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Bio…what?! Merriam-Webster defines biophilia as “a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature : a desire or tendency to commune with nature”.  Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019.
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Can you feel summer in the air? It’s hot enough! Today, I thought I’d share a little project from a previous summer that I like to call Tropical Paradise.  Isn’t there something strangely satisfying about creating miniature little worlds? Who doesn’t love tapping into that world of childhood wonder, imagining a world of mystery beyond our reach? If you’ve been following my blog, you will remember the indoor fairy gardens I created last year. (If you missed it, you can read about it here.) That fun—albeit challenging—project resulted in two beautiful displays that now grace my living and dining rooms.  Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019. Who is in the mood for strawberries?!  Image from Pixabay. Thrift shops are heaven on earth for creative people like myself. I constantly find new and exciting pieces of unique, vintage glassware and dishware. On one such trip a few years back, I found a couple of slightly rusted metal dessert cups, simple votive glasses with vertical ridges, and some beautiful glass dessert plates with an elegant vine design.
Hello, summer! I don’t know about you, but warm weather always inspires me to be creative. I do love my thrift shops (as some of you may know already)! In particular, I love finding used and vintage glassware and dishes to turn into creative decor.  Faux florals, miniature birds, and repurposed thrift store finds…Three of my favorite things! The weather is warm, and the sun is shining brightly today—the perfect day to reflect on a couple of previous “make me happy” projects.   Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020. I’ve had an outdoor herb garden with mint, sage, and chives for several years. And boy, are they flourishing this year! Lavender and rosemary were also planted, but neither ever came up. Finding an empty spot in my garden, I decided to pop in some carrots. Time will tell whether they will grow!
 Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019 Last summer, my husband and I went to Longwood Gardens in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Honestly, I don’t know why we don’t go there more often, because it is less than an hour from where we live! Hmmm…I think I am just now hatching a plan to visit again this summer—provided this coronavirus doesn’t keep us away.
I’m sitting on a secluded beach…Colonies of seagrass are swaying and rustling behind me in the ocean breeze. Golden grey sand fills the spaces between my toes. The deserted rocky beach is littered with weathered pieces of driftwood, seashells lying about haphazardly, and small pebbles worn smooth by the relentless actions of the tide. The ocean--its rolling waves reaching out to greet me--stretches out endlessly before me, only stopping when it meets the horizon with its watercolors of peach, pink, and yellow morphing one into another as the morning sun wakes from its slumber. That’s not where I am at the moment—just in case you were wondering—but that’s where I’d like to be! If I can’t be there in person, maybe I can be there in spirit—through a little design magic. This vision of perfection inspired me to create a design concept of an interior that mirrors the colors and ambiance of such a sweet spot of solitude.  Non-product images from Pixabay.  The Tree of Life…There are not too many symbolic icons that stretch so far back into the mists of time and mean so much to so many cultures. It’s a symbol that represents anything from the afterlife, the bond between heaven and earth, the connection to the earth, and the cycles of life (birth, life, death, and renewal). The trees were sacred to the Celts, and different trees held special meanings to the people of the time.
So, of course, I had to create an art piece with the Tree of Life! How do you define Bohemian? As it turns out, this is quite a versatile style! Bohemian means lots of plants, rattan, wicker, and texture. Boho can be fun and vivid or neutral and calming. But at the heart of it, Boho is about celebrating natural elements, bringing nature's textures indoors.  Non-product images from Pixabay. So far, this year has been sad and distressing, but despite all of it, I have somehow found the space in my head to be inspired to create new art pieces. Three art pieces are a work-in-progress, and a fourth “idea” for an art piece in the brainstorming phase. In addition, there are preliminary plans for new candleholder design projects to keep me busy during the summer. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Not to be cryptic, but plans are in the works as we speak to unveil new design options, so stay tuned for that!
I like to draw—particularly Celtic-inspired knotwork and designs—and in the past few years, I’ve discovered an outlet for these drawings through wood burning. As it turns out, wood burning is not much different from drawing with pencils—except you can’t just use an eraser to fix a mistake! But I love the challenge and the beautiful pieces of finished artwork. I’ve decided recently to try my hand at some customized wood-burned designs. Last year, I collaborated with my husband, who does comic illustration. Our joint project was to create a graduation gift for our son, who loves Batman. My husband drew out the basic sketch, and then I took that sketch and “translated” it onto a blank wood plaque.   Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020. Faux florals can be a creative way to add a bit of nature to your decor without worrying about maintaining or replacing real flowers. And the faux florals on the market today are nothing like the tacky plastic-looking things I remember when I was a kid! The one drawback to faux florals is that they must be dusted occasionally, just like anything else in your home. So here are five tips for caring for your faux floral decor.
 Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2013. I was exposed to the works of many designers and architects while in college for interior design, and one of them was the great 20th-century architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. I encountered his name and images of his buildings from time to time in my studies and was intrigued. One day, I came across a picture of this home called Fallingwater—which just happened to be located in my home state of Pennsylvania. It was love at first site! Right then and there, I put this trip on my bucket list. Someday, somehow, I would get there to see it in person. And about seven years ago, I did. For our 15th wedding anniversary, my husband and I planned a trip out to western Pennsylvania to see Fallingwater and another of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations, Kentuck Knob (more about that in a future post).
 “Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.” Eugene O’Neill
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with fairy tales and mystical worlds. I would spend my time in quiet reveries, letting my imagination go wild, thinking about secret little worlds that exist under our noses, and we don’t even notice! Little people, fairies, even animals, living in hidden nooks and crannies, under leaves, in tree stumps, under rocks, and in worlds in miniature where magic is the norm, and the inhabitants are surrounded in ethereal bliss—this to me was heaven! In this video, we will explore "breaks" in knotwork construction. This design starts like the last knotwork design, with a 4 x 4 grid and a diamond pattern with the circles. This modified design, however, will need to work around a break in the center of the grid. A break is a line that cannot be crossed by a thread, forcing the thread into a different direction than it would normally go. The break for this video is an X in the center of the grid, which will allow us to create a Celtic design called Four Linked Hearts. It's a beautiful design signifying love and is perfect for weddings or Valentine's Day. So, I hope you enjoy this video, and feel free to leave a comment, like, or share this video! (A special thanks to my son, Christian Lilly, for helping me with the video editing! Music from iMovie.) Related blog posts you may want to read: Basic Celtic Knot tutorial part 1 Celebrating Irish Celtic Art for St. Patrick's Day The Celtic Motherhood Knot, a symbol of love Celtic Tree of Life A foray into customizable artwork Getting out of my own way Today, I'm sharing short tutorials on creating--and modifying--a very basic weave or knot, which can be used as the foundation for any Celtic-inspired design. Part 1 walks you through creating a simple weave pattern using a 4 x 4 grid. Part 2 modifies the same knot pattern using a "break" to create a different design!
 Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2018. Oh, how this tiny little piece of furniture challenged and frustrated me!!!! I spent many more hours on this project than I had planned, and each stage of the process brought fresh vexations and doubts! Let’s just say this stool almost ended up in the trash more than a few times during the refinishing process! But I persevered…and I’m glad I did!  Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2018. If you’ve been following my latest blog posts, you already know the battle I went through during the stripping stage of this project! Needless to say, I was glad to have that chore behind me! I was looking forward to having a pleasant day trying out this tea-staining technique I found online. Anything all-natural is right down my alley! |
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