Two Fuzzy Heads Then Three

A gorgeous robin found the perfect spot for a nest right on top of our vine trellis in the front garden.

I thought there were 2 but today I saw a 3rd head pop up.  I am utterly amazed by her & her babies.  

Huey The Woodpecker

So years ago we had to get a big 40 or 50 foot dying tree cut down in our back yard

but we asked the tree guys to leave like 15 feet of the stump and here's why...

Huey our woodpecker.  He comes every year and he chips away at the dead stump

and finds lots of food in there.  It's so satisfying & amazing to watch him, he works so hard to live.

Red Wings

This is one of my favorite all time photos from this past summer.

I saw some birds I've never seen before, like this amazing red beauty.

A Favourite Black Bird

This is one of my favorite photographs of a black bird yet...

I am feeling really stoked to get some of these done as art pieces.

Thrashers I Love You

Another shot of the brown thrasher in all his glory...

They seem to prefer the peanuts.  Their unique body language is great to watch.

A Majestic River Guide

This was one of the best most beautiful paddles ever...

Herons live along a river that we kayak down often.  It's a river close to our home.

I am over the moon with these photos of our majestic river guide

& he's inspired my newest image which I'll show you tomorrow.

Baby Robins

I am kinda wild about this photo I took of a baby robin in the backyard...

I think it would be a pretty spectacular pastel....do you think so possibly?

A Star Gazing Crackle

So this past summer we found this pretty little Grackle in our backyard.

She was hiding underneath one of our cedars and was soaking wet, not moving much.

We left her for awhile, watching from a distance but when it was clear

that she wasn't getting better and night was fast approaching,

with cats and raccoons always scampering in the backyard at night we picked her up.

It was pretty clear that she wasn't okay, she couldn't keep her balance, fly or hold her head normally.

I put her against my chest and she just let her body be propped up by mine.

The only time she would struggle was when we tried to leave her alone,

when she was against my chest, she calmed down, stopped struggled & just looked around.

We think she had a neurological disease called 'Stargazing' that apparently some wild birds get

for no reason, where all they do is stare upwards, which is exactly all she wanted to do.

so we held her for hours on end, gently holding her head where she clearly wanted it.

We stayed outside with her so she could hear the crickets and feel the breeze.

But once the mosquitoes started pestering us and her, we went into the house.

And than around 2:30 in the morning, against my chest, she passed away, it was quick.

We felt love for this little soul in the few sad hours we spent with her.
We buried her in the front garden where the rest of her flock tends to hang out.

I felt so honored to see her beauty up close and to feel her trust.

And here's the thing that struck me about this day....

that huge difference we'd see in the world if people just embrace other beings, no matter the species.

It's the simplest and easiest thing to do, to reach out with kindness,

especially to the most vulnerable and delicate.

We just have to learn to step outside of our owns needs a bit more,
to let go of our shit and get out of our own heads, if we can do that, extending a helping hand is easy.

Because the connection and beauty found in doing so is so bright and so very very rewarding.
Anyhow!  RIP little beautiful Grackle XO

Baby Raven Beauty

So at the beginning of the summer we had to honor & pleasure of meeting this gorgeous beauty.

He seemed lost & unstable so we kept him safe & comfy until he was strong enough to fly away.

Pishner Coming Along

Mr Pishner Toppingale is almost complete, the colored pencil part is atleast.  People always ask me how I come up with my character names but it's no secret & it's simple, they just pop into my head.

I have quite a few new pieces to show you all but my scanner is still dead & I haven't found

a decent replacement that I am happy spending my money on yet so bare with me!

Florin Blue In Progress...

Guys...look...Florin Blue is looking really pretty so far...

(Is it bad or cheesy when as artist says that?  hmmm I don't think so really,

we've got to like our own work after all because if we don't how can we expect anyone too right!?)

Anyhow, you know that excited feeling you get in the middle of a new piece,

that "This Is Going To Be One Of My Best One Yet..." feelings?...

I've got that feeling with this one & usually with that feeling I move slowly so I don't mess up

but with this one, I am so anxious to see how it turn out & if I was right, it's speeding right along.

(Well okay okay...speeding along as quickly as colored pencils allows anyhow ha ha!)

Feather Song

All done...I've titled this one

'Feather Song'

prints will be in my shop by the end of this week, they may be in a limited edition.

The Bird & The Flowers

Here's a brand new Ink Pen drawing that I just finished up.

I am really happy with how it turned out,

I feel like the bird looks pretty darn content in it's pretty flowery setting.

I'll let you know when prints have hit the shop

and when the original is up for grabs

(my studio subscribers who chose to "Keep In Touch" always get first dibs on original work).

Happy Weekend

As always I hope that your soaking up the magic of the world... 



 

and seeking all the hidden beauty at every possible chance you get.

Me & Matilda

Me & Matilda or rather I guess its Matilda & I, we'll show you a sweet new ink drawing tomorrow...

 

 

We really like it...we hope you'll hop on over to see it (yes she's a pigeon that watches me draw!!!).

She's Still Here

So the little fledging that I told you about has apparently decided to adopt us...
We found her way back on July 11th and she's still here with us.

 

We've left doors wide open, we've brought her outside every day encouraging her to fly away...

 

We leave her alone outside, hoping she'll go back to the wild but we find her back inside on her chair!



 She doesn't want to go, we don't really seem to have a say...I guess she's decided she's home!

So everyone meet and say hello to the newest member of our motely crew, Matilda.

Finding A Fledgling

We came across a bit of wild magic...

in the middle of a busy road,

being narrowly missed by each car barreling by,

we saw this little fledgling, peeping away, obviously lost & helpless.

 

 

I didn't think twice, I knew my hon bun would block traffic with the truck as best as possible

whiles I jumped out to try to help the little darling

(or rather I hobbled out cause I had my knee brace on!) 



 

I thought it would be enough to scoop her up off the road but when I did so,

she was obviously even more helpless than I originally thought...

so I followed her, she didn't know where to go poor sweet-ling.

So I called Jonathan for help, he came with a blanket, gently scooped her up and home we went.

We couldn't leave her there to starve or get squashed!

 

So afternoon plans now out the window...lunch gone bad from too long out in heat...

we sat in the yard with her for the rest of the day, thinking she'd get her baring's and be on her way.

But she wouldn't move after hours and finally when a chipmunk scared the bejeezus out of her,

causing her to get tangled up and stuck in a thorny rosebush...we decided to bring her in for the night.

 

She would let me hold her on my chest as Jonathan opened her mouth and popped food in.

Fresh corn kernels, fresh peas, little pieces of cherry and such.

If we held up a teaspoon to her mouth she would drink 2 or 3 spoons all in one go.

After eating, tucked against my warm neck, she'd fall asleep and nap away.

 

And so it went like this for a couple weeks...feeding her and her napping on me.

We researched online and it became clear that we couldn't let her go until we saw she could fly

and saw that she could recognize food on the ground and feed herself...

well little miss didn't do that for quite some time!



 Almost a month later, she is still here...we'll see what happens!

But this has been the perfect example of what I mean when I tell people to let their

sensitively and vulnerability shine through because it's through these
that we experience many of life's beautiful mysteries and magic's...

we refused to be just any one of the cars just looking but still zooming on by

and thank goodness for that because she's been some kind of magic in our little household!

On My Desk

A sneak peek at what's on my desk this week...

 

 

I really hope she turns out!!!

Blue Bird on Pink Button Felt Brooch

Just hopping in to show you a new felt brooch I just finished up.

This one is with a sweet little blue bird on a sweet pink button.  I just LOVE making these.

 

Once again it's all hand-stitched, one-of-a-kind & ready to funkify your wardrobe.

It's only $50.  Interested? Email me at MandySaile@BijousWhimsy.com

The Feathered Breasts

A new image just finished up this morning

(in the off times when I am not acting as a bunny crutch, ha ha)

It's called 'The Feathered Breasts'

and is a acrylic and coloured pencil painting on gessoed muslin.

A somewhat cheeky yet whimsical commentary on you know what, ha ha....
Cause a woman can have the most divine face, the most spectacular eyes, the best hat ever,
the nicest hair...but if you've got a chest of any size or shape...well you know the drill.

I don't know where it came from,

The image just popped in my head one day and I thought

'hmmm....that'll be a fun one to make'

...and indeed it was.

Have a great day everyone, see you soon.

XO Mandy