Well friends, I have so very much to be thankful for and am feeling truly grateful! On Friday night, my bedroom, bathroom, studio and living area were flooded due to a sump pump not running. But there is a lot of fantastic news!
#1 My family, furry and feathered friends and I are safe.
#2 The majority of my material possessions were saved, and are boxed up and sitting somewhere dry
#3 I have been blessed by the kindness of so many family, friends and even strangers through all that has taken place, and am left in a state of absolute awe and appreciation of each and every one of them!
#4 This provides a wonderful opportunity to do major "purging" of old stuff that I no longer need, re-organization of *everything* I own, and even get some new colors of paint on the walls! All of which are things I have been wanting to do, but "haven't had time for"! Time is a funny thing.
#5 Insurance should cover all damage and clean up costs.
To those of you who may be purchasing items on eBay during this time - I have all inventory jewelry safe and handy and should still be able to mail everything out on schedule. My internet connection is limited at times however, so there may be delays in replying to your emails for a while. Thanks for your understanding!
I am hoping to be back in my place as soon as possible, but because of all of the work ahead (sorting, going through everything for insurance, replacing items, etc.) I will be taking some time off of custom orders and probably will not have a Bird of the Month collection on eBay next month. We'll just see how things go!
I promised a friend of mine that I would make an Owl pin for her, so when her birthday rolled around recently, I decided to make a few pieces for you all too. :) I chose the Great Horned Owl, and what a fabulous challenge it was! These birds are so magnificent, and recreating them in clay gave me the opportunity to try out some more complicated techniques that I rarely use with sculpting parrots.
There are three different necklaces on auction, including a beaded set, a pendant, and a choker. The prices on the owls are higher than the parrot jewelry due to the great deal of time and more involved work. Many people assume these are painted, however absolutely NO paint was used, instead just layers and layers of colored clay, applied painstakingly in different ways give these sculptures their realistic look. The eyes are also clay, and are glossed for a life-like appearance.
NEW ON ETSY:
I took a break from sculpting last weekend to play around with some different techniques including inking, and made an assortment of unique light switch plates. There are a variety of colors and designs now for sale in my ETSY SHOP!
Please note that these are "first come, first serve" - if you see something that you like, you will need to purchase it immediately on Etsy, since these listings are not auctions. If you've never purchased anything on Etsy, it is super easy, so check it out!
The Timneh Greys on auction for the next week include the following: bracelet charm, charm with leash, choker necklace, pendant on black cord, pendant without cord, pin, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
I have also made a collection of Congo African Greys, which are now listed in my eBay store - not on auction - so these can be purchased "Buy It Now" without bidding and waiting for auctions to end.
Here are some other new one-of-a-kind creations that are being auctioned on sale this week on eBay!
I've being receiving so many custom order queries every day, so I thought I would give you all an update as to how my current line-up of work is going. At this point, I still have approximately 7 months more of custom order requests from last year yet to fill. I am working my way through and drawing from the stack of requests that have been waiting, and creating as many as I can each month.
Once all of the outstanding waiting requests are filled, I will be taking a bit of time off to do some website updates, and at that time will determine when I will be open for new custom orders in the future. Whenever I have openings again, and can accept additional custom orders, I will post the news through my newsletter, Facebook, and this blog!
It has been a while since I've had cockatiels on eBay, so I picked the Lutino Cockatiel for this month's featured bird. This particular bird will always be special to me, since a lutino cockatiel was my very first bird as a child!
The cockatiels on auction for the next six days include the following: bracelet charm, choker necklace, pendant on black cord, pendant with pink heart on pink cords, magnet, pin, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
To take a break from orders once in a while, I love creating designs with whimsical birds, and I call them my "Flights of Fancy" pieces. I recently found these fun, funky, bumpy lamp work beads in beautiful blue and light purple, so I just HAD to make up some birds to match them! The clay was impressed with stamps and designs, then highlighted with silver metallic powers for a nice shimmer. Silver wire and beads accent each bird, and each bird is unique even though they are all created in the same color scheme.
The five "Flights of Fancy" necklace & earring sets on auction for the next six days include the following species loosely represented: a Macaw, two Budgies, an Umbrella Cockatoo, and an Eclectus shaped bird. There is a Buy It Now option on each of the Flight of Fancy sets, so if you want to snap one up, you won't have to wait a week for the auction to end!
There are also a few new Sulphur Crested Cockatoos on auction this week: a bracelet charm, a choker necklace and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
My Eclectus Parrots are rarely together, since I am not breeding them, but occasionally they get a few minutes on the same playgym, and Killian immediately starts flirting by lifting his wings and saying "tickle tickle", whistling and spitting up for her!
A friend of mine has made a lovely new blog called Simple Southern Happiness - stop by and take a look! She has some beautiful photos of backyard birds, as well as her pet conures, nature, and daily life.
The Moluccan Cockatoo is an "old favorite", and it's been a few years since they were featured, so here they are!
The creations on auction for the next six days include the following: bracelet charm, charm with leash, choker necklace, pin, pendant on cord, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
I also created a "Uniquely Preened" Moluccan Cockatoo pin, (not shown here) because our "plucky duckies" are loved too!
These one-of-a-kind creations are on sale this week on eBay and could make perfect Mother's Day gifts - or a gift for yourself!
This month, I am using Ebay Giving Works to donate a percentage of each of my auctions to Phoenix Landing, a non-profit, all-volunteer, organization that promotes and protects the welfare of parrots. To find out more about Phoenix Landing, visit their website: http://www.phoenixlanding.org
I had an informal "poll" on my Facebook page recently to see what birds everyone would like to see me make, and when the Spix's Macaw came up several times, I was inspired to give them a try! I had actually already picked the Moluccan Cockatoo as my Bird of the Month, but it's been so long since I have created a "new" bird that I've never sculpted before, so decided to have TWO different species for this month!
Did you know that the Spix's Macaw is one of the world's rarest parrots? They are extinct in the wild, and only around 100 or so are in captivity. Extensive efforts are being made to increase the population, and hopefully eventually bring them back to their native home in Brazil.
The Spix's Macaws on auction for the next six days include the following: bracelet charm, charm with leash, choker necklace, pendant on cord, pendant without cord, Rainforest design pin, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
Well, it's springtime at last here in the midwest! I wanted to do something bright and cheery, so have chosen a lovely yellow bird for this month's Bird of the Month, the Lutino Indian Ringneck Parakeet!
The creations on auction for the next six days include the following, (one each in both a male AND female version): bracelet charm, choker necklace, pendant on cord, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!
Only the male Ringnecks are shown in the picture here, so please see my auctions to view the Lutino females too! There is one Blue Male Ringneck charm also on sale this week.
With Easter just around the corner, I have two special pieces for you just in time! There is an adorable blue Budgie Easter Basket Pin, and a Male Lutino Indian Ringneck Easter Basket Necklace, both on auction this week on eBay.
Here is another one of my "scrap clay parrots", made from bits of leftover clay and formed into a uniquely colored bird! This one is a pendant on a cord, with some glass beads embedded on the bird.
To celebrate the arrival of Spring, from now until the 31st, I'm having a Spring Sale in my eBay Store! All "Buy it Now" items are 5% off, stop by and have a look!
Well folks, it's late in the month again, but the Bird of the Month is finally finished! I've chosen the Quaker Parrot (also known as Monk Parrots or Parakeets), and I've created a HUGE assortment for you! I rarely do so many pieces, but I've received so many requests for Quakers, and it's been a while since I've offered them - so here they are!
The 16 creations on auction for the next six days include the following: a bracelet charm, cell phone/purse charm, mini magnet, choker charm, choker necklace, pin, dangle earrings, small pendant on cord, medium pendant on cord, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set, as well as a Christmas Ornament/Pendant, and a Lucky Clover Necklace shown below. Three Blue Quakers pieces (not shown here) are also on sale!
I'm happy to have a new computer now and am in the process of adjusting to Windows 7, learning my way around the new programs, and getting a feel for everything just in time to squeeze out the January Bird of the Month before the month ends!
This month's bird is the Citron Crested Cockatoo, and the creations on auction for the next seven days include the following: a bracelet charm, mini magnet, choker necklace, pin, pendant on cord, glass beaded bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set. I have also listed a new Greenwing Macaw choker and pendant.
WOW!! After many years of wanting to see this amazing musical, I finally got to see it yesterday! I am still in awe and am sure it will be running through my head for days and weeks to come - it is one of the most visually stunning shows of all time! Besides the incredible music and dance, the puppetry and incredible designs by genius Julie Taymor blew me away! What an inspiration!
If you ever have the chance to see this brilliant show - do it! Here is a taste of what I enjoyed:
