two things i love around my home

I'd already picked out the two things I'd share with you this week, but then the queen of cute, Brittan, surprised me with a package, and I knew for sure that the other two things would have to wait; I NEEDED to share these! Last Christmas on Lifetime, Tim Gunn said something along the lines of handmade gifts not being thoughtful, instead, cheap. It stuck with me, and it really made me question things I've given as gifts, but as far as I'm concerned, I'd take a handmade gift ANY DAY because I know that love really goes into them!

The first thing I love is the sweet little needle felted owl, and green is my favorite color, too! The second thing I love (and it's definitely my favorite) is an original watercolor of Flojo, my baby. It looks just like her, with the tilted head focusing on something interesting! You can check out some of Brittan's amazing creations in her etsy shop, little owl arts!

Please don't forget to enter the photography print and notecard GIVEAWAY! And if you'd like to share two things you're loving, be sure to link up on Kassi's blog!

two things i love around my home

Before I get started, I wanted to say hello to the new blog followers. So, hello! Second, if you want to join and share your two favorite things, you can link up on Kassi's blog. So, my two favorite things today are more symbolic than anything...

I picked the feather (because I like it and it's huge) because I love the wildlife that lives around me. At any given time I can look out of my windows and see songbirds, maybe as many as 30 turkeys, deer, squirrels, or little bunnies. Obviously I like having fresh flowers in my house, but they symbolize the lush green fields, thick woods and general botanical beauty that surrounds my home!

For the last picture, I'm still not sure I want to share it, but it's up for now...and I may delete it. I'm definitely not the type of person who likes taking pictures of myself as my comfort zone is on the other side of the camera, but while I was getting some laundry together, I decided I'd play around with my new flowers and my crazy hair and take a new facebook profile picture. Soooo, here it is. I'm so shy.

two things (plus three) i love around my home

The things I'm loving right now were all given to me by super generous, completely awesome people! If you'd like to share two things you love, you can link up on Kassi's blog (and you can also tell me so I can have a peek)!

From the top: The other weekend I met Kaleb to pick up what I originally thought was going to be a pack of Polaroid 600 film. I ended up coming home with more, and this SX-70 just makes me swoon. The polaroids with it didn't come from it, they're part of the 600 film. Verdict: Awesome gifts, awesome friend.

Next is the birdhouse and brass turtle soap dish. I got them from Kassi, the hot mama at bacwoods fern. If you know anything at all about me, you know that I love birds and turtles more than anything else. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect package, and the fact that the birdhouse was from her own collection makes it extra special. Verdict: Brings-a-tear-to-your-eye-awesome!

Moving right along, I have an antique (I'm talking super antique, like from the 1800's) mail spike. My pop got this for me a few weeks ago because I told him that they'd be great for holding rings when I'm out peddling my wares. *Side note: Last summer I went to an art festival and had an antique dish full of fabric rings, and after people would try them on, they'd throw them on the dish upside down. So I thought this would be a neater way to hold them!* Verdict: I have the most awesome pop in the universe!

Last is a handmade art quilt I received from Kajsa through the dutch sisters exchange! I was SO excited when I saw it because I loved one she previously made, but this was even better because it had a parrot! I thought it was so sweet that she did that just for me because I love parrots more than anyone will ever know! In addition to the fabulous art quilt, I also received a postcard of the art quilt print I loved in her shop and two pretty fat quarters of bright, summertime fabric. Verdict: Bright and happy awesome all the way from Finland!

I'm a lucky, lucky girl, and I definitely believe that good things should keep going, so I hope the people who will receive gifts from me are surprised and excited! And they don't know they're getting anything :)

P.S. Lauren is having a giveaway for the baker on her blog. It makes me want to fix a dessert just thinking about it!

two things i love around my home

Today's favorite things are these two Russian matryoshka, or nesting dolls. The largest one was given to me yesterday by my auntie-in-law, Amy, who got a few the last time she went to Russia. I love them and wouldn't mind having more!

If you'd like to play along, you can link up on Kassi's blog.

A few other things... The lovely sisters at mucho mucho bueno bueno are having another awesome giveaway! And speaking of giveaways, I hope to have one either this weekend of early next week for a little tiny terrarium. You remember how I told you that my grandma got me a jump rope? Well, it worked my butt...literally, so if you're looking for a new exercise that's fun, I suggest the old childhood favorite!

two things i love around my home

Time for another round of Kassi's "two things I love around my home!" I really should be mopping the floors instead of blogging, but let's face it, this is more fun! I do have a load of laundry in, I did some picking up around the house, I took a walk, sewed and bag and actually cleaned up my fabric pile (!!!) so it's not like today has been a total waste, even if I don't get my mopping done.

My first item is an old oriental style tin from Holland (don't ask me how that happened). I got it I guess about 7 or 8 years ago at my favorite antique/junk store in downtown Lynchburg. It holds earrings, rings, charms...that sort of thing. I have it setting on a pile of books on a shelf by my bed.

The next item is an old (1950's) wide-eyed fawn. My grandma gave me the pair (yes, it has a twin, but only one is setting out) back before Christmas. She's the knick knack queen, and lately she's been saying that if we see anything we want, tell her so she can give it to us. I told her a while back that if she ever wanted to get rid of that set of fawns, they'd have a good home with me. I was so happy I got them, and I know they are truly old because she said they've been around for one hundred years (she's also the exaggeration queen). They sit on another stack of books by my bed. I have lots of book stacks around my house (maybe I'll count them one day). I just love reading! If you want to join, you can link up on Kassi's blog.

And how funny is this...my aunt mentioned me on her blog and referred to me as a "fashionista!" Haha, she's sweet, but I'm just a mess that took a while to put together, certainly not in the know fashion-wise! Well, it was sweet, and it made me laugh!

Also, because I'm not just in love with myself and my own creations, and because I know a lot of you lovely readers are pretty crafty yourself, I'd like to include some of your projects in my weekly "what I've been working on" posts. Just send me a picture (or more than one) and description to kissparrotkiss@aol.com so I can include you! If you're not ready to join this week, that's okay, I do the post every week!

two things i love around my home

It's time for another round of home decor show and tell! If you want to join in, you can leave a link to your post in the comments, or go link up on Kassi's blog.

The first item is this beautiful vintage brass turtle trinket box. You may remember me telling you about my super sweet (so sweet she'll give you cavities) friend, Christin. Well, she's outdone herself again! I got this little beauty in the mail last Friday afternoon, and there was no note or anything to let me know who it came from. She saw that I liked it decided to surprise me with it! You already know how much I love birds, but I also love turtles just the same! I took this picture on my living room mantle, but I've since found it a home on an end table in my den so everyone can see it!

After my grandpa died, I brought some of the flowers home that were at his funeral. Once they started to wilt, and I knew I'd soon be throwing them away, I decided to take some pictures so in a way I'd always have them. This is my favorite picture, and I put it in a vintage frame and displayed it in my living room. I think of Grandpa every time I see it. ♥

Ch-ch-check us out on Cole's blog. She's doing a series on love!

two things i love around my home

Before I get to the two things I'm loving, I wanted to thank everyone who joined the knick knack exchange! I finished sending all 68 emails last night with the name of address of your new exchange friend, so we can all look forward to a fun package in the mail!

The first item I love is actually two. I got the set of vintage tins from ebay about 4 years ago and I have them setting in my kitchen to hold sweetener for coffee. The second item is an antique hand mirror I have hanging in my bathroom. I love old mirrors, and this one was given to me by my father-in-law.

If you're a follower and you haven't yet entered the giveaway, be sure to do it!

two things i love around my home

I didn't really know what I wanted to share today for the two things I love, so these are kind of random, but I love them nonetheless! The first thing is a super girly lampshade I got a couple years ago for the big ole price of $1. It's pale pink with velvet dot flowers and lace trim!

The second item is this ceramic plaque depicting The Last Supper. Way back down in the woods is the house where my husband's grandpa grew up, and it's since caved in, but a few years ago it was still mostly standing, and every now and then, we'd take a walk into the woods and walk through the house. Many things were too far gone to bring back home, but this was one of the things that was still in pretty decent shape, so it now resides on the mantle in my living room. I love it, and green is my favorite color!