Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

   My last post told how a mixed media wall piece combined wood, metal clay, feathers and ribbons to produce a story.   I introduced the 'Gastornis' - an extinct flightless primitive bird.  This week I'm sharing the 2 pendants I made at the same time I made the 'Gastornis' wall decor.   This post is about telling a story with jewelry and shows how color can add to the message. The pendant on the left above combines warm brass beads, meaningful red prayer beads and a handmade bronze wire clasp.  Does it made you feel excited?  The pendant on the right combines Hubei turquoise with silver and bronze.  The greenish color along with the silver cools the bronze.  Maybe this pendant makes you feel calmer?   Each of us bring our own color experiences with us.  I find it helpful to understand what we like and why.  That makes selections more meaningful and enjoyable.   Let's look at the pendant on the left and I'm going to call it 'The Warm Bird'.  This sto

Peter and I just returned from our summer road trip to the Great Sand Dune National Park in Colorado.   I'll be sharing some of the sites along the way in the next couple of blog posts and hope you enjoy them. Alamosa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge(   https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Alamosa/about_the_refuge.html ) This is a wildlife refuge that covers 11,169 acres and has a mission to enhance the wetlands and desert habitats while providing protection for migratory birds.  It is located in the San Luis Valley in south central Colorado. It wasn't until we drove into the visitor's center and followed the scenic trail that I realized what diverse habitat existed in this area.  The road followed the Rio Grande where we saw a Ruddy Duck in breeding plumage.  I love the male's blue beaks!  Ruddy Duck in breeding plumage At the visitor center there was a large milkweed plant that was different than the ones we have.  I did not see any Monarch butterflies but the blo

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico We just returned from San Carlos, Sonora Mexico - a quick trip to visit a very good friend!  The first thing we did was to take a walk on the beautiful beach.  My friend kept telling me that the hurricane (this year) had torn up the beach and it was rocky.  It was rocky in portions but we had our beach shoes with us for those places and walked in warm sand the rest of the time.  I wanted to share that walk with the ocean textures and animals with you.  You know I'm looking at birds, lapping ocean and shells while enjoying the sea breeze and ocean smells!  I saw dolphins but did not get a good picture of them breaking the surface. An Eared Grebe had a long swim going mostly in circles.  Look at that red eye! This was the greenest shell I've ever seen! I brought this one home.  Such an interesting interior structure for the shell   A Life Bird for me!  The Reddish Heron     Enjoying the texture of a shell.    Talk abo

Guinea Hen The feathers on the backs of birds form patterns when birds fold their wings and sit, perch or walk.    Slate-coloured Boubou The male and females of the same species are different because the male birds are usually so much more colorful. (I've often thought that was unfair!)  Male Woodduck Female Woodduck I started paying attention to the bird’s back patterns in Australia when I took a picture of a bird on a tall stick and tried to identify it. (Of course, I can't find that picture for this blog post!) The bird’s back was toward me and the back is not a typical field mark.  Sometimes I’m so involved in looking at the feathers and patterns that I forget to look at the field marks for identification!  Great Argus  And color certainly helps form the pattern. Different sizes and locations of feathers on the bodies and the wings, the way the wings fold together, different colors and the different requirements for flight and cam

 Getting ready to leave Yesterday was a red letter birding day!   Peter and I went to Willow Lake, Prescott AZ to see if indeed over 100 American White Pelicans were visiting.   We could see a large white mass at the edge of the lake as we parked, took out our cameras, tripods, binoculars and the scope!   We were armed and ready! It’s a short rocky walk to the water’s edge and we were not the only humans looking.   We walked as close as we dared without alarming them and set up the equipment.   As the sun warmed the pelicans, they started swimming toward the center of the lake and eventually took flight.   It was mesmerizing to see them ride the thermals as they flew to their next destination.   1st section of panarama 2nd section of panarama 3rd section of panarama Swimming to the center of the lake Riding the thermals

Mourning Dove My first hummingbird of the season came to the feeder yesterday!   The Stellar Jay and the Acorn Woodpeckers are here along with the Pine Siskins, House Finches, Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches and White-breasted Nuthatches.   When we were in Sedona AZ there were plenty of birds getting ready for Spring with our warmer weather.   I’m sharing a few of my photographs with you. House Finch House Sparrow --nesting place? House Finch Scrub Jay

Look how close he is! I can see his red eye with the white eye ring. See those long thin red legs? He looks like he is dressed in his best tuxedo White throat and belly with that contrast of black Carefully picking his way through the shallow water Looking for food with his long, thin, straight black bill. He pecks and plunges his head into the water To capture fish and beetles and tadpoles. Ah! The simplicity and elegance of nature! Linda Britt