Cabin-tiquing...

Why are owls so darn trendy right now? Although they are downright cute with their big eyes and plump bodies, I don’t totally understand the complete obsession with them that I’m seeing everywhere right now. Usually I have no clue if I’m ahead of a trend, in sync with a trend, or totally grabbing onto the coat tails of a trend…and this typically occurs unconsciously…because you can’t help but be inspired by the things you see to some degree…the things that appeal to you. I’m not claiming to have been ahead of the gigantic owl trend of the moment, but all I know for certain is that last fall I began making votives featuring my little owl cut-outs and they all were quickly snatched up. And since that time, this whole "owl phenomenon" doesn't appear to have lost any speed.

Birds in general seem to be a classic design element…although right now they seem to be spread across everything too, perhaps more than ever? So I wonder how long this owl obsession will persist? Will they fade into the background as they did in the 70s (I think...I’m too young to know the exact era?), or will they stick around as a classic design subject, such as the ordinary little songbird has? I know that I certainly am smitten with them right now and growing more so by the minute. I’m dearly in love with this little blue guy (below) that I found last weekend at a favorite antique store near the cabin…it’s the kind of antique store that doesn’t have too much junk, not overwhelming, and displays things nicely, which makes it much more fun to browse.
I also happened to find this little stump & deer planter. What made it all the more interesting was how this deer is the exact style and shape of a deer I found at an antique store near home. (Remember it in this photo?) That’s what I love about antiquing…finding the hidden treasures (which to each person are different) and sometimes finding nothing at all, but still enjoying the hunt.
Speaking of hunting, or fishing rather, while at the cabin we spent countless hours (as usual) out fishing. There happened to be this paddle-boating couple who appeared to have found mine & hub’s secret fishing spot…where you can almost always catch some good pan fish. It became clear to us that they had found it when we saw them day and evening going back & forth over our secret spot. How annoying of them! That’s our spot, we thought! But darn it all if they weren’t also the friendliest couple we met and one night on the lake, just after the sun was quickly slipping below the horizon, they offered and most insisted on taking a photo of us. They paddle-boated their way on over to get our camera and paddle-boated their way back to get us in the distance and by the time the photo was snapped, it was getting pretty dark. They took about 5 photos of us which resulted in every single photo blurred and rather crooked. But oh well, they were nice and they tried! (The moral of the story is that paddle-boating and picture-taking don't mix well.) So here it is in all its paddle-boating glory:
One more note from the cabin-front…I discovered these peculiar flowers, mostly all white, poking their way up from underneath fallen leaves. I’d never seen anything like it before. It was so odd in that it looked like a flower but it had no color on it. It seemed almost mushroom-like to me for some reason, perhaps because of its lack of green. We looked it up in our flower book and learned that it is called “Indian Pipe”. According to the book, it gets its nourishment from decayed organic material through a fungal relationship associated with the roots. Much like a mushroom I guess.

Getting back to owls…here’s my latest little sculpture pick…I think he’s a snow owl with the prettiest blue eyes.

So what’s next on the trend-horizon for our feathered friends? Maybe the hummingbird with its oh so long beak and slim body? I think the silhouette of it with its wings outstretched and long skinny beak pointed upward would make for an interesting contrast. What’s your prediction?