Jack, Hernando, Mike and Me

When we sold our house and moved to our "temporary" apartment home, I had to make decisions about what to bring in the "decor" category.  The decision to bring this big blue bird was EASY because I LOVE it.  It is by Jack Black, a navajo potter.  

In our "temporary" apartment home, space for non-necessities is limited.  But with determination, I have managed to find little spaces here and there for shelves or bookcases to hold a combination of pretties and functional things we use all the time.  The bird is perched on the top of a small metal shelving unit I ordered from Home Decorators Collection.  When it arrived I filled it right up with books, games, baskets, a tiny lamp, a Woodwick candle, and the bird.  For some reason, it did not feel right to set the bird directly on the metal (can't explain it - just felt wrong).

So I made this little hooked mat to fit on the top shelf.  I wanted a very simple design - something with a southwest feel.  I decided on simple rows of offset Santa Fe crosses with a hit or miss look.  The background is a mix of darks.  In real life, the background mix is more subtle than it looks here.

 

The shelf unit sits directly below this large photograph by my husband Mike.  The bird and this photo were my color inspirations for the little mat.   Yes, it is an old Desoto automobile, and yes, that is Hernando de Soto's face in the hood ornament.  (Wikipedia:  Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, and the first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River.)

So my little mat turned out to be a collaboration between Jack Black, Hernando de Soto, my hubby Mike and Me!

My little camera is incapable of getting a picture of the whole deal, but this is close (can't see the bottom shelf). 

By the way, if you have never had a Woodwick candle you are really missing out!  They have a special wick that makes a crackling sound when burning!  Just like a tiny fireplace!  We have tried "Timber" and "Redwood" scents and love them both.