luscious greens

i have an inexplicable newly developed major attraction to the scent, look and feel of freshly cut grass. i can't explain it, but i'm obsessed with it. so here are some of my latest finds to also wish you a late happy st.patrick's day and an early happy easter!
print of an original photograph digitally mixed with painting titled lessay, by labokoff

spring in a can found at dandee designs

spring grass hand cast resin bracelet by resinated

hide-&-seek pillow cover made with original vintage fabric by absoluut


this soap scent sounds divinve ~ sweet grass and orange essential oil mixed into one lovely looking soap bar found at karen's soaps

this 8"x5.5" notebook has 14 pages sewn together as one signature ~ by jambox

this necklace is created from a photo transferred to plastic, the front is then coated with a glossy resin-like material. by ellep

each off-white cardstock tag features fresh spring grass stamped in green ink. sheer spring green with white polka dot ribbon added. found at petite pear

one pack gives you 20 grass fruit forks (approx. 8" long) handmade from bamboo cocktail forks and faux grass in a hip professional package. so awesome! found at eat-your-veggies

to covet cameos

sorry for the delay in posting. i hope this visual splendor and luscious research i've done will make-up for my absence.
i have always had a fondness for shells {probably due to being raised on the oregon coast}, and ever since the first time i saw my grandma wearing a cameo necklace and earrings set to church i've been attracted to that style of jewelry.

i am now the proud owner of that set and take it out of its velvet pouch to wear whenever i feel like some nostalgic beauty. after learning as a teenager that the sea shells i so adore are somewhat connected to the cameo jewelry i covet, it became a full-blown infatuation for both of them from then on.

now at all flea markets & estate jewelry shops i swoon over any cameo sets i see. and also as an adult i've had a growing fondness for cameo vessels as well. although these vases are most often made of glass, the concept for how they're produced is very similar and i really appreciate their soft elegance. maybe someday i'll be lucky enough to own one or two?
there are three main materials for cameo carving: shells or agate (called a hardstone cameo), and glass. cameos can be created by one of two processes: by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting color, called an assembled cameo. alternately, a cameo can be carved directly out of a material with integral layers or banding, such as (banded) agate or layered glass, where different layers have different colors. Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colors but most often the natural hues are plenty.

stone cameos of great artistry were made in greece dating back as far as the 6th century bc. they were very popular in ancient rome, and the technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early renaissance, and again in the 17th & 18th centuries. the renaissance cameos are typically white on a grayish background and were carved from the shell of a mussel or cowrie.
in the mid 18th century, explorations revealed new shell varieties ~ helmet shells from the west indies and queen conch shells from the bahamas arrived in europe. this sparked a big increase in the number of cameos carved from shells. modern sources for the best quality conch shell are madagascar and south africa.
today's world center for cameo carving in shell is torre del greco, italy. the shells are first marked with a series of ovals in a process called signing, then cut into oval blanks for the cameo carver. the actual cameo is mainly cut with a metal scraping tool, called a bulino {an invention of jewish artisan antonio cimeniello}. a number of metal gravers are used and when the details are completed, the shell is then soaked in olive oil, cleaned with soap and water and selectively polished with a hand brush.

{sources: wikipedia and flickr}

all about the LOVE

so, saint valentino's commercially-consumed loveday is in full swing. even though i'm not fond of the over-hallmark-ing, i still think it's a good excuse to tell loved ones how you feel (if you don't do it on a regular basis already). and, in the some vein, i thought i'd show some nice little items that make me swoon and will hopefully give you a little flutter too.

( beautiful heart themed cards found on etsy at blakes work)

(here's a sweet & delightful reminder that anything is possible. everything will go your way with this dangling around your neck. made by elisabeth space, found on etsy)

(the fatboy beanbag will hug you & hold you. a great variety of styles & patterns can be seen on design public)

(button rings ~ deliciously adorable! oh how i wish i had found these in time to wear today! they're almost sold out so don't delay the click to inspire company's site to find one for yourself)

(jump over to room service home for these lovely french garden vases, made of white ceramic & oh so romantic)

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(tikoli's fractil kitchen towels found at velocity ~ so hot!)