Botanical Art by Female Artists

I very much hope that you're not tired of my flower themed posts just yet because here comes another one. It's dedicated to some beautiful botanical art by some very talented women.

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a German artist, naturalist, and publisher. Her vivid, detailed and dramatic watercolors turned into engravings were highly prized both as exquisite pieces of art as well as works of great scientific merit. They were also used for pattern books on painting and embroidery, and Merian herself taught embroidery, which endears her to me even more.

You can see more of her work here. 

Another prominent 17th century botanical artist is Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750). With a botanist for a father, it is not at all strange that this Dutch artist turned her mind to painting sumptuous bouquets of flowers. Ruysch's work is very detailed, with strong vivid colors against a dark background.  

Flowers in a Glass Vase,1705-1715, Rachel Ruysch 

Flowers in a Terracotta Vase, 1723, Rachel Ruysch 

A Spray of Flowers, unknown date, Rachel Ruysch

You can see more of Ruysch's painting here. 

Marianne North (1830-1890) was a Victorian biologist and artist who led a pretty unconventional life for a woman of her time. She traveled extensively, often alone and spent her time hunting for flowers and plants all over the world which she then turned into painting of unprecedented beauty. 

Amatungula in Flower and Fruit and Blue Ipomoea, South Africa, Marianne North 

Various Species of Hibiscus, with Tecoma and Barleria, Marianne North 

A South African Sundew and Associate, Marianne North

You can see a lot more of North's art here, and if you're interested to know about her, check out this article. And you want to enjoy her art live, you have every opportunity as she has a permanent exhibition in the Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens, London. 

DIY Decorative Floral Hair Comb

I'm still in a very spring-y mood, which means - you guessed it - more flowers! After looking at all these lovely botanical photo spreads like this one and this one, I felt that I needed something new and floral for my jewelry box.

This is my DIY tutorial on how to make a lovely little blossomy hair comb.

You will need:
A small decorative comb - from Glitter
Resin flower flatbacks - from Green Papaya
Super glue (make sure its the kind that works on plastic)

Step 1: 

Figure out how many flowers you will need. I originally went with four, but ended up suing five. Just align them along the winds of the comb and see how many you can fit in there. 

Step 2: 

Put some super glue on the back of your flowers and attach it to the comb one by one. Then leave it to dry. 

Step 3:
Ta-da! The comb is ready. Add it to your French twist or Edwardian tuck for maximum gorgeousness.

Speaking of flowers, I have recently discovered Fentimans Rose Lemonade. And it is now my drink of choice. It's a lovely ginger-flavored soda with just a hint of rose. Perfect for spring picnics.  

    

Dolce & Gabbana for Vogue Germany - Wilting Flowers

Spring is in the air. All the sunshine and patches of green grass have clearly gone to my head since as soon as I see a new photo spread with a flower theme, I feel compelled to blog it.   

These beautiful images created by photographers Daniele and Luigi + Iango make me think of the doomed queen Marie Antoinette. The gowns and hair are very à la pre-Revolutionary France. 

Publication: Vogue Germany April 2014

Models: Meghan Collison, Sophie Touchet, Steffi Soede, Xiao Wen, Holly Rose Emery & Codie Young 

Photographer: Daniele and Luigi + Iango

Styled: Patti Wilson

Hair: Luigi Murenu

Make-up: Virginia Young

DIY Flowers and Lace Ring

After I have made the floral headband, I had a few flowers left, which naturally made me think of what to do with them. And as I hate to see good flowers just lie around doing nothing, I decided to make another DIY project. This one is a flower and lace ring.    

Here is what you'll need:

• Ribbon flowers 
• Lace 
• Scissors 
• Wire cutters 
• Needle and thread 
• A glue gun  
• A metal ring base 

Step 1: Take the lace and fold at one ends. Make another fold and sew it on to the first fold. Continue folding and sewing in a circle until you have a lace rosette like the one above.  

Step 2: With wire cutters cut off the stems of the ribbon flowers.  

Step 3: Arrange the flowers on the rosette and glue them into place with the glue gun.

Step 4: Using the glue gun, attach the ring base to the back of the rosette. 

And you're done! 

This is a really fun and easy project. It makes for a pretty ostentatious ring, but if you are a fan of statement pieces and have a soft spot for lace, this is definitely the ring for you!   

DIY Flower Headband

I'm in a very summery mood and I keep seeing these really pretty flower headbands all over Tumblr.

Ioana by Martha.butterflycaught on Flickr

The great thing about them is that they're super easy to make. Here's what you'll need:

• Flowers with bendable wire stems 
• Headband
• Wire cutters 

1.Take your headband. I got a green one from my local accessories store, but a plain plastic would do the trick. 2. Take your paper or ribbon flower and place it on the headband. 3. Wrap the stem around the headband. 4. Cut off any excess wire and press to secure the flower in place.

Ta-da! You've got yourself a pretty accessory for all those picnics in the park.