Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Old oval frame, wooden swivel mirror mount, spool, boxed moth specimen backed with marbled music paper, copper foil, cast metal bee, old rhinestone earring, and glass beads with bird (toilet paper roll, junk mail postcard, used wrapping tissue, bald faced hornet nest paper, and wire feet). 7.5” h x 4.75” w x 7” deep

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of paper from bread loaves and metallic wrapping tissue; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, newspaper, and packing newsprint); legs made from steel wire, aluminum bonsai wire, and wrapping tissue.

A portion of the sale of this bird will be donated to Bread for the City to support their programs for food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty in Washington, DC (https://breadforthecity.org).

WEIGHT and DIMENSIONS:

4.2 oz; 10" H x 12" L x 6" W

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. This bird will be included in the Kentucky Opera’s Gala auction on February 20, 2026, and is available only through that event.

Recycled bird, mounted on a grand piano whippen, with outer covering of 1929 songbook cover and music, Wm Morris wrapping paper, and reused metallic wrapping tissues; legs made from wire reclaimed from spiral notebook spines.

Recycled bird with outer covering of raffle and admission tickets and reused metallic wrapping tissue; body made from reclaimed cardboard packaging and postcards; legs are reused galvanized steel wire. Approx 9.5” long and 5.5” high.

Recycled bird made with outer covering of wine labels and Celtic wrapping paper; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from wire reclaimed from spiral notebooks.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird made with outer covering of labels from Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone, Rue de Perle Bordeaux, Dolin red vermouth; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from wire reclaimed from spiral notebook spines.

Recycled bird with outer covering of elements of woodblock print image from a 2007 wall calendar from the Honolulu Academy of Arts of Katsushika Hokusai’s Kirifuri Waterfall on Mount Kurokami in Shimotsuke Province from A Tour of Japanese Waterfalls (c. 1932-33); metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed steel wire from a workshop.

This bird has an outer covering of paper from a Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate wrapper; body of reused cardboard and postcards; legs made from wire reclaimed from a spiral notebook spine.
Wabi Sabi! This paper rejected the adhesive like crazy, and when I added pressure to try to keep it in place as it dried, the color on the surface rubbed off and then the paper cracked as it shrank. But I love this color and the fluid script in the logo. The fact the the biggest crack disrupted the word “bittersweet” was just an added bonus. So be it. The final sealant makes the surface more durable, despite loose edges.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of collected San Pellegrino water bottle labels and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook spine.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of collected San Pellegrino water bottle labels and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed steel wire from a sculpture workshop.

This bird has an outer covering of reused wrapping paper with photo images of roses; body made from cardboard and postcards; legs made from wire reclaimed from a spiral notebook spine.

This bird has an outer covering of an image of an 19th-c English Valentine’s Day card (a page from the Treasures from the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar (2005?)) and a body made from cardboard and postcards, with legs made with wire from a reclaimed spiral notebook.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of labels from Gordon’s gin and Fever Tree tonic labels and metallic wrapping tissue with lime produce stickers on ear coverts; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, packing newsprint); legs made from reclaimed wire from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

I was originally planning to make this into a pair - one gin, one tonic - but all the labels ended up on one bird. Mixology!

Also - Wabi Sabi! Foil papers do not play well with others. The end result is quite fun and dramatic, but some of the edges on this beauty took a beating to adhere. The final sealant stabilized the surface, but close scrutiny will reveal some cracks in the foil and curled edges.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Old oval frame, found whisk, sheet music cover (Debussy), plexiglass, old compact mirror, and cast metal bee with bird (toilet paper roll, junk mail postcard, William Morris wrapping paper, used wrapping tissue, and wire feet) 13” h x 10” w x 2.5” deep

Included in LVA/Louisville Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of images from a 2011 Brooklyn Museum wall calendar of Utagawa Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (c 1850s), in this case, “Inside Kameido Tenjin Shrine”; metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook spine.

Recycled bird with outer covering of reprinted clockwork images, (16th century?) music and calligraphy from a Christmas card, book lining paper, and used wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook spine

Recycled bird made with outer covering of wrapping paper; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

Recycled bird with reclaimed outer layer of the cover from the Harvard Guide to Careers (c. 1984 a little inside joke, as it is my copy from college and my various careers were not listed anywhere in the guide); body made from reclaimed cardboard, reused postcards, packing paper; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs from reclaimed steel wire from a sculpture workshop. Image includes a reproduction of an 1836 drawing by Eliza Quincy of the alumni procession from the Parish House to the Pavilion.

Recycled bird with outer covering of images, reclaimed from a used wall calendar, of Alphonse Mucha’s Topaz (1900) and Quill (1899) lithographs and used metallic wrapping tissue; body made from reclaimed cardboard, reused postcards, packing paper; legs from reclaimed sprial notebook wire.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of labels from Civic Pride vodka labels and metallic wrapping tissue; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, packing newsprint); legs made from reclaimed wire from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

Republic Restoratives Distillery is a DC, woman-owned, LGBTQ-supporting business that produced this label as a fundraiser for Whitman Walker Clinic in DC.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of sheet music cover for Russian music publication and metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebooks.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

This recycled bird has an outer covering of S&H (Sperry and Hutchinson) and Top Value stamps and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

This recycled bird has an outer covering of S&H (Sperry and Hutchinson) stamps and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

This recycled bird has an outer covering of Top Value stamps and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of Brooklyn Brewery Winter IPA Sledder’s Choice labels, event tickets, and metallic wrapping tissue, with legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral binders.

Recycled bird with outer covering of marbled paper pattern (from book catalogue cover), amaretti wrappers, stickers from Town and Country Movers stickers, and metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebooks.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Old round frame, bedspring, old compact mirror, copper foil, and cast metal bee with bird (toilet paper roll, junk mail postcard, used wrapping tissue, amaretti cookie wrappers, Alphonse Mucha image from old wall calendar, spiral notebook wire feet). 6.5” diameter x 8” deep

Recycled bird with outer covering of portions of wallpapers and a junk mail gift card; metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook spine.

Recycled bird made with outer covering of Chinese lunar new year flyers; reused red glitter and metallic wrapping tissues; legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook spines.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird made with outer covering of chopstick wrappers, restaurant placemat, and new year flyers; reused red glitter and metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from wire reclaimed from spiral notebook spines.

Recycled bird with outer covering of images Gustav Klimt’s Tree of Life (c 1905-1909, from a used notecard) and floral wrapping paper; body made from reclaimed cardboard, reused postcards, packing paper; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs from reclaimed steel wire from a sculpture workshop.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of paper from a Grey Poupon mustard carton and reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook spine.

Recycled bird with outer covering of images from a reproduction of Joan Blau’s 1665 Atlas Maior; body made from reclaimed cardboard, reused postcards, packing paper; reused metallic wrapping tissue; legs from reclaimed spiral notebook wire.

Pair of recycled birds, one perched on a small found tin gelatin or cake mould with cornucopia imprint - covered with strips from the Mystery Chef’s Own Cook Book (1943 edition), Cooking Tips section focusing on tips about eggs and cakes; copper and aluminum legs.

Included in LVA/Kentucky Opera Songbird exhibition through February. If sold, delivery will be after February 26.

Recycled bird with outer covering of pages from the Book of Ruth in an old German bible (discarded and incomplete) and reused metallic wrapping tissue; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, packing newsprint); legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook.

Recycled bird with outer covering of deconstructed incomplete Belgian bridge deck and metallic wrapping tissue; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, packing newsprint); legs made from reclaimed wire from a spiral notebook.

Recycled bird with outer covering of found bald-faced hornet nest and metallic wrapping tissue; bird body made from reclaimed materials (cardboard, postcards, packing newsprint); legs made from reclaimed wire from spiral notebook; mounted on a found grater.

Like birds, bald-faced hornets build homes that echo the resources of their immediate surroundings, chewing bark from nearby trees to make their nests They build the layered walls in small strips of colored pulp that reflect the varied barks. These birds are a call to respect the intricate balance we all rely on to survive. A portion of the sale of this bird will be donated to the Rock Creek Conservancy (https://www.rockcreekconservancy.org).

I collect empty nests when they are blown out of trees. The paper-like material is fragile and water repellent, making it fairly tricky to work with, but the results are so subtle and beautiful, I can't resist.

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS:

4.95 oz; 9"H x 4"W x 3"D

Recycled bird covered with decorative paper from a hand soap box; toilet paper roll; reused packing newsprint, metallic tissue paper, postcard; legs made from reclaimed spiral notebook binding wire; mounted on a soap box.