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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I *HEART* Nature Art.....

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive."
~Eleonora Duse~
(click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing)

It is no secret that I adore the natural world and all things nature related. I was thrilled to have recently won two fantastic nature inspired works of art from two equally fantastic artists! I have been gathering some items to put together a little nature inspired vignette in the corner of our family room and can't wait to integrate both these wonderful pieces into my little nature nook! I love how both of these blend well with the sepia look I want in this vignette. Here it is all in a muddle, a work in progress:I picked up this sweet framed print for $1.00 this week!I received this awesome painting from Rita of phthalo blue. Rita is a graphic artist who shares about art, poetry, culture, and daily life on her blog. I am so extremely in love with this darling little bird painting! Thank you so much Rita, this little painting has me all twitter~pated!I also received this spectacular nature assemblage from none other than my favorite feather nester friend Dawn! I am so doing the happy dance. I have been trying to purchase a piece of her work and it is snapped up as soon as she gets it made. Dawn, THIS is now my favorite book on my shelves, thank you so much.You might or might not remember, it's been so long, when I started a mixed media nature collage featuring a watercolor of a blue bird on a background of vintage sheet music. I originally intended this to be a sweet collage featuring a nursery rhyme but as often happens once I picked it up, it took off in its own direction. Here is the finished project:The base of this piece is a scrap of foam core covered in vintage sheet music. After reading this line as a caption in a magazine I knew it would be perfect for this collage. Dried rose petals and bark, snippets of old lace, vintage shell buttons, and a little wooden bunny surround the caption.
Torn decorative paper strips, stamped butterfly, and a vellum flowering bulb grace the right side of the piece. The bottom of the piece is finished off with a row of vintage crochet lace, a corsage pin holds another snippet of lace and colorful button in place. The twig hanger is wired to old rusty square tacks. The copper wire ends are spiraled into trendles.The handmade suede branch is textured with bits of handmade paper. Leaves cut from a scrap of vintage velvet adorn the branch tips. A little rubber stamped nest rests on the branch.This is my favorite part of the whole piece, the handmade branch with the little nut cradle! I love the vine curly cues and the fat speckled egg resting inside!An embellished shipping tag hangs from the branch and illustrates the caption of sleeping in the garden. The background of the tag is painted, layered over the background is a row of roses from a vintage greeting card, a textured natural grass wallpaper, a copy of a vintage postcard, crochet lace, and a little copper jewelry piece topped off with snips of paper. I think this one is a keeper, at least for now. In other nature news here at the Quill, the jonquils are in bloom!!!I found this little bouquet blooming at the edge of the east woods near the bramble where the cardinals are building a nest. I wondered how they got there so far away from house. Perhaps Mrs. Red Bird planted them there to brighten her front stoop!And the robins are running rampant!!! Yesterday, when I opened the shades, my yard was teaming with an entire flock of these beauties. I let the door swing softly open and stood in the chill of the early morning air listening to their happy chirps. They were rustling through the dried leaves, pitching them up in the air as they scratched the damp earth underneath hoping to find a lucky worm.Over the next few days I will be doing what this little robin is doing, looking for signs of spring!
My soul is alive at the thought of spring! Have you seen any signs yet?

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

23 comments:

Rita Finn said...

Miss Sandy,
You do me too much honor! Your kind words about the little bird painting went right to my heart. I love your blog and I love the Emerson quote. I once has a housewarming party and put that very quote on the invitation.

God Bless,
Rita

The Feathered Nest said...

I'm so very glad that you like the assemblage Sandy!!! Your display is just beautiful! I love your collage as well....and you made the branch?? How wonderful is that!! The egg in the nut shell is so sweet too. I'm honored to have a piece of my artwork in your home, xxoo, Dawn

Anonymous said...

I am always entranced when reading/looking at your blog. I love your nature vignette. What a beautiful project too. I am envious of your jonquils - you beat us by about a week! We do have cardinals building a nest. Enjoy this beautiful time of year dear Sandy.

Joanne Kennedy said...

First I want to thank you. I got your beautiful Valentine you made for me. I think it's going to be perfect for the baby shower invitations. I'm going to show it to the mommy to be to see if she likes it as much as I do. I'm sure she will!

I love your set up of the birds. I'm so into birds and nests right now. Not only for the baby shower theme but also for my house.

How wonderful you have such pretty birds where you are. We don't get them here. Just mostly sparrows and black birds.

Thank you again so much for being so kind!

Hugs,
Joanne

Tina said...

Beautiful photos. I love your nature vignette.
Thanks for sharing.
Tina x

Lori said...

Miss Sandy, first of all i just can't believe you made that branch...well, i just can't imagine how you did that...it is lovely and the perfect addition to your sweet collage...i love Dawn's art work too!!! i was lucky enough to win something from her also, and i bought one of her baby shoes...her work has a beautiful simplicity and soothing color scheme...i don't know the other girl, but her bird painting is just wonderful...your little nature inspired spot is beautiful!!!

Geralyn Gray said...

I just found you. I really enjoy your images...it was like walking outside for a few minutes....I also really loved your valentine bird tutorial......you are very talented.

Cindy Is Crafty said...

Sandy,
The gifties are awesome, but your bird collage is spectacular. Great job!

My Galveston Cottage said...

Love the nature vignette....I'm inspired!
cheers -s

Vee said...

So lovely...

You're one talented woman who has figured out so many tricks to reproducing what you find in nature bringing it all together in such lovely displays. Incorporating your wins into your work further illustrates your creativity. I so enjoy seeing what you've done. Those who actually visit your home must be amazed.

Now I'm wondering if it would be possible to create something like this for a dear niece who also lives on the forest's edge and who loves finding delights. I'll have to "put my ponder on" as Brenda (CTBandMe) says.

Miss Sandy, I can't believe that you played that video more than once. Wasn't that ridiculous? ;> Every now and then, I hear it when I'm in another part of the house and I know that you-know-who is having way too much fun.

Enjoy a wonderful day!

Susie said...

I love that little picture of the child sleeping in the garden. That's precious. Congrats on those works of nature. Love them! So nice to see the jonquils in bloom.

Vicki Page said...

Miss Sandy, Rita's bird is just lovely, and I was so glad to see you won over at the Feathered Nest you are so deserving! I love your artwork too! Your little nook is just adorable you did a nice job putting it all together. Your faithful reader. Vicki Page

kathy said...

Sandy - how lovely is your vignettte-- Birds are a welcoming sight and a delight to hear - Their sweet little nests always reminds
me of God - as his eye is on the tiny sparrow and he Watches over me !! What a delight your creation is and that of sweet Dawn - the little branch and nut nest - the sweetest thing -- Kathy - ga

Andrea said...

Miss Sandy, you are so talented and creative, and your blog is very uplifting and inspiring. Your jonquils are beautiful. God bless.

Lady Farmer said...

Sandy~
Your package arrived yesterday! Thank you so much for your lovely handy work! The Bird-Cage Valentine is perfect ~ I do so love birds. And I love how you packaged it. So clever!
I love your beautiful bird vignette! I have many of these items and you have inspired me to try to create something like your display. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Thanks for everything!
Raeann

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

No signs of Spring here. We have a long way to go. I love the collage and all the bits and pieces that went into it! All the items are fabulous and look so good put together in a vingnette.

~Becca~Bluebird Rose said...

Miss Sandy~ I received the sweet nut cup you sent to me today! I have featured it on today's post on my blog.
It is sweet and was so delightfully packaged; what a treat!
Thank you sooooooo much!
:)
~Becca~

KathyB. said...

I love collage and have done quite a few. As I work on them they seem to take on a life of their own and dictate how I should apply the medium and materials.....
Just beautiful work, and thank-you so much for sharing this and how you create. So inspirational!

Heather Mattern said...

Such a lovely post as Spring seems to be peeking in on us!

Fete et Fleur said...

What a beautiful and peaceful little corner. There is nothing more soothing to me than decorating with nature.

Hugs!
Nancy

Decor To Adore said...

Oh this creation is singing to my heart!
Your package arrived and I am finding myself throughout the day seeking your lovely cone and just gazing at it in happiness.

Thank you so very, very much. I will be posting about it later in March.

Catherine Holman said...

You are amazing as always! I love all your ideas and your new piece. Congrats on winning so beautiful art pieces! I'm not seeing any signs of spring today. We woke up to at least 3 inches of snow.
Hugs,
Cathie

SweetAnnee said...

Oh yes..
Robins and little peeks of green coming up
in the dead leaves...
Tulips peeking out their first bit of foliage
tis on my Nature (Nestled) blog

I'm so excited

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