Name that flower
February 13, 2015 4:12 AM Subscribe
My daughter really loves the flowers on the vinyl tiles that I am planning to rip up in our upstairs bathroom. Can you help me identify them and possibly find some prints of these or think of a creative way to display and preserve a few?
Viewable here.
I actually really like them too, I like the sort of soft Laura Ashley 80's kind of feel to the colors and the cragginess of the stems with the soft petals. I don't know if they are mountain laurel really, but they sort of look like the mountain laurel that grows around our house.
So the two questions are:
1) What is it?
2) Can you help me find some bathroom-friendly* prints or other art to display them, either by buying prints or cutting up the tile and displaying it somehow?
The tile is pretty disgusting right now and hasn't been washed in two years. Let's none of us judge each other!!! Also stay tuned for next week question on 'the internet overwhelms me: how do I lay tile?'
*I just mean, nothing too expensive as it's going to be in a bathroom and subjected to humidity, so I'm not sure if a simple framed poster would work. Although there's this company printing images directly under glass (Fracture?) we just got something from, so we might be able to use them.
Viewable here.
I actually really like them too, I like the sort of soft Laura Ashley 80's kind of feel to the colors and the cragginess of the stems with the soft petals. I don't know if they are mountain laurel really, but they sort of look like the mountain laurel that grows around our house.
So the two questions are:
1) What is it?
2) Can you help me find some bathroom-friendly* prints or other art to display them, either by buying prints or cutting up the tile and displaying it somehow?
The tile is pretty disgusting right now and hasn't been washed in two years. Let's none of us judge each other!!! Also stay tuned for next week question on 'the internet overwhelms me: how do I lay tile?'
*I just mean, nothing too expensive as it's going to be in a bathroom and subjected to humidity, so I'm not sure if a simple framed poster would work. Although there's this company printing images directly under glass (Fracture?) we just got something from, so we might be able to use them.
They look like cherry blossoms/ sakura to me. There will be tons of Japanese style prints available. Etsy seems to have some.
posted by poxandplague at 4:21 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by poxandplague at 4:21 AM on February 13, 2015
Nthing cherry blossoms. It's a frequent subject of mine (look towards the end of that album).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:35 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:35 AM on February 13, 2015
I've always loved the Van Gogh almond, which is similar.
This one has Peacocks!
Here's one that's more modern.
You get the idea.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:42 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
This one has Peacocks!
Here's one that's more modern.
You get the idea.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:42 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
There are companies that will custom-print fabric for you. If you're artistic enough, you could trace a sprig, color it how you want, and have that be a repeated pattern. Or maybe you can get good enough pictures of the tiles that you could join them into one image, clean up the background as needed, and use that as your repeated pattern.
Then use the fabric to make window curtains or a shower curtain.
There may also be custom wallpaper printing, same concept.
posted by lakeroon at 5:06 AM on February 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Then use the fabric to make window curtains or a shower curtain.
There may also be custom wallpaper printing, same concept.
posted by lakeroon at 5:06 AM on February 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Not quite what you asked for, but I bet your daughter would like this water globe or this one.
posted by gudrun at 5:09 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by gudrun at 5:09 AM on February 13, 2015
To me they look like a fanciful combination of cherry blossoms and rose of sharon.
Just take a bunch of pictures, with and without flash, and select some good ones for cute little frames. You could use an image editor to play with different effects and make your own contemporary art.
posted by zennie at 5:31 AM on February 13, 2015
Just take a bunch of pictures, with and without flash, and select some good ones for cute little frames. You could use an image editor to play with different effects and make your own contemporary art.
posted by zennie at 5:31 AM on February 13, 2015
I was thinking cherry blossom as well. I love the colors. I can see why you're both a fan.
(that said, I also understand loving something and also thinking it needs to go, for whatever reason - no judgement here!)
posted by RogueTech at 5:40 AM on February 13, 2015
(that said, I also understand loving something and also thinking it needs to go, for whatever reason - no judgement here!)
posted by RogueTech at 5:40 AM on February 13, 2015
Plum blossoms could also fit the bill, although it's a LOT easier to find artwork when searching for "cherry blossoms" than "plum blossoms".
I suspect just about any stone fruit (cherry, plum, peach, etc.) could fit the bill. Cherry's just the most commonly depicted.
posted by RogueTech at 5:43 AM on February 13, 2015
I suspect just about any stone fruit (cherry, plum, peach, etc.) could fit the bill. Cherry's just the most commonly depicted.
posted by RogueTech at 5:43 AM on February 13, 2015
Not judging you, but is there a way you could just clean the tiles and leave them up for a few months or a year? If your daughter loves 'em, why not let the kid keep this thing she loves? Before you know it she'll be old enough not to care and then you can take them down without any kinderdrama. (I'm saying this as somebody who never had kids but remembers being a kid and loving things around the house that Mom took away FOR NO GOOD REASON.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:52 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:52 AM on February 13, 2015
I'd vote for plum blossoms, too, although very similar to cherry blossoms. An Etsy search for plum blossoms turned lots of possibilities - maybe the wall decals?
posted by chocotaco at 6:20 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by chocotaco at 6:20 AM on February 13, 2015
Maybe your daughter would like a wall decal?
posted by phunniemee at 6:36 AM on February 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 6:36 AM on February 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm gonna zag here and suggest they could be dogwood flowers.
posted by Mchelly at 6:52 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 6:52 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just put four of them in a shadow box?
posted by DarlingBri at 7:32 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by DarlingBri at 7:32 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cherry blossoms! (Dogwood flowers have four petals, cherry have five. Both are lovely.)
posted by mochapickle at 7:35 AM on February 13, 2015
posted by mochapickle at 7:35 AM on February 13, 2015
There is all manner of cherry blossom posters available cheap.
I was hoping to find you one from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (they have an amazing collection), but they didn't have any in the online shop...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:46 AM on February 13, 2015
I was hoping to find you one from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (they have an amazing collection), but they didn't have any in the online shop...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:46 AM on February 13, 2015
Response by poster: is there a way you could just clean the tiles and leave them up for a few months or a year? If your daughter loves 'em, why not let the kid keep this thing she loves?
I don't disagree with you and I'm actually trying to preserve them somehow (I'm with you on 'why not let her keep it?'). The problem is that it's a shoddy installation and the edges don't quite line up to the bathtub. There's about a quarter inch gap where it just peels up slightly, and it looks super crappy. The bathroom itself is thirty year old builder's quality crapola, and I'm trying to revive it by replacing the toilet and the vanity top and fixtures, the lights, but not the bathtub and probably not the vanity itself, which I'll paint.
I'm actually open to keeping the vinyl if I can figure out a way to get those edges down in a way that still protects the underlying floor and then maybe going so far as to get some additional cherry blossom art that people have suggested and really going the distance with it.
But I have to figure out how to finesse those curling bits/gaps around the periphery of the floor. If anyone has ideas, I'm all ears. Note that 'cover it with trim' (an old family favorite) won't work here because part of the gap is along the edge of the bathtub and that area needs to be consistently water tight. Caulk might work, but it's a quite large gap and it's curling, and I feel like it would be difficult to be assured it wouldn't start peeling away from the caulk, looking dreadful.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:57 AM on February 13, 2015
I don't disagree with you and I'm actually trying to preserve them somehow (I'm with you on 'why not let her keep it?'). The problem is that it's a shoddy installation and the edges don't quite line up to the bathtub. There's about a quarter inch gap where it just peels up slightly, and it looks super crappy. The bathroom itself is thirty year old builder's quality crapola, and I'm trying to revive it by replacing the toilet and the vanity top and fixtures, the lights, but not the bathtub and probably not the vanity itself, which I'll paint.
I'm actually open to keeping the vinyl if I can figure out a way to get those edges down in a way that still protects the underlying floor and then maybe going so far as to get some additional cherry blossom art that people have suggested and really going the distance with it.
But I have to figure out how to finesse those curling bits/gaps around the periphery of the floor. If anyone has ideas, I'm all ears. Note that 'cover it with trim' (an old family favorite) won't work here because part of the gap is along the edge of the bathtub and that area needs to be consistently water tight. Caulk might work, but it's a quite large gap and it's curling, and I feel like it would be difficult to be assured it wouldn't start peeling away from the caulk, looking dreadful.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:57 AM on February 13, 2015
open to keeping the vinyl if I can figure out a way to get those edges down in a way that still protects the underlying floor
Get 1" ceramic tiles and make a border on top of the vinyl. You might need to build up the area in the gap with something, a strip of wood or maybe thinset or floor leveler.
posted by yohko at 10:51 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Get 1" ceramic tiles and make a border on top of the vinyl. You might need to build up the area in the gap with something, a strip of wood or maybe thinset or floor leveler.
posted by yohko at 10:51 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
It will be easy to find similar looking flower patters in Japanese artwork. I personally love Japanese artwork, but since I can't afford prints I buy Asian art calenders in the spring (even now is a good time), when they are on sale. Simply cut out the prettiest pages and use a pushpin to "hang" it - there is already a convenient little hole at the top of each page! Of course you could also find suitable frames to protect the pictures, make the art more bathroom friendly, and prevent the display from looking cheap. I currently have two such "prints" of Japanese cherry blossoms hanging in this very room.
posted by partly squamous and partly rugose at 12:03 PM on February 13, 2015
posted by partly squamous and partly rugose at 12:03 PM on February 13, 2015
I am SO not a pro on this, but I would reglue all the edges and then they make some sort of "backer" strip (sort of like a spongy roll of stuff) you can push down to fill most of the gap and then caulk on top of that. Maybe someone else will come along with the technical terms?
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 3:27 PM on February 13, 2015
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 3:27 PM on February 13, 2015
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posted by Bardolph at 4:19 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]