Giving and Receiving.....

"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will it be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

~Luke 6:38 (NIV)~This morning I was visiting Dawn at The Feathered Nest and was really touched by her post,Thoughts on Sharing. Dawn is one of the most giving people I have "met" here in the land of blog. Her topic today touches on giving and inspiring one another in creativity. I truly believe that by living out this Biblical principal Dawn is being blessed beyond measure. Her artistic dreams are taking flight and she joyously shares them. She is generous with tips and techniques as well as images to inspire others to be creative. In the spirit of her generosity and in honor of her latest creative endeavor, Nature Journals, below I am sharing some images with you that I hope will fuel your imagination and enhance your artwork. Enjoy!

This first image is a favorite of mine. I love the brilliant colors. This is from a 1946 calendar.

How about a sweet little piece of sheet music from a child's song book?

The one below is from an old storybook entitled, Spring is Coming.These next images come from an old instruction book on how to draw flowers. They would make great back ground pages to collage on. When I scanned them bits of the under pages bled through because the paper was so thin. I started to rescan them and use black card stock to block out the bleed through but decided not to as I liked the added texture.This is a new favorite, a needle arts magazine entitle, HOME ART. How perfect is that title for this image to use in our art projects? I did three scans because this is a very large publication. The first one is centered. The second one is moved over so you get the whole pixie. The third one is positioned so you get all the birds.

Don't forget the vintage calling card at the top of the post! I thought it represented the giving hands of my friend, Dawn.

Speaking of generosity, thank you all for your kind comments on my silly little pixie post. She was a fun, fast, and easy project. I enjoyed crafting her story as much as I did bringing her to life. Thank you to all who so generously give of your time to visit here.

Now that we have covered the giving on to the receiving! A little birdie brought me some mail today.
I went over to visit Laurie at Charming Designs and saw one of her darling blue birds perched on a hand painted baby shoe.My heart dropped a beat because I knew that one was mine. Somehow our emails were not connecting properly and I was frantic to get my hands on that little bird. After many messages left on blog posts we were finally able to connect and I secured this little blue bird of happiness for my very own! I have long been an admirer of Laurie's work but let me tell you, it sells F.A.S.T.! Laurie, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful creations! On top of the package was this beautiful hand painted tag.Here is my blue bird of happiness! He makes me happy just to look at him! LOVE this artwork!Just look how perfectly at home he has made himself!If you would like a chance to be a recipient of one of Laurie's charming designs, go here to sign up for her give away. Laurie is giving away one of her charming little charms. (Laurie's photo) Here it is a work in progress:
Hurry on over, a winner will be drawn on Monday!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy