Remember how I mentioned that my husband and I are currently on a houseplant kick? This weekend we couldn’t help but collect even more greenery to bring the outdoors in – including a few gorgeous succulents. I am completely in love with these Boxcar succulent planters from Revolution Design House. These handcrafted vessels are perfect for showcasing your favorite hearty plants and cacti.
As I search for some of the coolest succulents around, here are four of my favorites – aren’t the colors and textures incredible? The best part is, even someone with less of a green thumb (like me) can successfully take care of these without turning the brown.
A little late on this weekly recap post, but this last week has been quite a whirlwind – flew back in from Florida, got settled in and started a new project just down the street. After work Kyle and I got started on our newest mini-hobby: filling our home with greenery. So far we have two Boston Ferns, a Butterfly Palm, a baby fern, a Pothos vine and a few succulents.
Kyle’s always had a green thumb – he has a few 4+ foot tall sunflowers about to bloom that he planted from seed! For green things to survive under my watch, I have to do a lot of research and writing down notes to myself to remember how to care for each little plant. The best part is that the plants act as both filters and humidifiers for the air, as well as bring bright pops of green and life to each corner of our home. That said, here are a few of my favorite images of bringing the outdoors in.
1. via Elle Interior Sweden
2. Jeroen van der Spek
3. Bri Emery’s living room
4. Dorothy Schumacher via The Selby
I am so excited to share this interview with Marja of Lemonade Handmade – she gives us a little insight into her artisan practice and inspiration that can translate to all artistic pursuits. Her shop, Lemonade Handmade boasts eco-friendly handmade jewelry: modern and refined.
I love how thoughtful Marja is of her materials, using recycled metals in many of her pieces, and how this awareness translates to her everyday family life and even diet. Hearing such an inspired voice from an artisan makes me that much more eager to spread the spark of creativity. Read on, and don’t forget to take a stroll through her incredible shop and follow her on Facebook to stay up to date on which craft fairs she’ll be at next. Thanks, Marja! What does “artisan” mean to you?
To me, the term “artisan” means someone who crafts with skill and great care, but it also means a maker who imbues his or her work with something truly personal.
Tell us a little about your daily rituals.
Since I have two kiddos (ages 8 and 5), my early mornings can be crazy busy, crammed chock full of the getting-ready-for-school minutiae. I have a finite amount of time to work before school pickup, but I find that taking a few minutes upon returning home after drop off makes all of the difference in my day. With a LARGE (decaf) latte in hand, I light my favorite candle and spend 10 minutes tidying the detritus from the morning. Once I’m done making the rounds, the house smells fantastic and I can sit down with my coffee and begin the work of the day feeling a bit more centered. Name three sources of your inspiration.
It may sound a little corny, but a major source of inspiration for me is my customers – I really delight in making things that make other women feel beautiful or special. Another source of inspiration for my work is metal itself – I’m fascinated by the textures and tones that silver can take on, and I adore how silver and gold play against one another. I don’t get as much time as I would like to play in the studio, but when I do get those times I really relish them. Lastly, my two kids were the inspiration for the eco-friendly bent to my line. When the kids were born, my husband and I started giving serious thought to how we wanted to live our lives as a family. We started paying attention to the food we were eating, and the products we were using to clean. When I began to work in metal, I knew I wanted to avoid using environmentally harmful products as much as I could. I also knew I wanted to use recycled metal as much as I could – I felt like I had this greater responsibility to the planet that my kids were going to be living on.
What prompted your creative life?
I’ve always enjoyed creative pursuits – as a kid I was an avid beader, and took classes in ceramics, pottery, weaving, stained glass, enameling, printmaking – anything I could get my hands on. I really started to focus on jewelry while I was writing my dissertation in graduate school, though – I was so fried from running analyses all day long I craved a creative outlet. Little did I know then that I would end up junking academia and making jewelry my full time focus!
Lemonade Handmade is a gorgeous Oakland based jewelry studio created by Marja Germans Gard. Not only does she place high importance on utilizing reclaimed metal for her 14k gold pieces, Marja is also an active member of her local artisan community, often participating in events and fairs around the Bay Area.
