Inspiration : Flowers

Florals are everywhere in design and the arts & crafts right now, re-inspiring florists and crafters alike, and even retail designers, like this enormous paper flower is hanging in Calgary's Anthropologie ...

{photograph courtesy of Blair Marie}

Some of my favourite flower sayings:

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. ~Chinese Proverb

With daffodils mad footnotes for the spring,
And asters purple asterisks for autumn -
~Conrad Aiken, Preludes for Memnon, 1930

God loved the flowers and invented soil. Man loved the flowers and invented vases. ~Variation of a saying by Jacques Deval (God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.)

I really love my job, being surrounded and creating with beautiful flowers everyday, so much of what surrounds me inspires and shapes my own arts & crafts, like a back and forth dance between the two ...

Spring has finally arrived, I saw the first signs of it this weekend ... the crocuses are sprouting ... and lots of puddles, which were enjoyed by this little guy - he has the bumps, bruises and scrapes to show for finally being able to play and explore outdoors!

{photograph courtesy of Blair Marie}

I tried a craft project, found in this month's Martha Stewart magazine ... I improvised a little and used brightly coloured retro material to make these three pin on flowers ...

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}

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}

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}

Season's Greetings ... we are slowly decorating our home for the holidays ... here is what we've done so far ...

Inspiration: Decorating for the holidays ... Here is some inspiration ...

{Grinch Christmas Trees from Griffins Greenhouses}

{Decorating with Paper Snowflakes and tutorial via Martha Stewart}

{White Paper Snowflakes via RE gREtings}

{outdoor decor - giant lace snowflakes by resurrection fern}

{outdoor decor - frozen berry ornaments via Easy Outdoor Decor}

{outdoor decor - frozen water balloons by Plants are the Strangest People}

{love doves from Polli}

{decor by Rie Elise Larsen}

{colourful and Kitschy Christmas Interior via Home Sweet Home}

A quick little post for today ...

Here is a cute company Minimii. I especially like their dollhouse Arne Jocobsens Own House, 1929 (pictured below)

"Kids can play for hours with a dollhouse. With miniature furniture, the house can be redecorated again and again, differently each time. With dolls, countless stories play themselves out, scenarios that remind us of what happens in a real home. The idea with Minimii is just that, to create dollhouses and furniture that look like a real home which both kids and adults can play with."

Here are some great blogs ... Apartment Therapy Re-Nest + April and May

I love the work of Shana Faust, she is a Toronto photo-stylist who has worked for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. She is now based in Brooklyn. I love her props/crafts styling ... Here is a sample of her work ...

Katrin May is an internationally recognized professional origami artist. First introduced to origami in France in 1989, she and her partner developed this art in a heretofore unseen way. Now residents of Toronto. Here is their website ORILAND and some of their work is shown below.