{Above:Pothole gardens as seen on Oh Joy!}

I know. Shut up. It's been like two weeks since a Weekly Blogged. I'm sorry. There's been TOO MUCH eye candy between fashion week and my regular reading and the Olympics and just... GUH. So here. Here's what overwhelmed me in the weeks gone by. Maybe next week I can get back to a more regularly scheduled posting schedule. Also, starting Illustration Friday. (JUST. SO. BUSY!)

Floralia and anthropology

It must be Spring, because flowers were all over the blogs this past week. Which is weird considering the week before was the Fall 2010 fashion week.

Cabinets of Curiosity on TeenAngster.

Gene Bauer's Botanical Serigraphs on CRAFT. Absolutely to die for.

DIY Test Tube Vase on Design*Sponge. Totally cute and super easy to do.

We Like It Wild: Daffodil Hill was one of like, five posts on daffodils I saw this week. I think Spring Fever has hit. Also on D*S.

Bright Bazaar teaches you about accessorize with flowers.

Non-floral fun and necessary reading

I didn't actually set out to write a post about all the floral blog happenings; it just happened! BUT! As I said before this is a major catch-all of the last two weeks. Here's some non-floral fun to get you through the weekend, if you're not into that.

IndieFixx is hosting a Logo Design Competition. How fun!

Decor8 gives us a nice round-up of photography product styling tips & tricks.

The Handmade Marketplace book launched, as seen on D*S and the Black Apple official insider blog.

gorgeous papercuts abound on Twig & Thistle. Oh, and you'll like these if you liked that: Paperleaf eyelashes on DesignCrush. WANT.

Fabulous art from Amber Albrecht spotted on Drawn!.

Cassia posted a gorgeous butterfly collection of photos. If you weren't convinced that bloggers are telling us Spring is coming, go here now.

And I have no more time to go through my shared items today. If you'd rather keep up with my readings over there, just add it to your feed reader. Enjoy!

 
Left: Factory 20 on Oh Hello Friend
Right: Whimsy and Spice on Indie Fixx

Though I wish I could blame my accidental mass-unsubscribe of all my favorite design blogs, I can't for this week's lack of "week-end blogged" content. What I can blame, however, is my current obsession with upgrading, updating, and revamping my wardrobe. However, here are some posts that definitely made it to my Shared Items from this past week, and are highly worthy of your time.

Like many of you, we've been scratching our brains for a way to help those in need in the aftermath of the devastating Haiti earthquake. We're still working on a way to do something here at Sweet Anthem (so watch for that), but in the meantime please head over to our good friend Jen Wallace's blog, Indie Fixx, and participate in the online auction to raise money for the Red Cross International Response Fund. There's a great selection of goodies from many talented indie crafters up for grabs, and you get to help people who are really in some dire straits in the process. Win and win.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, both in the earthquake and in the relief efforts.

I don't usually get felting. I guess it has its appeal, but usually I just find it creepy. But now I'm starting to wonder if it's just that I haven't seen the creme de la creme of felters in the world - one such being Victor Dubrovsky, who I found via Craft Gossip. If I were to bring one home, I would not be able to choose between the above wild boar (here) and the below spotted goat (here). Just look at the smarmy look on that goat's face! So full of smarm!

A question answered by Madame Scodoli. God I love these labels. From her profile:

After the gates close and all is quiet on the midway, Madame S. retires to her wagon and spends her evenings sewing, crafting and making soap for the rest of the performers.

But what does a bearded lady know about hygiene? Plenty. After a hard day of displaying her petit goatee, the madame loves nothing more than to climb into her clawfoot tub with a tall glass of whiskey and a clove cigarette. Then, naturally, she emerges to brush her face one hundred times on each side. Fine grooming is what Madame S. is all about.

Her soap and perfume are all-natural and vegan friendly [except that they are made with beeswax (note by Meredith)], always tested personally by her and the rest of the troupe. And all of her soaps are excellent for shaving, not that Madame S. would know anything about it.

Despite a misspelling in my name (happens all the time, unfortunately), I am pleased to announce that my perfumery tutorial was posted to Indie Fixx today, a blog I love dearly. The post is basically a blog-friendly format of the zine that goes with my DIY kits, complete with my horrible attempt at photography (though splashed with a few of Ms. Ceballos' classy pictures to make it less dull). At any rate, enjoy! :D