Philosophy Cookie Exchange Set

BaubleBar Bow Pendant

Hillside Picnic Basket from Anthropologie

Coach Legacy Mini Tanner

Pottery Barn Kids Baroque Mirror

Has your fall been as crazy as mine has been so far?  The combination of back to school, back to dance, work, birthdays, and planning for an upcoming big vacation has me feeling stretched a little too thin.  It's my husband's birthday this weekend, and shish, don't tell him, but I still haven't picked up his gift yet.  Put that on my crazy to-do list.  Oh, it's already there.  But the last birthday was my elder nieces.  Thank goodness I find her an easy person to buy for, so coming up with a list of options wasn't hard.  She loves to bake, so the Philosophy Cookie Exchange Set was the first thing that popped into my head.  She's always wearing delicate necklaces with a simple charm, so when I saw this necklace from BaubleBar, it immediately went on the list.  I was never one of those dream moms who could take the fully stocked picnic basket to the park as well as flowers, a beautiful blanket to sit on, and the camera to document the event, but she really is, so I know she'd be picture perfect with the Hillside Basket.  She and I share a love of all things Coach, and when I think of her, she makes me think "pink," so this Legacy bag would be a perfect fit.  If you have kids (and maybe if you don't), just admit it: you have something from Pottery Barn Kids in your house and not necessarily in one of the kids rooms.  I actually have a smaller version of this mirror in my closet, so I know she could fit it into the decor somewhere.  

I was pretty shocked that I was able to find a feather duster at the grocery store.  I guess people still use them.  I simply cut off the feathers as close to the base as I could.

I continued to add feathers making sure none of the leather was showing through until I felt it looked full enough.

Then I cut the ribbon to length, folding the rough edges over and gluing into place.  I then glued it across the top edge and over the quills of the feathers.  I decided to go with the silky blue ribbon because it provided more contrast and gave the bag more of that flapper vibe I was shooting for.

I only did one side of the bag because I thought it would hold up better if I had the leather to hold when carrying it instead of feathers, but you could just as easily do both sides.