Showing posts with label Toy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toy. Show all posts
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Skewer refilling time
I think it's been quite some time since I had an entry about homemade or purchased toys. I know there have been two orders that I never got around taking pictures of before I handed the toys to the birds and I haven't really been in a toy-making kind of mind lately.
However, last week-end I sat down and did prepare some toys; I simply refilled most of my skewers with pine slats/blocks, beads and natural wood toys. The easiest homemade toys ever.
While these don't look fancy, they are always a success with the flock and I really don't have an excuse to not prepare them, as it does not take long. There is also no rope to knot, which, if you do work with poly rope, can be irritating after a while.
These skewers also allow me to reuse some of the materials that weren't completely chewed off in their previous incarnation, so it helps to avoid waste.
I have a variety of skewers; I love the small corkscrew skewer for the smaller Pois and I have a large one for Léa (although this particular one won't be shown below as it still was in Léa's cage with stuff to chew on). I also have skewers from Expandable Habitats in a number of sizes; from two huge ones, quite a few large ones and a number of small ones.
The (small) corkscrew skewers:
The huge Expandable Habitats skewer:
However, last week-end I sat down and did prepare some toys; I simply refilled most of my skewers with pine slats/blocks, beads and natural wood toys. The easiest homemade toys ever.
While these don't look fancy, they are always a success with the flock and I really don't have an excuse to not prepare them, as it does not take long. There is also no rope to knot, which, if you do work with poly rope, can be irritating after a while.
These skewers also allow me to reuse some of the materials that weren't completely chewed off in their previous incarnation, so it helps to avoid waste.
I have a variety of skewers; I love the small corkscrew skewer for the smaller Pois and I have a large one for Léa (although this particular one won't be shown below as it still was in Léa's cage with stuff to chew on). I also have skewers from Expandable Habitats in a number of sizes; from two huge ones, quite a few large ones and a number of small ones.
The (small) corkscrew skewers:
(The one with red balls will go to Joey and Pixel; the one with the pink ball to Shade and the one with the yellow ball to Zuri. Petey's skewer was still in his cage with wood to chew)
The huge Expandable Habitats skewer:
(Only one pictured, as the other one was still full and in use in one of the spare cages in the orange room)
The large Expandable Habitats skewers:
The small Expandable Habitats skewers:
The wood used to fill the skewers came from a number of places. Most of the blocks on the huge skewers are from Mother Pluckin' Bird Toys. There was some balsa blocs too, that came from Things for Wings. The natural wood coins were also from Things for Wings. The wooden beads were mostly from Woodworks. finally, the pine slats were either cut by me or were ordered from Crystal's Bird Toys when the store closed down.
And because I don't feel like starting a new post just for these, here are two pictures of toys I've made at one point over this past winter.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Léa and the Chunky Halloween Kitty toy
Only when I looked up the name of the toy, did I realize it was a little out of season. But, given I asked for the toy to be left mostly "natural" instead of being dyed, it really doesn't look like a Halloween toy! (Not that the birds would care either way.)
This is a Things for Wing toy.
I did try to also get pictures of Zuri playing with this toy, but when he saw the camera come out, he stopped and started to pose nicely instead.
This is a Things for Wing toy.
I did try to also get pictures of Zuri playing with this toy, but when he saw the camera come out, he stopped and started to pose nicely instead.
My favourite picture - it's all about the pose
The look of concentration
The look of surprise (probably when she first noticed the camera)
Going back for more!
Thursday, July 17, 2014
The Red bellies enjoying the basket of goodies
To which basket am I referring to?
The lovely basket we got as a draw prize during Avian Organic's anniversary sale back in April.
I'm fully aware that we are now in July and that it seems like it's been a while since April. Oddly enough, this wasn't an occasion where I was hoarding toys away, but rather it was kept in a box in the basement and I had more or less forgot about it after initially wondering how I was going to give it to the birds.
In the end, while looking for foot toys to provide on the computer desk in the orange room, I remembered the basket and it seemed to fit the requirements of what I was looking for.
It's been on the desk for a few days now, and while some of the birds are still unsure about it, the Red bellies, especially Joey, have sorted through it on a few occasions (and made a mess every time, throwing out what was less appealing at the time, while digging for preferred goodies).
Pixel mostly enjoyed a dried piece of corn cob and husk (minus the niblets) - can you see her reflection in both pictures?
There is still plenty of goodies to play with, including the basket, although the pile of natural pieces has gone done a bit. The best part is that everything keeps those beaks busy!
I'll end with one last picture of Joey, diving into the basket.
The lovely basket we got as a draw prize during Avian Organic's anniversary sale back in April.
I'm fully aware that we are now in July and that it seems like it's been a while since April. Oddly enough, this wasn't an occasion where I was hoarding toys away, but rather it was kept in a box in the basement and I had more or less forgot about it after initially wondering how I was going to give it to the birds.
In the end, while looking for foot toys to provide on the computer desk in the orange room, I remembered the basket and it seemed to fit the requirements of what I was looking for.
It's been on the desk for a few days now, and while some of the birds are still unsure about it, the Red bellies, especially Joey, have sorted through it on a few occasions (and made a mess every time, throwing out what was less appealing at the time, while digging for preferred goodies).
Oh, it's been a while since I had a basket to chew!
Hmm...out this goes!
Oh I like these!
*crazy "I love these" eyes*
So much fun to tear apart!
What else is there to play with?
King of the pile!
Pixel mostly enjoyed a dried piece of corn cob and husk (minus the niblets) - can you see her reflection in both pictures?
There is still plenty of goodies to play with, including the basket, although the pile of natural pieces has gone done a bit. The best part is that everything keeps those beaks busy!
I'll end with one last picture of Joey, diving into the basket.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Destruction!
What did this innocent looking bird do?
Well, in the span of two days or so, made this toy -
Well, in the span of two days or so, made this toy -
- look like this!
Don't get me wrong, I love that she enjoyed it so, but I thought it would take her a little longer to take apart, especially as she's been not so destructive with the other toys lately. Guess I'll try to get my hand on another just like it.
And I really ought to have taken pictures of the bottom of her cage, at the end of each day, to showcase the destruction in all it's glory!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Toy order - Things for Wings Red Light Specials
Two week-ends ago, Things for Wings (T4W) held a week-end sale. referred to as the "Red light specials". Essentially, every hour a new item would be on sale, with unknown quantities (to the buyers) pre-set and once they ran out, either a new item would take it's place or there was nothing until the following hour. As well, there were lightning rounds, with more coveted/rare items, which were up for a shorter amount of time, but really, they sold out before the time ran out.
The sale started Friday evening and ended Sunday evening. I did very well, as far as my wallet was concerned Friday evening and most of Saturday. In fact, my only purchase on Friday were some jumbo willow coins, a lucky break as apparently they weren't supposed to go up at that time.
Being very busy outdoors on Saturday, I didn't pay attention to what was on sale until later in the evening. And while I was good at resisting by being away from a computer screen, the moment I was "online", well I got roped into the excitement. There was a thread about the sale going on simultaneously over at Avian Avenue, and, honestly, part of the fun was trying to "snip" interesting items away from others! Mind you, I only did this with items I a) wanted and b) considered a very good deal. In any case, at the end of Saturday, I had a few more items purchased than I thought I would initially get.
Then came Sunday...and having had fun the previous evening, I kept a closer eye on the sale and got a considerable amount of goods. The one item that I didn't get the day before that I had actually wanted was a cork bark perch, and really, I paid closer attention just in case it ever would become available again and, of course, saw a number of other interesting items.
So what did I end up getting?
Let's get the "boring" out of the way first, not part of the sale, but an item I was going to order that week-end anyways because we were running low, a 10lbs bag of TOPs pellets.
Here are the aforementioned jumbo willow coins - Shade will be happy!
Before I proceed with the rest, I'll mention that most of what I did purchase as pre-made toys (aka not toy parts) were not made from larger companies (as T4W carries toys from other toy makers), but were from small businesses. They were the items I coveted the most (other than that cork bark perch!) and I'll indicate under the pictures the name of the toy and who made it.
The following two toys (over the next three pictures) were toys I had considered for quite some time, mostly for Léa due to the hardwood shapes, and this was the perfect opportunity to try them out!
The next two toys will go to some of the smaller guys, due to the plastic parts and easier to chew/shred naturals. To whom exactly they will go, I don't know yet. They were also some of the first toys to make it into the pile.
The following three toys were sold as good for bunnies and other similar animals. The first and the third I believe were created specifically for them (but will work great with my flock) and the second one was part of an existing collection for parrots. All natural an undyed parts! The third one was also the first item I could grabbed from the sale that had cork bark in it!
Taking a little break from posting T4W toys, a few Avian Stainless toys made their appearance from time to time as well. Couldn't pass on the opportunity to grab a few of these at a discounted price!
A few perches came up, and I managed to get two...
Yes, I managed to get one of the coveted cork bark perch! Danita felt generous and had quite a few up and limited them to one per customer. What is equally as satisfying as getting that perch? Being able to get a few pre-drilled chunks of cork bark! Those will easily fill some skewers.
When I first opened my box, I saw this brown paper bag marked "surprise".
I was intrigued, wondering what the "additional" surprise might be. Then I remembered that I actually purchased a surprise bag and got curious as to what the item(s) was/were, that I purchased blindly.
It was a perch. A nice cholla perch.
That was the last of the items in the box, but I did purchase one additional thing during the sale. What might it be? A "coupon" allowing me to save 15% off T4W toys on my next order. I had a browse around the website yesterday, and a few things caught my attention. Looking forward to the next order!
The sale started Friday evening and ended Sunday evening. I did very well, as far as my wallet was concerned Friday evening and most of Saturday. In fact, my only purchase on Friday were some jumbo willow coins, a lucky break as apparently they weren't supposed to go up at that time.
Being very busy outdoors on Saturday, I didn't pay attention to what was on sale until later in the evening. And while I was good at resisting by being away from a computer screen, the moment I was "online", well I got roped into the excitement. There was a thread about the sale going on simultaneously over at Avian Avenue, and, honestly, part of the fun was trying to "snip" interesting items away from others! Mind you, I only did this with items I a) wanted and b) considered a very good deal. In any case, at the end of Saturday, I had a few more items purchased than I thought I would initially get.
Then came Sunday...and having had fun the previous evening, I kept a closer eye on the sale and got a considerable amount of goods. The one item that I didn't get the day before that I had actually wanted was a cork bark perch, and really, I paid closer attention just in case it ever would become available again and, of course, saw a number of other interesting items.
So what did I end up getting?
Let's get the "boring" out of the way first, not part of the sale, but an item I was going to order that week-end anyways because we were running low, a 10lbs bag of TOPs pellets.
About two months worth of pellets...
Here are the aforementioned jumbo willow coins - Shade will be happy!
Before I proceed with the rest, I'll mention that most of what I did purchase as pre-made toys (aka not toy parts) were not made from larger companies (as T4W carries toys from other toy makers), but were from small businesses. They were the items I coveted the most (other than that cork bark perch!) and I'll indicate under the pictures the name of the toy and who made it.
T4W - Sweet n' simple
T4W - Sparky Stars
T4W - Valentine's Day Shredder
T4W - Envy
The following two toys (over the next three pictures) were toys I had considered for quite some time, mostly for Léa due to the hardwood shapes, and this was the perfect opportunity to try them out!
T4W - Catching Flies, sideways view
T4W - Catching Flies. front view
T4W - Girl Power
The next two toys will go to some of the smaller guys, due to the plastic parts and easier to chew/shred naturals. To whom exactly they will go, I don't know yet. They were also some of the first toys to make it into the pile.
T4W - Tulips on the Fence
T4W - Fenced in carrots
The following three toys were sold as good for bunnies and other similar animals. The first and the third I believe were created specifically for them (but will work great with my flock) and the second one was part of an existing collection for parrots. All natural an undyed parts! The third one was also the first item I could grabbed from the sale that had cork bark in it!
T4W - New Bunny Toy
T4W - Backwood sampler (a favourite of Léa's!)
T4W - Cork pick and chip stack
Taking a little break from posting T4W toys, a few Avian Stainless toys made their appearance from time to time as well. Couldn't pass on the opportunity to grab a few of these at a discounted price!
Avian Stainless (AS) (from left to right) - Puzzle Bell, Lovin Spoonful foot toy and Disco Shaker
A few perches came up, and I managed to get two...
T4W - Fantastic Foraging Perch Large
Cork bark perch!!!!!!
Yes, I managed to get one of the coveted cork bark perch! Danita felt generous and had quite a few up and limited them to one per customer. What is equally as satisfying as getting that perch? Being able to get a few pre-drilled chunks of cork bark! Those will easily fill some skewers.
Natural barky cork
When I first opened my box, I saw this brown paper bag marked "surprise".
I was intrigued, wondering what the "additional" surprise might be. Then I remembered that I actually purchased a surprise bag and got curious as to what the item(s) was/were, that I purchased blindly.
It was a perch. A nice cholla perch.
That was the last of the items in the box, but I did purchase one additional thing during the sale. What might it be? A "coupon" allowing me to save 15% off T4W toys on my next order. I had a browse around the website yesterday, and a few things caught my attention. Looking forward to the next order!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Joey's facial expressions
He was playing with a foot toy and the "crazy eyes" made many appearances. I went a little crazy with the pictures and, trust me, there could be many others posted!
Happy
Wants the little piece of paper off...
Getting frustrated a little, eyes starting to focus on crazy.
Slightly crazy eyes and tongue action.
Noticed me looking at him.
CRAZY EYES!!!
Crazy but happy eyes.
Thinks he might have found a way to remove paper.
Maybe not...
And it's off! (now must deal with the knots)
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