{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!

Time to get your masks on! To celebrate Mardi Gras (yeah, I know, I'm a day or two behind this year), here's a small round-up of awesome mask photos and mask-related items for you to feast on. Enjoy.

Above: Bunny Girl on Kingdom of Style.

Tuesday's Girl: Miki on sfgirlbybay.

I've only seen one of these in my life, ever — in a tiny, absolutely to-be-forgotten gas station on I-5 North somewhere between Portland and Tacoma. I had gone down to Portland for an art class with Jill Bliss and to see some cousins one weekend when, upon stumbling home, I came across one of these in the dingiest no-good gas station bathroom ever (and I would know, but that's another story).

This particular quarter-prompted whiffer machine was supposedly dispensing Chanel no. 5 or CK One, depending on your choice of pull-lever. I popped in a quarter and chose CK One. I can't verify the efficacy of the fragrance because frankly, I couldn't smell much other than gas-station-bathroom after leaving. The above image, as seen on aromastiches' blog last week (I have mine translated into English by Google Reader, FYI), is much, much nicer than the I-5 North one.

I'll be the first to admit it: I've always been kind of an anti-Valentine's Day kind-of-girl. I don't get the showering-of-affection-one-day-a-year so the greeting-card-companies can rip us all off thing. (Of course that was my sentiment long before the handmade revolution. I'd never even need to buy a mass-produced card now.)

At any rate, I'm a little low on content this week for Weekly Blogged #3 because everywhere I turn there is something pink and heart-shaped. And frankly, I'm ready for Monday to get here so I can have my blogosphere back. Here's my favorites from this week that have nothing to do with that dreaded V word, in a short and sweet list.

Above: The Art of Display on SF Girl by Bay. (So much eye candy here.)

Fashionscapes by Reed + Radar {via Teagan Tall}

I lamented on Twitter recently regarding my lack of personal, tangible inspiration board. And somewhere between that lamenting and now I realized that I have the perfect inspiration board that is just collecting virtual dust already for me: my blog. And while I'd like to do something slightly more formal than post links and pictures, we'll have to work up to that. So for now: baby steps. Enjoy these, because I have been.

 
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.

{image from Beverly Hsu: Helvetica cookie cutters}

During the week, I tend to abuse my Google Reader Shared Items because I can't seem to keep track of a Tumblr, I don't like to stumble upon things, I've abandoned Delicious, and my Facebook doesn't cross-post to my twitter account for personal preferences. So consider this a broadcast of what I've been reading, summarizing, and linking to all week. PROTIP: Add my shared items to your Reader to follow along if you don't follow me on Twitter.

• Divine Twine: I can admit when I have a problem. I'm obsessed with twine. {via Just Something I Made}
• Valentine's Day Goodie Bags: Gorgeously designed to print yourself. I remember seeing these last year, and they're still great. {at Twig and Thistle}
• Message in a Cookie Cutter: On the subject of cookie cutters with something to say, which seems to be the overall theme this week, these are lovely. {via Creature Comforts}
• Jamie and Adam's wedding is my favorite "real wedding" to date. {via 100 Layer Cake}
• Sense of Popos: A map of San Francisco's secret spaces. {via Strangemaps one of my weekly faves}
• Speaking of J.D. Salinger...: On the death of J.D. Salinger, The Stranger kindly reminds us of King Dork, a novel by the lead singer of The Mr. T Experience, one of my all-time favorite bands. {via Line Out}
• Hendrix's statue may be moved: If Hendrix leaves the Hill, so do I. Off to Georgetown. {via Seattle Sketcher}

Last but not least, check out my interview on THE WASH, where crafty chicks come clean. I'll be posting an interview from Jeanee, creator of our cute Valentine's day cupcake fizzzies, later today!

It's that time of year again for New Year's resolutions. I'm not normally one to make personal goals that I can never attain, but I do believe that the only way to accomplish a task is to know what you want when you first begin. I decided to skip personal resolutions this year (my to do list is already long enough) and work on more business-related resolutions.

Please do not hesitate to provide any thoughts and feedback you might have about 2009 and its ongoings, and I will be sure to take everything to heart as I prepare for 2010. Hope everyone had a happy holiday! We are still on break until next week, so for now I leave you with my inspiration mood board for our 2010 resolutions.

10. Save more of everything.

The rest are after the jump. :)

Flower Reed Diffuser - Red Rose, Diffuser Oil, Elegant Glass Bottle by MelroseFields

I'm not really a candle person (don't know why, just never have been...), but I do like me some reed diffuser action. I've been looking for cheap-ish ways to offer them for my fragrances but can't seem to find a decent wholesaler of the kits. Ah well. 'Til then, I can enjoy maybe one of these?

2 oz Simply Scented Reed Diffusers - choose your scent by VirtuesofNature

Mini Diffuser by mahleewan

No, my round-ups aren't really new, but my miscellaneous, non-b&b/vegan focused round-ups are certainly new to this blog. At any rate, please enjoy this inaugural mish-mash of pretty awesomeness. :)

Baby Skull Bangle in Sterling by michellechangjewelry

Sexy Boyfriend Sheer Buttonup Top by lamixx

Soft French Lace Bag by tortillagirl

In more efforts to use this blog a little more regularly, here are some recent purchases and hearts found on Etsy. I cannot promise this won't become an Etsy find round-up blog because it's just too darn fun to browse.

Purifying and Blemish Controlling Facial and Body Serum - Tea Tree, Clary Sage, and Lemon

I actually purchased one of her perfume oils and am wishing I would have browsed more without being so grabby first. Heh.

Roll on Perfume Oil(Vegan)--You Choose the Scent

Honestly, this shop had me at Acorns & Black Oak, but you know I also cannot resist anything with fig in it ever (see Black Mission Fig). Zen Tea also sounds wonderful.

Bubble Bath Dough In Reusable Container

Fellow Seattle shop Red Leaf has some really interesting looking products, one being this bubble bath dough.

More later, but for now I've got some work to catch up on. I'm always on the hunt for vegan & green bath/beauty goods, so feel free to drop me a line if you know of one I might have missed!

Ah, Valentine's Day. Love it or leave it, it's the perfect midwinter, pre-spring excuse for many perfumers to make limited edition runs and, when they're feeling really generous, some new catalog additions.

I'm not doing Valentine's Day updates this year (though you can visit us Valentine's Day weekend at Sweet Petula's studio sale, but more on that late), mostly because I was not planning any new releases until spring. There are some new things on the table for April, but they're for April. So sorry, nothing new from me yet.

But if you're hankering for new oils, there are plenty of goods out there. Here are some of my current wish list items brought to you in the name of love.

I've been obsessively thrifting via Etsy lately. I don't hardly even look at the regular categories anymore these days, though I did buy a really adorable case for my new DS, from Dory Designs. I just click straight to the vintage category and start browsing by whatever I'm looking for. The result, yesterday, was buying the above purple blouse and a black pencil skrit at Anthologie, and elsewhere, a pair of saddle shoes and a bomber jacket, and some secretary-style tops to match a recently locally thrifted vintage Givenchy pencil skirt.

So, the fashion bug has definitely bit me. I've become terminally lazy when it comes to getting out my jeans and into some decent threads, partially to blame being the fact that graphic designers are almost expected to show up in converses and band t-shirts. I thought I'd take a break from work to share just a few of my recent favorite Etsy shop discoveries, after the jump.

And, we're back! I expect the site to continue to evolve, but this will definitely be the final scheme. Please let me know what you think. :)

So, it's no secret that I've been out of the loop as far as seasonal perfumery updates elsewhere goes. I'm trying to get back in the habit of supporting other fine fragrance makers, though, and I thought I'd abuse Paperwires' 52 Weeks of Creations to create perfume (and other smelly goods) round-ups based on the themes. Since this past month has been rife with autumnal offerings from my favorite companies, it came at the perfect time. At the moment, this is more of a wish-list than anything, as I have yet to wear these. Hopefully some of you will want to, too!

Mythos Mixtures

The duo at Mythox Mixtures have only been around a short time, but always produce intriguing oils. My favorite seasonal this time last year was Sleepy Hallowe'en (to the tune of two bottles), and I'm anxious to try these:

• Sinterklass - A scent based on the smells that make us think of Santa Claus and the holidays. Spruce trees, holly berries, juniper berries, sugar cookies and gingerbread.
• Fruit Cake - Rum soaked bread with raisins, candied cherries, and traditional spices.
• Yule Log - Smoky resins, torched yule logs, burnt tobacco, all within a peaceful comforting fireplace that is sure to calm the soul.
• Fir Tree - Warm inviting branches, candied apples, and lightly scented carnations.