DIY: Make Your Own Owl

Cat and Isobel of Owl Know How have created this cute tutorial so you can make your own owl. It's a super easy project that needs some felt in assortment of colors, a needle and thread. You can make as many as you want for yourself or to give it as a gift to your niece! 

For the complete tutorial and step by step instructions click here.

Free Nursery Print

Today's freebie is this sweet "I'll owlways be there for you" printable that you can download in two colors - blue and pink from Ana's blog here. It'll make a great wall art for a nursery or lovely framed gift for a new mom!

Birds with Hairdos - Coiffure le Bird

Coiffure le Bird is a series of bird portraits with fancy hairdos. It's a collaboration between photographer Rene Mesman and Dutch postproduction specialists at Souverein Weesp, who worked on the photoshoot for shampoo and conditioner commercial for blonde, brunette and redhead. I believe they very much succeeded in their objective to create something that could get people's attention. And why not, how many of us have seen an owl in long extensions?

"The quirky collection consisting of an owl, a crow and a falcon allows one to take an objective look at the lengths that people go to look a certain way. The images put the tedious task of adding extensions and getting your hair blow dried and styled into perspective. How would other animals react to our grooming habits if they could talk?"

Post It Notes by Lesley Barnes

Newly launched Signatures Series by Post It Notes presents owls and castles stationery designed by Lesley Barnes. The whimsical and elegant designs are available as list notes, note pads and page markers. Each set comes beautifully boxed and can be purchased from here.

Salvatore Ferragamo's Animal Capsule Collection

{owl ipad case, coin purse, wristlet}

{elephant ipad case, coin purse, wristlet}

{frog scarf, coin purse, wristlet}

Salvatore Ferragamo 'Animal Capsule' gift collection consists of coin purses, cases for the modern gadgets, mini bags, silk scarves and wristlets. The range is in vibrant sapphire blue, pink quartz and topaz orange colors featuring the most iconic animal foulard prints taken from Ferragamo's archive - owl, frog and elephant, adorned with 3D leather appliqué details. There are more items from the range that can be found at Ferragamo's website here.

Beadwork by Heidi Kummli

'Owl teapot'

I recently discovered Heidi Kummli's gorgeous beadwork and I am thrilled that I did! She has been making jewelry and art pieces for thirty years inspired by the Mother Nature and its creatures. Through researching Native American beadwork techniques and trial and error, her work has continually evolved. She presently lives in a totally off the grid home in west of Boulder, Colorado with her husband and a son. I'm fascinated by the intriguing and delicate work in her pieces which makes every one of them so unique and special. My jaw dropped when I saw the stunning owl necklace (shown at the top). It's my favorite because of the intricate craftsmanship and the amount of dedication went into making it. 

"Heidi hopes that through her work she can share the beauty that surrounds her and give the wearer a since of oneness with the world the earth and creatures upon her." 

She has won many design awards for her work, and has published two books -  The Art of Bead Embroidery and The Spirit of Bead Embroidery.

Stitched Creatures by Karin Emsbroek

Karin Emsbroek is an artist with passion for fabrics from The Netherlands who hand-makes these one-of-a-kind creatures with lots of charm and detailing.

Her work is inspired by her natural surroundings where she grew as a child. "The forest was my backyard & playground: the trees to climb, the brook for swimming & fishing, the cornfields to play hide and seek.. Twenty years later I still enjoy nature very much, although I won't climb any trees anymore. The projects & illustrations are a reflection of everything I love, and I`d love to share it with you."

Visit her website Stitched Creatures where you can find all the adorable creatures as well as brooches and beautiful postcards.

Hand-painted Feathers by Rebecca Jewell

Rebecca Jewell lived in Papua New Guinea in 1982 for a year, and found inspiration for her work in the birds who were important to the people there and the incredible feather headdresses they made.

"Birds and feathers are my fascination and inspiration." - the artist shares.

The artist studied anthropology at Cambridge University in 1985 and gained a PhD from London's Royal College of Art  in the department of Natural History Illustration. She is currently is artist in residence at both the London Metropolitan University and the British Museum where she is researching and drawing feather-work from Oceania. 

"Over the past years I have drawn and painted feathers and birds, and explored how they have been used to enhance and decorate humans. I am also aware of the plight and precarious status of many species, which I wanted to represent in the delicacy of the image on the feather." - from National Archives of Australia.

She uses "ethically sourced" feathers for her work from various sources, where possible. She begins with making a photo-plate and inking it up and run it through the etching press to print the image onto the feather. Her work has been exhibited world over including London, America, Singapore, Germany, Japan and Australia. Her work was selected for Waterhouse Natural History Prize where ‘Owl Feathers: after Thorburn.’ was awarded Highly Commended piece in 2012.