indoor tabletop garden by kikkerland

pansies are cute, but what with this downright chilly weather in chicago i am wondering if i will ever go outside to plant anything ever again. i suppose i wouldn’t feel as bad if i had this idyllic table garden from the fine folks at kikkerland to practice my gardening skills on in the meantime.

don’t you love the little urns and tidy pathways?

it’s $27 and it’s right here, waiting for me you.

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bocina watering can

i keep my ugly watering can for my houseplants underneath the kitchen sink, but i would strongly reconsider my decision if i had this curvy stainless steel bocina can designed by mikaela dörfel for auerhahn. it is absolutely worthy of a place of honor, somewhere at eye level where i could frequently enjoy it.

i love it when form and function are married so beautifully together!

find it at uncommon goods or pro-idee.

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b+b italia canasta outdoor furniture

it may cost multiple mortgage payments and might be just a tad too low to the ground for me, but i swiftly and deftly defy these challenges to present to you the new canasta collection designer by patricia urquiola for the ubercool b + b italia. patricia designed these gorgeous pieces as a nod to past traditions of woven seating, but exaggerated the loose weave to keep a contemporary edge. the collection is made of lightweight polyethylene for durability in the elements, and is offered with high and low backs in white or bronze with a variety of coordinating pillows.

oh, to be poolside reading something juicy and enjoying the weather around me while sitting on one of these… i love their loose, open weave and how they fit so seamlessly into modern garden spaces. sign me up.

see more beautiful furnishings at the b + b website.

via trendir

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ceramic birdball house from green and blue

multi-disciplinary designers gavin christman and kate knapp of the uk company green and blue have created a sculpturally pleasing birdhouse made of slipcast ceramic. they call it the birdball because it follows the rounded shape of natural nests. this functional house is well suited for titmice and other small birds, with an opening large enough for them to get in and and keep predators out. the response to this product was so positive that they added a squirrel-proof peanut feeder along the same lines to the collection:

i really wish they could have created an opening on the bottom for regular cleaning (instead of having to do it using a skinny coathanger), but i can appreciate how that would have messed with the design lines. that said, i think it is simple and gorgeous and i can imagine a heavily forested yard with these hanging around all the tree boughs.

the houses are available in terracotta or white wall mount or hanging form, the feeder in white only, and you can find them on the green and blue website or at hen and hammock.

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fairies deserve respect

it never really dawned on me that fairies could ever get mad, but what if they did? would the international union of flower crown workers go on strike? would the gnomes be beside themselves, not knowing who to consult at gnome town council under the mushrooms? would all our ears be constantly buzzed by hundreds of teeny flowing flaxen haired nymphs, flying in and out and around our heads? would wizened trolls grunt at each other approvingly, and raise a pudgy fist for solidarity? hmmm… maybe we should heed the warning on this cast resin stepping stone to keep the magic alive…

hahahaha!

(i don’t mean to laugh in an offensive way.)

find it at mealey’s gift and sauna shop.

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thank you verloe!

i’m weird about cooking and i’ll tell you why. i enjoy working in the kitchen and consider making meals to be a wonderful creative outlet as well as an expression of love. my favorite time to do this is during the home nesting months of late fall through early spring. for reasons unbeknownst to me though, i suffer a strange kind of burnout, like clockwork. every year without fail i wake up one day, and suddenly the joy i find in my culinary creativity feels like a chore overnight. and then i quit doing it for a while. weird, huh?

right now, though, my husband is rubbing his hands together and clicking his heels up because it’s cooking time, and looky what i made with some beautiful fresh eggs from my friend el’s organic garden (or should i say chicken coop?)!

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

spinach and jack quiche

a big shout out to verloe and all the other hens that made this moment possible.

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pip pip birdfeeder

this lovely modern bird feeder made of stainless steel in fun colors from swedish designer stina sandwall would make a great modern statement in anyone’s garden.

the birds could use some help this time of year foodwise too, so why not?

purchase it at funktion alley (they ship internationally).

via cribcandy

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stone buddha garden art

i wish my yard was big enough to fit this gorgeous sculpture! it’s made of cast stone and aggregates with a steel frame, and is meant to look like a fragment of a much larger sculpture. some of the components will age more quickly than others, adding even more poetic character.

it’s a substantial 36″ l x 24″ w x 9″ d and weighs 60 lb.

purchase it at dharmacrafts.

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clare dohna’s spectacular mosaic garden art

okay, so i’m an earth person, and it’s obvious that i have an affinity for clay. i’ll feature some other artists doing cool things in other media this week… but i just had to feature these exquisite mosaic works from washington artist clare dohna!

clare became enamorate of mosaics when a life-size piece she was working on blew up in the kiln. she glued her sculpture back together and afterwards, liked the way it looked.

clare cuts her mosaic tiles by hand, one by one. she then fires them, paints her glazes on, and fires again, cuerda seca style.

the mosaic tiles are set onto a base of concrete or clay, and then grouted and sealed.

of course she does custom work.

a limited selection of garden art is available at dig in vashon.

for more info, photos and to purchase clare’s work, click here.

n.b., she just taught a sold out mosaic class at dig this past weekend — maybe she’ll do another?!

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slippery slide designs from italy

look at this luminous planter from giuseppe colonna romano for slide design.

it’s double walled to keep the water separate, and you can change the mood of the space just by installing the colored bulb of your choice. you can use it indoors and out.

giuseppe used his prior experience in the plastic molding industry to create slide design, which features robust sculptural accessories for the home.

giuseppe believes that light changes emotions and sharpens senses, and tries to incorporate light sources in most of his products.

visually stunning.

find out more about slide design.

purchase his line at generate.

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fun plant peeping with the plantarium garden lab

check it: the nifty plantarium garden lab allows you to see all stages of plant development, starting from seed!

nasa scientists collaborated to create a beautiful and nutritive transparent gel that allows you to watch plant growth from above and below the surface.

once the plants reach the top of their teensy (4.75″ h x 1.75″ w x 1″ d) respective plantariums, they can be transplanted into larger pots, and continue to grow.

the kit includes basil, cucumber, and tomato seeds, three plastic greenhouses, each with a different colored gel, and little mini pots with peat pellets for transplant.

great for kids (and adults!) age 6 and up.

manufactured by globus international, you can find it at fat brain toys.
 

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