Take Rest ...

Take rest

A field that has rested

gives a beautiful

crop

~OVID~

When your heart is in the Country ...
Spotting a field of resting cattle & their young ...

you feel rested too.

Spotting this sweet little Donkey brought a smile to our face.

He found a nice cool spot in a field hole :-)

Tasha Tudor Day...

Thank you Clarice for once again hosting "Tasha Tudor Day"

A celebration of life on Tasha's Birthday ♥
Tasha Tudor has been such a source of inspiration to me, from her love of nature, to her way of life, and gift of gorgeous artwork.
She loved Corgyn like I love Labs :-)

Over the years, I have sought out books by Tasha and if I am fortunate to come across one I already have, I pick that up too as I know someone else would love to have it!
I cherish my collection of Tasha Tudor books.
Her artistic style was always such an inspiration to me & her love of dogs, nature and flowers was so evident in her many beautifully illustrated books.

I especially love how she framed many of her watercolour pictures with tiny little sketches covering the outside of the page.

A picture within a picture.

~Blessed are those who can give without remembering

and take without forgetting~

Tasha generously shared her own family traditions in her books

& Tudor Family recipes {or I should say receipts} :-)

Her nineteenth ~ century lifestyle is legendary.
When I read the words of Fra Giovanni

I think of Tasha.

***

I salute you!

There is nothing I can give you

which you have not, but there is much that, while I cannot give,

you can take.

No Heaven can come to us

unless our hearts find rest in it today.

Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future

which is not hidden in the present moment.

Take peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow, behind it, yet within our reach

is joy.

Take Joy!

~Fra Giovanni~
***

Tasha Tudor

August 28 1915 ~ June 18 2008
♥♥♥

Sunday Serenity...

I'm Ready for My CloseUp...

Our trumpet vine was all a buzz this morning ...

We are always happy to see (and hear) the bumbles ...

And I am always happy when they stay in one spot long enough for me to grab my camera and take a photo ...

Although I think this one was a bit camera shy :-)

***

The way you overcome shyness

is to become so wrapped up in something

that you forget

to be afraid

~Lady Bird Johnson~

On the Wings of Butterflies...

Nature's message

was always there
for us to see.

It was written

on the wings

of

butterflies

~Kjell B. Sandved~

We spent the day at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.

Home to over 2,000 butterflies in a tropical rain forest setting.

We had butterflies in our hair, on our hands, legs, and for much of the time, one sat happily on my camera :-)

A magical spot & one I can't wait to return to!

Now I need to pick up a butterfly identification book and match names with photos ( I took 140 today)!

Thankful {things I love} Thursday...

It was raining when I woke this morning ...

and 5 hours later, it is still raining....

The gardens desperately need it!

The bugs are thankful...
The flowers are thankful...

Jax is thankful because the garden is filled with happy Sparrows :-) ...

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head

with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain

sing you

a

lullaby

~Langston Hughes~

Where Bloggers Create 2011 ...

Three years ago, Karen @ My Desert Cottage came up with the brilliant idea to host a blog party showing our creative spaces ... It was hugely successful and so much fun to see where fellow bloggers created & how they decorated their own little sacred space ♥ Each one uniquely special
It is here that I blog ...

Add my Photographs to Flickr ...
Write about my love of Nature ...
Try out new ideas ...
Art

is when

you hear

a knocking from your soul

and

you answer

~Star Riches~

A place to dream ...

Decorate any way I like ~ fill with whimsy ~ surrounded by items that make me happy ...

A little spot where I like to hang around ...

So happy you have stopped by today ...

Since I have shown you around my Sparrow Studio before,

I thought for this years "Where Bloggers Create" party, I would create little mosaics showing you some of the creations that come out of Sparrow Studio :-)
~WELCOME~

Everything in my studio is either from Garage Sales, thrift shops, auctions or a curbside freebie (like my Duncan Phyfe art table) . The sides drop down, but I always need the added space :-)
Here are a few things I like to make ...

~Re purpose~

***

I love to re-purpose & look at items with fresh eyes ...

What was once a vintage plastic drying rack is now a little chandelier holding tiny treasures that each have special meaning. My Christening photo, charms, a vintage post card from my hometown in England, a tiny "Posted From Home" letter in an envelope ... tiny items that would have been lost had they just been scattered around the room now tell a "story".

~Recycle~

Snippets of fabric transform a plain laptop cover & what was once a cereal box is now a fabric covered journal. Little hearts with pockets just large enough to slip a love letter into hang on doors Valentine's Day (or everyday) :-). Vintage tablecloths become pretty aprons ... I especially love ones with bold graphics.

Crochet & knit making up patterns ...
Just a little bit of leftover wool is all you need to make Earl Grey tea sipping gloves or rosettes to embellish a scarf :-)

~Stamping~
***

On canvas, paper & fabric ...

~Eyes of Wonder~

~Everything Old is New Again~

an old silver tray becomes a chalk board ... bottle caps become magnets & a vintage mechanics light now holds twine... Industrial Charm :-)
A place to Journal & Doodle ...

And paint ...
My wooden paint box is a garage sale find ~ it was previously owned by an artist and has the most aroma ... I thought of Beatrix Potter when I spotted it & envision it taken on many outdoor painting excursions...

Sketch & draw those I love ... My daughter with her beloved childhood budgie Jacob, on her Graduation Day, and our precious Ernie in his red Winter jacket that was once our Ben's ♥

Sparrow Studio is a spot to create little gifts & photo cards for friends ...

~Birds & Nests~

fill all the nooks and crannies ... a Sparrow will somehow find it's way on everything I make :-)

One day I will write about my "Story of the Sparrow" ♥

~Paper & Glue~

I love creating Inspiration boards
~The travelling studio~

Even when I am on vacation, I take along crafting supplies. An old sugar shaker holds glue sticks and buttons and small pair of scissors all tucked into a wicker picnic basket.
~Collections~

I love to read. Books & magazines fill the shelves ... Notebooks are filled with inspirational quotes.
~Inspiration~

***

Comes in all shapes & sizes ... It is found everywhere ...

Langston Hughes is my favourite poet & "I Dream A World" my favourite poem.

I love the written word ♥
You must have a room or a certain hour of the day or so

where you do not know what is in the morning paper.

A place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be.

At first you may think nothings happening.

But if you have a sacred space and take advantage of it

and use it every day, something will happen.

Your sacred space is where you can find yourself

gain and again

~Joseph Campbell~

Thank you for stopping by today. Thank you Karen for hosting another wonderful, fun, blog party. I can't wait to visit with you all.

Blessings from Sparrow Studio.

Happy Creating!

♥♥♥

~Deb~