I just wanted to share with you some of the wonderful treasures we have in at our shop for the holiday season! Since so many people have a tighter budget this year for gifts I tried to find as many interesting and creative things from both local artists as well as our vintage French finds. So here is a little peak at some of the things we have in at the shop that are all under $30! I also have at least 50 pairs of earrings that I have finished this week which include vintage buttons and other trinkets that are in the $24-$38 range.

 Antique Botanical Prints from 1897 (includes one color print and two black and white engravings) $24 each

 The ‘Zen of Bird Watching’ book is printed through a local non-profit publishing company on recycled paper $12.95

 Circle Creek Soap which is all hand poured and wrapped by a couple in Arlington, Wa. (we just got all the scents in today which include: lemongrass, lavender, rosemary/mint, peppermint tea tree, just tea tree, orange clove scrub, and citrus lime zip) $4.50 each

 Debbie Savar’s Cards and Jounals $8 (small)-$20 each (large)

 My Found Object Sachets $12 (a vintage French postcard, old keys, old dominoes, buttons, glass flowers, ect.)

 The Curious Nest Gift Certificate (any amount)

 Handmade Pillows from local artist $24-$34 each

 Kim Groff-Harrington’s Urban Bird’s Nests $34 each (ok just a little over $30)

 Kim Groff-Harrington’s hand cut tin ornaments $16 each

 Katie Galbraith’s lavender sachets made locally with vintage French material including red ticking $16 each

 Marissa Motto birdhouses $24 each

 The Salvage Studio book $21.95 (this is a perfect gift for a crafter along with a Found Object Sachet or some of the bits and pieces that we have available)

 Vintage European Souvenir Books (each has vintage photos from European cities c. 1920s-1940s) $15 each

 My Vintage French Stamp Pendants $12 (I made these with resin…there will be a class later)

Vintage Swiss Tins $3.50 each (pansies, sunflowers and birds)

I just got a box of some of my favorite books to sell in the shop! I wanted to have a few books that really grasped the ideas not only behind creating and inspiration but also with keeping sustainability in mind. I think these books do just that and have some really fantastic ideas for craft and for home decor.

The first book is The Salvage Studio by Lisa Hilderbrand, Beth Evans-Ramos and Amy Duncan which is chalked full of fantastic ideas for found object jewelry, vintage domino clocks, a chair spring candle chandelier and fabulous ideas for creative spaces. It has instructions for 35 do it yourself projects and a huge abundance of ideas for additional creations. I adore this book not only for its great ideas and gorgeous photos but also for the immensely creative women who put their heart and soul into writing it. I hope to have them in for a book signing later in the year but in the meantime this is a must have for anyone who is interested in found object art.

The second book is Eco-Chic Home(rethink, reuse and remake your way to sustainable style) by Emily Anderson which is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to create beautiful and elegant earth friendly home decor on a dime. Some of my  favorite projects in the book are the recycled magazine bowl, button napkin rings and a braided rug. There are also more complicated projects like reupholstering old chairs and making a fantastic folding screen with black board paint but what I like most is the straight forward steps and the simply chic  outcome of each of the 65 projects. There is even a great chapter on gift wrapping that intrigued and inspired me.

The third book is Backcountry Betty(Crafting with Style) by Jennifer Worick and it is just too cute for words. It has tons of fun nature inspired projects that take you from the beach to the urban jungle and everywhere in-between. Two of my favorite projects are the aluminum can luminary and the clamdels (poured candles in clam-shells). This is a great project book for all ages and is so charming in its approach and 1940’s style  that I couldn’t help but love it.

And finally I just had to have a few copies in the shop of The Zen of Bird Watching (wit, wisdom and inspiration) by Bruce Barcott which is a sweet book of quotations about birds from Burroughs to Coco Chanel. It is a perfect stocking stuffer or just a lovely book to flip though while having a cup of tea and gazing out the window for a glimpse at our bird friends and neighbors.

All of these books will be in the shop on Thursday and they are all published by a local non-profit publishing company that prints only on recycled paper. Come flip through a copy or two and get inspired to create or just enjoy the words of these unique authors.

It is shaping up to be a very busy week at the Curious Nest! We just got a box from France of all kinds of little goodies including vintage religious medals, art nouveau dance cards, Victorian jewelry boxes, holy water fonts, a gorgeous baby blue enamel canister set and other amazing finds. So we plan on having everything priced and on the floor by opening on Thursday.

We will also have Circle Creek Soap back in stock with new scents to choose from for holiday gifts or a little treat for yourself. They are $4.50 a bar and are hand poured, cut and wrapped by a local couple who we adore. It is my absolute favorite soap and I am completely hooked on the orange and clove scrub. We will also have new art pieces in including some fun little pendants I am making with vintage French stamps and resin and other more intricate jewelry creations are in the works.

And most importantly, Saturday Dec. 4th from 11-6 we will have our dear friend Jane Silberberg in the shop doing a one day trunk show of her handknit scarves and also some of her one of a kind jewelry. I wear one of her scarves everyday all through winter and into the spring because they are so beautiful, warm and long enough to wrap artfully around ones neck that I simply cannot go out without one on. So come in and see our new treasures!

I adore this time of year when the smell of cut christmas trees and spiced oranges permiates the air and children wait impatiently to dust off their sleds and hit the snowy hills. So with all of this in mind I created a small collection of stocking stuffer jewelry under $40 to wear during the holiday season. They are all made with sterling charms and findings and of course my favorites are the snowflakes in three sizes. I also have lots of different snowflake earrings with pearls, white sapphires and quartz that aren’t pictured but are in the shop. All of these will be in the window display this month so if you would like a closer look just come on in! And I can’t help but have my fingers crossed for a white christmas.

Here are some of my latest creations! With trying to open the shop in time for the holidays I feel that I have fallen a bit behind in taking pictures of the new jewels but I promise now that the dust is settling and we are enjoying our new routine of being in our tiny little store I will get the images out in a timely manner. Many of you have commented over the years about how much you like my teardrop collection and my language of flowers collection so my latest pieces are sort of a combination of the two. Pearls drops galore with little hints of plant life here and there…they will all be priced and in the shop on Friday or just email me for availability and Happy Thanksgiving!

Before the excitement of opening our doors to all of you yesterday we quickly took a moment to photograph the inside of the Curious Nest to give a little tour to those of you who couldn’t come in person this weekend! I am trying to be patient about doing the holiday windows until after Thanksgiving because I LOVE to decorate so I used the wonderful little bird house ornaments by Marissa Motto as well as our French treasures and artwork by Debbie Savar to hold me over till thursday when I can go wild with the lights! Not too wild…just enough.  

Also we will be closed on Thanksgiving but will be open Fri-Sun through November and then Thursday-Sunday thereafter. In the meantime here are some pictures of The Curious Nest but of course it is much better in person!

At long last we are opening our little shop! We are still frantically putting things together but we are planning our soft opening for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!! We decided to have a soft opening since our space is on the small side and we don’t want everyone trying to come all at once so we wanted to give a sneak peak into the nest for all of you who have been our loyal followers for years.

The location of The Curious Nest is 2916 NE 55^th Seattle, Wa. 98105 in-between The Queen Mary Teahouse and Pair restaurant (about two blocks from U Village).

Our hours are Friday Nov. 19^th & Saturday Nov. 20^th from 11am-6pm and Sunday Nov.21^st from noon-5pm.

 We would love to see you there and we have just received a fabulous box of antiques from France, I’ve made some wonderful new jewels (pictures coming soon) and we have some fantastic art by Debbie Savar as well as other local artists. We can’t wait to open our little pink door!!! So look for the robin’s egg blue sign and come on in for a peak at our little nest of treasures.

Slowly but surely our little shop is coming together hence the title of the post which is the French expression ‘little by little a bird creates its nest’. We just put in our custom made wrought iron gate with vines and flowers popping out over our freshly painted pink door and our sign should be up on the building by week’s end. And very soon we will be inviting you all in to see our collection of treasures artfully displayed to inspire which includes an amazing shipment of antiques we just received from France! A few more coats of paint and odds and ends that need finishing and then the fun begins of creating our little world. So keep checking back and we are hoping to announce the opening as being the weekend of November 20-21st if all goes according to plan. So wish us luck and in the meantime we are gathering our twigs and moss…

As many of you know Halloween is my very favorite holiday! I love all the talk of things that go bump in the night, beautifully crafted jack-o-lanterns on everyone’s porches and warm apple cider. So I look forward to creating my October jewelry collections most of all and save pieces throughout the year in order to put together a whimsical collection of creatures and amulets to inspire all. This year the collection is called ‘The White Witch’ and is a combination of one of a kind pieces created to protect, inspire and amuse. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do and feel free to email me about  availability. Soon when our shop is open you can come see them there but in the meantime here are some pictures to tempt…

Getting ready for my bi-annual jewelry trunk show at Fury Saturday October 16th from 10:30-5:30! I just finished some fun Halloween inspired earrings made with vintage typewriter keys that I put new images in and then embellished with gemstones. I will have these and other goodies with me. If you are in the neighborhood tomorrow come see my new jewels at Fury (2810 E. Madison Seattle, Wa. 98112) and in the meantime we are working hard to get the Curious Nest open in November!!! More info coming soon on our Grand Opening.