Nesting Bird

I'm the guest challenger again this month over on the Flickr group Art 'n' Soul and after wracking my brain as to what challenge to actually set, I fell back on the bird template I used last year to make a bird journal.  It's a lovely simple shape and designed by Stampington & Co. and can be found here.

For the Art 'n' Soul group the challenge is to make a mixed media bird hanger using the template and the theme being rather appropriately 'birds'!

My bird was painted with several layers - Mini Meze (Pacific Blue) and Viva Precious Metal (Emerald Green and Purple), there's also a bit of Distress Crackle Paint (Picket Fence) on there too.   I rubber stamped the nest onto white tissue paper and applied it to the bird with some Liquitex (matte medium).  Beads for the legs and eye and a bit of lace embellishment.

I kept the back plain and rubber stamped a bird on (from the same Stampers Anonymous set as the nest (Artful Flight CMS069)).

This gave me an opportunity to make one of the wire and beaded nests I've seen - in fact I do have two I received in different charm swaps and they look so complicated and intricate but really are the cutest things.

Following a YouTube video called 'How to Make a Bird's nest Charm from Beads and wire By Denise Mathew' I made one!  It was very quick and easy to do and although it's not as detailed as the two above, it's an encouraging start I think!  I added a few fibres too.

Just recently we have had a hen blackbird in our garden making a nest in one of our large shrubs.  She was so busy a couple of Sunday mornings ago flying back and forth carrying little pieces of twig and such like - being observed by the cock blackbird from the side fence - funny how he didn't help her - I'll say no more, but bet you're thinking what I am!!  Unfortunately though we haven't seen her since although the nest is still there.  We think (and hope) maybe she's set up home somewhere else. 

Last Sunday we had another bird incident in our garden.  We're often visited by a friendly cat called Sophie who loves strokes and is very sociable.  There was a lot of commotion in our garden, lots of bird noise - and Sophie in her low, crouched pose - I ran out onto the patio to see five baby blue tits squabbling around on the ground - Sophie was too quick for me and had one of them under her paw.  I rushed inside to report this to John and when we went back outside she was nowhere to be seen.  There were two very frightened little birds in a state of shock - but luckily they were unharmed and later flew to safely.  I know Sophie was only doing what comes naturally, but it is a bit upsetting none the less. 

Anyway, enough of my mundane mutterings - if you'd like to take part in the bird challenge, come over and join us on Flickr - the closing date is 6th June.