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The heat is officially on, and I'm dreaming of the perfect tropical getaway that I won't get this year (and probably not next). Strong urges for naps on the beach were satisfied by surfing the Coastal Living site, until I stumbled upon their summary of 9 Beaches in Bermuda, then the urge to get away came back stronger than ever.
My travel budget is limited, and current circumstances make traveling a little tricky, so I've come up with a full-on tropical getaway for the backyard. A fairly traded hammock, $135, is perfect for hanging out: it's handwoven in Nicaragua from 100% cotton by a small group of handicrafters, so you'll feel weightless knowing they were paid fair wages for their work. As you drift off to dreamland, the soft sounds of a capiz windchime, $28, will lull you like the ocean, while blessings drift overhead in the breeze ($18). Scents of citronella, neem, eucalyptus
and basil wafting in the breeze from fair trade incense, $16 from 10,000 Villages, is made by artisans who are deaf or physically disabled, so your pesky conscience and even more irritating mosquitos will be kept at bay while you relax. A few well placed tropical plants in a sea inspired planter, $28, complete the idyllic look that is your very own backyard.
What plants would enhance your local getaway? Our Brown Turkey Figs never fail us, or try a cold hardy version. Lemongrass will add scent to your space, while there is nothing more tropical than bananas (we grow the seedy fruit producing Musa velutina) and hibiscus. Native grasses, sea holly, artichokes and cardoons , yuccas (the flowers are edible!) or New Zealand flax, mounding artemisia, galliardia and coneflowers, oleandar, sea oats. . .these plants are perfectly suited for recreating a sand dune-inspired garden of your own.
If you like the idea of a little scent, why not try pineapple sage, eucalyptus, mints, rosemary, or lavender? The unusual mints (chocolate, orange, etc.) and lemon scented herbs like lemon grass, lemon verbena, and lemon balm are perfect for picking and adding to lemonade and iced tea.Speaking of which, I can't imagine a more perfect iced tea blend than hibiscus and lemon verbena, lightly sweetened with stevia; made by Wildroot. Brew some up in a recycled glass pitcher from Bolivia, $28, ice it down, and sip it from a glass (also made of recycled glass) wrapped in woven palm leaves, $5.
Serve it up tropics style on an aluminum leaf tray, $38, perched on top of a mango wood stool , $38. You could also get adventurous and grow your own Camellia sinesis for traditional style teas, complete with a homegrown slice of lemon. We've got a 4 year old Meyer Lemon, and it produces tasty little fruits for us annually. Oh! The possibilities! Or maybe Orangeade is more your speed? Try one from bitter orange for a more exotic experience.
Yeah, redoing your backyard might cost nearly as much as a tropical escape, but just think: it'll last way longer and you can have it all delivered to your doorstep! Thank you, internet!
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her
brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on
the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
I love bold color and pattern. Most of our home decor is fairly neutral—solid shades, lots of wood. A well-placed splash of color and pattern makes all the difference in rooms like ours, and the block-printed fabrics from Home Sweet are exactly what I look for to liven up my space.
Printed by hand with water-based inks onto a luscious hemp/organic cotton blend, Home Sweet's fabrics are available as yardage or stitched into lovely housewares, like the pillows and table runners here.
Everything in Home Sweet's shop is done by hand, with a sensitivity to the environmental impact of the work. Each printing block is carved by hand, each piece of fabric is printed with care. And I have to say it shows—the end result is just lovely.
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
By a French interior designer based in Montreal, The Butter Flying shop is flying right into my heart!
It's filled with the most whimsical little creations to adorn your home with- mobiles, paper butterflies, colorful garland and more. I'm in love with her cloud and raindrop mobiles- they're simple and adorable in great color combinations, perfect to brighten up any room on a gray, rainy day.
{collage by Found Paper Co}
I just discovered Found Paper Co in my overflowing inbox and I'm disappointed (in myself, and my lousy keeping-up-with-email-skills) that I didn't come across it sooner! It's an awesome little shop featuring vintage housewares, paper goods and office supplies. The goods are well curated & well photographed by owner Xenia, a lover of paper and flea market scouring. It's the perfect place to find what you need to give your office or desk a vintage touch- a new instant favorite.
Not only are the handmade pottery creations from JustPotters awesome (I especially love their garden herb markers) they're also made with a great purpose. Part of JustWork out of Canada, JustPotters' goods are made by people "facing physical disabilities, mental illness, homelessness and addictions," people who face barriers to traditional employment. It gives them a sense of accomplishment, boosts their self-esteem and opens up economic opportunities they may not otherwise have. It's "pottery with a purpose" indeed.
Vintage ceramic pitcher that's perfect for summer? Love it. Designed by Finnish designer Kaj Franck for Arabia Finland in the 50's probably? Love it even more. With a super cool green and blue cat painted on the side? Oh, my love runneth over! Someone buy this pitcher please, and fast. I can't afford it, but can't resist either. Help!
This week I did a little web window shopping (man, curtains can be expensive!) and naturally found myself oohing and ahhing over all the pretty garden related selections. Sifting through them, I realized that a lot of the mass produced items are very similar to products on the indie-designer handmade market right now. Take a gander and see whatcha think. The big box varieties are to the left, the indie business, crafty versions are on the right.
(a) The Eggling made internet rounds last year: $9.50 or the handmade version (b) by Revisions Design Studio (includes a half dozen eggs!): $24.95, is a much better buy. (c) VivaTerra Moon Chimes, $49 are pretty enough to go indoors or out, but the handmade version (d) by Michael McDowell (aka Mudpuppy), $65, are made to order, and I can vouch for the incredible quality and customer service he offers.
(e) Anthropologie's Placid Lakeside Planter is on clearance for $19.95, but the cheery, sunshiny yellow version by (f) Fruit Fly, $34, is still a great buy from the little guy. (g) Crate and Barrel's recycled glassware, $3.95 each on clearance, looks perfect for lemonade on a hot summer's day, but you'll sweat a whole lot less knowing the maker is receiving fair pay for a day's work by supporting (h) Rewined Recycled, where aset of 4 recycled wine bottle tumblers is $38.
(i) These ceramic bird wind chimes from Pier 1, $15, are pretty adorable, but for half the price and a whole lotta DIY pride (j), you can string up a nearly identical version from Laurel Arts, $7.50. (k) The Aqua/Green Maritime Rope Doormat from World Market, $16.99, has a nautical bent, but you can knock the mud off your Wellies in a more authentic manner, thanks to (l) Knotically Inclined: $60.
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her
brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on
the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
Last night, when I was picking out the lucky random winner of the Plywerk giveaway, Lara, I clicked the link to her name and was led to a little store full of wonders. I was led to Enid boutique!
Enid is a brick and mortar shop in Fredericksburg, TX featuring handmade and independently designed goods. Owned by Lara and her husband, the shop is named after and inspired by her grandmother, Enid Collins (seen above), who designed handbags from the 50's-70's. Pretty cool, hmm? There's also an online version of the shop, so we all can partake in the goodness. That's where I found all these lovely items below.
See what entering a giveaway could do for you? Not only can you win it, you can get featured at the same time! ;)
Vanilla Bug oh Vanilla Bug. Your felted adorableness and cute clay goodness is almost too much to bear:
From jewelry and brooches, to art and home decor, everything that this Australian shop pumps out is pure gold, and it's all handmade by miss Amy (who's also the brains behind Baker's Dozen- them is a whole lot of brains.) Find more cute tea-loving goodness in the Vanilla Bug shop!
note: as I was finishing editing this post I saw a little tweet from Heart Handmade about the honey inspired picks she just posted- doh! Great minds... I thought of scrapping this post, but since I had already spent a bunch of time editing it and our selections are totally different, I decided to go ahead with it- but be sure to check out Heart Handmade's sweet picks too!
1 :: sweets for the sweet necklace by Rachel Ann Designs
2 :: honeycomb modern wall clock by Pilot Design
3 :: queen bee earrings by Red Heart 13
4 :: Karl Von Frisch purse no.3 by The Sea Within
5 :: tilly necklace by Stone & Honey
6 :: honeycomb necklace by Brevity
7 :: honey ginger soap by Aniselle
Sarah over at The Small Object just released these new clothespin people and they're just too adorable!
I love their expressions and little outfits, their crazy wild hair, and the burst of color behind them, attached to their stands, only adds to the wonderfulness. Find these one-of-a-kind little companions over in The Small Object etsy shop!
I'm Jena and Modish is a daily design and style blog full of art, craft and inspiration. I've been writing here since April 2006 and blogging is my full time job. I'm happy to have you here and sure do hope you'll stay awhile.
