Winter Birthday Making . . .

I've started a little birthday tradition of making a frozen flowered banner to hang in the garden on my birthday. It's a fun way to celebrate * use up flowers from the flower press that have broken* and embrace the blessings of a Winter birthday!

Just like with candle making, I have set aside old tins for making the frozen flower discs.

The night before my birthday, I place a ribbon across all the muffin tins.

Next, I place flowers on top of the ribbon, and then, fill each muffin cup with water.

The tins then head out to the porch where they will stay overnight to freeze.

In the morning, a minute or two on the kitchen counter is all you will need 

and the frozen flower discs will pop right out.

Flowers pressed and dried from my garden, returning back to the garden.

They have only shrunk in size a wee bit since I strung them in the trees as our temps have been frigid!

Beautiful Orange tulips from my family

And gorgeous white roses with a hint of pink

from my hubby

Petals that will be pressed and find themselves in next year's banner.

Don't just count your years...

Make your years count

xo 

Happy New Year ...

Happy 2026

The Year of the Horse 

May the        

 Year of the Horse

bring you energy

ambition 

and joy.

Ride boldly toward new achievements

and bright beginnings this

New Year! 

I can hardly believe that this September will mark my 20th Anniversary of blogging!

Back in September 2006, after chatting back and forth with my BFF in England, we decided it would be a fun way for the two of us to catch up on all the things that were happening in our daily lives.

Even though we were writing letters back and forth monthly, this way we could post pictures to go along with the stories. I don't think at the time I imagined still stopping by this little online space to jot down thoughts and upload photos. 

January

I love winter and the month of January.  

New journals have been opened and with anticipation, I have filled in the first page ~January 1st, with thoughts and dreams.  Along with affirmation journals, a devotional journal, and art journal, I have a nature journal sitting on the window seat in our kitchen. This year I will keep a better record of the birds that stop by our garden. I will record the time of day, weather, eating habits etc ....

The first bird of 2026 to stop by the feeder was the Downy Woodpecker.  

I rarely make new year's resolutions,

although this year I hope to bring out my ukelele and practice more!  

I do, however choose a "guiding word"

..... this year the word I spotted most often was Joy.

Gratitude is the gateway to joy

I hope you Dance

(original sold)

And I've lots of ideas for joy filled paintings :-)

Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world.

Wishing you a New Year filled with love, luck, laughter & joy!

deb & the sparrows

xo

A Winter Walk ...

No matter what the weather, I love walking along the lake.

These days, I usually take pictures on my morning walk with my cell phone.

Small and compact, easily tucked into my pocket. But every once in a while, my "big girl" Nikon (Eleanor) comes out. Yes ... I named my camera :-) 

  More often than not I wish I had Eleanor with me, especially when 

I come across something so beautiful and being able to capture the detail with the macro lens attached far outweighs the cumbersome camera bag.

A cold and windy day today. Fingerless gloves are a blessing.

One of my favourite finds are the nests that become visible once all the leaves have fallen.

"There are no birds

in last year's nest"

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

And every once in a while, a bunny will be spotted.

 

And I love visiting with the ducks.

And as I walk, I'm picking up pretty stones and beach glass and driftwood.

All the driftwood that I create my Santas from comes from my meditative walks here.

And thinking of stories and paintings to come to life ....

~Home to herself~

***

I spoke of many of these things, as I was recently contacted by Bold Journey for an interview for their Story & Lesson Highlight section.

 Some questions asked if I could talk about my brand, relationships that shaped how I see myself, If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, what would it be, my values and what I think the biggest lies the art industry tells us. 

If you would like to read the interview, you can find it at

bold journey . com 

Just type in Deb Dunn in the Search Engine and it will take you there.

Happy December.

I hope you are taking in all the beauty, wonder and magic of this blessed month.

Deb

xo 

Hello November . . .

It's been a while since I've added a note to my little blog.

We've had a very busy and blissful few months.

August was filled with visits from friends we hadn't seen in a while, grandson sleepovers 

and a craft show.

And then . . .  my husband and I set off for the most incredible August - October vacation. 

We started in Quebec enjoying a few beautiful days before we set sail visiting ports in

Baie-Comeau *Gaspesie * France * St. John's Newfoundland* Iceland *Ireland * England.

I was so excited to see my BFF since we were babies and spend time together. A 65-year friendship is something to celebrate!! 

Once in England, we booked into our hotel which would become home for almost two weeks with the most gorgeous view of the Bristol Channel. 

Day 1 we walked along the Southwest Coast Path & had our first (of many) English breakfast and fish and chip dinners.

With our friends as our tour guides, they had lots planned for us to see with stops at tearooms & cozy pubs in between!

Dunster Medieval Village, Castle and Gardens *. They made sure we received the Dunster Water Mill stamp which is known to be one of the most gorgeous of the National Trust stamps.

Lynmouth which they call the "Walkers are Welcome" town. Here we walked the beach looking for beach glass and hag stones. 

At Exmoor National Park we were greeted by wild goats who were very comfortable walking beside us, making this Capricorn girl (the goat) very happy. I felt an instant kindship;-)

Bossington Hill, part of the Devon National Trust was absolutely beautiful with fields that reminded me of a patchwork quilt with its various shades of green.

As luck would have it SAW - Somerset Art Works was taking place. With artists map in hand, we went about seeking out artists who generously opened up their homes/gallery/studio for visitors.

The West Somerset Railway was near our hotel and there was a Watchet 1940's celebration happening. People were dressed in their 40's inspired clothing, there was music and dancing and so much fun.

Selworthy Woods was beautiful with its thatched roofed yellow cottages cared for by the National Trust. After our woodland walk we stopped off at Periwinkle Tea Room (how precious is the name?) and while sitting outside with our pots of tea and scones we had a little visitor.  The sweetest little English Robin was beside us picking up bits of scone crumbs. Be still my heart!

Bishop's Palace and Gardens, a medieval palace in the heart of Wells is magical with palace, chapel and 14 acres of gardens to explore. I had seen Bishop's Palace on the news a few months before our holidays. Here they have the famous bell-ringing swans which we were lucky enough to experience.  Because they are not on a fixed feeding schedule (they get fed when they ring the bells) not everyone who visits will see this most magical moment!

I was able to get photos and a video ... I was very surprised at how steady my hand was as I was so emotional .... a day I will always remember. My heart was filled with such gratitude & happiness.

A visit to Helwell Bay, we went fossil hunting. I felt like Mary Anning, the fossil hunter as I explored the bay for fossil treasures.

Stourhead was another beautiful visit, this time with grazing sheep beside us. 

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Southampton and board the Queen Mary 2 to sail home.

Ports along the way took us to New York * Halifax Nova Scotia *Saguenay *

One of the absolute highlights was being able to visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and see the display of not only many pieces of Maud Lewis' original artwork but her home!!

Along with the Bishop's Palace bell ringing swans, this was also on my "bucket list" and another emotional moment.

Our cruise port was a 10-minute walk to the Art Gallery.

*I'm still organizing photos from our trip, but you can see a few that I've posted on my IG account*

We had some exciting "at sea" moments as well, spotting sea otters and blue whales!

I won't be participating in any Christmas shows this year as being away I missed the deadlines.

I did however receive an acceptance to Art in the Workplace juried Exhibit #43 which I applied for before we left for holidays.

The Gatheress Arms

~a painting that became my inspiration for business & postcards~

With Each Step

~inspired by the beautiful labyrinth near our home I love to walk~

Each original is 9" x 12", matted & in a whitewashed frame.

Title and hand signed on the front.

Available for sale

November 3, 2025 - February 26, 2026

Art in the Workplace

Exhibit #43

McMaster Innovation Park

175 Longwood Road South

Hamilton, Ontario

My daughter Kate and I were interviewed a few weeks ago by

Audley Stephenson for his podcast "The Audacious Podcast".

Kate spoke of her inspirations behind her newly published children's book 

Dreaming of Dresses, I spoke of the joy of creating the illustrations & we both

talked about collaborating as a mother/daughter team. 

Thank you so much Audley for your positivity and kindness, making this such a 

fantastic afternoon! Your support is very much appreciated.

Thank you for stopping by, catching up with me ... 

Happy November (I love the "ber" months).

D xo 

 

Art Walk 2025 ... next Saturday

Just a little reminder that next Saturday, I will be one of 40 local artists at

Art Walk 2025

10 am - 4 pm

Burloak Waterfront Park

5420 Lakeshore Road

Burlington, Ontario

You can find me at Booth #12

Along with local artists, there will be live music and performances, hands on art activities, an art scavenger hunt, the opportunity to buy unique local art and handmade goods, meet with artists, all set along beautiful Burloak Waterfront Park.

A chance to connect * create * and celebrate & admission is free!

This year, with the exception of a few greeting cards created from my art, everything I am offering will be originals. There will be everything from nests * birds * wildlife * flowers to still life.

Unfortunately, the archival inks for my Epson printer have been getting harder and harder to find. I'm unable to print anything unless all ink cartridges are full. So instead of printing cards, I'm offering all originals. Looking on the bright side of this, it will free up space for new works and ideas. 

Along with originals on paper that you can frame, I will have art on canvas, ready to hang as well as framed art. 

Treetop

The Enchanted

Worth the Wait

For I will protect you

Make a Wish

As well as paper and canvas art, I will be bringing along my hand painted crosses, a few macrame wall hangings, painted stones, painted wooden tags, and some hand painted textiles (brush roll * apron * gathering pocket)

I'm so looking forward to the day and sharing my art.

Hope to see you there!

Please follow along on my Instagram account

vintagesparrowstudio

Have a great weekend.

d xo

 

Cashing in on Creativity Interview…

 

Last week , my daughter Kate and I had the privilege of being interviewed by

Bruce Outridge at Blu Dog Gallery.

Kate spoke about the inspiration behind writing Dreaming of Dresses, and I spoke about how I approached the illustration aspect.

We had so much fun!

Bruce is a professional cartoonist, illustrator, author, business consultant as well as the host and producer of the Cashing in on Creativity podcast for creative entrepreneurs.

He made the “interview “ process so relaxed I forgot it was being filmed!

Since Dreaming of Dresses 👗 has been published, Kate & I have met so many wonderful people.

Sharing this book has opened up so many new opportunities.

Thank you Bruce for this amazing opportunity and for being such a great host, to Nevaeh for the wonderful photographs & video, and Debra for sharing your beautiful Blu Dog gallery.

And of course, a huge thank you to my amazing daughter Kate who placed the pages of Dreaming of Dresses as well as her confidence in my hands . She gave me carte blanche to paint each character and page as I envisioned which was an absolute joy. When you find yourself smiling from beginning to end of a project, you are going to be proud of the end result.

A stroll through Sparrow Garden . . .

Our garden is bursting with colour! 

 I switched the lens on my Nikon to the Macro lens

and carried it around as I strolled about ... 

Window boxes filled to the brim . . . this one with marigolds and dusty miller...

The trumpet vine has bloomed and will welcome hummingbirds, butterflies and bees ... 

One of our garden Doves so sweet and very tame.

There is no flying away having been born in our garden, I think they are familiar with our voices and presence. Little one just watched me as I walked about.

I had to mention just how lovely it was to have their company & couldn't resist taking a photo.

Yesterday while standing on the steps of our sun porch, feeding peanuts to the squirrels, one of our garden baby bunnies hopped over to me and stood on the bottom step :-)

I think I'm still smiling from our interaction.

I felt like Beatrix Potter!! 

Big clumps of lavender that smells absolutely divine ...

Shasta Daisies

Lilies 

Yarrow 

stems growing so tall they are ready to reach over the picket fence

And beautiful mauve clematis 

Reaching out in all directions

buds and blooms

Happy Tuesday.

d xo