New Bird On The Block No. 29 to infinity and beyond

I have not yet caught the IFC original series Portlandia, but my dad sent me the link to this NPR story on it, with specific instructions to “watch the bird video”. It is a hilarious parody of how a design trend can go awry. 

My poor little birdies, I still love them, even if they are doomed to become passé.

PS – It’s snowing. Again.

Happy Easter to all my peeps

And Happy Passover, Happy Spring, Happy Vernal Equinox, or whatever suits your fancy. Also: it is time once again for the Washington Post’s annual Peeps Show. I love how creative some people can get with a shoebox, some pipecleaners and plenty of colored, sugared marshmallows. I don’t remember any of my grammar school dioramas looking that good. Or edible.

Personally I like my Peeps stale and slightly chewy. Yum.

Photo via Flickr.

New birds on the block No. 26, literally

These baby robins are living in the rhododendron bush in front of my parents' house. Aren't they cute?

I'm just worried that the nest is so low, it's like a buffet for a wandering cat....

{pics by my dad}

Rockin' Robin, tweet tweet tweet

Rockin' Robin, as sung by the Jackson Five, was the bane of my grammar school existence. John Turner used to sing it to me every day on the bus. Also, lots of jokes about Batman and Robin, Robin (robbing) the bank, Robin Hood, etc. Hilarious. But the song was the worst. Over and over, every day. Kind of like the way it is stuck in your head now. He rocks through the treetops, all day long...


Third-grade angst aside, lets talk about tweeting. As in Twitter. As in I am in a self-taught crash course in Twitter via a personal account so I can start Twittering professionally for work (is that an oxymoron or what?). I was trying to avoid this, but apparently all the kids are doing it, even in the business world, and I figured its safer to muddle my way through on my own before I create a profile for work and drag our sterling reputation into the muck and mire of social networking, late to the game though we may be.


Besides Julia @hookedonhouses (and thanks again Julia for my first tweet) do any of you Twitter? Got any advice, tips, or tweets for me? You can find me at @abirdinthehand.




He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet


Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight...

New bird on the block No. 24

{detail from Enchanted Forest collection by Wedding Paper Divas}

I'm helping Meg & Mo plan their wedding -- which is in just a few weeks -- and I swooned when I saw this birdie and his friends on the short list of invite designs. Happily he made the final cut.

No Bridezilla shenanigans or agonizing over details for months for these two, just a simple affair for a few dozen family and close friends at a wonderful restaurant downtown. Champagne, then the ceremony, then cocktails and eats. My kind of party!

New bird on the block No. 23 and a visit to the farmers market

{Wonderful hand-made soap from Susan Parks at Rich Valley Farm in Stafford Springs, CT. It has a fresh, spicy scent and rich, creamy feel thanks to all the goat milk from Scooter and Olive (pictured below) and their friends.}

On Sunday, Marie-Louise from Cottage Industries and I went to the Coventry Farmers Market, a festive and busy weekly organic extravaganza on the bucolic grounds of the historic Nathan Hale Homestead (as in "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"). We tried not to gorge ourselves on the best kettle corn in the world (it even says "Caution! Highly addictive substance!" on the package), bought veggies, fresh blue-ribbon pickles, big bunches of dahlias and homemade fudge. We also visited with Heather of Beauty That Moves and Paula of The Beading Tree; Marie-Louise will be blogging about them and their gorgeous handmade wares sometime this week. I did buy one of Heather's stylish dog collars for my neighbor's golden doodle Boddington, and admired all her pretty bags and pouches made from modern and vintage fabrics -- you can see some in her Etsy shop.

I love handmade soap and spent a good deal of time sniffing and savoring the delicious products at Susan Parks' booth. All her soaps are made with a goats milk or the hard-to-find egg yolk base, and use plenty of shea butter, soy and beeswax for silky rich lather.

{I'm a sucker for pretty packaging too, and all Susan's soaps are wrapped in white parchment with charming labels featuring unique and whimsical woodcuts.}

{Olive and Scooter were not at the farmers market but back at Rich Valley Farms enjoying the sunny day.}

{Top photo by me, all others from Susan's website}

New bird on the block No. 22

{Another Sweet Bird Tassel, by NestingPlace and available in her Etsy shop}

This may be the bird that breaks the camel's back, so to speak. When I first started these New Bird posts, it was a way that I could covet and enjoy all the little birdie things that catch my eye, without depleting my bank account. But this Sweet Bird Tassel, by Nesting Place, is divine, and may have to come and feather my nest. Nesting Place uses high end fringes, ribbons and trims to make "the prettiest things you'll never need." I love tassels and pipings and trims, they take your basic pillows, drapes, etc. to the next level. You can glam up the most humble Ikea linen curtains with ribbon trim or mini-tassels and an hour or so of straight sewing on the old Singer. And a tassel on a knob dresses up a door, dresser or sideboard nicely, while providing hours of enjoyment for the cat!

Many thanks to Julia at Hooked on Houses for leading me to The Nester's blog and subsequently her Etsy shop. If I buy all her tassels, I can blame Julia!

New bird on the blah-blah-block No. 21

{a lot of words, nothing to say, by corid}

I love this chatty bird, he reminds me of ME! I am always talking. I remember getting in trouble as early as kindergarten for too much talking (sorry Mrs. Massaro!). All my grammar school report cards said "Excellent work, talks too much in class".

You can buy a print of this birdy or some of his friends in Corid's Etsy shop. Thanks to Suzanne for introducing me to Corid via her blog S.HOPtalk.

New bird on the block No. 7

{Little Bird Screenprinted flat notes by sarahparrott825}

Here is a sweet little bird on a thistle, waiting to send greetings and salutations hither and yon. You can buy him and some of his friends at Sarah Parrott's Etsy shop, Things Are Better With A Parrott.

New birds on the block Nos. 4 & 5

I keep finding more lovely birdie items out there and if I keep adding to my (virtual) collection it could get out of hand. But then there is the sunny side - if I start cataloging them who knows how many fab finds could feather this nest?

{from A Collage A Day}

Randel Plowman is a new fave, his collages are like snapshots of three or four random things going through your mind at once, but in a calm, not chaotic, way. He features a lot of birds in his work, as well illustrations from vintage advertisements, and a couple of things that look like sample pages from my 10th grade algebra textbook.

Here is a dainty hankie to keep in your purse, hand embroidered by stichado and available in her Etsy shop. It is almost too pretty to wipe your nose on, but just think of all the tissues you will keep out of the landfill.

The early bird

{photo from Spunky Sprout}

With a name like "Robin", I have a penchant for bird-related things. Every year for Christmas my dad used to buy me a robin-themed ornament. When I moved out and decorated my first Christmas tree with all those ornaments, the tree had a decidedly robin's egg blue theme, which I have added to over the years. The rug above is from a children's decor company, but I think it would look fabulous in my bedroom.

{photo from Decor Green}

And I love the crewel work on this pillow.





Whitney Smith's pottery has clean lines and gorgeous colors, but I love the simplicity of this white bowl with three wee birds perched on its rim.