautifully, a very deep indigo, but I decided to tea-time it so it’s a gorgeous, earthy brown now - destined to become a throw-pillow panel.

I found some fascinating things to work with recently, including some large, largely eaten leaves that presented with a fascinating pattern of holes.

Cyanotype proves endless with its possibilities.

#botanicalart
#vermontbyvermonters
#botanicalhomedecor

Autumn in Vermont always gives me that new-romance feeling: a little bit giddy with a perma-grin and a desire to be with it (the foliage, that is) at all times.

#autumnvibes🍁
#vermonting
#botanicalartist
#vermontfoliage

Nearing the close of the Wise Woman Lunation, these gorgeous blooms, greens & feathers have lasted like champions for over 2 weeks!

Purchased from my regular hometown floral stop, @middleburyfloral, they travelled all the way to MA with me for a photo shoot and outlasted several other bouquets by a long shot.

The black feathers suddenly became a fascination for Luna last night, who barked incessantly at them (once discovered) because - obviously - now there’s a winged monster somewhere in our house….

But those Dusty Miller leaves - so elegant! - are earmarked for a few cyanotype projects this weekend, just in time to reset my altar for the incoming Weaver Dreamer.

Grateful for a long weekend off, early sleeps, slow food & some creating.

#sacredfeminine
#botanicalartist
#autumninvermont

My own favorite among lots of family favorites. Sun-dried tomatoes + chicken + white wine = bliss.

This recipe is my own adaptation from a beloved favorite that used to be served at a swanky little bar I frequented as a young woman.

Yes, I’ve been sitting at bars alone and ordering nice dinners all my life. A girl must know how to date herself. 🥷

More weekend shifts & Downton Abbey re-runs than nights out these days, but the food’s just as good ;)

Commence cold weather cooking.

#homecookingisthebest
#autumninvermont
#mediteranianfood
#comfortfood
#foodisart
#foodislove

Best life in progress: actual hours of rock-chasing at our building lot, followed by lunch and a nap in the sun.

Autumn days off are hard to beat.

#vermonting
#moondoggie
#freewheeling
#middaynaps

Your subtle reminder to get out IN it, before the snow flies. We’re blessed with such warm and glorious weather this fall. Not the best for foliage, but not unlike a second summer.

Hoping for some more cyanotype later today 💙🌞📸🪡

#vermontbyvermonters
#botanicalartist
#autumninvermont

An altar for the Sovereign Queen / Lady of Communion.

In a photo shoot in MA last week, I have the chance to revisit some of the archetypes I love most.

#autumn
#archetypes
#slowingdown

The quiet of the Autumn coming. Letting superfluous matter & matters fall away. Turning inward to nurture our essence while world outside releases and prepares to sleep.

Autumn in Vermont is glorious and fast - faster than ever this year with the historic drought.

This season embodies all I love about descending: shapeshifting, seeing the larger patterns, simplicity, crossroads, allowance & acceptance.

I always welcome the downshifting of this transitional time.

Wise-woman season is upon us.
✨I SIMPLIFY. I RESONATE.✨

The impact that this view has on me is so visceral. Another gorgeous vista from atop the hillside at @champlainorchards here in Vermont.

I thought I picked a ton of apples but somehow ended up with just 2 1/2 quarts of applesauce.

Because I was eating them? Yes.

Because year after year, I forget how many apples it really takes? Also, yes.

Nonetheless, apple picking season feeds me in so many ways. I’ll take it ;)

We’re in for a few days of rain (finally!), but I might try to make it back for more!

#vermontsfinest
#autumninvermont
#naturelover
#natureisart
#lakechamplainvt

I finally made it out to the Orchard this week. Despite the driest year on record in (I think) 85 years… the harvest is amazing over there. @champlainorchards perseveres!

I almost missed closing time because I was so enrapt with the views and the sounds and all the little magical details.

Quite a few new varieties in the last few years, and a fantastic new color-coded printed map!

Do yourself a favor and get out there before the season wraps up.

#vermontbyvermonters
#inspiredartist
#soulfood
#appleseason
#vermonting
#seevermont

One of life’s greatest charms as an artist:

An urgent, unplanned dog walk on the road can become a joy, an inspiration & a history lesson.

Lunabelle and I stopped in Whitehall, NY at the Skenesborough Waterfront Park recently and found it to be such a hidden gem.

This park, tucked down a little unassuming side street, is full of beautiful features like a picnic pavilion and an outdoor theater… even a historic museum (which was, unfortunately, closed).

Beautiful gardens and so clean, this park also houses the remains of a very early American warship. This is outside and can be seen at any time.

Whitehall is the birthplace of the US Navy and although it’s a sleepy little town, which you will miss if you blink, it’s worth stopping for a stroll or lunch or just to take in some significant American history.

We were lucky enough to find several marvelous botanical shapes for my ongoing collection and developing pattern design work.

On the fly and not necessarily planning on shape hunting/botanical collecting, I was able to press them temporarily in my art journal….

Always my top choice for art journaling, the Dylusions creative journal by Ranger is so bombproof. The super heavy pages hold up to just about anything and can serve as a temporary flower press on the fly with the pages still remaining beautifully intact & ready for mixed media.

Stay tuned to see what these shapes become!

A small window into my creative work from this week’s cemetery visit here in #vermont. The angel statue there is just magnificent.

Cyanotype on cotton sateen.
Under artificial (specialized) light in the kitchen…
Late day sun that’s not predominantly overhead will skew your work. Live & learn ;)

This piece, and a series of others from the day, will be part of a bespoke wearable art offering to be revealed in my next capsule collection for fall.

✌🏼If you love #vintagelevis you might wanna hang around or follow @perennial__heart 🌹

Muah!
C.

Today was the first day I’ve gone wandering properly in ages.

There couldn’t have been a better day for it.

Sunny.
Mild.
Colorful.

After being down and out for over a week with an unexpected (minor but very painful) surgery, feeling better was all the reason we needed.

Luna & I went on a southbound trip to @thedorsetequinerescue farm to visit our dearly departed Cleo, and stopped at this magical cemetery in #wallingfordvermont for a stroll.

A stroll turned into two hours.

The pond & fountain are mesmerizing. I saw so much life: frogs, fish of several kinds, salamanders, bees, water boatmen, snails, dragonflies, many eggs and one extra-spicy crawdad.

Climbing up the hill, the magic continued. The statue of this angel kneeling in prayer is just breathtaking.

I have seen her in years past, but not in many, and I found her more enchanting than ever.

I took great photos and collected a little bit of flora for some cyanotype work, hopefully tomorrow….

A few new ideas & things I’ve never tried. Stay tuned to see the outcome!

PS ~ This next project is wearable… first in a new collection ;)

The Muse: ✨I PLAY • I INSPIRE ✨

Keeping the Muse energy alive in these tense times is no small task…

Rain. Rallies. NO KINGS. Small things. Beauty & creative flow among the chaos and distress is a stretch today, but I’ll see what I can do.

Images from the last Muse lunation because: chaos. Looking forward to unpacking eventually, and missing my sacred collection of altar goods.

It seems a fine day to:
• Rail against the madness
• Collect botanicals
• Create a new insignia (for an upcoming share!
• Plant something perennial

The title of life’s mythic script? PERENNIAL

#nokings
#longlivecreativity
#inspiration
#resist
#creativeresistance
#muse

Making progress at our land. It’s not the foundation that should be going in right now, but it’s a start. Thanks, girl!

Luna’s not *just* digging here. She’s chasing a rock. A very specific rock. When we go up to our building site, each time, she finds one specific rock and chases it furiously for 1-2 hours.

Nonstop.

The result of her feverish obsession is what you see here and nearly garden-ready piece of earth that is loose, stick-free and beautifully prepared.

If only I could get her to do the rest of our 2 acres ;)

#rollwithit
#vermonting
#pibblesofinstagram
#naturelovers
#lunalovesrocks

And then came Luna 🩶

A friend of mine describes Luna as being “like a piece of jewelry” because she’s so pretty and unusual looking ;) But she’s ALL heart and a treasure every day.

Luna is just one year-old now, and such a good girl. She comes when I call. She can be off leash in places like this. She cracks me up and is the very best company. And bedfellow.

Luna’s likes:
Unstuffing stuffies
Mud
Running
Swimming
Underwater rock-collecting
Rides in the car
The boys
Washing mama’s hands before bed

Dislikes:
The vacuum cleaner
Mom’s day-shift
Personal space
Recycling access denial
Toys under the sofa
Being out of bed before 7am

Here, we’re visiting our dearly departed Cleo and Luna knows now to check in at her spot at the top of the hill first.

She’s taken over Cleo’s role, differently but beautifully. I know Cleo would approve of this little Moonbeam to take over this essential job.

A beautiful day in Rupert, Vermont at @thedorsetequinerescue legacy farm, where we volunteer and are part of the effort to turn this magical place into a horse rescue center for many generations to come.

How blessed am I? So very.

#vermontlife
#rescuehorsesofinstagram
#pibblesofinstagram
#rescuedog
#naturelover

A year ago today our Cleo left us. So abruptly, and without warning. She was a gift in our lives for 8 years.

Today, Luna & I visited her on the mountain side where she’s buried and planted one more flower in her little garden: giant daisies, bee balm, echinacea, and now blue stock.

i’ve always been blessed with the most incredible dogs. Cleo was my companion in all things for a huge piece of my life.

Cleo is buried at a the Dorset Equine Rescue farm in southern Vermont where I volunteer & serve on the board. Since I laid her to rest there, there have been some pretty wild stories on two occasions of a dog spirit presenting to people on the hillside.

When this has happened, the invisible presence of a panting, happy dog has shown up and been sensed running around gleefully. This happened on two occasions to two different people, both of whom heard an excited dog, panting all around them. Both were kind of rattled when this happened, but we all came together to a shared understanding that it has to be Cleo.

She is laid to rest in the most beautiful and special place. Still missed. Still loved. Still with us ❤️

#dogsofinstagram
#afterlife
#cleothetherapydog

😍 I am TRANSFIXED.

Just out walking my Lunabelle. One clump of Vetch & a ladybug gang later I’m binge-watching. Time’s not real.

I work 80 hours a week as a crisis clinician but this right here? Edge-of-your-seat stuff.

#summerinvermont
#botanicalobsession
#naturelover
#botanicalartist l

Look at the art in this antique, late 1800’s quilt! Unsure what I�’ll do with it but the ideas are many!

#antiquetextiles
#upcycledart
#slowfashion

In lighter news, Lunabelle finds the bigger bed at our 9-week layover (a very cushy camper) with all of mama’s luxury silk & linen bed dressings, perfectly satisfactory.

So satisfactory, in fact, that her rise-and-shine hour has been pushed back to 8AM.

Adjust your schedules accordingly…. ;)

#rollingwithit
#pibblesofinstagram
#luxurylover
#babydogproblems

⏳ Another transition. Bumpier than planned, but I’m grateful to be in motion again. A lot has changed in the 3 1/2 years since I sold my last house and moved to this pretty apartment….

My sons were 10 & 13 when we came here. Now one is driving, honing his mechanical genius and working harder than many adults I know… while the other is fast-tracking to being a numbers wizard and golf pro.

I am continually impressed by these young men who were once my babies. Moving unearthed so many old photos, memories… so much perspective.

The days can drag but the years always fly.

As for me? I’m older, clearer and more real. Like fur-worn-off real, as described by the wise old horse in The Velveteen Rabbit.

I feel like I’ve aged 10 years in this place but truly, fewer fu@ks have never been given.

Huge shifts in career, love, health and how I see my future have accelerated here. I am surprised by how much I’m relishing what I once resisted.

Agency work > the stress of entrepreneurship.
Single + free > the stress of man-child reform.
Aging w/ grace > the stress of self-objectification.

And staying in the saddle to make my next move the one I really want - with more transitional upheaval than planned - it’s a no-brainer.

I bought this gorgeous piece of land here in Vermont last fall. 2 acres on a western-facing hillside in a darling, ideal neighborhood. I knew it was for us at first sight, and the boys were outgrowing our apartment fast.

After *finally* getting a 2nd tax return at my new job to support a construction loan, I began the permitting process only to find that the municipal utilities described in the MLS contract as “at the street” (and discussed at length) were… NOT THERE.

85K added to my project cost is a big detour & delay.

I moved mountains to make building our next home possible. While we were supposed to be breaking ground *now*, it could be a year or more before I get restitution for this misrepresentation and proceed.

It’s a massive disruption, bringing hardship to my life from many angles. I’m incensed with rage but also… calm. Because I can already see the outcome.

My hands are full, but my heart is fuller. Just look at this place 🤩

✨ An extra magical Sunday walk at the river.

#natureheals
#botanicalart
#lifeintheslowlane

A most remarkable find: this giant moth met me on my walk to the grocery store a few years back at about this time of the year….

Such a beauty, but also so calm & friendly. I’ve never found this kind of moth before or after this day, but remember her fondly.

One of these days I’ll paint her.

#naturelover
#botanicalart
#moth

So swoon-worthy! Canada lilies from a few years back in the Northeast Kingdom.

I’ve always found these beauties so enchanting, and the largest one that you see here is the largest one I’ve ever found posting I think 16 blossoms - VERY old!

The bulbs of this very interesting flower are a cluster of little “corms“, tiny bulbs, all glommed together in a big bundle. They are bright white and when you separate them, they look like little individual human teeth. Kinda weird.

These lilies get help in their propagation journey from logging operations. The little tiny “teeth” get picked up in the dirt with logs and then they get shaken off the trucks as they rumble along, which is why we find these so bountifully along old logging roads.

They are not quite as abundant in the midstate region of Vermont, where I live, but I know a few places to find them locally, so often partnered with maidenhair ferns.

All lovers of the early Eastern Sun, just like yours truly.

Hoping to find a few of these, and some maiden hair burns to move to my property soon, before everything gets too established.

#canadalilies
#botanicalobsession
#natureheals
#flowerstagram

I’m in the midst of a move. What was supposed to be from here (current apartment) directly to my new build, has turned into two stops in between…

Not thrilled about it, but this is life.

With all that’s been happening in the world of late, I’ve had such desire to offer more in my service-based / coaching & mentorship work. And…

… life has other plans for me right now, and they’re consuming. Moving my whole life into storage, camping for nine weeks, then moving into a furnished house for an unknown period of time…

When I add all that to my outside work in emergency mental health, I just don’t have any more commitment to offer the world. I wish it was otherwise, but all the wishing in the world won’t change it.

Still, I’m taking heart and circling back here, hoping to spend the small times between demands on perennial gardening, outdoor naps with my Lulu, some weekend adventures with my amazing sons & more creative work this season.

Still very grateful and excited and looking forward to being on the other side of the stuff that’s in the way.

This image is from my last alter-set in the place I’ve called Home for 3 1/2 years. So much change here, so much of it pushed forward by this archetype, the Sovereign Queen.

Updates soon, love to all.

#sacredfeminine
#botanicalart
#stressreduction
#acceptance
#heirosgamos

And - POOF! - the first flowers of Spring: 3/16/25. If this isn’t nice I don know what is ;)

Curious that this little clump of cultivated flowers (crocus) are amidst the wild little patch of woods behind my home in the village.

But there they are.

#firstflowers
#botanicalart
#roguecrocus
#springtimeinvermont
#naturelovers

Crossover. The moon, full last night, slips down past the western rim of the world, just minutes before the sun reached a golden arm up over the east.

This moment of Heiros-Gamos, feminine and masculine harmony, felt medicinal today.

It is so much of what’s off kilter just now - masculine & feminine out of synch. Spring is a great time to rebalance, like the earth & her consort, the Sun.

The Spring / Vernal Equinox is just days away now. The balance point of light and dark. It always feels magical to see the moon & sun in the sky at the same time - almost there.

I, too, am coming off the night shift. I took the slow road to the gym this morning, on a whim. I was rewarded handsomely.

#fullmoonsetting
#sunrise
#heirosgamos
#sacredfeminine
#communionwithnature

Magical beings along the river banks. I love Sycamores.

When my horses died, I planted two of these beauties over top of them and eventually harvested some seed pods from them.

In later years, I released them into this river so that their essence could be carried along and find new roots on the banks…

So now my horses live along the river somewhere, and I can step into their new world whenever I want.

#communionwithnature
#natureheals
#griefmagic
#queenofdeath
#sacredfeminine
#loverofthemystery

Natural dye: Wild harvested berries X silk, vintage linen & cashmere. >>> for process ;)

#botanicalobsession
#communionwithnature
#naturaldye
#textileartist
#needmorecolor

The first exciting changes of spring, like the river thawing out (thereby washing up new treasures!!) brings a wave of excitement long before anything green is popping.

What are the earliest signs of Spring that bring you joy?

#waterwomen
#wellwithin
#naturelovers
#vermonthistory
#sacredfeminineenergy

Waiting on the bus. Feeling the Friday vibes.

#moondoggie
#pibblesofinsta
#bestiegirl

One tiny envelope of seeds, ALLLL the big feels.

#startingseeds
#blackholyhock
#georgiaonmymind

I knew about ritual inherently at a young age: That engaging the elements with our questions or struggles would yield results.

I got in trouble for playing with fire as early as age 6. By then I’d been told horrific (family) tales of being burned in a tragic accident. It was horrifying, and I had no way of processing and no support around the idea.

I didn’t know then that I carried soul-level distress about burning. Remembrance, that is.

But gnosis, a natural knowing & inner ‘North Star’, is in us at birth and in my case, by 6, I was engaging it. This looked like sneaking off with matches, collecting twigs and building my own little fires behind my favorite boulder in the south pasture.

I didn’t know then that I was trying to befriend what I had been made afraid of. And it worked.

Years later I still play with fire as a means of moving through distress and getting more insight around my questions.

Highly recommend.

Seeking unconventional insight to guide your creative inner journey? Follow here @wellwithincreative for more.

#creativewellness
#innerjourney
#artheals
#rituals

✨ Joyful throwback: This might be my favorite dress pattern of all time.

An original early 1950’s sewing pattern, part of my collection forever, I made this one from original 50’s novelty cotton in an Asian motif with gold metallic details.

I love this dress for its halter neckline, gathered bust & practical wrap-around style.

Fun throwback from an era where I did a lot more sewing. Here’s hoping for more of those days in the near future once I’m settle this next time!

#dressmaking
#1950sfashion
#slowfashion

Art drama. Violet vibes. Palette work & material selection = pure flow. What to make?

#tetlxtileartist
#botanicalart
#cyanotypeprocess

Art journaling with watercolors. Longtime favorite ❤️

#artjournaling
#creativewellness
#metaphorical

Luna likes to help.

#textileart
#dogsofinstagram
#vintagetextiles

Winter wonderland today. Not all it’s cracked up to be (yet) but I don’t mind a day at home taking crisis calls, going for little jaunts in the snow, making soup & making art.

Suits us just fine!

#february
#winterinvermont
#artistsoninstagram

📖 Throwback / Story time: this is a narrative stitching panel I did as part of a series the year I was 41.

I created a new textile art panel each week (like collaging with fabric) addressing something that I was dealing with, encountering, processing, and sometimes surviving.

From my career as a therapist, I know that getting a cohesive narrative about your own experience is essential to wellness & healing. When things are stored haphazardly (inside) they’re harder to carry.

One of the things that can hang people up is not being able to make ‘The Things’ come out in a sensible order.

The Things don’t always like to cooperate. ‘Darn you, Things!!’ (Shakes fist in air).

This kind of project lets The Things come out at will, then we can sort them out further or draw links between them later.

It also gives us reflection points for later contemplation.

THIS ONE:

This panel depicts a beautiful gray fox that I encountered one day while out running. I encountered her in a cemetery near my home, one day after 5 of my 6 chickens disappeared.

When we met suddenly (just feet apart), she began to run away, then stopped, hiding behind gravestones and peeking at me curiously for about 15 minutes.

I realized, through some further investigation, that she had a den full of babies nearby in the edge of the woods. She was right across the street from home and certainly the culprit of my missing chickens (see the copper feathers falling down around her!).

We were in oppositional positions, she and I. We both had mouths to feed. We both sought to do so with the chickens.

There was a clear victor (not me) and yet she remained curious toward me and strangely engaged when I encountered her the next day.

Stranger still, I began to see gray foxes, relatively unusual where I live. I saw them frequently for a couple of months, as is the pattern when wild animals come bearing messages… what was her message? (Continued in comments) ⬇

POV: when the first whiff of Spring hits….

Lol… a throwback to my days with Cleo, who was such a House Hippo with occasional “outburst” moments like this. She loved the sand at the beach and often couldn’t contain her glee.

I’m working on an embellished jacket with some favorite photos of her, and it’s been fun (see cover). More soon!

I did catch just a whisper of Spring yesterday - a muddy path with squishy noises. More snow this weekend, I guess, but the ball is rolling.

Almost time sugar season in Vermont!

#pibblesofinstagram
#cleothetherapydog
#naturelovers

❄️ Relishing in a snow day, pulling textiles from my collection for a new project.

Worldly vintage textiles + Michaels enthusiasm = a great day ;)

#textileart
#slowfashioninspo
#theofficeclips

Strawberry leaves: Gathered in the fall, patterned in the winter. More fun practice ✨

#botanicalart
#patterndesign
#artskills

If you didn’t know… I’m a bit of a bleeding heart, AND I always seem to find those creatures in need.

Even in a snowstorm dropping a foot a of snow… yep, there’s a spider in need of rescue. Sigh.

We did our best with this guy, but we’re unsure if he landed in a safe spot.

We did our best. Good luck, buddy!

🕷️

#allcreaturesgreatandsmall
#naturelover
#botanicalartist

More practice. So much fun… ♥️

#patterndesign
#surfacedesign
#botanicalart

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A Sacred, Creative Life...

My Heart's Work

Re-weaving, Inside & Out

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