Every sort of plant tag you can imagine is available through Botanique Editions.  And not just the tags but the pens to write them and the brushes to stipple them– literally everything you need to create the charming details of beautiful plant labels for your garden.  I can’t decide for myself which I want to start using (slate, copper, plastic, wood, stencil painted, hand written, letter punched?!?) the choices are endless – I can only show you a few -  but they are all so classy.  I will never again accidentally dig something I forgot I planted, nor will I not remember the exact Latin and  common name of one of my cherished plants.

Maria Ahlbrandt had a vision for the reworking of a couple of ugly black pleather chairs…..and she created an inspired garden bench.  Silver paint and some nice wood (I am guessing it all cost less than $50) and Ta Dah!!

Found on  Dornob via Recycle Art.

by ATouchOfWhimsy

I have some married friends who are Italian (the wife) and Indian (the husband)  — we were chatting about family food and theirs is pretty hard core.  My friend was describing her mother in-laws process for roasting spices to use in her curries and I was fascinated by the thought.   They are starting to think about re-working some of their landscaping and we were fantasizing about what would be cool for them.  We decided that the best feature of a garden for them would be not just an outdoor pizza oven but also a tandoor (or maybe a combo)

1. Tandoor, 2. Tandoor at Leela, 3. tandoor lights, 4. 11-15-08 oven 001 min

I had no idea about what it would take to make a tandoor but I found lots of interesting resources and inspiring images that makes me think that the tandoor could just be the next big thing in outdoor kitchens.  There are beautiful tandoors to buy, but with some simple instructions, it can be made too.

1. Tandoor blueprint that I desgined almost two years ago (2005), 2. Done! – at the Munnilal Tandoor Factory outside of Delhi

This copper tandoor was made by hand and final product is so beautiful! I don’t suggest trying to replicate,  perhaps it would be easier it opt for a grilldome.

These are just so cute.  Like Faberge eggs that you can roast a turkey in.  Or here are some instructions to make a tandoor out of a garbage can and a flower pot.

1. show me the daal, 2. Bread from the Tandoor, 3. Aptos, 4. Uzb Sep 06 – tandoor/>

Do you remember discussing graffiti in the garden here and here? Remember I said it was going to be a trend…well I still believe that…it’s gaining momentum in Europe and as is typical in fashion, I think we will see it trickle into the US more and more in the coming years.

Personally, I love this garden furniture.  Graffiti takes what I would consider twee, (as in the British English definition meaning nauseatingly cute or precious) turns it on its head, and gives it an interesting edge.

This is the back yard garden of the Story Hotel a new hot spot in Stockholm Sweden. Koncept, the design firm who created this hotel, wanted to create a timeless place with a bohemian feel.  To acheive this, worn walls were saved, and materials like doors were recycled into headboards.

The mix of vintage and new, as well as the creative reworking of things (like the garden furniture) resulted in a highly cost efficient developement – 40% less than comparable projects – allowing it to be a very competitively priced place to stay.

The hotel has been shortlisted for the European Hotel Design Awards 2009, the winner of which will be announced on 2 November.  It’s worth a trip to their website to check out all the interesting interiors too.

Found via Design in Flow.

Do you love Gardens?  Do you wish you could be in (or at least in the presence of) your garden all the time?  Perhaps  if you are this garden obsessed you might enjoy so Growing Jewelry created by Hafsteinn Juliusson.

You must take care of it and water it regularly to keep it in peak condition.  And when you are not wearing it, you must store it in it’s own private mini greenhouse, but when you wear it, I think you will have the most unique and beautiful jewelry around.

image by metalkpirate1day

Have you been to the Seward Street Slides in the Castro District of San Francisco?  I haven’t but the pictures inspire me.  When I think of San Francisco, I think of hills, and my own visit where I exhausted myself walking up and down and up and down again.  But I loved it.  The Seward Street Slides are meant to be purely for kids fun, but seeing the images has me thinking. Why can’t these replace sidewalks in hilly places like San Franciso.  I am imaging a network of short cut slides that can quickly whisk you from one block to the next.  Perhaps with beautiful landscaping all around to enjoy as you breeze by.

by shay coh

image by freakinrad!

Of course there is the issue of getting back up to the top, but at least the one way system could relieve downhill traffic and encourage walkers.  If you were a commuter in a hilly city, would you ride a slide to get to work?