Gorgeous Ukranian love birds

These love birds are actually badges (they're about 6cm x 7cm each), but I think they'd look lovely on a mantlepiece or a shelf above the bed.

They're one of a little flock, sold in Moloco, the Etsy shop of architect and designer, Maria Bormosheva, who lives in Ukraine. You can buy them from her Esty shop, from around £9 each (including postage) where her profile makes you want to buy her lovingly crafted little things even more: "Once I understood that I cannot live without being engaged in needlework," she writes, "and so I am here." Lucky us.

Springtime fabrics at Seamstar

Just got a colourful and cheery newsletter from the spectacular fabric and craft emporium, Seamstar. And 15 minutes later was still poring over the images of prints on their Flickr feed. This spring-like lovely is by Momo – and you can get all sorts of other chirpy and cheerful designs by them too. From owls to flowers, patchwork tweetiepies (from £2.80 for 1/4 metre) and bundles fabrics in the same family, starting at £14. Here are just a few options, all from the Momo range, to tempt you...

And, for luck, one from the Monaluna Organics range, below (couldn't resist it)

I'm a little bit obsessed with birds (might have to do a gallery of pictures of the vast number I seem to have accumulated in my house... perhaps another day). So it's no surprise that I'm rather taken with these endearing stone birds from Cocoboat. They cost £132 for the whole family but only £32 for the little quail on his own (10cm high). Not bargain basement prices but not expensive, especially considering that they're stone, so should last forever, and that each bird is handmade to order in Devon made "by Tony and Doreen". Aww. I like that.