fresh (paper) flowers

with the fast & dirty arrival of winter, i find myself longing for the sultry days, greenery, and florals of summer. while winter, too, is beautiful, and i have been enjoying the transformation of the local landscape into a winter wonderland, i am not fully prepared for the impending deep freeze and long winter months.

so when i happened upon these clever fresh (paper) flowers from design studio Itunube, i couldn't imagine a more delightful way of passing the Canadian winter. a collection of 32 flowers printed on newsprint, Fresh Flowers was designed by Sandra Bautista not only as a format to catalogue a series of photographed flowers, but also as a way of having a display of flowers on your table everyday, with a different flower for each day of the month. you simply choose one of the flowers, place it as the cover, make a roll with all the pages together, and display it in a vase. brilliant, right?

there is also something wonderfully practical about displaying paper flowers in a vase. not only do they not require water and will not wilt (although i think wilting and decay are part of the beauty of real flowers), but they are also safe for our feline friends. i've been reluctant to bring fresh flowers into the house ever since our cat, Hunter, was poisoned from eating lilies last year and lost one of his nine lives (although he was deathly sick, thankfully he pulled through and recovered!). if you have a cat like ours who will eat any fresh or leafy green thing, bringing fresh flowers into your home can unknowingly put them at risk if they turn out to be toxic. short of finding the perfect non-poisonous flower, perhaps Fresh Flowers is a good solution? 

the newsprint book would also make a lovely gift and is much easier to send by post than natural flowers. it would certainly brighten my day!

all photos courtesy of Itunube. 

a few good things no. 3

amazing and intimate extracts from photographer Mary Rozzi's Parcours 23 project.

naturally-dyed 100% wool gauze from grijs. also, here - full of gorgeous subtleties.

end of meal still life photography by Inês Nepomuceno (via Kinfolk).

snapshot of Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian photographed by Jenelle (via Miss Moss). 

into the woods illustrated card set from the newly launched Our Paper Shop, a collaborative project run by paper and design enthusiasts, Bre Radermacher and Emma Robertson.

sweet little recycled glass teardrop vase from Mignon Kitchen Co., a new carefully curated online shop by Rachel Ball of elephantine.

inspired this this rustic (and gorgeous!) wedding invitation for Elizabeth (Libby) + Dan's wedding (via Poppytalk). photo by Sarah of Arrow & Apple.


as always, xo.

a few good things no. 2

1. i truly appreciated jane's softly, softly post this week. i too wrote about giving way to softer sentiments awhile ago and am increasingly disarming myself, so i immediately felt a kind of fellowship in reading jane's account of exploring her own taste for softer notes.

2. speaking of soft sentiments, i also loved anabela's feature on this week's closet & casa. it is so naturally and perfectly her. i love how anabela's style is so honest and uncontrived, while still inspiring awe. i will be honest in saying that she has undoubtedly influenced me in embracing my softer side in my own particular way, and i don't think i am the only one on whom she has had this effect!

3. in my seemingly never-ending browsing for wedding inspiration, i have recently become enamoured with honey of a thousand flowers. sarah's gorgeous garden aesthetic speaks for itself.

4. rifle paper co. is having a wonderful 25% off calendar sale that continues until monday. i already ordered this botanical beauty.

5. status anxiety's audrey wallet in dark green!

6. i've been slowly collecting antique teacups, and i love this playful idea for displaying art (via Poppytalk).

7. i love the east coast photos from nikole's recent blog post by photographer michael graydon. they are part of a story called "the scent of salted air" in volume two of kinfolk telling of a roadtrip to Prince Edward Island. the sense of atmosphere is perfect.

8. julianna swaney is one of my favourite artist's, so naturally i love her wedding invitation design for the recentlly launched one handspun day. while the collection is a little too soft and feminine for andew and me, i love it nonetheless, and i'm sure that it will make the right couple's hearts flutter.

9. gorgeous coral silk chiffon 1920s flapper dress from the ever-lovely dear golden.


have a lovely weekend, xo

38 - watercolour-esque

i have been wanting a watercolour-esque printed dress or skirt for awhile now. with only a vague idea of what i wanted in my head, i happily stumbled upon one in a local Montreal thrift store this weekend! not only are the muted green & dusty rose, thick cotton, and pleats gorgeous, but it's a perfect fit.

here's a collection of watercoloury goodness inspired by my new find: 

beachcombing and seaweed botanical watercolour prints by studio tuesday

watercolour petals dinnerware by artist Shelley Hesse for Anthropologie



watercolour save the date collaboration between love jenna and swiss cottage designs



Anthropologie Artist's Rendering Dress

watercolour note cards by rifle paper co.



hand painted silk inkblot coral tee by rachel rose

Louche Mollie watercolour dress from Joy

watercolour wedding invitations from the movements collection by artist Kristy Rice of Momental Designs

Rose lady fine art print of an original watercolour & gouach collage by Luci Everett (available in her print shop: paper soup).

28 - paperie: handmade wedding card

my cousin is getting married this weekend (so excited!), so i threw together this homemade card with supplies i already had kicking around. they are a musical couple and play together in a band (he plays guitar and she has a wonderfully sweet, sultry, and rugged voice), so when i happened upon the sheet music paper, i thought it would make a fitting theme. i also couldn't resist the neutral (and natural) colours....

they are absolutely perfect together and warm my heart. i am so happy for them. cheers Lindsey and Leslie!

15 - Mother's Day collection: wood and floral

Mother's Day is quickly approaching, but it's not too late to snag a lovely handmade card to show your mom (or mother-in-law) how much you love and appreciate her! here are a few of my favourite finds:

1. letterpress card from spring olive

2. bright and cheery floral card from rifle paper

3. night owl paper good's sustainably-harvested sign of love wood card 

4. eco-friendly "mom" bunting card from figs and ginger

5. original, handpainted card by kate's papergoods