I am a reliable sucker for the carefully-disheveled look of Anthropologie: frothy layered clothes photographed against peeling plaster walls and wood nymph charm bracelets. I can’t help it. Every new catalog sends daggers of loveliness straight into my heart. Like this most recent lust:

I’ve been carrying this pillow idea around in my head like it’s a lucky pebble I keep rubbing between my fingers in contemplation. And I think I can recreate this to some degree, while indulging two of my latest obsessions: 1) Reacquainting myself with printing, courtesy of the very inspiring Lena Corwin and her fantastic book, and 2) trying to find iron-on embroidery appliqués for grown-ups.

I know myself well enough to know that I love the idea of sitting in a lounge chair, listening to the radio and embroidering hand-printed fabric – but not the reality of that little domestic scene. So I’m on the prowl for decent stand-ins for embroidery that don’t call to mind Trapper Keepers or elementary school backpacks. I started looking for straight-up flowers, but after a few clicks I found this site and became smitten with the idea of adding some kind of lovely beetles or bugs, reminiscent of old prints and biology books. I still haven’t found quite what I’m after (is "sophisticated iron-on appliqué" an oxymoron? Any suggestions out there?), but I do have a stack of iron-on quince blossoms and pansies and luna moths headed my way, and I’ll report back with the results.