Sunday, January 31, 2010

artful leaves

laser carving,laser cutting,laser art,leaf art,leaf,leaves,nature
the first article i read about these artful leaves said that each one was painstaking carved by hand...then i read another one that said they were done with a laser: i believe that one.

Friday, January 29, 2010

California Carnivores


Sonoma County-based nursery,
California Carnivores cultivates plants that thrive on creepy crawlers. they have a large selection of  Venus flytraps, bladderworts, sundews, and butterworts: the selection can be overwhelming, but the mini windowsill collection is a good place to start. plants arrive in a heavy-duty pot in a mixture of soil, sand, and moss, and are guaranteed alive upon delivery. each comes with a growing and cultivation tip sheet...just add dead bugs.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

how to share your extra plants

This OSUSOWAKE (which means sharing in Japanese) planter uses a new lightweight material called Puffcal to grow plants. Once the seedlings sprout, you can cut up and divide the material to distribute to friends and family.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

stunning beauty


i found the wonderful ethereal photos of vlad on etsy.

Monday, January 25, 2010

what to do with extra produce


extra fruits and vegetables are always a problem: you can eat, cook, freeze, store and give an abundance away, yet there always seems to be too many that rot before you can do something with them...an option i had NOT thought of was...instruments: fruit and vegetable musical instruments! invite your friends over...pull out some power tools...and make sweet music! why not?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

japanese garden in 3-d

t. enami,stereoview,stereotype,3-d,3-d animation,gif animation,gardening,japanese gardens
photographer t. enami shot images of meiji period japan for viewing through a stereoscope..modern animators ran these stereoviews through a gif program to reveal their 3-d-ness without dual spectacles.
see more wonderful garden and landscape images from enami on pink tentacle.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

the cutting edge: bicycle lawnmowers


this year's goals include losing weight and getting rid of the front lawn: this bicycle-mower-combo could help me achieve them, no?
see more here on treehugger.

Monday, January 18, 2010

plastic fantastic


this is fantastic plastic furniture for the garden-yes outdoors! im sure a gold sofa isnt everyone's cup of tea, but many colors are available, as are additional designs.
i like the gold: it's very unexpected!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

super fog


the rain ended and the fog moved in.
very pea soup-ish!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

waiting for rain

 

nice day for now
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Thursday, January 14, 2010

steampunk tree house



sixty bay-area artists collaborated on this interative steampunk tree house fabricated for coachella. it rocks!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

outdoor fireplace and play space


norwegian designers Haugen/Zohar Architects came up with this fantastic design fabricated of construction debris (discarded ends of pine planks). designed like a large chimney, it is the place for storytelling and what-not.

Monday, January 11, 2010

vintage watering can


the mister ran over one of my vintage watering cans: he's calling it art:(

Sunday, January 10, 2010

garden bench


i love this handcrafted bench from raymentwire.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

frigid weather


we received another dusting of snow friday. temperatures did not get above 30° today and with the wind, it feels like 19°!
the dog actually turned around to go back home during our morning walk.

Friday, January 8, 2010

happy birthday elvis!


today is elvis' birthday and i just love those crazy old movies with all the fab go go dancers in fringed outfits!
so, here is something garden-y in honor of
the king: enjoy!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

comic books & plant store


out to lunch in delray today and stumbled upon a combination plant and comic book store: what? yeah...it has clearly been there for a while...the door doesnt open very wide, so the proprietor stuck a plant stand with mini succulents and cacti in the entry where the door would normally swing open...the interior was filled-every inch-with comic books and memoriabilia. there was a pretty good selection of vintage zines!
i didnt get the name, though.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

moss ring

what a charming ring!

why i dont totally hate winter

yeah: i am a winter hater! i grew up in the berkeley and when i wanted to see snow, we drove to it...which was never cuz i hated the cold and frankly, we were too poor to go skiing. now, i live in dc and i cant believe i live in a place that has "winter"...its only been 30+ years here. ugh: its just the beginning and i am complaining already: not cool! the good thing about the mid-atlantic is, it is not usually so miserably nasty: january usually has at least one 60+ degree day-sometimes 70-; and flowers will be blooming in february; and then its done. if i didnt have a dog and was not forced to be outside daily, i would be completely miserable here. so, i look for the good parts. like, the leaves are all down, exposing the true beauty of the trees: their structure and composition.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

new year's weekend on the chesapeake bay

new year's weekend on the chesapeake bay was a cold one...
but we all survived. the wind is still gusting to +50 npr and much damage has been done to properties facing the potomac river. it has been so difficult walking the dogs in 20°f with these crazy artic winds, especially with miss chase being 15 or 16 (she is a stray so we dont have an exact date of birth), but we did it...and it is done.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

day 2: design something every day

in my shop i have a ton of half thought out projects on my work bench and inspiration i store in glass jars...but here in the woods i have nothing: no silver; no copper wire; no tools or gemstones, nothing! i bought a sketch pad at the dollar store yesterday and have found objects to incorporate into my #daily365 designs. today, a piece of driftwood became a cuff bracelet. i was going to set the wood into a bezel or prong set it, but then i found a hole perfect for setting on a spike on what i see as it's bottom. the texture of this driftwood is very beautiful and forms lovely, swirling patterns, so i want to cover up as little as possible. there are a number of holes in the driftwood which i plan on setting balled fine silver wires. so there is my idea for 01-02-2010 (happy palindrome day, btw!)...details to be worked out in the shop.

day 1: design something every day

smashing magazine recently challenged designers to design something every day: take 15-20 minutes usually spent surfing the web and use it to design something-anything-everyday. so, true to my new year's resolutions, i designed something...a ring inspired by the plastic aerator from one of my vintage watering cans and all of the lob-lolly pine needles covering my yard: it fits into my herban elements collection of nature inspired art jewelry. the ring shank will be formed from a lost wax cast tree stamen; the aerator will be replicated in domed and drilled sterling silver and real pine needles (at least for the photo) will adorn it. everything else will have to be worked out in the shop. cool...day one is done...i have to do another today, dont i?

Friday, January 1, 2010

my new year's resolution

i dont usually make actual new year's resolutions: i did a "mission statement" years ago after pestering from "seven habits of highly effective people" author steven covey. the mission statement serves as a road map for lifelong goals, and keeps my disorganized self on the correct path, according to me. i re-read it every month and update it at the new year. it works for me, so i stick with it! but, this year-2010-i am making a few short term goals and taking on some individual projects.
1. finish the construction drawings and begin construction for the renovation of my little 110-year old farm house
2. landscape design plan for same with an emphasis on edible plants/shrubs/trees
3. daily stretch
4. design something new EVERY DAY for 365 days
5. post daily to all four of my blogs
6. attend to my sad little dawanda shop
7. work on herban elements and high contrast: my two etsy shops
8. improve the master gardner app for iphone and itouch
9. improve my cooking knowledge/techniques
10. fabricate new line of jewelry monthly
so, i also have to lose a bunch of weight, but no need to actually write that one down.

happy new year

starting the new year off right with a bloody Mary and a looney toons marathon.
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