On the Radar -- Botanica Mania

Traditional botanical illustrations are a classic.  And we can appreciate a classic.  However...what we really love is when classic becomes modern, especially by presenting the classics in a new or unexpected way.  The Blackbird girls love fun design, and the best new take on classic botanicals is to make it fun, whether by color, context, or through surprise.

The first example we fell in love with is some of the newer pieces from our favorite potter, Leanne Pizio.  We talked about her sgraffito pottery in this Junk Love post.  We don't own a piece like this -- yet -- but don't worry, we will. We love the color, and we also dig the playfulness of the hand carving -- it's not traditional, by any means.  It feels modern.

The we started seeing vintage botanical pull down charts in Country Living and Martha Stewart.  We love pull down charts, but we're more fans of the map and medical variety.  Educational tools as art is always modern, and we had never really though of charts with flora --

from The Impatient Gardener, here.

From Bonnie and Bell on Etsy, here.

They are dynamic, but pull down charts are expensive.  You can get the same feel with a vintage or reproduction print.  This example has great colors, and it's under $10!  Plus, I also liked how this print was displayed on a vintage clipboard -- it's quirky, and you could easily change it out with the seasons or with your mood.  Imagine a whole line of them along your wall:

From BonnBonn on Etsy, here.

This is more traditional, but I think the large scale and bright colors of this one makes it fresh:

From here.

And what about using color photocopies of prints as wallpaper?  This is stunning!

 

And if you want to wear your botanical print, check out these vintage goodies:

From Crush Vintage on Etsy, here.

From wildfellhallvintage on Etsy, here.

Or carry a 1970s botanical needlepoint handbag, available from our shop, here!