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Remember today is the last day to sign up for The Easter Bunny's Chicks Easter Swap! And for all of you who have already joined please remember to send me your adress details today (If you have'nt already done so ;-)! I'll send out the swap partners 1st of March, and I'll also update The Easter Bunny's Chicks site with the participants!
Have fun and enjoy crafting!!
A Hasty Collage by me ;-) Sources described in text.
I've always been fascinated by scientific illustrations, so much that I even took a class several year ago.. However I quickly discovered that I had neither the patience, nor a talent for it ... I constantly find inspiration in scientific nature illustrations, and Its my most trusted source when nothing else works for me! The wonderful shapes of nature, the skill and attention to details of the artists are both major parts of my fascination. My favorite artist is Ernst Haeckel (Two plates in the middle) You can read more about him, and see several of his amazing plates at Marine Biological Library or take a look at these beauties at Panteek. (Obs! You'll get lost in this site for weeks!)
Egg Prints Panteek.com
I found the two frogs at the gorgeous online collection of Zoological Illustrations at Museum Victoria. These two I actually made into cute gift tags some time ago. I've also used Botanical illustrations on gift wrapping paper and cards, and I'm very fond of using the black and white line drawings. Good sources are NAL, Gallica or simply Google Botanical illustrations :-) I'm so eager to share this inspiration with you, and I hope you are enjoing it as much as I do! Take a look at the collection of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. One more thing; Go visit The George Glazer Gallery ! You'll see many scientific prints of all kinds, and a lot of other weird and wonderful things!!
Haeckel prints Panteek.com
So...when did I decide to make a garden blog?! As far as I can remember; never ...but look at my blog! Since January I've been completely obsessed with flowers and gardening .... and for the past week it has advanced into a new stage .....the obsession is complete! This happens to me every year though, from early Spring to mid Summer I get obsessed with gardening, then from late Spring until October Interiors and design overtakes my mind, and then from October I'm a craft obsessed girl .... I'm truly sorry for those of my readers visiting me in the wrong season....If you're looking for Interior inspiration you'd better come back after the summer.... I'm diagnosed with Seasonal Obsessive Disorder , anyone else?
As theraphy I'll change the theme to something else today ;-)
All Images Elle Decor (Oct 07) featuring Michelle Smiths appartment.
I so admire people who live and breath their style! I do'nt ! On the outside I'm a black, white and grey girl ...The color palette of my house and wardrobe are the same ; Black, White and Grey. (Not so much White in the closet any longer though, as It's not quite working with the black dogs ;-))
My alter ego M, living inside this blog, is much more open to colors! Her appartment would be bursting with bold colors, much like Michelle Smiths gorgeous appartment! Or maybe that of Rosa De La Cruz!
Elle Decor Feb 08
I'm sure she is far more adventurous clotheswise as well....
Dress NeimanMarcus.com Dog Collars Callingalldogs.com
M is the kind of girl who would wear this gorgeous bright pink Tibi Silk Chiffon Dress from Neiman Marcus, and her dogs I'm sure are dressed accordingly !
On a good day Me and M collaborates, and end up with beautiful, eclectic ideas; mixing modern, classic and vintage, funky and elegant . And that's how I like it, a bit of this and that, which together gives me a style that after all, is only mine! I'll never be one of those "perfect" stylish girls, as I've too many alter egos inside; loving anything from Shabby Chic, Formal Elegance, Minemalism to Maximalism etc , and blogging has introduced me to even more alter egos loving all your beautiful different styles!
Have you visited Petersham Nurseries? Its a dream of mine ... in the meantime you should drop by their website...its sooo lovely! Under the gallery sections you'll find the most amazing photos that will transport you there in seconds!! I particular love the work by photographer David Loftus His webpage is definitly worth a visit! His beautiful photos are organized by moods, and its pure eye candy!! At the moment he is my favourite photographer !
I don't understand where my weekend went? I've had a wonderful weekend crafting, cleaning, watching tv and hanging out with my babies; Hector & Luna , and now its nearly over, already! Above are some pictures of my crafts in progress. I've been searching for materials at my parents house, and I found some beautiful white flowers that I'm going to put to use. I've painted several easterchicks white, and some of them have got a brush of green glitter. Nothing is finished tough as I keep adding and removing things all the time..hihi ...
Here is a picture of me and my baby Hector :-) Isn't he adorable? Actually, he and I have the same weight ..not telling you what (!!) , but he's a big boy :-) This picture was taken inside a parking lot where we sometimes train obedience when its raining outside.
I have'nt been visiting your blogs for somedays now, and I think I'm addicted, as I soo miss you all already! I'm going to have a look around and see what all you girls (and boys) have been up too! How come the majority of us are girls? Is there something genetically? I know my husband hate crafting, and when it comes to the interior he is mostly concerned about the TV, stereo and speakers ;-)
Today I want to share my best blog tips; Gimp! This is an open source photo editing program (similar to Photoshop) and the great thing is that its free! Actually I think its even better than Photoshop, as I prefer the Gimps interface, and tools. I use it for everything ; Usually I Improve my photos composition, color, light etc, resize my images, make collages, create banners etc. 
The only problem I have is that I want to keep my blog stylish and somewhat elegant ...but I'm easily tempted to overdo things... Take a look above ;-)!! I made this image to show you an example on how you can use Gimp. Here I've resized the image, adjusted the light, and addd a frame combined of two brushes : acme_graphics_filigree16, and sanami276_floralbrush. The brushes I've found at DevianArt were they can be downloaded for free. Gimp itself can be downloaded for free at Gimp.org You'll find many great tutorials on using Gimp on the net, and I think its definitly worth trying as its so much fun, and you can add that extra something to your blog :-)
Thank God Its Friday!! I'm gonna have a quiet weekend at home, cleaning, crafting and having fun with my new camera! The husband is away, and I have made no plans at all. I like beeing alone, maybe its because I'm an only child? I'm not sure why, but I never feel lonely or get bored, I must admit it, I really enjoy my own company! ;-) Anyone else feeling that way?
My forced narcissius are blooming! So cheerful! The easter egg was a gift from my husband. He knows I'm obsessed with eggs so sometimes he'll bring me back something eggshaped. So sweet! The soup terrine is Pillyvuit, and I've shown it several times before. I think this is my favourite "flower pot" and it looks good with all kinds of flowers, even masses of garden roses in the summer :-) I have it in different sizes, and I'm thinking of getting another one in the same size as the one shown here! (And I eat soup maybe once a year at most ;-) hihi)
As you might have noticed I'm a bit of a Martha Stewart fan ... I love her home esthetics, her clever tips and her craft ideas! On Fem on Monday her show is aired for the first time here in Norway! Be sure not to miss it!! I'm soo looking forward and I've already put my PVR box on record ;-) Ps! Marthas kitchen! :-)
This image from Garden Design 02.08 has inspired me to take a new look at my garden. Since I started gardening a few years back I've been in love with white gardens! I grew up with a mother who had a fantastic multi colored garden, but for me its more about structure, texture and something a bit more understated. My garden was left unkept for over a decade so when I started it was mostly about bringing back the soul of the garden, removing overgrowth, discovering original plants and improve the conditions. Last year I introduced some new plants to the garden to make it my "own."
The surviving original plants were mostly white ; climbing hydrangeas, lilacs, lilly of the valley, snowdrops and a few cherry trees. I've divided and made new plants from several them, and placed them around the garden. Last actumn I planted white lillys, crocuses, tulips, daffodils and hyascints which hopefully will bloom this spring.
But the image from garden design made me want to add more drama to the garden ! I notice that both in my interior and garden I have an urge to add more depth and darkness! My house has slowly tranformed from all white when we moved in, to what it is now, white with a lot of dark furniture, accessories and paintings as contast. I think the same will happend to my garden, starting this summer...
