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Continue ShoppingChristmas Gift Ideas for Wildlife Lovers - Including our Favourite Weathervanes
Why Wildlife Gifts Are Close to Our Hearts
Growing up in a city, we did not have much wildlife to spot (unless you count pigeons!) however as a family we spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors with a stack of I spy books so I certainly grew up with a love of wildlife despite my urban surroundings. Now living, working and bringing up my own family in rural Scotland, I think this brick and concrete based start in life gives me a greater appreciation of the nature around us. With our wildlife camera firmly installed in our garden to capture videos of badgers and stoats, we often sit out on a starlit evening watching the bats and listening to tawny owls hooting across the valley. I’ve even got our 5 year olds interested in discovering and identifying weird mushrooms! So creating wildlife themed weathervanes is one of my favourite parts of my job at Black Fox Metalcraft, from the research and sketching stage through the excitement of the workshop stage and to finally feeling proud of a finished custom designed piece.
Custom Wildlife Weathervanes
This Tawny Owl weathervane is definitely one of my favourite designs that we’ve created over the years, not least because I spent ages getting it just right! The customers are pretty local to us in the borders and so visited us in our workshop near Hawick; as wildlife lovers they had a clear vision of what they wanted. We had a lengthy discussion about the stance of the Owl, plus their preference on the style of drawing and the best way to highlight the Tawny Owl’s distinctive markings. As the Owl is in flight, I had to take care to ensure there was enough metal connecting the Owl with the sail, so I’ve placed Ferns as undergrowth where they can be easily connected to the tail feathers and talons. The customers were delighted with the finished weathervane:
“Just to let you know that the weather vane is up and looks amazing”
This sitting Hare makes a great weathervane for a wildlife lover. It’s profile is bold and uncomplicated, meaning it’s great for viewing from a distance. The drawing is slightly stylised in the way I’ve highlighted the shape of the animal’s back legs and paws, whilst retaining the realism distinctive of our wildlife designs. I’d say this has definitely been a favourite of our customers this year, and for me it’s always a pleasure to weld as the positioning of the Hare makes it balance perfectly.
We’re lucky enough to regularly have Hares in our garden. Obviously they are well known for their speed, but what amazes me is their confidence – if I let our Collie Bryn out in the evening and there happens to be a Hare sat munching the clover, they are so confident in their ability to outrun him that they don’t bother moving until he’s a few feet away!
As a degree level Illustrator with a passion for wildlife, I am always happy to create custom weather vane designs based around the theme of nature. I enjoy researching and learning especially when it’s a subject I am so interested in; I love discussing your ideas and bringing them to life. When it’s a challenge, I’ll work hard to overcome it and become a better designer as a result. At Black Fox Metalcraft, we do not just get AI to do it, or directly trace an internet image – we’re genuine designers who enjoy creating unique pieces.
Wildlife-Themed Hanging Signs for Home & Garden
This hanging sign was created as a bespoke design for a customer in Fife. Roe Deer were a common sight in the woodlands around their holiday cottages, and so he had a fairly clear idea of how the Deer should look in terms of getting their shape exactly right to distinguish them from Red Deer, and also what stance he wanted them to be in. At Black Fox Metalcraft we’re always happy to listen to our customers, especially when they clearly have a lot of knowledge about a particular subject. We don’t mind a design going back and forth a few times on the email in order to get it just right!
Our custom hanging signs can feature anything you like to reflect the area you live. If specific trees are commonplace, let us know. If there’s a flower you love, or you have a favourite bird, we’re happy to feature it. The design can be as personal to you as you like, even if it’s only a small detail.
Another of my favourites - this Swallows hanging sign is a particularly summery nature themed design. The oval shape conjures up an image of a pond, with the wildflowers design being reflected at either side of the water. Any wildflowers could be sketched and included instead of the Oxeye Daisy and Cranesbill Geranium featured here. The text is professionally sign-written by hand, giving our signs a look of artistry that you do not get with the more commonly used and very easy to apply vinyl lettering. Any style of writing can be used – I enjoy the challenge of painting in a new font, whether it be something sans serif and contemporary or much more elaborate and ornate!
The bracket to hang your sign is included in the price, and is made by hand to suit each individual sign. The bracket I designed has quite a traditional feel to it, with the hand forged scroll beneath the horizontal bar, however we’re happy to design and manufacture brackets to suit your personal tastes, whether that be in producing something more ornate as a statement piece, or something much more modern to fit in with the style of your home.
Unique Hanging Basket Brackets: Combining beauty and function
I love the brackets pictured above. I originally designed them as a house warming gift for my brother, (another wildlife lover!) when he bought his first home, but we’ve had a great reaction to them on the website too. They really are a huge step up from a standard garden centre bracket that will leave rust streaks down your wall after a couple of winters; the zinc plate layer provides a rust proof barrier between the British weather and your bracket, meaning they will last significantly longer, even in a coastal environment. The designs make a stunning gift for a wildlife lover, and are so easy to customise too. The circular shape can easily feature any animal, and it’s no problem to create a stylised scene around them to suit. A unique, quality hanging basket bracket will capture everyone’s interest for many years to come!
Order a Custom Piece — Our Process in 5 Steps
1. Call Black Fox Metalcraft on 01450 880 380 or email jenny@blackfoxmetalcraft.co.uk, explaining roughly what you are after.
2. We will get back to you within 24 hours asking any questions, getting clarification on things like size, in order to confirm the price.
3. We create an initial design based on your specification, and email it over. This usually take a couple of days, varying depending on our workload.
4. You have chance to give feedback and suggest any alterations, before we come up with the final design. At this stage it no problem if the design goes back and forth a few times, within reason. It’s far more important that you are completely happy with your custom sign or weathervane than rushing the process for a quick sale.
5. Once the design is finalised, we look to take payment and begin manufacture.
If you want to order a bespoke gift for a wildlife lover this festive season, order before 28th November for guaranteed Christmas delivery.