Baby hummingbirds

A good friend of mine was fortunate to have a "birds eye view" of a hummingbird nest in her back yard.  We got some terrific photos.

Enjoy them and a few facts.

In general, the hummingbird nest building and the raising of the young is all done by the female Hummingbird. Hummingbirds do not use bird houses and they do not nest in cavities. They prefer to make their small cup-shaped nest in the fork of a tree branch. The hummingbird nest will be made out of downy-like plant material that's held together with spider webs.The female hummingbird will usually lay 2 eggs in the hummingbird nest, sometimes only 1. The hummingbird eggs will be laid on 2 different days, but will usually hatch on the same day because the female will not start incubating the the eggs until the second egg is laid. The humming bird eggs will be white and less than half an inch long, about the size of a small jelly bean or pea. Once hatched, The female will feed them with a mixture of nectar and tiny insects and spiders, that she will collect in her crop and regurgitate the mixture into the mouths of the young. The insects and spiders will provide the protein that the baby hummingbirds need to grow.Because of their extremely high metabolism, hummingbirds will have to feed every 10 to 15 minutes, except at night when they go into a state of torpor to slow down heir metabolism so they can survive without eating until morning.........so there you go!

Wedding Brooches

I was contacted, on my Etsy shop, by Kristen, a bride to be. She was interested in pins for her and her bridal party. She had chosen very chic black retro style dresses for her bridesmaids. She wanted 3 custom brooches for her bridesmaids, incorporating each of their favorite colors mixed with crystal rhinestones and pearls for the individual girls. One with touch of emerald, another with a sprinkling of ruby red, and one with yellow gems. They would all be different but have a similar feel. Kristen was going to be married on the northern coast, which can be chilly, and had bought a terrific faux fur shawl on Etsy to go with her dress. I had been working on a black, white and crystal brooch incorporating feathers. Once I showed it to Kristen she said it would be a perfect piece to pin on her shawl. I had to agree. Perfect! Once the wedding was over she'd be able to wear a piece from her wedding ensemble any time she wanted.. .... I just heard from the new bride. She had an amazing wedding and wanted to share with me wedding photos showing the vintage collage brooches I had created for her. I was thrilled to get the images of the beautiful bride and her friends. They look marvelous and I'm so happy to be a small part of her special day. Kristen, I wish you and your husband a wonderful and happy life together. Enjoy! I have her permission to share these photos with you.

Guess one of my favorite vintage tunes!

Blue Snow

It's been a wet winter without much snow.........we did get enough to play in the other day. We made odd formations using a bucket, colored water in a spray bottle, and iceicles off the roof. They got washed away the next day in the rain.  I'm sure a few passers-by thought.........."now what is that woman doing?"