WE HAVE MOVED!!! 

We are starting a little floral studio in Toronto - BOTANY {floral studio}. I'll keep this blog up, but I'm switching over my postings to BOTANY's blog ... Like BOTANY on facebook to receive amazing weekly coupons ... xo

But here's a final post ...

Inspiration: still lifes and botanical drawings from the following two blogs ...

1. Still Life Quick Heart

2. Scientific Illustration

{Illustration by Ernst Haekel via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by Charles Harper via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by M. Pagaut & P. Vigier via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by M. Pagaut & P. Vigier via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by Jacob Marrel via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Illustration by Filippo Arena via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Edzard Dietz via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Anneke van Brussel via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Vernon Ward via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Simon Verelst via Still Life Quick Heart}

I went to the Glenbow museum today to see the Karsh exhibit, but was pleasantly surprised to stumble across one of my favourite artists - Canadian artist Tony Scherman's paintings were also on display at the museum. I know his work well, as I studied his technique as the basis for one of my final pieces {sharbat gula} in art school. He works in encaustic and I love his loose brush strokes. Here are a few shots I snapped of his work today ...

Inspiration: floral and window displays ...

The following floral displays are by Ken Marten, who works at McQueens in the UK ...

I especially love bleeding hearts and I hope they make their way into wedding bouquets this season ...

{The Grove by Ken Marten }

I love these inside designs of all single-type flowers and grouping of glass globes ...

{FISHBOWL LANDSCAPE by Ken Marten}

My favourite type of hydrangea, called 'fall' hydrangea for when it's in season, looks rustic with lots of antique colours ...

{The Grove Hotel, Library by Ken Marten}

This is an amazing terrarium ... I love the scale ...

{Orrery (rejected design) by Ken Marten}

I really like this window display, it's a temporary design, but clever how he suspended the forsythia with their own water bags, it makes the design even better this way ...

{Spring Window Display by Ken Marten}

Another inspiring window display, this time from writer Pia Jane Bijkerk to promote her book ...

HAPPY SPRING! Here are some fun links ...

First, this amazing shop in San Francisco Bell'occhio

Favourite florists of the week - Christine Noelle's simple and stunning shop and Ariella Chezar

Pipo Doll makes these adorable cards

Eloise Corr Danch's video tutorial of giant paper poppy flowers

{spring banner by Pam - Happy to be creating}

Inspired by the work of Rebecca Thuss, Eloise Corr Danch, Sophie Cuvelier and Zoe Bradley ... I created these paper flowers ... First, I painted with water colour to create an uneven effect for the flowers, then I cut and pieced, looped and fastened parts of the flowers together ...

{visit here to see the entire set}

I love Brooklyn-based artist Eloise Corr Danch's paper flowers ... Especially her window display work, it's amazing!!!



Anthropologie's window displays are also inspiring, here is one created out of old plastic pop bottles, they cut and painted the bottles, repurposing them into hanging clusters of flowers ...

I read this great article in the New York Times ... more important is how this article gushes about floral designer Emily Thompson. I especially love how the article discusses the 'floral wars of Brooklyn' ...

"However unwittingly, she is also at the heart of what might be called the Brooklyn Flower Wars. In recent months, the borough has become known as a fertile lab for thoughtful, expressive floral design, thanks to Sprout Home, Blossom and Branch, Poppies and Posies, Kat Flower, CocoRosie and especially Saipua and Nicolette Camille, florists whose free-and-natural ethos is not dissimilar to Ms. Thompson’s."

How I admire all these ladies for their design and love of flowers and how I wish I could be in New York to witness all this floral frenzy!

Look at this photograph from the article, it looks more like an artist at work in her studio, I love that she is bringing her artistic background and studio nonchalance into the floral industry, it is an art form after all ...

This is Limbo brings art to the public, in the streets of Tel Aviv and worldwide ...

{Bless this Mess}

His art makes use of so many different techniques - sticking, cutting, sewing, painting, the precious link to the location, and interaction between the imaginary and the world.

My favourite sets are: 3-D Instillations and 3-D 2-D and Post Winter Lanterns

This is what he says about his Post Winter Lanterns ...

"before the winter over here started i handmade a series of about 200 lanterns out of paper, and lit the images stencilled on them with candles lighting them up: www.flickr.com/photos/thisislimbo/sets/7 2157600304155485/. but as the rain got more and more frequent, i thought i would postpone it until the weather was more sympathetic. now that it is, i thought about trying to make it a little more developed and the attached pics are what came out of it. all the brighter spaces are the candlelight shining through rice paper applied to a cut-out hole in the cardboard."

{Like Pigeons in the Rain}

"what i like about the lanterns is that it deals with the frail temporary aspect of putting up art in street. if i take the best case scenario (that nobody takes the piece after a short while and there are no extreme winds or rain) then the longest life span of these pieces will be that of the candles, which is probably just a few hours. therefore, when someone runs into it on the street they know that it was placed there not so long ago and they, by coincidence, got there in the small time frame that the piece was "active", hopefully giving them the feeling that it was placed there especially for them, and maybe guiding them, following them home and subtly lighting up their way."

Some more from This is Limbo ...

{To Retreat (Treading Through the Discarded Leftovers)}

{Bound Like Broken Birds (We All Go Down Together)}

{Feebled (With Humbled Hearts but Unable Limbs)}

{Confessing Currents}

{Know Hope - A Minor Bottle Rocket Set Out To a Minor Place}

A sneak peek from my photoshoot yesterday. I am working with a flower shop to help develop their new website ... This is just one photograph of many ...


I am amazed by the work of Irene Suchocki, Montreal-based freelance photographer. I especially love her photographs of Paris ... Here are some of her photographs ... Enjoy!

{photographs courtesy of Irene Suchocki}

Inspiration: paper + fabric craftiness and groupings of collections ...

I am excited to be designing a window instillation this coming week. We are making it spring-themed and over the top - with bicycle and basket, floral-inspired garlands, and sprouting flowers ... Pictures to come soon ...

For inspiration, I am loving this handmade flower installation by Ashley Meaders, in which she used both fabric and paper to create the hanging centrepiece for a ceremony. Also, these heart pillows she made for use as props for a wedding shoot are adorable ...



Crafty lady and graphic designer by day and night Debee Campos collaborated to make these pretty cards (one is shown below). More cards along with her beautiful photography can be seen on her blog ...


Loving these interior shots of Liza Giles' home, especially the groupings of collections in every room! She is senior stylist for the Designers Guild London ...

{photographs via decor8}