Robin

Babies!

An American Robin mama made her nest on May 5 on top of the tire of Alex's (stationary/engine-less/immovable) '84 Monte Carlo. It's a great spot - I don't think there are any neighborhood cats around - it's is perfect for easy watching! So far mama has been getting used to us but will still fly away when we get too close. I don't exactly know when she laid her (3) eggs, but they hatched three days ago! Bella is in love and wants to see the babies whenever we are outside.

I forgot to take a picture of the pretty blue eggs, so I just had to draw them. And mama robin. It's a fascinating process to watch the nest and I want to post a little information.









I originally thought this was a Robin red-breast until I checked google, and found she's an American Robin.

Their nests are normally located 5-15 feet above the ground. The clutch is typically 3-5 eggs. "Robins usually lay four eggs and then stop. Like most birds, they lay one egg a day until their clutch is complete. If you remove one egg each day, some kinds of birds will keep laying for a long time, as if they can stop laying only when the clutch of eggs feels right underneath them."

Incubation period
12 - 14 days

Nestling period
13 - 14 days

Chicks
The chicks are fed worms, berries, and insects. Both parents will actually protect their young from dogs, cats, and humans by dive-bombing. (So far none of that with us!)

So our our timeline is...

May 1-2   Nest built & eggs laid (is it a one day process?)

May 15-16   Chicks hatch

May 29-30   Chicks are grown & fly away!

Leather Stacking Bracelets

Handmade leather stacking bracelets - a quick how-to

 Measure the leather cord length to another bracelet for the correct size.

 Wind embroidery thread around the leather cord so it fills up the extra space between the tube bead and peeks out for a pop of color.

Use epoxy to hold it all together, a dab under the thread and a dollop in the tube bead. The leather cord, metal tubes, and epoxy are from my wonderful local bead shop.

Stamps

 Carving has been a love of mine for years, I'm finally getting back into it. Starting small with these stamps, done for my mother-in-law to use on shop tags - she has a booth at the local antique shop. I'm itching to go larger, but the material is expensive, and the process time consuming. Neither of which I have much of. I love the graphic quality, and how you can see the marks from the material, the rawness of it.

Jewelrymaking

Over the past few months I've been incredibly inspired by the all the handmade jewelry on Etsy and jumped into creating some myself. I began with this feather earring - I have a large collection of feathers I've found that beg to be used. This is a simple (slightly haphazard) design that works well with long hair.

Christmas was the perfect opportunity to make jewelry for all the girls in my family - it was really fun thinking about what would suit each person. I made small cards to go with each piece for a little insight on what they mean, which I printed on a paper bag. I didn't buy very much, I combed thrift stores for jewelery to re-purpose and used other materials I have at home (a big bag of deer scrap leather is always useful).

 When you feel a little wild and graceful, put these earrings on.

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Found grouse & goose feathers accompanied by copper wrapped glass beads, on recycled gold hardware.

A modern, minimal, no-frills necklace with a dash of soul.

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Made with quills from a Wisconsin Porcupine, capped and strung on a recycled brass chain.

A bone talisman to protect against the dead things that haunt you. To give you strength and memory.

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Found bone shard cradled by deer leather accompanied by a cooper wrapped glass bead. Made with recycled hardware.

Design Camp

Sketches done after AIGA's Design Camp 2011, inspired by the fall colors, motivating presentations, and good company.

Here's to doing what you love and loving what you do.

Also, as a member of reDesign, I had the opportunity to create posters to line the walls during the cocktail hour. We decided to take a quote from all of our members and do this poster series. Thanks to Rita, Sally, & Melanie for making it all happen.

Silhouette

I painted Bella's silhouette specifically for this perfect gold-leaf vintage frame. I'm in love with it! It's done in acrylic, the lettering is a nice brown pen. I haven't put a finish on it yet, as all I have is glossy and it needs to be matte. I'd like to do more silhouettes, with subtle details.

Horchata

Originally inspired by the song by Vampire Weekend - Horchata is now one of my favorite drinks! It takes a bit of effort to make but it's entirely worth it. Despite being fairly thick it's a delicious summer drink, perfect to sip while sitting outside under a shady tree.

Recipe found at Cucina di Carrie.