It is surprisingly time consuming and it did reinforce my belief that those out there who make all hand-made parrot toys deserve to be paid accordingly! I generally do look for value, but would often chose a handmade toy from a vendor I trust over the mass produced stuff which mostly stocks the shelves of pet stores.
In any case, I hardly feel like the pile of toys I made over three days will last long with the flock but it's been nice to get creative a little.
I also think it's worth mentioning that I need to really thank my friend Stephanie who a while ago sent some cotton rope that she uses when she makes her homemade toys for me to try out - the reason I've been able to make as many toys in a row was because of how nice it was to work with the cotton rope; it didn't leave my fingers feeling as raw as they have been when I was using paulie rope, seagrass or any other type of abrasive rope. The best part is although I've used A LOT of the rope, the spool hardly seems any smaller.
Here are some pictures of what I've made, in the order I've taken pictures (which does not reflect the order they were made in).
#1 Butterfly/bead/paulie rope toy
I've really been starting to like the all natural look for toys, but given the large amount of colour beads I still have, I felt compelled to use some up - after all, as long as I have them, I might as well use them. But this brought out the OCD in me and you will notice that matching strands on either side of the butterfly have the same pattern of beads and colours...
I have a few more butterfly bases so I'll be making more of this toy (in fact, in between having taken the pictures and writing this post, I already completed one other in the same fashion).
#2 Hardwood/natural wood/cotton rope toy
There will be a few toys to come that share the same combination of material and ironically, I think this might have been the last one I made. As such, it's much more filled than the others, as I added strands on existing strands. I really like how it came out.
#3 Pine/hardwood/cotton rope toy
This is a similar model to one I made and posted about last Friday. This time, two of the strands showcase coloured pine from Oliver's Garden. I believe these are pieces she uses in her Chunky Monkey toys and are a true favorite of the flock, especially of Shade's.
#4 Hardwood/cotton rope toy
The title says it all. I made this one yesterday and had Léa around as I tried stringing beads. I said "tried" as she made it impossible; she kept trying to get to the unfinished toy. It will be going in her cage at the next toy rotation.
#5 Hardwood/natural wood/pine/balsa/cotton rope toy
\\A mix of a little of everything I had on hand. Not a very elaborate toy either, but I'm sure whoever will get it will enjoy it.
#6 Another hardwood/natural wood/cotton rope toy
I'm not sure what that big piece of natural wood is at the top - all I remember is that I got it from Things for Wings - but I felt it was a nice way to start the toy. If I had thought things through before, I could have put in a second hole and had another spot to put some rope through but I didn't. Still like how it came out though.
#7 Another hardwood/natural wood/pine/cotton rope toy
Using some pine blocks from Mother Pluckin' Bird Toys. This was one of the first toys I completed on Saturday.
#8 Another hardwood/cotton rope toy
Another one made to Léa's liking - some of the hardwood pieces on this one would be a bit too big for the other Pois who tend to like their wood on the thinner side.
That is it. It's really not much if I think of how much time I spent making them but I'm quite happy they'll get to enjoy toys I've made!
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