Non-Traditional Pet Portraits

The pet portrait. A contraversial item. If you go out and have a realistic oil painting done of your beloved friend by some guy who also specializes in Tom Selleck portraits, well, that is really uncool and you're probably on your way to becoming an animal hoarder.

But luckily, for those of us who still love our animals but also realize there is a limit to how seriously you can take a family member who chews your favorite wool socks and throws up on your living room rug , there are some more light-hearted options on Etsy.

So if you get a wild hair and want to immortalize Mr. Paubles or Gary the Dachshund in a fun way, check out some of these options.

mybonny

I love the detailing of the applique on these pillows. Simple graphic design that would look equally as cute tossed on a classic leather sofa as a Eames chair. Choose a background color that compliments your decor. If I was to order one, I don't think I would get the rope border. She does alpacas and llamas too!

Paradise Pet Collage

I'm not going to lie, these are pretty "unique," but including them for originality and spirit. If you are man or woman enough to display a woman lounging on your cat's head amid glitter - kudos to you.

Gfelted - Art by Gerry

Wow Gerry! Where did you learn to do this?! The detail on these little felted portraits is amazing. And they have movable limbs (which I fully expect at $100 a pop). Please note how unappreciative the white cat is that he is being stared down by his exact replica. If a felted Natalie was staring at me, I WOULD NOT be snoozing.

PidgePidge

By now most of you have probably seen something from the cute animals-in-clothes trend that has been going around, but I thought this embroidery version was a fresh take on it.

SIAN

If I was going to drop some money on a custom pet portrait. I would spring for one of these little guys. Custom made stuffed portraits using little scraps of fabric that resemble your pet's fur color and texture. These are charming as hell, and what a cute (non-creepy) way to remember Mr. Whiskers or Stanley after they pass.

Jim Made a Birdhouse

Today's post features the talented copywriter Jim Bosilijevac. Like many people out there, Jim's talents don't begin and end with his career. Jim apparently also has a knack for crafting wood as well as words, and this past weekend he decided to make a birdhouse for some lucky bird family. And this is no tract home folks, this is a genuine Bosilijevac original design. I hope you enjoy this short interview about the making of.






Did you know you were going to make a birdhouse this weekend
or did you decide spur of the moment?

I've been thinking for awhile that I wanted to use my hole saw, and i thought a birdhouse would be a good excuse.
I didn't really plan it, just kind of started making.

Mmmhmmm, and did you have any particular bird/birds in mind (you know, that hang around your yard) while you were making it?

I was thinking more of the cats and hoping they wouldn't bother the birds. We have strays that sunbathe on the neighbor's driveway. I know there are specific sized holes for certain birds. I figured I'd just cut a hole and whatever kind of bird liked that hole would move in. I may make a feeder to put up to make the yard more inviting.

Cool, last question, is hole saw the technical term for the saw?

Yes. It's a round saw that attaches to a drill.

Awesome.
I like it.

Thanks to Jim for sharing the house with us. I must say it reminds me of some secret, little Swedish bird cottage. No cookie-cutter bird McMansions for this yard.

Shamefully Neglected

I feel really bad for neglecting this blog. So in the spirit of making things, I made it a new hot pink header. Lately I've been doing a lot of image searches on flickr for various things, and have come across some really impressive photography. It makes me happy that these aren't images from some high-end photography site - they are shot by everyday people capturing the beauty in life.