new york designer: denise fasanello

I always love being inspired by other floral designers, and Denise Fasanello is definitely making the gray, rainy day we're having here in Auckland much brighter. How fresh is this bouquet with kumquats, scabiosa and peonies?


Denise also creates lovely inspiration boards for her clients, and as a former fine artist, has a knack for photography. Check out her collages, photography and more gorgeous flowers at her blog Little Pheasant, and her website Denise Fasanello Floral Design.


Via housemartin.

treehouse

I heard about this treehouse a while back, built in a forest close to where we live, but now I've missed getting a booking to see it in person! For a short time you could dine in the treehouse, but now it's being converted to a special events venue. Go see the awesome nighttime views at the yellowpages site (sponsored the build as pr), and Pacific Environments Architects.

a day at dahlia haven

I finally made it to Dahlia Haven, the local dahlia grower during their open hours! And boy am I glad I did. I got the gorgeous bouquet, above, for less than the retail cost of one stem in the US. Because they were picked fresh, the flowers lasted for a full 7 days, which is way longer than if I had bought them from a wholesaler. And I got to wander around the fields, ogling more varieties of dahlias (pronounced dale-yas here) than I knew existed. You can order tubers from Dahlia Haven (within NZ only), and pick up bouquets at the gate.


Below are some images taken by Linda, owner and grower at Dahlia Haven, of deadheading the plants, and a huge heart they made on the ground at Valentine's Day as a backdrop for photos. Hmm, seems like a perfect place for a wedding.

new jewelry from ancient beads

I've had the antique glass beads from Afghanistan for ages now, and finally realized that I won't be able to forge gold accents and findings any time soon. So, after a big mug of Earl Grey, I got to work and created a bunch of prototypes, using what I had on hand. I'm happy that I used every bead to make some awesome pieces that I'll wear, but eventually I'll replace the seed beads and findings with custom fabricated accents. What now is just a necklace will become a work of art. Above choker necklace mixes antique glass beads with faceted coral (I know, I bought them before I realized how wrong it is to harvest the stuff) and glass seed beads.


Two long necklaces with sterling silver chain, glass beads, and pearls. Center choker with hand forged textured silver discs, glass beads, and pearls.