{e} everyday art.

i am thrilled to announce the launch of my new blog. 

please visit {e} everyday art and enjoy! 

new blog home.

i am very excited to announce that in the coming months this blog will be getting a facelift...actually, it will be moving to a new home with a new name! 

due to the time commitment i am dedicating to the re-branding and launching of my blog, i will be taking a short break from posting here at style of a songbird. 

please know i will keep you all updated and post the new site as soon as it goes live!

i can't begin to express how grateful i am for every single one of you. <3 

thank you for supporting me on this journey. i'll be back soon!  

bits & pieces.

happy friday! hope you've managed to stay warm this week. my blogger friend from canada said it was -30 degrees! YIKES!

here are a few of the bits & pieces of my life from the past seven days...

 

one // my new feather earrings (from this shop) came in the mail. i feel fully {me} and wonderfully {free} when i wear them. 

two // the most breathtaking sky on saturday. #thisisart

three // my sweet friend bought these fringe boots for me. total surprise. so grateful.

 

four // showered with more gifts this weekend! cowboy boots (the ones that will be boho-fied soon) and the most thoughtful gift from sweet shawnacy.

five // every tribe & nation represented at the night of worship last friday.

i'd love for you to link up your own {bits & pieces} posts! simply use the tool below!

have a wonderful weekend!

accepting & emerging.

 

You better know that in the end 

It's better to say too much 

Than to never to say what you need to say again
Even if your hands are shakin' 

And your faith is broken 

Even as the eyes are closin' 

Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say

{john mayer} 

and in these declarations of what we really want to say, we free ourselves 

free ourselves from being "stuck"

...stuck in rewind

or in hopes for fast forward...

the best way is not to fight it , just go. don't be trying all the time to fix things. 

what you run from only stays with you longer. when you fight something, you only make it stronger. 

-chuck palahniuk

there is unmatched strength in this #acceptance

we are pushed forward by the wind of our release

i'm emerging into new life-giving patterns
of bravery
and honesty
with myself
and with others
 

...and it's cozy here
as i settle into my own skin.

DIY boho boots.

my mom just snagged these boots for me.

that only means one thing.

this DIY will be happening ASAP:

{pictures to follow!}

bits & pieces

this week's bits & pieces are a combination of fashion + art journaling. {two of my favorite things.}

one // the caption on this self portrait {taken on my lunch break} on IG said "i love having hair that looks like i feel on the inside." the red came at the perfect time. still loving it! 

two // wearing my "create" locket from her beautiful etsy shop (and my favorite flowy top). 

three // i never want to take these leggings off. 

four // i'm so glad she found a place in my art journal. i like her, with arms wide open. 

five // leaving my mark on one of my sweet artist friend's {traveling} journal. 

please feel free to share your link to your own bits & pieces post. and spread the word! <3

If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

-Martin Luther King Jr. 

letting myself off the hook.

i shared earlier in the month that i (along with other bravehearts) am choosing acceptance over resolutions this january. acceptance as a safe place to land. acceptance as a means to emerge into new patterns clothed in grace and rest rather than performing or striving. 

you find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, 
but by realizing who you are at the deepest level. 
-eckhart tolley
(thanks to hannah for sharing this quote.)

i accept 

it takes as long as it takes 

a break, a pause

an earlier bed time.

i accept 

that all of it counts, nothing is wasted

the flow

letting myself off the hook.


i accept

this

here

now.

so although yes, i am going to the gym more regularly, yes, i am setting new goals and exploring expanded possibilities and opportunities (even for my little corner of the internet), i am taking off the hat of my own worst critic and picking up the hat of patience and compassion (which we so often pour out to others with no hesitation).  

you see, acceptance starts with us.
who we are.
not what we do.
or fail to do.

goodbye ---> more. improve. don't. stop. fix. hurry. guilt. deadlines. run faster.

i accept...
 

bits & pieces.

new, wonderful experiences enter my life. 

i am safe. 

-louise liltay

the beautiful {bits & pieces} from my week...

one // words etched onto the pages of my art journal & my heart. 

two // same colors. different seasons. winter's "leaves" from my poinsettia. 

three // my brother & my babe. we had such wonderful adventures together this past weekend. <3

four // the manhattan skyline, from a distance. 

five // another precious feather appeared before me on the streets of NYC. 

i'd love for you to share your {bits & pieces} posts, too. link up below! 

happy weekend! 

links to love.

it's been a while since i've shared some of my favorite, especially insightful, beautiful and/or helpful posts from other brave and beautiful bloggers. but my *star-ed* posts on google reader is pretty full so i thought i'd share some of the links i've been loving lately. enJOY! <3 

i love when creative people share their planning and goal setting methods. 

feather stamps. drool. 

my friend's metamorphosis. so brave. so beautiful. 

her blog. all of it. 

because that which taunts us only remains in the expectation we will respond to it, or change our intention...but we know better. yes.

speaking of creative planning.   

i think this is so gorgeous. 

feather in a bottle. perfect.

did you choose a word for 2013? these hand stamped bracelets would be a great way to keep your word close. 

perspective.

weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them. 
-a.a. milne

this week...

i accept blessings in disguise 

and beauty in unlikely places.

the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. 

-joseph campbell 

bits & pieces

we can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

-thornton wilde

please enjoy some of the treasures from my week. <3

one // proudly wearing my chickadee road "i am beauty" tattoo. falling in love with this placement for the real one... ;)

two // spent many hours in my studio prepping art mail for some of my creative kindred sisters. love how they turned out!

three // had the priveledge to MEET one of my creative kindred sisters as she passed through CT. love to you, christine!

four // sometimes an art journal page means more a few weeks after it's created...

five // this feels sacred. :: edit from sweet alisha --> every moment is sacred.

do you have a post you'd like to share? (or maybe you can whip one up now that you have some inspiration?!) feel free to link up below:

have a wonderful weekend! 

i accept.

as the first day of this New Year comes to a close, i am feeling full and grateful. instead of rushing to make a list of ways i failed in 2012, and could dramatically improve in these next 364 days, i am choosing to accept...

acceptance feels so much more tender than "resolution." 

acceptance is softening and grace. 

it's bravery and vulnerability.

{acceptance doesn't necessarily mean approval.} but is often vital for moving on & starting a new chapter. 

to look at my current situation: with joys and triumphs, annoyances, and fears, unknowns and disappointments, and to boldly say, i accept you. powerful. 

to look back at last year, the last five years, and see my choices through the lens of acceptance and not guilt or regret. powerful. 

to look in the mirror, at my often glaring imperfections, a few more rolls than last year, fully exposed, and to genuinely say...i accept you. powerful.  

to accept that i am not behind, or too late, or too much, or too little. powerful. 

acceptance is the theme for January in the creative tribe i belong to...The Art Journaler Community:

we would love to have you join us. 

stay tuned here for more updates on how one little word will impact the coming days for me. 

{i accept.} 

bits & pieces

 at some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough. 
-toni morrison

this summarizes the sentiments behind these weekly posts. the words of julia cameron continue to ring in my ears, the capacity for delight is the ability to pay attention. there is so much beauty. swirling around us. and at some point, it becomes enough. when our eyes are opened, we find joy in the seemingly simple & often overlooked parts of our days.  

{bits & pieces} is a challenge to discover & document the world's beauty. one photograph at a time. there are no rules, no limitations. just a way to look back, at the end of a year, for instance, and reflect on the bits of beauty and pieces of joy that surround... 

one // took the first steps back into the gym this week. a little daunting. and after, a little sore. but it felt so good. 

two // the red is back. and i'm loving it! my hair has always been an extension of my art. <3

three // Christmas card photo. i love this man. 

four // secret message from a treasured friend. 

five // feathers, feathers and more feathers. i can't get enough! (beautiful artwork by mandy)

 

i'd love for you to link up and share your posts of beauty & delight. 

happy last weekend of 2012! 

one word // 2013.

i've been inspired by ali, elise (and many others) to choose a guiding word for each year. 

the word for 2012 was: {peace}

i chose this word as a soft place to land during many emotion filled days, life altering decisions, & letting go--of all that was once familiar. 

peace was a faithful companion. 

i have now chosen my word for 2013...    

{create} 

...welcoming the courage to create. 

...create-ing a new life, new traditions, new roles, new creative outlets, in fact, this blog will find itself re-created. {more to come on that...}

...accepting the challenge to continue to create. to trust the creative spirit that is mine. pushing through doubts & bravely picking up the brush and the pen. pushing through the perceived lack of fresh ideas and creating anyway.  

i ordred this locket from my sweet friend jodi's etsy shop. 

i wear it close to my heart, as reminder of my one, little word that will guide me through my days in 2013. 

will you join me and so many others by aliging your decisions, dreams & days with a guiding word? 

(no pressure...you can always change it half way through. stick with the word as it continues to feel 'right.') 

i'd love to hear what word you choose. <3