Katherine Rally Textiles from Indonesia

Katherine Rally Textiles was started by designers Kathy and Rally Dupps, originally from Boulder, Colorado who after getting married moved to Bali, Indonesia. Inspired by travel, textiles and natural surroundings they produced a beautiful line of batiks in vibrant colors. The range features stunning patterns and designs including animal motifs hand printed on cotton linen and cotton twill  in bright colors. Love Cats (tiger print) and Alexandra (owl print) are perfect for making cushion covers or other accessories for any room in the house.

via

Animal Photographs by Cally Whitman

Cally Whitham is a photographic artist from New Zealand, currently working and living  in the Rural North of Auckland. Cally Whitham studied two years of photography at Carrington Design School/Unitec. She takes artistic portraits of animals and birds in romantic light that brings out aesthetics of her subject giving her work a real oil painting effects. 

“My photographic voice is very romantic and nostalgic. I am a pictorialist at heart. I work on the idea of capturing a thought or feeling more so than the actual subject matter in front of me.”

The owl at the top is stunning, really. The dark background framing the owl makes its posture and features stand out giving him a personality that has a human resemblance.

Mamas & Papas: Patternology

Mamas & Papas is a UK brand started by husband and wife team - David and Luisa Scacchetti in 1981. They offer a wide variety of baby and kids products like furniture, car seats, toys, books, clothing and much more. The first thing anyone who visits their website will notice instantly is their innovative design and vibrant color palette of their merchandise.  

Designed by Ruth Ashton "Patternology" is a collection featuring forest friends - owl, squirrel, lion, hedgehog, fox and bear made from eye catching patterns and  geometric shapes. The above shown are few of the products from the range including stacking boxes, passport holders, cushions, body suits and keepsake suitcase. More products from the collection can be found on their website.

Art on Mushroom

Ildikó is an artist from Pula, Hungary who paints on shelf mushroom also known as Tinder Fungus. Another awesome thing I learnt about today, I didn't know you could paint on mushrooms!

"Tinder Fungus, are a tree fungus that grows on dead or wounded trees in any woodland. Working with nature's canvas is a long process, which can take months of preparation. Each one is unique in size and shape, with wonderful natural features that inspire. They are wood like and very durable, natures design to last a lifetime and beyond." - from the artist's online store.

Her painting are often inspired by nature and animals. The owl painting on the mushroom shown above is filled with amazing detailing, especially the reflection in the owl's eyes which puts life into the painting. You can join her on facebook where she updates about her new artwork and special discounts. She welcomes custom orders, you can contact her with a picture of your favorite animal, your pet or a place to create something unique for you.

Sticky Rice Owl Dessert

How adorable are those faces! I was browsing for recipes online when I stumbled across this link to a Japanese website that shared the recipe to make owls for dessert out of Nerikiri. I don't know Japenese neither did I know what Nerikiri was but I was curious to learn so I searched some more. Nerikiri is a Japanese confection made from white bean, sticky rice flour and sugar. The dough is used the same way as you would use clay to form different edible shapes and desserts. 

Of course, if you have experience in cooking Japanese this recipe will be easier to make than those who have never worked with sticky rice before. Nonetheless, this is an inspiring idea to try or to incorporate in your baking because the round shaped owls are just too cute to pass!