I couldn’t possibly do an Etsy round-up of owls, because there are just too many things to choose from. (Well, I guess I could be sweet-talked into it…) But I got a Paper Source catalog in the mail this week, and aside from exclaiming “Hot Damn! I almost forgot I live near one of these now!” these owl place card kits jumped out at me as extra super cute.

You can see how easy they would be to recreate (as place cards or as decorations), without the kit;  just get some cardstock and some scalloped scissors and glue. I like the idea of using patterned paper for the wings and maybe using brads to make them movable.

I also stumbled across this picture of “Your Best Handmade Creations” on Martha Stewart:

It had no pattern/instructions, but I HAD to make one for myself. This is seriously one of the cutest crafts I’ve ever seen.

Srsly.

(Did I sound like a giddy teenage girl just then? Good.)

I used a 4″ styrofoam ball, about 4 pieces of felt (couldn’t find any of the awesome hot pink felt like in the picture above, but the next one I make is going to be the yellow/pink combo), two 20mm googly eyes, and a glue gun. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out:

The key is to start at the bottom, gluing the feathers around the bottom first, all the way to the top. As you can see, I cut out a little pink circle for the bottom. Why? I dunno. I was just making it up as I went along, and it seemed like a good idea for helping the owl stand upright.

Once you glue the feathers (almost to the top), glue on the nose, then the ears (triangle shaped – folded in half), then the eyes, then the top piece.

Yes, I’m pretty pleased with this. I want to make more of them with the girls, but I have to pace myself – it requires a lot of cutting. And, I used a glue gun, but it’s possible that regular Elmer’s glue would work. In all, it took about an hour and a half to make.

UPDATE: Happy to let you know that the original owls were created by Lery Lin. See her blog and shop for more!