Hey Little Birdie!

Oh, Valentine’s Day. There is something about this saccharine little holiday that makes me miss Elmer’s glue, glitter (yes, glitter, the nasty coarse dollar store kind to boot), and red construction paper.  It brings back memories of shoebox Valentine holders and that schoolroom vulnerability. It reminds me of anxiously waiting to see who slipped in one of their perforated Transformers card into that glittered little vessel.  How I read into what each preprinted message could possibility insinuate, yes even in first grade. I remember that foreboding fear that my mailbox might be empty, and the heartache when it’s reaping was in fact pretty sparse.

I also remember that time I spent with my mom who tireless helped us make each and every Valentine by hand. I can still smell the hot glue gun and feel it’s stringy trails tracing over our kitchen table. She always spent so much time fostering our creativity and imaginations and seized opportunities like making Valentines to do so.

I guess Valentine’s Day makes me all kinds of uncharacteristically nostalgic. I just really cherish the idea of being purposeful in conveying love to those dearest to you. So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are some of my favorite lovely things:

1.Penguin Poems for Love ; Selected by Laura Barber 2. Sugar Paper Happy Valentine’s Day Card 3. Voluspa Belle Sucre 3 Wick Candle 4. 51 Love Stories by Paul Octavious (This is my new most favorite thing, I mean a heart made out of books of love stories, genius!)

1. Make this Jalapeno Popper Dip. It’s an easy recipe that was loved by everyone at the Super Bowl party.

2. I just cleaned my oven using this simple formula. Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of your oven, pour on a little vinegar, wait 20 minutes, and wipe away.

3. This print would make the sweetest gift for Valentine’s Day. Or any day, really.

4. Try this hair tutorial. If you have stick straight hair like me, it was a totally new technique for making pretty waves. I tried it yesterday and the curls lasted all day long.

Hope you have a happy Monday!

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: Who was your best childhood friend?

We moved a lot when I was growing up. Needless to say, I never had one childhood friend for very long. But I did have a host of friends; some of which I still see and talk to today. And for that, I am grateful. But if I had to pick one person who stood the test of time and traveled the craziness that is childhood with me, it would have to be my sister. I mean, we would float in to a new city with no friends and no prospects, and we’d find unwavering constancy in each other. Being 2.5 years apart, sometimes I would fulfill my birthright as the annoying younger sibling, but also were the moments when we would sidle up next to each other to brave a new place, a new room, a new set of potential friends. I love my sister more than words could ever express… and that started way back when. (Oh, and in the picture below, I’m on the right. Yep, you’re welcome for this little jewel!)

As far as I can remember back, Molli has been in my life. One of my first memories is of her wearing pink rollers at out brothers’ preschool. Molli, or Purple Polly Molli as our kindergarten teacher called her, or Ralph as my dad called her after she chucked in the back of our minivan, is one of the sweetest souls on the planet. When we went through our Anne of Green Gables phase we referred to one another as “kindred spirits.” I feel that this term is still applicable to us. Though we both moved after kindergarten and naturally grew apart we have still remained in contact.  It doesn’t matter how much time has lapsed I could sit down with her and pick right up where we left off, whether that be last week, or two years prior. She is just one of those people who my soul feels at home with. I love her and cherish my memories with her with all of my heart, still.

Like Jina, I also moved around a bunch as a kid. I had great friends in every place we lived, but it wasn’t until I moved to Phoenix in 7th grade that I met my forever friends. And I mean forever. I still see and talk to my group of girlfriends regularly. I have full faith that I will still be in touch with them until the end. No matter how much we change, no matter the distance- we would do anything for each other. I can’t imagine my life without them and I wouldn’t want to. I love them like the sisters I never had. (Here’s some pics from 8th grade graduation. I have short hair! And a couple friends are missing, I couldn’t find a picture with us quickly.)

Tell us about your childhood friends!

My mind is whirling, my head is spinning, and my heart is full. But enough about me… really.

I have been holding on to these little gems, not because I secretly like to hold out on you (although I can be sly like that), but because I wanted to make sure that I could adequately give them their due.

Now that today’s here, who knows if I actually can live up to the grandeur I previously constructed, but the beauty of these beauties is that they don’t need me to. Just look at them.

A collection of classic literature carefully crafted in to modern day board books for your little ones. It’s like someone out there in this big ole world knew me well enough to take three things that I love immensely and fuse them together – timeless literary treasures, cleverly illustrated artwork, and my little 3-year old Lyla.

The fact that I want to own all of these should come as no surprise to you, especially since it appears today that the world is not only educated on my likes and dislikes but also works for my benefit.

See how I just made toddler board books equivalent to all the goodness in the universe. That’s some skill.

I love this picture so much, it reminds me of this Emerson quote

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…

I am in the process of turning my daughter’s room into my daughters’ room. The crib that Estelle has as a baby was beautiful, but huge. Now that we are cramming two kids into the tiny room it has to go. I have landed on replacing it with a Jenny Lind crib to match the cradle and changing table I currently have in my master, where baby is currently bunking. While trying track one down I was stunned by this style of crib’s versatility and popularity. I was also surprised to learn that it is not a brand of crib but a style named after a an opera singer from the 1850′s.

Here is a little round up of some colorful Jenny Lind cribs:

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Or there is the plain white option:

So what do you guys think? Painted or plain?

Have you heard of Homako? Designer, Yoko Minemura, creates the most unique, unbelievably gorgeous necklaces I have seen in ages. It boggles the mind how someone can be this talented. From wood to fabric to felt to metal,I love them all.

There are many more beautiful pieces to discover in the shop.

Happy Friday, sweet readers! We are taking a break from our normal “Know Your Birdies” question this week. However, I simply couldn’t let you round out your week with out a HLB fix. I know it is imperative to your weekend. I also know that sarcasm never reads well, so know I am just joshing with you.

I do, however, think that my latest Etsy obsession, The Wheatfield, will indeed enrich you weekend. While trolling on Pinterest I happened upon on one of the shop’s prints. They are vibrant, whimsical and have beautiful messages. Here are couple of my favorites.

Wishing you all a weekend of the happiest kind!

I’ve had the January bug. I don’t know if that’s a real thing or not. But I’ve read so many blogs throughout this month with New Year promises to live more simply, to re-organize, to (insert your own goal right here)… that honestly, I was inspired. And I think that is a wonderful thing. If we at Hey Little Birdie do nothing else in this little corner of the internet, my hope is that we inspire you to authentically embrace where you are in life and to share that with others around you. Transparency and community are two compelling concepts; they have the power to change your life.

So, I’ve been tweaking things around my house… in an effort to clear spaces and consequently to clear my head. It’s been a little chaotic in both.

In full disclosure, I thought I would share some of these with you. Keep in mind; it is nothing earth-shattering. I would have to charge for gems like that. Instead, they are simple fixes that are (1) helping me, (2) letting you in a bit, and (3) maybe something you could use too. As Pam on The Office would say, it’s a “Win-Win-Win”.

First, I’ve finally created a proper workspace for me. Yay! There is this odd corner in our kitchen that is too big for nothing and too small for a table. So, I added an extremely small desk that I bought at a vintage shop not far from my house.

Side note: If you live in Phoenix, there are some amazing vintage/antique shops in the midtown/uptown area of Phoenix. I never knew this when I lived in the burbs, but so far one of my favs is Lizabel’s Treasures on 16th Street. They have reasonable prices and some of their vendors have amazingly consistent collections.

My desk is slightly mid-century and perfect for this space. I have some major tweaking still to do on the frame arrangement on the wall (now that I stare at it everyday), but I’m pretty happy. Plus it’s right by a window so I get beautiful natural light there. Creating a space (even if it is small) can be incredibly grounding. All of a sudden I feel more productive, more organized, and an all around better person (okay maybe that last point is taking it a bit far).

Another fix was to make the most of Lyla’s closet storage. See, like many kids in America, she received a small village’s worth of Christmas presents this year. Top that with a late in the year birthday, and I was starting to feel overtaken with pink and plastic-y madness. So, I found a spare rod tucked in a corner of her closet (why had I never seen it before remains a mystery to me), and I decided to hang a couple of baskets from it. One for shoes and another for accessories. Yes, we’ve entered that stage where Lyla now requires accessories. My baby is a baby no more. Anyway, this opened up other storage around the room for toys that were collecting… well, basically everywhere. And this solution is cute to boot.

That’s it for me, this week at least. I’ve noticed because of little successes like this, I’ve taken on more. So, who knows maybe I will be back with other things next week. Until then, tell me what you’ve been tweaking… or wanting to tweak… or dreaming of someday potentially tweaking with no pressure of actually completing. Trust me, I get it.

p.s. Sorry about the poor picture quality. I’m still trying to learn how to use a real camera in differing light and all that technical stuff that still eludes me.

Earlier this week, Nicky wrote about picnic inspiration. And I have to say, I climbed right on board and brought along my checkered tablecloth, a delectable mix of cheese, crackers, strawberries and probably some wine. Dreaming about it, I can almost feel the sweet sunshine on my face and a light breeze in the air. You know, enough of a breeze to gently blow my hair perfectly but not enough that I look like I just got out a convertible that had been traveling down the autobahn.

Wait, back to the picnic. Sorry, I got distracted by my hair. I wish I could say that was the first time that’s happened to me… today.

I think these little goodies from Anthropologie would be the perfect addition. I mean they ooze of springtime goodness. And even on the rainiest days or, more accurately for Phoenix, the most horribly hot day in July, they would flood my brain with picnic images just by sweetly residing on my kitchen countertop.

p.s. they come in two sizes, so take your pick.