Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

It's that time of the year again when we look at the garden with fresh eyes.

Some plants need to be moved as they have outgrown their space

and we think of changes we want to make

to the garden beds.

Looking through a few photos from last Summer to get an idea of changes we might want to make ...

Our {ever growing} collection of garden treasures come out of storage.

Sweet Mr Sun has been repaired many times

but after a bit of touch up, will be ready to brighten our garden another year.

We have a few Peony plants in our garden which we love!

and lots of bird baths tucked into all kinds of nooks for the birds.

It's lovely to watch the birds enjoying a splash about or sit quietly sipping water.

Everything in our garden is with the birds/butterflies/bees/nature in mind.

It's all natural and a little haven for both us and them ♥

Love spotting nests {found all over our garden}

resident chipmunk :-D

~life~

Honeyflower - our resident garden bunny

Sparrow garden

we *love* our Sparrows

our lilac is in bud

soon I will have bouquets of lilac

for our outside table

and indoors

our picket fence

in bloom

love spotting the birds sleeping

it lets us know they feel safe and content in our garden

♥

bee love

garden lady

my gathering bag

Our English Country cutting garden

a little Robin family {taken a few years ago}

sewn garden flags

filled to the brim waiting to go indoors and create some bouquets

found this lovely little metal leaf

and placed it by our pond

little did we know that it would make a wonderful mini birdbath for baby birds

they love to sit here ♥

***

The weather today is incredible.

Heading out into the garden with my tea, Archer, &  garden journal :-D

Go forward ...

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself.

Go forward

and make your dreams come true"

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

I recently found some gorgeous "spun gold" paint

and thought it would be the perfect little embellishment to my newest painting

Go forward

only a little is needed {it looks like gold leaf}to add sparkle and interest

flecks can be found on the canvas &  bird feathers & the depth and interest created feels like movement in the wings ~  making me feel as though sweet bird has just landed

♥

birds and blooms

2 favourite topics

Spending this damp cold and rainy Tuesday happily painting away in Sparrow Studio.

Hope you are having a wonderful day too.

xo deb & the sparrows

treasures from the trail ...

I'm always writing about my love & fascination/admiration with trees

{here on the blog & over on my Instagram account}  -

and how my gathering bag is always filled {as well as pockets} with woodland

finds on our daily walks with Archer.

We have a large bowl on our coffee table that holds my gatherings and where I put them when we arrive home & it is gloriously filled to the brim. Each season brings with it different types of gatherings ~ acorns * pinecones* skeleton leaves * leaves of changing colours* branches * twigs* bark* feathers * rocks*

I also have a weaving/mixed media fabric art wall hanging in my Sparrow studio & I will often tuck in small pieces of  bark, skeleton leaves & feathers that I find here {she is looking really lovely with all her adornments} :-D

I thought I would show some of the ways I use my finds & what I do with some of them.

"The diversity of the phenomena of Nature

is so great,

and the treasures hidden in the heavens

so rich,

precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking

in fresh nourishment"

~Johannes Kepler~

I recently found some wonderfully shaped branches

faces were painted

and then larger pieces of bark were added to the back

wrapped with twine & a loop added to the back for hanging

I'm always drawn to and love branches where knots have fallen leaving  natural holes behind

these I've created into little

sparrow spirit sticks

each painted with a nature inspired sentiment/word

wrapped with fabric/twine/ribbons

and embellished with beads

and some with found feathers

"Nature is man's teacher.

She unfolds her treasures to his search,

unseals his eye,

illumines his mind,

and purifies his heart,

an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds

of her existence"

~Alfred Billings Street~

"You will find something

more in woods

than in books.

Trees and stones

will teach you

that which you can never learn from masters"

~St. Bernard~

***

I hope you find some lovely treasures from the trail on your walks too.

d xo

Happy Earth Day 2017

~every day is earth day ~

♥

Take nothing but pictures

Leave nothing but footprints

Kill nothing but time

Nature is painting for us,

day after day,

pictures of infinite beauty

~John Ruskin~

Be a gentle friend to the trees

and they will give you back

beauty, cool and fragrant shade

and many

singing birds.

~I dream a world~

We do not inherit the Earth

from our ancestors,

we borrow it

from our children

~Native American Proverb~

the phases of a painting ♥

~One Day~

♥

I thought it would be fun to do something a little bit different and show some of the "phases"

a canvas goes through from beginning to end.

Of course, there are so many & once I am in the pure bliss of painting, stopping to take a photo {especially with paint covered hands} wasn't possible ... I found myself actually forgetting to take a photo so there are lots of phases that have not been documented - but the really big ones have been.

Hope you enjoy this little painting journey ♥

Choosing the size canvas to start.

And the anticipation as it is unwrapped.

and it begins ...

writing my anticipated canvas 'story'

by simply writing ... words coming to me as I go along.

One Day

One day as she sat

very quietly

it all became clear to her.

She was ready

to listen to the gentle whispers

of her Soul.

The pieces of the puzzle

began to fit

once she was aware

of where the truth patiently sits ♥

highlighting my focus * intention

blissfully covering the canvas

with a menagerie of colour {in the most delicious names}

wine *leaf green * peacock blue * African violet * hunter green *Copenhagen blue *  plum *cashmere tan *deep periwinkle blue*  orange spice * olive green * butter cream * plum chiffon *Williamsburg blue * cream* white

flicks and splatters of paint brushes

and lots of hands on ...

imagine my surprise when my precious grandson {who was spending sparrow studio time with me}

looked at the canvas which was sitting on my art easel

and made this observation ...

"LaLa, she is watching over the ocean ... I see a fish and a whale ... and her hands"

What a surprise to stand back myself and see that the "swirls" created by dipping my fingers into paint and "skipping" them across the canvas had created *open hands* ...hands  protecting the earth ♥

Since I feel such a connection of art and spirituality & always feel guided by above while painting, this observation was divine indeed xo

face details become more apparent

lots of lovely drips and fluffy clouds appear

"Honor your being.

Release each and every struggle.

Gather strength from life's storms.

Relax into the arms of Spirit"

~Jonathan Lockwood Huie~

a bird appears :-D

gentle whispers in her ear

a little more softening of the colours

and textures added

nest and eggs

adding texture & depth to the nest

*painting mindfully I noticed this lovely white 'spirit' which appeared above the nest *

which seemed to bless this painting

the finished result ... a softening across the painting & tiny bits of detail here and there ... lots of areas for the eye to gaze & find & savour

*protection * connection * mindful living * meditation * bird whispers* mother earth* birth *

♥

hope you enjoyed this painting journey .

Prints are now available in my Etsy shop xo