The Bird of the Month this month is the majestic Hyacinth Macaw! There is a beautiful glass beaded necklace and earring set currently on auction, with a Buy It Now option on eBay.

There are also three African Grey pieces, a bracelet charm, a charm with a "leash", and a magnet, as well as an Umbrella Cockatoo choker. They are all on auction for the next week, with Buy it Now options, take a look!

On August 1st I began accepting VIP (Very Important Parrot) & Rush custom orders through my website. This option was put into place due to the demand that I was receiving from those of you willing to pay more to have a custom order worked in quickly, instead of waiting for a chance in my monthly "lottery drawing".

I've been surprised by the number of VIP orders I am receiving, and as a result, the number of monthly "lottery" requests that I take on the first day of each month is reducing as I give the VIP orders priority.

Because of this, I wanted to give you a bit of a "heads up" notice if you were thinking about placing a VIP order. The closer we get to the holidays, the tighter my schedule becomes with gift requests, and the less likely it will be that I will be able to accommodate all of the VIP Order requests.

If you planned to order a special custom gift in time for the holidays, please place your VIP Order as early as you can. More details about how the VIP/Rush Custom Orders work and the Order Form can be found here: VIP Orders.

What a surprise, I am still giggling over this! My "Bird Poop Jewelry" was chosen to be featured in a slideshow on the Fox Small Business website, with the topic of Bizarre Business Ideas. You can take a look at the slideshow through the following link: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/slideshow/entrepreneurs/2011/08/09/eight-bizarre-business-ideas

To celebrate, I've made a new batch of "bird poop jewelry", and have put them for sale on eBay this week! Buy It Now options are available on each piece, so you don't have to wait until the auctions are over to snap one up. There is a bracelet charm (not shown), a pin, a pendant, a pendant on cord and a magnet. The auctions end next Saturday, take a look and have a laugh! :)

Also, I had some colorful scrap clay this month, so I've whipped up a few pretty pendants! Each one-of-a-kind bird has a glossy finish. The first bird is a smaller parrot with a charm that says "Laugh", and the second is a macaw type of parrot, with the species up to your imagination, holding a charm that says "Follow your dreams"! Both necklaces have a Buy It Now option, and are on auction until next Saturday, unless the Buy It Now option is used!

Scarlet Macaws seemed appropriate when I was deciding on a red bird for February! There are 5 different Scarlets on on auction for the next week: Bracelet Charm, Charm Pendant on cord necklace, Full Bodied Pendant on cord necklace, Glass Beaded Necklace/Earring Set, and a piece that will be finished into your choice of either a Pin OR a Magnet, with optional display frame as shown below.

This unique multi-colored parrot was made from scrap bits of clay, with a lovely glossy finish. So striking and eye-catching! This necklace is on auction for the following week.

OTHER ITEMS NEW ON EBAY THIS WEEK!   This charming cockatiel face pendant was sculpted from black clay, with a silver metallic finish. It has a black agate bead eye, and is also on auction for the following week.

I've got the blues - Blue Macaws that is! The bird of the month is the Blue and Gold Macaw, and in addition I've created an assortment of other special blue macaws, including a Hyacinth Macaw Choker and Beaded Necklace Set, a Spix's Macaw Pendant, and a Blue Throated Macaw Charm and Beaded Necklace Set.

The Blue and Golds on auction for the next week include the following: bracelet charm, choker necklace, choker necklace with "Follow Your Heart" charm, pendant on cord, Tropical Flower pendant on black cord, glass beaded choker necklace and earring set (NOT SHOWN), glass beaded chain bracelet, and a glass beaded necklace/earring set!

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!