thankful {things I love} thursday ...

"I love getting older.

My understanding deepens.

I can see what connects.

I can weave stories of experience and apply them.

I can integrate the lessons.

Things simply become more and more fascinating.

Beauty reveals itself in thousands of forms"

~Victoria Erickson~

Sparrow Studio Altar

~thankful {things I love} Thursday ~ 

music 

a gentle smudge of sparrow studio

candles lit

... tons of ideas & projects floating around in my head

my little studio altar

grounds me the moment I walk into my little sparrow studio

I light candles

put on music

and spend a few moment to settle in 

before I begin

I make a few changes seasonally

but some things remain the same, like my gratitude jar

... a small slip of paper is added daily of one thing I am thankful for that day x

painted leaves, bark and feathers

anyone who knows me 

knows how much I adore quotes.

I had the idea for a while to paint a little quote keeper box.

smudge sticks created from my own garden

have dried beautifully

treasures to watch over me

lake Ontario love ♥ ...

"She had the Spirit

of the Sun

the Moods

of the Moon

the Will

of the Wind"

~Julie Cantrell~

I am forever grateful to live in such a beautiful corner of the world ♥

daily walks along lake Ontario fill my heart and soul

with serenity and gratitude

watching the boats

the waves ... they were crashing this morning...

the salty scent from the water and the sound of waves raising

as I walked absorbing her energy & giving her mine

seeing "images" in driftwood

and watching the blades of grass sway

wild flowers

reaching for the sun

they know what to do

sweet sitting {meditation} spot

flocks of geese

carved paths luring me towards the sand ... time for some

barefoot walking :-D

"Make your heart

like a lake,

 with a calm, still surface,

and great depths of kindness"

~Lao Tzu~

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

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

A Subtle Magnetism

♥

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature,

which, if we unconsciously yield to it,

will direct us alright.

~Henry David Thoreau~

***

the strength of majestic trees: blue sky: stars, moon and sun: fields of wildflowers that seem to go on forever: bunnies and birds ... always birds ♥

 

I love when words fit a painting xo

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~