Bird Paintings by Betsy McLellan Studio

I stumbled across these colorful bird paintings by Betsy McLellan on Etsy earlier today. The vivid colors and bold brushstrokes are a great way to make the walls of often-neutral living rooms and bedrooms catch your eye. I think this cardinal one is my favorite - I love seeing their bright feathers contrast with newly-fallen snow in the winter.

She also paints chickadees, like this adorable little black-capped pair on a branch of bright red berries.

Have you ever seen a titmouse like this one here? They look a lot like cardinals, just with different colors. They're one of my favorite species to watch out for at the bird feeder.

There used to be a cat in our backyard when I was younger that was always after the blue jays. I remember one summer I kept finding bright blue and black striped feathers one or two at a time for weeks. Luckily, I think the blue jays we had (like this one painted here) always got away unscathed otherwise.

Here's another lovely chickadee print, this time with a lovely blue background to complement their black and white faces.

Betsy McLellan has a lot more paintings and prints available featuring more birds, other animals, and landscapes. See more of her work here.

DIY Glittered Birds from the Dollar Store

Here's another quick and easy DIY project for the holidays: festive birds using inexpensive birds from the dollar store and colored glitter!

I bought a couple doves and cardinals from the local dollar store. They looked okay, but the feathers were a bit thin in places and they looked, well, cheap up-close. So I decided to fancy them up!

I brushed on Mod Podge with a small brush, doing small areas at a time. I put a piece of paper underneath the birds to catch glue drips and spills, and then carefully shook glitter over the glue-painted parts.

For the dove, I decided to do the wings first. Then I did the tail. Finally, I did the beak and feet. I used silver glitter (also from the dollar store, although more expensive German glass glitter would look even better!). I liked the way it contrasted with the white - it seems very Winter Wonderland-y to me!

I used red for the cardinal and covered everything except the black face mask and eyes. However, I only painted one area at a time so that the glue would not dry in places before I'd applied the glitter.

Voila! Here's what they look like from above. Try not to touch them too much after you sprinkle on the glitter. Give them an initial tap or two to get off the excess (and pour it back into the container so as not to waste it), but then let them dry thoroughly. After they've dried, if some areas need more glitter, carefully dab on more glue and shake on glitter again. Repeat until you get the desired effect.

At this point, you have two options. You can leave them as is and when you go to use them, you might get glitter on nearby surroundings as tiny pieces come loose. Or, you can seal the glitter. I recommend the latter! (Side note: also great for DIY glittered heels, gift tags, ribbons, fascinators, etc.)

You have quite a few choices: pastel or charcoal fixatives, acrylic spray sealants, Mod Podge (might take off glitter when you brush it on, though), or other glue-type sprays. I'm going to try an Elmer's version. I'll report back and let you know how it works once I've applied it. Whatever you use, make sure you follow the directions on the can/container!

These have wired feet, so you can turn them into ornaments for the tree after they've dried. They'd also look great tucked into Advent wreaths, Christmas wreaths, garlands, or on top of presents (for very lucky recipients!).

I still have a few of these birds leftover. I might make the dove light pink or yellow for Easter, and do the cardinal in blue (so it looks like a Blue Jay) or another bright color for the summer. Just change your glitter color to match the season!

What would you use these for? Any other ideas?