Feather Song In My Society6

I hope you are taking the time to still send snail mail....

I think our mailboxes and hearts need it now more than ever!

You can get this design of mine in my Society6 shop

More designs and exciting goodies coming soon.

A Kind Night

Here's that new image I am slowly plugging away on inspired by the Herons we see when kayaking.

I know unfortunately that Herons eat all kinds of creatures, so this image is called "A Kind Night"

Pretty Tee-Tee

My image of my beloved late Teela is coming along nicely...I am really happy with it so far.

This piece is just for me...she's gone but is still with me in every minute of every single day.

Colouring Feathers

Another new bird is in progress...

you can see my golden monkey pushed off to the side...

that is just for now, I haven't forgotten him

it's just that coloured pencil is so unforgiving with mistakes,

so if I am very unsure of how to move forward like on the background of the monkey...

than I put the piece aside & start a new one till the answer comes to me...

sure sometimes you have to push on and work it out but I listen to my gut
and if it says to me 'nope, not right now Mandy, give this one a small breather'.

I am usually glad that I did listen to my gut.

BUT I can't WAIT to finish him...I am thinking the background will be very dark & stormy.

Adopted Grandpas & Great Watercolours

I don't work out of my studio often because I am just happiest working solo with the buns near me.

But now and than I seek out my friend who've I've shared studio space with before,

my super talented adopted grandpa, Arlie Hoffman, one of North Bay's cherished jewels...

He has a studio space downtown in our little city and I love to set up next to him & work & chat.

He works on huge beautifully amazing watercolours, I on miniature coloured pencils & it's so great.

Jelly Bean Jewel In Blue

Here's a peek at another upcoming Glitter Bug...

I like to have several butterflies all done and released from their paper surroundings

before I seal them onto their painted backgrounds.

I think this is going to be a cool one.  Join me later this week for more from the studio.

Studio Sunsets

I love the part of the day where I am all snuggly cozy at my coloured pencil desk,

which overlooks our front yard and the quiet court that we live on.

The sun starts to go down & I look forward to our evening routine beginning...
 

 

...I bask in the last delicious minutes with my colours for the day...

I bask in the beauty of that setting sun & hopefully also in a studio day well spent....

ahhhhhh....little things...as always.

On Jaks & Making His Butterflies

So I know I wrote earlier about being stressed out and sad over our spotted prince Jaks.

 

He was indeed rushed in for an emergency visit Monday evening

(we couldn't wait for the scheduled appointment for the following AM unfortunately)

and it is a diagnosis that we were expecting and fearing, congestive heart failure.

The crackling sound in his breathing and the little chocking sounds he's been making

are because his lungs are filling up with liquid.

 

But he's still extremely alert, enjoying his days and eating like a bear

so his doctor agrees with us, that it's not 'quite time yet' and we are grateful for that.

 

 

We now enter the very emotional topsy turvy time of balancing precious time with our boy

but than allowing our hearts and guts to tell us when it's time to gently help him pass

(I fear I am not so good with this part).

We've been through congestive heart failure with 2 rabbits before,

His doctor will come to our home when it's time,
but sometimes they are okay one minute & gone the next.

 

 

But we are hopeful and now have medication for him.

It won't buy us all much more time but it'll help him during what time he does have left.

1 medication will help his body drain the liquid from his lungs.

He had an injection of this drug on Monday and it definitely made him more comfortable

but the needle hurt so we had to wait for an oral fluid form to arrive.

The 2nd medicine will lower his blood pressure so that his little heart doesn't work so hard.

 

In the meantime we are with him, a lot (probably driving him alittle nuts!),

we are enjoying his royal cuteness, he's still making us laugh...

and he and I are making lots of new butterflies...these bugs were inspired by him after all!

Wiesner

Everyone meet my newest little character

Weisner

He's a Black Chinned Yuhina and has quite the interesting story...

but guess what? There are only 3 ways you can hear about his intriguing tale

1) buy a print of him in my shop

2) be a recipient of my newsletters or sign up if your not already on my list

 or 3) buy my very first book of quirky characters when it comes out.

 

 

And my lovely friends, this is where I leave you for a very short spell.

I am going to take a short blog break to enjoy these last days of August with my hon and buns.

When we come back in September we'll be moving over to my brand new website...

I will indeed let you know all the details when we come back.

See you again soon...Happy End of Summer and be super duper well.

XO



Quirky Chicks

Even though my head has been pretty bad I've been getting new pictures started.

 

 

It's a new series starting with 4 quirky chicks who will carry inspirational messages from me to you.



Working On Weisner

I am working on a new little character...

 

 

Hi name is 'Weisner" and I think he's going to be one cool little dude!

Time For Mixed Media Play

It's feeling like a good week and time to break into some colour and mixed media.

So aside from some miniature bugs, I'll jump in with these cool c.pencil heads I did some time back.

 

 

I have no idea where they'll go, but I suppose that's the fun of playing with mixed media.

I don't plan them out as much as I would my usual illustrative work, soooo, we'll see!



Green Heart

She is Kind...

She is Nurturing...

She Protectively Flows Around Those She Loves...

She Is Strong For Those Who Need Her, bending like a willow yet strong like an oak...

She is All Who LOVE Nature above all else...

She is Mother Nature incarnate...

She could possibly be you, She could be me...

 

She is... "Green Heart"

 

 

Take a closer look...

 

Isn't she lovely and cool...

I am so proud of her.

 

Prints are already in my shop

She would suit any nature/earth lovers home, that's for sure.

 

Be Kind, Connected & Inspired



What's On My Desk

This is what's on my desk currently...

 

 

What creative things are you up to this week?



Owlette Prints

I finally...FINALLY!  got around to listing the last 4 owls

in my "Owlette" series, as prints in my shop...

Once again, as all my prints, they are printed on 8 x 10" Stonehenge paper, with top quality inks

& easily slide into any 8x 10" frame or mat of your choosing.

 

 

They are such unique and quirky feathered fellows,

that would make a great addition to any wall or shelf

or wherever your owl loving heart would put them.

P.S. These owls of mine are of course vegetarians and friends of rabbits & smaller creatures!

 

Visit my shop for these new prints & the other 4 in the Owlette series.

 



Fiarella

Everyone meet

 

"Fiarella"

 

 

She is extremely wealthy (family money if you must know).

She has a huge palatial burrow on the banks of the Tuscan sea.

Marble floors, fountains galore, an army of servants (all of whom love working for her I must add).

She is super proud of her several huge conservatories which play host and safe have to

endangered tropical plants, iguanas and butterflies.

She considers herself an amateur botanist & a great lover and supporter of nature.

Her family line goes way back in history, to Florence Italy, to be exact.

Her ancestors came up with and ran the very first ever gondola service.

The business was passed along to all the youngest buns in the very large family,

each generation proudly holding to their Italian roots and making the business better &

more profitable than the next.

Which is wonderful because the more money Fiarella has, the more she works to expand her

conservatories and the more butterflies and iguanas she can help save.

 

Isn't' she a stoic old dear after your own heart.

 

If you were to imagine the kind of artwork Fiarella has hanging on her burrow walls,

what kind of paintings do you imagine???

Hamish

Hi Hi Hi Everyone,

I am back.  Things got away from me these last few days,

doctors appointments (apparently I have 'aggravated' my chest wall!), etc etc...

and well honestly it was just mostly me opting for time outside with

my honey and bunnies instead of in the studio or online.

But I am hopping in today to introduce you all to a new little character of mine.

 

His name is 'Hamish'

 

Is he just not one of the cutest buns?

And guess what, like Sevanne, he too has quite a story...I'll tell you just alittle bit of it...

Where should I start?

Hmmm...maybe one of the most interesting things about Hamish is what his favorite smell is...

Yes, let's start there...

 

 

His favorite smell in the whole world is paper...old paper...

The older the paper the better, anything from the 18th century is his all time favorite.

This is so because would you believe that his bloodline is inextricably linked to Guess Who?

The Grimm's Brothers...

yep it's true, Jacob and Wilhelm often broke bread with Hamish's ancestors back in the 1700's.

 

Hamish's great great great great great great greatest grandfather was the scribe for the brothers.

'Hamish the Great Scribe' was the one who inked the words on paper whilst the brothers

spun their tales out loud.  Pretty cool huh.

(one wouldn't think that as humans, they would fit down into the rabbits warrens

but Hamish's family dug out a special network of tunnels & a story-telling room just for the brothers.

It is said that the brothers brought the secret of those tunnels to their graves).

 

Well Hamish, named after his grandfather of course, has paper, ink & grand stories

running in his blood, so he kept up the family business of sorts

and he now owns and runs one of the

largest underground libraries in the whole entire world.

Of course you have to be in his inner circles to even know where the secret door is to

this immense labyrinth of books...there's a secret knock and everything.

 

Yep, my sweet little Hamish sure does love his books & the smell of them....

We have that in common...I am hoping someday I'll be shown the secret library too!

 

p.s. Prints are on their way.

Interested in having the precious little 5 x 7" original for yourself?

Just email me at MandySaile@BijousWhimsy.com

Sevanne

A new little feathered friend wants to say Good Evening.

Everyone meet...

 

"Sevanne"

 

She can not stay for a long chat however because she's late for her afternoon beauty nap,

Then there is still linens to be brought in from the clothes line and well it is about to thunder and pour

and she must not forget her apple peach pie just about cooled to perfection on the windowsill...

she plans to serve it with rhubarb tea when her dear knitting club comes over later on this evening.

 

 

She is done in coloured pencil and acrylic paint on a wood canvas measuring only 5 x 7"

(the original is for sale just email me at mandysaile@bijouswhimsy.com if your interested)

Prints will be available in my Etsy shop shortly.

 

I finished her up today whiles my sweet girl Teela napped away in the grass

& a black bird kept swooping at my head.  I was not impressed!

The darn thing built her nest in one of the busiest section of our yard!

Despite that, it was a lovely afternoon

(minus apple peach pie & rhubarb tea unfortunately!)

until the nasty mosquitoes drove us back into the house.

 

Hope you all had a lovely day.  See you soon again.

Pillerun Pritt

Say Hello to my newest little creation,

A feathered top hatted sweetheart named 

Pillerun Pritt

If he looks just slightly anxious it's because he is on his way to a grand outdoor ball,

where the night will be scented with jasmine &

the stars will be winking down on him by the millions.
This ball is be thrown around the local and elegant bandstand in the center of town,

and it's where he is suppose to meet a pretty little robin for a blind date...

he can't decide between a bouquet of pink and yellow roses or red and purple pansies...

poor little guy is sooo nervous, but his stunning green top hat gives him much needed confidence...

The bird itself is done in coloured pencil and then that is mounted to a painted acrylic canvas

whiles he sits on top of strip of bright orange ribbon. 
It has been sealed several times & has a lovely gloss to it.
It is ready to be shipped & is ready to hang.  It measures 8 x 10"
 

Which do you think he should choose?  The roses or the pansies?

P.S. Prints will be available soon

Sner Snickley

Hi Everyone,

meet my newest little chum

"Sner Snickley"

I just have to share abit of his story with you

 

 

...Sner Snickley was excited.

He was so excited that his hat was about to wobble right off the top of his furry head.

So very excited that he had so many goose bumps along his bald little tail that he was getting chilly!

Yes, he was excited because he was on his way to the airport.

In under 2 hours, he would be flying high above cotton puff clouds to a long dreamt of destination...

a place he's been dreaming of all of his young life and right into his current middle life...

yes indeedy,

it was time for Sner to jet off to the mystical and magical island of Ibiza.

 

 

He had everything he needed packed up beautifully and efficiently...

An extra bag to bring back souvenirs & hopefully atleast 10 fresh pineapples, his favorite fruit.

He was already signed up for a 2 week long diving class so he had snorkel and fins packed.

Embarrassingly, his tail and fair face crisped up in the sun like a piece of soy ham,

so he packed not 1 but 3 bottles of spf 80 lotion.  No need for more wrinkles after all!

He had several swimming trunks in various colours,

though the submarine yellow ones with red and blue Ferraris on them were his absolute favorite,

he didn't know why exactly but they just made his heart happy, so he actually bought 2 pairs of those.

He also made sure to pack his jet black dancing shoes and extra shoe polish

for he planned to dance alot and every single night of his vacation,

oh how his heart fluttered just thinking of dancing away the nights under the pink Ibiza stars

And of course he must bring his special suitcase, the one that perfectly houses his burgundy top hat...

he went no where without his lucky top hat...ever.

Maybe, just maybe he might get lucky enough to meet the future Mrs. Snickley on the dance floor.

Oh yes, indeedy, he was hat wobbling, goose bump chilly, super duper excited...

 

 

I can just picture Sneer's face the first time he sets foot on Ibiza, what fun that would be to see, ha ha.

Prints of Sner will be available soon.

 

Have an amazing weekend everyone.