Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Here we are, only a week away from Christmas! How are you feeling? Hopefully not too overwhelmed or stressed. I’ve got a lot to do but I’m feeling oddly relaxed about it all, which will likely change all too soon! But seeing these photos (featured in the December issue of Chatelaine, which my Spruce Collective girls and I just happen to be featured in too 🙂 instantly brightened my mood and alleviated my writer’s block last night. I’m a sucker for a good house conversion and I doubt there could be anything more peaceful than living in a former church, unless of course, it meant living in this former church:

Chatelaine via The Marion House Book. Photos by Sian Richards.

Chatelaine

Chatelaine via The Marion House Book. Photos by Sian Richards.

This stunning church-turned-home belongs to Alison Westlake (owner of the Toronto flower shop Coriander Girl) and her husband, Tyler. Together they took on a pretty ambitious renovation (you can read more about the process here) of the nearly 150 year old building and I just love how bright and airy it is, not to mention their subtle Scandinavian-style take on Holiday decorating. It’s like a breath of fresh air, isn’t it? Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Well, I made it through the weekend (just barely!) and I’m really happy that Monday is here. The shop has been bustling with Holiday shoppers (yay!) so I’ll be focussing a lot of my energy there before the kiddos are home on Christmas break next week. I’ve managed to tackle most of the presents on my list but I always save the wrapping until the end, just to be sure I haven’t missed anything. I’m usually up far too late on Christmas Eve powering through the last of it but, this year, I plan on giving myself much more time. Even the simplest gift feels extra special when it’s wrapped up pretty, don’t you think? And speaking of simple, I’m a big fan of plain kraft paper mixed in with bright patterned wrapping and fun embellishments. Here are some festive examples, right up my alley:

Little Low Studio

A Little Empty Room

Artifact Uprising

Scout Mob via 100 Layer Cake

Poppytalk

Do you wrap as you go or leave the giant task right until the end, like me? Luckily, I really enjoy wrapping gifts and adding personal touches. Isn’t the nautical rope know above divine? I wouldn’t even want to open a present that lovely! Hope you had a wonderful weekend 🙂

The past several weeks have been insanely hectic (to say the least) and although it’s Friday and I’ve got a fun weekend ahead (it’s our last weekend of The Urban Market and we’re headed to an Ugly Sweater Party on Saturday night), I must admit that I’m really (like, really) looking forward to Monday. Not like there’s anything exceptionally special about Monday, there’s just nothing on my calendar for Monday! Odds are good that it will end up being just as busy as any other day but sometimes you’ve just got to have a visual goal in mind to make it through the busy bits, right? Works for me 😉 We’re officially halfway to Christmas Day and here are 5 festive faves that caught my eye this week:

1. Loving this Scandinavian table, especially the sheepskin chair covers:

100 Layer Cake. Photos & concept by Loft Photographie & Anne Marie Photography.

2. This DIY marquee lighting pretty much sums up all things Merry & Bright:

A Beautiful Mess

3. I’m super envious of anyone blessed with beautiful hand lettering skills (ahem, yes I’m talking to you Jessica!) and Lindsay Letters has some fabulous prints for the Holidays and beyond. (But seriously, I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be my great talent, I just got missed somehow)

Lindsay Letters

4. There’s no excuse for wobbly card tables over the Holidays, not after seeing this adorable kids table:

100 Layer Cakelet

5. I have no idea when I’m going to get any Christmas baking done (maybe when the kids are out of school?) but these Peppermint Chocolate Crackles look pretty darn delicious:

Peppermint Chocolate Crackles by Say Yes to Hoboken

Ok, off I go to run the kiddos to school and get things set up for The Urban Market but have yourself a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back to chat on Monday (ah, glorious Monday ;)! Cheers!

Man, this Holiday season is ticking right along, isn’t it? I’ve made a decent dent in my Christmas shopping but still have a ways to go, how about you? Things looked pretty festive this week with a fresh dusting of snow too. Not enough for a snow day or driving headaches, just enough to make everything look magical! Brad and I are sticklers for a freshly cut tree in our house but I know not everyone has the space for a full grown Christmas tree. When the kiddos were toddlers, we chose smaller tabletop versions of Herr Tannenbaum (to keep little hands from pulling down ornaments) and I really loved how easily they fit into our home decor. Presents actually displayed better too, piled under the table, so I thought I’d share a variety of petite trees perfect for spaces large or small:

Petra Bindel

Mer Mag

Design Mom

Cardboard Christmas

Les Tissus Colbert

Dreamy Whites

Cute, right? We have a mini tree for the kids set up on our dining room credenza this year (to avoid any arguments as to who’s bedroom it should belong in!) and it’s full of bright baubles and handmade trinkets that they’ve made over the years. They love it (I do too!) and are always rearranging the snow globes and other decorations underneath. Hope you’re having a great week so far!

With so much hustle + bustle over the past few weeks (well, months really!), I’m feeling the need to simplify more than a few areas in my life. The New Year is always the perfect time to clean off the slate and start fresh and I just bought myself a shiny new planner to get the ball rolling. There’s a lot to be said for online calendars and apps but between juggling kids and shop life, I really just need to write things down. Speaking of clean + simple, this Scandinavian home and it’s understated take on Christmas was like a breath of fresh air amidst the glitter + glam of all things Holiday currently circling the web. While I’m loving my amped up dose of colour this year, there’s a lot to be said for the calming neutrals of this family home:

Lantliv. Photo by Magdalena Björnsdotter.

Lantliv. Photo by Magdalena Björnsdotter.

Lantliv. Photo by Magdalena Björnsdotter.

Relaxing, isn’t it? And I don’t think anything could be cozier than sipping hot cocoa next to that kitchen fireplace, unless it involved curling up on the fur rugs in the living room! When it comes to Christmas decorating, are you team less-is-more or go-big-or-go-home? I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the middle 🙂