Brrrr....the snow and ice here in the midwest had me thinking about penguins lately! It's been so long since I've made any, and most of these are species that I've never tried before, so they were a fun challenge!

The penguin jewelry on auction for the next THREE DAYS includes the following: Emperor Penguin Chick Pendant on cord necklace, King Penguin (Grey, Black & Yellow) glass beaded necklace/earring set, Adelie Penguin (Black and White) glass beaded necklace/earring set, and African Penguin (Pink, Black and White) glass beaded necklace/earring set!

I listed all of this month's auctions in the evening this time, so be aware of this, and check the dates and times carefully so that you don't miss any of the listings if you plan to bid!

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!

I'm thrilled to announce a new line of my creations called Joy Magnet Affirmative Art! Right now, the majority of these pieces are one-of-a-kind decorative art magnets with positive and uplifting words and sayings. This has been a project that I have been working on a bit at a time over the year, whenever I needed a break from sculpting parrots! To read more about these new creations, and how they came to be, I invite you to visit the new website at: www.JoyMagnetArt.com

There are about 100 pieces currently for sale, and you can view the selection or make purchases through the new Etsy shop here: www.JoyMagnetArt.Etsy.com If you are on Facebook, I'd love to have you stop by and "Like" the new business page: www.facebook.com/JoyMagnetArt Instead of a separate newsletter list for this little "side business", I will be using Twitter to post updates when new Joy Magnet pieces are added to the shop, you can find me here: www.twitter.com/JoyMagnetArt (The Twitter updates will be solely for Joy Magnet Art, and will not be connected to my parrot jewelry.)

To celebrate the opening of this new line, I'm starting things off with a special! Buy any 3 magnets, and you will receive 1 small magnet (of my choice from an assortment which are not listed on Etsy) FREE! Or buy any 5 magnets and receive a free magnet display frame as well as domestic Priority Mail Shipping FREE! To take advantage of this offer, please mention "BLOG" somewhere in your checkout or payment, so that I know to add your free item.