Hey there!

I’m Wynter (also known as Kell and Birke)!

So many names!  What’s that about?  The lowdown:

  • Kell: My previous first name – now my middle name!
  • Birke die Jaegerin: My medieval alias in the Society for Creative Anachronism
  • Wynter: My new first name! I’ve always wanted a name more suited to my nature-y, fantasy-loving offbeat self, and I recently used getting married as the impetus to change it!  I love it so much.

So who am I?  I’m a nerdy, nature-loving scientist (engineer by training) who just wants to share all the things with you as I aspire to live a quirky, quietly happy, modern (and medieval!) cottagecore life.  I try my hardest to find happiness in little things, and have a blast being creative making everything while being sustainable when I can be. I hope reading Birch and Briar inspires you to do the same.    

I also have some hidden chronic health issues that have slowed down my ability to post over the last few years, but I am still here and still want to share so many awesome crafty things with y’all!  Here’s hoping 2023 is better than the last few have been!  🙂

More about me?

  • Everyone asks, but my hair really is this color naturally!  I started greying at age 14.
  • I love parks, and plan to visit every one of my town’s over 100 parks.
  • The majority of my clothes are sewn by me, or altered from thrift store finds.
  • I’ve been working with leather for over 12 years.
  • I do medieval recreation!  My medieval nickname is Birke die Jaegerin, and the friends I’ve made in this fantastically weird hobby of mine are simply the best.
  • I work in a science lab that studies viruses, to eventually be able to make better treatments for them (hoo boy, has it been an interesting time to study viruses…).
  • My favorite smells are smoked salt, sage, and rosemary.
  • Aaaaaaaaaand I love playing board games more than almost anything.  Kobold (the little black loaf of doom) helps us the best he can.

Stick around for lots of pretty pictures of my aspiring #cottagecore life, and introduce yourself in the comments!  I can’t wait to meet more of you.