les pays-bas (the netherlands)

i am someplace in the netherlands right about now, no doubt taking a bagillion photographs of flowers.

but while i’m gone, check out the style files, a blog based in the netherlands.
also, make sure to look out for amsterdam made by hand by pia jane bijkerk, which comes out sometime this month.

the water lilies of giverny

the other day i took a trip outside of paris to giverny, where you can find monet’s house and gardens.  i was amazed at just how much his painting resemble the life he had there.
it was so beautiful, i would have painted the water lilies too.

happy may day

happy may day!

does anyone have any plans to dance around the may pole? no?
well, traditionally may day marks the last of winter in the northern hemisphere and is a time for celebration.  in france, king charles IX would give all the ladies of the court a lily of the valley on this day…. and it is still customary to give them to loved ones.   so much so that it is even legal to sell them free of taxation today.  which explains why i saw people walking around with flowers all day.

images via the city sage and saipua.

sunday morning

that’s all.

colors of the day

here are some images of colors that feel like today.

and a book that will help you make some colors of your own.

printing by hand.

images: bauhaus design (via lolita blog), unknown, unknown

flower school

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flower arranging is a real art form… it’s a lot harder then it looks.

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so why not take a floral arrangement class from two very talented girls in brooklyn?

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flower school with sarah and nicolette

jardin du luxembourg

what strikes me about the jardin du luxembourg gardens is how very different they are from central park in new york.  in comparison, they are highly manicured with abundant flowers and grass that has not be trampled by footprints or sunbathing bodies…. as the grassy areas are fenced off from public use.  this takes part of the beauty out of large public gardens for me, but they do have a plethora of chairs that you can move around and enjoy reading a book or simply relax and put up your feet.  i found myself in one such chair for an entire afternoon, reading and people watching. i wonder what central park would look like if people weren’t allowed to wander freely.  both parks however, have an area unofficially deemed for model sailboat sailing when the weather is fine.

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happy weekend everyone.

image by laura resen.

saturday morning at the farmer’s market

my mom (the tall blonde next to the grapes, hi mom!) and i headed to the saturday morning farmers market here in santa barbara, where we had wheatgrass shots, listened to bluegrass, and of course, sampled the goods.

everyone has their own favorite strawberry stand or guy that they buy their tomatoes from.  they come here to buy roasted almonds, lavender oils and fresh seafood.  the protocol for baskets even differs as much as the people who carry them… some push carts, some  carry hand-woven baskets, and the lucky ones have filled-to-the-brim radio flyers.

don’t fret if you are busy saturday mornings, however, as the market moves to the lower half of state street on tuesday afternoons.

it’s a good thing.

today, as many of you might already know, is my last day at work.  as with any job, there were both good and bad things, but ultimately, there wasn’t a day that i wasn’t surrounded by inspiring images, things and most of all incredibly talented and creative people.

this picture was taken at my last photo shoot, and gives a small example of the beautiful things i was surrounded by here on any ordinary day.

i am looking forward to incorporating everything i’ve learned and done here into my continual education in design, but more importantly, i am excited to now move on to the next adventure.