Creative Kismet organized a bird ornament swap, and I signed up. My month isn’t crazy enough, so I agreed to make five birds. Scratch that, SIX birds. There is a direct correlation between my manuscript needing revisions and craft projects I feel compelled to take on.
Six birds!
Anyway, I made a test bird, and here it is.
He’s migratory, so the underside of his wings are made of maps.
A bird with map wings needs to fly, so he’ll fly off to someone else’s house (If anyone wants him). Just leave me a comment and, uh, name one of your favorite books from your elementary school years. Or name a kid’s book with a bird. Or say something else.
I’ll pick someone randomly on Thursday morning, and you’ll get a bird!
There are lots of birds being given away, just go here.
HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!
56 comments
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January 20, 2009 at 7:28 am
Yvette
Oh he’s just beautiful! My favorite books when I was a kid were the Paddington books and later Nancy Drew.
January 20, 2009 at 7:45 am
Mags
Very pretty bird. I loved Harold and the Purple Crayon and I still do.
Thank you for hosting this great giveaway.
January 20, 2009 at 7:47 am
ELK
kim do not include me in the drawing i am a swapper
but I had to “fly” right over and let you know what a sweet traveler he is! ELK
January 20, 2009 at 7:47 am
sfer
I really really like penguins. They are funny birds, right? And I love the penguins at Oliver Jeffers’ “Lost and Found”.
But I love yours as well. The maps idea is great!! Is it a “paper” map or a “fabric” map? Well… I hope I can see for myself!
January 20, 2009 at 8:25 am
Hana
I loved Encyclopedia Brown books (always cheated and looked in the back though!) & Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books too. Your bird is beautiful, I love his wings.
January 20, 2009 at 8:27 am
kristie
i loved books in The Bobsey Twins series, my grandma had some at her house, they were OLD. very lovely bird!
January 20, 2009 at 10:14 am
Dena
Such beautiful work. I love how you put this together.
January 20, 2009 at 11:31 am
April Dawn
I loved little house on the prairie!
January 20, 2009 at 11:42 am
Sandy
I love the idea of the bird with maps on his wings! My favorite books were the Nancy Drew mysteries.
January 20, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Jo
What a great idea for the wings! He’s so cute. And I have to admit, all of the Dick and Jane books in the first grade (I know…I’m showing my age…) are still tops! I can remember being soooo excited to know what they said and forcing my parents to listen to me read them out loud over and over and over. It was a brave new world!
January 20, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Teresa
Your bird is adorable!
January 20, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Nichola
Beautiful. -N
January 20, 2009 at 2:17 pm
tanaya
oh those little map wings…genius!
January 20, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Katie
This is a great bird. I love the maps under the wings.
January 20, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Deborah
Just exquisite. I love him!
My kids love love love Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (And the rest of the pigeon books by Mo Willems.)
January 20, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Cary
I love the fabric!
January 20, 2009 at 3:10 pm
andria
I love your bird. Absolutely lovely!!! I read so much as a kid and still now. I couldn’t possibly pick one book! Thanks for the chance.
January 20, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Sarah
It is a glorious day! Your bird is gorgeous.
January 20, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Marieke
Oh your bird is super♥ ♥
January 20, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Kerry
Too cute for words! And green is my favourite colour!
January 20, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Alicia G.
Your bird is adorable. My favorite book when I was really little was ‘Goodnight Moon.” When I was a bit older it was ‘Watership Down.’ One of the songs from the animated film of that book still makes me a bit teary.
January 20, 2009 at 5:03 pm
kleiosbelly
in honor of inauguration day, i’ll go with “the learning tree” by gordon parks. it really opened my eyes to injustice and our common humanity was i was a child.
beautiful bird!
January 20, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Magpie Sue
What a cutie for your first effort! Love the idea of maps under the wings. One of my favorite books from my childhood is Corduroy. Please include me in your drawing!
January 20, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Anna Socrates
I love the idea of maps on the bird’s wings. Ha ha. I just found a favorite childhood book on Alibris, and it was a retelling of the French Fairy tale, the Blue Bird. I so loved the delicate drawings by Erica Ducornet and was very happy to find this book again. The copy I remember from my childhood actually belonged to the library, so I was happy to find a copy of my very own.
Anna S.
January 20, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Vanessa
I remember reading and re-reading the Trixie Belden series. Goodnight Moon and I’ll Love You Forever were favorites of my kids when they were small.
January 20, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Alexis
This is a great bird! Hmmm, I had this pop up Thumbelina book I used to love.
January 20, 2009 at 6:46 pm
jackie
cute
January 20, 2009 at 7:23 pm
sistermama
What a clever and original idea. I love the maps!
January 20, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Elaine R
I love your pretty little bird! I remember loving the characters in the Dick and Jane readers when I was in elementary school.
January 20, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Judy Streger
What a sweet and clever bird. My favorite childhood book was The Wizard of Oz.
Judy Streger
January 20, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Jenna
I love the bird, tell her to fly on over my way! One of my favorite books was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. My mom read it everynight at bedtime first to me and then I read it back to her.
January 20, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Regina
OMG! Your bird is incredible! You did an amazing job!!
Thanks so much for playing today
January 20, 2009 at 9:36 pm
jenjen
Your bird is sooooo cute. I love the tail!
Thanks for having this giveaway!
Jen
January 21, 2009 at 12:16 am
Embellisher
that’s a beautiful little bird and I love the map wings. One of my favourite books was the Noddy series. let’s hope the little bird finds its way to my place.
January 21, 2009 at 12:29 am
PatchworkPottery
Your bird is so sweet that I had to leave a comment! I hope I receive one of your birds in the swap!
Hugs, Laurraine
January 21, 2009 at 1:27 am
nathr3
Love the idea of the maps wings. Who knows I’m lucky and it finds it’s way to my mailbox soon ; )
January 21, 2009 at 3:26 am
Christy
wow, how gorgeous! it would be a joy to win this precious little thing!
January 21, 2009 at 6:13 am
Lydia
Oh, I love your creativity! I had a ton of favorite books as a child, but one that I still love today is “The Giving Tree.”
January 21, 2009 at 6:44 am
Ahrisha
Oh I love your little bird.
Hope to win him.
January 21, 2009 at 7:18 am
Fuji Mama
SO precious! I loved all of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.
January 21, 2009 at 8:25 am
becky
love it!!
January 21, 2009 at 10:10 am
Alisa
Well, since my childhood was soooo long ago, I’ll just say that I loved reading
the Mercer Mayer books to my kids. The Little Critter series is so wonderful. Your little bird is just lovely. Thanks for the chance to own him.
January 21, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Guilitta
I like to win, please put me in.
Greeting Guilitta
January 21, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Ashlee
Adorable, I love the wings and tail, so pretty.
My favorite books were any books really, I lvoe books. But if I had to pick…I read the Baby Sitters Club a lot.
But for little kids, I remember my mom always reading me a book with Grover in it called A Monster at the End of the Book.
January 21, 2009 at 2:16 pm
karen ann
MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by robert mcloskey, and FLY HIGH, FLY LOW, by don freeman.
this second book is less famous but charming. Two pigeons, who live in the letter B of a big sign top of a building, face disaster when workers come to tear the sign down. when they find a nest filled with eggs in the B, they stop, vowing to take good care of the letter. They give it to bakery that needed a big B, and all is well.
isn’t that a good story? one that reflects the theme of this presidency? that we can do together what we could never do alone? like your little map winged bird, i know, we are flying into a new era, where goodwill and good acts are modeled by the most powerful office in the world.
January 21, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Lorna
I love the maps on the wings! So this little bird can always find the way home…hopefully to MY home!
January 21, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Tina
Love your bird! And love the use of the maps. My favorite books as a child were the Anne of Green Gables books! Love them still!
January 21, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Michelle
A bird with map wings? TOOOO cute!!!
I loved The Velveteen Rabbit when I was kid, (and still do.)
Today I love Just in Case You Ever Wonder and You are My I Love You
January 21, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Kjersten
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your map bird, Kim. If you ever want to do a(nother) trade… I’d happily trade one of my birds made out of old book parts (see my blog post from Jan 3) or if you ever want a handmade journal or something. No rush though — whenever (if ever) you feel like it.
January 22, 2009 at 4:00 am
annieb
gorgeous bird – I love maps, I love green, I love birdies, I hope she will fall on a gust of wind coming my way!
I had so many fav books when I was little, I think my all time fav though was the lion the witch and the wardrobe, which I am enjoying all over again with my own kids now
I’d love to do a swap with you for a bird too if this one doesn’t choose me…no time pressures as I know you are busy…
January 22, 2009 at 5:05 am
Trinity
He’s a cutie! A kids book with birds? Well, my daughter is obsessed with Dumbo right now, and he flies WITH the birds, does that count?
Thanks for the sweet giveaway!
January 22, 2009 at 5:27 am
mindy
“He’s migratory, so the underside of his wings are made of maps.” That is so sweet! He would be happy here in Texas. We are supposed to hit 80 degrees today!!
January 22, 2009 at 5:28 am
mindy
Oh…and mine was Jungle Book. My kids have loved all of the Mercer Mayer books.
January 22, 2009 at 8:18 am
Robin (rsislandcrafts)
What a cute little birdie. I love his wings. I always loved reading the Nancy Dre series and the Hardie boys too.
January 22, 2009 at 8:44 am
Ashley Ann
What a gorgeous bird! I hope I didn’t miss the cut off!
January 22, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Holly Cupala
Oh, what a lovely bird! Perhaps I am too late, but just seeing a picture of him makes me happy. Oh, fave book…that would have to be Neverending Story, by Michael Ende. Do you remember the movie? I loved it so much as a tween. I just found out some friends of mine did a cover(!) of the theme song and have given me permission to use it for a readergirlz video (doesn’t that rock??).