I love seeing the resurgence of the peacock motif in design…all those wallpapers and fabrics all over the blogosphere? Exquisite.
I have a soft spot for these squawking birdies…I lived with a flock for a few months in my youth…so beautiful…but freakin’ noisy. My picks below are a mix of vintage and new, but it just goes to show, these little guys never really go out of style.
$18 by DeKanimal on Etsy – reminds me of a cross between the Partridge Family and the old NBC logo.
I have started the wrap-a-thon, and this year I and am having a go at heat embossing with the powders. Never done it before, so the crafty set might sport a big yawn here.
Every year, I like to pick a look or aesthetic and wrap all my packages that way. One year, it was all faux bois papers, another it was plain white with pin-up girls that doubled as tags. Last year, I lamely phoned it in and got some patterned paper at Target…I’d only had a working kitchen for a few weeks, I was still unpacking boxes and I was grumpy and tired. That said, I hated my packages. They weren’t cute, clever or personal. They were ordinary.
On the whole, I don’t do bows, although I’m not against ribbon. Bows are fine for a single gift event. During the holidays, I need stackability and you can’t stack shit on top of a bow now, can you? This year, my preference is no ribbon, no bow, but an embossed graphic on solid paper. I picked up my supplies at Michael’s, plus a smattering of solid color papers, and even tried using some kraft shipping paper again this year. (It’s always a winner…thick enough to create nice edges, and plain enough for cool graphics to shine.)
The embossing WORKS best on the kraft paper, but LOOKS best on the glossy gift wrap. The problem I’m having is that the glossy papers create a static cling with the embossing powders making it harder to keep a clean image. I’m using a dry brush to try and clean it up around the edges. I’m also finding that Martha’s embossing powders work better than the other brands I’ve tried.
The key is making sure the stamp has enough ink and is perfectly flat. No ink…no emboss. It works best to stamp/emboss the paper BEFORE you wrap it unless your package is totally solid. Any give in the box will cause a missed spot on your stamp/ink. You see at the bottom how it looks when the image doesn’t quite make it due to stamper error…Oops.
I also bought a set of sans serif letters and numbers so I can personalize the packages without ribbon and tags, although I am making a bunch of tags to have throughout the year while I’ve got this mess going.
I imagine my last packages will be the best, but if anyone else wants to try it, I figured I’d better get it posted now. I’m getting the hang of it, and having fun picking which family member gets which image or scene. I know it’s a complete shock that I’m using birds and deer.
It’s that time of year….the Titmice and the Carolina Chickadees will eat an entire feeder of black sunflower seed in a single day. It’s crazy. Because I’m not content to just gaze out the window at them while they gorge, I picked up a little sumtin’ on Black Friday. While everyone else hit the mall…I hit the junk stores and they were refreshingly quiet. I even found another pair of birdies for $6.
Everyone in my neighborhood already has their holiday decorations up…sheesh. Not ready for that yet, but I guess I’d better start decking the halls before time gets away from me.
While both my fawn love and avian obsession have been mentioned before..I’ve also long loved maps and atlases. One of our favorite wedding presents was a big, new National Geographic atlas. I can still sit with it for days on end.
My point is… British artist, Claire Brewster, has managed to combine two of my favorite things...although not for sale. I might have to steal this idea for some bird silhouettes of my own. Handcut from atlas pages…she creates beautiful, intricate creatures and objects. You go girl.
11.4.09 UPDATE!!! Apparently her work IS for sale….contact her via the link above!
So. I’ve seen these on 2 blogs already, but they are SO fab – and affordable..$20 each!
I must jump aboard.
These fabulous birds are by Josh Brill and available at Lumadessa. The Charley Harper influence is not missed. So lovely – how do you choose just one…or four?
I almost named this post Hitchcockian Hootenanny, until my fellow wildlife lovin’ girlfriend pointed out that a group of owls is indeed….yup…a parliament. I’ll ask George Clinton and Bootsy Collins for forgiveness another time.
I’ve become that crazy wildlife chick and I can’t apologize enough. My small readership has just evaporated I’m sure, but I can’t help myself. After 10 months of mystery and wonder, the elusive owls have decided it’s time to teach the kids how to hunt….10 feet from my window.
The flurry of hushed excitement in the house is accompanied by my incessant snapping of photos, and the bold, yet stealthy, step outside to try and get a bit closer. The owls start to gather and fly toward me rather than fleeing….at which point, my crafty counterpart decides that, maybe, I might want to step back inside. Please let me be smarter than Tippi Hedren… (although I did dress as her a couple of Halloweens…hmmm..)
Then Two....
Then Three....Better Step Away
BTW, my new stalkers are barred owls aka hoot owls..however, I am NOT politely asked “who cooks for you”, but am offered menacing screeches I discern as “give me a chipmunk or I’ll claw your eyes out!”
Noted….moving back inside to talk about cheap stuff again.
I’ve been lonely for my birds since the scavenging raccoons made off with ALL 3 of my bird feeders in the night a few weeks back. This will have to do. I’m thinking the raccoons will have difficulty following the eightfold path….
So, those who know me know I got thing for birds – at a distance – I’m not a crazy bird lady who keeps flocks in cages, but I love watching them outdoors and having them as a motif in my home. Birds are not just for the holidays, but all year round! For example: The felt birds would be great in a grouping over a crib! Here is small sampling of some cool birds out there…some new, some have been around awhile, but IMHO I deem to be classic – and affordable.
Wallpaper Birds: Sets of 2/$30 from Romp
Tray from Lotta Jansdotter- $24.00
Perch “Early Bird” Pendant from Velocity $190
Felt Birds with Satin Ribbon $18/Set of 2 from Branch
$18 by DeKanimal on Etsy – reminds me of a cross between the Partridge Family and the old NBC logo.
$24 poster by Rabi Khan on All Posters
