This year the Summer is definitely not spoiling us... The sun comes out sporadically, and we get lots of violent storms and heavy rains. But I persist in being optimistic and looking for the signs of Summer wherever I go – and recently I got into the habit of taking shots of all kinds of garden and terrace containers with flowers that I come across. Here are my shots so far – an inspiration for your Summer oasis at home, I hope! I have found these in the Hortulus Gardens in Dobrzyca, my new favourite garden in Poland.
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Unitl today, I have always been dead against putting any sort of plaster or clay figurines in a garden. Somehow, they always looked kitsch to me. But two weeks ago a visit to the Hortulus Gardens in Dobrzyca proved me wrong - apparently, there is a kind of figurines you can strategically place in your garden, which will look not only attractive but also cute and disarming. In other words, I've completely fallen in love with those angels - and the one on the left is my absolute favourite. And here is the rest - they're simply irresistable, aren't they? And I'm back after a long holiday break, with lots of energy and lots of new topics to write about :-)
I'll start with the one thing which made the biggest impression on me this past month - the Hortulus Gardens in Dobrzyca. Yes, as you might have deduced from the name, these gardens are actually in Poland, not in Irelnad or Holland. And they're truly amazing - divided into over 20 theme gardens, they're simply overflowing with hidden corners full of amazing treasures. There's so much to discover, that even though the gardens are not very big, you may wander around in them for several hours and still keep finding corners you haven't seen previously! To show you what I mean, here are a few photos of the amazing details you can find there, and I'll certainly write more about Hortulus in the next week. And in the meantime, you can learn more at www.hortulus.com.pl. I think this morning I’ll make an exception and allow myself to complain a bit. Because this morning, when I woke up and saw the strong sunlight coming through the window, it made me anything but happy :-(
The 6 years I’ve spent living in Ireland and Holland, waking up to sunlight was a great thing. It was an optimistic promise of a wonderful day, possibly with a photo trip to a yet unexplored place (if it was on a weekend) or at least a promise of pleasant weather and lovely views on the way to and from work. In Holland, it would’ve meant getting my bike and riding in the sun while looking at the cute gardens and houses of Westland and an occasional bird playing in the water canals. Or it would’ve meant a trip to the sea-side, finished with a drink while lounging in a comfy chair belonging to one of the many on-the-beach restaurants. But now I’m in Warsaw, and sunlight is not optimistic anymore. It doesn’t seem to hold any promise, or at least it doesn’t promise anything good. What it does promise is another day of unbearable heat, of being trapped in a concrete jungle, of having problems to breath, of a stuffy apartment in which every movement makes you sweat. And there is no promise of any trip in there, nothing new and exciting, nothing pretty. Under these circumstances, I think I’m entitled to bit of gloom.. So for today, I’ve chosen some pics I’ve taken of birds while living in the Hague – an option for a sunny afternoon was always to take my camera with the long lens on the bike and go hunting birds in the nearby parks. A hobby for sunny days which I loved, and which I unfortunately had to give up while I moved to Poland. So if you live in a place where a sunny day is a good day – appreciate it! I love forests - especially the ones that look wild and overflow with abundant greenery. Who doesn’t? And Spring is probably one of the best times to go for a long walk through one of them – everything looks so fresh and alive, birds are singing and the mosquitoes haven’t woken up yet ;-)T
he town of Krynica Morska, where we’ve recently stayed for a weekend, was surrounded by this kind of fairy-tale forest. And of course when I wandered through it, I had my camera with me, so here are a few up-close shots of a beautiful forest which has finally woken up after the winter slumber. And I’m back! I have another super-busy week behind me, so I’ve neglected The Creative Life a bit, but I promise I’ll make it up to you :-) And I have a very good excuse – I’ve been working on a new project – a blog which combines my two major passions – floral work and photography. I’m finally launching it today – so I’m officially inviting you to visit FotoFlorystyka! This blog is in Polish, but it’ll be photo-heavy as well, so if you’re a florist, a flower designer, a passionate gardener or you simply love flowers – you’ll find something for yourself there. Why have I started it? Well, I’ve been living in Poland for about a year now, and the more I have to do with the floral industry here, the more I see that the topic of taking photos of one’s floral work is being awfully neglected. And it’s just so frustrating to see how the beauty of an incredible flower arrangement goes to waste, since its photos are far from capturing it. At the same time, I’m in a unique position to understand both worlds – as an experienced photographer, and a florist-in-training. So there is a need, a void, and I’ve an ambition to fill it… Where will it lead? I have no idea… But please, keep your fingers crossed for me, and visit FotoFlorystyka as often as you can, and add it to the pages you like! I don't remember when was the last time I was as busy as I've been these last few weeks, but I'm trying very hard not to neglect my blog! Still, please be patient with me :-)
Today I have for you a few ideas for how to transform an ordinary cupcake/muffin into an Easter one - with decorative eggs, ducks, chicks, bunnies and even sheeps ;-) Use them for inspiration! I've found them at www.foodnetwork.com. Today I have for you another one of my floristic experiments, a square-shaped, ultra-cute and cheerful nest from hay, full of Spring flowers. Since it's got potted plants inside, I'm counting on it surviving for quite a while (unless I forget to water it...). It's made from a box wrapped in a layer of hay and a copper net on the outside, and unless you're allergic to hay, it's a perfect Spring/Easter accent for your home ;-)
So I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I've recently started a fashion-design course. It's a basic one for those who just want to play a bit with fashion as a relaxing hobby, which is perfect for me - I might be crazy about fashion, trends etc, but I can neither draw nor sew ;-) But knowing one's limitations is a good start, isn't it?
Our first project is to design a decoration/print for a white T-shirt, and here is my design. I'm not sure how it'd look like once I actually make it, but I hope it'll work... Right now I'm having problems finding a dark-green material, but hopefully I'll find something today. Keep your fingers crossed!!! I still can't say that the Spring has already began... Especially that only this past Saturday I woke up to a small... snow-storm, and snow-covered ground!!! Yes, the sun did melt it by the end of the day, but still. And while temperatures do get warmer when the sun comes out, they're still around 0 Celsius degrees during the night... So no, it's not Spring yet - unfortunately.
But every year, when the first warmer day happens, I get a strong impulse to wear something which simply screams "SPRING". Something with a flower pattern, preferably in warm pastels and flowing... Needles to say, I do put on something like this - and next time I go out I always get really cold. But you can't blame me for optimism, can you? And this year, I even made a few sketches of Spring clothes I would love to wear this season - inspired by a meadow - but would I be able to actually make them? And what about you - would you dare to design something for yourself? |
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August 2012
AuthorA fiery red head, a writer and a photographer in love with beautiful design and all things creative |