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Celebrating Wild Things – Little Brown Bat

leather bat barrette

Sharing this leather bat barrette in celebration of the wonderful little brown bat that I found in my driveway yesterday! I’m not sure if it was injured, or if it was in a torpid state. Perhaps the high winds knocked it out of its roost, and out of hibernation?

The wildlife rescue that I called was unable to make it out until the next day, but someone explained how to safely capture the bat until qualified help could get there (bats can pose health risks to humans & animals, so it’s really best to leave rehabilitation to the pros). .

Thankfully, the little fella made it through the night, and the rescuer was able to pick it up today. She’ll check it for injuries and tend them if needed … or just give it a safe space to crash until it’s ready to come out of hibernation. In either case, the bat survived, and is now in more capable hands. I’m so grateful that there are folks with the knowledge, skill, and heart to do such work!

Bats get a bad rap for being vicious and spooky, but in truth, they’re lovely creatures who play an important role as pollinators. With that said, this post is a celebration of bats in general, and particularly, the little creature that I found yesterday. This barrette is a fantastical shade of shimmering burgundy-purple, but the real life bat that I met was an adorable little brown bat.

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Pacific Northwest Ravens

Pacific Northwest raven barrettes

 

I love these recent customer photos so much that I wanted to share them with you! This client had me customize my Pacific Northwest raven barrette design to accommodate a larger size of French clip, and they wanted them paired so that the birds would face (or look away from) one another, rather than facing the same way.

The metal clips on these are quite a bit bigger than the ones that I usually use. Because they hold a fairly substantial amount of hair, most people will only wear one clip at the back of the head. She has so much hair that she was able to use these as a pair of side clips!

She and her husband are repeat customers, and such nice people. They’re beekeepers who share my love for nature (they even offered to help with tips and advice when my husband and I are ready to start our own beekeeping adventures!). I sincerely love when I’m able to share my work – and make connections with – people like this. You are the reason that I love my job!

 

Leather raven barrette with starry night forest design
Pacific Northwest raven barrette

 

 

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August 21st Shop Update (Owls and More)

My Pacific Northwest home is surrounded by old growth maple, cedar and fir. We share these woods with many wild creatures, including a family of owls. For whatever reason, they’ve been far more active (and interactive) these last few months. They sing us to sleep at night, and in the mornings we often find evidence of their hunts. Not surprisingly, owl imagery has been cropping up in my work more and more.

Here’s a little preview of some of the leather owl feathers that I’ve been working on lately. They’ll become hair accessories, and you’ll find them (along with other new work) in my next shop update on Monday 8/21.

 

 

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Wizard’s Hat

© Chip Phillips photography

A friend of mine posted this photo on facebook, but whoever she got it from had cropped the copyright info. I did a google image search and found that the photo was taken by Chip Phillips. If you follow that link, you will be treated to more stellar images of the Oregon coast.

This one is a shot of Wizards Hat in Bandon Oregon, taken at sunset. Stunning, beautiful and inspiring. Sometimes I get so caught up in the daily grind that I forget how amazing this planet is. Stop and look around, people — we are blessed!