Yes, the snow is still blowing outside, but garden fever is in the air. Sprouting wheat kernels in containers creates a natural, living plant with a bright green focus.  Sprouted wheat is a symbol of  the rebirth of nature;  Spring emerges.

 Growing your own wheat grass is very easy.  Seeds take a few days to sprout, and in about 7-10 days the grass will be ready to use as a decoration or a snack for Kitty. If you lack the time and seeds, two large trays of wheat grass were delivered to Twiggs on Friday, just in time for creating that wonderful  Easter centerpiece. We adore fresh, organic wheat grass. The look and smell of Spring has arrived!

Do you ever wonder who is watching who? Are birds actually people watchers? Camouflaged in trees, perched along highway wires or just sitting outside a window, I often wonder if birds take breaks from their busy lives to study us similar to the way we go “bird watching”.

For over 20 years, artist Dlynn Roll has been  fascinated with what birds are thinking and who or what they are watching. Dlynn would create stories about the birds, how they might interact with us and mused at what their conversations between each other must be like.  So after experiencing two bouts of cancer and a lifesaving bone marrow transplant, Dlynn decided to express her gratitude for life by sharing positive energy and making people smile.  Dlynn launched the You Silly Bird art line which includes paintings and note cards. The birds represent someone that has touched her life in some way, each with unique characteristics and qualities. At Twiggs, we carry the full collection of note cards featuring 14 loveable, silly birds. We also offer several of Dylnn’s 12″ x 12″ canvas Giclee prints.  The You Silly Bird line just makes you smile!

Lovely Rose Vine

Cindy Teyro is an artist from La Mesa, California. Following a twenty year career as a doll designer, Cindy moved into the exciting world of sculpture and pottery.  Her planters, posy pots and stemware are hand formed into heads; the faces carefully sculpted. Leaves, flowers and whimsical critters are added to complete the look. Cindy describes her style as “Alice in Wonderland meets Dr. Seuss”. Some pieces have drainage holes and all the glazes are food safe. The eyes are just magical! We adore this versatile line of  tableware pottery.

We have a wonderful collection of Cindy’s work at Twiggs. Stop in at our Linden Hills store or visit us online to check out Cindy’s whimsical art. Not to mention, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Laurel Leaf Planter

Some designers have suggested to be “careful” of the color yellow.  The eyes have a difficult time focusing on yellow, yellow is too loud, yellow has too much energy and so on.  At Twiggs, we like the color yellow. It reminds us of Spring, sunflowers, daffodils, happiness and sunshine. All good things when your January includes multiple days of subzero temperatures. We recently merchandised a vignette at the store with yellow forsythia and orchids, yellow Odkin birds, yellow pots, yellow ceramic mushrooms and birdbaths. Tiny yellow concrete cottages surrounded by yellow pansies. A yellow watering  can and yellow gardening gloves. We even added a Lemon Dill dip mix. Select pieces of pottery created by Laurie Pollpeter Eskenazi, were worked into the display allowing her beautiful yellow glazes to pop from each remarkable piece. Yes we do love yellow at Twiggs. Who would have thought such disparate products would come together so beautifully and create a unified theme.  Traditionally, yellow is also thought of as a sign of hope. We are hopeful at Twiggs, that Spring is just around the corner!

Harold the Odkin bird, loves the mushrooms and tiny yellow concrete cottages.

Sneak peak from our cooler.

It is a joy to receive flowers;  a sumptuous armful of roses, a trailing bunch of honeysuckle, a basket of hydrangeas, or a fistful of wild flowers.  Since we opened our doors in 2003, flowers have been a mainstay to our  business.  Lovely, European  hand tied bouquets  have always been a favorite with our customers. A  single rose  in a small terra cotta pot has proved to be irresistible year after year. This small arrangement was a solution to salvaging long stemmed roses  broken during shipping. The flowers were too lovely to toss, so we came up with a very marketable product! Love, love these little gems.! 

4" terra pot with a single rose.

Several of our customers purchase our tiny  glass vases, large enough to hold only a few fresh stems. Chive, a company from Toronto Canada has some of the cutest little glass vases. The perfect addition to that sparse January windowsill, adding  a splash of color and cheer.

Green Chive vase with pink gerb.

Clear Chive vase with asters and solidago.

We would like to end by saying… go play, be good, stay warm and treat yourself to a few fresh flowers!

A treat for all in January!

As we settle into our cold January days, what could be more enjoyable than a warm cup of coffee, tea or cocoa paired with a very tasty scone. My dear sister-in-law; Lisa Patrin recently shared with me her scone recipe.  Lisa is a definite foodie and excellent cook, unfortunately my culinary skills are extremely limited. However, I was successful at producing these little darlings. Yeah! The recipe is so easy and the scones are absolutely yummy! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• ½ cup Hershey’s cinnamon baking chips
• 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus additional if mixture is too dry

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or using fingertips, rub until course meal forms. Stir in cinnamon chips and apples. Gradually add cream mixture to dry ingredients, tossing with a fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Add more cream in teaspoons if dough remains too dry. Drop dough by ¼ cups onto the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake scones until golden on the tops and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes.

Approximate yield: 10-12 drop scones

Popcorn and butter, cookies and milk, orange juice and champagne; some things are just meant to go together.  Roost (a California vendor) and Tillandsias certainly belong together.  

Tillandsias or Air Plants are members of the Bromeliad family and they bear absorbent furry scales on their foliage.  These scales take up water and nutrients from humid air and dust particles.  They literally live on air, only requiring an occasional  misting.  The most familiar Tillandsia is the Spanish Moss which hangs from trees in warmer regions of the US.  Until recently, Tillandsias were unknown as house plants.  Now you can find several species at Twiggs Home & Garden, garden centers and other specialty stores.  Some of the Tillandsias will bloom, but the blooms do not last long.  The plants can be mounted on coral, shells, driftwood or nestled into an attractive container.  Roost, a favorite vendor of Twiggs has the most unique, organic containers for Tillandsias.  Hanging terrariums and driftwood bowls are just a few of our Roost favorites.

The perfect pairing!

2013 has finally arrived!  We wish you a very healthy, happy and exciting new year.  Lots of new arrivals will soon be in our store.  We are excited to offer the latest and most unique finds from home decor accents to “Poochi Sushi” canine treats.  Since we will be busy gathering our treasures this month, Twiggs will be closed on Mondays during January 2013.  We will resume our regular hours beginning February 1, 2013. 

We still have a nice selection of the Lane Dukart ceramic bells.  Each bell is one of a kind and signed by the artist.  What a pleasant way to ring in the New Year!    

We adore Lane's bells.