Key to my Heart

My good friend text me a few nights ago about a folk song she knew I would love. I fell in love with it. I am going to teach it to my little birds. Here is the link if you are interested in hearing it. It is by Elizabeth Mitchell called Little Bird.

I painted this piece the other day. I'm thinking it is my favorite. At least until my next one is my favorite. I had such a good time working on it. It was a peaceful, beautiful first day of spring and I will always remember it when I look at it. The hard part about being an artist is selling a piece of my soul and memory to someone who wasn't there the moment I created it. Sometimes I give myself permission to keep them.

I remember when Emma would cry and get upset that I was packing my art to go to a show. She didn't want anyone to have them. I can relate to how she felt. Sometimes when a piece has sold I get so excited knowing it is going to be hung in someone else's nest and they will smile every time they look at it and yet I am saying goodbye to something that I created from my heart.

My sweet little baby birds do have the key to my heart. They are 2 reasons why I  take a breath each morning.

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XOXO owls mixed media

While Emma worked on her math and writing I painted. That is one reason I LOVE homeschooling. I haven't painted owls lately and so I wanted to do something with owls. My supplies were scrap paper, acrylic paint, felt, buttons, and some stamps to add texture and more layers.

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A smile can make a difference

 It is amazing how a smile can completely change your day. Have you ever seen someone who has a frowny face and looks mad at the world? I  wonder why they look so unhappy. Are they dealing with a serious illness or a death in the family, or maybe in an unhappy job situation? You just never know. When I am out and about I try to make eye contact with people and smile.

 A few weeks ago I was at Publix, walking across the parking lot with my grocery cart, minding my own business, when I looked up and this older gentleman was walking towards me to the entrance. I smiled really big...you know the kind when you show some teeth? All I expected was a simple nod. Not even a hi or big smile back, but the gentleman stopped me by putting his hand up with the "STOP" signal (which I might add, did scare me a bit) and said "you have a nice smile and you are going to go far." He also said something to the affect of I was wearing purple and that was a color of royalty. Ha (giggle) Although I didn't know what he meant or how far I was going to go, it felt good to be noticed by my smile and that whatever it was, I made a small impression on him. He then walked on his way and said "Have a blessed day." How can ya beat that? What a great feeling.

I try to remember when someone snaps at me or doesn't smile back that they are hiding a story behind that frown.

Abbie Cake

Ampa and Emma and their grille

Sweet Emma Blue (one of my many favorite pics of her)

ME

Yep, that is a smile from Steve...(better be, ha)

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chirplove shared an Instagram photo with you

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"I am so excited about this piece. It is a functional piece. All I did was buy an old frame from a thrift store, decoupage over it with scraps of scrapbook paper. Then my handy dandy dad cut a piece of chicken wire and a piece of wood to fit on the back. By the way I used scrap book paper as the background. Then screwed all the pieces together and it was ready to hang. Fun part about this is I collected all my favorite earrings and hung them on the chicken wire. Now I have a fantastic piece of interesting art hanging in my bathroom and it functions as a way to hang my earrings! Viola!!!!"

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chirplove shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there,
chirplove just shared an Instagram photo with you:

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"It is official. With much thought and somewhat turmoil I have closed citygirlstudios.com. I have evolved and grown so much as an artist from when I first started city girl studios in 2004. It is a chapter closed, but with that a new one begins. I am so excited to be starting my new, fresh chapter. I will be updating my blog as best I can. I am a stay at home mom and stay busy with keeping up with my home, homeschooling my 6yr old and my art. I hope to keep you coming back to see what I am doing. I hope we can grow as kindred spirits. xoxo"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

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