The economy has claimed another garden business. Smith & Hawken will close its doors by the end of this year. The business has already shuttered its online operations, and is beginning to liquidate all the goods at its stores. Time to shop!
I love it when designers take a simple motif, and turn it into a whole line of fun, cute things. Take the garden decor of J Schatz as an example. They’ve taken the humble egg and turned it into ceramic bird feeders, bird houses and planters. They also offer egg-inspired home decor. The egg style is so sweet and the vibrant colors would be an eye-catching highlight in any garden. These would make a super housewarming gift or wedding present for your favorite gardeners.
[photo by J Schatz]
I just added a swanky new design to The Gardening Journal Cafepress Shop for all you hard-working gardeners out there:
It’s available on a variety of long-sleeve shirts and a mug at the moment. Eventually, I will have a full shop, with other options available.
I love this T-shirt by Glenn Jones over at Threadless. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, you have to admit this is hilarious!
On another note, sorry for the disappearing act. I’m working on my site (including designing some of my own products), so the blog has been in slowmo. I’m back to it now though, and you can look for some new additions coming this weekend.
I’m a sucker for a pretty pot, so when I heard the folks at Campania have teamed up with the The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, I prepared to swoon. These containers (and sculptures) draw inspiration from the foundation’s extensive archives, and offer the classic colonial lines you’d expect from a Williamsburg product.
Unfortunately, us mere gardening mortals must wait until January 2008 to purchase any of these lovelies (although they will be previewing the line at the Gift Market in Atlanta. Until then, I guess I’ll have to contemplate whether colonial style will mesh with the French Country thing I’m aiming for.
[via The Garden Plot]
I promise I’ll update you on the wonderful gardens I visited this past week before and during the wedding. First, though, I wanted to share this fabulous new blog I found via Auntie Pea’s blog. Chez Fifi takes you on a delightful tour of the home and gardens of Francoise “Fifi” O’Neill, a writer and photo stylist who lives in a little cottage in Florida.
Fifi has an informative post about saving and sharing seeds. Start thinking about Christmas in July, and get out now to collect flower and vegetable seeds to give to friends and family. (Hey, who doesn’t like a cheap gift with a pretty payoff?) Fifi’s directions are easy to follow, and she suggests using a cloth bag to pretty up the process (although a regular plastic baggie can be a see-through, but functional, stand-in). I love her little seed packets, too.
Finding the perfect gift for a gardening pal (or yourself!) can be hard. The garden gift industry has a lot of kitschy, cheaply made ornaments and tools. Wouldn’t it be great to find affordable, handmade garden gifts that don’t come from “the land of all that is plastic” or a big-box store?