IntoBirds’ Online Shop for Birdwatchers Offers Handmade, Keepsake Gifts that Give Back to Bird Conservation Organizations

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that eclectic birdwatcher on your holiday list, then look no further than intoBirds’ new online shop for unique bird-themed gifts.

IntoBirds, an online magazine that advocates and educates to raise awareness to save birds and wildlife, recently launched an online shop featuring handmade, keepsake holiday gifts for birdwatchers inspired by vintage art to raise money for bird conservation organizations impacted by COVID-19.

IntoBirds’ Etsy shop launched this summer with a line of baltic birch plywood journals called Dream Journals featuring vintage bird art on the covers.

The Dream Journals are 8” x 5.5” and handmade using natural, unfinished premium baltic birch plywood on the front and back covers. The wood contains no finish, so it’s free of chemicals to give it a smooth, natural feel and look. The journal’s 34 sheets (68 pages) are 90lb., acid-free Strathmore mixed media paper made of 100% cotton with a vellum finish and held together with durable wire binding.

“The organizations we support care for sick and injured birds and give them a second chance at life in the wild. During the pandemic, wildlife rehabilitators haven’t stopped caring for our beautiful birds and need our help, so we began an Etsy store to help raise money for these important organizations,” says Renee Hewitt co-founder, and president of intoBirds.

IntoBirds’ fundraising efforts have been focused on Christine’s Critters, a wildlife rehabilitator in Weston, CT. They help rehabilitate injured birds of prey, giving hawks, owls, eagles, and even vultures a second chance at life in the wild.

“We sponsor Magma, a stunning red-phase Eastern Screech Owl with a backward wing. The owl suffered an injury as a nestling and is a permanent bird ambassador at Christine’s Critters. We pay for Magma’s food bill for the year, and we’re on a mission to do more. When you buy one of our products, you’re giving twice,” says Hewitt.

IntoBirds donated Dream Journals for online auctions raising money for the Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz, N.Y., and The Wild Bird Fund in NYC. Their dream journals are for sale at Wild Birds Unlimited in Poughkeepsie, NY.

What began as just four designs have now blossomed into a collection of 17 Dream Journals and counting, and each journal is a unique piece of art. Popular designs include a Red-tailed Hawk, Snowy Owl, Northern Cardinal, Bald Eagle, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl.

“We focus on vintage bird art and pay tribute to the old-fashioned, hand-drawn plates you find in an old bird book, and then modernized them,” says Hewitt.

Every detail is masterfully re-created by Dan Samperi, co-founder and art director of intoBirds. Each line, every dot that mattered to the original artist is refined and digitally reborn cast onto a beautiful piece of baltic birch plywood.

IntoBirds’ Dream Journals have infinite uses.

“Start a journal, chronicle your bird sightings, use it as a sketchbook for your bird art, record your next big idea, practical shopping lists, honey-do lists, start that novel, write a poem or a song or keep a diary for preserving your precious memories. The uses are endless,” she adds.

Just in time for the holidays, IntoBirds launched a new line of wood bird ornaments that make the perfect gift for the birdwatcher on your holiday gift list.

“We are thrilled to offer these fabulous handmade, bird-themed gifts and help connect people with nature to inspire the next generation of birdwatchers and conservationists while raising money for important causes,” says Hewitt. “If we protect the birds, then we protect the earth. It’s a win-win all around.”

Visit intoBirds’ Etsy shop here.

About intoBirds

IntoBirds is an online magazine, community, and educational resource for all things birds and is based in Rosendale, New York, and Danbury, Connecticut.