bluebirds of happiness...

This year we made most of our presents in an effort to simplify and maybe save some money. I managed to size and crop some photos of one of my projects (being without a computer for a few days slowed me down a bit!)

A while back I saw a post on Brenda's beautiful blog, Cozy Little House, where she was making the prettiest birds in such beautiful, colorful fabrics! That project of hers immediately came to mind when I spotted this blue & white snowflake fabric at a junktique shop (and at only $1.00 for a couple of yards!). I decided to make each girl a "bluebird of happiness" as one of their homemade gifts and the snowflake fabric definitely fit the bill.

Now I am not a sewer or seamstress, so right off the bat I was off to a rocky start. The first bird, a prototype that I'm keeping, looked much more like a seal than a bird. And the next two, pictured above, came out much smaller than I expected (I forgot about that pesky seam allowance!)

After stuffing the birds, I attached a wing ornament to each. I purchased them several years ago but never got around to using them, so they came in handy for this project. I wrote the date and a little message to each girl on the underside of the wings.

I pressed sticky rhinestone eyes onto each bird (from my stash of craft supplies)...

...and finished them off with a vintage earring (again, from my stash) clipped onto the ornament ribbon around the throat.


To say these birds are a bit tipsy is an understatement. I hot glued a big flat button to their undersides, hoping it would keep them upright. And if you place them just so, they do stay upright...

So thanks for the inspiration, Brenda!! If I hadn't seen your fabric birds, I doubt that I would have thought to make these!

I'll share a few other homemade projects once I get pictures onto the computer!

Donna

Shabby Cottage Giveaway - Bunny, Birds, and Blooms!

Happy Pink Saturday! I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I started blogging, and I've really enjoyed getting to know so many of you!


My very first post, on March 16, 2008, featured this crackled vase of faux pink roses that sits on my dining room table...

Therefore, it only seemed fitting that my first anniversary giveaway include lots of PINK roses! (That, plus the fact that I'm soooo anxious for spring, and I thought many of you might feel the same way!!!) So I went shopping as though I were picking things out for myself; I hope you like my choices! All of these items were purchased from one of my favorite places, The Christmas Tree Shop... As anyone here in the northeast knows, CTS is not an expensive store, but you can always find some pretty cool stuff there! So let me show you what I picked out, just for YOU!!!
(click any photo to enlarge)

There you have it - everything you see on top of the pie safe (except for the lamp - that's mine!!)


You all know how much I love birds and, from your comments, I know a lot of you love them, too! So when I spotted this love bird topiary, I KNEW it had to be part of my giveaway!


Ever since I got them home they've been so excited, chirping back and forth to each other, wondering who the winner will be and where they will be going to live!


And you also know that one of my very favorite colors is robin's egg blue, so when I spotted this fringed pillow with lush pink roses I grabbed it for the giveaway! (It reminds me of a vintage barkcloth material)...



This shabby little garden bunny hopped over to me and asked if he could be part of the giveaway, too... I hope you all like heavily distressed pieces because he's missing quite a bit of his chippy paint...

... especially on his left side... But I told him that I thought you would all love him, just as he is! He asked if he could pose with the two little planter boxes that the winner will get... Again, robin's egg blue and pink roses... It was a done deal as soon as I saw them!

And lastly, this little floral quilted tote with braided handles. These were being sold as lunch bags (they have a soft insulated/plastic interior and a velcro close tab)... I actually bought one of these last year to tote around Delilah, my little Garmin GPS unit... Very handy!!

So there you have it! I hope you like all the goodies I chose for you... It's such a small way to say Thank You to each and every one of you who visit my blog, both old friends and new. Just leave a comment on this blog post and you will be entered into the giveaway. I'm going to keep it open until midnight EST on March 31st... I'll post the winner on April 1st or 2nd.

And if you mention this giveaway on your blog, please mention that in your comment so I can enter your name twice... And if you don't have a blog, please be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

Now please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see her Pink Saturday post! While there, you'll also find a list of all the other pink-loving bloggers who are participating in today's PINK SATURDAY!


Donna