bird ornament

I took a bit of a break from owl making yesterday to make this little bird ornament with glittered wings.  She is flying in my studio now.  I'm Jewish, as you might have guessed by now, so I've never had a Christmas tree to decorate.  Mostly I'm more than okay with this, but I do get drawn in to the idea of handmade ornaments.  Sometimes I can't resist making a few, although certainly they will be given away or sold before the holiday is here.

I got a new camera today!  After more than four years with a crappy Nikon Coolpix 4300 we now have a Nikon D40!  Wooohoooo!  I have high hopes for the potential of a new camera.  So now I'm in the learning phase.  I took the above photo with it and I'm impressed with the clarity, but still need some help with lighting. I took this in auto mode without the flash.  Any D40 owners out there who take lots of still lifes and have some tips for me?  I would very much appreciate any help you can offer.