the new hatchlings...a.k.a. my spring ~ fling

the story goes a lil' something like this:
the birds i used to use in my beloved "dear doves" cake topper are fast becoming extinct. and what can i do, you say?
make 'em myself!
after a little bit if shaping and reshaping and a trip to the toaster oven here we have it - the newest mosey hatchlings! each named after a different flower from my garden and available in the shop.

a labor of love & a happy meeting!

so, the shop is coming right along. what with it being the last dash of kindergarten and a slew of custom orders~ it comes along a bit more slowly.
ashley was a super hero and painted everything! all of the parts of the shop that needed painting and that meant very tall ladders and lot of labor!
most excitingly we placed our first few wholesale orders and have been in touch with many of our consigners. it's so great talking with everyone about there work and getting to pick out our very favourites for the shop.
a great bit of luck came my way on sunday as i was working in the shop. i heard the words "well..there's jes!" it was jean {of mosey nest fame}, her aunt mariam, and daughter emily!
what a delight.
emily of ravenhill lives in faraway norway and is a lovely crafter who makes amazing matryoshka dolls which she sells at her etsy shop. she has been a great friend this past year and is my first "online" friend that i have met in person.
many hugs insued and excited chatter! i showed them around the wee shop and just loved having them all there! they just happened to be in belfast checking out the wonderful yarn and fabric shops and had thought to stop by where they thought the shop was.
what a happy coincidence!
i was sad to see them go and many more hugs were had by all.
as well as a firm handshake by aunt mariam.
all the good luck and happiness was mine that afternoon!

a bird in hand..is worth two from my backyard.

well i decided to write a bit about WHY and HOW i have come to love nests so much.
when i was little i dreampt of finding a baby bird that needed my help, that i could feed and take care of and would sleep on my pillow~ and wake me with chirps. (you know the mind of a 7-10 year old is mysterious and vast!) i was always thinking about it and on the look out for any baby birds that had fallen from the nest.
then when i got a bit older i started finding abandoned nests in the woods lined with clay and lichen. i was fascinated. fascinated to learn that the birds collected all types of goodies for the nests. i started leaving out bits of string and yarn. (think friendship bracelets and those woven pot holders!) and to my ultimate happiness i would find bits of those treasures lining the next nest.
but my most favored and cherished story is of my dear friend jean (think beatrix potter meets an avid gardener in straw sun bonnet).
when jean and i were talking of our love of nests one afternoon and she relayed this story:
while walking among her gardens and peering in to nests she was often delighted to discover~
that the birds had lined there nests with strands of her silvery hair.
just think, how gentle and delicate the beak that collects the single strands of silvery locks to line it's nest. think of the care.
this years nest are dedicated to jean and to those fanciful birds who knew without a doubt that they had found the ultimate treasure ~ a sliver or two of true silver for sprucing up the nest.
wow.

putting all of my (new) eggs in one basket.

this morning i woke up early. i had stayed the night at my brothers house (think lord of the rings meets jake gyllenhaal). anyway he got up early too (and made me a great breakfast, by the way) and while he was busying himself in the kitchen i set about rooting around in his attic. i have a bunch of things stored up there for now and i found a bin of fabric i'd stashed and forgotten about! eureka. it was like christmas. or better. it was like finding one of your old favorite toys you'd forgotten about or were sure had gotten thrown out in the hub bub of your teenage years.
i ended up picking out some great blue polka dot fabric and some vintage reproduction calico...one of my very faves.
so here are the results. the snow was melting and dripping outside my window while i was scheming these up. so spring was surely on my mind.