croton leaf

It fell off my croton plant that I've pinched back to promote lateral growth. The veins in the sunlight are gorgeous. 

the ultimate moss mound

via pinterest via mathra stewarts blog

found in martha stewarts maine home, the skylands. im speechless!

a great idea for next year in my birdbath

moss carpet

La Chanh Nguyen's moss carpet. Not your typical bathmat. The moss mat is sustained by the humidity of the bathroom and moisture that drips off you as you step out of the shower. At my house it would be over watered though by the splashing waves from my little girls during their bath time.

I bet it feels heavenly under your toes though. Just look at all that soft texture.

lifes of grass

stunning. can you believe this? Maybe it's because all my grass is under 2 feet of snow (well now more like a big white iceberg), but I cant stop looking at these. They are absolutely breathtaking. Horticulture mixes with art to form these modern sculptures.

via- paradis express

Mathilde Roussel-Giraurdy's lifes of grass.

Exhibited at the 2010 Crossing the Line FIAF Festival at Invisible Dog Gallery, Brooklyn, NY and at the French Institute Alliance Française FGH Theater hall, NY and at Brooklyn Utopias: Farm City at The Old Stone House Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

"Through these anthropomorphic and organic sculptures made of soil and wheat grass seeds, I strive to show that food, it's origin, it's transport, has an impact on us beyond it's taste. The power inside it affects every organ of our body. Observing nature and being aware of what and how we eat makes us more sensitive to food cycles in the world - of abundance, of famine - and allows us to be physically, intellectually and spiritually connected to a global reality."

found friday: papercut prints

Stunning papercut prints by etsy artist elsita. I could not pick just one to post. I love the intricate and pleasant woodland feel mingled with fairytale like scenes and imaginative stories in each print. My favorite is the 3rd one down titled children and deer. Each are so pleasing to the eye!

I am off for a little weekend to Virginia to see family. Enjoy your weekend!

flower ID: coleus

Coleus makes a great cut flower. With colorful Indian summer tones, it is no wonder that my three year old daughter pulled these out of our neighbors little patch of flowers last week. At first, I was mad at her for picking flowers that do not belong to us, until I saw that more good was actually done than bad. Pinching back coleus encourages a more bushier plant. Plus the little sprigs made her so happy and have brightened up our kitchen table for over a week now.

coleus cuttings via joeysplantings on flickr

Coleus are so easy to take cuttings of and propagate. Our little sprigs already have long enough roots to place in soil and grow a new plant. Once growing outdoors they are very hearty in both shade and sun and are perfect in container plantings as an alternative texture to flowers.

image via better homes and gardens july 2010

stroll in the park

via vouge

C'est magnifique !

a little carnivorous break

Running low on moss and pottery for my shop, I recently headed to my favorite supply destination. A quaint cluster of greenhouses nestled up a hill off a busy New Jersey route. I also needed a little time to myself to wander and stare at the isles of tropical foliages, variegated striped leaves and interesting textures. A little rejuvenation from the mundane pool, park and grocery store routine that ensues my days each week. Because I was free of toddlers and sticky fingers, I could finally wander the isles of pottery, house plants and scrounge around the basket barn.
These plants caught my eye and left me staring.

nepenthes or pitcher plant. A carnivorous plant, straight out of the jungles of planet earth. Their pitcher shaped cups hold digestive juices that feed on unsuspecting insects that fall victim to their design. The are found in the tropics of many regions like Thailand, Madagascar, Sumatra, Philippines and now... your local green house.

These tiny zesty plants called nertera. So cute no?

I found it interesting that the nertera plant must sit in a few inches of water continually in order to live. Over watering and sitting in constant water is the biggest mistake that black thumbs make when it comes to house plants. Stagnant water rots plant roots and ultimately drowns the plant. But these nerteras thrive on the sitting water, making them therefore hard to over water. The impossibility to over water ultimately makes a great and simple houseplant to keep alive, as long as it has a little sun to keep it's bright orange beaded fruit cheerful . How modern their tiny clusters of berries are.

and ah yes, the beautiful crowd pleaser! lovely flowering succulents, echeveria-hens and chicks

mid summer motions

summertime is

all of the above.
designs by musubi

new in shop

I am trying my best to get some new things in the shop! I will be making more today, but here are two from this past week, moss cluster no. 34 and raspberry garden which is made out of preserved raspberry cockscomb. A textural bliss!

moss walls

Something about this heat wave in the North East has made be sluggish and running to the pool everyday with my little girls to cool off . It's also my excuse for the lack of a posts this week. It's just too hot around these parts! Here is some calming moss eye candy I fully enjoyed:

via designsponge

The veins of dried moss are designed by Asami Kiyokawa a famous Japanese artist for Oki Sato of Nendo. The moss texture forms a 3 dimensional wallpaper look while incorporating the mossy textures from their outdoor environment to the indoor without the little critters, mold and browning. The dried moss pattern is meticulously done and neither fully natural nor artificial... a lot like the preserved moss designs I create in my shop!

craspedia for sale!

New! Currently in the shop, I am selling dried craspedia. Craspedia is also known as Billy Balls, Billy Buttons or drumstick flowers. They have many great uses for projects, photo props or decor display and are all over the design scene. For more ideas look here.

Billy buttons have wonderful long stems that can be cut to your desired height. They come in a bunch of roughly 30-40 heads of all different sizes and a stem length of up to 16 inches for $18 a bunch! A bouquet of billy buttons would make a lovely gift delivered, just let me know and I will include a note and gift wrap. Buy the craspedia here.

air plants

I know you have seen these around lately, they have burst out into the design scene, especially in terrariums. They are back from the 70's.

Tillandsia or commonly known as air plants. They need no soil because their water and nutrients are absorbed through their leaves. No soil = no watering= hard to kill, therefore making their creative possibilities endless!

Air plants are found in the desert and mountains of Central and South America, Mexico and the desert areas of the Southern United States. Being a native north eastern girl myself, I would love to see them thriving in their natural habitat. These plants are in the family bromeliad (a common plant found in many malls) but not all bromeliads are air plants, many bromiliad plant varieties need soil to thrive.

one of mine sprouted a beautiful flower!

Interesting facts: They are used as an main ingredient in Allerplex, an herbal remedy to treat seasonal pollen allergies. The common spanish moss used in floral and plant design is also a tillandsia.

Flores del sol DIY Project:

a tillandsia centerpiece

What you'll need:
-a few varieties of tillandsia- they are relatively cheap and found all over the internet like tortoise loves donkey on etsy. I got mine from airplantcity, but be sure to ask for them wrapped carefully, mine were rolling around in the box.
-beans- I used Great Northern beans, I liked the contrast of the white.
-a long wooden planter

No mess, no soil, no hot glue: Poor the beans into the planter and nestle your tillandsia into place. Enjoy and soak your tillandsia in luke warm water for an hour once every two weeks or more. They are very forgiving if you are a little forgetful.

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.