Dreaming Owl Treasure Boxes

I recently found some heart shaped paper mache boxes from Germany at our local craft store, something about their sweet shape and blank outside were begging me to paint them. So I bought three, and had so much fun!

The dreaming owls were inspired by this adorable book, Owl Babies, that my kids have been wanting to read a lot in the evenings. I gave Jasper and Carys each one of these boxes, filled with candy hearts on Valentine's day morning. I know they'll find lots of little treasures to put in them.

As I worked on these I was also thinking about this frozen world that is my reality this winter, with huge snow drifts, and ice patches, everything feels like it is hibernating, but soon (yes, please soon!) everything will begin waking up to springtime....so that is filling these little paintings too.

I've added this last one to my shop. I just want to hug that little dreaming owl snuggled in his tree. 

On the back of each one I added a heart with a branch in the middle, growing. Then Frank finished them off for me by applying a layer of Lacquer to each. These really make me feel that spring can't be that far off now,

and they feel like the perfect spot for storing precious things.