Friday, April 27, 2012

Inspiration for Gardening


I would love these garden boxes.

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest


                                          Source: thecouturecontessa.blogspot.com via cindy/greenlitwins on Pinterest


I could spend hours in here. Just look at the windows








                                                                                  Source: bit.ly via Jona on Pinterest

Hi,  and welcome to the Sparrows post, I am working on a re-design of my website and blog, until then you can find me here, where all of my art friends are starting a blog together. We each take turns posting and sharing.  These are the ladies that I have met with once a month for six years, we are like sisters.  

 See you soon.  I can't wait to let you know what I have been doing the last two years.

Happy Friday 
Candice


Thursday, May 27, 2010

color club


Take a paper plate and some Karo Syrup, put some food coloring on it with a drop of  red, yellow, and blue.  Turn the Karo Syrup on the paper plate and something amazing happens. this was our latest color club project.


this is a great art lesson to show how all colors are made from the primary colors.  By turning the plate the secondary colors start to appear.  Green, Purple, and orange.





if you keep mixing with toothpicks you will pick up even more colors.










After the art lesson, of course they had to play.  It is color club, and they love to mix.






Then we talked  about monochromatic colors,  you start with one color and can get different shades of the same color.




I love this time with Gracee, my youngest, and she loves color.  We all voted to continue on through the summer, and do some tie die aprons.  That sounds like a great idea.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Day in Sugarhouse









Last Tuesday, our art group met in Salt Lake to enjoy the Sugarhouse area shopping. First stop was at Diana's art studio "the art cottage".  First we toured her adorable home full of personality and artistic flair.











Here is the art cottage nestled in her back yard.  Cobblestone walkways lead to the french doors.








the cottage has a loft on both sides, full of antique eye candy. 







A sitting area in your studio.  A place to relax and rest a bit.




Diana's cottage was built by her husband.  They had been gathering and storing wonderful items for a few years.  It was so inspiring to see her style in every little corner, she is one talented gal.




Then we were off to the junk stores, and  consignment shops.  This one is called Abode located at 1720 South 900 East in Sugarhouse, such a cool mix of eclectic and antique finds.






Can you believe they served us cupcakes from the best cupcake store in town mini's cupcakes.  They are the most delicious cupcakes in the world.  really.....




this one is the best.....





then we headed to George's Antique Salvage also in Sugarhouse on 9th east, this shop is full of everything from old property restorations.




these you match with the doorknobs if your lucky they have the hardware attached.



hundreds of old doors, some even have the original paint.



a salvaged corner cabinet




light fixtures hang from the ceiling 




this old sink sits outside waiting to be put together in an aqua blue kitchen, any takers?




and this  old radio with some of the working parts, it was the color that said "buy me buy me" take me home with you.  This store is a must to see, if you can use your imagination you will find something spectacular.

Monday, May 10, 2010

joy



I have evolved as a mother.  I used to fret and fuss about mother's day, and dream of a day with no mom duty, everything planned perfectly..... breakfast in bed, a nice soak in the tub, time to blow out my hair, and my hair would be perfect, just right, then I would attend church and my children would be extra quiet, sitting and smiling, not poking each other.  I would have hugs all day, and handmade gifts with little notes expressing their divine adoration for me.  I would eat chocolate cake and have flowers delivered to my bedside, while reading the newest edition of Martha Stewart Living.

A few years back, (yes it has taken me that long), I had a moment of reality.  Mother's day is not about me, it is about serving others, and celebrating the women in my own life who have been examples of goodness and light, holding close the little moments of motherhood that need to be remembered.

Last mother's day I had the chance to be with my mom as she visited her sister in the hospital suffering from ovarian cancer. It was truly a sweet gift to be part of that experience.  This is the mother I have been blessed with, she is an example of giving life to others.  Her sister is a mother who has been through hard things, and she is a fighter.


This is my son who is in Maine right now.  I haven't seen him for almost a year, he is working so hard, serving others and he is the happiest he has ever been.  I miss him.


I talked on the phone to him on mother's day for almost an hour.  My heart skipped a beat as I heard his voice again.  How my arms ache to hug him, and mess his red hair.  I remembered him as a tiny little thing, my first feelings of intoxicating joy, no other love is like a mother's.

I did have an amazing mothers day this year thanks to my sweet husband and kiddies that made me dinner, wrapped up little gifts and even told me how thankful they were to have me as their mom.  I did however,  want to pull the covers over my head this morning as I ventured through the mess of a party day yesterday.  When do the mother's day fairies come to clean?  If you see them send them my way will you?

Happy Happy Monday......







Monday, April 26, 2010

A fairy thing with red round cheeks


a little child, a limber elf
singing, dancing to itself
a fairy thing with red round cheeks,
that always finds, and never seeks.



Friday, April 2, 2010

easter blessings

Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the World: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12

Friday, March 12, 2010

spring nesting


spring is a time for new beginnings, a time for darling little chick eggs you can hold in your hand. So much to hold inside until the rays of the sun warm the earth and little sprouts of the season can be visible with the naked eye. Winter leaves its frozen mark with the breath of spring, can you smell the fragrance of warmed dirt and tiny crocuses?  The sound of birds singing their welcome tunes?  A promise that tiny eggs will hatch and bits of earth will bloom with spring color. 



 Just as the frozen earth sheds it's winter coat new ideas are hatching at the art nest, more art retreats to nurture your spirit and soul, our very first art nest magazine, Everyday Nesting coming out this Spring,   as well as this little chick warming in the sun. 


 He is the announcer of our very first nesting kit.  Each box a little present from the art nest stuffed with goodies and unique vintage finds, hand packed and created for you to indulge yourself with a little creative nesting.  


Wool aqua felt from a vintage dress, blue bobble beads rummaged from a forgotten necklace, scarab blue seam binding to tie around your tiny treasures.



little bits of spring to make you happy even gleeful to touch.  a tiny bottle of german glass glitter, pink millinery mushrooms, glass currants, and other little vintage finds.



  paper mache egg made in western Germany,  silver german scrap tucked inside for use 



Where to begin with this lovely egg?   Sketch out your design thinking about how you want your finished egg to look, then gather your goodies from your kit.  I decided to cut a little peep opening in the egg, using my poker and then tiny sharp scissors.  I used a sanding block to smooth out the edges.



 then I painted the egg with Golden's titan buff, raw umber, and cobalt teal mixed to the perfect robin egg blue. 



 Let the egg dry.  After it is completely dry coat it with a thick coat of  acrylic gloss like McCloskey's clear coat.  This takes a little more time to dry so you might want to go get lunch.  When you come back your egg will be  shiny and look like a sky of blue glass.




now it is time to fill the inside of the egg,  Cut a piece of the aqua wool felt and glue it in the bottom of the egg, I just eyeballed it then adjusted the size a little. Poke a tiny hole in the top and add a blue bobble bead and vintage seam binding tied in a little bow.  Finally, tuck inside the egg your little chick in a nest made from paper shred, aqua felt and vintage millinery.




To finish the front add ric rac, tiny vintage trim around the opening, (use tacky glue)  spring  embellishments and a little bit of book text, finish your blue little egg by adding a tiny flower from an old  hat at the bottom of your little peep window. For more lovely finished spring eggs see Julie's blog and you can drool over her artful thursday project another tutorial using the spring nesting kits.



Happy Spring Nesting
xoxo
Candice





A sneak peak at our spring nesting kit. In the art nest shop.



Friday, February 26, 2010

time is ticking




do you ever feel as if the clock is ticking, and there is not enough  time to get everything done?  do you have to choose what is most important ever minute of everyday?  Do you ever choose the wrong things or make things worse because you want to accomplish a task of some sort. I do all of those things, ask my kids I am a slave driver........I love to get projects done, finished, out of the way, and sometimes I feel like her.......
and it seems like most days I do more of these than anything else.



   What happened to these fantasy homemakers?


thank goodness these days are behind us..


and these............somedays I wished I had an "Alice" to give me milk and cookies and set the table for dinner.

yet,  here I am in this century trying to raise my family against the odds, of everything that makes life good and peaceful.  I am a little tired somedays, I deserve to be a little stressed out  I am a women and mother in this day and time and I, like you, am a  fighter.  A fighter for home a fighter for  peace.  Here's to all of us that give our days to homemaking and find joy in it, or at least we have those fleeting moments of joy.  Here is one of my favorites...............


Happy Homemaking..............