American Kestrel

(Look out-- I was a prolific crafter yesterday and have many posts coming today.  Apologies to those of you who frown on this, but I blog when I can, and this weekend, I CAN!  We have been so busy since, like, all summer long, and now that things are settling down [and my best friend's wedding and associated events are OVER!], it is nice to have a weekend of nothingness!)  Cheers!

Here's a fold-out "book" holding a single quote by Richard Jefferies (typed out at the bottom of this post), English nature writer of the 19th century:

Had to include my mermaid,who helped out by holding this up!

Supplies and notes:

• Watercolor paper scored to fit within the cover, which was cut from heaving packing kraft.  
• Binding accomplished by punching holes with a Crop-A-Dile II and threaded with yarn and a heavy needle.  The yarn was from the quilt show booth where the woman had bins for people to rummage through... in other words: heaven.  
• Tim's new StampAnon set "Patchwork Pieces" inked with his Distress Mixed Media palette
• Patchwork pieces colored with Distress Crayons in (what I felt were) autumn colors
• The Kestrel images and information cut from Birds of the World (Eyewitness Handbook), which was beyond repair at the elementary library. (No: I was not the person who damaged it-- in fact, I'd tried to save this book many times before a first-grader checked it out for the last time...). Anywho, all of these pieces were adhered to the project with Tim's Distress Collage Medium in Crazing and Matte.  I used my brush to texture the bird wings.  
• The quote was written with a brown Prismacolor brush pen.  I have to admit that I copied Jefferies name incorrectly, and therefore these images show it misspelled.  Rest assured, I fixed it.
• Dyan Reaveley's Breeze of Birds stencil used with DI in Gathered Twigs for some added avian life

I plan to share this at the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp on Monday: Stamp it
• Simon Says Stamp on Wednesday: Stamp it
• STAMPlorations September Mixed Media + Stencil Sunday
• Stamps and Stencils: The colors of autumn
• Frilly and Funkie: Things with wings (as usually, I'm more funky than frilly!!!)

A kestrel can and does hover in the dead calm of summer days, 

when there is not the faintest breath of wind.  

He will, and does, hover in the still, soft atmosphere of early autumn,

when gossamer falls in showers,

coming straight down as if it were raining silk.

-Richard Jefferies