Clearly Besotted July Release Teasers Day 4

Hello everyone!!

Hope you’re having a marvellous weekend. With this crazily hot weather, it does feel rather tropical.

Today is a second look at the ‘Birds Of A Feather’ stamp set. There are a really good mix of birds and I really wanted to ink up Portia (the parrot).

I wanted to have her perching and looking as if she was just balancing mid branch. She’s sat on top of an acetate ‘strut’.

To you and me she might look like she’s a common variety of parrot, but actually she hides a wonderful and terrifying secret.

She was a lookout. Patrolling the entrance to the parrot’s lair. The community of birds was always under threat from snakes, monkeys, raptors, cats and bats. It was hard enough trying to survive the demanding conditions in the rainforest, but when you were regularly fending off predators, it became really difficult. The ‘lookouts’ were picked because they had superior eyesight and a wonderful sense of smell and anticipation of marauders.

Portia had alerted the others to several threats and whilst they couldn’t keep them all away, several chicks had been saved by Portia’s spotting danger and tenacity. She had few other skills. She wasn’t uniquely marked to make her one of the fashionistas, her ability to speak other animal languages wasn’t good enough, and the lookout was the best way to keep some useful service with the pandemonium ( of parrots; one of the collective terms).

The only drawback with Portia was that she struggled to remain ‘hidden’. When she began to get sleepy, something within her triggered a ‘sparkle’. Sparkle was the only way to describe it. Imagine a light switch that’s suddenly flicked and it reveals a million tiny Swarovski crystals, reflecting the rays of the sun. Amazing and awesome, but thoroughly terrible for the job of a lookout. Portia had had years to avoid being discovered. She religiously had the right amount of sleep to make sure she would not become drowsy during the night watch- otherwise the glimmer of lights would act like a magnet to every local predator in the vicinity.

One night, however, this terrible secret emerged. The secret, that once discovered would signal an end to the only job she could ever do.

Some lurking animals were easy to spot; her excellent vision made that a simple task. Others ( of the swooping variety) were more of a challenge. Parrots can’t outfly eagles and hawks, and parrot babies were easy pickings. Lots of parrot families were settled for the night and there was little stirring.

Suddenly a swift whoosh of air was felt by Portia. Her feathers stood on end as she realised it was an eagle. The quiet but strong flapping matched the large wing span and she knew she needed to act fast. To her horror, the raptor flew into the nearest nest and as she watched, he caught the fledging on the tree hollow as he flew out, knocking the baby out and so no cries could be heard.

She was very scared- she did not know what to do. She called to the group, telling them to help her, but as they all came round, Portia was in hot pursuit. This was a dangerous tactic; the eagle would prefer a larger snack like her and could drop the chick. She had travelled quite a distance and the other parrots were nowhere to be seen. Her anxiety reached a peak and in an instant, she could feel the ‘sparkle’ coming on. She kept flying, as fast as her wings would carry her. She did not know for how long, but it felt like an eternity. She could hear a crescendo of wings and parrot after parrot surrounded her. ‘We saw your myriad of lights’, they squawked. ‘We knew where to come’.

The eagle was overwhelmed and retreated. The baby was dropped but had several parrots ready to rescue it. The night was saved…by Portia. She flew back with a heavy heart, knowing her lookout days were numbered.

Yet, all was not lost. The chick’s parents were so grateful and the Parrot Party who ruled over the community awarded Portia a special training trip to visit the local Parakeets and learn new ways of guarding their homes.

Sometimes, our fears of others discovering our secrets are unfounded. Just like Portia, maybe our weaknesses, in due time can be channelled to become our greatest strengths.

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The wonderful leaves and flowers are also part of the set. All colouring was using my Nuvo Alcohol markers and I’ve cut out a square aperture and then added the bird on top. The sentiment is from the new set ‘Simply Said Birthday’ and has some really wonderful sentiments.

I loved that twine, hung like that, echoes the forest vines and helps give a sense of the scene. This was good fun to make and it’s also time to go and visit the rest of the Clearly Besotted team.

First up, Steph and Jenny on the Clearly Besotted blog, then the fab Amy Tsuruta, and then onto Lisa and Michelle!

I can’t believe its Release Day tomorrow!

Pop back for one final project!

Keren x