I have a friend who has a special talent for matching people with the animal to which they look the most similar. After meeting somebody, she will announce afterwards- "She's a peacock." "He's a penguin." "She's a cross between an alligator and a meerkat." And no matter what she says, you think about it for a moment, and realize she is exactly right. He IS the product of a three-way between a badger, a mongoose and a baby seal. Of course, I couldn't resist asking her the all important question, "What animal am I?" She wouldn't tell me. "Come on," I insisted. "I won't care." "Ok," she said reluctantly, "You're an owl." Huh. "It's because I have dark circles under my eyes, right?" "Don't worry," she said, "I'm a rat." And she's right- she TOTALLY is.
Ever since, I have made it my business to embrace the owl. I have a little owl statue, an owl pillow and an owl lamp project in progress that I'll post when it's completed. But lately, I've noticed I'm not the only one embracing their inner owl- owls are everywhere particularly in nursery decor. They are a welcome break from some of the traditional animals you tend to find in nurseries like bunnies, sheep and monkeys. Below are just a few owl pieces that would appeal to just about anybody, even if they are more of a platypus or a rooster.
Owls in top visual clockwise from left: pillow from Enna, burp cloth from The Gypsy Wagon, rug from Urban Outfitters, sewing pattern from Etsy, poster from allposters.com
I can relate -- I've long been told that the owl's the animal I most resemble. My husband's pet name for me is 'eule' (pronounced OIL-uh), the German word for....you guessed it. Anyhow, having been born in the early '70s, I grew up with very primitive-looking toys and decorative elements that were, in true back-to-nature, post-hippy style, no more than mere outlines of animals. Owls figured prominently, now that I look back on it. I suppose as they are a) a relatively easy shape to replicate on wallpaper or stitched into pillowcases, and b) symbols of wisdom...what parent wouldn't want their kids to benefit from the presence (and maybe the imagined counsel) of a wise animal? Many years later I learned that owls are actually pretty mean-spirited....
Posted by: Amy Hordes Erbe | August 27, 2010 at 07:24 AM
Eule! I love it! There were so many owl accessory options out there, it was really hard to chose from. Here's one that that is particularly inspired that I think you might like.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/54840009/hand-screen-printed-owl-toy-in-yellow?ref=sr_list_7&ga_search_query=owl+pillow&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=4&order=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title
Posted by: Mommy Shorts | August 30, 2010 at 05:50 AM
How cute, I guess there is an animal to match every personality. I have a sister-in-law that loves turtles (she even got a turtle tattoo) and every time I see a turtle nicknack I automatically think of her.
Posted by: Bed Linen | June 30, 2011 at 07:08 AM
It seems that you love owl. That was awesome art of an owl, the way it made to an accessories.. :D I love it.
Posted by: Vines | November 13, 2012 at 10:54 PM