I’ll probably never get over craving an Andy Sanchez vanity top, or Shawn Lovell’s metal-sculpture bed where the term “forest canopy” is almost literal… but there’s an endless supply of tree-inspired objets of home decor to snag our attention — and here’s a selection of recent finds:

Clockwise from upper left:

• Yellow Gocco Tree and Tissue Paper Note Cards by bubbledog on Etsy.
• Forest Leaf Collection twig-inspired silverware by Michael Aram [via stuff-i-like]
• Jelly Beans’ bright watercolour painting, The Turning evokes the spirit of autumn. [via Morrgan's Creatures]
• Gum tree jewellery stand by Polli can double as a tabletop screen.
• Woodwright’s oval tree pendant is handcrafted in birch wood.
• Red tree notecards by tamar say “I love you” inside.
• The Alberto clotheshorse — Casamania by Frezza — is actually inspired by coral plants, but it reminds me of the stark shape of a dead tree against the distant skyline, very elegant and sculptural.

Now here’s a clever idea for a Christmas decoration!

LOVE DOVE is a greeting card which transforms into a hanging decoration. The red heart and white dove from the front of the card pop out and lock together forming the body and the wings of this 3D dove.

The pretty birds are just one of the inventive paper-based designs from Polli’s range of modern Christmas ornaments, designed for tabletop or tree.

A pop-up photograph has a lot of the same appeal, for me, as a shadow box or diorama.

Wouldn’t it be fun to make a 3-d holiday display from family photos and bits of festive embellishments — ribbons, glitter, tiny ornaments, maybe a bit of angel-hair faux snow?

And then tuck the whole display into a glass-fronted shadow box…

Too much?
Go for a simple flat photo frame, then, and let the pop-out elements add their own special interest to the picture.

If you look carefully at one of those fabulous pop-up books that we knew and loved in childhood, you’ll see that the secret of the three-dimensional effect is a fold and two straight cuts, to make a pop-up box that sticks out from the main page or photo. This is what you’ll glue the individual cut-out elements onto, to make them stand out.

Another thing I love about this craft is that you probably have everything you need to do it, on hand, right now:

• Scissors or a craft knife
• Glue
• Several copies of the same photograph (so you can cut them up)
• Cardboard (recycle an old cereal box?) to stiffen the back of the photo if you’re going to display the work as a stand-up piece on a shelf or table top.

Hey, what about making your pop-up photograph into a greeting card?

Truly, a unique way to send your holiday wishes and share a special memory with friends and family…

[WikiHow via erinloechner at curbly]

Technorati Tags: pop-ups, photographs, crafts

A new collection of eCards has just launched, designed to allow pet care providers and other pet lovers, to keep in touch.

PetsitUSA.com has lots of cute free eCards made for pet owners who want to say thank-you, as well as eCards for pet sitters, dog walkers, and doggie daycare owners to tell their clients how much their business is appreciated. The greeting cards are available in both postcard and flash, and in a wide range of art styles.

Although there are other eCards out there, what makes ours unique is that, in addition to general pet-themed eCards that anyone can send, we have many that have been designed specifically for people who work in, or are customers of, pet care businesses…

says Therese Kopiwoda, owner of PetsitUSA.com.

Due to busy schedules, many people don’t have time to run out to the store and pick up a card, and the fact that so many of us spend quite a bit of our time at the computer makes eCards a fun and convenient way to keep in touch.

All eCards have a pet theme and are available for many occasions, such as to send a friendly hello from one pet lover to another, to wish someone a happy birthday or happy holiday, or to send condolences on the loss of a beloved pet.