Tiny owls, painted and drawn onto the smooth surface of tumbled river pebbles, make for such a sweet handmade gift. Something from one childhood friend to another, from a little one to their treasured grown-up or for oneself to place in a little "nest" where such an owl would be comfy.
My tiny owl.
My dear friend, Lucy, of the blog Follow That Child, gave me two such tiny owls. One is wide awake and the other is dozing quietly. Lucy is the most resourceful and creative person I know! I get so many good ideas from her and so it was with her owls.
Lucy's owls.
These little bird friends can be sleepy daytime owls or wide-awake night owls. They can be painted with acrylic paints or drawn with permanent markers or a combination of the two. When considering how I would offer this sweet craft to a class of young children, I followed the simple process I found over at Red Ted Art. The surface of each pebble is given a coat of acrylic white paint and, once dry, a myriad of coloured permanent pens are used to add the owl-y details.
They really are very easy to make! I sourced some smooth river pebbles from my local landscape supplier. I washed them and let them dry before giving just one side a coat of a good quality acrylic white paint. (Leaving one side unpainted allows a child to see the surface and markings of the original rock underneath.) I chose a paint which would give a good even coverage without the need for a second coat. I then used permanent marker pens to draw on the details once the paint was dry. I recommend leaving them overnight as I found the paint can be a bit 'tacky' even if it is dry to the touch soon after being applied. Then comes the fun of drawing the eyes, beaks, wings, feathers, eyebrows and even eyelashes which bring a unique little owl character to life.
Three owl friends.
I think they are adorable!
Meg
They're lovely. A great idea. X
ReplyDeleteI think they are a great idea too, Jules. So easy for children to make and very cute! Meg:)
DeleteThey are so cute, Meg. A big one can be used as a paper weight.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I used to draw flowers on pebbles and used them to decorate my bedroom. 😊
A paperweight is a lovely idea, Nil. I have one my son made when he was very small, just a large river stone painted in with stripes and dots of colour. I think it's beautiful! Meg:)
DeleteThey are very cute, I’m sure your class delighted in making them!
ReplyDeleteYes, the little ones had a lovely time. They did not limit themselves to owls but chose other animals too. Fun! Meg:)
DeleteWhat a great idea, love them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marlene. I love simple crafts like these too. Meg:)
DeleteThey are very sweet. I loved owls as a child.
ReplyDeleteI think owls are fascinating creatures. We have a David Attenborough DVD here with a segment about owls and they are just such amazing birds. I think I'll put my little owl out on my verandah ... she can watch for snacks out there! Meg:)
DeleteWe have a face book thing here called 'SA rocks' where people decorate rocks and then put them in parks for other people to find. The rule is to decorate the front, then put an 'f' for Facebook and then write SA rocks on the back, with your post code. Then other people pick them up, and move them to other locations or then re-hide them around the same area. Then the aim is to re-post back to Facebook so people can see where there rocks end up. We have dropped lots of painted rocks around the place, and with a youth program we left colorful messages of hope on the rocks for people to find. Such a fun activity! I seal the rocks with a can of clear varnish, so they are weather proof.
ReplyDeletexx
Sealing with some clear varnish is a great idea, Emma. I also love that you youth group leaves little messages of hope for others to find...I imagine finding one would really make someone's day! Meg:)
DeleteLove the little rock paintings.
ReplyDeleteThey are very cute! Meg:)
DeleteWell, how cute are they, Meg. What a good idea! I particularly like the ones with the red on them.
ReplyDeleteThey are quite adorable, Chel. Simple and cute! Meg:)
DeleteThey are very sweet!
ReplyDeleteThey are quite sweet. I especially love the ones little children make. Meg 🙂
DeleteOh, how sweet! I love owls, so these are perfect. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar thing as an earlier poster; people paint rocks (some are fun or funny, others are beautiful or have positive sayings on them) and hide them around town for others to find. My daughter has come across two just being out and about. We keep them for a bit and then hide them somewhere else for someone else to enjoy. Always nice to share love and beauty. :)
I love the idea of painting rocks and then leaving them for others to find. It sounds such a simple way to create and share positivity. Meg🙂
DeleteThese are adorable Meg. You have me thinking 'who can I make these for'? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nanette. I am sure you'll think of someonecwho'd like a little owl. Meg🙂
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