heavy and light.

heavy and light.

white enchantment.

surreal pristine.

blanket of diamond dust.

unstoppable.

makes me want to hug the fire.

it's been a long, cold winter.

my toes are nipped.

i'm starting to feel washed out.

bleak.

i want to feel the sun on my cheeks.

the grass under my feet.

frozen sentinels.

heavy & light.

life.

: )

freebird.

i finished this piece a few weeks ago.

i threw it together really.

i didn't plan or sketch
or spend too much time trying to make it just right.

i wanted to make something,

to relearn the tools and methods

that seemed so foreign to me.

i didn't want the pressure of perfection...

i can be down right mean to myself sometimes.

so, here she is...

she is my first actual creation in my studio.

she is rough.

she is awkward,

maybe even a little unstable.

but boy, oh boy,

IS SHE FREE!

i made her to remind myself:

to start.

to allow imperfection.

to hold on to freedom.

to fly.

oh, oh - ALSO,

my maker's mark came in the mail!!!

it's my initials...

forming a winged heart.

ahhh, i think it suits me well.

it's official.

:)

fly,

sarah beth

open up the doors to your heart.

boekell photography,

i.e. my husband and i,

celebrated our new studio space by hosting an open house monday night.

oh my goodness, it was wonderful!

of course, we are very much enamored with the space.

it is roomy, grounded with a mixture of well-worn hard wood and funky checker board tile.

wonderfully odd molding crowns the rooms.

the door knobs and light fixtures appear to be original

and tell stories of the past.

and the copper hood over the stove...

sigh.

she really is a lovely place

(and why she's a she, i don't really know, but she definitely is).

cleaning up scuffs and handprints on the walls,

i caught myself daydreaming of all the lives

lived out in her hollow chest.

maybe i'm a romantic.

 of course, regardless

WHERE WE ARE

&

WHERE WE END UP

we are excited about living out our hearts

and pursuing our dreams.

we are blessed to no end.

we had a tremendous turn out...

we were totally blown away by the outpouring of

love and support

from our friends and family and perfect strangers.

having a space with an artsy aroma and old soul character is great.

following our passion is pretty great, too.

doing life together, my husband and i,...

well, that's a miracle in itself.

but, all of this is because the way He loves us.

He loves us.

THAT is the best part.

fly,

sarah beth

i have something up my sleeve.

oh me, oh my.

i sure have been lackadaisical this last week.

BUT

i do have something to show you.

well, a few things really.

i made something. in silver.

she's kind of rough around the edges.

but sweet as can be.

AND

there's something else i want to show you...

but its not here just yet.

i feel they go together.

SO

i'll wait til the arrival of the latter

before i show you the wee jewel.

things have been relentless in my little slice of the world.

my husband and i just participated in the 2010 bridal expo...

(think massive amounts of brides and cake samples).

plus we launched a new website and moved into a new studio space.

we are hosting an open house monday night in that new space.

it's an old building which such breathe and character.

i'll post pictures tuesday so you can see our labor of love.

i guess that's it for now.

oh, did you know i love to illustrate?

well, i do.

she's from my senior capstone exhibition.

inspired by geraldine georges.

i've been dreaming up some new ideas lately...

experimenting with texture and incorporating symbolic imagery.

i must say, so far it looks pretty impressive (in my head).

i was set to re-open my etsy shop...oh, a few weeks ago.

but it didn't happen.

i'm not ready, and i'm not going to push it.

i don't need pressure.

i need practice and creativity

and to find my pulse.

plus, silver and supplies are mighty expensive.

thank you for taking the time to read what i have to say.

thank you especially to all those who have sent me messages

and left comments of encouragement.

this really is a great place to find my wings.

fly,

sarah beth

with the sun shining on my back.

i have begun.

...& other rare birds.

gather round all of you who are young at heart...

i have a story for you...

of the ice-cream cone coot and other rare birds

(by arnold lobel, copyright 1971)

"These Highbutton Bobolinks

Croon to the night.

One fits the left foot,

One fits the right."

"Each day you must water your Flowerpot Plume.

The buds in his bird brain are certain to bloom."

"Instead of fine feathers as most other birds,

The Newspaper Peeper is covered with words."

"All ladies agree, this bird is worth knowing.

The Pincushion Piffle will help with the sewing."

"The Gramophone Gullfinch will beautifully sing.

Just put on a record and wind up the spring."

(top to bottom)

 "This bird will tip his empty head.

He'll ask you please to fill it.

Pour tea into the Cupadee

And take care not to spill it."

"The Shuttercluck will never sing, nor will he ever fly.

But he can take your picture when he clicks his big round eye."

"Yes, all the birds inside this book

Are very strange and rare,

And I repeat, it would be hard

To find them anywhere.

So do not search your neighborhood

With cage or trap or net,

For not a single boy or girl

Has ever caught one yet."

The End.

when i was little, we would take trips to the milton public library,

and this book was one of my all time favorite selections.

i remember fumbling over the pages, no doubt with sticky kid fingers,

and my imagination would be set into motion.

i have never forgotten it.

my husband located a copy of this book for me as a Christmas gift.

i think i shall cherish it forever.

literary scholar? obviously not.

parent? nope, not yet.

but

my heart is laced with colorful shoe strings and

my soul still wears pony tails.

and even now,

when i skim through my very own copy

decorated with stains of love and age,

i carefully turn the delicate pages

and my imagination is set into motion.

fly,

sarah beth