stuffs : things :: Meeralee!

I am out of art-hibernation for just a bit today because i had to share these great illos!

These lovely drawings are by east coast illustrator Meeralee. I really like their folk-ish vibe! Definitely check out her etsy shop...i just told her she should raise her prices on her prints...so go there now before she does! ; )  

up : date :: where have i been? where am i going?

yes...where have i been? well the short of it is that i've been working. Valentine's day at the flower shop (which seemed to knock me out for a week or two) and working on a big illustration project that might actually pay some bills (yay!)

the unfortunate thing about all the busy-s is this blog gets the shaft. It is the girlfriend i never call, the yogurt container in the back of my fridge that i forget is there and ignore when i see it. 

So what does the future hold for botaniche? i'm not sure. i hope to still post occasionally (once a week is a more attainable goal). I know it will be on the back burner of my mind through june (illo project wraps up in june, and then june weddings are in full swing). So I hope you stay tuned and view my inconsistent posts as fun little surprises!

fabric design by Josef Frank...my current major inspiration

up : date :: happy valentine's day!

Happy V-day! 

Life at the flower shop has been amazingly busy...after a few weeks of down time, creating lots of unique arrangements each day for the last week has been wearing on me. so tired. But with the 50degree sunny weather yesterday, i am recharged and ready for today. The hubs is cooking bacon as we speak and i'm about the cook him some primal pancakes (grain-free). nom nom. 

In other exciting news, i am creating lots of illustrations for a project with Chronicle Books! (this has nothing to do with the patterns i was making before...that personal project will be put on hold for a few months) Can't give away details, but it's something that's going to take up a lot of time, so we'll see how blogging will fit in. 

love and toodles!

then : now :: robert kulicke

stumbled upon mr. kulicke's work and im kinda obsessed with this bottom painting. The top one was made in 1960, oil on board, the second was done in 2005, oil on plexiglass. uff! i love its simplicity and coloring. 

1 : 3 :: ice & flowers

in honor of the ice storm that has hit us here in bloomington, i thought it only appropriate to show a few ways that you can use ice and flowers together. let's start with the coolest (pun intended) and move toward slightly less cool.

teeny roses in ice cubes? yes please! via my italian wedding

this one is less feasible for a diy-er, but i kinda like the ice-pick thing going on. from the Philadelphia Flower Show

i'm not that into ice sculptures, but if you are...here you go! via The French Bouquet

multi : task :: pattern 8

cabbage! via Elizabeth Anne Designs

multi : task :: pattern 7

via frolic

multi : task :: pattern 6 and up : date

well, as some of you may have noticed, i didn't blog last week. i had a clogging (yes...i clog, actually it's appalachian flat-foot clogging...think tap shoes and bluegrass) performance thing and to be honest, winter was just getting me down. it was all i could do to work full days and then clog at night and manage to eat and stay warm.

but i am back and determined to have 9 patterns by the end of the week and stop this silly multi-tasking business!

multi : task :: pattern 5

from Pakistan Bridal Designs

ps. I have loved pink and red together ever since The Little Mermaid! I remember making a god's eye at summer camp in pink and red!

pps. just found this teeny god's eye pin in pink and red (and orange)! so freaking sweet!

ppps. AND as it just so happens, tonight i am henna-ing my hair...i might have to wear a pink dress tomorrow. (make that a pink tshirt)

multi : task :: pattern 4

from daily dose of imagery

uff...these puppies are fun to do...but can be time consuming! they've taken me between 3-5 hours each to do and they NEVER end up the way i think they will when i start them. Thank you blog for "forcing" me to work work work..any guesses on what i'll end up doing with them when all is said and done?

multi : task :: pattern 3

photo by Jonathan Canlas via Green Bride Guide

multi : task :: pattern 2

pattern numero two

via Our Big day for $10K

up : date :: multitask blogging & pattern 1

ok folksies, this week i am combining my need to work on a project with blogging. For this project i am making floral patterns...9 different ones to be exact. I'm leaving the overall project a bit vague for now...i'm still in the planning phase, but this week (and maybe into next week) i hope you enjoy seeing a new one (or two) patterns every day. I'll try to post some pretty floral pics as well to go with said patterns.

Here is one that is all ready done.

and a pretty picture

photo via erin skipley

le : sigh

i want to go to there

but i think i would be scared. 

photo by Amanda Friedman. Purchase prints here.

short : sweet :: inspirations for the day

unfortunately, i have no idea where i borrowed these images from. sorry!

to : do :: mint and kelly

i LOVE cool minty green & kelly green! Green flowers are usually more lime-y, so a bouquet in these colors would have to be mostly foliage... for mint you could use dusty miller or succulents, and for kelly you could go with salal leaves.

up : date :: Z011

did you know the cool kids are calling 2011 "Z011" and pronouncing it 'zoy'? Not sure if i am cool enough to do that....we'll see. Anyhoodle, happy new year! You might notice the new design of my little blog...i thought with the new year should come an updated look. So i went with something a bit cleaner looking. although, the logo may change...i have a few im debating between.

I've never been a big 'resolution' maker, but this year i definitely have more goals than in years past. I thought i'd share a few:

1. "journal" So, i havent been a journaler since high school and even then i would get really into it for a month and then forget about it for 3 months. So this idea via design*sponge made me think that i could be a journaler of a different sort.

although, instead of a carton with index cards, i bought a moleskin journal and each page has 2 days, and i write a single sentence for each day. If i keep up with it, i could have over a decade of events in one book. Hopefully, this might also help with my terrible memory!

2. "listen to my body" I know i feel better when i avoid grains and sugar...my joints dont hurt, my pants fit great, i have more energy...but i really crave sugary goodies a lot. So this year I am attempting to have more resolve and realizing that eating that cookie (even if it is gluten free) is not worth it. I will save sweet treats for only the most special occasions, and enjoy 85% dark chocolate maybe once a week. Also along with this is spending more time cooking. 

3. "paint" I want to have between 20-30 paintings (that I love) done by the end of the year...that will make 2012 the year of having a solo show in a local gallery!

4. "less tv" even though my hubs and i dont own a tv, there is still hulu and netflix...so i am limiting TV to 3 shows a week (glee, 30rock, community)...and if i want to watch more, i have to be painting while watching it. 

5. "travel near and far" the hubs and i have a goal of going to a foreign country this year and seeing more of what is close to us.

so those are the basic ones...i think they are all very attainable. 

here's to a happy, healthy, and productive zoy!