Hawaiian Jewelry Made From Nature

At the 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show there was a whole display of accessories made out of flowers and other natural elements. Hair combs, necklaces, charm bracelets and handbags were all on display and they attracted lots of attention. Although all of the pieces were made out of unusual materials, they were still functional and wearable. A card accompanied each item with the raw elements so that you could decipher what was in each piece. The above necklace is made from hydrangea, ivy, reed, rhododendron sea pod, juniper berry, grapevine and wax flower.

The hair combs below mostly feature orchids in keeping with the Hawaiian theme.

This comb used real leaves to look like an orchid.

This comb used seeds as the main element.

Charm Bracelet.  Made from:  ivy vine, lemon leaf, protea, daffodil petal, black bean, pine nut, setaria, paperwhite petals, fern and an acorn.

The green 'beads' in this necklace are actually made from almonds and the 'fringe' is sago palm.

The theme for the handbags was to make an evening bag that was inspired by the ocean.

Palm tree bark was used to make the look of the waves.

The blue balls are all white peppercorns that have been colored.

Maybe you will be inspired go out and collect something from your yard to make yourself a unique fashion piece.

Clothed with Nature

One of the perks of being back at school and being a Pitt student is that I have free access to the Museums and Phipps Conservatory. Yesterday I went and visited the summer flower show at Phipps where the theme is Living Harmoniously with Nature. Throughout the exhibit different areas showed how you can live green; using plants and trees from furniture, decoration and even clothing! In the South Conservatory a feast was set up with a mannequin party guests dressed in the latest fashions comprised of leaves and flowers.  Edible plants and vegetables were growing along the edges of the rooms to show how useful gardens can also be decorative. Below are some pictures from this room. I'll post more about the other exhibit display the next few days.

View of the feast as you walk in.

The orange leaves give the illusion of a fur collar and cuffs.

The texture of the leaves around the waste give the look of rousing.

A dog made out of moss

 

For more information about Phipps Conservatory and of this exhibit visit http://phipps.conservatory.org/