Happy 2011 everyone! My furry and feathered friends and I have had such a wonderful holiday season with friends and family, and we hope you did too! One of the most memorable moments was a shocking surprise gift from a dear friend, of a special trip that I have wanted to do for over 5 years! Because of this wonderful surprise, this month's auctions will be running for just 3 days instead of 7 days, and any unsold items will be re-listed when I return later in the month.

CUSTOM ORDER OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT

Alright, here's the big news that I know you've been waiting for! On February 1st at noon (central time), I will be putting up the order form on my website for custom orders, and leaving it "turned on" until I have received a certain amount that I can fill for one month, then the form will be "turned off" again until the next month. This may take a few hours or perhaps only minutes to reach the limit that I can take, I really can't predict! If you want to place an order, I recommend that you be ready to fill out the order form as close to noon as possible.

Orders will be taken on a "first come, first serve" basis, and I am no longer going to book further than one month ahead. ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN. Once I receive the maximum number of orders that I can fill for the month, I will remove the order form until the next month.

There are several hundred people waiting for a chance to place a custom order, so I expect that there will be a mad rush to get an order in this first month, as many people have been waiting for several years to be able to place a custom order. If you do not get in the first time however, you will have a chance the next month, and so on, and I will let everyone know through each newsletter of the exact time that I will open the order form each month.

Want to place an order on Feb. 1st? The order form will be found on this page: http://www.parrotjewelry.com/orderform.html
Please be prepared to make your full payment within 3 days.

NEW PRICING AND WEBSITE UPDATES

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of my website, ParrotJewelry.com! It's hard to believe it's been that long since I first started the website! I am currently in the process making some much needed updates. The updates will be ongoing through the next month or two, as I have a lot of old photos to remove and replace with examples of newer work.

The new custom order pricing has been updated, and can be found here http://www.parrotjewelry.com/pricelist.html. Since the last price change two years ago, the pricing has increased significantly for custom orders due to the continually rising demand for my custom work. The good news however is that I will continue to offer monthly eBay auctions at discounted sale pricing!

Warm holiday greetings and wishes for a Happy New Year to you all!

What a year it has been here! Our flooding this summer certainly was the big event of the year, but things have been gradually getting back to "normal" more and more each month. I am so thankful for all of the blessings that have come about this year, and that my family and loved ones are all well. We have so very much to be grateful for, and are looking forward to 2011 with great anticipation!

Killian and Kaleena always insist that I make some Eclectus creations for you every Christmas! They are quite proud to be so perfectly colored for the holiday, and love modeling for me, so it has become an annual tradition now I think! Here is the selection I have created for you this year!

Up for auction are a Male Eclectus bracelet charm, Male Eclectus cell/purse charm (not shown), Male Eclectus charm for necklace, Male Eclectus charm choker necklace, Male Eclectus pendant (no cord), Male Eclectus pendant on cord, Male Eclectus glass beaded necklace/earring set, Female Eclectus pendant on cord, and a Female Eclectus glass beaded necklace/earring set.

Please note that these items are on auction for the next THREE DAYS (not a week, like usual) as well as having a Buy It Now option for those of you needing to get them quickly for gift giving! Go to my eBay Store to see the entire list of new items available!

CUSTOM ORDER NEWS:

Well, at long last, I'm coming to the end of what has sometimes felt like a never-ending list of custom orders that have kept me so busy over the last few years! Within the next month or two, I will be having the first opening for new custom orders since 2009!

Just a handful of custom orders are left for this year, then I will begin updating my website with new pricing, adding more current example photos, and some other much needed updates. I will send out a newsletter in January with the exact date that I plan to put the order form up, so that you will have a little time to plan ahead and get ready to place your custom orders.

Thank you again to all of you that have been waiting so patiently for your chance to place a custom order! I am looking forward to working with you this coming year!

It's been quite a few years since I have made any Lory or Lorikeet species, and I was needing some new photos for my website, so I picked the Rainbow/Green Naped Lorikeet as the Bird of the Month! In addition, I created a few other Lories that I've never made before! It is incredible how very many lorikeet species and subspecies there are, all of which are so beautiful, I had a hard time picking just a few!

The jewelry on auction for the next THREE DAYS include the following: Rainbow bracelet charm, Rainbow choker necklace, Rainbow glass beaded bracelet, Rainbow pendant, and a Rainbow glass beaded necklace/earring set! There is also a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet glass beaded necklace/earring set, and a pair of Chattering Lory charm dangle earrings!

Besides the Lorikeets, there are also some other new pieces, including the Green and Yellow Christmas Budgie shown below, a blue Budgie not shown, and several new humorous "bird poop" items!

I am offering a Buy It Now option this time for those of you wanting to purchase items quickly for gift giving! Please note however, that once an item receives a bid, the Buy It Now option disappears. (So, to make an instant purchase without waiting for the auction to end, you must snap up the item before it has bids.) Go to my eBay Store to see all of the creations available!

Don't forget, there is a sale on my inventory of eBay Store items until Christmas! There is still time to snap up some unique gifts for your bird loving friends!

Killian, Kaleena and I want to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's a perfect time of the year to take some time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives - and one of the things I am so very grateful for is your continued interest and support of my artwork through the years! Many of you have consistently been following my work, some from the very beginning 10 years ago, and have become treasured loyal customers. I can't even say how much it means to me - thank you!

One way I can show my appreciation is to offer another sale - so from now until Christmas, I am putting all current eBay Store Items on SALE - 5% off!

The Parrot Toy Angels Fall Auction has started - check it out here: Parrot Toy Angels Auctions on Ebay! One of of my Timneh African Grey charm necklaces can be found in the auctions. All proceeds go to help birds in need.

The auctions runs until 11/21/10 on eBay, and you can find a wide variety of fun things for both humans and birds! It's a great way to start holiday shopping and helping birds at the same time!