Bristorium

I am absolutely smitten with the jewelry from Bristorium! I love the style, design and finish of pretty much all the pieces in this shop. What caught my eye initially was the beautiful collection of framed woodland creatures.

The animal designs are made into necklaces, rings and/or brooches. The latter being adorned with different types of ribbons depending on the design. Anyway, I love them! They look like something the protagonist from a really amazing book might wear. Perhaps an heirloom straight out of a beautiful middlegrade mystery novel...

What I really love about this shop is the attention to detail. It's not all polished down to perfectly straight lines and a factory-like finish, but it has character and balance and super nifty details. Like this reversible moth necklace.

Most designs definitely have natural elements. Some more flora than fauna. Like many of the earrings... Those are often made to resemble flowers or seedpods. And they also tend to have very intricate settings for the gem stones.

If you also adore the pieces I featured and would like to see more, I suggest you pay a visit to Bristorium on Etsy.

Lullaby for Fox

Sonia from Lullaby for Fox is a very creative lady that works in lots of different mediums. Her shop is filled to the brim with a big range of items. She has a very unique style though, which is easy to recognize no matter the format.

It's easy to see that Sonia has a great love for animals. Most of her work features some sort of creature. They are usually very magical and often anthropomorphized, yet still very much in touch with nature and the seasons.

I am always blown away by the new brooches that hit the shop. They have such stunning details (sometimes even real pearls!) and the ones with faces always look so cute and friendly. Just looking at their pictures tends to make me smile!

One design has even been made into a sterling silver pendant. Because of the silver, it's one of the pricier items in the shop, but it's so beautiful and, I imagine, well worth the money as it'll be a very durable and timeless piece.

Like I said, the shop is pretty packed, so there is lots more to be seen than I managed to share in this blogpost. Definitely take a look, and maybe give the facebook page a like to receive updates and the occasional giveaway.

Tukoni Tribe

A couple months ago I happened upon Tukoni Tribe, a truly wonderful Etsy shop that continues to warm my heart. I've been browsing the shop a lot, but somehow didn't get round to sharing it on my blog until today. So here we go!

The shop is filled with beautifully illustrated brooches portraying animals and fantasy creatures. All in the same Tukoni style, but in a big range of colors and personalities. I fell in love with so many that I found it hard to choose!

I often gravitate towards cute critters, but these seem to be a lot more than just adorable. They look like they have their own little world and community, like they're alive. And I find them very uplifting and soothing to look at.

Some creatures just are, but some of the others carry items, and there is even a group of musicians! I secretly wish I could hear the music they're making… There's even one that plays guitar just like me! Needless to say I adopted that one today.

Apart from brooches you can also get art prints for your home, as well as postcards to send or to frame. And laslty, I also wanted to mention the most recent addition to the Tukoni Tribe… families of owl stickers in different sizes!

Anyway, this is one of those rare shops that immediately became a favorite of mine. Everything about it is just wonderful! The creatures, the products, the packaging and even the photography! No wonder I browse it so much.

Aw…!

Some people are extra lucky when it comes to their pets and the bond they form, but this guy seems exceptionally blessed. This is just adorable! And to think that pit bulls have such a bad rep… They sure seem loyal to me.

Wise Words

  {picture from here  - quote from Henry David Thoreau - merged by me}

An Owl and a Pussycat

No, this isn't a story. This is an actual friendship between an owl and a pussycat. Fum and Gebra are real life besties!

And thankfully there's a cute montage of the two. I love how they even catch mice together. Check it out:

And if you can't get enough of them, be sure to follow them on facebook. Yes, they even have their own page.

Greek Dogs

I've been a bit slow with my posts about Greece, but I really needed some time to sort through my hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Anyway, here are the dogs. The whole island was swarming with the cutest strays.

They had programs that would help you adopt one and get it to your country. I was very tempted to get this black one. And I have to admit that seeing the picture again made my heart break a little. Alas!

The other dog I'll always remember is this tiny old lady. She was so old she didn't even have teeth anymore, but she was still extremely promiscuous. Also, she had a radar for cars. Whenever one came she'd get in front of it.

Prepare to let out a very big "awwwww!" now. Puppies are always adorable of course, but they really are especially irresistible when they cuddle up like this, aren't they?

The rest of my pictures from Greece will follow soon. So much more to show you!

Wishlist

Whenever I go grocery shopping I always make sure to bring my own reusable bag to help save plastic. I have a couple: some basic ones, some with a cute print. But nothing quite as adorable as this Japanese mouse.

It is beautiful when zipped up, but also unfolds into a really cute green tote with a lovely print. And even then you can still see the mouse, because it sticks to the side of the bag. Which also means you will never lose the pouch.

It is a bit pricey, but I imagine it would last a very long time too. Anyway, you can get one at Japanistic.

Wishlist

What is it about a fun tea infuser that's so appealing? Is it that it's small and thus cute? That it combines design and practicality? Or am I just that much of a tea addict? Either way, you have to admit this mana-tea is amazing, right?!

Whenever I visit a zoo I always spend a ridiculous amount of time at the manatees anyway, so this little trinket has me really excited. It's so incredibly life like. Well, apart from the holes of course. And I love it's color too!

And it's one of those things that would always make a cute gift. Even if you have no idea what to give the person in question, I don't think anyone could resist this.

You can order one here at Fred Flare if you're interested.

Amazing Art: Painted Moon Gallery

Painted Moon Gallery on Etsy is filled with amazing art work. Not only that, but the majority seems to have owls! Most paintings are very ethereal, lots have native American themes and all are absolutely beautiful!

This next owl is one of very few "indoor" paintings. Most of them take place in forests, plains, mountains or even water.

I love their dreamlike and spiritual atmosphere and I think they would look amazing as a tarot/oracle card deck or even on a bookcover. Anyway, I'll let you get on with the rest. Enjoy!

And check out the shop for more!

Amazing Art: inameliart

If you're browsing Etsy a lot, I'm sure you've zome across inameliart at some point. The shop is run by Amelia, a lovely artist with a wonderful talent for creating adorable animals on canvas.

You can even get custom work done, like a portrait of your pet for instance.

But there are plenty of ready made pieces too, with all sorts of species on them.

I love that they're all very merry -a lot are even party-themed- but very serene as well. They make you both happy and calm!

Amelia is actually doing a giveaway on her blog right now. Click this link if you'd like to join in!

Visit Amelie's shop to see more paintings and prints. And be sure to follow her blog too, so you will see what new pieces she's working on.

the Sand Cat

Lately I've been discovering all sorts of new animal species. Have you heard of the Sand Cat yet? They're a species of wild cats -unfortunately endangered- and really fierce and elegant looking! Like a bit of a house cat with a twist.

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And here's a little video to see them in action. And... with kittens!

Don't you just love the print on their legs? It reminds me of knee high athletic socks. Pretty awesome cats, right?

Lovely Movies: Paulie

It seems I couldn't resist doing two animal movies in a row. Paulie is a lot different than the one I reviewed last week though. Yes, both have animals and a little girl. And I'll admit they both made me cry, but apart from that they couldn't be more different.

As a kid from the 90s I tend to really enjoy 90s movies and this really is a perfect example. It was back when they didn't really care much for special effects, or the make-up/costume departments, but it was all about making a heartwarming story you could watch over and over again.

Pardon the trailer, I know you'll probably won't go out to buy the VCR these days, but I promise the movie is still fun to watch!