Inspiration: Spring is nearly here, and some deeper thoughts on flowers ...

A beautiful spring colour palette from studio choo ...

{studio choo -we like it wild - earthy spring}

"When you are are buying flowers, what exactly are you buying?" This is a beautifully haunting video. I reminds me of how privileged I am to work with flowers, but saddened by the industry itself ... It is always nice to see small glimpses of floral farms and the real people who grow this faceless commodity. It is imperative that we acknowledge and learn to celebrate the seasons and what comes with these seasons, the imperfections and natural characteristics of flowers, and the people, sometimes generations of families, who pour their heart and soul into growing them ...
{video via floret flower farm}

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: outlandish floral headpieces

{image via WHORANGE}

I created these fanciful images of women with floral and nature-inspired headpieces ... I call them 'posies' ... Shown below is one of my 'posies' ...

So, I was amused when I saw these creations in real life, however 'costumey', they are fun ... Grandiflora, an Australian florist created these floral head pieces ...

{image via Vogue magazine}

Amira Fritz takes this theme even further ... These pseudo-fashion photographs are in strange contexts, and made even odder with funeral-esque floral arrangements taking the place of the model's head ...

Fritz's photographs remind me of this work I did in collaboration with a friend years ago ... Here is one of the photographs from the photoshoot we did together ...

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}

{vintage valentine via Primrose Design}

Happy St. Valentine's Day! More vintage valentines can be found here.

It was a crazy day for me, being Valentine's day and working in a flower shop ... I am lucky to have such a wonderful brother who popped in to provide some comic relief to my absolutely hectic day!!!

Here are two of my favourite photographs of Mike and me ...

{1983}

{1985}

On an end note, I received my copy of Uppercase in the mail today ... eeeeck, I am published!!! I am very honoured to have contributed to such a creatively collective magazine. If you get the chance, please check out this inspiring magazine!

Inspiration: Making a house a home ...

I have resolved that having a child means I won't have a tidy house for quite some time! With this, I realize that a home can offer so much inspiration, love and learning for my little one ... One of my fondest memories from my childhood was having an arts and craft box that my Mom would drag out so often. It was filled with scrap papers, inks and rollers, paints, felts, cardboard, glitter, etc. I also have countless memories of gardening, with both my Grandmother and Mom, these are the seeds that made me who I am today!

{Leo's first craft project-paper plate funny face}

Some of my favourite photographs are from around the house, especially those of the random still-lifes lining the window sills and of our garden throughout the growing season ...

Inspiration: Terrariums ...

These are the cutest mini-terrariums from the Botany Factory. Designed by Katie Goldman MacDonald in her San-Francisco studio, she aims at bringing plants to small indoor spaces. See more of her terrarium designs here.

{image courtesy of the Botany Factory}

Apartment Therapy lists the top 10 succulents and cacti and succulents for interiors.

This article Gardens in glass: make your own upcycled terrarium by Stephanie Rogers for ecosalon is helpful if you are wanting to make your own mini-terrarium. She offers different options for receptacles too ...
Mason Jar Terrarium – Craftzine
Inverted Jar Terrarium – Design Sponge
Wine Bottle Terrarium – Dr. Vino
Light Bulb Terrarium – Instructables

{light bulb terrariums by tiny terra}

Check out L.A.-based Machine Project's terrarium ...


I like the philosophy behind their gallery ... Machine Project brings "together artists, architects, designers, makers, scientists, programmers, plant enthusiasts, poets, and gaming nerds. Far from being a traditional gallery, Machine project could be described as an art-gallery-turned-mad scientist's laboratory used for collaboration, experimentation, classes , lectures, and for play. Perhaps what stands out the most is that no matter how serious the subject matter, Machine brings an air of effortless fun to the equation, making the work accessible to a large audience without needing to water down the ideas." (dwell)

Two more pictures from this past week ... one more from the Sirena series and the other from a new series I have been piecing together over the last year or so, inspired by botany ...

This afternoon I had a portrait session with Carolina. She is from Chile and spent some time growing up in Brazil as well ... She loves the beach and ocean, which was the inspiration behind this series 'Sirena' ... Here are some of the proofs from this afternoon's session ...

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