For the past few years, I’ve had a special fondness for birds.  When I graduated from art school, I really wanted a portfolio that stood out from the crowd so I built a wooden one and xerox transferred etchings of birds on the outside (*note to others thinking of having a wooden portfolio: don’t, unless you’re comfortable carrying around a 35 lbs box with a handle).  When my husband and I married almost three years ago, we wanted a unique wedding theme and choose birds to decorate the reception, adorn the invitations, seating cards and menus, even sit at the top of our cupcake tower.  I bought two fluffy chicks and gave one a tiny bow tie and the other a lovely bonnet, but honestly what I really wanted was a set of birds from Ann Wood Handmade.

I’ve been keeping a quiet eye on Ann Wood’s work for a few years now.  I love the way she works with vintage fabrics and garments and really gives each bird their own personality.  Her craft is exceptional, and she often takes process photos of her creations on her blog so you can see the time and care she puts into making all of her work.  She not only makes birds and bird toppers, but larger birds as well as other creatures.  Her textures and color palettes are very inspiring and I hope to someday have an excuse for needing a set of love birds.

(I love the atmosphere of this photo of Ann’s studio)

For more information, please visit Ann Wood Handmade, Ann’s blog, or her Flickr.

{images shown belong to Ann Wood Handmade}