Niagara Falls...

We took a lovely trip last week to Niagara Falls... A little getaway with the girls, to celebrate Brennah's third birthday... It was wonderful...

A Few Gifts for My Sweet Leah...

When I was preparing for Brennah's first birthday, Etsy was still relatively new to me... I took the opportunity to explore it a bit more and purchased many of Bren's first birthday gifts from some of my favourite sellers... I decided, where I could, to purchase the same items for Leah's first birthday... I try to purchase gifts for my girls that I believe will stand the test of time... I hope that someday, when they are older, they will still cherish their first birthday gifts!

Custom Matryoshka Doll from 'Ravenhill'

Personalized Baby Footprint Bowl

1800's Seashell Lusterware Demitasse Teacup & Saucer

 Custom Plate & Bowl

And please, don't forget to enter this week's giveaway with 'La Marquise des Anges'

Weekend Project {Paper Bird Cages}

Oh... I adore these lovely Paper Bird Cages from "The Bride's Cafe"... They'll be perfect for Brennah's second birthday Tea Party next Saturday... And a project that I'm actually capable of doing! Enjoy!

A Little Birdie Told Me...

Twitter Birds Adhesive Fabric Wall Stickers from "Love Mae Store"

Bird Calling Cards from "My Little Buffalo"

Little Bird in Pink Upcycled Felted Wool from "For My Darling"

16 x 16 Inch Light Blue Bird & Floral Print Pillow Covers from "Color and Scheme"

FairyTale Bird Cage from "Nest Pretty Things"

6 Inch Heart Bowl with Pink Bird from "Twisted River Clay"

A Little Birdie Told Me...

Love Birdies Vase from "Red Hot Pottery"

Printable Stationery Set from "Ali Design"

Plum Cardinal Throw Pillow from "Joom"

Spring Chick from "Fern Animals"

Eco-friendly Organic Tote with Flying Swallows from "Uzura"

A Little Birdie Told Me...

A few of my favourite flight inspired Etsy finds...

Say It Loud from "Littlest Flower"

1.25 Inch Button - A Black Tie Affair from "Bird Nerd"

Nest, Sweet Bird from "Sugar Elf"

Love Birds Pillow from "Jane Says"

Set of 5 Blue Birds from "Red Hot Pottery"

Sweet Little Owls...

I have had so much fun with these adorable handpainted ceramic owls... They've been great sellers so far and I can see why... They're quite hard to resist!

"Goodnight, Sleep Tight" Necklace

"Semi Charmed Kinda Life in Blue" Necklace

"Semi Charmed Kinda Life in Pink" Necklace

Cherry Picking!

The last few days have been full of exciting developments in my jewellery making life! I got my first sale, sold to several amazing & supportive friends through my Etsy site, and finally received a shipment of antique brass supplies that I'd been waiting for for about two weeks!

When I saw these little birds, I knew they would take my designs in a whole new direction... And they have! In such a short time, I can't believe how much my ideas have changed!

Check out the Cherry Picking necklace and earrings!

Why "The Ardent Sparrow"?

Many people have been asking me the question... "Why the Ardent Sparrow?"... Well... Here is the story...

When I first began planning my store on Etsy, I knew I wanted a name that was rather unique... I had spent the whole day looking at supplies on-line and constantly found myself drawn to the antique brass birds... Birds are very symbolic... For me, what comes to mind when I think of a bird, is a text from the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 6:26
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (ESV)

In this context, Jesus is reminding His followers not to worry about what they shall eat or drink... He is reassuring them that the heavenly Father will take care of all of their needs, just as He does for even the smallest bird...

When I was a child, we used to sing a song in Sunday School with the lyrics, "God sees the little sparrow fall, It meets His tender view; If God so loves the little birds, I know He loves me, too." (Lyrics by Maria Straub, 1874)

So... When I think of the sparrow, I reminded of a Sovereign God's care for all of His creatures... Including me... And this calm's my heart!

With images of lovely little antique brass birds and the words of that simple children's hymn running through my head, I settled on something to do with a sparrow... But what kind of sparrow? I knew it needed a word before it... And for some reason I thought that word should with the letter t... Why? I have no idea... But not just any word would do!

After much discussion with my husband Jay (He has quite an infinity for words) and much time spent on an on-line thesaurus, I stumbled upon the word ardent... I word I had always liked (I wanted you use the name Arden for our little girl... I was out-voted)... Ardent means being characterized by intense feeling, passionate, fervent, devoted, eager, or enthusiastic... All words that I felt described my love of making and creating jewellery... And the type of emotions that Etsy began to stir in my heart...

It also reminds me that I need to be a passionate, devoted and eager follower of a Sovereign, all-knowing Lord who remembers even my smallest need... A Lord who has guided my steps to this point... To a small little shop on Etsy...