In Uppercase Magazine Issue #8, I wrote an article on Heather Benning's Dollhouse ... Here is a preview of the article ...

{image courtesy of Uppercase}

Inspiration: Amazing Florals and their Designers ...

Some of my favourite floral designers and their creations are shown in this posting. Mostly, I admire these ladies for allowing flowers to remain true to their nature, for not over designing, and for parallelling the design philosophies of wabi-sabi ...

This is how I became inspired by flowers, gardening, and nature from a young age: Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart ...

Poppies & Posies is a New York-based boutique floral focused on combining florals, twigs, berries, fruits and vegetables into organic, loose, garden style arrangements ... Some of their creations are shown below ...

{florals by poppies & posies}

"Would I say that flowers run thru my veins? Perhaps, poetically speaking. What I know for certain is that my love of flowers comes from family, from wonderful memories of planting gardens with my parents, from building my own family, watching them grow, and then finally helping my clients with their vision of their wedding day - a day that is the foundation of a new family.

My philosophy is simple...never force a flower, let it breathe and sway. Let it show itself off in a flourish of petals. It is safe to say these blooms know what they are doing by now, evolving from miniscule little specks to their present day glory."

-Kate Holt of flower wild

{bouquet by flower wild}

McKenzie Powell focuses on floral and event design. Her company is based in Seattle. With these designers, there is a common thread of childhood memories in the garden and their love of flowers: "Spending my childhood days barefoot in my parents' gardens, it is no surprise that my work is what it is. Pods, buds, and blossoms are found throughout my designs. Fruits, berries, and herbs find their place as well." -McKenzie Powell

{flowers by McKenzie Powell}

Meet Erin Benzakein of Floret, an eco-lovely organic flower farm in Seattle ... and her lovely creations ...

{photographs courtesy of Floret}

Based in San Francisco, Studio Choo is unique in their approach to floral design. They have collaborated with other artisans to form their storefront Prairie Collective ... They also write a weekly column for design*sponge "we like it wild" ...

{photographs courtesy of studio choo}

Saipua is a Brooklyn-based small family-owned floral and soap company. They have been making olive oil-based soaps since 1999 and designing flowers since 2004 ... Here are some photos of their storefront and florals ...

{photographs courtesy of saipua}

If that wasn't enough, here is some more inspiration ...

Crafter, Blogger and Floral Designer Amy Merrick's blog AN APPLE A DAY and Brown Paper Design

Kokedama are 'moss ball' bonsais ... I am thinking of trying my own ... If you find this inspiring, here is a tutorial with supplies required to make your own kokedama.

'Its cute round shape and tranquillity formed by moss creates a somewhat comical but quiet, wonderful but humble atmosphere. Every time I look at Kokedama I feel a sense of wonder. I love it.' SALA-SALA

{above photos courtesy of Hoa Mai}

String Gardens are simplistic and understated plant instillations. Created by Fedor in Amsterdam, these minimalist String Gardens take Kokedama a step further by balancing and suspending the bonsais from string. His collections are seasonal and help introduce natural elements as instillations in the urban environment ... Some of his work is shown below ...

Some pictures I took of the exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery ...

I shot a couple of videos at the Vancouver Aquarium. As you can see, I especially love the jellyfish ...



Here are some photographs from a previous trip to the Vancouver Aquarium in 2005.

Inspiration: Hearts! St. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and soon an abundance of hearts everywhere- taking shape in paper cut-outs, sweets, valentines, people wearing their hearts on their sleeves!!! Mostly, I admire Valentine's Day for its cuteness to the point of tackiness! Explore the meaning and history of this day here "a landscape of story and a world of delight in the love and affection human beings have for each other."

Here is some sweet and crafty inspiration for your Valentine's Day ...

Display your love at home ... ranunculus and narcissus blooms floating in a heart-shaped ceramic {Floral by Studio Choo}

{Heart Wreath by Design-Aholic}

Woven heart valentines are perfect for storing secret love letters, candy, and little tokens of your affection.
{Image courtesy of CRAFT NIGHT}

{Vintage Valentines from Carmen and Ginger}


{paper heart valentine garland by Amy Butler}


{I Heart You - Origami Hearts Bouquet by My Bohemian Summer}


{Valentine's Day Treats from Big Sis Lil Sis}

What a wonderful start to the New Year!

We travelled as a family to Vancouver, it was an adventure to say the least! I will post some pictures from the exhibits at the Vancouver Art Gallery in an upcoming post ...

Here are some photographs we snapped along our journey through Vancouver, I believe we walked the entirety of downtown Vancouver ... even the scary parts!





Plus an article I wrote is being published in UPPERCASE magazine ... Issue #8! Available to read this February ... you can purchase the magazine and back issues, or get a subscription here.

Happy New Year... Wow..what a wonderful year 2010 has been! I am grateful for the amazing people, places and events of this past year ... Here are ten things from my 2010 year ...

{1 - our engagement}

{2 - witnessing the growth, first birthday, and walking of my baby boy}

{3 - my tattoo}

{4 - creating with my hands and being surrounded by flowers}

{5 - visiting Canmore, Drumheller, Ottawa, Saskatoon, and Toronto, being surrounded by good people}

{6 - road trips with my family}

{7 - turning 30 and being a mom}

{8 - countless nature walks with my family}

{9 - art making with some amazing ladies}

{10 - eating 'tres de leche', a delicious dessert}

So far 2011 looks big and rewarding ... I will be collaborating with children and youth, gathering their insights and perspectives for inner-city playspace design, I have an art showing planned for early summer at KOI, and the completion of my Masters in Environmental Design in Autumn 2011 ... here's to it being a busy year, but I wouldn't have it any other way!