Desert Wildflowers

I have had this intense longing to drive out to  the desert. Maybe because it is still so cool on the coast of San Diego and maybe I just need to be out in the wilderness for a little while. I just desperately want to see the unobstructed landscape lying before me. Alas, this little trip has yet to occur. But the worst of the summer heat has not yet arrived, so there is hope.


Since I haven't been able to physically visit the desert, I have worked on some nature-inspired projects here in the hinterland. I showed you the wall that was in progress last week and there was a blank canvas hanging. Well, that gray canvas is now peach and is in bloom.

I've been admiring map art lately and found some amazing prints of states filled in with flowers. If i had lived in several states I would have made one for each state. As it is, California is it. But really, California is the perfect state to fill in with flowers.


I also showed you a picture of the desert that I had found at a thrift store. As I said that wall was in progress and to prove my point, that picture isn't even hanging there anymore. I'll show you what is very soon. 


Anyways, back to the desert. My bookshelf wall that separate the kitchen from the bedroom was covered with brown butcher paper (because there were holes in the back where cords used to be- these shelves are amazingly versatile). So, it has just been brown for several months. Its better than holes, but was getting boring. I had several ideas of what to do, but last night I just went for it. It was a spur of the moment idea, not one I had been pondering for awhile.


First I decided to hang the desert picture from the shelves, so it would sit behind the kitchen table. But it looked a little drab and blended in too much. I keep forgetting to take before pictures, so here's a corner so you get idea of how boring it was without the full reveal of how I fixed that.

I had picked up some cream paint at Lowe's from their "mess up" table for $0.50. I thought of painting the whole wall, but kind of wanted to try something more interesting, and I always wondered if I would like this on a full wall, so this was the perfect place to try. I decided on stripes:

I just measured them out and painted them in. The lines aren't perfect, but I like it. 

It frames the picture better and is definitely more interesting to look at.

So, I haven't been able to visit the desert, but was inspired by it anyways. 


On a side note, Martin won a salsa contest for spiciest salsa. Here it is garnishing eggs on a homemade flaxseed tortilla (we also made quinoa tortillas :). 

I wish I was better at photographing food, but you get the idea. Anyways, he won a gas card. Perhaps said gas card could be used for a drive to the real desert to see real wildflowers.... the possibilities of a gas card are endless!