The Smart Bird

Treasury Love

An ongoing discussion (debate?) on Etsy centers around whether or not a person who makes a Treasury should convo the people they've included.  Well, I for one always like getting a little note to let me know.  I frequently forget to browse the Treasuries, and so it's nice to be directed to my own little corner of the lists (when my work is chosen). 

Recently I've been getting a lot of really nice convos from Treasury-makers.  So far, my record is being in 3 at once, about two weeks ago.  Coincidentally, all three featured pieces from my Tattoo series (two featured the necklace and one featured the ring).  Maybe people are thinking happy Valentine's Day thoughts? 

  

Well, yesterday came in a close second, though, as I was kindly informed by two different people that they included my work in their Treasury.  A big shout out to LuxuryMarleyProd and drockphotography for picking my Kimono and Into The Woods necklaces, respectively. 
Thanks again!

 


 

Welcome Back!

Well, I guess I'm really welcoming myself back, because apparently I took a bit of a blog holiday.  I'm happy to be back, and have lots of great things planned for Smart Bird this year, so check here periodically for news, updates, new pieces, etc.  Here's to a wonderful 2009 for all!

I wanted to share one of my new pieces that I'm especially proud of.  It's the first necklace from a new series I'm calling Into The Woods.  It features genuine salvaged (e.g., fallen branches; not cut from the tree!) wood slices punctuated by one blue tourmaline slice.  The wood is hand cut, sanded and drilled, then each piece is given a beeswax coating for protection and to enhance the look of the bark and woodgrain. 

 

The tourmaline is a natural gem crystal, as it was unearthed, with the exception of a bit of hand-drilling I did to enlarge the hole so I could thread it directly onto the chain. 



Each Into The Woods piece is one of a kind, and this necklace is currently available in the shop.  I have more pieces in the works, so please stay tuned. 

Also, a huge thank you to Charlotte over at fancypicnic for featuring this necklace on her Saturday Shopping List.  Her blog is lovely, and is worth a look if you have a moment.

Scenes #1

 

It's beginning to feel like Christmas around here, finally!  We went up to the mountains two weeks ago and cut our own tree, but we were storing it in the garage until last weekend when we finally made room in the living room to put it up.  We had to rearrange my daughter's play area, and bring in a table so we could keep our little tree out of reach of curious hands!

My parents first introduced us to cutting your own tree a few years ago during the first Christmas after we moved back to Colorado from Tokyo.  You get a permit from the Forest Service and go to an assigned area in the mountains to pick your own tree.  It's really fun to meet up at the Ranger station first, where they serve hot cider and cookies, and then pile into the truck and head up the road.  My family has always seemed to go for the spindly, orphan-looking, Charlie Brown-esque trees, even when we used to buy them from tree lots.  There's an added charm, though, when driving past stands of tall, full, proud trees, and someone inevitably thrusts their arm out the window and exclaims "Over there!  That one is totally the Charlie Brown Christmas tree!"  So my husband and I have sort of adopted the tradition, and love picking out a little straggler to take home and spit-shine with our folksy ornaments.

Highlights include the little gnome smoking a pipe:


A hand-sewn heart:


And this bride and groom set my sister picked up in Switzerland years ago:


We still haven't found a topper we like, so we've gone bare the past couple of years.  Oh, and since taking the picture of the tree, we lost the maroon glass ball to a freak accident involving the window blinds.  Oops!



And the bebe really got excited when I unpacked the mini tinsel tree, grabbing it from me then running all around the house like a little Christmas ambassador.







I finally caught up with her in the kitchen and, thanks to the magic of Dr. Seuss, I managed to trade her one "Hop On Pop" for one silver tree.  The tree is now safely parked on a high shelf, where she can admire it from afar.

Holiday Shopping on Etsy

With the exception of a couple of things for the bebe, and one gift for my husband, I've managed to do all of my holiday shopping on Etsy this year.  Pretty nifty!  Not only that, but I came in well under budget, which seems appropriate given the current economic situation the U.S. (and the world) is experiencing.  It seems like a good year to go "small" in the gift-giving arena, while going "large" in the enjoying-the-holiday-and-your-family arena. 

So here is a sampling of some of my favorite Christmas '08 gift purchases:

(photo credits belong to each individual shop)

*Vespa magnet from Circa Ceramics.*


*Faux Bois magnets from Jessica Jane.*

 
 
*Assorted soaps from Anderson Soap Company.  Clockwise, from top left: Beer Buzz Soap Set, Cedarwood and Sage Massage Bar, Mild Almond Mini Soap, Exfoliating Milk and Honey Oatmeal Soap Bar.*


*North Country Lamb print from Golly Bard.*


*Handstitched baseball from Lemon Ball.*



*Assorted bath products from Daisycakes Soap.  Clockwise from top left: Animal Bath Fizzies Pack, Mini Animal Soaps Pack, Honey Bar Assortment Gift Box, Hockey Puck Soap.*


*Snail Jockey print from The Black Apple.*


*Bird ornament from Shoshona Snow (who I previously featured here).*

 
*Mini Dwelling ornament from Petite House.*

Such an amazing assortment from so many talented artists! 

And how about you?  Have you found some great gifts, from Etsy or elsewhere?  Please share.  I'd love to see them! 

Wrap It Up, I'll Take It

If you're in need of lovely, environmentally friendly packaging solutions, check out Dunwoody Booth Packaging.  They have a wide selection of bags, boxes, labels, etc. for all of your branding and packaging needs.  If I had a brick-and-mortar shop, I'd probably pack my wares in the Tokyo Totes (above).  The kraft paper version is made with bamboo, and although they're a tad pricey at around $1 each, I don't think I'd be able to help myself.  They're just too perfect! 

As you browse the site, look for products with the little "leaf" next to them.  That means they're either made of sustainable material, like bamboo, or contain anywhere from 65% to 100% post-consumer recycled paper. 
Pretty nifty, no?

Look Out!

The cuteness is comin' to getcha!

If you can't get enough of pictures like these....







Then you'll probably want to go here.  Cuteoverload.com is filled with pictures of what appear to be the inspiration for just about every Japanese mascot, product, and advertising character.  The site isn't Japanese, but the aesthetic sure is.  As just one comparison example, here's a picture I took while living in Tokyo.  It's a sign in a park telling you to be careful, don't pick flowers, don't commit arson, etc.  But, it does it so cutely (I especially like the flower "shrieking" in pain at being plucked.  It's in agony, but it's so cuuuuute!).





Anyway, you might also want the Cute Overload calendar (I'm seriously considering it).  It's only $10 or so, and wouldn't it make a great gift?  If Tokyu Hands starts carrying it, I'll bet there'll be a lot of happy Japanese stockings this year!

You Might Need...

...A ceramic vase from Shoshona Snow. 


Or anything else she makes, like a mug...

   

...or a bowl...



...or a cup/bowl...



...or a bird wall pocket, bird bowl, or bird candlesticks...




...or a sugar & creamer set...



...or another vase (or two)...





...or maybe a snowflake ornament...



...or just a bird ornament.  Or two...



...dontcha think?!

Etsy Front Page!

Tip Of The Week

Actually, considering how often I give "tips" here, maybe I should title this post "Tip Of The Next Four Months"?  Anyhoo...

Last week I decided to get rid of a couple of stacks of old magazines I had lying around.  Luckily, I remembered that Lucky magazine used to have a page of stickers you could use to mark items in the magazine you were interested in.  Remember those?  They said either "Yes!" or "Maybe?" (curiously, there were never any "Hell, no!" stickers).  I'm referring to these in the past tense because I checked my most recent issue, and there wasn't a sticker sheet!  I guess Lucky decided to make some budget cuts.

 

Well, my 15-month-old daughter *loves* stickers of any kind.  Even if it's not technically a sticker, like a used stamp or something, she'll play with it and try to stick it on her shirt.  So I gave her a sheet of Lucky stickers, and her eyes lit up and she practically fell over with excitement. 





I like to help her put a whole bunch on, so she ends up looking like a color-coordinated hedge-hog.  She likes it too, and struts around the house proudly once we've finished her "adornment."  So, the tip is that if you have old Lucky magazines you want to get rid of, cut out the sticker sheet before you send them to the recycling center!  Your kiddo will thank you for it, believe me.

 

(P.S. When adorning your child, necklace of African brass beads is optional but recommended). 

Gold Finger

I've been really into gold lately (and James Bond, hence the post title.  Isn't Daniel Craig the best?!).  I guess it started gradually, over the course of about a year, but in the last month or two I've kicked my side obsession up to the forefront.  So far I've worked with 9K, 10K, 14K, and 18K (and I've even got some 22K bezel wire waiting in the wings for a special ring project I have planned).  I mostly focus on 18K now; it adds just a hint of color with a subtly organic quality and not too much "goldness."  I've really come to love the look of silver and gold together, especially when there is some oxidation of the silver to bring in grays/blacks.  Here's a little gallery of recent work, including a pair of ruby earrings and a custom pair of keishi pearl earrings, both done in all 14K.  There will be more to come, including some 18K earrings I hope to list later this week.  Most of these are currently available in my shop.  Enjoy!