Herb Garden.

Apartment living means knocking pretty much everything down in scale.  Someday, I'll have a lavish, sprawling vegetable, fruit and flower garden that supplies us with fresh produce all summer long.  But for now, whatever fits on our windowsill and survives my anti-green thumb is all we've got.   

I picked up a few new herbs at the Green City Market last weekend, and because I like complicating everything, I decided to whip up some flags for the "garden."  Just a little bit of card stock, a very light green watercolor base, toothpicks and some basic calligraphy (still lots to improve on), and I was in business.

And I'm happy to report all 3 herbs are still alive and well and even growing!

xo. di.

*images property of Diane Crary

green thumb.

inspired by the abundance of terrariums popping up around the blogopshere, in particular the adorable creations of terriplanty, i decided to use some of c's "toys" to whimsy up some of our houseplants. 

yes, that is a lego lord of the rings up there in the middle.  c embraces the peter pan "never grow up" mantra whole-heartedly.  one of the many things i love about him, even if it means displaying lego sets occasionally ;)

xo. di.

*images by diane crary

friday free for all: in the garden.

c and i are heading to my family lake house in northern michigan this weekend (which we have recently lovingly nicknamed the very apt "the yellow house").  but don't mistake this for a leisurely weekend by the lake: this is another working weekend, with lots of mulching and landscaping and garage-cleaning to be done.  i think i've mentioned before that the yellow house is the site of my sister's wedding in just over a month, so, ya know, the game faces are on.  

i'm pretty sure we won't look as lovely as the gardener above, nor will our wheelbarrows be full of anything that pretty.  but this wouldn't be a blog if i didn't pretty it up a little bit ;)

have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

*image 1,2

green thumb.

i have a secret dream of someday having a greenhouse.  the idea of being surrounded by flowers in the middle of winter is irresistible.  if i had my pick, i'd like one in a clearing in the middle of the woods, attached to a little cottage perhaps (with 7 dwarf roommates?!  lol), but that's the fairy-tale obsessed romantic in me. 

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take a peek at some of my favorite greenhouse images...

crisp and fresh design

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bright and cheery interiors

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whimsical structures

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mysterious and eerie

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what would you like?!

xo. di.

how does your garden grow?

i have been looking for an excuse to post the phenomenal embroidery work of jillian tamaki for penguin classics.  poppies found in coordinating colors?!  sure, that'll work!

there's more! see jillian's other penguin covers and a few in-progress photos here.

xo. di.

*image 1& 3 via jillian tamaki, image 2 & 4 via besotted brand blog

tulips for tuesday.

would you like to see something pretty darn cool today?  you probably would, right?  well, here you go: the tulip fields of holland!

according to the daily mail, 3 billion tulips are grown each year on over 10,000 hectares (and yes, i did have to research how big a hectare is!).  cool, yes?  now all i want to do is  go get myself a bunch!

xo. di.

*images via lemmemakeit, discovered via poppytalk

secret garden.

the children's book mandy by julie andrews edwards* left a lasting impression on me, just as kathleen kelly said it would.  i desperately wanted my own secret cottage, surrounded by a whimsical garden.  i even turned my mom's vegetable garden into a flower garden for a few summers in elementary/middle school (and managed to keep most of them alive, something i can't seem to do as a grown-up.  hm.).  it couldn't quite compare to these, however:

just how i always pictured mandy's seashell cottage.  suddenly i'm 10 years old again.  bliss.

"it's all imaginary anyway.  that's why it's important.

people only fight over imaginary things."

-neil gaiman 

xo. di.

  

*yes, julie andrews edwards is THAT julie andrews, a.k.a. mary poppins.  she also wrote the last of the really great whangdoodles, another of my absolute favorite children's books.  i've got a special place in my heart for that woman. 

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grow.

before...

growing

and after...

cut and displayed in my apt

these pretty daffodils were a gift from my friend kristen, and she grew them in the backyard of her chicago condo.  how i wish i had a space like this too... although let's be honest, the many plants i've brought home (and subsequently killed) would agree: i do not possess a green thumb.

how does your garden grow?

schones wochenende!

xo. di. 

ps for more loveliness from kristen, be sure to check out her blog, a little ditty.  kristen also happens to be the  sister of alissa at 33 shades of green, who still has that lovely apron giveaway going on until monday!