southern magnolia: from bud, to bloom, to decay, to seed

On my recent trip to Florida, I was lucky to live in a house with a southern magnolia tree, magnolia grandiflora, right out front. I was enamored with the blossoms, the scent is very subtle and sweet.

The tree blooms continuously, the stages of the flowers shown above happening at the same time. Even when decaying, the flowers are stunning.

I wish I could grow one in New England, but alas, it is too cold for this beauty. The New England magnolias bloom and shed their flowers in a span of a week.

so long spring... you are too brief and fleeting

thank you food & wine!

for salad course: 10" dinner plate in blue/ivory ocean wave

for main course: 11.5" serving platter in beachstone

for dessert: 7.5" plate in ivory (pictured next to a blue bowl by Jan Burtz)

all in the June 2013 issue, on the newsstands today.

sometimes porcelain cracks during firing...in the best way

stacking gleena bowls and plates is just so satisfying...

warm gray, mustard, and turquoise dessert bowls

beachstone celadon rustic bowls, salad plates, and platters

rose, with blue interior, rustic bowls

patience...

I wrote about Penny Elizabeth Neal’s work a little while ago, and once Penny’s shop re-opened on Etsy, I purchased this lovely collage...

Photo by sparrowsalvage

Photo by sparrowsalvage

Here is the description of it from Penny:
Men and Women wonder... 

An original paper collage 'exquisite corpse' poem, made from strips of found text from a 1940s encyclopaedia set and sticky taped on vintage book paper. The theme in this poem is the landscape of science and human thought, how sometimes the answers aren’t found by hunting and analyzing, but by sitting still and listening. 

I choose sticky tape rather than glue for these poems because I wanted to evoke a feverish, amateur feeling- as if someone had patched the poem together in some mystical revelation rather than methodical artistry. I wanted a Close Encounters moment.

And this is what it looks like on my mantle.

And what it looks like when the votives are all lit up, creating a small altar to mother nature and patience...

monday, monday...

Mondays are hard, I work on the weekend, so Mondays are always hard. Doing what you love is not all roses and lilacs. Though I do love how lilacs look in this gleena boat vase on this Monday morning...

big thank you to BH&G for featuring the animal wee t’s!

The animal wee teas are featured in the May issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Thank you!

to South Korea with love

Definitely the largest order I have ever worked on, I was honored to create a unique collection for Shinsegae, an upscale department store in South Korea.

The many carefully packed boxes were picked up today by a giant semi, and it was sad to see them all shrink wrapped and leaving. I know, it’s a little strange to get attached to an order, but it had been my life for the past two months. A lot a lot of work went into it. It took about a week to pack it all up. I hope it arrives to its final destination safely, and is appreciated once there.

saturday, may 4th from 10am till 4pm, on Benefit Street in Providence, RI