DIY: Owl Bucket

Jodi came up with this owl bucket idea when she needed party decorations for her daughter's birthday party. She was looking for something quirky to serve food and treats at the party. The upside down owl bucket is a great idea to hold plates of cookies, cupcakes etc. This is an easy project which can be made without spending lot of money. Just find a few buckets at your local craft store and make your own googly eyed owl buckets that everyone will love. This could also be a great activity for the kids who can make some buckets for their tea party.

Free Woodland Birthday Party Printables

Lia Griffith designs wonderful printables and gives them away for free! How very generous of her. Thanks Lia! Today I am sharing the woodland themed printables by her that are perfect for a birthday party. You can download cupcake toppers, straw flags, snack cones, header cards, critter stickers and more, and print them for your next party! The printables feature woodland friends - owl, bear, fox and bunny in the colors inspired by the nature - brown, orange, green and blue. The birthday party freebies are available here. You can find more free printables by her here.

Dou Dou Birds

Adorable bunch of new owl and bird sculptures by Dou Dou. What I love the most about her sculptures is the variety of facial expressions of the birds. Some look completely confused, some skeptical of their existence and some surprised! 

I have blogged about her and her wonderful work on the blog previously. Take a look here.

Little Bead Boxes by Julia S. Pretl

I am blown away by these stunning boxes by an artist based in Baltimore City Julia S. Pretl who has been beading since late 1980s. She hand-makes these boxes with thousands of tiny beads in varied shapes and sizes from the basement of her house. Each box is one-of-a-kind which features intricate designs such as owl, insects, birds, animals and patterns in array of colors. 

After 15 years of beading she realized that she could combine her passion with her training in graphic design and technical illustration to teach others. She now writes books, creates patterns and conducts occasional workshops. She has written four books in which she shares techniques and tips for the beginners as well as advanced beaders. The patterns of the boxes shown above and many more can be purchased from her website.

'Birds on Wood' by Maggie Hurley

California based artist Maggie Hurley went to school at the Laguna College of Art and Design in Southern California. If her work looks familiar to you then it's because she has contributed her wonderful work to our past Owl Lover calendars. She works in various styles and mediums. Some days she likes to work with watercolors and some days she'll sculpt something out of clay. 

Her work is whimsical often inspired by the natural world. Her newest series 'Birds on Wood' feature watercolor portraits of birds on wood block. 

Artist shares: "Birds are fascinating creatures! When I was a kid, I spent a considerable amount of time nursing the birds my cat brought home back to health. Today, I like to feature them in portraits that I paint on small wood blocks. 

I’ll enlarge the eyes a little bit or do something to make it more charming. I appreciate all the people doing Audubon-style illustration, but I like to give it a little more personality. My interest lies in trying to find a relatable expression on a face that shares so little with people."

Her artwork can be purchased at affordable price starting at $40. Because there are so many lovely birdies from barn owl, spectacled owl, kingfisher to white peacock, she offers a subscription service called Bird in a Box. With the subscription you will get a new bird print on wood each month for just $25 per month! That's great!