THOUGHT PATTERNS

The magic of Stow Lake

Some photos I took at the most magical, fairytale-like Stow Lake in SF Golden Gate Park. Beware, greenness aplenty (the water especially!)...

xoxoxo

{All photos by Tina Tarnoff}

Wicked Plants at the Conservatory of Flowers

A short while ago Terry and I went to see Wicked Plants: Botanical Rogues and Assassins Exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers in SF. It was absolutely amazing! I've got a tone of photos to share. I was sooooo thrilled that they allowed cameras inside (I was initially hiding mine under a scarf, and what a relief it was when I saw everybody snapping away! :) I'll accompany them with the text taken from the Conservatory of flowers website.

And here is this lovely/wicked place...

"Paralysis, strangulation, derangement – these are just a few of the misdeeds of the plant kingdom as chronicled by award-winning author Amy Stewart in her 2009 New York Times Bestseller, Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities."

"And now, something wicked this way comes. It’s mayhem under glass, as the Conservatory of Flowers transforms its Special Exhibits Gallery into an eerie Victorian garden full of Mother Nature’s most appalling creations." 

"Building on the fascinating plant portraits in Stewart’s book, the Conservatory introduces visitors to living examples of dozens of infamous plants that have left their mark on history and claimed many an unfortunate victim."

"As visitors enter the exhibition, they find themselves in a mysterious, untended yard behind a ramshackle old Victorian home."

"Peeking through the window, it’s clear that a crime has just taken place. A man is slumped over on a table, a goblet in his lifeless hand, as the lady of the house flees in the background."

"Crows caw, and a rusty gate creaks. In the overgrown garden, moss covered statues rise up out of an unruly thicket of alluring plants." 

"Beautiful flowers and glistening berries bewitch the eye, but consider yourself warned – these plants have names like deadly nightshade, poison hemlock and white snakeroot. Here lurk some of the greatest killers of all time."

"The exhibition features over 30 species of wicked plants from those with famously scandalous histories to those that grow “innocently” in millions of gardens and homes today. Visitors can enjoy corresponding excerpts from Stewart’s book full of bloodcurdling tales and fascinating facts on signs throughout the gallery."

The exhibit is on till October 11, so if you find yourselves in San Francisco, I highly recommend you go. Find more info here: Conservatory of Flowers.

And some more shots of other rooms like the Water Room, the Victorian Potted Plants Room, etc... in the beautiful Conservatory of Flowers (my favorite place right now!)...

I was most impressed by the glass ceilings and ceilling fans. :) My dream is to have a small rooftop conservatory of our own!

Hope you didn't mind me going crazy with the photos. I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would compensate!

xoxoxo

{All photos Tina Tarnoff}

Porch garden

Some new additions to our ever expanding porch garden...

Lavender and three more suculents...

And our first rose! Waiting to be repotted. Can't wait for it to start blooming and looking like this...

xoxoxo

Feel good Nature

Last time we visited the Arboretum, there were barely any flowers around but what we did see was quite magical and unusual...

Oh, a single flower did sneak in after all, amongst all the greenery and prehestoric forms...

xoxoxo

{Photos Tina Tarnoff}

It felt like Autumn

We went to the botanical garden yesterday...

... and it felt like Autumn...

We almost never visit in August, and I was hoping we would enjoy some sun while there.

The only thing that looked like sunshine were these flowers...

I figured they were a pretty good substitute.

And these poppies looked like upturned ladybugs, which impressed me to no end...

... as did these little jester hat/bell-shaped sweet things...

 It was foggy and the air smelt like earth and rain. The paths were soft and slippery and leaves glisteningly green.

The misty atmosphere ended up feeling so perfect and refreshing.

I've picked up some beautiful leaves that were scattered on our paths and created a little display...

I think the leaves will look lovely framed.

Unfortunately I will have to leave out the little round Ginkgo fruit as I don't think he will press nicely under glass :). Perhaps I should use a shadow box instead?

Hope you had a lovely weekend.

xoxoxo

Fuchsia in bloom

I've posted a while ago about this fuchsia plant enveloping a lovely house front in our neighborhood...

But, it wasn't in bloom yet then. Here is what it looks like now, several months later...

This is not it's full glory yet, but it's getting there. It looks so lovely and it sure brings pleasure to my eyes.

Oh, and we spotted another hawk in the neighborhood (here is the post about the first one)...

I've noticed that it was quiet on the bird front that day. We usually have a lot of morning doves just hanging around and sea gulls flying about. And the sea gulls that were left were screeching and flying around restlessly. The reason, I'm sure, was this guy.

I think he spotted us too. He gave us the stare...

You can click to expand. He kind of looks cute, although I'm sure he was going more for the scary look.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

xoxoxo

Fan Coral

Are you interested to know more about Sea Fan Corals?

Good, I thought you would be. :) On of my latest papercut designs is of the beautiful fan coral, but before I show it to you perhaps we can learn a bit more about these gorgeous creatures.

Fan coral is a type of coral which develops a highly branched flexible skeleton which often comes to closely resemble a fan. As is the case with other corals, a sea fan isn't a single organism. It is, in fact, a colony of organisms known as polyps which band together and develop a supportive skeleton.

How extraordinary.

 

Beau-ti-ful!

The color of a fan coral varies, depending on the species and whether or not symbiotic algae are living inside the sea fan. Most Sea Fans are nocturnal, only extending their polyps during the nighttime hours. They consume plankton and require strong currents to carry their food. There are over 500 species of fan coral, most of which are found in the Atlantic. These corals can live to be hundreds of years old.

...

And here is my Fan Coral Papercut...

Fan Coral, 11"x14", Original Papercut Art by Tina Tarnoff

Available now in my shop.

{click to expand and see the detail}

{framing service also available in my shop}

Delicate and quite complex to cut out. Biggest requirement - a lot of patience!

Hope you enjoyed my little educational art post. :)

Till tomorrow!

xoxoxo

{top two photos of coral via here & here, coral info via here}

At the San Francisco Arboretum & new jewelry in my shop!

Hello!

We had the most green, lovely, energizing stroll in the SF Arboretum today. As always, I have tons of photos which will take forever to go through and edit. For now, I'll just show you this magical pond...

... an abundance of California Poppies...

... a Suculents greenhouse...

... my husband was in heaven...

.. a flower from a Mexican Hand Tree...

... a carp pretending he's a shark...

... he's getting ready to attack...

...and a poor man's parasol.

Lovely!

........................

On a different note....

I just listed some Peter Pan necklaces and brooches in my shop, so take a look...

Peter Pan Brooch

 

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Peter Pan Necklace, pendant on ribbon

  

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Peter Pan Necklace, pendant on chain

 

 

For more information and details about my jewelry please visit my shop. 

Have a happy and wonderful weekend!

xoxoxo

Nature

I'm feeling extremely tired tonight (defrosting the fridge, cleaning the house and doing major food shopping will do that to a person) and I found that the best way for me to relax is to browse through some nature photos I took on one of our walks. I usually take hundreds and hundreds of snapshots of trees, grass, branches, flowers, stones... To someone else all of these photos must seem so alike, but I see the difference in the shades of greens or yellows, the reflections of sun on the grass, the interesting shapes of the branches. Here are some photos that make me feel cozy and relaxed tonight...

 Nature always finds the perfect color combinations.

Rock, made beautiful by the wind, rain and time.

Delicate flower, gently fighting its way.

I think these are acorns but they look curiously like buttons. Hey, tree, did you perhaps lose some buttons?  

I'm usually more fond of wild gardens and flower disorder, but I found myself quite charmed by these polite daffodils. They almost seem curious, leaning forward to find out about us, the intruders.

I've got plenty more nature shots, but I'll save it for some other time.

Have a good night!

xoxoxo

 

In search of a perfect green room...

I would love to have a greenhouse inside or close to our apartment (remember the apartment and the greenhouse in the movie Green Card?) or at least a room with large windows filled with light and full of plants.

Like this one...

... wouldn't it be nice to relax here after a stressful day with a glass of wine and a stack of favorite magazines?

 

I can just feel the breeze and the fresh air coming through the door of this lovely greenhouse.

 

A wonderful thinking chair to curl up in with a shawl wrapped around the shoulders and a mug of hot tea.

 

This area calls for my easel... it's an absolute perfect place to paint.

 

This corner feels so cozy and somehow protective.

 

A perfect place to spend warm evenings in with friends, jugs of sangria and a good guitarist. :)

 

A wonderful place to draw in, write your journal or finally archive your favorite recipes.

 

This sums it all up for me. I LOVE this photo. I dare to say it's so me. The colors are so heavy and gorgeous and the skirt is out of this world.

Hope your weekend is filled with all things good and pleasant.

xoxoxo

{via verhext, hello tiger, bloom, nibs, lace and flora, we heart it, chintz of darkness, pearls and tea}