Let the Holidays Begin!

Common Redpoll Ornament -2012 Winter Bird Collection
This year's Winter Bird Collection is ready to be purchased at my
 Etsy Shop or Artfire Studio.
The Common Redpoll, Tufted Titmouse, and Young Emporer Penquin are the 3 winter birds that have been selected to be featured on my one of a kind hand painted ornaments this year.
 



Thanksgiving is over and the Holiday season is upon us. 

Black Friday is here and the craziness has just begun! Everyone is gearing up to hit the stores with their gift lists in hand and hoping to find those great deals before they're gone.  For some people, its a day to begin putting up Christmas decorations, planning holiday parties, relaxing, or hitting the gym to take off those extra pounds you put on yesterday!

For me, Black Friday is a busy time for listing items onto my two online shops, rewriting my store introductions to alert people that I also am offering a 10% discount using the coupon code SHOP4DAYS and getting my mailing supplies in order.

  

Tufted Titmouse Hand Painted Glass Ornament - 2012 Winter Bird Collection
All my hand painted ornaments are signed and dated by me and can be personalized on the back with a name, date, or short sentiment for free.
 

Each year, for some reason, the holidays always seem to creep up on me --as if I didn't know they were coming! Then I find myself scrambling to get all the pieces together to have a successful holiday for both my family and business. Why is that, when I consider myself an organized person? 

Maybe there will be a time when I actually follow my list of "To Dos" and start painting my ornaments in the summer, or updating my family's personalized Christmas Tree Skirt before Thanksgiving! But why change things now? Things always seem to work out? Remarkably, I always manage to get the tree up and have Hanukkah & Christmas presents ready when I need them! Then like clockwork, every New Years Eve I promise myself that next year I will make things easier on myself, so I can really enjoy the season without all the stress! Ha!

 

Playful Young Emporer Penguin Hand Painted Glass Ornament - 2012 Winter Bird Collection
Each ornament includes a lovely handmade tag with a short description of each bird that is purchased. It comes in a box, wrapped in decorative tissue paper and a raffia bow - perfect for gift giving!
 

So here I go....ready or not, I'm about to jump into the whirlwind of activity, emotions, and expectations that come with this amazing holiday season! But this year, I don't want to forget to take a minute along the way to slow down and enjoy all that I have, the people I love, and the true meaning of the holidays!

 

 

 

Irish Sea Glass Christmas Tree Mosaic Keepsake/Jewelry Box

  Have a great weekend of shopping!!

 

Tracey

Great Blue Heron Came for Breakfast!





Great Blue Heron visits my yard!


Looking out my window on Monday morning I just happened spot a large blue/gray bird walking along my upper backyard. I had to look twice because his head was almost as high as my bird feeder that was set in the ground at approximately 3' high!  I've seen this Great Blue Heron once before during one of his visits, but I didn't happen to have my camera nearby. If you were wondering what this amazing bird was doing in my yard? You guessed it - He was looking to eat my pond fish for breakfast!!

Luckily, the first time I saw him in my yard last year doing exactly the same thing, I put a black netting over the pond to protect my poor unsuspecting fish! I solved the one problem of keeping the herons out, but created another one by keeping the frogs in or out depending upon where they were when I put the netting up! So a few adjustments had to be made after several frogs needed rescuing from the net! It took a little time, but we've all become used to it.





Great Blue Heron keeping an eye on our fish pond!



            This big guy is just amazing to see in a backyard setting - with a height of 39"-52" and a wingspan of 5', he looked so large and out of place!  When he noticed that I had spotted him, he flew up to a branch at the edge of the lawn and patiently watched as I took pictures of him.

  Notice his lower chest feathers which look a bit shaggy - I believe he is an adult since the juveniles are not supposed to have this yet.  His long neck has a pinkish hue to it with a black and white streak down the center of it. His face is mostly white with a black cap on his head. His long thin legs and dagger-like beak are very long and yellowish in color - perfect for fishing!

Although his diet is mainly of fish, they also eat amphibians, and occasionally small mammals and birds. Crustaceans are also on his menu!

Common Yellowthroat-Geothlypis trichas

(Picture from wikipedia)

  

On the same day I saw the Great Blue Heron, I also had this cute little guy show up at my pond! I have never seen a Conmmon Yellowthroat in my yard before, so I was very excited to have both birds show up on the same day!! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera this time to take a picture so this picture is from wikipedia. They are so beautiful I just had to show a picture! The female doesn't have the black mask, but the males look lide little bandits!

They are much smaller in size than the Great Blue Heron, measuring in at 4 1/2" - 6" ht.

They are in the wood warbler family and have a charming song.

They love to eat insects, which I could definitely use in my garden!



Blooming along my woodland path this week are my beautiful purple native woodland phlox. I also have a pale pink variety. They are wonderful creeping plants that bloom with their flowers raised above their leaves!

Bishop's Cap - Mitella diphylla

Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae)

This small unassuming plant can easily be overlooked, even when it  flowers, However, if you take

 a moment to look closer, you will be delighted with the

 magical little white flowers with fringed edges!



Variegated Solomon's Seal

Gorgeous graceful plants that have beautiful emerald
 green leaves with white edged variegation. The waxy white bells dangle in pairs off of red petioles. I started with one plant I purchased from a local nursery at least 24 years ago. I now have quite a few plants that have colonized in several different areas along my path. They are always a delight to see! 



We have used large logs for seating along our woodland path.

Another huge branch from an oak tree fell onto our stonewall and damaged several

 of our smaller trees. It was so large we decided to leave this large section to use as a bench

 along our woodland path.

Remember to take a break during your day

and enjoy the nature that surrounds you!!

 See You Next Week!!

Tracey :-)

Birdhouses & Recycled Soda Cans!

Swirling Flowers Birdhouse

I just love creating these wonderful whimsical birdhouses! They can be found in my Etsy and Artfire Shops.

 Move in ready! These adorable wood birdhouses are both pretty and functional for outdoor use by any lucky bird!  (nice for indoor decoration also)

Recycled soda cans create these funky flowers, birds and other decorations that make each birdhouse unique. Copper and brass nails, securely attach all the flowers and edges are sanded for the safety of our feathered occupants!

Recycled Charm Birdhouse

These charming wooden birdhouses have been hand painted with a high quality outdoor acrylic paint in a variety of beautiful colors!  The inside of these houses have been left natural for the safety of the birds.

There is a front latch for security and easy cleaning. Venting in the back allows for good air circulation. A wire hook is included on all birdhouses to provide easy hanging!

If you think your backyard birds may like a different color combination, I would be happy to make one that will make them sing!

The dimensions are 7”x 5 1/2” x 8”ht. It has a 1” hole.

Love Birds Birdhouse

Springtime is the busiest time for house hunting, so hurry and treat your birds with a beautiful place to live! Look for more houses coming soon!

Treat yourself and family to a wonderful opportunity to watch nature in action!

A great gift for any Bird lover or Gardener. 

One-of-a-kind Holiday Gifts! Part 3 of 4

My Winter Bird Ornament Collection

  2009

                                                      

                 The past two years I have been painting these lovely bird ornaments for the holidays. This year's Winter Bird Collection is featuring the White Breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee, and the American Goldfinch.

These are some of my favorite birds I see throughout the winter at my feeders or just around my yard.

American Goldfinch 

These unique glass ornaments are handpainted  with acrylic paints. The back is painted a snowy white so a

sentiment, name or date can be written on the back to personalize it.

                    This is a free service!

                                                                                                              Carolina Wren

                   

Each ornament comes in a box with a beautiful tag that has a little description about each bird. All ornaments are signed by me.

This sparrow was part of my Winter Bird Collection from 2008 but it shows how each ornament comes.

                                                                                                   

        These make perfect one-of-a-kind personalized gifts for that nature lover, bird watcher, or gardener in your life!

               

White Breasted Nuthatch

                                                                                              Eastern Towhee

Visit my shops for more wonderful handmade items:

            http://www.tkdesigns.artfire.com/

            http://www.tkdesigns.etsy.com/

My Talented Followers Series - 7

Today I had a hard time making up my mind on choosing items, so I  decided to feature two items from each of my talented followers!  Enjoy!.

Nature's Fragile Beauties Collection

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31297739

created by Faerie Moon Creations on Etsy.

Birds and butterflies are my weakness! I just couldn't decide which to pick! So I decided to include both!:-)

Sing a Happy Tune Collection

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=303446116
This charming wood pendant is part of a wonderful collection creatd by Faerie Moon Creations on Etsy.
I just love Theresa's jewelry! These cheerful little chickadee's would look so great with my handpainted Nuthatch Wood Box!

To see the complete Collections of 'Sing a Happy Tune' & 'Nature's  Fragile Beauties'

Visit her Etsy shop: http://www.faerymoongoddess.etsy.com/

Blog: http://faeriemooncreations.blogspot.com/

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Garden of Mist

 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32825973

 Vintage Whimsical Necklace Harvest Green Enamel Flower Prairie Steampunk by

Bionic Unicorn on Etsy.

 Kristen is another amazingly talented jewelry designer! I love, love, love both of these necklaces!

Sunflower Periscope 

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29454563

Vintage Yellow and Orange Autumn Enamel Flower Fall Harvest Halloween Steampunk Necklace

Bionic Unicorn Etsy Shop:  http://www.bionicunicorn.etsy.com/

Blog:  http://bionicunicorn.blogspot.com/

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Haunted Hayride

Handspun Thread Plyed Yarn - Merino, BFL, Mohair, Bamboo, Silk and Glitz

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31095679

This is Hauntingly Beautiful!!

Sedona Hand dyed New Zealand Wool by Split Rock Ranch on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32210307

This full time rancher and fiber artist offers gorgeous hand dyed and hand painted rovings and yarns, handspun yarns and custom fiber blend batts. I am so jealous that she is surrounded by Llamas! I kid my children about wanting to get one - they think I'm crazy! But I just love them! :-)

Visit her Etsy Shop http://www.splitrockranch.etsy.com/

Blog at http://www.splitrockranchllamas.blogspot.com/

* * * * * * * * *

Check back soon for more incredible Artists and Blogs!

A Touch of Fall in My Garden

The Fall is finally here!  It's one of my favorite seasons. The cool days and cold nights are a wonderful change from the heat of the summer. I love getting out my cozy sweaters and Uggs!

The leaves are beginning to turn colors and dropping into my ponds! This year I decided to put netting on them to keep the leaves from getting into them. The fish are eating less and less getting their bodies ready for the winter. Many of my annuals are beginning to wither, especially after last nights cold snap.

The last of my fall flowers are blooming! My showy sedums, a variety of golden rods, asters, coneflowers, obedient plants and autumn crocus, remind me this is the last hurrah before winter sets in. My hardy deep pink chrysanthemums, and gorgeous blue monkshood are two of my favorite autumn flowers!

Our cat Cali loves to keep watch over our front yard!  She still loves to catch the leaves as they blow around the walk and watch the chipmunks scurrying around gathering berries and nuts.

Our Concord Grapes have taken over our arbor and are perfect for picking if we get them before the birds!

Another fall favorite with the birds are the seeds from the purple coneflowers!

The Goldfinches have been busy eating their seeds! I'm always amazed at how they can sit on their slim stems and feast on the seeds without breaking them. I never cut them down until all the seeds have been eaten. The seed heads look pretty even in the snow and provide food for the winter birds when insects are scarce!

There's always alot to do here in the fall! In between blowing the leaves off the grass, raking acorns from the driveway and cleaning up the plant beds, I love to plant bulbs for the spring!

Fall Love Birds!

Inspired by my love for birds, it's only natural that I would create a "Love Bird" Bracelet and Earrings, just in time for the fall!! These treasures have been created with copper and Swarovski crystals!

Nature, with a touch of sparkle ~ Perfect!

Birds in My Garden, Birds in My Art! (Part Two)

One of my next endeavors was to design a Courtyard Habitat for my children's elementary school. Several Moms got together one afternoon with a shared idea. That idea was to turn the unused school courtyard into an outdoor classroom, where children could interact with nature. As a landscape designer, I was able to volunteer my design skills and knowledge of nature to help develop a beautiful place for the children and teachers. After creating a master plan, we developed a 5 year plan to convert this unused space into wildlife habitat. Through donations and lots of hard labor our Courtyard Habitat became a reality and has won several awards and grants. It is now a registered Schoolyard Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/ and a certified Monarch Butterfly WayStation. http://www.monarchwatch.org/

This charming bird house was inspired by a recycling project we did with the children for our Outdoor Art Gallery (part of our habitat). We asked the children to create birdhouses out of recycled materials. It was our first project to utilize the Art Gallery that we created by using log pedestals made from the trees that had been taken down on the school property that spring.

My children decided to use recycled aluminum cans along with other collected items on their bird houses. We had such a good time that I became hooked, and began making them! After their debut at the school's Art Gallery, we brought them home and immediately a Carolina Wren moved in and had a family! I hope to track down some of the pictures I have, and add them to this post!

Has anyone else been involved in creating a habitat at their
school? I'd love to hear from you!

Birds in My Garden, Birds in My Art! (Part One)

Birds have influenced my life and my art since I can remember! As a child I remember setting up a laundry basket with a string tied to a stick and carefully putting a few pieces of bread out in a neat trail leading under the basket! I would quietly sit there for what seemed like hours to capture some poor unsuspecting bird. They almost always got away and if not, I would happily let them go, it was just very cool to get so close them!

Red Bellied Woodpecker 'Winter Birds' o8 Collection
Hand painted glass ornaments.



Years later, my sister brought home a pigeon for me to raise. She found him on the ground at her elementary school and knew exactly who would love to take care of him! I could write a book on my life with 'Babes'! I was inspired to draw and paint him, I created a beautiful lithograph in my high school art class, and photographed him! He was amazing and challenged my art skills as I tried to capture his wonderful personality! He followed me to college and actually introduced me to my husband! He was my companion for years!

Winter Birds '08' Collection:

Male Cardinal,Rose Breasted

Grosbeak, White Throated Sparrow

This love for Babes gave me a love for birds in general. I began learning to identify the birds around our yard and quickly realized how unique each one was. It gave me a whole new appreciation for birds.

When my husband and I moved into our home I found an injured Catbird that had flown into a window. He lived in one of our empty bedrooms until he could fly again. I set him free, but he stayed around my garden! Perched in a branch, he would call out to me to let me know he was nearby watching me work outside! He came back year after year! Eventually, people would bring me their injured birds to rehabilitate.

After having my first child I could no longer take on the responsibility of taking care of a bird 24/7. Investigating my options, I later found a wonderful place that would take in these birds called the Raptor Trust. This is an incredible place that I was so lucky to have found. I try to donate to them when I can, it's an incredible facility and provides a wonderful service! You must check them out! www.theraptortrust.org/

With three children, I began to see that many children had little knowledge of the the plants and wildlife in their own backyards. I decided to fill that gap and became a 4H Leader. With a group of my children's friends, we began our two year journey and called ourselves the Backyard Nature Explorers !(this would make another book!) Here I introduced them to anything that one would find in their backyard. I taught them how to identify birds, make bird feeders, bird houses, dissect owl pellets and mount our finds. We learned the different owl calls and visited the Raptor Trust. The money we raised at the 4H Fair was also donated to the Raptor Trust.

Now you can start to see how my love for birds has intertwined through my life in many ways. Forgetting that I only started photographing with a digital camera several years ago I will have to scan pictures before I include them. So here are a few of my very recent items.

Sorry I can't seem to get any of my other pictures up! I'll try later. See my shop on Etsy. tkdesigns.etsy.com