Three Things Thursday: Sugar Cookies, Flowers, and Agate

They're the top three things that I love this week. They may be sweet, they may be smart, or they may be just to eat...

► Aren't these the most amazing sugar cookies? I'll admit that I'm a bit of a sugar cookie snob, and I stick to my family's own sugar cookie and buttercream frosting recipe; however, The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle blog features cookies that I can only describe as a work of art. There is so much skill and detail involved in this work, as you tell with these Mini Pumpkin Pie Cookies. I like that they don't even require cookie cutters, which is a nice time-saving aspect of the tutorial.

► Hedgerow Rose has been on Etsy almost as long as I have, so it's a wonder how I'm just now stumbling into this beautiful shop. I think one of the biggest mistakes an Etsy shop owner can make is to fill it with too many different kinds of products, spanning multiple categories. Laurie of Hedgerow Rose has found a way to carry jewelry, prints, photography, vintage items, crowns, and crafting supples in her shop so that everything looks like it was meant to be together. It's like a dream garden, where you might have tea, wear some fabulous earrings, and take a lesson in nature photography. My personal favorite item from her store is the Dark Florals stretched canvas print, pictured above. On top of all this, Laurie shares gardening knowledge on her blog - I found "Types of Roses" and "Roses 101" to be quite useful posts!

► Finally... I love this DIY Gold-Brushed Agate Napkin Holder kit on Darby Smart. I've placed a couple of orders with Darby Smart already, and I'm quite impressed with their customer service. Customer service is a HUGE deal to me, so I'm more likely to keep shopping with a store that treats me as well as they do. There are quite a lot of craft kits to choose from on Darby Smart, including a $19/mo mystery box subscription (which I have yet to try). This craft caught my eye because it is one of those projects that is super-simple, but has lovely results. I'm doing all handmade gifts for the holidays this year, so I think the agate napkin holders would make a beautiful gift to my newlywed sister, or as a housewarming gift for a friend.

Interested in trying out Darby Smart? You can get $10 off your first order with the code "howdydarby", and I get a few bucks to spend on Darby Smart, too, when you use my link!