MSED: Bird a Day #136 Sun Rise Rooster

In honor of today's glorious weather (including the sunrise) I give you Sun Rise Rooster

50 degrees and sunny, can't beat that with a stick!

MSED: Bird a Day #134 Green Nest

Here's today's puzzle piece.

I found a cool new pen. It's called Ink Joy by Paper Mate. I got a pack of 18 (10 different colors) for $3 at Target. They write liquid-y smooth and have a fine point (package said med point). Feels like somewhere in between a ball point and a roller ball.

At home in their jar.

Keep your caps on kids, it's cold outside.

And just writing with a pen with the word "joy" on it, well, it gives me joy.

Here are all the colors.

MSED: Bird a Day #133 The Ways of the Heart

Today was a perfect day to be at home to cook and craft and watch old movies. I did all three.

I am altering a puzzle for my next art project. Here is the first piece. There are 24 in all. The original puzzle came from the dollar store; it was Winnie the Pooh so this must be Owl.

Altered puzzle piece, acrylic paint, clip art, and pen

MSED: Bird a Day #127 Reinbird/ First Sketch for the Sketchbook

My Dad's birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday Dad!
Every year on his kid's birthday my dad would proclaim that the Birthday Giraffe was here and left us a gift. "Dad, come on! There's no such thing as the Birthday Giraffe!" Even though we were pretty sure there was no such thing, as our friends never talked about it, we loved it!
So, in honor of my dad, who invented the mythical creature that took credit for his and Mom's gifts to us I present the Reinbird. (It makes more sense than flying deer I think.) I love you Dad!

First sketch in the Sketchbook Project sketchbook. Color pencil and pen

MSED: Bird a Day #124 Little Notebook Bird

Remember my little Red Owl Notebook? Here's a little drawing for it.

Ink pads and black pen. With letter stamps too!

When I inked up the page there was a bird, this was not intentional just a happy accident.
I out lined it in pen. 

MSED: Bird a Day #123 Bird in a Box

Today's prompt: Make something in a box. So I took this tiny gold foil box.

and put a tree inside,

With a bird on top.

I wanted the tree to be taller but it barely fits in as it is. I would like to explore this idea farther though.

On another note, I received my Sketchbook Project sketchbook in the mail today. Now I have blank sketchbook anxiety! I don't know how to start or what to put in it! Yikes!

MSED: Bird a Day #122 A Block of Firds

MSED: Bird a Day #121 Among the Croton

Phew, that one took some time. I think I will try to do some quick sketchy birds in the next few days to see if I can get back on track with the bird a day thing.

Prismacolor color pencil on bristol board

MSED: Bird a Day #117 Thinking of You

I have a good friend who received some bad news recently. I made her this card. I hope it cheers her up.

MSED: Bird a Day #113 Ink Owl

Owl doodle

Ink and pencil on paper

MSED: Bird a Day #110 Jim Crow

The summer that I was nine or maybe ten, our family stayed at Gram and Grampa's House. We spent a lot of summer time there. My dad was in the Navy and we lived out-of-state most of the time and Gram and Gramp had an Olympic sized pool so when summer time came, off to Michigan we would travel to be pampered and spoiled and loved. But that particular summer was even more special to me. A crow kept coming to visit us around the pool and as time went on he became bolder and bolder stealing anything shiny or bright that he could fly away with, bits of tin foil, a toy car. 

Now I was a kid that would play with a garter snake or a leopard frog all day long and Oh Joy! if I found a field mouse! I just had to make that crow mine! I didn't try to capture it because it was a wild creature and it needed to be free (read: the grown ups didn't want to deal with a pet crow!) By the end of the summer Jim and I were best buddies (in my mind). I would run outside first thing in the morning, still in my PJ's, to greet MY bird and more often than not he was there! One of his favorite things to do was to sit on my head and peck me. And Yes, it hurt but I knew he didn't mean to peck that hard, he loved me as much as I loved him, after all.

Me and Jim on the deck. My Grampa took these pics and he had this really cool camera.
When the pics were developed there was one large square print and three small ones that ran
down the side of the large one. These are the small ones 1.5 inches square.

MSED: Bird a Day #107 CD Cover

My daughter Sarah, left one of her music CDs at my house the other day. It had no cover. Poor naked CD. She already has the music on her ipod I'm sure, and doesn't really need the CD but I just had to cover the poor thing up before it got scratched. I used this video to create it. (turn down the sound, it's strictly a visual demo and the sound track is somewhat annoying)

Sarah! Come home any time and get your CD! xo

Watercolor paper, watercolor, pen, and gel pen

MSED: Bird a Day #106 Happy Halloween

I just can't leave that scribbler alone!

scribbler!

MSED: Bird a Day #101 Book Quote Bird

The prompt for today was to flip to a random page in a book at hand and make something inspired by the first sentence you read. The book on hand was one that was recommended to me by a dear friend, called; Dear Heart Come Home, The Path of Midlife Spirituality by Joyce Rupp.

Ink on bristol board

I was playing around with the idea of adding color but know I don't know if it needs it. What do you think?

Marika Makes: MSED: Bird a Day #90 Tiny Knit Chick

I got the pattern for this tiny chicken from Craft: Here is the link to the free pattern in case anyone would like their very own itty bitty chicky http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/08/project_excerpt_teeny-tiny_moc.html I altered the pattern slightly, I made mine wave "hello" and I didn't give him feet. I used some really nice wool/silk blend yarn that I had left over from some mittens that I never finished. I stuffed him with part of a cotton ball. It only took me one episode of Breaking Bad to finish him. Gotta bounce.

"broooawk"

MSED: Bird a Day #85 Hooty Hoos for Sarah

Is this cheating? I made this owl sweater a while back for my daughter, Sarah. She reminded me of it the other day when I was struggling to come up with a bird. I still need to sew on buttons for the eyes and maybe after that I will post  it again! And no, it is not snowing here in Michigan...yet...that will be next week, ha ha.

Let me tell you how proud I am of this young lady. I get to because she is my daughter and this is my blog :). She is really smart, a great organizer and a self starter and never lets anything keep her from her goals. She may get knocked down from time to time but she gets right back up, ready to go again. And she makes one hell of a good strawberry cheese cake. You go girl!

enough pictures already!

MSED: Bird a Day #84 Bird Brain

Here's another artist trading card. I pretty much have birds on the brain every day I just don't manage to execute one everyday. I should be on bird #104. Do you think I should try to catch up so my bird a day project lasts one year or just plug away as I have been until I get to bird #365?

Color Pencil and pen on bristol board

Also, I wanted to mention that I sold a print on my Redbubble site! whoot woo! It was Courtship Under the Bower. I would love to know who bought it so I can thank them properly.

MSED: Bird a Day #83 Geese Can Wear White After Labor Day...

...or Birds of a Sweater Sock Together... I know, groan. You knew I had to get knitting in this blog somewhere. When I'm not drawing, painting, blogging, or surfing, I am knitting. Ok, I do other stuff too but I have the most fun doing these things.

MSED: Bird a Day #82 Perched Upon Linda's Hollyhocks

I have a friend, one that I have never met in person. She lives on the opposite side of the Atlantic ocean from me. She was one of the first followers on Marika Makes (if not the first). So she holds a special place in my heart. She likes to garden and grows her own vegetables and has the most lovely hollyhocks (in a secret garden). Recently she told me that she retired from her job this year after 25 years of service. So Linda, this card is for you. May the blue bird of happiness sing perched upon your hollyhocks forevermore.

Ink pad and gel pen on card stock

If you would like to check out what Linda has been up to here's a link to her blog http://lindawilksart.blogspot.com/

MSED: Bird a Day #81 Kneaded Eraser Penguin

I feel a bit sorry for this little guy as he was left quite alone to take care of junior for the winter.

Also he is not very attractive and his mate may not return

My old kneaded eraser