An Avian Architect...

Baltimore Oriole Nest

Look at the wonderful gift from last season's Baltimore orioles! Handsome and I were working in the yard to winterize the place before the rough weather sets in and I saw this dangling from a low branch of one of the trees between the farmhouse and the north field. Now that the tree has dropped all its leaves, the nest was visible.

It's the most perfectly constructed pouch to protect, hatch, and grow wee birds to fledglings. When I dragged Handsome over to the tree to point it out to him, he said he'd been ducking it most of the summer when he was cutting grass (and he never told me?!). No matter. It was completely intact, and I wanted to keep it that way. 

I ran and got my clippers and removed the section of branch to keep the nest intact and undisturbed. (I don't believe they return to the same nest every year, so no harm removing this one.) It now hangs in our dining room, close to a Baltimore Oriole carving I've had for years. 

You may notice the bracket it's attached to. Yes. It's acorns and oak leaves. I found it in an antique shop and you know I had to have it. Sometimes I hang a potted plant from it, and sometimes it's just empty to enjoy its shape. Now, it is the anchor for this lovely nest. Two lucky finds in one place. squeeee!

Quilt Top Finished...

Brynwood Needleworks - Completed Quilt Top

 

I finished piecing and embellishing my "Song of Spring" quilt top yesterday. I added leaves to the corners of the center block, as well as on corner blocks at the intersections of the half-square triangle block rows. I also added one more border than originally planned to put a frame around them.

Brynwood Needleworks - Loni Rossi Feather Fabric Backing

 

I chose this feather fabric from Loni Rossi for the backing. I've bordered it with the check that you see at the bottom of the image. So, what do you think? So far, so good? I'm entering it in the same quilt show where my "Posy, the Patchwork Pachyderm" took a second. (It's a tough audience.)

 

Today, I'm having lunch with Mom Grace's daughter, Deb. After lunch, I'm going to sit down to do the final quilting. I originally had this brilliant idea to make this my first hand quilted piece. After stitching (and unstitching) multiple times, I've decided not to torture myself further. I'm going to machine quilt it this afternoon, and then bind it. Once that's done, I'll add the display sleeve, and it will be ready for the quilt show. I'll share the finished piece as soon as it's all done. 

I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully with a completed entry for the It's A Stitch Guild Quilt Show. Gotta run! Later,

Beds For Baby Birds...

I came across this on Facebook today and thought it was something I'd

like to do. I'm basically a Nature Girl and have a soft spot for strays and

orphans. I love making baby hats, and these are the same thing - upside-down!

This drive is hosted by WildCare, located in San Francisco, CA. Here is a

link to their homepage. They offer a link to patterns (here), as well as a link to 

the forms that have to be filled out to contribute nests (or cash) to their rescue.

WildCare image

 In addition to contributing to WildCare, I'm also looking into local rescues

to see if they would be interested in receiving knitted and crocheted nests, too.

Next Tuesday, I'll be asking the Paneras girls if they would like to make nests for

local orphaned baby birds. I haven't knitted anything seriously since I learned

 that I have arthritis in my thumbs, however, I'm willing to endure to do this.

WildCare image

I can just imagine the little dears tucked into warm beds as they are fed and rehabbed until they can be returned as healthy birds back into the wild. The instructions provide different sized nests, but all need to be made from  cotton, acrylic or washable wool so they can be cleaned as needed.  If you'd like to contribute a nest (or two or three), please let me know via a comment on this post. I'm going to prepare a few "birdy" mug mats and will
host a drawing between the participants. If you have a blog, please share your link and I will open a new participants page so that my readers can also visit your blogs. They need 1200 nests this year. I'm hoping that we might be able to donate 50 toward their goal. Deadline to sign up will be May 10, 2014, with the deadline for me to receive the nests as May 30th. I'd like to ship all the completed nests on  June 1st. I hope you'll consider participating to help WildCare meet their goal.

This is the first Saturday there won't be a Coffee Club.  I'm going to put on my old clothes and finish my redecorating project today. I want to make sure that this Sunday really is a day of rest! I hope all of you have something fun planned this weekend, too. I'll be back on Monday with lots of pictures!

Nature Always Finds A Way...

You never know what you'll see if you walk softly and keep your eyes open. Yesterday, I found a partially-built hummingbird's nest under one of the trees.

I've seen quite a few of these precious, little jewels over the past couple of weeks, so I wasn't surprised to see a nest on the ground.

It's been windy and this one was so light that the wind just carried it out of the tree. It was almost transparent because wasn't finished, so there was no worry that eggs had been lost. I would guess that a new nest is already being constructed. Nature always finds a way.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see baby hummingbirds? They must not be much bigger than a bumblebee. Maybe if I'm very lucky...

Sunday Scripture...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.

Plans for your welfare and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope."

- Jeremiah 29:11

Little Bird, Little Bird...

While I sat reading in our living room yesterday afternoon, I kept seeing the same little wren flying past our big windows. She'd dart from the sill out onto my jasmine bushes and then off into the yard. Soon, I would see her again on top of the jasmine or screen house on her way back toward the house.




After a little while I grabbed my camera because I knew what that meant. I only had to find where she'd chosen to build her nest. That didn't take long. I opened the screen door and went into the courtyard to find that she'd chosen a safe and protected spot behind our storm shutters.

Nothing like showing you a housekeeping job we missed. Upon reviewing my photos, I saw just how much those shutters need to be power washed, but now that task will wait until the nest is empty.
I quietly walked up to the rail for the shutters and peered inside the nest. I was fascinated by her architectural skills! She really put a roof on her abode! The fuzzy stuff near the top was pulled from the trunks of some of our palm trees. I thought I saw something but wasn't positive until I made a little bit of noise.
Immediately, I was rewarded with three tiny mouths waiting for Jenny Wren to return with something for their tummies. Sweet little peeps filled the air as they let her know that they were still hungry.

I didn't want to keep Jenny from her babies, so I retreated to the house. It didn't take long for her to fly back to the nest, feed the little ones and then head out again in search of more food.
Mama's work is never done. I'll leave them alone for a few days and see how long it takes before they start to explore. Then, I'll be back with my camera to share more photos with you.
I also have a great idea for the Summertime quilt. I thought I was finished, but I was wrong. I'm going to add one more border, but it's going to have something fabulous added. I'm hoping to finish it completely by mid-week and then I'll take it over to Kathy.

I'm going to be creating a pattern for the Summertime quilt, which will be available in my etsy shop as soon as it's finished. Don't worry. I'll be sure to let you know when it's ready so you can make your own Summertime quilt!
I'm off with my girlfriend, Krisann, for lunch and a little quilt shop pillaging. She hasn't been to Kathy and Nora's shop yet, so I just have to take her over to see their great fabric selections.

I hope you have something fun planned this week. Nothing like a little time spent creating, or making time for friends. I'll be starting with "girl time". See you tomorrow!

Empty Nests...

The woods hold not such another gem
as the nest of the hummingbird.
The finding of one is an event.

- John Burroughs, naturalist

When I was in Wisconsin, my best friend, Lee, gave me five
empty bird's nests. One was larger, but there were FOUR
hummingbird's nests that she'd found and saved - just for me.

If, in John Burroughs words, "the finding one nest is an event",
then receiving four of these treasures was a full-blown holiday!

The hummer's nests had dried berries that the little
birds had placed in the nests. There were even little
snips of black dog fur from Lee's black Labradors
woven among the twigs and grasses to make a soft bed.

They're tiny and precious, and did I say there were FOUR of them?
I am so looking forward to doing something wonderful with them,
but for now, I'm going to place them in the studio and think of the
little jewels, and their babies who nested snugly inside them.

There was also a larger nest.

I don't know what sweet bird patiently brooded in this nest,
guarding her eggs and feeding growing babies, but I'll smile when
I think of it, built to keep another family safe until they
fledged and left their protective refuge to fend for themselves.

Thank you, Lee.

Today is the last day to enter my 400th Follower Giveaway! Midnight (ET) is the deadline to sign up. Good luck and Thank you to all who entered.

PS. One of the bloggers posted great photos of a hummingbird sitting on her nest recently. I can't remember who it was, though. If you know (or if it was you), please email a link to their post or blog to me. I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

My Next Little Pincushion...

I love traveling to Kewaskum, WI to their local antique mall. Located in a huge, old, brick building right in their little downtown, it's two stories of just about anything imaginable, and over the years, I've found quite a few treasures there.

While scouring through their vendor booths last week, I came across this sweet little treasure. Two little birds with golden accents and a pretty little pink flower with leaves around it. The outside of the container reminds me of a little picket fence. It's small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and it's in perfect condition. All this sweetness for a mere two dollars and fifty cents!!!

When we are settled back home in Florida next week, I'll be pulling out my prettiest wool and lace to embellish the perfect little insert of these little birds. It's going to be my next pincushion. I can't wait to show you what it looks like all finished!

Today Is My 100th Post!...

Today is the day! I can scarcely believe that I've posted one hundred messages to you since I first started my blog in March. Time sure flies! In celebration of this auspicious day, I have selected items from previous posts to offer as giveaway gifts to three of my Brynwood Needleworks readers.

Do you want to see the gifts first, or do you want me to tell you how you can enter to win one? OK, I'll show you what I've selected to give away first! (I know, you're doing a little happy dance, aren't you?) Drumroll, please. (Handsome is sitting here with his favorite snare drum, just to help me announce my gifts!)

Giveaway Gift One
This gift includes items from the fragrance line that I wrote about here.

Philosophy produces their "Grace" line in two or three different fragrances (Pure Grace, Amazing Grace, etc.), and the one I love is Pure Grace. When I wrote about it in my original post, I said that in addition to smelling so fresh and light, I also liked the messages that the company prints on some of their containers. In this set, you will find Pure Grace Perfumed Buffing Wash (to which I've added a white tulle bow and one of my handmade birds nests); a tube of Perfumed Body Butter (who doesn't LOVE butter?); and a roll of twill tape with the word "Blessings" repeated over and over its 4 ft. length. I love what's written on the bottle of buffing wash:

" pure grace is the sweet breath of God, the soft green grass that lies still against a child's back, the whispers of the words i love you, the quiet and the solitude, the prayer that is always answered with "i will guide you home" rather than yes or no, the heart that makes forgiveness its soul passion, the spirit that drapes itself in humility, the mind that exercises free will while surrendering to divine outcome, the person who takes their hands off the wheel, closes their eyes and says "you drive and I'll enjoy the ride".

All of these items will arrive in a beautiful box decorated with birds, eggs and butterflies.

Giveaway Gift Two

I wrote about the Brynwood Lazy Daisy Tea Towel here and more recently, the Silk Ribbon Shaker Pincushion appeared here. Both of these items, handcrafted by me, are part of this giveaway gift. In addition, I'm including a pair of snips with large-holed handles to make them easy to use, and attached to that is one of my handcrafted Scissors Fobs that I wrote about here. I sell the fobs in my Etsy store. This one has pretty crystals and a pewter spool of thread to "pretty up" the scissors. Also included is a small purse-size tube of Aveda hand cream. Everything is packaged in a tiny hat box - a smaller version of the one that I used to pack up my granddaughter's birthday crown.

Giveaway Gift Three

My third gift set features the Birds Nest Button Jar that I wrote about here. I started by making the birds nest and added a silky ribbon to the jar lid (so that you can still remove the lid without removing the embellishments). I then attached it to a Longaberger Basket-patterned jar. I've even included some buttons in the jar to add to your own collection! You can read the original post for the rest of the details. To this I've added one of my duplicate vintage pincushions. This one is a sweet owl...a bit "loved", but so sweet. Both will arrive nestled in a beautiful box decorated with birds, eggs and butterflies.

You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them so you can see more of the details.

Now, be truthful...Wouldn't you love to own one of these giveaway gift sets? I hope so! So, let me tell you how to get your name in the drawing.

• If you're a "follower" of my blog - your name and/or image appears in my "followers" list - you automatically have TWO entries in the giveaway. If you're not already a follower, you can become a follower now and you will receive your TWO entries.
• If you write a comment IN THIS POST ONLY, your name will be entered an additional ONE time. Multiple posts here will not earn you multiple entries, though. I'd love to hear which gift you like the best and why.
• If you write a comment IN MY UPCOMING POSTS, your name will be entered an additional one time per day. REMINDER: Be sure to sign your posts so that I know who to credit with an entry!!!
  
• If you have a blog and post a link to my giveaway, you will earn another ONE entry in the giveaway. (Please be sure to let me know you've done this, so I can give you credit!)
  

I will draw the winning names NEXT FRIDAY, August 14th.

• The First Name I draw will have First pick from the gifts.
• The Second Name drawn will have Second pick from the gifts.
• Of course, the Third Name will be the recipient of the final gift available.

I hope you're as excited about this as I am!

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has stopped in to read my musings. You motivate me to be my best so that I can share the best of me with you. God blesses my life daily with my wonderful Handsome husband and our family. You honor me when you stop in to read what I've written to share just with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sunday In The Studio...

I spent the afternoon in the studio completing a few projects that have been patiently waiting for me. The first project I finished was the long-overdue ribbon embroidered pincushion.

I told you late last week about rediscovering it in the studio. I believe it's waited long enough to be finished, so today was the day. I stitched this design using silk ribbons and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. After securing the edges and stuffing the back with wool batting, I secured it in the authentic Shaker wooden base. Then I chose pretty green perle cotons and made the cord to attach to the edge. I hope you like it as much as I do!

When the pincushion was complete, I went on to my next project. I found a beautiful bronze wire when I was at the Craft Show...perfect for making birds nests! (I warned you they're addictive!) I also have some beautiful Swarovski pearls accent beads that I'm using for "eggs". So, I immediately got to making a new nest. From there, I just let my muse carry me and the result is this Birds Nest Button Jar! The jar is a Longaberger basket jar with a basket pattern molded right into the glass. I hung the nest from a hook and then added a pearly dangle with a peridot-colored faceted bead. I entwined a pretty bronze/gold ribbon with more of my wire and secured it to the ring that screws onto the jar. Lastly, I added coordinating buttons inside the jar. So tell me, what do you think? Don't you just love it?

Now, you may also be wondering how I'm doing with those dresses for my granddaughters. Are they finished yet? (You betcha!) Are they cute? (yuppers) So, then you ask, "Where are the photographs?" Patience, my dears. My daughter-in-law (their momma) reads my blog and I want to keep this a secret until the girls get to open their gifts. So in order to keep them a surprise, you'll just have to wait until the weekend to see photos. I apologize, but I promise I'll share pictures with you! Really. This way Miss Stealth Sneakypants won't see them ahead of time! (giggle)

Please be sure to visit here tomorrow for the "Blogging For Bliss Party", as we all celebrate the release of Tara Frey's new book by the same name!
Only Four Days until my 100th Post Giveaway!

A Bird's Nest In The Hand...

I was in the studio playing with wire and beads today, and look what I made! Tiny little bird's nests! Aren't they just the cutest little things?

I visit my favorite blogs every day, and recently came across a tutorial ("Little Wire Birds Nest") by the talented Cathe Holden of Just Something I Made. Her instructions and photographs make it easy peasy to make your own. So today, I decided to give it a go and these are the result.

If you'd like to learn how to make them, just click on the photograph of my nests and it will take you right to Cathe's tutorial.
Fair warning: Making these can be addictive! I'm going to be using them in some of my future collage art. How do you think you'd use them? Leave a comment and let me know.