what's in a name?

Billy buttons! So spring! Who knew such a little flower could have so many names? Billy buttons, billy balls, Australian bachelor buttons and drumstick flower. Their proper name: craspedia globosa or pycnosorus globosa.
each photo is linked to their source:

A little bit about billy buttons: They are a perennial wildflower of New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania. You can buy them as seeds to plant in the United States. These tall textured flowers would make a great addition to a garden. Depending on the zone you live in, the seeds can be perennial(grow back yearly) in the south or an annual (needs to be replanted yearly) in the more northern states. Best of all, once you've grown them, they dry easily because of their dense spherical shape.

Interesting fact: In my research I've found they may have been recently reclassified to the genus pycnosorus from the genus craspedia.

Don't forget to enter to win my spring billy button giveaway!

garden state weekend

How was your weekend? Mine was lovely. I went for a long walk in the park on Saturday and worked on a DIY moss cluster tutorial (coming soon). Finally it seems as though spring is around the corner! Garden State Vintage had a lovely weekend too. It was featured on etsy's blog, the storque, twice!

first in esty finds: down the rabbit hole in celebration of Alice in Wonderland:

and second, my favorite etsy blog by iheartmustaches Get The Look: Home Edition. This week it was Retro Renovation:

wow! fun huh. So the store is looking at little barren. I am off to rummage up some more finds!
besos,
christina

sky planters

Have you seen these? Aren't they lovely? Boskke Sky Planters designed by Patrick Morris have turned household plants upside down and given them a new chance in the spotlight without cluttering up counter and floor space. Ingenious. This sounds so wonderful, especially for a small apartment dweller like myself.

The sky planters are specially designed to require less watering, they naturally filter the air around you and bring tranquility to your space. Snag some here.

floresdelsol spring giveaway! CLOSED

Happy March! Its time to brighten things up around here with another free flores del sol giveaway.
Billy button cluster in a petite vintage milk glass lace rim pedestal:

How to enter:
Its easy! Just leave a comment on this post to enter.
Make sure there is a link to contact you or post your email in the comment.

You can double your chances of winning by becoming a follower of this blog, just leave another comment that you are following. If you are already a follower, post another comment to let me know.

Get even more chances of winning by tweeting, facebooking or blogging this giveaway, once again leave a separate comment with each thing you've done.

--Contest open to only US and Canada. Winner will be chosen by random.org
Contest ends April 1st, 2010.

HOORAY for free things!

new finds

here are a few new finds I've added to garden state vintage today:

vintage japanese floral trivet:

vintage avocado canister set:

vintage milk glass vial in floresdelsol:

antique cram's universal terrestrial globe no.105:

be sure to visit on monday when I post the next flores del sol giveaway!

happy weekend,
<3>

design inspitation- houseplant illustrations

There is something about old vintage houseplant books that strike my fancy. Maybe it is because they are intricately illustrated or done with black and white photography. I am sure the fact that they are full of plants has something to do with it too! I love to collect them.

This weekend I was inspired by fern illustrations in my book The Woman's Day Book of House Plants, 1965:

ferns and fiddle heads design for sale here:

I designed it using these amazing preserved rock and lutti andianthum ferns with a few dried fiddle head ferns. The buff cockscomb I used reminds me of the rabbits foot in the second fern illustration. The container is a handcrafted Indian lassi cup. A rare find indeed!

Do old books ever inspire you?

the flower auction of vancouver

The radiant city Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada is all over the media hosting the Winter 2010 Olympics. The city itself is as charming in person as it is on TV. I fell for its charm the moment I arrived on a ferry from Seattle via Victoria (a whole beautiful city post in itself). My trip there was not for skiing the snow capped mountains or touring the unique city but on a horticultural edification!

The Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC via flickr wisdock

Vancouver has an ideal environment for flowers and plants to thrive in. A temperate climate with plentiful rain. It hosts all different types of gardens: Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Winter, Indoor Conservatories and the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria. I was able to visit many and my chlorophyll intake was at a pleasant max as I witnessed all the beauty.

similar auction via amy stewart

My favorite stop was to visit the world's second largest flower auction in Burnaby B.C. It was a very early morning when we met and had a tour before the auction started at 6am. What a sight for sore eyes it was! Petals and rainbows of color everywhere as far as the eye can see, in long cart trains. Miraculous.

gerbera's waiting for the auction

Bidders watch large auction clocks from stadium seating as the product is rolled onto the floor on a long procession of wagon carts. As the bidding clock starts and the prices fall, they bid from electronic pads at their seats. Not only cut flowers are sold this way, but potted plants, flowers in flats, flowering branches, moss, leaves and so much more. It was a well oiled machine and I stood in awe at each buyer wondering what they were purchasing and if they were from a wholesaler, large florist or from a supermarket corporation.

Watching large carts of cut Chinese Lanterns move through the process and being sold was my favorite part. Later that same day, I watched as a downtown Vancouver florist took their wholesale delivery of the same lanterns into their shop to prepare them for sale. Talk about fresh!

me in front of my favorite flores del sol!

The flower auction is a must see if ever in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. Although it is not a tourist attraction, you are allowed to view the spectacle but not purchase flowers.

billy button's new home

Have I told you that I am astounded with how personal the internet can truly be? This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet the purchaser of my craspedia design when I personally delivered it to her home. Melis was so sweet. We chatted for a while and I wished I did not have a place to be or we would have chatted all day. Her home was absolutely gorgeous. Right out of a page of Domino *sigh*, which I still miss getting in my mailbox every month. She has a beautiful blog full of her fashion picks (which are to die for) and it is now on my daily must reads.
a photo of the billy buttons in their new home:

I love that bear print. And she graciously mentioned floresdelsol here and here.

front page

garden state vintage is on etsy's front page right now, check it out:

oh WAIT! The vintage stripped bag just sold!

Thanks Dionne ;)

you must allow me to tell you...

I have recently been on a Jane Austen kick. It seems like it 's the perfect time of year to curl up with one of her books, especially around Valentine's Day. I am currently reading Northanger Abbey and watched the 3 part PBS Masterpiece theater presentation of Emma.
I loved it and highly recommend it!

I coveted Mr. Churchill's brown boots for myself and loved Mr. Elton's disheveled hair. I had never before made the correlation between the story of Emma and the movie Clueless, which I admit is one of my all time favorites. "Wait a minute... I love Josh!!!" vs when Emma finds her hidden love for Mr. Knightley.

Jane Austin is perfect for a romantic valentine's post without going overboard on hearts and flowers ;)

mr. darcy bewitched print by theloveshop

jane austin silhouette tile at cafepress

mr. darcy proposal dish towel by brookish
new edition of Emma by penguin classics
mr. darcy screenprinted towel by elloh
persuasion mug at art meets matter

a happy valentine's day to you!

new in shop

I don't know about where you are, but here in New Jersey we had a blizzard yesterday! I was able to catch up and make some new designs and finish this one from the weekend:

comfort garden #6

petite moss cluster no. 23- I love that I found more milk glass hobnail goblets:

and a pair of vintage wire basket for sale here.

I also made my next giveaway piece! Be sure to check back for it. It will start march 1st.
love,
Christina

new medium -pine palm

It is apparent that the mediums I use are much different than paints on a painter's palette. I love mediums that provide texture, are natural, and sometimes even handmade.

At my local floral wholesaler I was reviewing their dried selection, which to tell you the truth is usually rather obsolete. I came across some interesting palm flowers. It was apparent they have been hanging out there for a while, something I've overlooked in the past. They are long and linear, a style which I normally do not use in my low designs. I figured though if I cut them short at a flower they would look good clustered together.

As I was creating this new design over the weekend and cut into a stem, I realized that these palm pines are intricately handmade. Each dried palm petal is wrapped around the stem with thin thread. After a little research I found out they are handmade in India out of palm fronds. As I cut them they looked rather appealing forming flower shapes that remind me of ranunculus or magnolias. A great new medium to add to my palette.