A furry feast ...

This was the scene Christmas morning ...

the only thing left of the garland was a small strand of Cheerios.

I do hope the birds managed to get a few nibbles!

I thought he looked so cute with his "candy necklace" :-)

Little bits of loose twine hung from the branches with

no food in site. On the ground were a few orange/tangerine peels.

The only proof that there was ever garlands of food strung on the tree.

yes, I think this proves that our squirrels are

very well fed :-)

Boxing Day ...

Hope you had a Wonderful Christmas

♥

We need

songbirds

and

Church bells

and the smells and sights

of Spring-green

to keep us human

~Rene Dubos~

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house ...

garlands were being strung for our garden birdie tree ♥

One of our family traditions is to string fruits and peanuts and "Santa button" cookies

and hang the garlands outside for the birds (and squirrels)

The garlands are a bit different every year because we use what we have.

Popcorn * Cranberries* Dates* Figs* Apple slices* tangerine * oranges* Peanuts in their shell*

strung outside

to be enjoyed

tiny little "Santa button" cookies are always added

something for everyone to enjoy

fresh blocks of suet for the wire  baskets

and feeders filled

we were thrilled to have 3 Blue Jays in our garden this afternoon

so they will be happy to find lots of peanuts in their shell as part of the garland

and strands of Cheerios ... I love these

and they are perfect for stringing with little ones :-)

Merry Christmas feathered friends ♥

~all creatures great and small~

Thankful {things I love} Thursday...

I love anything in miniature & have a few mini Christmas trees set up throughout my home.

One in the kitchen ... one in the dining room ... the studio ... our bedroom :-)

o.k ... maybe more than a few ♥

Last year, some of my blog posts were around the theme

"A Vintage Christmas ♥ Comfort & Joy" where I shared tutorials to  some easy to create crafts.

One of those being a garland especially for miniature trees.

It was created using bakers twine and miniature pom poms.

*these blog posts/tutorials can be found on my blog sidebar*

I came across a bag of pom poms in various shades of red this morning and a long strand of vintage lace and thought how pretty the two would look together as a garland for one of my trees.

So easy to create

You only need

~ ribbon/lace

~miniature pom poms

~hot glue gun /glue stick

I found the bag of pom poms & lace when I went about looking for some miniature bells for my original craft idea this morning :-)

A miniature frame that was waiting for a little Sparrow to be painted  and hung on my Woodland Animal tree.

Created using the tiniest square of watercolour paper

and a few paints ...

Attach a small piece of cardstock to the back (remember to sign and date)

Cut a  strip of ribbon/lace long enough to create a loop on the top for hanging,

and a tail to fall from the bottom.

Add a small jewelry finding and hook 2 miniature decorative bells.

Loop the finding through bottom of ribbon .

Hang on your miniature tree (or attach to gift)

~It's a small world ... after all~

♥♥♥

The Coloring Studio Giveaway Winner ...

Thanks so much to Everyone who left a comment on

The Coloring Studio

Giveaway post ...

and for all your lovely, thoughtful comments on Living A Colorful Life

♥

I appreciate all your sweet Congratulations xoxo

All the names of those who left a comment were put into a dish and

Julie ~ from ~ Sage & Spirit ... your name was chosen.

Please drop me an email with your mailing address and I will forward the information on to Stampington/ the coloring studio who will mail your copy to you!

Have a Wonderful Day

♥

The Coloring Studio Giveaway ♥

Contest is now closed ~ Sage & Spirit was the lucky winner of The Coloring Studio ♥

It's Giveaway Time

***

https://stampington.com/the-coloring-studio-premiere

has very generously offered one of my viewers the chance to have

their very own copy of

The Coloring Studio.

Everything you'll need all in one book, including tons of Bonus Material, tips and tools of the trade,  which I feel sets it apart from all the other Coloring books on the market.

The paper is thick and smooth and ideal to hold all mediums.

There are lists of basic coloring supplies to get you started ...

as well as Step by Step "Simple binding techniques" to create a booklet with your finished art should you choose.

Carving out a little "me time" is always a good idea.

  So gather up your supplies...

I like to find pretty vessels  to hold my pencils, pens, markers , watercolors and paint brushes, 

and place in a Gathering Basket.

  A mason jar is perfect for holding your water.

Your basket is all ready ... all you have to do now is find the perfect spot to sit and create ♥

I also have a lovely old vintage suitcase that's the perfect size for holding  supplies and keeping bedside or sofa side ... all ready when you feel a surge of creative energy.

The suitcase, when closed, doubles as a mini table top :-)

What ever you choose to use ... fill it with all the things you love ♥

The pages of The Coloring Studio are filled with page after page of the most gorgeous images

just waiting for your personal touches.

Because making it your very own is what it's all about.

Lots of themes ... birds and bunnies... tea cups... feathers ... quotes and quirky images ...landscapes ...flowers... there is something for everyone.

After the busyness of the Holidays has passed,

what a lovely way to settle into the calm of the New Year.

For my own copy of The Coloring Studio, I plan on turning it into  a Journaling Coloring Book.

I'll fill in the white space with my thoughts ...

For my Soulful Whispers page, I've created the prompt

Ways I live a colorful life ...

*woodland walks gathering treasures along the way & pressing found treasures between the pages of books * journal writing ... filling the pages with all my hopes, dreams, wishes ... *creating wild flower bouquets ...* staying close to nature *dancing *meditation *letting things fall as they may* embracing new beginnings* being open to change* blooming * embracing imperfections ... remembering that even broken crayons color ♥

What are some of the ways You live a colorful life?

***

To enter the Giveaway for your very own issue of The Coloring Studio, simply leave a comment on this post {I'd love to hear some of the ways you live a colorful life} .

I will choose a Winner from all the comments Saturday December 12th 2015 at Noon.

I'll contact the winner for your name and mailing information and will pass that on to The Coloring Studio Stampington who will mail you your prize copy ♥

Please note

"Contest is open to U.S.A.  residents only"

I'd love you all to leave a comment however, no matter where you live, so if a name is chosen outside of the U.S.A. I will send that person one of my prints ♥ and then choose another name for The  Coloring Studio giveaway.

Good Luck

♥

Let the fun begin!

I was thrilled yesterday

to walk up the cobblestone path to my front door,

and find in my little wicker basket{which is all decorated with fresh cedar and bells and a little bird to hold Christmas mail},

"The Coloring Studio"

I feel I have been waiting months for December 1st to arrive knowing that this was the publish date. 

My black and white illustration Soulful Whispers is on the front cover.

Inside, it's a Completed Project ♥

Along with my Whimsical hare ...

It was raining on and off for most of the day, making it the perfect "coloring day"

In the center of The Coloring Studio are my 3 birds

I adore "This book belongs to" pages in books

so was thrilled to see this was the 1st page.

Instant personalization ♥

Loved seeing how another artist envisioned my drawing

and the colours chosen

some close up detail of two of my birds on a branch

Happy December ♥

With all the busyness that is happening this month ... what a perfect way to sit with your crayons and pens and pencils and take some time for  yourself.

xo

Sunday Serenity ...

Happy 1st Advent Sunday ♥

I thought I'd share some photos taken on our hike today with Archer ...

look at this gorgeous nesting spot!

if I were a bird, I would want to build my nest here ♥

So often

our greatest triumph

is

a willing

surrender

~Robert Brault~

~do you spot the tiniest little heart?~

♥

and everywhere I looked, I spotted fallen leaves

that had landed in the loveliest places :-)

like this leaf ... and once again ... a heart ♥

so beautiful, and so fitting as we love this space so much

single leaves

&

clusters of leaves

some with the tiniest acorn caps left attached

There is a great power

in letting go,

and there is a great freedom

in moving on

~Unknown~

nests in all the trees

seasons changing

Sunday Serenity

♥