Incredible Balloon Sculptures by Masayoshi Matsumoto

  

Masayoshi Matsumoto is a Japanese balloon twister who makes the most amazing animal and insect sculptures using nothing but balloons. He has taken balloon art to a next level with his intricately detailed balloon sculptures. He claims that doesn't use any markers to make eyes, tiny feet, claws and nose of his animals. There seems to be nothing that he cannot make from owls, iguana, mayfly to jellyfish that's made with neon balloons.

You can view more of his work and join him on facebook  to get the scoop on his latest work.

Owl Tag Toy Tutorial with Pattern

Stephanie of "Two More Minutes" made this sweet owl tag toy for her little one and created a tutorial for us all. The easy and simple tutorial comes with step by step instructions with pictures and a printable template. The owl toy can be customized by attaching toys or teething rings to the ribbons or by adding a rattle inside. The toy is small and soft enough to travel with your child anywhere, even during baths! The owl toy will make a perfect handmade gift to a new mother. So why not give it a try this weekend, just take out some fabric scraps and few other things to get going. 

For the complete tutorial and the materials that you'll need to make your own owl tag toy go to Stephanie's blog here.

Classroom Theme Mustache Owl Printable

Tabitha Carro was a kindergarten teacher for six years in Augusta, GA and now teaching in Lexington, SC as a Spanish partial-immersion math and science 4th grade teacher. She loves her job, and on her blog "Flap Jack Education" she shares different ways she tries to make learning fun!

If you are a teacher or have children who go to school then you must visit her blog which is filled with great fun ideas that can be incorporated into teaching. She has offered lots of freebies on her blog including bookmarks, classroom decor etc.The owl with mustache freebie is so adorable! You can download as many as bookmarks and editable gift tags you want for school or to share with friends from her blog.

The Paper Moon Factory

Marion Westerman is a paper sculptor from Netherlands. She studied visual communication at the Royal Academy of Art and Design in Den Bosch, Netherland. She worked as a freelance graphic and illustrator for various magazines and advertising companies before she started her own business.

In 2007, she started working on creating magical things with paper pulp. It began with making masks, now she makes much more complex 3 dimensional sculptures and other treasures. Her online store - The Paper Moon Factory offers lovely handmade paper mache owl beads, owl shaped lamp, city lights, ornaments and more!

Murgatroyd & Bean

Today I discovered a fascinating work of Kathleen Murphy also known as Murgatroyd & Bean an artist based in Herefordshire. She handcrafts textile curiosities in bright colors and embroidery stitches inspired by folklore and fairy tales. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are created using recycled fabric, hand embroidery and found objects. 

The creatures that you see above are from "The Silva Populi" a collection of woodland folk who are naturally shy and try to disguise themselves as woodland birds and beasts. They conceal their true identities by wearing tiny garments to look like the fur, ears or feathers of animals such as foxes or owls. They live in small glass jar and when they are not feeling too shy they agree to come out to have some fun. There is a delightful animation film where one of the Silva Populi is seen dancing!

She conducts workshop sessions at Trumpet Corner Art Studios & Tearoom where the students will learn embroidery, discuss their experiences and get a chance for problem solving, if any, on personal textile related project. If you are in the area and want to work with like minded people, you might want check out more details on her website.

Suzan Visser's Surreal Art

Suzan Visser is an illustrator and a visual artist born in 1967 in Maarsbergen, NL. While growing up she was surrounded by people who were artists which played a significant role in her becoming interested in arts. She studied at College of Fine Arts in the city of Utrecht and Drawing and Biology at Teachers College Utrecht.

In the beginning of her career she used to illustrate biology texts and gradually evolved to a unique style which is surreal as well as humorous in nature. The primary subject matter in her work are owls and other animals who often accompany people. These beings are depicted in a strange set up like that hippo seating in a wash basin looking at its reflection in the mirror. So funny! She will participate in a solo exhibition at Honingen Gallery from June 11 through 27, for more information on the show go here.

"Menagerie" by Repeat Repeat

Good morning, I hope you are having a good week so far. About a couple of weeks ago I featured the adorable "Hello!" collection of mugs and porcelain money boxes designed by Gillian Naylor and Mark Faulkner of Repeat Repeat Designs here.

Today, I have another beautiful range by Repeat Repeat Designs of homeware and kitchenware titled "Menagerie" that offers mugs, jugs, table mats and coasters. The range features quirky animals, birds with flora and fruits motifs inspired by the world of decoupage. The illustrations of owls, deer, giraffe, elephant etc. are in striking colors of orange, green and turquoise. You can find all the products from the collection here and here.

Paper Sculptures by Suzanne Breakwell

Suzanne Breakwell was born in Coventry currently lives in Brighton, East Sussex with her family. She gained Higher National Diploma Photography at Bradford & Ilkley Community College, & then received graduate degree in BA(hons) Technical Arts Design for Film & Theatre at Wimbledon School of Art, London. Suzzane is a self-taught paper artist who creates gorgeous sculptures using wire, paper mache, corrugated paper, pages from books and cotton rag papers. For her pieces she gets inspiration from the natural world and it's rich flora and fauna. 

The artist shares on her website why she uses paper as the main medium for her work: "I adore paper as a medium & love the beauty & simplicity of creating my pieces from a medium that is so widely used in by so many on a daily basis. It’s the potential of the blank paper & what it might be able to become which sparks my imagination. I find the delicate yet strong characteristics of paper make it an interesting & versatile material to work with. It is this contradictory nature which fascinates me & its ability to continually reinvent itself never seizes to amaze & continues to push me forward developing new ideas & techniques."

The barn owl sculpture is a stunner! The tiny pieces of paper are shaped individually by hand to make feathers in different shapes and sizes. The paper feathers are left raw and rough at the edges to add texture. Her sculptures are brought to life by the use of colored paper and paper with text before they are mounted on oak stands.