oh deer

via Martin Isaac

Now that I'm back in town for good, Lorelei and I are committing to making holiday gifts together. This year we made these lovelies and we are already thinking about next year. More to the point - I'm procrastinating by thinking about next year. Not to spoil the surprise of what her creativity and my grunt work will create, but I hope it will involve some sort of image of a deer because that's all I've been researching lately. (Is it too late for a resolution to get a grip on my serious procrastination skills?). Here, for your pleasure, is the end result of me avoiding work - a round-up of deer images! (And, yes, I've already done a round-up of deer pictures - I know this about myself and I embrace it.)

 

Frida Kahlo via Time is Art 

 

via vintage printable

 

 via Daydream Lily

 Bambi via Indianapolis Museum of Art

 

via julia.

by Joanna Salta

paper zoo

On the blog Handmade Charlotte there is a fantastic tutorial for making paint chip animals. The tutorial has printable templates (which is a huge bonus) and even tips for storage, but what I like most is that this is a DIY kid craft that can be altered in so many ways and still work.
You can use the template or design your own zoo of creatures. The paint chips have great color and weight, but this could be done with heavier scrapbook paper as well. You could leave your animals as they are or add drawn smiles, polka dots and hairy backs.

It is one of those crafts that could appeal to 2-year-olds and 10-year-olds alike (even 37-year-olds....).  Whether you use your animals as decorations or action figures, this is a winner of a project!

Images: handmadecharlotte

Animal Valentines

Image courtesy of cutepics.org

I checked the Illustration School: Let's Draw Cute Animals out of the library to see if I could transform a package of blank cards I had into animal valentines. It worked! The book had easy, step-by-step instructions on how to draw a variety of woodland, wild, water and farm animals.
I wound up with a set of 18 classroom valentines- no two alike. :)

a different gift

As my kids unwrapped numerous toys from well-meaning family and friends this past holiday and as I found myself purchasing toys for our large extended family, I got to thinking about different sorts of gifts. I always love giving and getting picture books and art supplies for kids -that will always be true, but I need something for the coming year's birthdays and far off holiday season that is different.
I think I found it.
I am going to go with the World Wildlife Fund's species adoption options. There are many choices and price ranges. My nieces and nephews vary in age, but I think all of them would appreciate this gift. There are over a hundred symbolic adoption choices, so there is sure to be an animal for every personality!
And really, how cool is it to say you adopted a Koala?

All images courtesy of worldwildlife.org

plastic animals, two ways

Over the past few weeks I came across two projects involving plastic animal figures. In this house these toy animals are loved for what they are right now, but someday down the road, I will have older children and flocks, prides, and packs of miniature toy animals collecting dust.
When that day comes (or perhaps if I purchase my own tiny farmyard family beforehand), I am going to try both of these ideas.
The first is so simple and a really sweet and colorful way to organize a playroom. The site housetohome.co.uk featured this concept- animal figures glued to the lids of glass jars and then painted in various vibrant shades. Voila! A tidy and cool way to store beads, crayons, and all sorts of supplies.
The second project I saw, was a bit more complicated, but definitely worth the extra steps. The site thesweetestoccasion explains how to create your own party animal candleholders. I just loved the golden result.....plus she noted that using even the little figurines from the dollar store still resulted in a delightful, shimmering cake topper. What a truly clever idea.

Images courtesy of inmagine, housetohome,
thesweetestoccasion (3)

animal portraits - cool or creepy?

"Young Mr. Fox" via ThisYearsGirl

There seem to be lots of cool animal portraits on Etsy these days that are at the same time really surreal and full-on silly. I'm loving them - though, I'll admit, some creep me out a little bit more than I can handle. For example, Mary, the owl = night terrors while Loppy Sue, the bunny = oh just sooo cute! (However, upon reflection - it looks like every single owl portrait freaks me out so maybe it's just owls dressed up human in old timey pictures I can't handle...)

"Picture Day Series" by BeatUpCreations

"Set of 5 original postcards" via SandraArteagA

illustrations by berkleyillustration

art prints by GrandOleBestiary

"Dolly Kitten" by Hot Digital Dog

Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas

There are so many holiday specials out there. I can definitely take or leave most of them , but my very favorite is actually kind of hard to find in most line-ups. Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas is based on a Russell Hoban/Lillian Hoban (of "Frances the Badger" fame) story and has all the sweet natured charm and humor of the classic Muppets.
Jim Henson developed this " 'Gift of the Magi' with a twist" tale of Emmet Otter and his Ma and it should be a staple of the season. With all of the junky holiday television programming out there these days, it is just nice to see a production with some Christmas spirit....the furry Mupppets are a bonus!

Christmas is approaching in Frogtown Hollow, and Emmet Otter and his Ma hope to buy gifts for each other. Unfortunately, Emmet doesn't make enough from the odd jobs he does, and Ma doesn't make enough as a laundress. They decide to compete in the Frog Town Hollow Talent Contest in order to win money, but Ma will have to hock Emmet's tool chest to buy a costume, and Emmet will have to put a hole in Ma's washtub for his band!

Image courtesy of Google

sequin animals

I saw these fancified woodland animals over on The Soho and just had to share...

Not only are these animals from West Elm both cozy cute and cool metallic -- they are also on sale for $14.99 each (talk about a unique and affordable gift) AND $5 bucks of the purchase goes to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Sounds like an all around great gift to me!

UPDATE:
Now these lovelies are marked down to $9.97. Now you can go and get one for yourself too!

images via West Elm

The Animal Print Shop

I was reading Little Green Notebook the other day and Jenny mentioned that the deer print in the nursery she had designed came from Sharon Montrose's theanimalprintshop.com.

I went to check it out because there was something so striking about that print. It seems Ms. Montrose has an entire site full of these unique animal shots and I am sure they would be a focal point of any room.

The baby animal series is ideal for a nursery- not over the top darling, but just the right amount of sweet and unusual to make the baby's room something special.

All images courtesy of theanimalprintshop.com

Follow the horse

I love this photography project over at the blog Toy Horse Travels. Cassia, the photographer, plans to take a picture of her childhood toy every day for a year. She's only been doing it for 16 days, but so far - I'm such a huge fan.

More horse images here: Horse.

And Cassia's Etsy shop is here: Lola's Room.

Trafalgar's Square

How about kicking off the week with a great "Rainy Day Sale"? Trafalgar's Square on Etsy has their 8 X 10 prints priced at ten dollars (versus the normal seventeen) and you can't beat that. I am a fan of their "book love" collection , but they have so many beautiful, adorable pieces. These prints would be great baby shower or welcome baby gifts.....I think I will pick up a couple for my daughter's room. They are just hard to resist!

 

All images courtesy of trafalgarssquare on Etsy