~How we quit the forest 🍄

I love these little creatures so much!! I got these from an entomologist that uses dead insects to make art. Odonata and lepidoptera are my favorite insect orders ❤️ There's something magickal about dragonflies. Their fairy-like wings really gives them an ethereal vibe. It's really fascinating to see them up close.

To say that I have a thing for decoration would be an understatement. I've always been fascinated by it, not in a professional sense, but as a hobby. As a photography student, I have a good understanding of colorimetry, which helps when decorating my own space. My life has revolved around work, college and more work (because it’s never enough).

Since I’m going on a short vacation next week, I thought it would be a good idea to just sit down and write. I also wanted to take a break from the “patentese” I work with on a daily basis to write something more informal.So, let’s get into it. After rearranging the furniture in my apartment several times to make room for a couch I recently bought, I wanted to show the result of months of planning (and shopping 👀).

I am real homebody (I even work from home), which is why I spend so much time rearranging things to provide a more cozy space for my work and leisure activities. Usually after a busy day at work I dedicate a few hours of leisure (what I call No-Thinking Hours) to visit decoration websites for reference and compare prices in stores.

I've finally found the terracotta velvet couch I've been searching for over the past years(!!). I'm obsessed with terracotta hues because they bring out the warm tones I see when I’m surrounded by nature. I love this color so much to the point that my entire apartment is decorated around it. (I totally forgot to take a picture of my sofa...).

The goal here is to incorporate elements of nature into my design projects by purchasing products made from wood and cork materials, both of which are typically eco-friendly and cost-effective.It's probably safe to say that the hobbit-hole I call home is finally getting the cozy vibe I want.

Scented candles are really popular these days, so I gave them a try and bought some from a store that specializes in literary candles. My favorite ones are Mama Bear's Pancakes, The Fantastic World of Beatrix Potter and Alice's Poetry.

The first one is a reference to a cartoon I used to watch in the 90s, so it really appeals to my childhood instincts. Alice's Poetry is my second favorite. As it burns, it releases a warm and soothing fragrance of apple, peach and tutti fruit while sparkling with delicate glitter.

I still have more decoration ideas, which I intend to share little by little. That's all for today.

~ I wanted to share with you guys an amazing book that really got me thrilled: Mushroom Botanical Art, by Toshimitsu Fukiharu and Eugenia Bone. It's a compilation of mushroom/fungi Illustrations by naturalists in 18th to 19th century. All the illustrations are rich in detail. Some of them include a description of the species 🙂 I wanna show you a glimpse of the beautiful interior of this book! I'm truly captivated by this work of art 🍄

Foxes are very present in folklore, and are often represented as mysterious, intelligent and trickster creatures. Among the most famous depictions is that of Kitsune, in Japanese folklore, in which the fox is a shapeshifter entity that takes the form of a young woman. In Slavic mythology, foxes are related to Devana, goddess of forests and hunting. She’s married to Veles, god of the underworld, herds, music, trickery and, according to some sources, poisonous mushrooms (come on, I had to mention this!). Devana is portrayed as a rebellious goddess who had an unrestrained love for her freedom, wearing her hair down (which was unacceptable for an unmarried woman). She was always accompanied by a fox or a wolf.

Foxes also play an important role in several fairy tales and fables. I am fascinated by foxes, especially the red ones (Vulpes vulpes), so I took some of these popular stories as inspiration for this photoshoot. When I immerse myself in the forest, walk barefoot and feel the nature around me, I easily dive into the creative process, adding elements of my favorite fairy tales/myths into my photos.