*New* Primitive Scrappy Birds!

Look what just flew in! These birds are a new design for me! They have the most cutest rusty wire legs, I think. They all are for sale right now in my Etsy Shop

In other news, I saw the mama deer and baby that I saw a couple of weeks ago in my neighbors backyard. Little one sure has grown fast since I last saw it.

And look who landed on my deck railing the other day! It's a young male cardinal just getting his bright red feathers and black mask around his beak and eyes. 

Making this short for today. Will be listing more of my new primitive birds in the future posts.

Still Here!

I know its been quite awhile since my last post. Got caught up with getting everything ready for Christmas and family arriving. Then I've had a setback with chronic neck pain since about Christmas Eve. I believe to much sewing did it. So I've been making trips to my chiropractor several times a week. I am slowly getting back to normal. Very frustrating to not be able to be in my normal creating mode. I can only do a little, then have to take a break with my ice pack on my neck.

I've managed to create a few new necklaces in my Red Oak Images etsy shop

I received a new camera lens from my sweet hubby for Christmas. I did manage to get some amazing shots before the problem with my neck happened. 

This amazing buck was in mine and my next door neighbors yard for a whole afternoon chasing away another smaller buck from his girlfriend. Isn't he magnificent! It was the most amazing thing to see this happening in my yard! Over the past 5 years of seeing deer in our area, this was a first to see a couple of bucks! Surely made my day!!!!

Here he is about 6 feet away from me through our living room window. He was between our house and the neighbors house. You think we lived out in the country with how many deer we have. We live in a residential area!!! If you look close you can see a little bit of cracked corn stuck to this guy's nose. I had just put some out for him to eat. He loved it!

And here are a few bird pics I captured with my new lens.

Tufted Titmouse

Pair of Carolina Wrens 

Female Northern Cardinal

Red - breasted Nuthatch

And can't forget my squirrels friends!

Gray Squirrel

And my favorite Black Squirrel 

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Photo Contest Votes Needed!

I've entered a couple of photos in a contest at photobucket and would love if you could please stop by and vote for my entries. No signing up required. The theme is "Winter"

To Vote Click on this link---> Cardinal

And here is my other entry

To Vote Click on this link---> Snowflakes

Thank You so much for your support if you choose to vote.

It's a bitterly could morning today, only 3º. At least the winds have died down and the sun is out. Good day to stay inside and sew!

Here are a couple other pics I captured on our snowy Tuesday.

Well...I must get busy and get something done today. Have a wonderful day! Stay Warm!

Bird Watching

This time of the year we get birds traveling through the midwest that aren't our normal neighbors. This little guy, the White Throated Sparrow has such a sweet song. A lot of the time you will hear them before you see them. They like to forge around under bushes. He was on our deck this morning picking up seeds from my bird feeders that the other birds knocked out.

Here is a little youtube clip of them singing.

The other bird I saw was a Rose-Breasted Grosbeck (female) which I didn't get a picture of. She was at my window feeder for a minute.

Here are some other birds that I captured today with my camera.

Caught him with his beak open. He was eating a sunflower seed.

I love these little birds! They are hard to get a picture of. They move around fast. He kind of blends in with his surroundings in this picture. He was in the shady area of our yard where the grass don't grow very well.

And this is a youtube video of what a Wood Thrush sounds like

                                 

Mrs. Cardinal

My Bleeding Hearts are blooming!

And my Rhododendron's too!

I've been busy lately with custom orders. I've been selling lately on ebay and have found some new customers that way. These little make do's I just made for fun. I can't decide if I should sell them on ebay or etsy. I've got till Monday to figure it out, that's when I will have them up for sale.

Then a couple of weeks ago I was invited to sell my things as a guest at The Primitive Gathering this month!! Please stop by and see what I have for sale. Don't forget to check out the other wonderful artist there too! The Primitive Gathering

I have a new Lucy Angel Kitty for sale there.

That's all for now. Everyone have a wonderful Easter!!!!!!!!!!

Birds on the Brain

Well, I've got lots of birds for you today!! We got 4 inches of snow over night and when that happens we get lots of activity at the bird feeders because the birdies are looking for something to eat after everything has been covered with snow. And..... I finished up a brand new bird make do today!! He is made with a stained muslin that I printed the cursive alphabet on. I'm sure you all remember staring at that at the top of the chalkboard when we were kids, I know I do. This sweet little bird was just listed in my etsy shop!

Also today I made homemade suet and suet holders. Wow...I guess I got a lot done today!!

Here are a couple of pictures right after I hung up the feeders. Mrs. Red-Bellied Woodpecker Mr. Cardinal were checking them out. They never did land on them. Maybe tomorrow.

Here's the How To to make the suet and the hangers. This was posted in the Birds and Blooms latest issue.

Suet Hanger

Supplies: 14-gauge galvanized wire (sold in 100-ft. rolls in the hardware store)

pliers and wire cutters

glass spice jar or other 2 inch diameter jar

duct tape

spray primer and paint approved for metal

(I didn't use the spray paint)

Take your wire and make a little hanger at the top before wrapping around the jar. Then right where you start to wrap on the jar put a piece of tape to hold the wire in place. Then smoothly wrap around the jar until you think you have it long enough for the suet to rest inside with room to spare. Then at the bottom where you cut it off, use your pliers to bend in the wire to form a curlicue so the suet don't fall out the bottom.

Suet

Supplies: 1 cup of lard or bacon drippings

1 cup of oatmeal

1 cup of corn meal

1 cup of chunky peanut butter

raisins

bird seed

cardboard toilet paper tubes

aluminum foil

rubber bands

In a pan, melt lard, peanut butter together. Then add in your oatmeal, cornmeal, raisins and bird seed. Then let cool a little. Mean while put foil over one end of the cardboard tub and wrap a rubber band around to hold in place. Then spoon in your mixture in the tubes. This recipe made enough to fill 5 tubes for me. Then put them in the freezer and harden. After frozen just peel off the foil and the cardboard tubes and place in your new suet holder!! This was super easy to do!

Now here are a few bird pics that I took today!

Mourning Dove

This sweet little bird that I don't see very often is a Carolina Wren

Mr. Cardinal

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Mr. Junco

So Sweet Junco

Ok that's all for now. I sure did have a big post tonight didn't I??!! :)