Happy New Year!

 

It's 2021! If you don't yet have your JAKE & META mini desktop calendar, be sure to order today :)

2021 Calendar: Coastal Flowers

 

Our 2021 calendars are in! Check them out here: http://jakeandmeta.com/2021-Mini-Desktop-Calendar-C2021.htm This year they feature flowers indigenous to the coast—inspired by our recent move to eastern North Carolina. It's amazing what difference just 200 miles can make in flora and fauna. We still have hummingbirds here in December (!) whereas in the middle of the state, they pack up their bags around October.

We hope everyone has been staying happy and healthy despite the year we've had. And we hope our little calendar helps brighten your day.

Anemones and ladybug

Scored these beautiful anemones at the market recently, and they came with a hitchhiker! These flowers were so pretty, I think I took over 10 pictures. It's like when you see an amazing sunset or vista and can't stop snapping shots. SO looking forward to spring and all the flora that comes with it!

Beauty in subtlety

Even a muted sky can be beautiful. This one doesn't have the fiery reds and oranges of a classic sunset, but I'm loving the soft gray and periwinkle blue of this late afternoon sky.

Happy New Year!

Given my proclivity for photographing the sky, it comes as no surprise that my first post in the new year is of a gorgeous scene above our heads. I never tire of the changing sunlight and clouds and the awe-inspiring beauty they provide. May your 2020 be full of wonderful surprises.

Paris Flower Market

I love a good flower market. I also love Paris. Their flower market did not disappoint! So many aisles of beautiful blooms and options, and even some animal artwork here and there. When, oh when, can I return?!

Not your everyday vegetable

Whenever I'm at a farmers market or grocery store and see an unusual vegetable, fruit, or flower, I just have to take a picture. I mean, what does one do with this crazy thing? It looks more like something you'd use in a table centerpiece rather than something you'd cook and eat. The sign read "organic romanesco." Maybe in the cauliflower family? I must do some research...

Saxapahaw Holiday Market

We had a booth this past weekend at the Saxapahaw Holiday Market! The market looked amazing and so many people turned out ahead of the impending snow storm. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth and picked up their 2019 Year in Bloom JAKE & META calendar!

Customer appreciation

Earlier this month a calendar fan sent me a photo of their 2018 JAKE & META calendar perched atop their kitchen counter. I was so flattered! Not only is the calendar front and center, but it's adorned with beautiful flowers. Love it. Thank you!

Flower District NYC

The Flower District in NYC never gets old. On a daily basis you can find row after row of beautiful fresh-cut flowers, potted plants, driftwood, cotton stalks, evergreen garland, flowering vegetables (like the artichokes pictured above!), branches with fall-colored leaves, branches with no leaves, cactuses (cacti-?), and on and on it goes. You name it--all lined up. And ALL will find a home. This is part of what amazes me about the city: there are so many people in NYC, it seems as though none of this volume goes to waste. And another thing I noticed: I was not the only one taking pictures. So beautiful!

The flower above is featured in our 2019 calendar and in our new note cards as seen below :)

House Beautiful and Heather Chadduck Interiors and Decoration

My friend, Heather Chadduck Hillegas, was featured in this month's issue of House Beautiful!

She is an interior designer and textile designer, and her work is amazing. If you haven't already, pick up the October 2018 issue (before it's too late!) or check out the article online.

Sky view from above

Flying in an airplane is certainly more commonplace than it used to be, but the concept still amazes me every time I fly. As a result, I always look out the window (my preferred seat is next to a window). On this particular flight, the sky was especially gorgeous, with big, pronounced clouds, and sunny spots alongside darker ones. I could not stop taking pictures--this one is one of my favorites.

2019 Year in Bloom

Our 2019 calendars are in, and we are so excited with how they turned out! This year's theme is Flowers of the South Pacific, and with so many beautiful flowers in that part of the world, it was hard to narrow it down. (Maybe a future year will be part 2...) We hope you'll love it!

Buddha's hand

There are definitely some bizarre creations of nature out there, and in my opinion this is one of them. Having never seen this before, of course I had to stop and take a picture when I happened upon it in the market the other day. "Buddha's hand" fruit. There was only the one. What on earth does one do with one of these? I must investigate...

2017 Saxapahaw Holiday Market

Join us this coming weekend at the annual Saxapahaw Holiday Market! (The image above is from the Saxapahaw Facebook page.) Once again we'll be offering Market-only pricing specials on calendars and stationery note cards. 

The Market hours are slightly different this year:

• Saturday, December 9 | 9:00am - 6:00pm
• Sunday, December 10 | 10:00am - 5:00pm

The market features lots of local artists, and the General Store and The Eddy Pub serve delicious food. Hope to see you there!

Peppers at the Raleigh Farmers Market

While at the Raleigh Farmers Market the other day, I spied this row of very colorful peppers. Peppers always make for good photos, and these did not disappoint! The rich, warm Fall colors are right on cue as well.

Matilda's bouffant hairdo

Check out this clever flower vase! This beautiful dinner plate dahlia grew in my friend's flower garden, and when she saw it had some missing petals she said, "I have just the vase!" Boy, was she right! It's as though the flower grew knowing it would be plucked for this adorable little vessel. I have lovingly named this pairing "Matilda"—don't know why, she just looks like one to me.

October sky

I haven't posted in a while, and wouldn't you know it: I'm featuring a picture of clouds and fiery sunset colors. It goes to show, they never get old (at least in my book). This picture was taken the other night. We haven't yet had consistently cool weather, but that particular evening had a chill in the air which makes me want a fire in the fireplace. Maybe now that November has rolled around...

Evening sunset

Another gorgeous sunset in the country sky. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago, but we are lucky to often have fantastic sunsets. Maybe one day I'll make a collage of all the ones I've captured on film. (Haha! "Film." What an outdated term!)

Saxapahaw Holiday Market

Please join us this Saturday and Sunday, December 3-4, for the annual Saxapahaw Holiday Market! We will have a booth, and our fresh-off-the-presses 2017 calendars will be available for all those lucky people on your shopping list. Look for our show-only specials. We hope to see you there!