Picnics & Peonies
I was browsing the Design category of my Google Reader feeds one night recently and came across this post by Kylie of Paper Boat Press (her blog being a longtime favourite of mine, Instinct & Grace). Kylie's ceramics and books have been picked up by stockists such as Donna Hay in Australia & Anthropologie overseas...this alone is an indication of how recognised her work is. But all that aside, what I love most is the simplicity of her writing and the pieces she makes. My favourite posts to read on blogs are those that capture a peek into the everyday lives of other people (especially creative types). In this one (and the email she sent me to go with it) she talks about giant moments of sadness and celebration, inter-dispersed with the little things that make up her every day....and a bouquet of peonies sent by her best friend photographed in her studio above.
The peonies reminded me of a store I visited in Daylesford recently, where I didn't take nearly enough photos, so the above is only a tiny slice of the gorgeous stuff they have available. It's called Peonies and Picnics...I love that name. It's actually the store that shares a space with Ego's Culinaria, which I have raved about here. We sat on the footpath next to a vintage bike to have lunch because our dog was with us that day. The owners of the stores either side of Ego's took a coffee break on the next table, their dogs wearing bandannas sniffed their way up and down the footpath in the afternoon sun.
Sensing a theme I started browsing peony related finds on Etsy and picked my favourites above. I'm thinking about getting a desk in the corner of our spare room as a place other than the dining room table to spread out all my blogging related stuff & crafty materials (aka mess)...so I'm quietly pinning workspaces and browsing Etsy for potential inspiration board additions for my currently imaginary blogging corner. I'm loving that blue mason jar in the print by Finding Focus (blog), and am also browsing wall decals a little bit obsessively...who knew there were peony related wall stickers at Tweet Art Wall Art (blog). I was also taken by these Parisian Peonies by Georgianna Lane (blog), and can never go past anything letterpress...how beautiful is this invitation by Flora & Fauna.
Of course what eye candy spree would be complete without stopping by Pinterest. The only source I could find for the above is the logo by Lukasz Ruszel. Those burnt orange peonies are just stunning. I think I might nominate them as my favourite flower...I'm not a very flowery person by nature (note: if husband is reading this, I will always ALWAYS accept random bouquets...especially when they arrive at work ;) ) but I do love the simplicity of these, and the small window of time they're available each year makes them all the more special. All this from a flower I've never actually seen in real life....hope you enjoyed this little collection of online finds as much as I had choosing them.
Digital resources: paper by Biograffiti, label by Paislee Press, font called Jacki (I found in Photoshop)