up : date :: family weekend

Hi all, I am blogging from the northern chicago suburb of Northfield in the home I grew up in. The hubs, pup, and I are here visiting our families for the long weekend. So the posts for the weed might be a bit on the shorter side. Impatiens (which I always thought were called 'impatients') remind me of my mom's attempts at gardening. Each year it was decided between impatiens or begonias as the colorful accent for the front yard.

This year, she chose purple impatiens!

le : sigh

These sweet photos are from Courtney Apple. She saw some of my work on Oh Joy! last week and wrote me such a sweet email. I checked out here stuff and was just blown away. How awesome are these shots from the Philadelphia flower show? And check out her website for some great food photography. 

then : now :: flowerheads

I think this is my favorite then/now yet! First of all we have Arcimboldo who was doing crazy stuff during the High Renaissance (he lived from 1527-1593). Not only did he study under DaVinci, become a royal painter, and have the first name of Giuseppe; but he was also a party planner for multiple emperors! He was the Preston Bailey of his time (think rivers of champagne and harpsichords that shot colorful water...oh crazy Archimboldo!). Anyhoo, he is most famous for his composite portraits where he would take vegetables, animals, or in this case, flowers and create a face from it.

Then we have current artist Nate Duval who is basically a rock star. He also designs posters for lots of rock stars (Wilco, Andrew Bird, Phish, just to name a few). Nate's work looks he had fun while making it...gotta love that! So go and check out his work here...it makes you want to start a band just so he can design you a poster! (Mary... the Oh Well Heroes might have to start up sooner than later!)

1:3 :: peonies

ok, more like 1:3,000! I LOVE peonies! i don't know many people who don't...i mean, they smell nice, they are kinda fluffy but not prissy, they come in beautiful colors, and they make any arrangement look 10 times more luscious. and lusciousness is a good thing. I also have fond memories of peonies that my mom had in her yard...I remember being fascinated by the ants crawling around on the buds. anyhoo, they are perhaps my favorite flower. Here are three fun ways to use them. A few blooms in hanging vases via apartment therapy, a more casual arrangement of peonies via away to garden (also with tips on how to make your peonies bloom!), and finally an arrangement from sarah at Saipua who was a huge inspiration to me to even think about becoming a florist. if you want more beautiful pics, info, and tips about peonies read her 3-part "weeder's digest" on Design*Sponge (part1, part2, part3)

stuffs : things :: floral brooch

I'm not a big jewelry person...i don't wear earrings, i have to wear nickel-free metals, and my wedding ring is about all i can stand on my fingers. But I like the idea of wearing brooches and pins. Especially on a wooly coat. I love these from Petal Mix. They are fun and elegant. She also has barrettes, hair clips, and headbands at her etsy shop.

up : date :: bikes

May is bike month and last week was ride your bike to work week. how did you do? I rode 3 days...which i feel pretty ok about. I might have ridden more if i had this bike with the floral basket! Some girlfriends and i here in bloomington started a friendly biking group/contest called the Flock of Our Lady of Ghisallo (the patron saint of cycling). We chipped in $20 each and for the next 4 months we are  keeping track of when we ride somewhere instead of driving. We have a whole point system worked out (half points for riding in the rain or dark, etc) and each month there is a winner who gets taken out for food and drink by the rest of the group. And at the end there is a grand winner who gets a gift certificate to a bike shop in town. Anyhoo, it's fun and motivating and good for the environment and the leg muscles (bloomington is not flat!).  So i hope you get out and ride this week!

top image via Cycle Chic
for funsies...here's our group's logo...

le : sigh

from Oh Joy whose blog is one of my faves to follow. She posts about design, fashion, and other beautiful things. I like when she posts about what she does with her farmer's market flowers...like putting them in her mailbox!

then : now :: bold shape

last week we had some bold color...this week we have bold color AND bold shapes.

It was actually really difficult for me to find a "now" counterpart for this print by Andy Warhol. I love the inverted photographic element, the coloring, and the overall composition. Trying to find one took some time with google, but then I remembered the work of Amy Rice. Particullarly her zinnia series which i saw up in NH at Artstream Gallery. 

But i thought this tiger lily painting works along side the Warhol print even better. Check out the rest of Amy's work...they are beautifully narrative. 

1:3 :: carnations

I feel like I am getting all the tough ones out of the way first. The carnation is especially tough. I think it looks best in two different ways. 

1. In "carpet" form, which Bornay does in a way that is truly breathtaking. Seriously, go look at her site. amazing!

2. In ball form. When carnations are made into a pomander or ball centerpiece they are really quite fun and graphic. This table scape is via Host-It Notes.

Since this weekly post is not called 1:2, i had to come up with a third way to showcase the carnation. I think this single bloom paper version does the trick...and it won't wilt and die! via Paper Craft Planet

Does anyone else have a favorite way to use carns? please share!

stuffs : things :: oilcloth

Last week was the mexican dress...this week mexican floral printed oilcloth! It's been such a rainy past few days in Bloomington that these bright patterns are just what i need. I have been on the hunt for a fun outdoor tablecloth...our dog likes to lay down on top of our picnic table, so it's necessary for when we eat outside. Here is a diy tutorial for making your own sweet tablecloth from Twig & Thistle. i like those wallets (especially the orange one!) and I might have to steal the shelf liner idea. At Peppertree we carry a line of bags from MY OilCloth that are a much more modern and subtle oilcloth option. By the way...I have one and love it! it is the most solidly made bag i've ever had.

: tablecloth from Doxie Shop 

: wallets from Love Shine

: shelf liner idea from Camp Whimsy