More birdies for my ETSY site

I've been working on birdies to add to my ETSY site. I just love the little darlings! It all started when my sweetie and I were planning to get married. I went looking for the perfect wedding toppers for me and, while I liked a lot that I saw, none were exactly what was in my head. So... I tried making my own. My first few attempts were still close but no cigar, then I came up with a couple I dearly love! They are the birdies pictured at the top of my blog. While they are perfect for me, I must admit that they are a little small. So, I think I've come up with the perfect wedding couple.

Taking pictures is always a challenge. I especially like this one because it looks like the birds are looking at the penny.

I also sculpted and painted a whimsical little purple couple for fun. They are pictured here to give you an idea of contrast in size between the slightly larger green couple.

For the rest of the week, I'll be working on my pretty pouches which I plan to submit to Somerset by this weekend.

Happy creating, friends!

My first birdie ornament

I've been working on this design in my head for a few weeks now and it is finally in the real world! Oh, I just love it! Soooo.... cute. I've been playing with exactly how to sculpt, paint, and finally what to use for the hanging loop. I wasn't sure what to put on the bottom, but I really like to little organza pouf of a tassel.

First birdie ornament all finished!

I'd love to know what you all think. I plan to offer this on my ETSY site, so feedback is welcome.

I'm off to Mount Shasta, CA to celebrate the new year with my folks. I hope that your new year's eve is a wonderful celebration!

Blessings

New Year, New Projects... so excited!!!

As each new year approaches, I feel invigorated and excited about the "starting over" that New Year's Day brings. This year I plan to launch an ETSY site and do some craft shows. I love making art and sharing it with others. When I made my first birdies, I made them because they got in my head and I wanted to see them in real life. Then a neighbor fell in love with them, too and I've been making them to order for her and her bird-loving family. So, I plan to offer some on ETSY. I think that doing craft shows allows us to talk with people and get real feedback from people about our work. The combination seems like a good idea (we'll see how it pans out in real life!)

I also do work with stained glass, painting, fabric... Someone once told me I have ART ADD. That may be, but I prefer to see myself as someone who has many interests and likes to explore them all!

Something I've been playing with is the idea of putting a hole through a birdie and running a ribbon through it's body so that it can be an ornament. Here's the first one I'm gonna try before I've painted it.

first birdie ornament before sanding or painting

You can tell by the size of it in my hand that it's pretty tiny. I love the super little ones, this one is sort of medium sized. I can't wait to see how it looks finished. Maybe I'll even give her a tiny nest.

The creative process pulls me along and keeps my sunny side up. I can't imagine living without it.

Art makes me happy. I hope you are having as much fun as I am!

The books are shipped and I've received an order for two more birdies!

Today was a super great day! Wow, what a week for me! I just checked lulu.com and found that my books have shipped and are due to arrive on November 22nd. In plenty of time for the book signing at Caffe Santoro! Also, I delivered the set of Goldfinch birdies that my neighbor commissioned and she ordered two more sets!

Ah, an excuse to make more art, what more could a girl ask for?

two pairs of goldfinches

I fell in love with the first set of goldfinches that I made for my neighbor, so I had to make a set for myself! The male is the bright yellow color and the female is a more brown. I chose the colors they display in Spring because they are more vibrant than any other time of the year. Each little couple also has a tiny clutch of eggs in their nest.

Goldfinches




Here are my little finches in their nest.



I've been working hard on making the book perfect so I NEEDED to break to play. Here are the little cuties I made for my neighbor. I hope she likes them. But, if she doesn't I guess I'll just have to keep 'em! If you scroll down, you'll see them in their just sculpted form. Painting makes such a big difference.



Close up of the happy couple



A nest with eggs

I've been having so much fun making these little nests, I thought I should stash some eggs under the birdies. Having put this together, though... I think they look pretty cute with just the eggs, too!

my first birdie commission

Hand sculpted birdies before being painted

When I finished the last set of birdies, I thought they needed a proper home. Living in a Western Sierra Foothill suburb, I am blessed to still have little pockets of forest left alone by the developers. Trug in hand I headed down to the woods to collect natural materials to create a nest. I was in my own little world, mentally putting together the nests, when a neighbor called to me from her gardening and asked me what I was planning to collect in the woods. Once I explained the project, my neighbor asked me to bring it by when I was finished. Also a bird lover, my neighbor asked me to make her a set of birdies that are finches. Here's a look at the finches, sculpted but not painted.

The Scrub Jay lovebirds in a tree

I thought it would be fun to photograph my new creations in a more natural setting. This Japanese Maple is so beautiful this time of year!

Sharing some art with you

I just love these cute little birdies that I sculpted from paper clay then painted. The inspiration is my cuddly relationship with my partner, Jim. I added the baby because I thought they seemed like they should have a family. I hope you enjoy them, too.