Ever wish you could fly south for the winter like our favorite feathered friends? Spending several months of the year in some sunny, beachfront locale may be out of the question, but with these five finds, you can create a warm, welcoming oasis that combines clever details with elements from nature.

1. Twig Birdhouse from Terrain ($18, picture above)

Crafted from natural twigs, this birdhouse beckons the birds to your garden, providing a charming shelter and a chic outdoor accent.

2. Peepsie Print from Shine by S.H.O. (price not listed)

We love the vivid colors and rich detail of this print, taken from the perspective of a “bird’s eye view.” It’s also signed by the artist and limited edition, so chances are good that your guests haven’t seen it before.

3. Salvaged Wood Nesting Tables from VivaTerra ($258)

Cluster these nesting tables together to save space or spread them around the room for extra table space. We adore the juxtaposition of modern steel, salvaged wood and varying heights.

4. Little Modern Birds Pillow from Etsy ($50)

Organic cotton twill and water-based ink makes a whimsical addition to your living room or bedroom decor. And the unusual proportions of this pillow combined with the cute design make it an instant focal point.

5. Sort Sol Lamp from Anthropologie ($298)

Recycled glass gets a stylish twist with hand-painted papier mache birds. We can totally picture this dreamy lamp perched on a bedside table or adding a playful touch to a living room.

What do you think? Which piece(s) caught your eye?

This duet of Lace Fans Fabric Pillows (in Olive) from Ink & Spindle stole my heart. It was love at first sight. Nothing freshens a space as quickly (or as inexpensively) as a handful of throw pillows – a pop of color or a rich texture can instantly add life.

I immediately headed over to Ink & Spindle for further intoxication. The artists (Lara Cameron and Tegan Rose) have charmed me with graphic prints in pretty colors. In my humble opinion, the worth of a textile is realized through imagination. Fabrics are like well cared for art supplies. When I see a great fabric, visions of pillows, art, and upholstery dance through my head. These amusing textiles have me dreaming up a myriad of fabric-enveloped furnishings and accessories.

Ink & Spindle plays the conscientious role of a green business through the usual route (water based solvent free inks, recycled products whenever possible, organic, sustainable, and fair trade base cloth, etc.), and have added a sweet effort, including using a water board certified separation system to prevent foreign particles from entering the water system. The company walks the walk, and I like it. Oh, and did I mention they are entirely carbon neutral?!

For pricing information, please visit Ink & Spindle’s online shop or email info@inkandspindle.com.au.

The air is heavy with summer and the sticky, sweet smell of honey. Bring a burst of sunshine inside your walls and celebrate honey bees (minus the epinephrine); these six-legged beauties are a vision themselves, not to mention their immaculate six-sided dwellings of honeycomb bliss. May I suggest bringing one (or all) of these products into your hive for a hint of nostalgia?

The Queen Bee Print ($10.80 – shown above) from Farnum Ink Studio captures the honey bee’s gorgeous silhouette while the Buckley Organic Blanket ($59.95) from CB2 perfectly depicts the golden hue of the sugary honey secretion – sweet coziness if you ask me.

Amuse your senses with a blend of beeswax and soy wax in bee-related scents (Raw Honey, Wild Blackberry, etc.) with The Journey of the Bees Candles ($24) from Jayson Home & Garden. Hable Construction‘s Vanilla Checker Pillow ($130) will embellish your upholstery with the graphic delight of honeycomb.

A good night’s sleep allows us to tackle things with a clear head, more confidence, and in my case, more patience. Whether it’s writing a story lede, maintaining my running pace, or sitting in traffic, having seven hours of recharge under my belt makes my days run more smoothly. While some attempts at slumber cannot be controlled (like my husband’s snoring) there are ways to get in the groove that don’t involve counting sheep.

According to the Mayo Clinic, anxiety, depression and stress add to insomnia and the quality of your night’s sleep. Here are some tried and true tips to prepare for, and enjoy much needed down time:

• Set an internal time clock
  Humans like routine; it’s comforting and the inner time clock can help regulate your sleep pattern. Try heading to bed at the same time every night. Pick up a book that you’ve been meaning to get around to and treat yourself to 15 minutes before turning the lights out.
• Develop a bedtime routine
  Try a few minutes of meditation, quiet music or simple yoga stretches.
• Curb the caffeine
  Ban coffee, tea and soda with caffeine from four o’clock. Look for calming non-caffeine choices.
• Create an inviting sleep environment
  Quiet, dark, and relaxing. If you have noisy neighbors or are surrounded by city buses and trains, try a white noise machine, relaxation music (I like Celtic Bells)  ear plugs, heavy curtains, or those sleep shades ala “I Love Lucy.”
• Increase your thread count
  Splurge for a set of good quality sheets, or at least a pillow case. The smooth, silky cotton will feel wonderful.
• Clear the air
  Considering that you’ll be breathing in the room’s air for seven to eight hours, be mindful of the quality, especially if you’re prone to dust and mold allergies. Try a HEPA filter.
• Go essential
  Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils in aromatherapy due to its calming effect. Try a few drops on your pillow.
• Grandma Jeannie’s head-to-toe technique
  My late grandmother would visualize calming her body beginning with her toes, and work her way up to the top of her head, taking a few seconds to address each area. It really worked!
• Wetter is better
  Treat yourself to a warm bath or shower, which will calm your muscles and help wind you down.
• Uber high tech
  Remember stumbling across technical journals that put you to sleep? Now’s the time to start collecting them and putting them to good use!

Image: quinn.anya

“I never stay in a hotel room that isn’t nicer than my own bedroom,” Bay Area designer Stephen Shubel once told me. In other words, the designer would never stand for rough and scratchy linens, a skimpy polyester blanket or a lumpy old pillow on his rented bed, and neither should you.

We all know if you don’t snooze, you lose, and that is why your own pillow is probably the smartest item you will stuff into your carry on tote, suitcase or back of the car when traveling for any length of time. Even an overnight spent embracing an offensive pillow can mess with your rest and make you crabby and sluggish.

My teenage daughter recently took her own pillow and case along for a two week visit to Israel (great on the tedious flight) and I tote my own even when visiting my mom’s house in L.A. because the mounds of pillows decorating the beds in the guestrooms are filled with either old, irritating down or a layer of mystery foam that is indescribably inhospitable.

My mom means well but she doesn’t buy my argument that investing in great pillows is wise, even for her occasional guests. “If I buy them will you come here more often?” she wonders. “Probably not, but just think if the extra room in my travel bag to bring cool gifts!”

Here are five good reasons to cushion that travel blow with your own personal pillow:

1. Allergies

Two words: Dust mites! Most hotel pillows in hotels are not free of these allergens that graze on your dead skin and hair and contribute to asthma and other allergy reactions. Those with luxury down pillows aren’t usually sealed with dust mite proof protectors. If you are using a hypoallergenic pillow at home, then it makes very good sense to be good to yourself and bring it along, just as you bring your SPF moisturizers and dental floss. Good health extends to that healthy pillow.

2. Comfort and Support

While more luxury destinations like the Four Seasons are taking their pillows to loftier heights with great pillows delivered upon request, the vast majority are flat, lumpy or densely packed with a foam and feather combo that can make you wake up with a sore neck. If you sleep with more than one, sometimes topping one of those pillows with your own can make a big difference. Otherwise, toss em away and have sweeter dreams. But don’t forget to remove it in the morning before the maid comes and to pack it when you leave.

3. Harsh Laundry Chemicals

Unless you have checked into a hospitality spot that believes in green and clean, hold your nose cause foul product exposure may be on our itinerary. Bleaches, disinfectants and other cleaning products used in hotels and other lodgings can reek of harsh chemicals or sickly sweet phthalates – toxic synthetic compounds widely used to give fragrance to consumer products. Sometimes you can smell the hotel sheets a mile away and there is a good argument for packing your own sheets and comforter when traveling if you are sensitive to those chemicals.

4. Cushioning Breakables

It’s a trick movers taught me over the years as big fellas would use my pillows as padding for packing more fragile items in those big cardboard boxes. Your own pillow buddy can work double duty as cushioning when packing some breakables in your suitcase or carry on tote – such as holiday gifts (cologne, beads, a serving dish, doll or toy) or your own handbag with a jeweled clasp, a cosmetic bag with bottles of tonics and treatments, a gadget or special books.

5. Sleeping on the ride

We always toss our pillows in the back of the car on road trips to enhance those cat naps or longer siestas. They really make riding in the car more cushy and also feel good at times just propping one on your lap. They are idea for long flights, too, since those spongy institutional small pillow squares issued by the airlines are as inviting as a night in the hospital. Just watch how the light attendants light up when they see you pull out your own Mr. fluffy. They will week and nod, validating that you are a seasoned traveler with a head for both business and pleasure.

Images: UggBoy, Korea Times

After 15 years working in home furnishings, Donna Halloran left her corporate career behind. Taking valuable insight from her experiences, she created the ethically and environmentally sound plan for Fabricadabra, an up-and-coming line of decorative pillow covers and inserts.

“I have worked hard to be able to balance the four important criteria for the line: a non-toxic product, a fun product, an ethically sourced product and a relatively affordable product,” says Halloran.

She has succeeded admirably.

Fabricadabra’s products are 100% green. Their vibrant, ornamental covers are hand-woven from natural fibers and colored with eco-friendly dyes. The organic cotton shell of their inserts is stuffed with kapok, a remarkable resource that’s “mold, mildew and dustmite resistant, completely renewable, grown without pesticides, light as air and odorless.”

As for style, she hits the mark again with brilliant hues and inspiration from design methods like ikat, suzani and batik that resonate around the world.

“It is all about feel-good colors and techniques that celebrate the skill and culture of the artists and craftspeople,” says Halloran.

It’s clear that what matters most to Halloran is her rapport with the people she works with.

“Building meaningful relationships with suppliers who share my values and satisfying the consumer are my two biggest concerns,” says Halloran. “If I sell a pillow cover for $40, I want the consumer to feel he got a great value. If I consign weavers to produce fabric for me, I want to make sure that they are paid properly for their skills. I don’t want to be the emptiest vessel that makes the loudest noise. I just want to bring together skilled craftspeople with consumers who value their artistry, integrity and purity.”

EcoEtsy artists are starting the new year off on the right foot with these imaginative handmade creations.

It sure isn’t the best season to sow your favorite seeds out in the garden, so bring them on in. The Original Folk Art Daisy Painting box makes a perfect planter to brighten bare surfaces with nature’s vibrant hues.

If you’re looking for a sofa accent that looks as cozy as it feels, then the Organic Cotton pillow‘s branch-like wool design is the perfect match for your plush throw blanket.

Want to give your room a makeover without investing in a whole new furniture set? The Genuine Beachstone drawer and cabinet pulls (shown at top) will jazz up that dresser for a whole new look. You can hang your towels with similar stone accents from VivaTerra for a tactile flourish in your bathroom.