In Anticipation of Spring
I almost never bring new decor into our home any more. While The Tiny Canal Cottage got its start in the home decor category, we’ve progressed beyond style alone into comfortable, sustainable small space living. Still, when I find a unique handmade or vintage item that I think will enhance our experience here at home while fitting within our budget, I do appreciate the occasional new housemate…
I recently picked 3 small additions from Connected Goods for the Cottage:
An item for the interior: For the main room, we introduced a handmade dried flower bowl, crafted in a small female-run studio. This bowl is a particularly practical replacement for a vessel of flowers, given the realities of living with a 3 year-old who is always knocking over water-filled vases of fresh blooms on our coffee table. Plus market flowers have gotten expensive (the bundle of wax flowers below cost more than I can normally spend), and often travel wastefully long distances to reach their final destinations. But dried stems are easy to come by and last for so much longer.
An item for the exterior: For the garden, I selected a handmade tea light chandelier in anticipation of the warmer evenings to come. The flickering candles cast enough glowing light that we don’t have to turn on the twinkle strands in order to illuminate the bistro table or outdoor sofa, allowing us to conserve some electricity.
An item for my everyday use on-the-go : For my routine treks around Venice and beyond, I picked a generously-sized cotton canvas utility tote, which can hold my work accessories, some toys/books for West, and all of our zero waste to-go necessities (like bottles, cups, produce bags, cloths and utensils).
These are tiny little spring touches that bring our home warmth and joy. (Additional photos below.) Remember: you don’t have to live large to live beautifully.
