Behind the Name
The name 8 Blue Birds is comprised of some of my favorite things. Birds are my favorite animal and a major source of inspiration for me. My favorite number has always been 88, but I felt that was an unruly amount of birds - 8 is much more manageable. The color blue is in honor of one of the most amazing animals I have ever met, my parakeet Sky (now deceased).
A Very Special Blue Bird
The above picture is baby Sky on the first day I took him home. I was 12 years old, and it had been a few months since the death of my first budgie. Because he was a green budgie, I resolved to get a blue one so they would look completely different. Sky happened to be the first parakeet the handler caught and brought out. I wasn't quite sure, so the man reached in to put Sky back and catch another bird. But Sky wouldn't leave the man's hand. He just sat there rather than fly off with the others. I took it as a sign, and before the handler could try to coax Sky onto a branch I said, "Wait. That's the one."
Sky was indeed a special parakeet. He lived in my room for 11 years, and was my feathered friend through high school and nearly all of college. Sky was an adventurous and cheerful bird, always curious about the world around him. He never learned any words, but he loved to mimic the birds outside, my whistling, and the animals he heard on TV. Blue jays were his favorite. There was hardly anything that got him more excited than a blue jay swooping through the yard. Sky always seemed to know how to cheer me up after a tough day. He liked to keep me company while I did homework at my desk. I gave him tissues and post-it notes to shred so he wouldn't gnaw at the corners of my papers. If I was eating something, Sky always noticed and expected me to share (even when I said "no"). Sky didn't really show his age until he reached 10 years. He would still chirp and come to the front of the cage when I came in, but didn't have the spark he used to. Sky passed away in October of 2014 after a long illness.
Shop Policies
News Blog
The news blog is where I will post any announcements of product designs, upcoming changes in shop policies, product features, craft tutorials, and other similar content. I greatly encourage feedback on my designs, especially on product prototypes. Customers and visitors should feel free to leave comments on the blog. Please keep your comments civil and be polite to other users.
Email Newsletter
I use the email newsletter to announce newly available products, upcoming design themes, and sales discounts. The newsletter is managed personally by me on my own time -- I promise I will not spam subscribers with daily emails.
Return Policy
If an item you order arrives damaged, you may exchange that item for a new one within 30 days. You will be responsible for shipping the defective item back to 8 Blue Birds, but will not be charged shipping on the replacement. The same policy applies for items that were incorrectly delivered (ex. a green bird was given instead of a blue one).
Timely cancellations will receive a full refund, except in the case of custom pieces. Items are only eligible for cancellation before they have been shipped.
Shipping
To keep shipping costs to a minimum, I ship my items via USPS First Class for domestic orders, and USPS First Class International for customers outside the US.
**For international orders: The customer is responsible for any additional trade and customs fees that apply to their region upon arrival. These fees are not included in the above shipping prices.
Custom Orders
More information on custom items and how to order them can be found on the custom items page.
Because of the nature of custom items, they are not eligible for returns or exchanges.