Flowers sprouting from the very walls...

Maxine created what may be the coolest wall embellishments on the entire planet. On her pink wall, just as you walk into her shop, she painted abstract flower patterns and then glued beautiful vintage silk flowers on top. I'm pretty sure one day, probably right in the middle of something I'm supposed to be doing, I will grab some paint and try emulating this effect on my stairwell with the robin's egg blue walls...

More Marvelous Maxine's

I met my friend Julie at Maxine's Pickety Patch the other day to scope out ideas for wedding decorations for her upcoming nuptials. (I believe that may be the very first time I've written the word "nuptials"...it looks mighty funny on my computer screen).

Anyway, if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing Maxine's floral and gift shop, RUN (don't walk) to it as soon as possible to soak in its delightful sights, sounds and aromas. It’s a heady vortex of fantastically colorful flowers, peeping-cheeping real life birds and sparkly eye candy, mixed with the earthy scents of fresh flowers and abundant greenery.

For more photos of Maxine's shop, check out a post from last year...and stay tuned for more optical goodness later this week. This is just a smattering of the wonderfulness that IS Maxine:

Maxine offers classes in how to make these huge crepe paper flowers. You can't tell from this picture but each one is at least 12" wide! I took it last year with a friend and it was a delightful, pampering creative experience.

Marvelous Madame Maxine!

A friend told me about a flower shop in north Seattle called Maxine's and said I should go there with a big wallet. So of course I promptly responded to the call to duty (on Saturday after I taught the Stitched Paper Collage workshop at the Salvage Studio).

And...oh...my...goodness. I LOVED Maxine's. I was ridiculously happy as soon as I set foot in the place. Imagine an explosion of flowers and birds (real and handmade), Parisian frou-frou, vintage flea-market jewelry, delicate wire nests and wildly decorated 3-tiered faux gateaux.

Birds cheeped and peeped from ornate Victorian birdcages in every corner. I could barely see the pink striped walls behind the huge strands of enormous tissue paper flowers, rustic farmhouse displays and beaded chandeliers. The French music that was playing made me want to write bad poetry along the banks of the Seine.

Meanwhile, Maxine herself, looking EXACTLY as you would expect, was assembling a floral display behind the counter, her chartreuse parrot perched on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

My very favorite touch was just inside the front door. Random clusters of silk flowers were glued onto the wall over abstract little paintings of leaves and petals. I've got a serious hankering to try something similar in my stairwell leading down from my kitchen.

And head vases! Is there anything cooler than head vases? I want to get one and make a Carmen-Miranda style tropical confection for her to sport.

I am going back to Maxine's soon. I would like to get to know the proprietress herself. I've seldom met someone who is so fully self-expressed in her artistic vision. I know I could use a little more of that...

Photos borrowed with permission from Maxine's web site.