Happy Valentine’s Day!

· Food and Beverage, Holiday, Home

When I think about Valentine’s Day, my mind wanders to chocolate, candy, decorations and cards… Below are a few of my favorite finds. I hope you enjoy them! XOXO

Valentine's Day Fun!

From upper left to bottom right:

  1. Love You Cookies – Dean & Deluca (made by Amy’s Cookies)
  2. Valentine’s Day Fabric Rag Wreath – Fairy Mojo
  3. Elephants in Love – Dean & Deluca (made by Rebecca Russell)
  4. Valentine Wreath – My Scrapbook Studio
  5. Three Hearts Letterpress Card – Ink Meets Paper
  6. Valentine’s Day Wreath – Strings ‘n’ Things
  7. Cutout Heart Cookies – Dean & Deluca
  8. Gourmet Marshmallow Trio – Dean & Deluca (made by Three Tarts)
  9. Letterpress Valentine Blank Card – Tiger Food Press

Handmade Recycled Unique Socks

· Apparel

A warm and cozy pair of socks is like a best friend on a cold winter day. Luckily, I have a good friend who has knitted me a couple of pairs of beautiful wool socks. But for those of you who don’t knit, or don’t have a friend who knits, you should check-out Solmate Socks. As you can see, their socks are mismatched and unique and made in Vermont out of recycled cotton.

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Hummingbirds

· Apparel, Home, Kids

I had a ton of fun with my recent radish post so I decided to pick a “theme” again for this post. Since this blog is titled Bee Hummingbird, I thought I would showcase fun hummingbird products on etsy. Below is a collage of some of my favorite discoveries.

For those who are wondering what a Bee Hummingbird is, it’s the smallest bird in the world…

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From upper left to bottom right:

  1. Hummingbird art painting prints – blue hummingbirds by birdiness
  2. Hummingbird necklace set off center in sterling silver by Luluka
  3. Hummingbird original art – Linocut Print on Wood by Little Bean Print
  4. Hummingbird silhouette art print by The Argyle Aardvark
  5. Hummingbird rustic hanging art by FTT Design & Fabrication
  6. Fluttering hummingbird silhouette stud earrings in silver by ANORIGINALJEWELRY
  7. Hummingbirds with colorful balloons by Poster Inspired

Wool Blankets, Throws and Accessories Crafted with Pride

· Home

I love a cozy blanket on a chilly night. So when my sister and brother-in-law told me about Faribault Woolen Mill Co., I absolutely loved what I found.  The mill was established in Faribault, MN in 1865 and is the only fully integrated domestic woolen operation still in existence in the USA (WOW!). There is a rich history surrounding the mill. In 1917, during WW1, the company supplied 100,000 blankets to the army and by 1937, nearly every department store carried their blankets. Today, the company continues to make beautiful blankets, throws and accessories and they now have an online store and recently opened a store at the site of the mill which looks beautiful from the pictures on their website!

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SOHO Blanket

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Mill Street Blanket

Blanket 1Melbourne Wool Blanket

Radishes

· Home, Kids, Party

Today, I’m inspired by the radishes growing in my backyard that we just picked.  Radishes are simply beautiful and I love their contrasting red and green colors and their spicy, crisp flavor. I hope you enjoy my favorite Etsy radish picks!

Radish Collage

From upper left to bottom right:

1. Radish & Radish Pattern set of four blank note cards: Cindy Lindgren

2. Alphabet postcard letter Rr only: Joanna Close Art in Fibre

3. Hand sewn felt veggie RED RADISH: Pixie and Joy

4. Wood Teether Turnip: Little Sapling Toys

5. Radish Square Dictionary Art Print: Lexicologies

6. Set of 6 place cards with birch holders – radish illustrations: redcruiser

7. Radish Kitchen Art: ANEK

Custom Fabric, Wallpaper and Wall Decals

· Holiday, Home

If you’re crafty (or aspire to be crafty), I highly suggest you explore Spoonflower based in Durham, NC. The company uses digital textile printers to print custom fabric, wallpaper, wall decals and for a limited time, wrapping paper.  If you print fabric, there are ten fabric options you can choose from including silk, organic cottons and a linen blend and the minimum order is one yard. All you have to do is upload a design, send it to the printer and viola you have your own custom printed items delivered to your door. If you’re looking to make a little extra money on your creativity or if you lack creativity and the ability to create your own design (this would be me), you can sell your designs or buy the designs of others online in their shop forum!

I don’t know about you, but I just love the idea of having custom made wrapping paper this holiday season!

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American Made Leather Goods

· Apparel

I just love the smell and look of real leather. None of the “faux” stuff, please. If you like rugged looking leather items, you must check-out Los Angeles based White Sycamore. This company makes some beautiful leather goods here in the good old USA. My favorites include the Vintage Overnight Briefcase and the Netbook Office Tote. The Vintage Overnight Briefcase just makes me want to whisk away on a mini-vacation!

Vintage Overnight Briefcase

Netbook Office Tote

Charming Handmade Handbags

· Apparel

I LOVE pebbled, soft Italian leather! So when I stumbled across K.slademade, I couldn’t stop gushing! This company designs and produces BEAUTIFUL handbags in the USA and incorporates fantastic hardware and cute details such as removable tassels. I’m particularly fond of their Brooklyn foldover clutches.

Brooklyn Foldover Clutch

I also LOVE their Heather Crossbody. I can think of the perfect holiday outfit for this and love the leather weaved into the gold chain!

HEATHER Crossbody

Beautiful Cutting Boards to Display Proudly

· Home

I used to think of cutting boards as basic, boring necessities in all kitchens.  I’m going to spill the beans, my cutting boards are weathered, cheap pieces of plastic that I love to throw in the dishwasher. Well, that’s just kind of sad because there are some beautiful cutting boards out there. Why not make the cooking experience a little more enjoyable and add a piece of everyday art to the kitchen?  Here are some of my favorite finds:

Cutting board made from reclaimed wood by Peg and Awl

Forest Home cutting board by Tin Roof Cutting Boards

English Walnut Cutting Board by Appalachian Joinery

 

Hole Slab Large by On Our Table

Handcrafted Soda Syrup

· Food and Beverage

 

So it sounds like Soda Stream home carbonation systems are the “rage” this holiday season. I’m getting pretty sick of buying San Pellegrino at Costco and lugging the heavy boxes (which always rip at the handles) into my garage.  I’m also getting pretty sick of having to remember to replace the bottles when the last one is gone from the fridge. So it looks like I’m following everyone else this year and will likely get a Soda Stream machine. I’m at my breaking point and I’m willing to give up some scarce counter space to this gadget.

My sister-in-law has a Soda Stream and she showed it to me a couple of weeks ago. She also showed me the packets of syrup that it came with and let me tell you, I wouldn’t drink that stuff!  I’ve been a personal Facebook friend for a while of a cool company called P&H Soda Co., based in Brooklyn, NY. P&H Soda Co., makes handcrafted soda syrups in fun, interesting flavors.  It’s the PERFECT SOLUTION for my upcoming Soda Stream machine!! P&H Soda Co. always carries four “stock” flavors: cream soda, hibiscus, ginger and lime and they seem to have additional flavor offerings as well. I’m excited to try their hibiscus syrup because I love Jamaica (the Latin American term for hibiscus)! My Grandmother (she’s from Mexico) taught me how to make Jamaica and it’s one of my favorite beverages to concoct during the summer months! I’m also excited to explore crafting fun adult beverages with these syrups! Yummy!