BRILLIANT!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2228229/Whos-pretty-clever-boy--cockatoo-make-use-tools.html

This is a very amazing video.  I knew parrots were smart, but this takes it to a whole new level.  Love it!

For your enjoyment, here is a picture of my Frosty, whom I believe could be capable of the same feat as this smart Cockatoo.

ALMOST DONE!

It has been weeks in the making, but my studio is coming along swimmingly.  I painted and mounted the wall shelves that now hold many totes with bird toy parts.  As you can see, it runs the entire length of the wall.  A great space saver.

For some reason, the color scheme of red and aqua appealed to me in the make-over.  It felt bold and sassy and fresh all at the same time.  Kind of like parrots are.  I set out to make this room come alive with color, texture and unity and so far, I am more than pleased.

Making bird toys requires many parts, so these cute drawers are a great bang for your buck.  I love how the colorful parts look like candy from a candy counter in a general store.

This is one of my favorite corners.  It will be where I do all of my paper art, drawing and beading.  I love how the blue chair pops with color.  It's comfortable too, which is a big bonus.  The mirror will soon be painted in the aqua color to tie in the theme.  But for now it looks decent enough to put on the back burner with all the other little finishing touches.

No space is wasted in this studio.  Under the table space gave me extra room to tuck carts an more drawer storage.  I am a label freak, so everything must be labeled or I will go crazy!

Every space needs mood lighting and these electric candles do the trick.  No worries about flames or fumes from scented candles to drift into the other part of the house where the birds are housed.  I love organization.  It makes me tingly.....LOL.

This bulletin board use to be plain and ugly.  But a little paint livened it right up and gave it new purpose.  Tack on a beautiful cross, some original art work, and tada....you have a showpiece that brings cheer to even the most hectic day of making toys.  Oh, and for a touch of attitude, I threw in a cat clock to keep me on time.

I almost passed out with delight when I saw this pillow at IKEA.  Throwing in a bird themed accent did wonders for the ambiance in the room.  The aqua throw ties it all together.  Now excuse me while I use this pillow and take a nap.....this studio makeover has exhausted me!

Since I am going to be opening my Etsy shop up again to sell my toys and bird art, I needed a mailing center.  This little cart was just the ticket.  The files were not the most attractive things, so I mounted an old lap tray to the front giving the space a whimsical touch.  Notice that the tray is also the same blue.  Bonus!

With just a few more painted pieces to add and some other last minute touches, my studio space will be good to go.  I will post pictures of those last items soon.  But for now, I'm going to enjoy this new space and my new life in my new studio.

DRIPPY BIRD

Because Frosty is a feather picker, it is essential that he be bathed as often as twice a day.  This was vet recommended for such a bird as Frosty.  Unfortunately, Frosty does not enjoy being bathed, sprayed or anything else that involves the use of water.  Timothy loves showers and asks for them constantly all day long.  He can't get enough of the wet stuff and just basks in the mist covering his body.  I thought that if Frosty witnessed his brother enjoying the water, that he would too.  But he is not convinced.  So what is a pleasant task with Timmy, is not pleasant with Frosty.

He does look a bit drippy and miffed in this picture.  Notice the clenched talon.  I imagine this as a sign that he would like to pop me in the nose for getting him soaking......LOL!  As angry as he gets, I still must press on with his hydro therapy.  He is now sporting four new flight feathers (primaries).  We are on the threshold of success!

MESSY, MESSY, MESSY

This room used to be our garage.  For many years now, it has been a "family room" catch all.  A mix of crafts, computer, and reading area.  Recently it became a place to put all the junk that didn't have a permanent home.  It's amazing how fast an area can go from usable to wrecking yard!  All this changed when I adopted my most recent bird, Frosty.  The bird room, that use to house many things besides birds, is now JUST the bird room.  I will post pictures of that rooms transformation at a later time.  That old saying is true: necessity truly is the mother of invention.

I don't believe there was one area in this large room that really "worked" for me.  Nothing was jiving or making any sense.  I spend a lot of time in here on the computer, but never has this space had a cohesive life.  I liken it to my brain on an OCD overdrive rampage.  There is a lot going on, but nothing making sense.  I guess to truly appreciate this, one would have to suffer from OCD, as I do, or ADHD, as one of my family members does.  I have found myself standing in the middle of this mess and turning in circles not knowing what to tackle first.  Strangely enough, that all changed when Frosty came in to our home and our hearts.

I actually enjoy prep time.  It is relaxing for me.  And I felt quite proud of myself using an electric sander and all.  Not once did my carpenter brother have to come and help me.  I wanted to see if I could rise to the task at hand, and now I know I can.....and did!

Now that only the finishing touches have to be done on the space before making its big reveal, I can look back with complete satisfaction knowing that I did my best, and hey....my best turned out to be not that bad.  Stay tuned for the final reveal......

THE NEWEST ADDITION

So sorry for the lack of updates, but as you can see from the heading, I have been busy bringing in another bird to our flock.  His name is Frosty and he is a Goffin Cockatoo.  It was another case of being in the right place at the right time.  Frosty was meant to be a part of my life.  The same way Timmy came in to my life, Frosty followed suit.  It was a nice sunny morning and I made a spur of the moment decision to go and take inventory of my bird toys at Bird Hut.  Engrossed in my endeavors of getting the count right of my toys, I missed the dark beady eyes that were following me from the corner.  That is, until he started to make a noise like a baby goat.  I looked over, and this is what met my gaze.........

This is Frosty.  He is 12 years old and was dropped off at Bird Hut by an elderly woman unable to care for him anymore.  He was being fed a diet of cockatiel seed and was showing signs of malnutrition.  I immediately fell in love and the rest is history.  Yes, Frosty is another feather picker.  These special birds seem to be my calling in life.  I feel the hand of the Lord upon me to care for as many of these fragile, yet highly intelligent creatures, that is possible.

 

The care Frosty received at Bird Hut the short time he was there, proved that he can grow beautiful new feathers.  As you can see from he picture below, he loves showing off his lovely wingspan.  It is my hope that after some months of good solid nutrition, Frosty's feather condition will improve.  He is now all moved in to the bird room and loving his new life.  I feel immensely blessed to have this little scamp in my life.  He is cuddly and loves to talk and sing.

Now that Frosty has taken up my work space, I have had to move everything out of the bird room except for, well....the birds!  Now our family room is quickly becoming the entire headquarters, office work and all, of ZeeksBeak.  There will be pictures to follow of the transformation.  I welcome you all to journey with me and the boys through this exciting transition!

Blessings to all,

Michelle

CHOP INGREDIENTS

On this beautiful first day of summer in the Pacific Northwest, I took advantage of the sunshine and went to pick some fresh produce from the garden.

This will be a great addition to the chop I make for my birds.  I learned how to make chop from a great lady, Patricia Sund over at Parrot Nation.  You can find her chop recipe and all other kind of bird related articles over there on her blog.

In fact, my garden was basically planted to give my birds and rabbit fresh produce free from any kind of pesticide or other modified chemicals.  Pure water and sunshine is all I need to grow a great garden for me and my animals.

Now....I just have to figure out how to break the news to Zoey that this basket of greens is not all for her.  Wish me luck.

Introducing......

I must admit I have had a challenging time getting my small home business launched.  I have never been a person that finds the business aspect very thrilling.  You might even go as far as to say I am quite illiterate when it comes to technical business items.  However, I am very creative and find the process of designing toys and making them, very thrilling.  But, as my sister so cleverly phrased, I must put on my "big girl" pants and rise to the challenge set before me.  So the first thing on my list was to get a logo that really spoke to my heart.

I finally made a decision and grabbed a hold of this cute picture, as it just echoes the look of my African grey parrot, Timothy.  I couldn't have illustrated a better image for my business myself and feel this was just the icon I needed to get me off and running.  Timothy approves and claims that the artist used him for the model.  Shhhh.....don't tell him, but he has quite an ego.  So instead of crushing his little self esteem, I just let him believe that, yes....he is indeed a star!

So, with my "big girl" pants on and many prayers sent upward, I will be putting this logo on business cards, toy cards and, of course, on my Etsy shop banner.  So do visit again, and together we will journey through all things bird.  Hey, if it has a beak....you just might see it on these pages.  Have a blessed day everyone!