Mother's Day Succulent Arrangement

When I was a little girl my mom used to take me to Knollwood Garden Center and let me pick out a succulent.  I remember standing in the hot greenhouse with sweat trickling down my back, struggling to choose because I liked them all.  I don't know if that's when my fascination with succulents began, but I do so love their stout little bodies.  My favorite has always been the soft, chubby ones like the one in focus above.

In honor of that wonderful memory I decided to make a succulent arrangement for my Mom.  I bought this snail pot for her a few Mother's Days back at Home Emporium. This past summer she gave me a plant that was in it so I still had it.  I put calla lilies in it the first time around, so I wanted to do something different and the succulents were the perfect choice. And just standing in Lowe's today trying to figure out which cacti to buy put a smile on this girl's face.  Thanks Mom! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Flower Fabric

I created this sketch for another Spoonflower contest.  The theme was pen and ink colored with watercolors and the winner of the contest has a chance to start a new career as a fabric designer with Robert Kaufman.  The judges narrowed down the 750 entries to 100 and unfortunately I didn't make the cut (c'est la vie).  But you should still pop over to see all the great designs and vote for your favorite here.  Below you can see what my pattern looks like with a half-brick repeat.

Forget-me-nots & Heuchera

The other day my friend Annie hosted a get-together for the women of the neighborhood and I was struck by the simplicity and beauty of her flower arrangements.  She had Lily of the Valley and Forget-me-nots in mason jelly jars with just the donut outer lid screwed on so the flowers could come through.  The next day we were having a house guest (who happens to be a botanist) so I decided to make this little arrangement of  heuchera and Forget-me-nots for his room.  I love the color combination of lime green and purple-blue and the fact that it was so easy to make.  It may not be the world's best flower arrangement, but I love the idea that I can run outside with a pair of scissors and a jar of water and come back in less than five minutes with something that brings so much joy.

Oregon Grape

Although I first learned this plant by its genus name, Mahonia, the common name of "Oregon Grape" describes the most memorable part of this plant...its beautiful berries . There is something so amazing about their soft dusty hue and the way they practically glow from within.  I photographed these early this spring so they are still green, but later in the season they turn a wonderful cornflower blue (you can see some here tucked into a flower arrangement).

Technically speaking they are not a grape, but they are edible.  I have not tasted them because they are described as extremely tart.  I did find instructions on how to make Oregon Grape Jam here and the author claims it is "one of the world's most delicious jams" when mixed with blackberries.  George is always adventurous so if we have a good crop this year we will try it out.  But even if we don't make any jam, both the birds and I will enjoy the berries.

Bleeding Heart

Vintage Egg Tray

The story behind this photo began in my neighbor's basement about two months ago.  His basement reminds me of a curiosity shop filled with interesting odds and ends, antiques, and vintage furniture.  While I was hanging out watching him stain a leather chair (yes, he actually does a gazillion interesting projects like that that I might think about doing but never actually do) I came across this beautiful, vintage egg tray.  And every week since then I kept saying, "Let's go do a photos shoot for Easter with the vintage egg tray!"  So we finally pulled her out and brought her outside this week for a little fun in the sun.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with colorful eggs and chocolate!

Easter Bunny Candles

 
This week I decided to treat myself to a little dress shopping.  I have a terrible addiction to summer dresses and one of my favorite places to go is Kismet in O'Bryonville.  As I was perusing the dresses I spied these incredibly cute bunny candles.  I love vintage Easter decorations and as soon as I saw their waxy, vintage-looking bodies I knew they were coming home with me.

When I got home I decided they were so adorable I had to take them out for a little photo shoot.  The top photo was taken in my weedy front lawn. It made me think the bunnies were racing about trying to hide all their eggs.  In the bottom photo I imagine they all met at the local dandelion to relax and discuss more egg-hiding strategies for the big day.

Homage to Sloane Tanen #2

A couple years ago I bought my first pom pom chicks and did a blog post about how they reminded me of Sloane Tanen whenever I saw them.  If you don't know about her books you should check them out on Amazon where you can look inside the books at some of the incredible pom pom chick dioramas.  They are hilarious!

So this year I was at Michael's and I couldn't resist buying another box of chicks.  When I got home I was upstairs opening the box and there was Sunshine (my cat) sleeping so peacefully.  I just tucked a few chicks right in the crook of her tail.  She lifted her head and gave me that Mom-what-are-you-doing-now look, but tolerated the impromptu photo shoot well and eventually went back to sleep. When I first saw the photos,  the expression on the chicks' faces made me laugh so I thought another homage to Sloane Tanen was in order.  And if you were worried, the chicks did make it out of there and are now happily on display amidst daffodils and Easter eggs.

Periwinkle

Last year I planted this periwinkle (Vinca minor) in my yard because I love its soft purple pinwheels.  However, once I started doing a little research I realized it is non-native and can be aggressive.  It spreads by sending out runners and will choke out weeds, but also your more desirable plants too.  As with many non-natives, if you don't want it to spread you must be very vigilant about cutting it back.

Even though it is an "evil" non-native, I have to admit everything about this flower is cute...from its adorable shape to its interesting name.  While looking up periwinkle I discovered it shares its name with a small edible sea snail called the common periwinkle or winkle (Littorina littorea).  The word "winkle" is also a verb which means "To pry, extract, or force from a place or position. Often used with out."  There is an interesting discussion here about the name and I liked their suggestion that both the snail and the flower are difficult to extract. 

I also discovered it is sometimes called pennywinkle (my favorite), blue buttons, creeping myrtle, wilk, cutfingers, cockles (another mollusk reference!) and in Italy, centochhio, "the hundred eyes" for its "impressive mass of blooms that peer out from the plant’s foliage" (source: Gardening Central.org).

Redbud Tree Flowers

 
The redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) around my house have been especially bountiful this year.  I took this photo yesterday in my neighbor's yard because he has a tree with low branches.  I love the way the flowers come right off the branches.  Apparently the flowers are edible and the bark can be used to treat everything from upset stomach to fever to congestion.  I will probably not be boiling bark infusions any time soon, but I am open to tasting a flower or two.  I'll let you know how that goes.  In the meantime I am signing off to go lay in the hammock!

Spring Table

Spring has sprung early this year and I am loving it!  The other night we hosted the Xavier Bridge Marathon at our house and it was so warm we were able to play out on the screened porch.  I randomly grabbed this vintage pineapple tablecloth and threw it on the old yellow table that we keep on the porch. I think I did a double take when I saw it... just look how the butter yellow legs perfectly pick up the yellow of the pineapple!  All day I kept looking out the window because this little scene made me smile.  Happy Spring everyone!

More Antique Door Knobs!

Alas, this is the end of my Antiques Warehouse posts and I saved my favorite photo for last.  I love the movement created by the beautiful texture of the knob in the foreground, the chipped blue paint of the cart, and the ruddy-colored knob in the back.  Who knew I would develop such door knob obsession?  You just never know where life will take you. (click photo to enlarge)

Bowl of Rust

The day I went to the Antiques Warehouse, Gary's cousin Al was showing me around, helping me move heavier pieces into better light, and making suggestions about interesting pieces.  As I would find something to photograph he would tell me about it's history or some interesting factoid about this or that.  Well, when I saw this bowl full of rusty metal tabs I was super excited.  I love how the orange rust contrasts with the bluish grey color of the tabs...so wabi sabi!  Al's only comment was, "I was with you until now."  We'll see what Al says when he sees the photo.  Maybe he'll still think I'm crazy, but maybe he will fall in love with this bowl of rust like I did.

Antique Hooks

It was hard to leave the Antiques Warehouse because I kept seeing things I thought were interesting.  I was on my way out the door when I spied this old board with these incredible hooks.  All that beautiful repetition was like a Vanessa magnet (that perforated circle motif is just too much!).  It's amazing I ever made it out of there!

Antique Faucet Handles

I love the shape of these old faucet handles from the Antiques Warehouse...they remind me of shiny metal jacks.  They also remind me of the faucet handles we had in Houston.  For some reason they said "chaud" and "froid" for hot and cold and I always had to think twice when I used them.

Below is a photo of the last large room photo I have of the warehouse.  I had to use a really long exposure on all of the large room photos because the lighting conditions were so low.  They aren't perfect photos but I wanted to post them to give you an idea of the vast expanse of the warehouse.

I love these old lanterns in the photo below.  When I used to study bears in NC we had to use lanterns at night and I was always terrible at lighting them.  But they do give a beautiful, homey kind of light that is particularly nice during a damp, rainy night.

This last photo is one of my favorites (click on it to enlarge).  Of course I love the goldish knob that is the focal point, but look at the green one in the background!  And the knob at the bottom left has a nautical motif that looks like the wheel at the helm of a ship.  If I were a set designer for the Pirates of the Caribbean I would have used this knob on Captain Jack Sparrow's bedroom.  No one would ever notice but that is the kind of crazy-detailed set designer I would be.

If I owned all these knobs I would start a vintage doorknob blog where a different knob is featured every day and I would come up with a story about the perfect placement for each and every one of them. OK, now you think I'm crazy, but I am crazy-in-love with these doorknobs!

Vintage Industrial Lighting

While at the Antiques Warehouse I came across these awesome green beauties.  We have exposed brick in our basement and someday I would like to redo the basement and use old industrial lights like these. 

The photos below show another crazy view of the warehouse, a pile of antique pulleys (which I think could be turned into awesome lighting like this), and some old glass bottles getting some sun.

Antique Door Plates

These door plates were laying next to the door knobs from the previous entry and again, each one is a work of art!  It makes me wonder about the person who made the original design and how one might go about actually making these plates.  

Below are photos of yet another room in the Antiques Warehouse, a box of eagle finials, and a miscellaneous tray of wooden knobs.  I love the randomness of it all. 

Vintage Door Knobs

Out of all the objects at the Antiques Warehouse these old door knobs were my favorite thing to photograph.  Each one is like a work of art!  Can you imagine if all of the door knobs in your house like this?  It would be awesome!

The photo below shows the second floor.  One of the things I love about the warehouse are these incredible beams you see here. 

While I was there Gary pulled out a thin case which contained this vintage anatomical chart.  How cool is that?  Maybe it's the biologist in me, but I loooooooooove  this.  It reminds me of the fifth grade in Mrs. Penquite's class where we had a 3-D model of the human body and we could take out all the plastic organs.

And if you ever need a replacement vintage glass light shade look no further. The shapes of these looked like jellyfish to me, but I have had jellyfish on my brain lately.

I added this last photo because I love the way the light illuminates the glass of these shades.  The photo seems so quiet, soft, and ghostly.

Check back again soon...more on the way!

Antiques Warehouse Cincinnati

Yesterday I spent half the day photographing whatever caught my eye at the Antiques Warehouse in Camp Washington, Cincinnati.  The warehouse is owned by avid collector, Gary Neltner ("avid" being the understatement of the century!) and the "collection" takes up three floors of one warehouse and two floors of another.  I could have spent days..., no weeks..., no years taking photos there.  It is probably the best kept secret in Cincinnati if you are interested in antiques.  They carry anything and everything - lighting, hardware, architectural salvage, furniture, signage, movie props, garden artifacts, ironwork, tools, ...you name it, they've got it.  You can visit their ebay store or you can visit the warehouse (but call Gary to make sure he will be there 513-319-5405)

When I got home from the warehouse and downloaded my photos I realized there were so many I wanted to share I will have to post them over the next week or so.  So check back this week for more (and more and more and more!). (Click photos to enlarge.)