A single rose in a stamped & soda-fired ikebana vase to brighten your Friday…
it doesn’t take a lot to share a smile!

You gotta love when that perfect “spiral collection” happens in the center while trimming a platter. So thin, so even, so smooth… so useless?! I’ve always thought there should be “something” you can do with these when they happen…. but they’re just so fragile that they always end up back in my reclaim bucket!

Looks like Kristy is showing off her collection of sweet little soda-fired bowls! Stamps look good… but those SPIRALS!!! You know how I love a good spiral!!!

And when one falls off while replanting… mini cutie-patootie vase to the rescue!

Here’s one of the orchids that came home with me from Hausermann’s yesterday. A very cool “trailing” orchid that lives on a small plank of wood… not in a flower pot. In nature, most orchids live as “parasites” growing on the sides of trees in the jungles & rainforests… using their aerial roots to get moisture from the environment. I’ve had good luck with common phaleanopsis orchids at home… we’ll see how this one does?!

I think the original intention of “playing hooky” yesterday was that Mimi wanted to see some orchids at The Orchid Show up at the Chicago Botanic Garden… but the show closed last weekend. So Garfield Park Conservatory was a good substitute. But I REALLY wanted Mimi to see beautiful orchids. So after the Conservatory, we zoomed out to “Orchids by Hausermann” to the greenhouses where they grow thousands of orchids!!! And let’s just say… “a couple” of them may have come home with me to add to my own collection! Allegedly…

Always a treasure… this amazing mosaic wall in one of the side galleries at the Garfield Park Conservatory. The design & craftsmanship… let alone all of the TIME it must have taken to hand-cut all of these little tile pieces! I can’t even imagine!!!

While the palm trees, the Fern Room, the glass Chihuly installation & the Spring flower show are all very eye-catching… I’m always drawn to the Cactus Room full of crazy-cool textures, colors & patterns. Amazed by how the tough terrain & arid conditions can have all of these amazing plants, flowers & new Spring growth all under one glass roof at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Yesterday afternoon was a great time to play hooky! With my college friends Kel & Kelly in town with some kids… and the Mimi too! They asked if I could join them at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Turns out… I COULD!!! So we had a great time touring the greenhouses seeing lots of beautiful plants & flowers under the landmark conservatory glass ceilings.

Making me even more anxious for Spring to finally catch-up & make some plants start growing in my yard!!! I’m tired of gray & brown… I want some GREEN in my life!!!

Another beautiful morning with a wonderfully colored cloud show! Sure it was fleeting… and short… as the sun went behind the clouds & quite possibly won’t be seen again for the rest of the day!