Artful Rustic Owls by Teri

I was doing some Etsy shopping, and I came across this shop, terraworks'.   I was drawn to the artistry and whimsy of Teri's handbuilt clay art.  And then I bumped into two artful owls, and thought they would fit in perfectly on my Etsy tree.

Artful Owls by terraworks

These bird sculptures are one of a kind pieces of art.  And I just love that awesome espresso cup.  I'm sure just drinking out of it will give you creative powers! Her work is so unique and creative stop by terraworks and take a peek.  

Mushroom House Ornament by iktomi

I just could not resist this mushroom house ornament.  I have had pieces of work by iktomi in my list of favorites for a long time.  Her hedgehogs are front page famous, and oh so adorable.  And now I own my own little piece of art from iktomi's world for my Etsy tree.

Mushroom House Ornament by iktomi

If you visit iktomi on Etsy, you'll be sure to find a one of a kind piece of hand-sculpted art that speaks to you.

Pipodoll Owls for my Etsy Tree

I love owls, and I knew if I wanted to I could fill my Etsy tree with a collection of handmade owl ornaments. So, I made a conscience decision to go beyond the owls of Etsy.  But then, I came across Pipodoll's shop and  I fell in love with her owl ornaments.  So as my collection stands, I have three owls, and one pink angel.

Set of Two Owl Ornaments by Pipodoll

Stop by Pipodoll's shop and wonder down a path of imagination.  She has greeting cards, art prints, original art, and plush gnomes and matryoshkas.

These origami lights perfect for the creative spirit!

Angel In Pink by Flor for my Tree

It's one thing to see art on your computer screen, but it's a totally different experience getting to open up a package with a unique one of a kind piece with your name on it.  I ordered a pink angel for my Etsy tree from Flor Larios.  I love the colors and the energy you see in Flor's work.    I always enjoy stopping by her shop and admiring her art.  I  fell in love with her Madonnas but when I saw the pink angel ornament, my Etsy ornament collection grew.

Second Ornament - Pink Angel by Flor

Some more pieces of from Flor Larios' Etsy shop that I love.

Trimming My Etsy Tree

This year I started collecting unique handmade ornaments from various artists on Etsy.  This owl ornament by Misspottery is the first one that arrived.  I love it!  There is so much texture and spunk in this little guy.  Misspottery's shop houses wonderful pieces of art that incorporate texture, color, playfulness, and functionality.

My first ornament for my etsy tree -  an owl from Misspottery

Her shipping was super quick, so if you're still looking for a special handmade Holiday gift, you have time.  She offers a variety of pieces: jewelry, dishes, teapots, plates, ornaments. . . 

    

Misspottery on Etsy 

Now they are gift card holders and ornaments...

Sometimes you start out thinking you're creating one thing, but then another idea comes along.  These are my little house ornaments that double as gift card holders, but they were supposed to be part of an Advent calendar.

The snowmen houses.  

Well, back in July I had some great ideas for Advent calendars.  I kept telling myself I would make at least three to list in my shop.  It didn't happen.  I made 20 of these cute houses and I couldn't quite make myself finish the job.  So, I decided to list them in my shop as gift card holders.  Maybe next year I'll start working on the holiday items in July.  Maybe...

It would have been a really cute Advent calendar.
But now, they are gift card holders/ornaments.

Trimming a Tree With Handmade Acorns

Whew!  I finally got some sets of holiday acorns made.  The little hats my family and I collected during our hikes were sitting in a dish just begging to become ornaments.  So, here, is what they became.

cute little acorns for your tree

I still want to try to make some sort of garland with the fabric acorns... we'll see.  For me, it's delightful to use something from nature to create art.  

acorn ornaments just for fun

The Baby Boy Owl Mobile

I really love custom creations.  It means someone likes my work enough to customize it and put my idea with theirs and create something meaningful and personal.  This past weekend I got to make an owl mobile for a little boy's nursery.  I made the felt-style owls with the moon and stars.  Here's how it turned out.

Hoot hoot!

Owls & Moon Mobile

Owls in Hoops

So more fun with  the Tina Givens Opal Owl line. . .   I love it! I had some hoops laying around waiting to be turned into mobiles, and I had some owl fabric out and next thing I knew I had some bright new owlsome wall decorations. This is such a quick and easy to  way to display fabric you LOVE and add some color to your room!

Hoot hoot!

October is here!

I finally got back into making some original large Zemphira owls.  I love to use Tina Givens' fabric for my owls. Almost every fabric design I see of hers I picture it as a new owl.  I got very excited when I found out about her new line of fabrics "Opal Owl."  I had to make a few Halloween themed owls!

Edar Allen Owl

And here's Jack O. Lantern.  Same fabrics, different design.

Hoot hoot!  Happy October!

One of a Kind Lunch Bag for a One of a Kind Girl

I was so excited when my little girl asked me to make her a lunch bag for Kindergarten  instead of buying a Hello Kitty one! Of course I had a little help tipping the scales to the handmade side thanks to Danita.  I asked Danita if I could have one of  her images printed on a piece of fabric, and she happily supplied me.  My daughter just learned to ride a bike and I thought the little girl on the bike would be just perfect.  Then I came across this wonderful tutorial about how to make a fabric lunch sack from A Lemon Squeezy Home.   I spent sometime designing it with my daughter and here is the final product!

I used a cloth dishtowel for the main fabric

My kids got me a set of handmade owl buttons from  beadfreaky for my Mother's Day gift - I thought this would be a good place to use one!

Fabric Acorn Tutorial

I thought it would be fun to create some fabric acorns made with real acorn hats.  So, we headed out on a family hike to gather some nuts like little squirrels.  After we got home, we carefully pulled the tops off the acorns and I played around with some fabrics until I got the acorn-look I wanted.   Here's a quick little nature-inspired craft tutorial on how to make fabric acorns.  I had fun making these, and I couldn't make just one,  my kids had fun helping  me collect and choose fabrics, and my husband just thinks I'm nuts!  

colorful fabric acorns 

supplies needed

 cut out a circle with 2.25 inch diameter
 snip the circle 4 times just up to the center

fold the circle in half and sew a seam for each section you just cut - be sure to back stitch

(you will sew 4 seams)

when you are done sewing the 4 seams it will look like a cone - this is the bottom of the acorn

sew a running stitch about a quarter inch from the top of the bottom of the acorn

leave a little bit of a tail at the start of the running stitch

(i usually use a matching thread, i used black here to illustrate this step)

after you sewed all the way around the cone you should have two tails, the start and the end of the thread

pull the ends of the thread together so the cone closes up a little bit

stuff the acorn bottom with a little bit of stuff 'n fluff

(do not entirely close the cone once it is stuffed- it will fill the acorn hat better if it is not pulled all the way)

 put hot glue into an acorn hat

quickly press your acorn bottom to the hat and squeeze the two together

and there you have it - a quick, fun, and festive craft

Right now my acorns are being used as Nutkin's snack.  But I think they would make a very cute brooch or look fun in a bowl as a decoration for Autumn.  I am thinking of stringing a few and making an acorn garland.  I would love to see your nutty creations!

Owl Wall Art - Baby Name Sign

I finally got around to making something for my little one. Her older sister helped me choose the fabric for the little owls. It is from Heather Ross's Mendocino line - great taste, right? I also made Hazel her own little owl. Here's a photo of the crazy baby hanging out in her crib.


I had been wanting to make Hazel her own owl mobile for awhile because every time I make one she gets so excited looking at it. I had fun personalizing the tiny little owls just for her - plus this way she will get to keep it! She may never get a quilt, but she will have baby owls spelling her name. Ok, maybe ONE DAY she will get a quilt.

Etsy Treasury - Meteor Shower Inspired

It's mid August and that means it's time for the Perseid Meteor Shower. So, since it was way to hot in the sewing room last night I made an Etsy treasury with an Astronomy theme. I have always been interested in Astronomy and I had a lot of fun looking on Etsy for items to fit this collection. A few owls snuck in there, but they go with the theme!



Tonight I'll be outside in the back yard looking up - I am hoping for a clear night tonight!

Back to School Time

It's back to school time. For the first time in six years I am going to have to wake up to an alarm! My daughter is going to be going off to Kindergarden. She is very concerned about every detail concerning. . . her lunch. I told her I would make her a little coin purse for her milk money - oddly enough she choose a fabric with owls on it!



One thing Etsy introduced me to was imported Japanese fabric! So CUTE! I order a bunch of the little prints for snack bags, and I am going to use some of the smaller pieces for these little milk money purses... I will be listing some new ones in my shop soon.

Tiny Owls

I've been on a mobile making craze. Mostly cute owl mobiles. I thought I would make a few "loose owls" to sell in my Etsy shop. This guy, Dipper, is made out of fabric I bought with my aunt a long time ago - before I was fabric-crazy. I LOVE it. I was going to make a quilt with this fabric, but I think it makes pretty cute owls.



More tiny owls to come because they are sew fun to make!