Merry Christmas!

Do you celebrate Christmas as well? And if so, do you do huge family get-togethers or smaller celebrations, like I did? Either way, whether you have just finished or have yet to begin celebrating, I hope Christmas is amazing for you!

I just wrapped up my relaxed evening of exchanging gifts and eating chocolate, which was lovely! The things I received were wonderful and I was so thrilled to finally reveal the gifts I had bought too. If the light is bright enough for taking pictures I hope to be back quite soon to show you a few of the things I received. So stay tuned!

Mood & Music Mosaic

Silver Bells - Meaghan Smith

poncho - mug - marshmallows - slippers

It'll be Christmas in just a few days! Can you believe it? I've been looking forward to it for so long that I can hardly believe it's nearly here. I have all my gifts at the ready, most of the food in the kitchen, so I'm pretty much set!

How about you? Do you have anything nice planned?

Plans & Goals: December

The final month of the year has started! Christmas will be here soon, with all its coziness, pretty decorations, gift giving, delicious things to eat… I just love it! And it makes up for the cold too! Anyway, this fun month I hope I get to:

• Write a few Christmas blogposts.
• Cast off my current knitting project.
• Read some wintery books.
• Re-learn some Christmas songs on guitar. A few… not all I knew last year.
• Take the time to do some wonderful gift wrapping.
• Try out this cool unopened card game I have.
• Finish a Christmas present I've been working on for a friend.
• Reach my Goodreads goal.
• And just enjoy the holiday season with the people -and cats!- I love!

Do you have any plans for the holidays? And is there anything you'd still like to do in 2015?

In the Mail… Christmas Edition!

So I'm a little behind on my Christmas posts, but I received some amazing gifts that I'd still love to show you! A very dear friend from the US sent me some things that just arrived recently, and they were very much worth the wait.

Everything was beautifully wrapped in the cutest papers and ribbons. Such a treat to look at and open! And the insides were amazing too! I got a stunning silver owl mug, along with chocolate-y treats and even hot cacoa mix to go in it.



In the United States a lot of people make it a tradition to give each other pyjamas. No one does that were I'm from, so I was really excited to be part of that tradition once, and receive three beautifully patterned flannel pyjama bottoms!

Hot drink? Check! Lounge wear? Check! All I need next is books, right? And maybe an owl ex libris sticker set? Yes!

But my friend also took care of any actual reading needs, because I got those gorgeous Puffin in Bloom books I am so smitten with. I had the feeling they'd be amazing, but to see them in real life… wow! They are fantastic!

 

And there were more owls… This gorgeous barn owl plate. I love how it's lifelike, yet really colorful at the same time!

Apart from the beautiful plate, there was also an adorable little hedgehog dish. It even has some slight 3D effects!

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My lovely friend Amy also sent me some adorable things for Christmas! I got a teeny tiny owl planner that will come in very handy!

And a gorgeous notebook with the most beautiful patterns on the outside as well as inside, on every page even!

Anyway, as you can probably guess, I was over the moon with all my Christmas gifts! Did you get any in the mail too?

Christmas Gifts!

My mom and I had a lovely little Christmas at my place this year. It was small, but sweet, and we both gave each other some wonderful gifts! I, for instance, received some awesome owls, including this beautiful owl lamp I had asked for.

There was also a gorgeous little purse, that can be hung around your shoulder, or used as a clutch. I love the floral pattern on it, and how the three-dimensional flowers almost make owly ear tufts.



She also surprised me with a handy owl box that opens like a book. Quite the perfect gift for an owl-loving bookwurm!

How did you celebrate the holidays? Did you get any nice Christmas gifts from your family or friends?

Christmas Gift Guide

After yesterday's Christmas Wishlist, I thought it would also be nice to post a cute Gift Guide, to hopefully give you some fun ideas of things to get for your friends or family members. So let's get started!

Twenty Fingers is a shop I've been eyeing for ages, and they have the perfect winter/Christmas brooches! They also make brooches with mittens or socks, but my favorites from the winter collection are these animals.

This set of bowls from Belinism would be cute all year round, but it happens to have some Christmassy colors that make it very fit for the Holidays as well. Not for all budgets, but they sure are beautiful!

Winter is cold -at least, in most places!- and gifts that help keep one warm are quite a good idea. Especially when they're cute. And this hot water cover by ZippityDooDah definitely is. And it's even made from recycled materials!

Though it can be very nice to receive Christmassy gifts, I know certain things are a little too traditional for some people. Maybe they would like this cute santa tote bag by helloDODOshop. It's modern and very cute!

A wonderful gift for owl lovers would be this sterling silver owl pendant from Jewel Be Charmed. I'm pretty smitten with it myself! I love how the back is very detailed too. They're so endearing, these little owls!



I think Wassupbrothers' creatures are perfect in any season, but there are some furry ones that are especially great to cuddle up with at Christmas and during the entire winter, like this amazing Henry the deer!

Lastly, I'd like to show you Anna Wiscombe's wooden Christmas collection. It's absolutely stunning! And perfect for people that prefer a more subtle and natural color palette for their home. These decorations are very sophisticated!

I hope this gave you some nice ideas for Christmas gifts! Or maybe you found something to put on your own wishlist.

Are you busy getting ready for Christmas too, of do you do everything later on in December?

P.S. Perhaps I should also take this opportunity to mention that I have a ton of Christmas items in my own Etsy shop too. So if you need to shop for any bookworms, look no further. (And all designs can also be made as brooches!)

Christmas Wishlist

You know what? I feel like Christmas today! The holidays are right around the corner, so why not post a wishlist?!

I love Meluseena and own a few things from the shop already, but I am seriously smitten with this Snow White locket! The illustration is so beautiful, as is the color palette. To top it off, you can even add free charms!

I still don't have a rolling pin. But ValekRollingPins makes the perfect ones! I try to only have really cool kitchen essentials, and an embossing rolling pin would fit right in! My favorite is the floral one, but there's one with owls too!

These already made an appearance at the beginning of the month, but I just love them. The US Anthropologie is now carrying them too, and they're also still available in the UK store (creamer/sugar bowl), sold seperately, but they're especially cute as a set! Ah, they're so precious! And I think they look a lot more expensive than they actually are.

How quirky and fun are these cat socks? And I love their little frames. Also, can't go wrong with those colors!

I really love raccoons! And I've also always been a sucker for pink, mint green and white together. So this wall hook by Micush was pretty much made for me. It has such a pretty shape too, and the illustration has so much depth.

And this wouldn't be my wishlist if there weren't any owls involved, so I thought I would end with some amazing clothes by Marty May. I would love the cardigan (in XS) and/or the t-shirt (in S) below! They are grown up, yet still cute.

So those are all the things I have my eye on…. What are you hoping to receive this Christmas? 

Merry Christmas! ...and an Update

First of all... I hope you're really enjoying Christmas! I know not everyone has big plans, but even a hint of Christmas can be enough to put you in that nice mood and have you enjoy the holiday a lot.

Also, I've been wanting do a tiny bit of explaining. If you're a regular follower you know I've been working on moving to my own place all year. It is finally nearly done. -And this time I really mean nearly, it actually looks like a home now. I have my bed made and everything!- But I needed this month to take care of the last errands. I'm guessing I won't do much blogging for the remainder of this year either, but I'm planning to be back with daily posts in 2014.
 I miss all of you, I miss writing about what I love and I definitely miss taking pictures too. If I can I'll whip up a post with what's in store for you if you continue to follow me next year, but now... I'm going back to join my mom on the couch and enjoy the rest of my last Christmas living with her.

Happy Holidays!

Owl Things Considered

I hope you're all still enjoying the holidays. Of course it's too late to order any Christmas themed items, but you can always keep these two owls in mind for next year.

And otherwise you can choose one of many other owls from the Claylicious shop.

I absolutely love this one! It has such a great Dr. Suess quote on it. It's also a very neutral, yet elegant color.

And here's a little glimpse of some other, more useful items you might find in the shop.

Aren't they wonderful! The pomegranate honey jar, the flower dishes and the way those handles are attached to those cups, all such great concepts!

Click here to see more.

Circle Songs #24

"How'd you like to stay up late, like the islanders do? Wait for Santa to sail in with your presents in a canoe...?"

Christmas Island - the Andrew Sisters & Bing Crosby

{picture sources: 1 - 2 - 3*}

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Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you have a great time planned with friends and/or family. Or that you'll be watching a nice movie with a pet on your lap, like yours truly. Either way, happy holidays!

Spotted

Candy canes and peppermints are some of the most Christmassy things in my book. You can't really find them here anymore, but whenever I see one online, I always feel very festive.

This lipbutter definitely screams candy cane. Bet it smells great too! And to top things off, it's all-natural.

These rare vintage candle holders are amazing! Too bad I can't afford them.

One of the funniest Christmas items I've ever seen. Would make a great gift too.

I'll be spending my Christmas bundled up in my thickest sweater, but if you live in a warmer part of the world you might want to consider wearing this dress.

Can't go wrong with these babies either.

And here is the perfect Christmas snack to accompany a cup of hot chocolate.

Yet again, all-natural. This soap sounds devine! And it looks pretty awesome as well.

I was at once both excited to see this creature and very sad that I couldn't get one as a pet. I'd be more than happy "settling" for a print though!

I could hardly post this collection without adding some candy to it. These are about halfway between candy cane and peppermint.