20/52 Bird a week challenge - Songbird

My bird a week challenge this week is my best selling bird - The Songbird necklace.  I made two of them this week.

It's actually not difficult to become my "best seller" as most pieces I make are either one of a kind or small limited edition (up to 5).  There are only four items that I make in quantity - my songbird necklace, my songbird ear threads, my flower ear threads and my "missing piece" bracelet.

The songbird design was the second bird I ever made...quite a few years ago now.  I remember my very first bird had shoes on as I couldn't figure out how to do feet!  Then the songbird was easy as he didn't even have legs!!! It's interesting to see how our "limitations" affect our designs!!!

To check out the other birds that have been made this week as part of the BAW challenge, click the links below:

19/52 Bird a week challenge - Feed Me!

This week's bird is entitled "Feed Me!".  Sorry if you are a regular reader of my blog as I showed you this necklace on Monday.  But as it's the only bird I've done this week, it has to be my bird a week!.

Actually it's three little baby birds, hungry for food in their nest.

I was reminded of my necklace today after my aqua aerobics class.  A few of us were in the hot tub and a tiny baby bird was following his mother around, making constant little cries and his mouth was open all the time. The babe was very young - no tail feathers - and the mother was also caring for other babies still in the nest as she kept hopping back there to feed and hush their cries, then come back to the little one on the ground.

It was lovely to see both parents hard at work, coping with the constant "feed me" cries!!!

Click on the links below to see what other birds have been created this week as part of the "bird a week' challenge:

16/52 Bird a week challenge - Under our wing

This week's birdie is from a commission I just finished entitled "under our wing".  The buyer wanted something for her daughter in law. She told me a lovely story about why she chose this piece.

Her son and daughter in law have been married for 15 years and had struggled to have any children with many heartbreaks.  For several years, a pair of doves nested on the roof of their house, and they too struggled with nests collapsing, blowing apart, or the eggs falling and breaking. Then one year the doves made a nest on the windowsill of the couples' bedroom and the couple watched as the eggs were laid and this time hatched successfully.  And sure enough, this was the year when the couple also had a child.  They now have 2 children.

Isn't it a lovely story....and "under our wing" seems such a touching gift.

Take a look at what other birds have been created in our "bird a week" challenge, by clicking on the links below:

Love in the lemons

You may recall that last week I had a couple of unusual bird sightings in the vineyard.  Turns out they were friendly birds, and after a little warming up in the kiln, they decided that they wanted to hang out in the kitchen with us for a while.

Pretty quickly, they found the bowl of all our citrus fruits that we've just picked off our trees in the garden and started to investigate.  I think it was the scent of all those lemons, limes and oranges that attracted them.

However, after a little while, we noticed that their attraction was not all centered on the citrus...but they started to notice each other in a new way....across the lemons!

 In no time at all, it was "love in the lemons".  Our two little birds have fallen for each other and clambered over all the fruit to be near to each other. Now they are inseparable.

What lovely Valentine's.

I hope you have a lovely Valentine too and wish you a happy day - and life - together.  Happy Valentine's Day.  So how did you meet? Was it in a fruit bowl?

Expressive birds

So I wonder if you noticed anything different about my bronze bird that I photographed yesterday???

If you look carefully, you may see that, unlike my other birds, this little bronze guy has eye lids and eye brows too!  and yes, a little topknot feather.  Can you see?

I guess my not including eye lids before was an anatomical error as all birds have eye lids. In fact birds have three eye lids - an upper one, a lower one and a nictitating membrane.  Unlike us, however, their moveable lid is the lower one.  As that looks a little odd to us - I gave this guy moveable upper lids instead!

And as for the eyebrows?  Well - no. Birds don't have eyebrows - but I have artistic license!

So how come my new bird has two new anatomical features?  Well, I started a cartooning class last week!  I can't draw and don't particularly want to learn to draw "regular" things - but I thought cartooning might be fun.

When I met my tutor, he'd looked at my website and jewelry etc and he decided that I was a "three dimensional cartoonist!"  I like that phrase!  I started work on drawing cartoons based on Humphrey and Trisha ...... I have a lot to learn but in the process we spoke about expressions and how eye lids and eye brows add to expressions - and voila!  My sculpted birds now have lids and brows so I can start working on different expressions!

I have my second lesson today.  Looking forward to it.  I can see that my sculpting and my cartooning will be switching back and forth with me learning things in one and adding it to the other and vice versa!  And my goal is to be able to show you some little cartoons here on my blog.  Hope they won't cause too many raised eye brows!

Hanging perch

A customer  inquired a few weeks about my "perched" ring. She asked if, instead of it being a ring, the bird could be hanging in a circle for a pendant/necklace.

Luckily the customer was not in a hurry and was kind and patient, as I had a trip planned and other unexpected things crop up - but I finished her necklace today - "Hanging Perch".

I like the photo below - he looks like a happy little bird:

I think it works well as a pendant too.  Hoping she likes it.

Silence is a conversation between friends

I just finished this new necklace and was thinking about what to call it.

I looked at the birds and tried to imagine what they were saying to each other....but the more I looked, the more I realized that they weren't speaking - or singing - they were just silent and comfortable in that silence.

It takes a special friend to be able to sit in silence and feel comfortable....not to feel the need to start a conversation - and these little birdies have that friendship.

I hope you have a friendship like that too.  Who are those friends with whom you can be silent?

Hope my birdies make you smile and make you think of special friends.

Rare Bird Sightings

The rare birds from a week or so ago - The Dopey-eyed Billasaurus and the Bog-eyed bug eater - have now been strung up!
 

I've put them on a long, 30 inch opera length chain so they can spin and move around.  I have used a clutch bar on the chain so you can adjust where the birds hang and whether they are level or one above each other.

I like the clutch bar - seems to work well with the birdies in that they are free to fly close to each other, but not on top of each other!

And yes, it seems like the two birdies are falling in love.....

 

What will their babies look like I wonder?

Sam the song sparrow

As I was talking to my nephew on the phone the other day, he mentioned he had seen Wallace the woodpecker on my facebook page...so I told him I had a song sparrow to add too...but didn't have a name for him.....so Peter came up with "Sam" - so here is Sam the song sparrow.


Many sparrows don't get much attention as they are a little drab in color... but on close inspection, they do have lovely markings and they sing with such a sweet voice. Here's a little sample:

Come rain or shine...

Come rain or shine....I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you.....


It's taken me a little while to come up with a title for this latest necklace. It shows a little birdie with a flower as her umbrella or parasol - providing shelter from rain or the sun. It's not exactly a wintery piece but I started making an umbrella and then got the idea that a flower would be much nicer for a little bird.....


Anyhow - hope you like my latest bird.....and as I checked on my title I found it was in the lyrics to a song. Here's Bette Midler singing it in "For the boys":




Other titles that had come to mind were:
"singing in the rain"....but then the flower could provide shade on a sunny day too.....
"tiptoe through the tulips"....but it wasn't a tulip!
"raindrops on roses".....but it wasn't a rose!


"If love is shelter, I'm going to walk in the rain"....a quotation, but I didn't quite understand it..

"Petal drops".....a bit too cutesy.

Then driving home today, "Come rain or shine" just popped into my head!

Do you have any better ideas for the name?

Anyone can fly

Sometimes in life we are faced with difficult challenges and have to let go of certain things to move on...... It's tricky and there is often that one last sticking point that stops us moving forward.....Well this little necklace shows one of my birdies going through just that and inspires us to be brave!


This little bird is just about ready to take his first flight....he's been watching his parents fly....he's spread out his wings........but is still a little nervous, so hanging on tightly with this feet before he makes that all important commitment! - And when he does, he'll let go and then realize that "yes, I can fly"!


OK. So you may have noticed that although this is "anyone can fly" - this isn't "Anyone", it's a bird! This design is based on one I made a few years ago which was my very first "anyone can" piece. At that stage, I could make birds, but I hadn't figured out how to sculpt a person!

In the original version, his legs were through a jump ring...and he didn't have a tail! I only just realized he didn't have a tail as I made this one! It was a popular design and someone just emailed me and asked me to make one for them....so I changed it just a little bit...adding a tail of course and I made it look like his feet cling onto the chain, instead of via a ring!


I thought of calling it "You can do it!" or "Yes, I can fly!".....and a few other names that didn't quite fit the sentiment....but the "anyone can fly" just seemed the best....Do you have any other naming suggestions so that "anyone" remains a person....????

I hope it can be an inspiration for someone.......

Reviewed on The Army Wife

My jewelry has been reviewed on The Army Wife website today. I hope you'll go and take a look at the review and the website.


Gosh - I'm even a little embarrassed to be telling you about it as Kia wrote such a wonderful review. I tell you - she was just so nice. Thank you so much Kia.


The Army Wife website has lots of different articles, reviews, giveaways etc in one of five categories: beauty, entertainment, health and fitness, home & garden, Mom & baby. It's like a collaborative blog with lots of different writers.

Anyhow - it definitely cheered me up today to read all those nice things :=D

Birds with Words

As well as the bracelets that I have done in my new "Birds with words" series, like the "Bluebird of happiness", "Be as a bird", and "A little bird told me"...I've also done some as simple little necklaces.

Here's "watch the birdie" - a sweet gift for photographers or bird watchers!


Any of this series can be hung on bracelets, bangles or chains as necklaces..... and maybe I should try them as earrings with the word tag in one ear and the bird in another? What do you think?

Why do birds sing?

I had a wonderful time at the Chanticleer workshop last week - singing, singing, singing...oh, and a little partying too!

I wore my "reminder" necklace there too - so thought I'd introduce him to you. I made two - one for me and one to sell. He' s called "why do birds sing?" - a little bird with his beak open, singing his heart out.....


I often get a little obsessed with the technical side of my singing. I take voice lessons and learn all these things and what I should be doing - but sometimes, my brain is so busy with all that, I forget to enjoy myself and think about the music. I'm concentrating too much on getting all the mechanics correct.


So I made this little bird for me as when I wear it, I think of "why do birds sing?" - and the response that comes to my head is because they can, it makes them happy and they love it. So then I ask myself "why does Ruth sing?" and it's the same reasons - because I can, it makes me happy and I love it!


The necklace worked well. I enjoyed the music and didn't fret (too much) about voice production. Good little birdie helped me out! He's now my singing mascot. Do you have little reminder pieces of jewelry?

Birdfeeder on Handmade News

Just heard that my "feed the birds" birdfeeder necklace is mentioned in "handmade news" today. It's an article all about attracting birds - with fun facts and quiz. The quiz is all about state birds - I didn't know any of them! Go take a look - and then please click on the "like it" button at the bottom.


The writer mentions my necklace for bird watchers on the go - as you can unscrew the lid and feed the birds as a go with the real birdseed inside!!

Thanks Cyndi for including it.

Baby Quentin Quail is born!

I have a new baby Quentin Quail :-D

I have to let you know that Daddy Quentin put on his running shoes and is running to France right now to his new home - but he left a little one in his place. As with many babes, it looks like he has yet to grow into his top knot of feathers and his legs and feet!

So what about a name? With my blog post series on naming, we need something good for him...... Quentinette? Quentino? Quentessential? what do you call a baby Quentin? All suggestions gratefully received!

Sing your heart out

Don't you just love it when you wander outside and a birdie is sat in a tree singing his little heart out. He just keeps on singing. What a happy little bird. And sometimes they are soooooo loud!

Well, while I'm finishing up my "be as a bird" bracelet - I used one of the photopolymer plates and made a necklace - showing a little bird singing his heart out.

So take time out from your worries and stresses and just sing your heart out!

PS the bracelet is coming soon. Please come back to see it!

All dressed up and no place to go....

Here's Mrs Byrd. She's all dressed up and no place to go.......


Look at her smart boots and lovely summer hat with a big flower in it. She'd love to come around for tea. Would that be OK? It seems such a shame to just sit on the nest when you are looking so pretty......


To tell you the truth, when I started making her yesterday, she was going to be a chicken, but I just didn't like how her comb on the top of her head looked...So as I was trying different variations on combs and wattles, the thought came to me that maybe birds sometimes have bad "hair" days, so maybe I should make her a hat to cover it up! So then she became the well dressed Mrs Byrd!

Do invite her out....she'd love to meet you....