Birthday Party Owl Pinata

I'll wrap up this week with this wonderful tutorial on how to make an owl pinata shared on the blog Sustain My Craft Habit. The pinata is made using an empty cereal box and some paper to make feathers. There is a printable template and step by step instructions with images that makes the project simple to follow. Pinatas is a great activity that brings an instant fun to any party. Make this owl pinata for your next owl themed birthday party!

Polish Designer - Ola Niepsuj

Black Owl

Horses

"How smart are animals" illustration for Maleman magazine.

Je voudrais une baguette

"Buka" illustration for Snow & Gold Magazine.

King Kong

Konie C

Ola Niepsuj is a Warsaw based graphic designer and illustrator. She graduated from Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź in 2010. She creates humorous and eccentric illustrations with a unique combination of collage, pencil, ink and spray paints. Her work is mainly analogue where photoshop is used only to make slight corrections or to do clean ups.

"In my drawings, I search for humor and ambiguity. I like extreme deformations, but always funny and never scary."

For her distinctive work she received Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship and was awarded with the Academy of Fine Art in Lodz Rector's Grant. She has been awarded with many design related awards including American Illustration annual competition for which she was awarded twice. Her work has been published in international magazines, books, textbooks and children’s books. She took part in more than 50 exhibitions in Poland and abroad. You can follow her on facebook for updates on her new work and information on her upcoming shows.

Retro Inspired bags by Blue Q

Blue Q was launched in 1988 by brothers Mitch and Seth Nash in Pittsfield, MA. They create bags from recycled materials in quirky and stylish designs. There are pencil cases, zippers, coin purses, totes, messenger bags, pouches and shoppers in vibrant and retro inspired patterns. Every Blue Q bag sold benefits the conservation work of the Nature Conservancy. 

You can visit their website for more funky products, apparel and paper lanterns. The products are also available here.

Teardrop Shaped Owl Cookies Tutorial

Cookie designer Lucy Samuels and the owner of a UK brand Honeycat Cookies made these beautiful teardrop shaped owl cookies inspired by a embroidery piece that she owns. You can find the complete list of ingredients and supplies that you'll need to make these cookies on Cookie Connection. The tutorial may look complex to some of us but the clear set instructions makes it simple. White sugar pearls, gold lustre dust and the lovely teardrop shape make these elegant cookies perfect for bridal shower or a birthday party!

 Take a look here for more amazing cookie tutorials.

Vintage Wooden Bottle Stoppers

How adorable are these wooden bottle stoppers! It's a set of 5 unique bottle stoppers including owl, mouse, viking, grandma and pipe design. It'll make a great collector's item or a gift to someone who loves quirky things. Available here.

Bird Mafia by Emily Brown

Emily Brown of Oregon based design company Bird Mafia produces whimsical paper cut artwork with mind boggling intricacy. She hand-draws and hand-cuts each piece using an xacto knife. There is no use of lasers, stencils, or die cut. It's amazing how she adds texture, feathers and fur to her animals with precise, tiny cuts. 

She has an online store on etsy where she sells her paper cuts, shadow boxes with beautiful scenes, or turns them into tea towels, pillows and stationery.

You can find more of her work blogged in the past here.

Beautiful Pottery by Nan Hamilton

Burrowing owls vase

Zebra vase

Rabbit vase

Carved rim Trumpeter Swan vase.

Animal bowls

Gemsbok vase and  Crows in the corn vase.

Mugs

Flying owl bowl (top), Hungry owl bowl (bottom).

Tiger plate

Carp plate

Nan Hamilton creates unique hand painted pottery featuring owls, birds and reptiles in their natural setting. There is a range of pottery items that she makes including beautiful carved rim vases, plates, bowls, mugs, shakers and pitchers. I especially love how the rim is hand carved to form owls, rabbit ears, swans. She gives classes at the Mudville pottery, Boston for those who are new to pottery as well as experienced potters. You can find schedule and more information on her upcoming classes on her website.