If I could save time in a bottle.... EVERYONE SING!  I admit to having an at-times unhealthy obsession with Pinterest, going through pin-binges, collecting scads of ideas for projects I'll probably NEVER do. You know what I speak of. But when I do get a bee in my bonnet to make something, it's usually because I have miscellaneous crafty supplies that need a special purose! Case in point: one random, tiny glass bottle.

We read magazines and websites about trends and what the Next Big Thing is, but at the end of the day, the best recommendations always come from people you know. I was introduced to the beautiful handmade pieces of Omerica Organic by way of blogger friend, Rachael White, who just kicked off her tasty new blog, Set the Table. Check it out, if you haven't already given it a peek! I was immediately drawn in by Omerica Organic's beautiful use of wood in their jewelry and accessories. They really celebrate it as a material, it's not used incidentally or as a texture backdrop to other materials, the beautiful wood grain is accentuated in each piece. It makes every item one of a kind. Even when the wood is colored, you don't forget what the piece was made from, and wood has a natural warmth and tactile quality as a material.  As their website says: Wood is Good.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, almost time for Christmas! Are you suffering from the annual nervous breakdown yet? This Bird is on her last feathered nerve, to be sure, but somehow enjoying every harried moment of it. When the moment of crisis arrives, this Magpie resorts to her food instinct and heads into the kitchen to bake. 

The smell of baking cookies is immediately soothing. And the contact sugar high isn't so bad either. Sometimes the greatest gift is one that is homemade and edible. Cookies, cakes, even a pie. No one is unhappy to recieve something like these. And it doesn't have to be decorated in the fuss of sugar and icing. This Bird is more than happy to get a plate full of chocolate chip cookies -- my absolute favorite! So, if you have some time to bake for a loved one, please do. And remember to leave a couple of cookies out on Christmas Eve. I'm sure Santa could use the sugar high on his busiest night of the year.


Jaunty Fine Print:  photo by Denise Sakaki

 

This Bird has a childhood love of all things felt -- it's simple, soft, and comforting. When I first stumbled across My Perennial several years ago, I was twitterpainted by the felt flowers used to decorate scarves -- it inspired my own handmade holiday gifts the following year! Since then, their fuzzy products have moved on to home decor and other accessories. Still doubting the power of felt? The Almighty Martha Stewart found their items to be as endlessly charming as I hope you do. {1} Holiday Stockings {2} "Martha" tote {3} Silk Screened Scarf