Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Holidays!


{download free 2015 calendar from here}

Before I sign off for the holidays, I thought I take this as an opportunity to thank you all for your support and love all these years. When I started to write this blog 5 years ago, I had no idea that there would be so many owl lovers out there who would appreciate a blog like My Owl Barn that's dedicated to all things owls. 

This blog has provided me means to meet new people, work with artists and share exciting content with other fellow bloggers. I have grown with the blog really. Your love and sweet emails have encouraged me to be creative and think outside the box. Our Owl Lover Calendar is a great example of something that was a result of all the support my blog received from you all. Year after year, I receive emails from you for the new calendar which has made Owl Lover Calendar an annual project! Thank you! I hope you'll accept this small gift of Owl Lover 2015 Calendar for which My Owl Barn and all the wonderful artists have worked hard. To customize and to download your free Owl Lover 2015 Calendar please go here. Feel free to download it for everyone in your family as a Christmas gift! :)

I hope you have a lovely and restful holidays. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2015.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Printable Christmas Crackers











I adore these Christmas crackers by Mr. Printables! You can download a template for the funny faces including the grey owl and by following a simple set of instructions you can easily assemble your own homemade Christmas crackers to have a great fun time with the whole family. Just hide a small trinket, sweets, jokes or year ahead predictions in the DIY crackers to get the party started! The rules are simple. Let two guests at your party pull each end of the cracker at the same time. The one with the larger portion of the cracker gets to keep the contents of the cracker! Good luck!

Under the same tutorial, you can find the link to download a blank template for the Christmas crackers. It's useful if you want to draw your own designs.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Serpui Marie: Luxury Handbags


These bold and colorful handbags by Serpui Marie are inspired by the tropical gardens of Brazil and are handcrafted in Serpui’s São Paulo atelier. Each clutch features stunning mosaic inlay of mother-of-pearl shells collected in Brazil and Asia. These one-of-a-kind clutches are covered on the inside with luscious gold brocade and is small enough to fit comfortably in your hand.

Serpui Marie says: “We love the beach. I wanted to bring an element from the beach, and make it glamorous.”  The bags feature several lovely designs like sleeping owl, giraffe, zebra, kissing birds and more that are constructed by attaching tiny pieces of the sea shells, and layering them on top of the resin base. The 'sleeping owl' box clutch is available here.

Friday, December 19, 2014

11 Free Christmas Printables with 2015 Calendar























With Christmas only a few days away, I decided to do a post with a compilation of some of festive and cheerful printables that can be downloaded for free! The printables include gift tags, wall art, cards, holiday banner, gingerbread house and more! Oh, and there is free 2015 calendar that you can customize and download from here. It'll make a great stocking stuffer and a present for your family and friends. 

Here're some of the links for the weekend:


- Easy and beautiful DIY gift ideas.

- Wreath decorations that'll inspire you to get creative.

- For lovely gift wrapping products go here.

- Christmas eve and day planner that you can download and print, here.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

10 Simple, Beautiful Handmade Gifts


Clay owl tray - eHow Crafts


Owl Macrame (necklace/key chain?)- CSL Designs




Sock Owl - Craft Passion


Easy Owl Organizational Clips - Mommiez on a Mission


Coasters for Christmas - Boxy Colonial


DIY Owl Pillow - Life Ann Style


Owl Dream Catcher - Nem Graphisme


Owl Heat Pack, a great stocking stuffer! - 30 Handmade Days


Owl Collage Art - Thoughts From Alice

Why settle for store-bought gifts when you can hand-make beautiful owl gifts that your loved ones will love to use everyday! I've got some really great Christmas gift ideas in this post that are not only simple to make, but are truly a joy to give and receive. Find the one (two, or more) that you know your family and friends will love and follow the link below it for the entire tutorial. 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

DIY Christmas Owl Wreaths


Woodland owl wreath from HGTV


Yarn wrapped owl wreath - My So Called Crafty Life


Woodland themed holiday wreath - Mom Endeavors


Yarn and felt wreath - Home and Dry


Christmas owl wreath - Florence Finds


Owl holiday wreath - Lacquer and Linen

Holiday rag wreath - Kindred Spirit Mommy

Adorn you home this holiday season with handmade owl wreath. Wreath on the front entrance makes the house look warm and inviting. These 7 wonderful DIY Christmas owl wreaths are easy to make especially if you have a long list of tasks to finish before the guests start arriving. Get inspired to create your own version of wreath or select your favorite and go to it's list of materials to get started. Most of the things that you'll need can be picked up from your local crafts store like Michaels or can be found at home.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Gift Guide 2014 For Hostess


With the holiday invitations piling up here's a gift guide for the gracious party hostess. Whether it's a get-together with the close friends, family or co-workers, it's a good idea to have a few hostess gifts on hand ready. Here're some of the gorgeous as well thoughtful gifts that will make any hostess feel appreciated.

1. Patch NYC Owl Eau De Cologne
2. Papaya Art owl cosmetic pouch
3. Ninox modern ceramic owl decorative jars
4. Animal wreath napkin set Coral and Tusk
5. Brass owl dish Jonathan Adler
6. Owl filled candle - Marks & Spencer
7. Giesswein women's Grein slipper
8. Lacy owls cup and saucer - 222 Fifth

You can also find Gift Guide for Kids, Gift Guide for Her and if you need any help wrapping them up.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Gift Guide 2014 For Kids



1. Trend Lab owl bamboo clock
2. Carter's Too Cute To Hoot toddler set
3. Owls Usborne First Reading
4. Give a Hoot pencil case
5. Owl knit mittens by Blossoms & Buds
6. Sleeping owl beanie San Diego Hat Company
7. Breganwood Organics kids hooded towel
8. Kikkerland owl suction cup toothbrush holder
9. Owl rug from The Rug Market
10. 3 Sprouts owl storage bin
11. Night owl wooden puzzle by Discovery Toys

Giveaway: $100 Gift Card by Ashley Percival



To celebrate the holiday season, I have an exciting giveaway to share with you today by Ashley Percival. Ashley Percival is a freelance illustrator from UK.  He graduated from the University College Falmouth in 2010 and since graduating his wonderful artwork licensed for a wide range of products like clothing, home-decor, homeware, wall art, stationery, app's, books and watches. His clients include Ikea, Papyrus and Monsterthreads to name a few.

In his artwork, animals are the primary subject matter. The quirky characters are often seen riding a bike, dressed in bright sweaters or skateboarding. I particularly love how simple drawings are brought to life with a pop of bright colors and patterns. Perfect for a nursery, kid's room and a grown-up room. He shared: "my favorite and most popular art prints are my owls."

Now you have a chance to bring these creatures home through this giveaway. One lucky reader will win a $100 gift card that can be used towards buying anything from Ashley's online store. So what are you waiting, go ahead and enter to win because who doesn't like an extra cash for holiday shopping!  This giveaway is open internationally.

To enter:
Please leave separate comments letting me know that you liked and shared the post.

You can join Ashley Percival's Facebook page for discount and latest updates here.

Winner will be announced sometime on Dec. 18th.

Update: Our winner is DK. Congratulations!

Friday, December 12, 2014

Gift Guide 2014: For Her



Here're some of my favorite things hand-picked to share with you. These are perfect gift items to give to a special lady in your life, hostess, a friend or even to yourself. Enjoy!

1. Fossil owl bifold wallet, 2. Mama and baby owl tea light holder by Partylite, 3. Vintage Gold Owl Pendant Necklace - Chairish, 4. Hand-painted owl vase - Anthropologie, 5. Hoot canister - Anthropologie,
6. Brass tie backs - High Street Market, 7. Wide eyed owl bookends - SPI Home, 8. Owl white ceramic lamp - Lamp Plus, 9. Gilded animal plate - West Elm, 10. Peugeot women's watch.


11. Natural histories owl jounral - AMNH, 12. Hoot hoot owl scarf - Rustic Vogue, 13. Owl umbrella - The San Francisco umbrella co., 14. Ittala Taika platter, 15.Cosy owl slipper boot - Accessorize,  16. Owl hat - BCBG Max, 17. Owl wire cage planter - Kirkland's, 18. Brass owl box by Jonathan Adler, 19. Compact mirror - Forever 21, 20. Crystal bangle - Betsey Johnson, 21. 2015 Wooden Critter Desk Calendar by Night Owl Paper Goods, 22. Lord and Taylor Owl LED, 23. Owl napkin rings - Pendleton.

Freebie: Christmas Owl Candy Wrapper



Today's freebie is this cute owl candy wrapper that you can download from Katie's blog for free. These wrappers are big enough to fit over a king size Hershey's bar or an individual popcorn package. There is a blank space on the owl's tummy to write a note or a season's greeting. So, go ahead print a bunch of them to dress your favorite candy bar because these will make the most adorable stocking stuffer!

14 Owl Gift Wrapping Products





Giving gifts is fun but for me what's even more fun is to wrap'em. I have complied this feature with the most adorable as well as elegant owl gift wrapping products that will infuse your gifts with lots of love and a little bit of quirkiness. From all the jolly designs, I hope you find something to wrap your gifts in style this Christmas. Follow the links below to get to the source of the products you like.

1. Happy Owliday by Jillson Roberts
2. Owl and fox bag - Papyrus
3. Owl gift tags - Papyrus
4. Felt owl bag - Papyrus
5. Cavallini Papers & Co. glitter Christmas owls gift tags
6. Woodland animals wrapping paper by AlexiaClaire
7. Owl & snowflake ribbon by Bertie's Bows
8. Winter woodland gift wrap by BuzzandFlutterShop
9. Woodland pegs by Paperchase
11. Lilac holly and owls Christmas gift wrap by MorellisDesignLondon
12. Owls gift wrap - SeaUrchin
13. Holiday stickers - FromTheSeeds
14. Peaceful owls gift wrap - Smudge Ink

Thursday, December 11, 2014

18 Christmas Owl Ornaments



[1. GrannyKstreasures, 2. Jay Strongwater, 3. Christopher Radko, 4. NorthwoodsCarvings, 5. Kate Barnett, 6. Jamali Garden, 7. Ikea, 8. Glak Love, 9. PaintMyDream, 10. Gisela Graham, 11. Lenox, 12. NozomiCrafts,  13. Tea Pea, 14. EziBuy, 15. BooKeeSue, 16. Anthropologie, 17. PoofyDove, 18. Ikea]

Last week, I shared a round up of DIY Christmas ornaments. Today, I've prepared this post by gathering my favorite Christmas ornaments from the wonderful online stores in case you have been procrastinating and need last minute help. This feature is a great mix of ornaments handmade by artists and quality ornaments that can be ordered online to get them delivered to you at your door step. Just look around and see if you like something to decorate with. There's still time!

4 Free Christmas Printables



Download these adorable owl printables for free! I have blogged Stacey's printables a few times previously. Once again she has shared holiday themed freebie that can be printed for personal use like frame them to give as a holiday gift, scrapbooking, card making, home decor etc. There are total of four printables with the perfect Christmas greetings. To get'em, go here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

3 Desktop Wallpaper calendars


Desktop wallpaper with December 2014 calendar #1.



Desktop wallpaper with December 2014 calendar #2.


Desktop wallpaper with December 2014 calendar #3.

It's never too late to dress up your desktop for holidays! This christmas update your system and gadgets with these adorable winter themed owlies. You can find the link to the source to the desktop wallpapers just below each of the images. Enjoy, and do share which one did you end up downloading.

Printable Christmas Planner











Here's a Christmas planner that'll keep you organized and stress free this holiday season. Maria of Krafty Card Etc has designed the Christmas planner and generously shared it on her blog for free download. This functional and super useful holiday planner includes gift planner, stocking stuffer planner, Christmas to-do list, Christmas week planner, Christmas menu planner, shopping list, Christmas dinner planner,  Master checklist and more!

You can print the ones you need to have everything right at your fingertips so you can enjoy holidays more. Remember, the same printables can be re-used year after year, if you like, you can save them or bookmark this post.