Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Here we are again, it’s Monday already! How was your weekend? Mine was a good mix of mellow and productive, although it wasn’t the weekend that I expected it to be. My husband had to work all weekend, which threw a little glitch into my original plans of getting together with some of our Canadian Design & Lifestyle Bloggers West friends on Saturday at the home of Darryl and Jodi Bueckert. I was very sad to miss out on the fun but I did go to my son’s soccer game and have a fish ‘n chips date with my Baba (my Croatian Grandma) and the kids instead, which both felt like wonderful ways to spend the day. I had also really hoped to get out to the One of a Kind Show Vancouver but the same childcare dilemma made me think it was a wiser choice to stick close to home rather than trek my brood of three to the city and back. While I would have loved to attend both events, I must admit it felt good to be home for a weekend and to get some projects finished up. Brad got our new light fixtures up the other night and also hung an awesome vintage chalkboard map, found for us by Colleen‘s amazing husband Bob…yay Bob!….that I can’t wait to show you! I’ll post a couple of photos once I add the last finishing touches to our Christmas decorating in the next couple of days. I also have high hopes to finally repaint our dining table, although that might be pushing it with the festivities ahead! It’s the last week of school before the Christmas break and I am really looking forward to sleeping in a little bit and doing some baking and holiday crafts with the kids before all of the busyness with extended families sets in.

Have you made a big dent in your Christmas shopping yet? I have but I still have a few key gifts that I’m on the hunt for. I had a bit of time to browse some of my favourite Etsy shops last night and thought I’d share a few trinkets and treasures that caught my eye…

Pigeon Toe Ceramics

1. Banquet 2. A 1000 Kisses 3. Dreaming Tree Farm 4. The Vintage Supply Co.

Lemon Citrus

1.Prunella Soap 2. Puffed Peonies

Kin Ship Press

1. One Canoe Two 2. Sparrow’s Nest Script 3. Mary Kate McDevitt 4. Bella Creationz

Yellow Heart Art

1. RaceyTay 2. Urban Walls 3. Ginger Creative 4. Maya Jade Creations

Recognize any of the lovely goods below? They belong to a few of our Fieldstone vendors, who also just happen to be on Etsy too and they’re local if you’re living in the Lower Mainland! Shipping from the US always seems to take longer than expected, especially at this time of year, so a great tip is to use the Shop Local tool on to discover local handmade and vintage sellers in your area. To save on shipping, it doesn’t hurt to contact the seller (on the mid-right of the listing page) to see if you can pick up the item yourself as many sellers are more than willing to do that for their customers…

Raggy Girl Vintage

1. Pip & Pin 2. Carmen West Creative 3. The Bee’s Knees 4. Urban Harmonie 5. The Orange Circle 6. Type B

Are you feeling relaxed as we count down until Christmas Day or are you starting to feel the panicked frenzy in the stores as the crowds thicken? I’ve spoken with a number of people who are making a conscious effort to simplify their Christmas experience this year and to reel it in to what’s most important. I have definitely been thinking a lot more carefully about each purchase, thinking about the quality and longevity of each gift as well as trying to stay within budget. I’m also doing my best to resist the urge to buy for the sake of great sale prices and to really think about how each person on my list will use and appreciate what I’m giving them. I love getting gifts that have been thoughtfully chosen especially for me, don’t you?