A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME...

"I saw a pretty bluebird, yesterday,

Rocking itself upon a budding spray--
The while it flutter forth a tender song,
That brought a promise of sunshiny days."

-Andrew Downing, The Bluebird-
A little birdie told me that nest building is not always easy.. Sometimes one must go out on a limb...Be open and fully expose ones self to new ideas...Try on a few new colors...Play with texture...

Nothing is carved in stone...Don't get in a hurry, sit with the new ideas for a while...

Relax and enjoy the process letting new ideas blossom all around you and hatch naturally...I am trying to take the little bird's very wise advice on getting the new studio space put back together. Today I am taking the day off from working on it and taking a flea market field trip to be inspired by some of my favorite dealers displays and maybe find a treasure or two that will spark new ideas. I have exhausted my decor and design books and I still don't have a real feel for this space. I know I want different but I have yet to figure out exactly what different is.

Since I don't have anything new to share I hope you won't mind if in the next few posts I dig into my stash of things I have not shared, like these sweet images from an old child's poetry book. Feel free to save them and use them in your art!(FREE IMAGE)

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I wish putting this new space together were as easy as weaving the little nests, sewing the little blue birds, or even painting the tiny nut shell eggs!(FREE IMAGE)

I hope each of you are enjoying a beautifully blessed and inspiring day!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

SHARING SPRING - GIVE AWAY SIGN UP...

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden."

-Ruth Stout-

I have just spent the most glorious week communing with spring, enjoying being out of doors observing nature. To celebrate returning to the enchanted land of blog and to share a touch of spring I am hosting a give away! Read on for details...

I sat on my deck steps and watched as a little bird dipped its beak into my offering bowl of shredded paper scraps and bits of cotton twine. I watched it twirl and intertwine them with carefully chosen twigs, grasses, and dried leaves. I marveled at its weaving skills and was inspired to make a nest of my own.
Gathering a few strands of much needed to be trimmed wild honeysuckle vine from the bramble out back, I returned to the steps taking lessons from my little bird friend, weaving a nest fit to hold small springtime treasures. After my nest was complete I spray painted it a soft cream and added a re-purposed ceramic bird to the rim, lastly, lining the nest with pink velvet and organza rose petals.This spring time nest is filled with three brightly colored tags wrapped in lace which has been secured with yellow paper roses and glittery butterfly tags. A larger tag hold also holds lace, a pretty posy, and a little embellished envelope filled with sweet paper punches. A bright blue pink posy embellished box contains tiny trinkets of spring: colored buttons, beads, jewels, brads, and charms.This Sweet Spring Nest is my first offering of sharing spring with one of you as a give away prize!While sitting with eyes closed, face tipped up to the sun, slowly swaying back and forth on the yard swing, I listened to the distinct trill of the Eastern Bluebird. I let my heart soar with each lift of its note. This little bird and a happy heart inspired my next offering in the give away - a Songbird Scrap Pack!

This package contains happy spring hued patterned paper scraps in pinks, yellows, greens, and blues. It also contains hand cut sturdy card stock tag bases in a variety of shapes, spring time colors, and sizes. A matching K&Co. tag sticker pack accompanies these supplies. The package is topped off with an over sized hand made tag that depicts the musical trill of the bluebird and a happy heart all bound up in the soft sweet sounds of spring.While slowly driving down a lazy winding back country road on my way home one afternoon last week, I passed a greening field peppered with wild flowers and fluffy white sheep. Running among them was a little slip of a girl. Their bleating and her laughter danced on the breeze through my open window. Both sight and sound embedded themselves in my memory. A little flash bulb of a moment in time that sang to me of nursery rhymes; "Mary had a little lamb...whose fleece was white as snow..." I wondered if her name was Mary, the little laughing sprite skipping with the lambs.

This was the inspiration for the third and final offering of sharing spring with one of you. Eloise Wilkin has long been one of my favorite childrens book illustrators. I used one of her illustrations from a tattered old nursery rhyme book of Mary feeding a lamb for this small collage.It is framed with an vintage paper photo frame and shimmers like a happy memory with dusting of fine glitter. A vintage flower basket applique has been applied and further embellished. The message of "spring" is spelled out across the bottom of the collage, resting just above paper ruffled edging and a bright lace bow. The collage is hung from frothy pink and green tulle with vintage button accents.To sign up for the give away, just leave your name in the comments section. There are no restrictions for signing up, anyone is welcome. You do not need to have a blog and international friends are welcome. Three winners will be chosen and posted on Saturday, April 10, 2009.

I was not the only one enjoying springs new abundance, so were the deer. Much to my dismay there will be no Easter Lilies here at the Quill this year. Every lily in the small lily garden my daughter planted and tended when she was younger has been cropped off by some hungry deer! My first response was anger but a floating thought drew itself forth as I stood looking over the damaged garden...

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"This is fitting, this sacrifice of something so carefully chosen, placed, and tended. These lilies have been sacrificed for the good of the survival of a species, nourishing sustenance, not what I would have chosen but what was needful. The lilies will resurrect again and they will bloom profusely."

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Such a wonderful thought on the eve of Easter-tide, the celebration of something, no, someone, The Lord Jesus Christ, who was carefully chosen and sacrificed for the sake of mankind, who resurrected, and left behind a legacy of peace and hope that still blooms profusely and is celebrated each Easter season.

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I wish each and every one of you a glorious spring and a very blessed Easter!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Butterflies and Birds Nest's.....

"The butterfly counts not the months but moments, and has time enough."

~Rabindranath Tagore~

Today I wanted to share a beautiful butterfly story with you and show you what I have been working on recently. Through a series of fortunate events I "met" Mildred and we share an email correspondence which has greatly blessed me. Mildred recently started to blog. You can visit her here, at Nalley Valley, please go over and give her a warm welcome. She shared with me a beautiful butterfly story and with her permission, I share it with you.

Mildred and her mother were the best of friends even after her marriage to her husband, John. Six short years after their marriage, Mildred's father became seriously ill. She and John sold their house and moved in to help care for him until his passing. Before his death, She and John promised that they would care for her visually impaired mother until her passing.Mildred and John sought out a home in a quiet rural setting with lots of space for them all to be able to enjoy nature. They found the perfect setting with some acreage and a yard full of lovely roses, butterfly bushes, and irises. A perfect fit for them as Mildred and her mother shared a deep love for gardening. They spent countless hours pouring over seed catalogs and choosing plants and flowers with the names of friends and family and planting memory gardens.Although her mother could not see, Mildred provided stimulation for her other senses. The sweet smell of blooming flowers permeated the garden, twittering birds and a babbling creek would serenade them, sunshine warmed them as the texture of soil, petals, and leaves caressed their hands as they worked side by side in the haven of their home which they called, "Circle of Love".For six wonderful years, Mildred, John, and her mother "have been blessed each day with our peaceful patch of God's wonderful creation surrounded by lovely scented roses and butterfly bushes alive with the flutter of both butterflies and hummingbirds."

Sadly, her mother's health began to decline and her time in the garden grew less and less and in home Hospice care became necessary. Even though her mother could not "see" out her bedroom window, her hospital bed overlooked all of God's beauty where Mildred would daily describe the scenes to her in her last months. They spent countless hours together, Mildred reading to her or playing music video's for her mother's listening pleasure. She was especially comforted by "No More Night" by David Phelps.As her mother became restless in her confinement, the Hospice nurse suggested that Mildred give her small towels to fold to keep her hands busy and to make her feel useful. Another generous blogger who knew of this sent her a box of vintage linens with interesting trims and textures for her mother. A particular favorite was a hanky with a crocheted butterfly on the corner. One day after giving her mother a manicure Mildred snapped this photo of her Mother's hands with the hanky, never dreaming of the significance the butterfly would later take on.After six months in the care of Hospice, Mildred's mother, her best friend, passed away. The Hospice nurse stepped out to the flower garden to give the family time alone as they gathered around her mothers bedside. At about the time her mother took her last breath, a butterfly landed on the nurse's hand. Upon hearing this Mildred grabbed her camera and headed to the garden. The sun was so brilliant that she could not see the image in the viewfinder but she snapped anyway. Much to her great delight the image was extremely vivid in every tiny detail.
Mildred's mother was blind the last thirty years of her life. One of the things her mother loved most was to sit in the garden surrounded by flowers and herbs as the feel and sound of the butterflies and hummingbirds whispered around her.
In some ancient cultures a butterfly is seen as the personification of a persons soul and symbolizes rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time. Mildred's mother was cocooned in a world of physical darkness in her blindness for a period of time. When her spirit was released she was welcomed into a new life of the light and love of her Savior, where the lyrics of her favorite song were at last realized,

"See over there, there's a mansion that's prepared just for me,
where I will live with my Savior eternally."
God's last gift to Mildred was the memory of her beloved mother in a beautiful butterfly in the garden.

All of the above photos are courtesy of Mildred. The one of her beautiful mother was taken in their beloved garden a few short weeks before her passing.

NOTE: I chuckle as I finish writing this, believe it or not, a flutter caught my eye as I typed the ending sentence. Thinking it was just a leaf I turned my head to see a beautiful butterfly resting just beyond the edge of the porch of my writing cottage. I think of the quote at the top of this post and of Mildred's story, perhaps butterflies are a nature lesson from God. Their lifespan is very brief yet there is time enough for them to accomplish their life's task. They bring bits of beauty into the world in and of themselves and with pollination they spread even more beauty far and wide. They make the most of every moment.

Below is a peek at my latest little creation, a birds nest pin.
I had this idea rattling around in my head for a few days and decided to see if I could make it a reality. I am quite pleased with the results but still need to work out a few kinks in the design. The nest is woven from wires and fibers. Three blue glass bead "eggs" rest inside. The nest rests on a suede tree branch tipped with leaves cut from a scrap of velvet.

I plan to make a few and have idea for some different designs as Christmas gifts. The pin could be worn on the lapel of a jacket, used to secure a scarf, or to adorn the brim of a hat. I may use my loom and make knit hats and scarves to go with the pins.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy