granny style

i love the idea of a granny square quilt - in the bedroom, on the couch, draped over a chair. it's cute, comfortable, a bit vintage-y, a touch cosy. but to be honest, my ocd-self just can't have the color and design chaos that is the traditional granny quilt. call me stuffy, call me neurotic, call me whatever, but as much as i love them, i'm just can't seem to ever make it work for me. that doesn't mean i don't like them, though, (my grandma, appropriately, was like a granny-square factory at times) and it doesn't mean that i don't ever get the urge to crank one out. i know, though, i'd never be able to put one together with just left-over yarn (like you're supposed to) because i'd obsess for hours over which yarns would look best together. so, i went wandering around flickr for some inspiration...and look what i found:

this quilt by bergensann is gorgeous - a strange combination of colors that i never would have thought to choose, but together, draped over that white couch, it's stunning. i love the saturation.


this quilt, made by the girls over at purlbee, is so amazing. the colors are a bit crazy for my tastes but i think it could work well in a bedroom. i love the slightly crazy, kind of split-personality aspect of it. well done.

these squares could be the start of something great...and they remind me of this house i saw last weekend.

of course the japanese make great granny squares.

this is one of my favorite variations on the traditional. love the intricate details, and that yellow! makes me ready for springtime.

spring flowers

this past saturday was by far the most beautiful day we've had in weeks. sunny, bright, and reaching nearly 60 degrees, i was pretty sure that we'd broken through that icy, grey barrier and that spring was finally here. then, in typical new york city / mother nature fashion, we've ricocheted far back into the opposite direction with sub-zero wind chill and snowfall.

no matter though, because while out and about on saturday i noticed these sweet crocus flowers blooming up in my front yard. bright, cheeky-faced harbingers of spring, the crocus is unassuming in stature (usually just a bloom with small, blade-like leaves) but surprisingly hardy and can survive through the lingering frosts and snows of early spring. most gardeners recommend planting them en masse in clumps of 100-150 for a dramatic effect, but i love seeing them pop up alone, as a brief reminder that warmer weather is on its way.

the crocus is a perennial flowering plant native to areas in europe, north africa and the middle east, and across central asia to western china. botanically, the 80 or so known species of crocus are placed in the iris family and can be found in a wide range of habitats, from woodland to scrub to meadows (and brooklyn gardens in between!).

here are some of my favorite shots on flickr:
• ode to spring flowers makes my heart flutter
• this is why i like crocus planted sparsely
• crocus to the sky!
• tiger likes them, too.

porcelain:

1. A hard, white, translucent ceramic made by firing a pure clay and then glazing it with variously colored fusible materials; china.

2. An object made of this substance.

yesterday i lusted after these porcelain-like tea lamp holders from walteria:

today i lust after porcelain on flickr:

diastema's porcelain earlobe.

spring globe's porcelain candlesticks (on the mantle!)

and her collection of whites.

norka's object (from poland!) and of course, allelujah's cat patrol!

flickr finds for the nest

Lalitree's wonderful new Louis Poulsen/Poul Henningsen dining room light:

Lucky Olive's thrift store silverware find:
happything's vintage glass insulators (easy to find in thrift stores, look gorgeous on shelves and window sills!):
Jerrik's bulbs, anticipating spring: