Birdie

This birdie is more elegant than cute, but it still has some cute qualities. This specimen illustrates the fact that a softie doesn't necessarily need a lot of facial expression or accoutrements to be cute. Sometimes simplicity is the best way to go - no wings, no eyes, just a nice birdish shape. A whole flock of them would be even cuter according to the Property of Cute Multiples. And indeed it is - check out this bird mobile and see where I got the pattern.

Plant Bird

I spotted this little birdie at a cafe last week. He lives in the plant pot and just pokes his head out to keep an eye on things. The cutest thing about him is that he is unexpected - most plants don't have long-nosed birds living in them, after all.

Pretty Present

I'm back! Did you miss me and your periodic dose of cuteness? I think pretty much everyone who has a blog sometimes just doesn't blog for a while. We get busy with other things of course, but more importantly sometimes we just don't feel like posting. I haven't been making any animalicules lately which I think is why I wasn't really inspired to post things. I don't anticipate having much time to make critters in the near future either, so your doses of cuteness will likely be pretty sporadic. You've been warned. And without further ado, today's featured item:

This isn't cute in the way critters are, but I made it, so it's blogworthy. This is definitely my best wrapping job ever and I'm very happy with it. It's for a friend's wedding which is navy themed, so no I didn't randomly decide to make it blue and yellow with anchors on it. It may come as a surprise, but I don't usually put much effort into wrappings. Most times I shove it in a bag or just say close your eyes and stick out your hands. But then I started thinking about all the possibilities... and this is what I settled on. Want to find out what's inside? Check back after the wedding and I'll post the goodies!

Moustache Tree

This tree has a moustache! Isn't it so cute?
I happened to see this tree while we were walking the dog today. I don't know who decided the tree would look more handsome with some facial hair, but whoever it was has an amazing fashion sense.

I've discussed how faces make inanimate objects automatically cuter - those knots for eyes are great. But what makes this extra cute is the context - that I just came across it on a random street, and if I hadn't been watching, I might have missed it. It's not like I was walking in the moustache arboretum, where something like this would be pretty commonplace. Surprise cuteness in an unexpected location is one of life's great joys! Don't you think?

Beijing Olympic Mascots

These are the fuwa, the mascots of the Beijing Olympics. They are jam-packed with symbolism which I won't get into but you can read about if you want. Naturally, I'm more interested in their physical appearance. The question is, are they cute? I think they were designed to be cute and maybe they are in a certain way. But they don't really make you go "aww" do they? And they don't even come close to giving me that feeling that something is so cute I can barely stand it. So what exactly are they lacking? They are multiples, and they come in different colors but they just don't have that je ne sais cute.

What do you think? Are they cute? Why or why not?

Soy Sauce Fish

I've been meaning to post these soy sauce fish for a long time. I actually got them on the flight back from China and these are a great example of why Asian stuff is so great. They rarely miss an opportunity to add cuteness to an everyday object. Why should a packet of soy sauce just look like a packet, when it can look like a fish!? Things that look like other things have a certain duality to them that increases the cute factor. Making the red cap look like the nose of the fish is the perfect finishing touch.

Carrot Cupcake

The next cute seasonal treat is made by - moi! Carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, and fondant carrots growing on top. I'm no cupcake expert (yet) so this was quite a production for me. You can see more photos and read about it over on my food blog, Gastrofabulous. You'll see there are other simpler ones with just a carrot sitting on top. I would say those are medium-cute. But this one is extra cute because it looks like the carrots are growing out of the cupcake! You see, I'm always looking to take the cuteness to another level for ya.