I know the Interwebs runs on cute cat videos, one giggly gigabyte at a time, but I'm definitely more of a dog person.   I have the very good fortune to be able to write a regular column for a local lifestyle publication, 425 Magazine. I work with the editor to come up with themes every issue for my Flavor column, which is normally food/drink, but I did a twist on dog-friendly spaces, since it's summer and it's a great time to include our fuzzy friends on our sunshine-filled adventures!

Have you ever measured the power of a gesture as simple as telling someone you're thinking of them? It's surprisingly large, for something that seems so small. I'm dedicating this post to the loved ones out there who have had a rough time of things this year; there's been a surprisingly sad amount of loss in such a short time. And I dedicate this post to the loved ones who have been unwavering in their little check-in's on us, to make sure we're not going crazy, dealing with a sick dog. I find myself saying, "I'm thinking of you," and "My heart is with you," to so many people, and I mean it with every fiber of my being, because they've given the same encouragement to me. With these small gestures, I swear, it's the thing that keeps our heads up and moving forward every day. 

I encourage everyone to be generous with these little gestures of encouragement to your loved ones. Tell them you're thinking of them. Remind them they're not alone. Even just a little text message saying you're thinking of them can be an incredible bright spot in their day.
  Jaunty Fine Print: Photography by Denise Sakaki

I know what you're thinking: It's not Halloween, Birdy -- get over it! The kitty Trick-or-Treat pendant so cleverly made on a Scrabble letter piece was a gift from a friend around All Hallow's Eve this year. It wasn't because we celebrate Halloween in any big fashion, it was one of those just-because gifts from a friend that just happened around the holidays. I feel very fortunate to have sweet friends who bestow such thoughtful things like that, no holiday required, like the gold leather-bound notebook from a friend's trip to London, and a copy of Bubbly On Your Budget, from another friend's trip to the new local bookshop in Ballard, Book Larder. I can't express enough how grateful I am for such things, not because they are so lovely and enriching, but because you know there was a lot of heart put into their selection. It could have been a shiny rock someone picked up on the ground and given to me, because, "ooh shiny!" That's me! But I'd place it on the mantle like it was a king's crown.

We're getting into the fever pitch of the holiday season, where advertising and media inundate us with the pressure to get bigger, better, over-the-top gifts for our loved ones. Take a moment, take two moments -- deep breath. Your loved ones appreciate your presence more than presents, as the saying goes. And if you feel the desire to give them a token of your love during the holidays, there's no need to "wow" them, they love you for exactly who you are. You'll see something passing by a store, a small and thoughtful bauble you know they would appreciate, and no matter how humble it may seem to others, it will likely mean the world to its recipient. Consider a journal with a heartfelt note on the first page. Or bake a batch of their favorite cookies. It's the un-holiday gifts from sweet friends that are a reminder that it is indeed the thought that counts.


Jaunty Fine Print:  photos by Denise Sakaki, lovely gifts from lovely friends - merci!

The Magpie doesn't usually like to get too personal, but this is a special request for a good friend who's got a lot on her plate right now, getting things figured out, getting her health back on, and just recovering from that crazy thing called Life. And it's also her birthday today, so I'd like to send a message out to the Universe and the internet at large, to just send this good-hearted soul some healthy energy today. 

The need to focus on the positive and keep looking ahead put this Bird in a wishful Mood, so I wanted to list some Jaunty motivational thoughts about how we navigate our lives, and that it's OK when the road falls out from below our feet, because it's not about when we stumble, as long as we get back up every time. If you'd like to leave any messages of hope and goodwill in the comment area to the Birthday Girl, I'm sure she would appreciate it.

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs -- and becoming who you are.
Rachel Naomi Remen

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.
Buddha

Believe with all of your heart that you will do what you were made to do.
Orison Swett Marden

The words of kindness are more healing to a drooping heart than balm or honey.
Sarah Fielding

Storms make oaks take roots.
Proverb


Jaunty Fine Print:  photo by Denise Sakaki

 

Who says Valentine's Day is only for sweethearts? Not this Birdy. The Magpie believes one should celebrate any special person you love with all your heart! Can't a best friend or beloved family member be as much the apple of one's eye? It's only a few days until the big V-Day, which is unfortunately falling on the most un-loved day of the week: Monday. Really, now -- way to break the Mood, Monday.

But there's still time to pick something out for your special someone! I found some Jaunty Valentine gift ideas specifically for friends and family, including one from a very Jaunty Bird, the crafty and sweet Alexandra Hedin - a local lifestyle expert who has an adorable book full of sweet ideas. I used her recipe for peanut butter chocolate squares and made my own Valentine sweets for friends this year. Sometimes the sweetest gifts are the ones made by hand.

Here's the skinny on the Valentine goods: {1} Octopus, 8.5" x 11" limited edition print by Juri Romanov from Green Optimist, {2} Rose dial pink leather strap watch by GUESS from Macys, {3} Gravity's Grasp treasure box from Anthropologie, {4} Double finger sparrow ring by Juicy Couture from Piperlime, {5} Mustache Valentine card kit from Paper Source, {6} Poppy red cashmere rosette scarf by Magaschoni from Bluefly, {7} Entertaining at Home by Alexandra Hedin, {8} Heart lock diary from Tiffany and Co. 


Jaunty Fine Print:  images from shops listed, candy photo by Denise Sakaki

 

I know I've said it before, but I can't stress how fortunate I feel to have such thoughtful, generous-hearted friends who know how to give fantastic gifts. So this post's for you, for all the friends of the Magpie. I wanted to showcase some of the sweet things friends recently gifted a couple of months ago, when this Bird got older, not necessarily wiser. Ba-dum-bump -- thank you Ladies and Germs, I'll be here all week!

My friend Renee gave me these amazing hand-blown glasses by a local artist who sells his fragile wares at the Issaquah farmers market -- I believe she said his name is Chico. Which immediately makes me think of Chicos the store, and that makes me wonder, does he have weird sizing numbers and sell really crazy clothing and big jewelry? Another dear friend, Miss Anne, the Angry Peanut -- don't ask why she has this nickname, it would require the need for a whole new post -- who gave me a little Kokopelli figurine as a reminder of our days in Arizona, where we met at college, discovered our profound obsessive love of the show X-Files, and have continued our BFF-ness ever since. The totally adorable vintage creamer that looks like a singing cow is from superpal and blogger compadre, Miss Radish and Rose, putting the "rad" in "radish." She and I have a love of sadly cancelled TV shows, one of them being Wonderfalls, this total gem of a TV series by the same brilliant mind behind another fabulous but cancelled show, Pushing Daisies. Wonderfalls was about a surly girl who works in a souvenir shop and all these objects in the store start advising her to do random crazy stuff that result in good things. Prophet or schizophrenic entertainment? Who cares. The show was adorable and it featured a Limoge cow creamer that had the best advice I've heard all week, which was: "Have a pancake." If that's the voice of God talking, sign me up.


Jaunty Fine Print: photos by Denise Sakaki