Felt Bird Ornaments

Last year I was feeling extra ambitious, and decided to make some birdie ornaments. I thought they would make cute little toppers to gifts and such. SO easy...just 2 pieces of felt, stuffed with cotton balls, and sewn simply with embroidery thread. I freehanded the shape, then used different fabric for the wings and whatever I could find for the eyes-- buttons and sequins. I used mod podge to seal the fabric that went on the wings, and just used a hot glue gun to put the pieces together. Some wings are linen fabric that I stamped with letters, or with textile stamps from India. Just make sure you leave a hole in the top of the bird for a ribbon or twine to use to hang it. And Presto!

Added it to a present.

 A hostess gift.

These guys went to some friends with homemade toffee. YUM.

Made some homemade Cranberry Vodka to go with this little birdie.

 This one I made for my husband. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms that had holes in them and were all torn up. I pitched the pjs and made him a bird with a remaining piece. So now he has a little piece of those jammies he just couldn't let go of.

THANKFUL

Today I am thankful for many things (not in any particular order):

• 2 Beautiful Healthy Happy Children
• Public Education (it could be worse people)
• My stylist sister who always makes me look good
• My Mother's hair growing back in so beautifully
• Healthy Water right out of my tap
• My husband's job
• The sweetest, most polite nieces and nephews 
• The Internet
• My daughter takes naps, err... when my daughter takes naps
• The orange cat that visits us
• A brother in law that always sets a good example
• The best friends a girl could ask for- both near and far
• In-laws that always make me feel right at home
• My husband's support in starting a business
• My son still lets me hug him in public
• Target (Yes, really. What would we do without Target?)
• Freedom to walk outside my house looking any way I choose
• My great neighbors who are also my friends
• Family that's 5 minutes away

And thank you to YOU out there. Happy Habitat has filled a spot in my life that I didn't know needed to be filled. It's been a fun adventure, and I am so grateful for the support of friends, family, readers and customers.

We made a "Thankful Tree" at our house. I love what my son added. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Habitat Gift Cards

Just in time for the holidays-- Happy Habitat Gift Cards! Give one to a someone special and let them pick out their favorite patterns are colors. Gift cards are available for Happy Habitat Eco Throws and for Phone Cases. If you are in a pinch, I can email you a gift card that you can print yourself or email to the recipient. If you have time for a gift card to come in the mail, then you or the recipient will receive a gift card in a Happy Habitat patterned enclosure that's sealed with washi tape.

Paper Lanterns as Real Lighting

I see paper lanterns used quite a bit for parties and decoration, but I really like the way they look mixed in an elegant setting. It adds a pop of the unexpected, not so serious and just plain simple. I like how these rooms are 'real' grown-up rooms, some with traditional elements and antique furniture, and then a $10 paper lantern. Okay, well, this first one is Julianne Moore's living room and this one happens to be a $970 Noguchi-- but same effect, right? Love it.

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I've been looking for a light for my office and had planned on giving the string light a go, but my office ceiling is pretty low, so I had to look for something else. Not wanting to spend $300, I went to Ikea where I found the Vate for a whopping $9. Not having an Ikea in KC, my sweet friend Emily sent one from Denver (she's the BEST). I had a good reason to get my arse in gear and fix up my office, and will share the reason for that,  how the light turned out and the rest of the office soon.

A Few Magazine Faves

I was pretty busy with the Fab.com sale, so I've had a few magazines that were neglected for a couple weeks. It kills me to see them sitting there and not have time to sip some coffee and take a look. By the way, I think I jinxed myself when I posted about my love of cappuccinos because my filter has clogged, and I'm now waiting for a new one to come in. So while I wait, I'm having bland drip coffee- so depressing. I digress-- but only because coffee and magazines go hand in hand for me. It's a little slice of heaven to have that moment-- and I usually pay for it by having a cranky young lady who has watched too much Power Rangers (yes, my 3 year old girl LOVES Power Rangers).

So catching up on my mags, thought I'd share my favorite finds. I am such a magnet for all things Moroccan, I literally opened Elle Decor right to this page:

Fell in love with the Moroccan Tile Charger, so went to their website- the company is called Eusamex, and found these goodies: 

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Also came across this in Elle Decor:

Went to the Casamidy website-- looks like the etagere can be custom painted. Here it is in neutral:

Their mirrors are to-die-for: I thought this first one looked familiar, and it is, turns out I had pinned it. 

LOVE the background in this one. 

All from Casamidy. From San Miguel de Allende, Mexico-- top of my list right now of places I must go.

So that sums up my faves from Elle Decor... more to come when I can get to the others!

Happy Habitat Eco Throws on Fab.com!

How sweet is this!? You know I'm kind of famous now because I'm on Fab.com: Ashton Kutcher is an investor of Fab.com, and apparently Demi likes to tweet about great products from Fab.com and well, can't you see the connection? Okay, so it's a stretch. But I'm honored to be among such great designers. I recently signed up and have been exposed to the COOLEST products. Nothing mass produced, all made by someone. If you are in the market for a Happy Habitat Eco Throw, stop by Fab.com and pick one up for 30% off! Oh-- and you have to be invited to Fab.com-- so here's your invitation. It's 3 days only, so don't hesitate! Big Ole Thank You to Fab for including me!