Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Can you believe it’s December 1st tomorrow? Where on earth has the year gone?! Rachel and I had a laugh the other day thinking back to this time last year…we hadn’t even considered hosting any type of market then and yet, here we are, about to host our third of the year! It’s amazing the snowball effect of some tiny ideas, isn’t it? We’re not really sure what the year ahead will hold for Birch+Bird but we’ll be sticking to our standard business plan of going with the flow. So far, it’s worked well for us and we’ve found it pretty amazing how everything seems to have organically fallen into place, thanks to some fabulous friends and connections we’ve met along the way and some pretty special families supporting us through it all.

As we count down the last couple of sleeps until Fieldstone Vintage Market, I thought it only fitting to give a recap of some lovely and meaningful advent calendars from around the web. My kids absolutely love counting down the days of December and it’s such a fun tradition, as the anticipation mounts for Christmas Day. It feels like only a few weeks ago that we posted a few of our favourites from last year, doesn’t it? We’re working on our own DIY version to sell on Saturday, but it’s taken a little longer than we thought so we’ll have to share some photos of it and our other crafty adventures very soon…

Not on the High Street

The Marion House Book

Anthology

Shim & Sons

Oh Happy Day

In the Little Red House

Brigitte

Dandee Designs

Style Me Pretty

West Elm

Are advent calendars a family tradition in your home? Each December, do you make your own, buy the chocolate version, or use one that’s been passed down to you? Whether you count down all 25 days or narrow it down to the twelve days of Christmas, there are so many great calendars out there to help you through the season. I’m loving the wine bottle idea too, although some professional help may be required by the end of the month…Cheers to December!

For the past few years, I’ve picked out a recipe for an appetizer at the beginning of the Christmas season.  I hoard all the ingredients and make it for all our Christmas gatherings.  Since Christmas is usually so busy for us, thinking ahead always helps reduce some stress.  This year, because it will be even busier than ever, I’m totally cheating.  I bought frozen appetizers.  Before you breath out that great big gasp…it’s gourmet.  Mini Quiches and Artisan Flatbread with an assortment of yummy toppings.  It goes with my commitment to keep things simple this Christmas.  For those of you who wouldn’t dare to offer up frozen appetizers, I found these drool worthy recipes. And they still fall into the “keep it simple” vow with minimal ingredients and maximum flavour.

 rosemary and olive wreath

mushroom tart with sage and asiago

pear, gorgonzola and pancetta tartlettes

 stuffed mushrooms with spinach

classic cheese and fruit platter

 brie with figs and honey

 sparkling sangria

creme caramel

 white chocolate dipped peppermint sticks

 homemade hot chocolate

What are your favourite holiday recipes?  Or will you be faking it like me?

Is it Monday already? Rachel and I packed in quite the work weekend, with a trip to Ikea (with kids!) thrown in to keep things exciting, and I think we made big dent in our market preparations. Fieldstone is a mere 6 days away and we have a busy week ahead of us, sorting through the final details for the set up at the EcoDairy as well as for our own shop display. Our biggest worry for each of our outdoor markets has always been the weather but, so far, the forecast is calling for a bright streak of sunshine at the end of the week, right on target for market day…keep your fingers crossed for us, pretty please!

Growing up, I was in love with horses. Really in love. I’m not exactly sure when it started, since my family didn’t know anyone who owned any, but I was gaga for horses in a big way from about 8 years old on. My parents sent me off to a horse-themed summer camp that year and worked hard to put me through a several years of riding lessons when I was a little older…I loved each and every moment spent in the barn and riding ring!  I stifled my passion in high school, swapping posters of palominos and Arabians in my room for Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, but every time I see horses incorporated into interior design, it makes me happy. I have two amazing vintage paint-by-numbers (bought on my first thrifting excursion with Rachel!) now up in my living room, along with a large old photo of another unknown horse that I found in my in-laws barn. I’ll show you pictures of my own space very soon, once my wall sconces are up (I changed course and ordered some new lights over the weekend), but for now enjoy these equestrian touches…

Design*Sponge. Home of Carla Fahden. (Also featured on Etsy’s Get the Look)

Elle Decor

Style At Home

Eric Roth Photography via La Dolce Vita via Canadian House & Home

Country Living

Themed photography or art is the most obvious way to insert equestrian style into your space but subtle touches of leather, plaid, dark polished wood, brass, and black accessories will also do the trick…

Elle Decor

Style At Home

Country Living

Liz Caan via Marcus Design

Plantation via Apartment Therapy

Home Life

Did you have a childhood passion when you were young and are you still passionate about it now? I recently went through several boxes of art and school essays that my mom saved and passed along to me and found it so interesting how most of my tastes have changed over time (I don’t get giddy over princesses anymore…well, not usually!) yet how many have stayed the same, like the elevation view sketch of my new bedroom design that I drew up when I was 9!  It makes me very curious about my own kids…will skateboarding, art and dancing still be at the top of their priority lists when they grow up? Time will tell, I suppose. Have a wonderful week!

Ahhh…it’s the weekend.  I have to say I’m a little envious of our American neighbours and their big Black Friday sales today.  I haven’t braved the crowds yet to see what it’s all about but from the sounds of it, the savings are incredible.  And I’m sure after feasting on turkey and all the trimmings, a great day of shopping puts you in the mood for Christmas!  We’ll be getting into the Christmas spirit ourselves this weekend.  The girls and I will put the Christmas tree up on Saturday and Sunday and they are so excited.  Those are the moments you remember forever.

If you will be staying put this Black Friday, you might want to start your Christmas shopping over on Etsy.  Plenty of sellers will be offering up Black Friday specials and you won’t even have to get out of your pajamas!  If you are looking for unique gifts this year, Etsy is the place and there’s still time for it to be delivered right to your door.  I came across Waterrose awhile ago.  Her little “vowel” brooch that I featured the other day caught my eye and I wandered through her shop for a long time.  Her shop is full of intriquitely embroidered goodies like cuffs for him and her, rings and brooches and art for your home.   Her embroidery skills are something to be admired, don’t you think?

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!  Be sure to fill us in on all your Black Friday scores!  You know, we love a good buy.

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends! Hopefully you’re enjoying plenty of delicious food with family and friends and keeping cozy indoors somewhere lovely. Christmas is definitely in the air, don’t you think? There’s a chill in the wind and the mountains all have a good dusting of snow here in our corner of Canada. It’s not very often that we have a white Christmas but I’m really hoping that it will happen this year…I can only imagine how excited our kids would be! It also feels like the holiday frenzy is starting to take over the stores and I’m working very hard to resist the urge to buy, buy, buy! Does your heart start to pound a little faster at the sight of each overabundant stack of tempting shiny things? Mine does but not in a good way…it’s more of an anxious pounding! So I’m doing my best to ignore the strategically stacked gizmos beside every store teller and I’m determined to stick to my holiday tasks, focusing on meaningful and well-made gifts for everyone on my list. Fieldstone will be the perfect opportunity to shop from local vintage and handmade sellers and I am so very excited to see what they put together on December 3rd!

I came across this airy white Danish cottage on Lantiliv yesterday and think that it has to be the epitome of what a simple family Christmas truly should be! The cottage itself is a dream, with it’s raw wood floors and white walls and ceiling, but it’s the holiday traditions of the family that owns it that really make it such a special place…thank you Google Translate!

Owned by Mille and Christian Gyldenfeldt, this cottage on Denmark’s North coast of Zealand has become their family’s year-round weekend retreat from busy life in Copenhagen. The couple have two young children and Christmas is based far more around family traditions than expensive gifts. Decorations have been inherited from grandparents or found at vintage shops and flea markets, as have a number of other furniture and decor pieces from throughout the cozy haven…

Some Christmas traditions for the Gyldenfeldt family include tobogganing, wintry walks on the beach and decorating the tree, with plenty of Christmas carols, cakes and sweets enjoyed along the way. They enjoy dinner with extended family on Christmas Eve, followed by dancing around the tree and taking turns opening each person’s gift. Sounds just about perfect, doesn’t it?

“It’s very rare for us to buy something expensive. We know what we like and have the patience to wait until we can find it at a flea market or auction site on the net.There is no risk that it feels empty in the house – we are both convinced that “less is more”.” ~Christian Gyldenfeldt

Lantiliv. All photos by Frederikke Heiberg.

Hmmm, am I forgetting something? Is there a very important announcement that I was supposed to make today? Why, yes, there is! The winner of Chicago Spaces: Inspiring Interiors (chosen by the True Random Number Generator) is…..drumroll…..the lovely Rosa Pearson of Flutter Flutter!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS! That is too funny…she just Tweeted us last night, wondering how many times she could enter our draw but it was her original comment that was drawn as our random number! We love Rosa and it’s wonderful to give this book to someone we’ve already met several times! Rosa, we can’t wait to ship your amazing new book off to you, just in time for Christmas. Have a wonderful Thursday everybody!