find your own way to flow ...

A new painting

with my 2018

guiding word

*flow*

in mind x

~find your own way to flow~

... when you let it flow... you leave room to grow

"The idea is that flowing water never goes stale,

so just keep on flowing"

~Bruce Lee~

"Lovely thing to learn from water:

adjust yourself 

in every situation

and 

in any shape,

but most importantly,

find your own way

to

flow"

~Buddha~

catching dreams ...

Walking through the woods with Archer ... on a very cold January afternoon, the beauty of our surroundings kept me from thinking of the cold {although I was thankful for my warm jacket, hat, gloves and boots which allowed me to stay out longer}

"Like walking a dream" crossed my mind amongst the tall trees as snowflakes danced in the air.

Each snowflakes pattern could be seen on Archers beautiful black fur...

Oh how I adore January and this sacred walking space ...

I held my hand out, palm up to gather a scattering of falling flakes ... dream catcher ...

& then I thought ...

How often do/have  we place our dreams in the hands of others?

Here's to being our own dream catcher!

***

Little girls with dreams

become women with vision

"Your dreams are a poetic reflection

of your soul's wishes.

Be courageous enough

to follow them"

~Dr. Steve Maraboli~

If your dreams don't scare you

maybe they're not big enough!

"Never settle.

Fight for 

the life

the career

the dreams

the love

that you deserve"

~Mandy Hale~

Happy Dreaming!

d x

Thankful {things I love} Thursday

~mindful sitting~

the power of awareness

on this rainy, damp and cool day,

sitting in my little sparrow studio

with twinkle lights lit

and candles burning is one of my

"thankfuls" ♥

"Mindfulness nurtures our ability

to see deeply into our true nature.

The view of a humanity

that stands isolated

or above other forms of life

dissolves"

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

what we seek

is inside us

all along

I have a meditation corner in my garden

beside our little pond. Our pond has tiny stones placed here and there with positive affirmations and inspirational words etched on them.

The sound of trickling water is ideal for sitting quietly and depending on the breeze, wind chimes can be heard. And always ... bird song.

It's a space that I share often {and most happily}with the sparrows whose serenades I hear faintly as I close my eyes.

The inspiration for Mindful Sitting came, when I opened my eyes to find a sparrow sitting above me in our flowering pear tree, a snail clinging onto the leaves of the wisteria vine and our resident garden bunny Honey flower nestled amongst the  hosta ♥

blessings in the *here and now*

"Silence is full of sounds.

The wind murmuring,

the leaves rustling

, the birds flapping their wings,

and the waves washing ashore.

And even if these sounds cannot be heard,

we still hear our own quiet breathing,

the motion of our hands over our skin,

the swallowing of our throats,

and the soft patter of our footsteps.

But we have become deaf

to these sounds of silence"

~Henri J.M. Nouwen~

  

Breathing in

I calm my body

Breathing out

I smile

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

by the light of the moon ...

Created a set of 8 miniature cards

chosen from some of my favourite paintings

set available in my shop {link in blog sidebar}

♥

Each card is approximately 2.5" x 4" in size

making them ideal for your

Altar space

Meditation area

To tuck into the corner of a mirror

Place in your wallet {to carry with you always}

Attach with a magnet to your refrigerator

Printed on Epson matte archival paper

using Epson ultra chrome K3 inks for superior archival quality and colour

Hand cut and mounted on "Sparrow brown" cardstock

~ perfect to write your own special sentiment on the back  to add as a gift tag~

8 mini clothes pegs & brown and white twine added should you prefer to create a garland from all or some of the 8 cards ♥ lots of options ...

Cards were charged under the gorgeous

Full Snow Moon

2*22

and the sweetest little friend spotted on our Honeysuckle vine covered garden gate ... I could hear rustling and looked down to see this little love enjoying his own found treasure of the day ♥

have a wonderful Monday

♥ d

Colour me happy cards ...

I've created a little bundle of Colour me happy cards for my shop.

Lovely to give, as is,  or coloured to give  for a Birthday, Anniversary. Valentine, Easter, New Baby, Congratulations, Wedding, or my favourite ... "just because" ♥

Perfect to give to a child to colour for gift giving (I love receiving hand made gifts)

Slip one in your planner with a few pencils to colour while waiting for an appointment...

Small and  compact ... for a little mindful moment

6 cards

birds ... bunny ...

butterflies ... wise woman ...

flowers ... soulful whispers ...

Notes from Sparrows Post

~Colour me happy card set~

♥

A Winter love note ...

~When Winter delivers a Love note ~

~An inquisitive Heart & Mind ~

~I bring you JOY~

***

Three new prints available in my Etsy shop ♥

Snow * Trees * Warmth and Love of hOMe *Sparrows ... always Sparrows ♥

Cozy in  Sparrow Studio, twinkle lights on,  my paints and paper ,   music playing, glancing up from my Art table periodically to watch the snow flakes dance about outside.  Archer is peacefully curled up on his bed... while I happily create little Winter love notes with paint and paper. Winter Bliss ♥

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday too.

*♥*

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,

that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug, you know,

with a white quilt; and perhaps it says

"Go to sleep, darlings, till Summer comes again"

~Lewis Carroll~

Through the Looking Glass

untying the ribbon ...

little hidden treasures

found everywhere on my morning walk

slowing me down  in my walking tracks

(such beauty)

and sometimes ... like finding this little sweetie

stopping me in my walking tracks to chat a while :-)

fresh, crisp air to fill my lungs

humour ~ always something to put a smile on my face ...

I find it all right under my nose (and toes)

above my head

the perfect way to start the day

with Gratitude

and then, finding a twisted heart grapevine as I headed back home ♥

***

Every walk in the woods

is a religious rite,

every path in the stream

is a saving ordinance.

Communion service is at all hours,

and the bread and wine

are from the heart and marrow

of

Mother Earth

~John Burroughs~

~Untie the Ribbon~

the gift of a New Day awaits ...

New Print available in my Etsy shop {link can be found in blog sidebar}

a print to Celebrate 365 fresh days just waiting for the ribbon to be untied.

Where Bloggers Create 2015 ...

So happy be participating in Where Bloggers Create 2015 ♥

Thank you Karen Valentine for hosting this wonderful event where we open up the doors to our studio spaces ~

Welcome to

Vintage Sparrow Studio

I am so happy to have you drop by.

Lots more studio photos can be found on my sidebar by clicking on

the Where Bloggers Create image from past years.

My little studio fuels my creativity

and soothes my soul.

It is filled with treasures that mean the world to me.

A spot where I can bring my ideas to paper ...

I opened up a little Etsy shop less than a year ago and have met so many lovely

people while sending my Art all over the world ♥

©The lovely~ness of daily~ness is my mantra

I truly believe that it is the small, daily events in life that are the most important.

Daily visits from the Sparrows are a blessing to our garden.

Sparrow Studio holds lots of lovely little found treasures.

In fact, just about everything (short of gifts) has been found either at a garage sale, auction, our local animal charity shop ... and even curb side.

Like the Sparrows, I love to gather up these treasures, bringing them back to my home and weave them into a little nesting spot ♥

an assortment of canvas filled with images of bunnies, fox, trees, the moon , sun and stars fill a corner of the room...

Always something sitting on my art table

I am always with my camera, and love to turn my pictures into cards ...

this Yellow Finch sitting in our Lilac bush was taken through my kitchen window :-)

 

my favourite summer bouquet ... hand picked dandelion blooms in a jam jar

from my grand son xoxo

My favourite water vessel,

a mug with my children's image on the front

taken 25 years ago.

It isn't just painting that happens in Sparrow Studio ...

I like to create jewelry,

and weave ...

make dream catchers ...

for inside and out ...

sew

plan my garden and create little seed packages to gift to friends ...

carve stamps ...

whimsy always :-)

where the sun streams in ...

and memories from long ago sketches hang ...

She loved her Sparrows

From Where You Dwell

#1 in the ©Women of the Woods Series

inspired by my love and respect for Nature. While on long Woodland walks with my dog, listening to the sweet serenades of Sparrows, the idea of a series came to me.

and speaking of my dog ...

Archer - my constant companion in the Studio and out ... who I refer to as my "tea/coffee break reminder" because who could resist that face !

I suppose I am a Sparrow

A stay-at-home-bird

~Gladys Taber~

Thank you so much for stopping by.

I've loved showing you around ... hope you come by again ♥

I'm looking forward to visiting the other participating studios and see where you create.

~have a wonderful weekend friends~