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!

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!

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

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!

up : date :: almost fab

hehe, my sis sent me this link from gofugyourself, which i had actually just finished looking at myself! you know... it's the little guilty pleasures in life. personally, if miss k. bell had on some sort of summery brown or gold strap-y flats, i could dig on the dress.

up : date :: wide world of wreaths week

ok, so i know in my little update last week i promised "wreaths, fashion, photography and other goodies," but in lieu of it being xmas week, i'm going to focus exclusively on wreaths! I love wreaths, though you wouldn't know it because i don't own one, and i sometimes grumble about making them at work. And like most things decorative, i am extremely picky about wreaths (maybe that's why i don't own one...still looking for the perfect one). I like them either completely wild or very graphic.

Today's wreath is mostly notsalgic for me...my mom always made something crafty for family/friends for christmas...one year it was pinecone reindeers, another year it was jingle bell necklaces, and one year she made tiny wreath ornaments out of sweet gum seed pods.

We always called them "sputniks" Anyhoo, here is a pretty amazing "sputnik" wreath ala martha:

via Shelter interior design's blog, which also has the "how-to" for this spiky wreath

up : date :: all's fair in crafts and arts

here are some booth pics from the Holiday Handmade Market here in bloomington! it was a few weekends ago, but for not doing craft fairs hardly ever, i thought i macgyvered together a nice little setup. I covered large boxes that our flowers get delivered in with red tablecloth...this made it really easy to use pushpins to display my prints and mini arts (note: no art was harmed in doing this!). i think the oriental runner really pulled it all together. 

thanks to everyone who came out! 

up : date :: my favorite holiday!

Thanksgiving is by far my fave holiday. It's based on (hopefully) good food, good friends/family, and good feelings of thanks. Never mind that the pilgrim/indian backstory might be a bit shady...and turkey has a tendency to end up dry...and people ruin sweet potatoes with marshmallows. My feeling is that hopefully you have at least one of the 3 (food, friends/fam, thanks)...and if you do, you have something to celebrate! I am super thankful (that's 1!) this year to be having thanksgiving in Chicago with both my fam and my in-laws (that's 2!!). Dinner will be at the in-laws' and the hubs and i are hoping to contribute a few dishes...maybe mussels...maybe gluten-free coconut cream pie...maybe sausage stuffed acorn squash...maybe grain-free rosemary pecan cookies. (that's 3!!!)

i am one lucky lady.

up : date :: the streep!

Last week we were able to make arrangements for a few big events. One of them was for a dinner at which Meryl Streep and Jane Pauly were in attendance! Since we were creating the arrangements we were given tickets to "An Evening of Conversation with Meryl Streep and Jane Pauley." It was so great! Meryl was everything you'd hope she'd be and it all felt very honest and casual. Anyhoo, check out andrea's posts over at her blog about the event flowers!
part one
part two

up : date :: wintery hedgey

created a new more wintery hedge for this past weekend's holiday handmade market. The remaining will be going up on my etsy site asap!

up : date :: fall!

yay! i love that it actually feels like fall now! the down comforter has been busted out, slippers are a daily occurrence, i can wear my hair down without overheating, and squash and soups are in abundance. This past week i have been scrambling to get ready for a holiday handmade market here in btown on Nov. 6th...lots of prints, cards, and a few originals to be sold! i don't do craft fairs normally so i feel like it's a major production to get ready for one. from displays to signage to products it's all a bit much for me to wrap my head around. But i'm feeling ok about this one....i have my friend mary to man the space with me,  and i have finished up my custom projects i was working on. Here is a web banner i did for an aspiring floral designer...she had great ideas all along the way and i just love how it turned out!

up : date :: fraidy dog

it's a stormy morning here is bloomington....our dog Nootka will not leave our side...unless she wants to crawl under the bed and hide out in the back corner while the wind dies down. what a sweetie. it's her bday this week on halloween...she'll be 7! I know this post has nothing to do with flowers or art, but man i love my Nootka!

up : date :: breathe!

i'm breathing. and feeling better. last week wasnt nearly as bad as i thought it would be...i was even able to get sick and recover! i didnt take photos to document the week since a truly crazy week is so much more fun to take photos of!

a bridal from a few weeks ago...white roses and white snapdragons. i like the papery feel of it all.

up : date :: pushing through october!

One week of crazy down, one more to go! Maybe this week I'll document the crazy at the shop through pics. 

up : date :: Ea

I've been approached lately by a few new florists who need some design work. The very talented Sarah Winward asked me to do an illo that would work on business cards and as a header for her site. Here's the card:

Check out her beautiful work and site here! 

up : date :: website is refreshed!

I'm back! and even though October is CRAZY for weddings here in bloomington, I will be more faithful to Botaniche...i miss searching and finding new things to be inspired by and lust over. Before my trip i spent a few days frantically refreshing (aka re-buliding from scratch) my website. I'm going to be advertising Botaniche prints in Bloom magazine's local artist guide, so i needed to have it on my illustration site. Go check it out! also, here's the ad that i'm going to have in the mag!

up : date :: road trip!

AHHH! it's friday! and there hasn't been a post this week! i have a few excuses...the most truthful one is that I was busy building a new website to house my art! check it out: www.katievernon.com. it now includes links to botaniche stuffs, and is overall better!

And, I won't be posting with much regularity until the 23rd (or thereabouts) because i am going on a road trip with my climbing partner, heterosexual life partner, and fellow meat-loving friend, mary!  That's her on the left...last Halloween we were flight attendants and won some costume contest! That's her again on the left in the pink giving me some scornful look. I like mary a lot

and this road trip is going to be a blast (and a much needed vacation!)! Watch out Michigan and Wisconsin! 

If I have time, interwebs, and feel like posting (hey...i'm on vacation) i might get a few "short : sweets" up here! in the meantime...toodles!

up : date :: busy bee

life has been a bit crazy lately. Working tons of time at the flowershop, coming home with little energy and depleted creative juices, and the lists of illustration 'must-do's and 'want to-do's is increasing rapidly. Yesterday I had my pity party and invited the hubs. It went well, and now (after a solid night of sleep) I feel ready to face the week! Hopefully being a busy little bee will produce lots of sweet sweet honey!

up : date :: long week over

It was a long week at Peppertree...my boss was on vacation so i was left in charge of 2 weddings with only a few helping hands for a couple hours. 29 (12 sm, 12 med, 5 lg) arrangements, 1 wreath, 14 bridesmaid bouquets, 14ish corsages, 40ish boutonnieres, 2 bridals, and multiple shop orders... 50 hours later...i can finally relax. Tomorrow is a full day off, so hopefully i will feel more like this: