Birdies, Eggs & Nests ~

I want to give a little shout out for a local artisan and friend...

Crystal Hanehan, of Vintage By Crystal, will be teaching Martha Stewart how to make this sweet nest on her show Wednesday ~ how exciting is that! And yes, she is the very same artist who will be teaching her fabulous Nest Box at Art & Treasure in Brimfield ~ how lucky are all of us!

Speaking of nests, this change of seasons has given me a creative burst of inspiration. I have finally finished my Spring Nesting Eggs, come take a peek ~ they're in the shop!

xo Heidi

P.S. Have you seen Jo Packham's newest interview about Where Women Create?
Check it out here

A Sweet Challenge ~

Hooray, Spring is finally here!

I've always loved these sweet little candy & nut cups
So, for April's Giveaway, I'm going to make you work for it a bit, just a tiny bit...

Here's the challenge and the details ~
1. Create a Candy Cup and post it in the Flickr group, Sweet Candy Cups
(you will need to register with Flickr to join, but it's FREE!)
2. Winner will be drawn on April 5th
3. Winner will receive a $30.~ gift certificate from Birds of a Feather

So, if you're a speedy shopper you could have your goodies by Easter!

Everyone who joins in on the fun will be entered for the drawing ~
can't wait to see your sweet creations!

xo Heidi

1. Eye Candy, 2. Valentine's Day cupcake candy cups by Everyday is a Holiday, 3. nutty_2, 4. Easter Delights, 5. Robin's Egg Basket, 6. matchbox swap goodies for Kathy, 7. 104_5143, 8. for fun 3, 9. Vintage Easter Nut Cup basket #4

The Winner is...

Sugar and Spice Art Confections

She also has a wonderful Etsy shop filled with gorgeous digital collage images ~ go check it out!

xo Heidi
P.S. April's Giveaway Challenge will be announced today at noon EST, so check back.

Sweetness & Ruffles ~

This week there was so much love coming to me from sweet people I've never even met...

Today Kacey from TwistedCrystals created this dreamy Etsy Treasury, {RUFFLES}, and included my ruffles. I love the modern simplicity of these designs, with that touch of softness and romance ~ so dreamy!

Several of those were already saved in my Etsy "faves"
Here's one of my "faves" from sarahseven, which has those same soft details (just had to share)

Lesley of Flatwoods Folk Art gave Heather and I her Yummy Yummy blog discovery award, and said the sweetest things that touched my heart. We wish you could make our fabulous creative event too!

Bobbie is hosting her annual Easter Bonnet Parade and Contest, and has been promoting my little biz, and saying the sweetest things!

All this love came at just the right time, as we got news that both my sisters and their families will not be able to make it out this summer ~ times are just too tough. I'm holding out hope that things will change, because summer just won't be the same without them.

xo Heidi

P.S. Just a couple more days before the March Giveaway, don't forget to leave a comment on that post to be entered ~ Good luck!

Our Pink Day ~

This morning I lay in bed running through all the things I HAD to do today; shower, post office, bank, grocery shopping, home to clean (desperately needed,) then work on orders. Big Girl is on Spring Break this week so I knew she would sleep in...then I heard her on the phone, run downstairs, opened the door, and was now talking to someone...

then look who came up to greet me...a sweet pink baby!

there was lots of this ~ when she seemed hungry and when we didn't know what to do

a few smiles

a few giggles

ahhh sleeping... and when baby sleeps, you sleep!

so that's just what she did.
{smoochie was not too sure about this new pink creature}

this is how they slept, isn't that too funny!?

guess the housework is on Go Fish, we had much more important things to do today!

Lighting up my life ~

It's been a long time since I played with coffee filters. The last time was when I was in art school and had to create a wearable design made from anything but fabric, which was very fun! It seems there has been a resurgence in the simple coffee filter as an art medium, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. This string of lights now brightens my entryway (inspired by Andrea who used sewing pattern paper and Candylights,) was a way to pass this looong winter!

I used a string of lights I bought at Ikea, which I love because it has lots of tiny lights on the string ($20.} Each filter was dipped in hubby's leftover coffee by grabbing it in the center, then letting each dry with the edge side down ~ they look like a little mountain range drying atop the pizza box.

I cut each "flower" down a bit, some more than others, and even layered two together here and there. Each was attached using strips of the leftover scraps I cut and a glue stick. First I made a band that wrapped under the string and up each side of the base. To finish and secure it, I wrapped a piece around the base a couple times.

One of my favorite "aged patina" colors is that wonderful caramel coffee stained color. Not sure why I didn't think of it before, but next time I go to the paint store I'll bring an old stained coffee filter!

If you'd like to see more of my "aged patina" pieces, come visit me on Kari's blog, A Year of Color. She's featured some pics from my home. This month's theme is monochromatic, but I used that a bit loosely. Oops! I forgot it's a private blog - here's the lineup of featured guest artists, and here is how you can view it.

Hope you enjoy!

xo Heidi

Inspired Nest News ~

Wow! Thank you for such a positive response to our creative event; Art & Treasure in Brimfield, we couldn't be happier! When Heather and I dreamed this idea up, it was with the desire to create a creative community right here in New England. It seems now more than ever that this idea of gathering together for creativity and friendship seems even more important. The one comment I keep hearing after I teach a class is, "this is just what I needed!"

Many of you have asked if we offer a one day option, of course! You can find all the details and registration on the blog!

Looking forward to meeting you soon!
xo Heidi

March Giveaway ~

Did you know that March is National Crafts Month?
Well, it is! Come on over and join in sharing your crafts here
We'd love to see what you've been up to!

One crafty thing I love to make is paper baskets.

So, this month's giveaway is a festive Spring Basket, complete with a little dove.
Please leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing
Winner will be announced March 20th ~ Good Luck!

Sugared Peeps & Doves are back in stock ~ in the Shop!

xo Heidi

This Winter's for the Birds ~

Another 12" fell overnight ~ no school for the kiddos!

These birds are obviously loving it, we however have had enough ~ thank you!

Photos taken by my Dad, check out his nature photography.