After the flooding in June, I am so happy to report that I have moved back in now, the birds were able to return to my studio last week, and it is starting to resemble normal life a bit more every day. It was such a great feeling to get my hands back in clay last week, after over a month away from work! YAY!
I want to send out a big THANK YOU to all of you that emailed or messaged me on Facebook when you heard the news of the flooding, and all of your well wishes, I so appreciate it! Besides the support of my wonderful family, I have 5 very adorable furry and feathered friends whose sweet faces and silly antics have certainly helped keep me smiling in the midst of this little "bump along the road"! :)
SUMMER SALE!
I am working to get back on my feet financially after the flood, and wanting to sell as much inventory as possible right now, so I have started a Summer Sale in my eBay Store. All Fixed Price (Buy It Now) items are 5% off through the end of August! I hope you will stop by my store and browse! It might be the perfect time to start some early Christmas shopping. :)
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!
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!
Sorry for the poor lighting, I wasn't planning to record but we were having snuggle time before bed and he was being so sweet, luckily I had the camera handy. He talks so much, but usually clams up in front of the camera!
In recent years, I have started making one special OOAK (one-of-a-kind) ornament every year, featuring a male and female Eclectus. This year's Ekkies are taking over for Santa, on their way down a snow covered chimney to delivery Christmas gifts!
The piece measures about 3 inches, and has a red ribbon for hanging on your tree. It is flat on the back where it is signed and dated.
There is a Buy It Now option if you don't want to wait 5 days for the auction to end, but once a bid is placed, the Buy It Now option disappears!
WOW, I've been busy - I listed 20 new items on auction on eBay this last week to celebrate the coming of summer! There is an assortment of bracelet charms, cell charms, charm choker necklaces and four more of the fantastic "Live Life, Love Life"/"Follow Your Heart" charm necklaces. Species represented this week are: Sun Conures, Quakers, Male Eclectus, Cockatiels, Nanday Conures, Red Lored Amazons, a Lutino Lovebird and Congo African Greys.
I also listed a Seagreen Lovebird Necklace Set, Male Eclectus Beaded Bracelet, and a colorful "recycled clay" pendant, as well as the Cockatoo set shown below.
After I've been sculpting for a while, I tend to get a collection of little odds and ends of clay that I put into a "scrap pile". When I get enough, I "recycle" the clay by squishing it all together - it's always fun to see what emerges, and the results are always unique! This Cockatoo looks really beautiful with the collection of green, garnet and amber glass beads. To see more pictures, go check out my auctions on eBay this week, these new creations are on sale for the next 3-5 days.
Whether
you have human kids, or those of the feathered and furry variety, Killian
and I (and the rest of my kiddos) are wishing all of you wonderful moms
out there a very special day!
Have you heard about the Parrot Lover's Cruise? It's the first fund raising cruise to benefit parrots in the wild, and takes place from Oct. 24th through Nov. 1st, with stops in Cozumel, Mexico, as well as Limon, Costa Rica and Colon, Panama. It sounds like it will be a fantastic experience for bird lovers, not only with the exciting excursions like the Rainforest Walk, but also with several speakers giving bird related lectures while on board, as well as some fun raffles! I won't be going, but I will be donating some jewelry, so if you will be on board, check it out!
For more information including speakers & topics, itinerary, pricing and all other details, check out the website: www.parrotloverscruise.com
In honor of Kaleena's "hatch-day" coming up on May 1st, I've created a special Eclectus Flights of Fancy necklace/earring set. To view more photos and details, please go to my EBAY STORE.
I've also made some non-polymer clay jewelry that you might enjoy! I have listed several pairs of beautiful feather earrings with some absolutely stunning glass beads. Kaleena was kind enough to donate the feathers after her recent feather clipping. :) These will be on eBay for the next week.
