Made to Order - Felted Hummingbird with Nest of Babies order

This hand felted ruby throated hummingbird with babies honors a beautiful and meaningful familial scene/moment in the cycle of life, that of procreation. This captivating bird lives perpetually as a guardian and sustainer to its adoring offspring. The hummingbird is approx. 8" in length (including beak) and 2" in height at the widest point. It is crafted with many woolen shades and variations of color, including umber, ochre, crimson, grey, light sage green, and golden papery gossamer accents within the wings and back. The same wool and colors (save the reds) comprise the six (6) baby hummingbirds and nest. The babies are about 1.5" in length and 3/4" in width. The nest is approx. 3" in diameter, and adorned with real dried blossoms and tiny pieces of foliage.

Hummingbirds are creatures of benediction, insatiable in their feeding, constantly seeking, moving, being. To my ancestors the Purépecha Indians, they were creatures to be honored and revered, and ancient indigenous artisans handcrafted cloaks, capes and complex mosaic artwork utilizing thousands of their feathers. Who does not love the hummingbird? Whose spirits are not lifted a bit, or attention and heart not deftly piqued order by their lovely, temporal dance and presence within our spheres . . . a moment, a fluttering, a breath, as they go about their neverending search.

25% of your purchase will be donated to Defenders of Wildlife, to protect and restore imperiled wildlife across North America and around the world. Together, we can ensure a future for the wildlife and wild places we all love.

The Magic of Needle Felting

Needle felting is a process wherein one shapes and sculpts bundles of wool roving utilizing a tiny barbed felting needle. I learned to needle felt at my son's school, The Waldorf School of Santa Barbara and fell in love, soon immersing myself in the craft. With a needle and wool, one can shape, tighten, and meticulously define individualized creations, creating little worlds for the young (and all ages) to revel in. I specialize in animals, typically referencing a striking photograph of the real animal and recreating, lending a reverential and loving detail to the forms. It is beautiful to find within the process the manner wool imitates and mimics fur, feathers, scales and skin. I find myself fixated, laying dozens of individual colors atop and within one another for enhancement, depth and beauty in arriving at the final creation. Human figures and facial structures are often based on my children and those I love or am taken by. Each creation is completely unique, born in the mind's eye/imagination, and brought to life and given definition by the artist, possessor, and those who come and hold and play . . .