happy weekend!

The ability to bring floral design into the art world is difficult.  Azuma  Makoto, a Japanese artist, has been able to do this with great success.  Makoto stopped playing guitar for his Fukuoka-based band and moved to Tokyo to explore the possibilities of artistic self-expression in flower arrangement.  Azuma is forging an innovative new bond between botany and art.  In 2001 he opened his own boutique, Jardins des Fleurs, to serve a more exclusive clientele in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

“I don’t make ‘things,’ but works of art. Each one is different. I can’t make the same thing twice.” – Azuma Makoto

Enjoy
LJF

Anyone who knows me, knows about my little problem…  I really really LOVE to shop.  I like pretty things, what’s wrong with that??  Well recently we (Toronto) were the proud recipients of two Anthropologie stores!!!  Such a happy day when I first walked through those doors for the first time…  happy, but cautious… this store is bad news for my bank account!
Anthropologie does pretty so well.  Check out their catalogue for March, I really love their styling!!
When I was younger I would always be making wreaths and flower arrangements for my very long hair.  Yes that really was me, I sewed my own clothes and only wore dresses when possible (on jean days).
These hair arrangements are so pretty!  Can you imagine how beautiful a slightly toned down version of this would be for your flower girls, or even the bride??!  So, so romantic!

♥ LJF

What a great day to be a Canadian!  I have never experienced such patriotism.  Canada not only got the most Olympic gold medals, winning gold in both women’s and men’s hockey, but broke the record for the most golds EVER in Winter Olympics!!!!

Have you been noticing the flowers that have been presented during these Olympics?  Well I have!

I’ve been looking closely trying to figure out what they are.  After doing a bit of research, I discovered that they are arrangements of green spider mums in the centre, surrounded by layers of monkey grass, aspidistra leaves and hypericum berries.

The story behind the flowers…

The bouquets come from Margitta’s Flowers and Just Beginnings Flowers in Surrey, British Columbia.  They were chosen from over 58 other florists in B.C.
The designer of the bouquet and owner of Just Beginnings, June Strandberg, teaches floristry to women who are recovering from addiction, have left prison, or have been victims of violence.  During these Olympic games they have made over 1,800 bouquets!

What a great story!  What a great county!  I ♥ Canada!!!
LJF

What a great idea!  We should bring this to Toronto, we definitely have enough potholes!!

‘If we planted one of those in every hole, it would be like a forest in the road’
- Pete Dungey

An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of surface imperfections on Britain’s roads.
Project participation welcomed.  Please send any images to: info@petedungey.com

I ♥ these sculptural foliage pieces by Woolly Pocket!  The pockets are made from recycled plastic bottles.  They allow your plants to breathe while keeping your walls and floors dry.  Can you imagine, an entire wall?  Modular gardening in the comfort of your own condo.  Your very own installation art piece!

I’m also REALLY loving their styling!  Can you catch the Vanessa Beecroft references???

LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE.
Enjoy…LJF

In light of Valentines and Family Day I thought it would be fitting to discuss the act of giving. Sometimes the simplest gesture speaks the loudest. Valentines Day can get a bit out of hand. Is it really necessary to spend $100 on a dozen red roses to show someone you care? It’s the thought and the way it’s carried out that means the most.

When I was traveling in Japan I saw many examples of these small hand held arrangements, so simple and so adorable! These were being sold for around $5 each. If I had a flower shop I would definitely include a wide variety of small arrangements like these.

Make sure to show someone close to you that you care today and every day in simple ways like this.

Happy Family Day Canadians!
♥ LJW

Well, I’m still traveling.  Currently I’m in Taipei visiting my brother!

I thought I would leave you with a little inspiration for the weekend.
This is a quick and very affordable project.  All you need are a few doilies, white paper bags and some gray spray paint.  I purchased several doilies off of one Ebay seller so that each lantern could be unique.  Be sure to spray a dark enough coat so that the contrast of the lace pattern will show up when lit from within with a tea-light.

I return from my travels shortly and will have much to post about!
Enjoy,
LJW

Today I picked up my wedding dress…  from the cleaners.
It had been so long since I dropped it off that I almost forgot about it…  my AMAZING Lela Rose ‘Light House’ dress!

I knew instantly that I was going to walk down the aisle in one of Lela Rose’s dresses.  Her sophisticated yet understated design and her use of non traditional fabrics really embodied everything I wanted in a dress.  My dress was the one thing that I really splurged on.  But how could I not?  It was the most perfect piece of clothing I have ever worn!

I am so thankful for the wonderful people at White who helped me make my agonizing decision between my two chosen dresses (so beautifully named, Light House and The Pond).  I by far made the right choice!  Thank-you White and especially Andrea Anastasiou for making the experience so enjoyable!!!

All the dresses at White are exquisite, but my favorite choice of course is Lela Rose.  Maybe I am biased since she studied as a painter and a sculptor first before entering the fashion world, but really her dresses are so unique and refreshing!

These are just a few of my favorites.  I’ve also included a few images of the incredible box that came with the dress, such a nice touch and great for storing all your memories from the day.
Enjoy!
♥ LJW

I mentioned last week that I spent New Years in Cuba, these are a few images from our trip to Havana.  It was a bit difficult seeing such an amazing city in such ruins.  It clearly was a colonial masterpiece in it’s day!

Well, I’ve taken a bit of time off from posting…
I had an open house at my studio a few weeks back where we displayed our artwork and opened our studios up to the public for the entire weekend.  This last weekend I went to the art fairs in Miami.  Every year it gets larger and larger with more and more fairs popping up.  I think we managed to see 11 art fairs this year.  My feet and my head are still in recovery mode.

I did want to leave you with one piece that really stayed with me.  Most of the time we were in Miami the weather was pretty overcast, which really lent itself to this melancholy installation by Jorge Mayet which was floating off of the beach just outside of our hotel.  I thought this might be fitting for a day like today.

I hope to be back up and posting regularly very soon!
Enjoy,
LJW