July 22, 2009

I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away.
I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. Every week I take a little walk to Trader Joe's on my lunch break and splurge on a $5.99 bouquet of flowers. When I bring them back into the office, people ask, "Oh, did your husband get those for you?" I laugh, "No! I wanted them so I bought them for myself!" It seems that flowers are so naturally associated with "gift" that it seems odd that someone would buy them for themselves. But why not? Why is it that we rarely every buy flowers for ourselves? Because they die? Because we could grow them on our own but don't have the time? It is for these reasons that the flower IS beautiful! I have become so used to having flowers on my desk that I can see a severe change in my attitude when I finally have to throw them away and am stuck on a flower-less desk for another day. Something about looking at these flowers throughout the day helps keep me balanced. (This flower is one of the few that actually bloomed in our garden this summer - the heat took the rest of them too quickly. RIP, little guys). Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, "The Earth Laughs in Flowers." It goes without saying that, when talking about inspiration, flowers are a no-duh kind of a subject. I have literally typed and re-typed this entry over and over trying to achieve something witty to say about flowers that has not been said before. I guess it's cyclical - flowers do all the talking for us, it seems. And even more so, a picture of a flower is worth a thousand words. I find a lot of inspiration from photos of flowers, since they offer us a closer glimpse into lives cut too short. I usually use my weekly bouquet of flowers in my product photography of jewelry, and it's not ironic that often the products go so well with the flowers - they are often the muse behind many of my color pallet choices :) (pictured: purple Amethyst earrings, $14)
Last weekend I went to a wedding in Minnesota and was thrilled to see the bride having chosen one of the most beautiful, and temperate, of all flowers as her theme: the hydrangea. The pom of a flower was everywhere, even in the bride's hair, and really made alive all that was the wedding and reception. I took a stalk home with me after the wedding to attempt to press some of the petals for the bride, and they turned out surprisingly well, considering how very delicate its many petals are.
So today I share with you one of my many inspirations, the hydrangea. Not so much products of the flower, but stunning pictures of it. Although one of these products is a broach - can you spot which one?
JMcGuinness, saranorris, kathelesage, flandersfield
GabrielleKai, tuscanystudios, GabrielleKai, RDINOZ creativeapples, 5eizen, creativeapples, flandersfield Be sure to visit their Etsy shops for more surreal hydrangeia inspiration!
So, what inspires you today?

7 comments:

  1. Right this very moment?? Probably all the amazing creative talent at my fingertips via the net! I've been blurfing (probably for too long today!) and am loving some of the great places I've travelled to today! In general though....lately, I've been drawn to color extremes. Either intensely bright colors or a soft muted palette with a vintage edge to it. It really hasn't mattered if it comes from nature, graphic art, or photography, extreme colors are inspriring me! :>

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  2. I love me some extreme colors, too. In fact, I was thinking about instead making today's blog about color inspirations -- maybe next Wednesday :)

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  3. I'm really into bright colors too. Like yellow with red.
    They make me happy ^_^
    BTW, love all these hydrangea too. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Lovely hydrangea! I do buy flowers for myself too! I feel nothing wrong and happy.

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  5. Hydrangeas are such a beautiful flower. They remind me so much of summer. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  6. Bright colors are always inspirational to me- but right now? I'm inspired by our new tomato plants. Our neighbor was kind enough to plant them for us, in our backyard (what an awesome surprise that was to come home to), and I definitely need to come up with a good Thank You note for that.

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  7. Thank you for featuring my hydrangea!

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