Beautiful Portraits of Birds by Leila Jeffreys

I'll leave you for the weekend with these amazing portraits of Australian birds photographed by Leila Jeffreys. She photographs owls, eagles, cockatoos and other birds capturing their varied personalities, highlighting that many have human characteristics. 

"As a child I was always enamoured with animals, I saw them as 'people' which is how I formed a relationship with them from a very young age. As I've grown, I've watched the human population explode worldwide so I wanted to remind us all about the 'little people' that also share the planet."

She has worked with scientist researching endangered species, wildlife rescue groups, wildlife parks, zoos and private breeders that are all passionate about conservation of these feathered beings. If you wish to see her work in person then you can stop by at Olsen Irwin Gallery, Woollahra, Sydney where she exhibits through September 28th. 

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Shivani

DIY: Owl Wreath

This is a fun tutorial that was shared by Rose following which you can make your own owl wreath. The owl wreath is not only adorable, but also unique and pretty simple to create in just a few hours. This will look perfect with your fall decorations as well as Halloween ensemble. 

Following are the things that were used for the project. You can easily find them at a craft store and a thrift store.

- Twig wreath

- Faux feathers

- Foam gourd and pumpkin picks

- Mini corn picks

- Long feather picks

- Wood circle

- Twine and a wire cutter

- Glue 

- Felt and paint pen

For the complete list of materials and instructions click here.

Free Vintage Owl Scrapbooking Paper + Gift Wrap

Do you remember this vintage tawny owl image? Sandra of MeinLila Park has used this image (it's free!) to create owl pattern that you can download to use it for your scrapbooking project or for making cards. There is a high resolution image which will make a great gift wrapping paper or can be used for any other paper craft project. To download the size you need and instructions go here. Enjoy!

Postcards for Ants: A Miniature Painting A Day Project by Lorraine Loots

Cape Town based artist Lorraine Loots creates incredibly detailed miniature paintings everyday day of a year. The project is called "Postcards for Ants" started in 2013, after receiving a great success the artist decided to continue it for a second year. The phase is inspired by Cape Town which is designated as the official World Design Capital of 2014.  She welcomes you to contact her to book her next surprise painting through her website, and she has printed five limited edition postcards for each day. 

You must watch the video above to learn more about her project and the inspiration behind it all. 

Woodland Collection by Ulster Weavers

Woodland animal range by Ulster Weavers features three forest friends including owl perched on a branch, a hare and a squirrel surrounded by vibrant trees and flowers. The animals are available on number of products such as fine bone cups, tea towels and a doorstop. They are perfect gift to a nature lover or to yourself to bring a little whimsy to your kitchen. All the products from the range can be found here.

Adorable Decorative Pillows by MosMea

Francesca is an artist from Italy who loves to paint and create cute animal pillows inspired by "taking a walk around our mountains"- she says, and by nature in general.

She hand draws animals in black and white onto organic fabric using non-toxic permanent colors then machine sews around the painted form. The result is incredibly adorable which makes animal drawings appear real. As if they are involved in mundane activities of taking a nap on a chair or playing among themselves. Her online store MosMea has over forty pillows at the time and each one is unique, take a look!

Erica Smith for Penny Farthing Design House

'Barn Owl'

'Dik Dik'

'Majestic Mare'

'Gus'

'Pierre'

'Frank the Flamingo'

Erica Smith is a graphic designer and an illustrator based out of Sydney, Australia. She has designed the collection depicting portraits of animals and birds in a playful style for Penny Farthing Design House. Her work is painted and hand drawn in pencil, some are detailed with gold foil that's carefully applied by hand. Each artwork is printed on artist grade paper and is signed by the artist. 

Cracker Jack Snap Toys

In 1940s the famous designer C. Carey Cloud made many Cracker Jack Prizes that were made of paper and brightly printed with a character's face in the front and instructions on how to use. The other side is printed with a mouth, teeth, tongue of the same character. The series of 12 fun snap toys also known as paper squeeze faces for Cracker Jack that consists of an owl, clown, leopard, clown, elf, hippo, monkey, cow, baboon, elephant, duck, and snake. They each measure 1-5/8" x 2-3/4", and are sought after collectors' item. You can find them all here. Have you seen these before?

Owl Bags + Socks + Lunch Box

Loungefly Owl Face with Ears And Wings Backpack

Loungefly Owl Eyes Plastic Pencil Case

{Loungefly Owl Tweed Crossbody Messenger Bag, Loungefly Owl Tweed Wallet, Loungefly Smart Alec Messenger Bag}

{Loungefly Owl With Flowers Hearts Lunchbox, Loungefly Knee High Socks, LoungeflyKnee High Socks-Light, Loungefly Colorful Turquoise Owl Cute Ears Feet & Wings School Backpack}

Newly launched owl bags and gift items by Loungefly are adorable as well as functional for students, kids and is ideal for anyone who wants a little quirkiness in their everyday wardrobe. The products come in different materials and colors to meet everyone needs without compromising style. You can find all the products and order them online from here.