Winter Baby Snow Owl DIY

  
Have I got a fun project!  Inspired by the extreme cold and blistery snow we've had, I'm making a baby snow owl.  I love making owls - as you can see here, here, here and here!  Whew!  The snow owls are born with soft white feathers called down.   I have a marabou feather boa that literally moves with the slightest touch - so perfect to make a little snow owl with!  And I have all the other materials I need to make this cutie:

Paper mache egg

Acrylic white paint
Paint brush

Marabou feather boa

Faux plastic animal eyes
Stiff felt

Stiff bristles (from a brush)

Hot glue

Pen cap
Candle  

Begin with a paper mache egg .  .  .

and paint it white with acrylic paint and let dry.

Starting at the top of the egg, glue on the feather boa with a little hot glue and wrap around the egg.

Add glue sparingly as you wrap until the egg is completely covered with feathers.

For the eyes, cut out two one inch circles from stiff felt.
I had a clean replacement bristle brush that I never used so I removed some of the bristles from it and glue them on around the circles.

I inserted the plastic eyes into the center and glued them onto the paper mache egg areas by parting the feather where the eyes should go.

Next, I cut off the end piece of a pen cap for the beak - warmed it over a candle flame to bend and glued it on. 

*Fun fact - Baby owls will shed their white down feathers and grow spotted grey down feathers as they get older.

So, for the ear tufts, I glued on grey feathers just to see  .  .  .

*But most adult snow owls during the winter are pure white!
So adorable!

Snowy Owl
The owl gazed upon the forest As though the whole world was his fortress.

Stella H.

Take a little time to enjoy -

especially with this cold and wintry weather.

Happy Crafting!

Heart Shaped Ribbon Lei Wreath

Hi everyone!  I'm over on  Bowdabrablog today showing you how to make a Heart Shaped Ribbon Lei Wreath!  Head on over and give it a try.  It's really easy, very pretty, and makes a huge Valentine décor statement!

DIY A Non-Traditional Valentine - Make A Gift Wrapping Paper Heart!

Thinking of a different approach to the more traditional colors of Valentines?  Forget the reds and pinks! Surprise yourself and make something new and refreshing that will still provide the loving and enticing atmosphere of Valentine's Day!  Think  metallics!  You can make a big impact by using recycle/upcycle materials like gift wrapping in bold metallic colors - that's sure to add a variety of texture and uniqueness to your valentine decorating skills!  And this heart is so easy to make, you probably already have the materials on hand: 

• Metallic wrapping paper - 13ft
• Thick wire (craft 12 gauge aluminum) or just use a wire coat hanger
• Wire cutter
• Scissors
• Skewer stick
• Tacky glue
• Clamp

1.  Cut off enough wire for the size of heart you want (14"x12"), bringing the ends together, curving the wire into a heart shape.

To make the tubes (about 50 for this size), I cut 3" strips of 27.5" wide wrapping paper and placed a skewer stick on the corner edge of paper at an angle. Then wrapped the end tip of the paper over the skewer and started rolling the paper with fingers pressed down on the table first.  Once you've started rolling the paper, lift up the tube so your left fingers are controlling the roll while your right hand is rolling the stick and tightening the tube.
  Just before finishing the roll, add tacky glue to the corner end tip and continue rolling until reaching the end to seal.

Temporarily straighten the heart shaped wire into a "V" to insert two tubes on either side  .  .  .

and then re-shape into a heart.  Glue the ends together at the center curve, and glue on another tube, as pictured.

Begin wrapping the tube around the heart  .  .  .

adding on additional tubes by dipping end into a little glue and inserting into the wrapping tube to make it continuous. You can clamp the tubes together while waiting for the glue to dry and continue wrapping.

As you're wrapping the tubes around the heart go back and forth -  and not in the same direction - until you're satisfied with the look and size.  The end of the last wrapped tube can be glued and inserted down among the other tubes. 

Valentine's Day décor can be as unique and non-traditional as you want it to be. Just be sure to create it lovingly! Isn't that what makes it so special?

Candy Flower Bouquet

Looking for a lovely but creative valentine gift for that special someone?  Get all the details in my tutorial on how I make this easy Candy Flower Bouquet over at  http://www.bowdabrablog.com/2016/01/12/candy-flower-bouquet/ where I'm on the design team.

Have Fun  

and

Keep Crafting!
 

Decorative Filler Snowflakes Winter Theme

Looking for a wintry theme project to spruce up that area left barren from your holiday décor?  Why not make your own beautiful snowflake table accents using decorative fillers on inexpensive glass containers from the dollar store!  And if you look closely at the fillers - they look like tiny crystal ice cubes - imagine that!

They're so easy to make using:

Decorative filler
Glass vases - DollarTree
E6000 glue
Snowflake stencil - Party City (99 cents)
Rubbing alcohol
Acetone  (nail polish remover)
Painter's tape
Plastic knife/palette or squeegee
Plastic spoon

Directions:
Clean glass with rubbing alcohol to remove any grease or oily residue

Cut out snowflake patterns .  .  .

 and tape on glass using painter's tape.

Use knife palette or squeegee to apply E6000 to open areas of stencil
Sprinkle filler over glue using spoon.  Press down to adhere filler to glue.

Pull stencil off while glue is still wet.

Clean glue and filler off of stencil using acetone and wash with soap and water.

Allow filler and glue to dry overnight.

This dimensional technique of adding decorative fillers to glue designs looks elegant, goes with most decors, is budget friendly and can be used all winter long!  And for a warm glowing effect, battery candle votives can be added.

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!