botanical

I often follow Martha Stewart to find inspiration for cooking, design, decorating, etc. One of the best parts about Martha is that she has a section in her monthly magazine that lays out her calendar for that month. A lot of times she includes websites for all the different events and galas she attends. For instance, for this coming month, April 9, she will be attending the Cuban-themed Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden in New York City. And while I can't go to New York City, I can certainly go to the Landscape Arboretum in Minn.

Which is, actually, where I'm headed tomorrow, for The Great Hall of Orchids, Passport to Paradise. Pictures to follow!

incredibly fascinating world of beekeeping

I recently learned that honeybee colonies are very much alive during the winter- even in Minnesota.

I also learned that by late October, beehives are a girls-only kind of hide out.

Most interestingly, I learned that 1/3 of all the food we eat is a direct result of the honeybee.

- Credits to: Simple, Good and Tasty: where I learned the art of beekeeping from a Twin Cities native who now co-operates alongside her husband, Sapsucker Farms, a business that reflects just how much this couple cares about where their food really comes from.

the perfect settee

It's fair to say that I spend far too much of my daily time living through the life of Emily over at Cupcakes and Cashmere, but I swear, everything she posts is marvelous. She's my biggest inspiration in a design sense. This red settee is something I will be striving to mimic someday for a sitting space in my personal office, see post below. If only I'll be lucky enough to strike a find like hers at a flea market...

office space

I am a true believer in an inspiring office space. It should have color, it should represent you, and it should provide all the needed elements to help you be exactly who you want to be. Your workspace should be welcoming and creative. Natural light is a must for me. And plants. For some reason, plants seem to foster a calm and creative atmosphere. For me, a beautiful white blossoming orchid is the ticket.

wabi-sabi

Are you familiar with wabi-sabi? I was not... Not until tonight, over a delicious italian dinner, when I got into a conversation with a friend about books on design and feng shui.

Evidently wabi-sabi is a Japanese world view on aesthetic. And I love aesthetics. This aesthetic focuses on transcience, or, a beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.

In a design sense, wabi-sabi incorporates asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy and the suggestion of natural processes. If an object, space or form of expression can bring about a sense of serene meloncholy and a spiritual longing, it is considered to be wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is said to nuture all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities, that nothing lasts, nothing is finished and that nothing is perfect.

huntington beach

In less than a month I will be packing my suitcase to fly to Huntington Beach, California, where I'll be strolling barefoot over miles of warm sandy beaches, snapping endless photos of the vibrant scenery and eating every bit of freshly caught seafood that I can. All (hopefully) in four days...