The Craft Begins

I am totally enamored with this series of images from Oliver Schwarzwald – color found in the most unlikely of places.  Somewhat unassuming at first sight but then sneaks up on you and hits you over the head.

1.  Something about this pendant necklace from Tundra Dear seems like a relic from another time.  I love the rich texture and finish.

2.  This illustration from Valentina Design really grabs me with its exuberant colors and patterns, and the little sayings are lovely as well.

3.  I don’t know why but I am absolutely obsessed with address stamps.  I guess I just get bored writing my return address all the time.  Get your own personalized stamp at Sugar Letter.

4.  I’m not usually a big fan of clocks (I hate seeing my life literally tick away) but these lacy, plastic designs from And Furthermore are pretty fantastic.

5.  These night landscapes from Amanda Friedman are amazing, not only for the originality of the subject but also for the fact that they’re not post-processed at all.  Photoshop has its place but it’s no substitution for gorgeous photography.

I’ve seen her work all over the blogs and now that I’ve spent some time checking her out I’m officially in floral love with Amy Osaba.

Her work is so unusual, so feminine, so eclectic – it’s amazing what you can do with flowers.  And feathers and beads.  And whatever else her creative mind comes up with.

I’ve been working on some new knit cowls that I’ve added to my shop.  Each cowl is made up of many different yarns in different colors, creating a completely unique and wondrous look.  They’re each very sturdy and thick, as there are probably 4-6 total skeins in each cowl.  They can we worn like a long scarf or doubled for when the cold hits.  I’ve really had a lot of fun making them, as it’s so much fun to play with all of the colors!

You can find them here, if you’re so inclined!

I’ve always been fascinated by pottery, mostly because it’s the one art form I’ve never really experienced much of nor been particularly good at.  For me, the idea of spending a ton of time on something only to have it explode in the kiln is more than a little frustrating.  I’m particularly enamored with this wood-fired pottery from Miami Valley Pottery.

From their website: “Woodfire kilns produce a distinct type of pottery.  The fire and ash and temperature variations inside a wood kiln produce beautiful surfaces on both glazed and unglazed pots. Our kiln is approximately 400 cubic feet, and it takes several months of throwing to fill it.  We fire our kiln three to four times a year.  A typical firing lasts three to four days, requiring constant attention to the stoking of the flame. The peak temperature reached is around 2400 degrees Fahrenheit ( 1300 degrees Celsius).  In every firing we use roughly four cords of wood.”

I would love to go to one of those openings and get myself some gorgeous practical stoneware, but alas, I don’t live in Ohio.  Is there anything like this near you?

I cannot get enough of these fabulous earrings from Owlita.  They’re over-the-top but I think that the natural materials balance it out nicely.  What could be easily called a “statement piece”.  Sign me up!

My lovely friend Amy was kind enough to host us at her DC abode last week for dinner.  It was cold, rainy and windy and after some time trying to make it across the city in such a storm, we were glad to go inside.  What I wasn’t expecting was how fantastic the house was.  It was a little Sherlock-Holmes, a little Victorian Lady, a little Drag Queen, and a lot of fun.  Bold wall colors and lots of fun little discoveries awaited us at every turn.  As I left my camera at home, Amy was kind enough to send me some pictures of the place.  And now I’d like to share them with you!

On a great block of old brick row-houses sits this gem.  You’d never know from the outside how decidedly non-traditional it is.  Parlours in the front let in the light and block the city noises from the rooms behind them.  Creative lighting solutions and large fireplace mantels set the mood.  On hand is the resident puppy, Nylah, who looks scary from the outset but is indeed the friendliest dog on earth.  The chalkboard paint in the panels of the kitchen door is a great place for a grocery list or a note to the roomies.

Another thing I really like about the house is all of the gothic accessories.  A suit of armor guarding the stairwell?  Of course!  Gargoyles scattered over every surface?  Well, I thought every house had them!  They’re offset nicely by all of the dark wood framing out the doorways and stairwells.  Who says traditional has to be boring?  Check out the fabulous Ms. Amy herself – look at those legs!!

The back servant stairs were pretty terrifying (as Amy said, they had about the proportion of a Mayan temple) but the idea of a hidden staircase was pretty exciting.  My absolute favorite thing was the gargoyle sitting in the gorgeous tile fireplace.  There was a glorious “poopatorium” that was painted a pretty navy/black color, proving that it is possible to pull off super dark walls.  And the best part of all, hidden behind gorgeous wardrobe doors – THE BAR.  Needless to say, we had a great time.

Thanks to Amy and the boys for letting us into their home and letting us eat drink and be merry.  And then for sending follow-up pictures.  You guys rock.

I might be a little bit biased about this one since I had them at my wedding, but I’ve used them at almost every event I’ve done since so I think that it’s ok.  What I like about spider mums is their gorgeous shape.  They add a bit of organic thrill to whatever arrangement they are placed with, their wild petals striking out in all directions.  I believe that they are a member of the chrysanthemum family, and you can really tell by looking at them.

They are also fairly inexpensive, and super hardy.  That means that they are a great flower for DIYers and that arrangements can be made several days ahead of time and be no worse for wear.  They look great clustered together and also in mixed bouquets.   I find that I often gravitate towards the green ones since they are one of the rare flowers that actually look good in green, but they come in a variety of colors like white, yellow, purple and pink.

I love shops filled with clever goods.  If you’re looking for a gift for a hard-t0-shop-for friend, may I recommend MollaSpace.

I can’t get enough of that peace-bomb sculpture.  Or what about the tiny planter that looks like an apartment building?  I bet you don’t have shot glasses in the shape of moose and bull heads.  It’s the kind of shop that stocks the slightly zany and totally unnecessary, but absolutely desirable.

It seems likes summer is rapidly coming to a close, so it’s time to revisit this list of recipes for easy and simple summer salads.

Time to get your fix of fresh fruits and veggies before it’s too late!

These are just the thing to make you dream of tropical days in the Florida Keys.  Rum and key lime juice give them their delicious flavor.

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter

1 3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. key lime juice

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. dark rum

2 tsp. finely grated lime zest

neon green food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat softened butter for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Add one egg, beat until combined, add the second egg, and beat until fluffy.  Add flour mixture and the rest of liquid ingredients alternately, beating until well combined.  Add enough food coloring (optional) until it’s nice and key lime green.  Pour batter into lined muffin tins/baking cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I like to combine this with a little bit of butter icing (1/3 c. butter, 4 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla – beat until fluffy) and top with a bit of shredded coconut for a true tropical feel.

OK, I’m addicted.

I don’t even want to put it on my walls.  I want to wrap it around furniture, or cover all my crappy plastic binders in it, or line the walls of the closet.  I want to turn it into a fabric and wrap the entire inside of my car in it.

But if you like wallpaper, here’s some more good finds for you, courtesy of Hygge & West.

I’ve been in love with this flower ever since I saw it in an art gallery in Vancouver a few years ago.  I couldn’t believe that it was so weird – it looked almost exactly like brain coral!  A friend of mine bought me a plant, but of course, I killed it. :)  It was great up until then!  This flower comes in a variety of colors, (hot pink, yellow, orange, and my personal favorite, a magenta-like deep red tinged with yellow at the end) and adds a really unique punch to any floral arrangement.  I wanted to have these for my wedding, but it was just getting too out of control.  I like the way that they look in some of these unusual bouquets.

Holy crap.

I don’t even like wallpaper.  This might have changed my mind.

Wallpaper from the 70′s is exactly what it sounds like.  They have so many choices, so many beautiful designs and things that are so weird, you could waste a lot of time (and money) at this website.  And the best part is, you can order samples for about a buck.  Sweet.

If you live in the San Diego are and are looking for a florist for a wedding or event, you need to check out Modern Bouquet.

Their floral designs are always inspiring to me.  They use color really well, and design some interesting arrangements that could only come from years of experience in the field.  From clicking around a bit, they also seem like they’re really easy and professional to work with.  Me, I just look at the pictures of flowers!

Has anyone ever used this company?  If so, would you recommend them?