Look- Free Spirit Designs: Showcase Saturday

Pssst! Just wanted to share with you that we've been featured over at Free Spirit Designs! She does a Saturday Showcase where you can submit treasuries around a weekly theme, and if chosen, she will feature your treasury and an item from your shop. We are very lucky to be in a treasury called "Grow It" by Islaysterrace.

Free Spirit Designs: Showcase Saturday (54) Getting Busy In The Garden: Welcome welcome to another Saturday Showcase! I've got some lovely gardeny things to show with you today, perfect inspiration to start s...

Sunday is all about: Nap Porn

It's Sunday, and I really wish I could stay in bed all day. Don't you? Isn't that some sort of fantasy we all have? Bed, Sunday paper, coffee, pastries, dog, cat, baby and lots of cuddles? It doesn't always work out that way. Or, in my case, never.  So I was thrilled to stumble over a nifty little Tumblr feed called Nap Porn. It's exactly what you think - the most seductive pics of beds, paired with short, intriguing descriptions that make you smile. This is the lazy Sunday version of cats on the internet.

Where have i been?

I realize it's been a year, almost exactly, since my last post. And I do appreciate the irony of this, seeing has I was all full of "I'mma start being a passionate blogger" claptrap last year. But let me explain. It was probably only a couple days after my last post, last year, that we realized we were pregnant! And believe me, nothing saps the will to write passionate blogs, or do anything else for that matter, like growing another human being inside of you. They seem tiny when they are born, until you think about how you made that whole thing, cell by cell, like a tiny factory, pumping out super complicated miracles of engineering. More complicated than the most intense European race car, more brilliant than a super computer! Those tiny little fingers, those beautiful brown eyes, the face that lights up in a smile when he hears his mother's voice - I made those! I grew him from a tiny sea monkey to the beautiful 8 pound baby boy I delivered, feeding his cells and nourishing him with my own... Gasp!! Do you see what I mean? It's not about quantity, it's all about quality, and it's exhausting.

 However, I digress. My point is that my Darlingest boy is 4 months old now, and we have our routine - walkies, nappies, cuddles, more nappies - which is leaving me with a bit more time and energy these days. So I'm going to invest a bit of that in the blog, invigorating it once again. After all, if I can grow a tiny human, keeping up with my blog should be child's play! But don't quote me on that, he is a bit of a handful.

 Also, if you want to follow a stream of pictures of the cutest baby ever, you can find us on instagram: Andynelle  (But be forewarned, I share it with my husband...)

A little pink

A little pink, a photo by brightnewthings on Flickr.

Happy first day of Spring! I wanted to share a little Springtime cheer with you today. While the winter here in So Cal hasn't been terrible, it's been an emotionally challenging one for me, so today's warm sun and fresh breezes feel particularly prophetic.

It's been a while since I've had too much time to wander about aimlessley with a camera. I took this TTV picture several years ago, and I remember that things were a little darker at that time too. This picture always fills me with a flash of the hope and giddiness of Spring, and I hope it does the same for you!

How will you celebrate this Spring?

A peek at my Valentine's Day shopping list.

Like a lot of crafters and collectors, I try to support my peers and fellow crafters, especially during the holidays when I do a lot of shopping. This year Falcon and Finch has been doing really well(knock on wood,) so I had a little bit of extra cash this valentine's day to share with my loved ones, and I wanted to share my special finds with you!

I spoiled my mom and a close girlfriend with treats from NicolesTreats
My mom especially loved the Belgian White Chocolate Mediants with Hazelnuts and Dried Apricot. Sweet and fruity, they came super well packaged in little white boxes, with cold packs added to keep them cool. Both of these ladies in my life needed a little Vday pick me up, and these really hit the spot.


And of course, I made extra effort to spoil my lovely husband. We've been married close to a year now, and it's very hard to live in a honeymoon state all the time, but we do try. I picked him out two really special things.

First, I got him the Saigon Cinnamon Chocolate Truffle Hearts from Cheri at CalabasasCandyCo. I've been curious about her shop for a while - everything looks so delicious, and obviously, I shop with my stomach. Also, Calabasas is super close to me, so it's sort of perfect as my go to gourmet candy shop. I actually got the hubby the sampler, but Cheri was super helpful and replaced two of the flavors with batches of her Cinnamon hearts. Which, by the way, appear to be seasonal - If you missed them, you gotta wait till next year! And believe me, you did miss out. They are so aromatic and richly flavored. We're both so smitten, I sort of wish I had ordered more!

Finally, and this may be my favorite gift I've gotten anyone, ever, was a hand written love letter from the amazing Arteriole. She actually did some of the calligraphy for our wedding invitations, and working with her then was such a pleasure. I've stalked her shop frequently since then, and this listing caught my eye. A hand written love letter of your own composition, in a hand of your choice, with a hand painted illustration. In fact, the golden luckenbooth she uses in her first picture is actually from our letter:) Awwwww! I didn't have her write just any old letter. My honey has carried around a letter in his wallet that I wrote hime when we had been dating for only six months. Obvsiously, it's pretty tattered. She transcribed it onto a thin but surprisingly tough, lovely translucent vellum, in an antique looking brown ink. She added the luckenbooth at my request, an important symbol to both of us.



I do think that this is the most romantic gift ever, and Andrew's eyes got so misty when he opened it. He said it was the most thoughtful gift he had ever received.

Finding the perfect gift for each person and occasion is one of my lofe missions. I hope this little peek may have given you some ideas for your own gift shopping!

What's up with me? What's up with you?

Things are very busy for us at Falcon and Finch right now, mostly because half of the family is busy with Mua Lan, or Vietnamese style lion dancing, for the Vietnamese New Year. Sound crazy? Why, yes, it is! But more on that later. For now, just trust that I'm swamped and foot sore. However, I did want to spare a few moments to tell you about something super nifty and exciting going on in the shop.

My mom and I have teamed up to make pretty little vintage inspired air plant gardens! this may seem like a stretch for a shop that mostly deals with vintage cameras and silverware, but trust me, it's coming from a long and passionate love affair with vintage spaces and gardens.


My mom and I both spent much of our lives in my grandparent's, now my mother's, 100 year old farm house, surrounded by relics and fascinated by our rich family history. This includes the kitchen garden. This garden... oh, let me tell you about this garden. The herbs that my grandfather planted have become a ground cover - especially the oregano, mints and thyme. Every step you take releases the most amazing scents. In the spring, the enormous, 30 year old rosemary bush is alive with honeybees. In the late summer, ripe figs drop into your hand, begging to be eaten.... it's a secret and sensous place.



Of course, the air plant Tillandsia is a bit of a far cry from the lush mystery of the family garden. But it's a sturdy and intriguing little plant, perfect for sharing our love of green and growing things with others. In the near future, look for our moss gardens and victorian inspired terrariums!