{flickr}

The season stalls, unseasonably fair,
blue-fair, serene, a stack of golden discs,
each disc a day and the addition slow.
I wish you were here with me to walk the flats,
toward dusk especially when the tide is out
and the bay turns opal, filled with rolling fire
that washes on the mouldering wreck offshore,
our mussel-vineyard, strung with bearded grapes.
Last night I reached for you and shaped you there
lying beside me as we drifted past
the farthest seamarks and the watchdog bells,
and round Long Point throbbing its frosty light,
until we streamed into the open sea.
What did I know of voyaging till now?
Meanwhile I tend my flocks, small golden puffs
impertinent as wrens, with snipped-off tails,
who bounce down from the trees. High overhead,
on the trackless sky, skywriting V and yet
another V, the southbound Canada express
hoots of horizons and distances…

–Stanley Kunitz (from Passing Through, 1995)

Possibly my favorite poem of all time. What do you think?

I love fresh flowers with the best of them, but live blooms aren’t always in the budget. Which should explain why when I cracked open my copy of Martha’s April issue, I didn’t even finish the book before busting out the supplies to try my hand at her paper dogwood flowers. I also love the original version of this Good Thing, a paper cherry blossom display that first appeared in April 2006.

I must say, I’m pretty happy with how my version turned out! Here’s Martha’s:

And here’s mine:

What do you think?

I pretty much followed Martha’s directions (which you can find here), with just a few tweaks: I didn’t see the need to buy a “starburst” stamp, so I used the eraser of a fresh pencil for all of the stamps instead of just for the middles. I also subbed in a thick green marker in place of a stamp pad. If I were to do this project over again, I think I would make the blooms a bit smaller than the 5 inches she suggests — or at least have some larger and some smaller flowers.

{via Martha}

All in all, though, a very easy and satisfying project! I would highly recommend.

Yes, they are ridiculously heavy to pack. And yes, they might not be the most practical collection for a couple who’s likely facing several moves over the next few years. But I can’t help it — books are one of my absolute favorite things to have lying around in massive quantities, and if they can be contained in built-in bookshelves, or even — dare I say it? — color-coordinated, well, there’s really not much better than that.

{via Simply Seleta}

{Elle Decor}

{via Simply Seleta}

{Martha Stewart}

{Domino}

{BHG}

Previously:
Deep window seats
Filled with light

{photos by Sutherland Kovach Studio via Style Me Pretty}

Oh my, will my love for bunting ever end? No, no I don’t think so. Since we’re planning to make plenty of bunting for K + C’s wedding, I think we can find a few extra strands to string up in a portrait area…