I grew up in Oregon believing there was nothing interesting about the Midwest. Seven years here have thoroughly revised my opinion, and now I love it. My husband and I make excursions year-round to small towns and metropolises in the Midwest to explore places we haven’t seen yet. We discover something inspiring every place we go.

Maybe it’s the long winters that inspire creative projects like Knit Happens. Seeing a yarn collage like this dressing up a lowly telephone pole is a great example of art happening in the Midwest. This group of artists has made their way around Kansas City–another MW gem of a town–tagging all kinds of things with bright knits that stand out like flares against the dull skies of late winter.

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Phoenix may be better known for it’s epic sprawl, but its wonderful desert plant life is easily accessible from just about anywhere in the city through the trail and desert preserves system. Our foray to the Desert Botanic Garden yielded great colors, cactus blooms and the aromas of heated earth and plant life. The antidote I was looking for as everyone froze in subzero Minneapolis weather this weekend.

From the left — I love the purplish green cast of this Opuntia gosseliniana – from the mostly edible family of prickly pear cacti. I’m waiting for id’s on the other two since I didn’t take any field notes. The weekend was devoted to taking it easy with my mom, aunt and 1.5 year old daughter, so there was less botanizing than I would have liked, but plenty of pretty plant looking.

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I’m headed to Phoenix, AZ this weekend to spend some time with relatives. My mental images of Arizona were formed by the book High Tide in Tucson, by Barbara Kingsolver (my favorite author). I’m excited to see some plants that aren’t dormant for the winter…maybe even some blooming cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden. Photos of what I find next week…

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Hey retailers! The spring summer 2008 Rectangle wholesale catalog is now available. Please contact us at info@rectangledesigns to inquire about getting a copy.

Our new motif APPLE BRANCH.

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I love the reverse inspiration of the Art in Bloom show at Minneapolis Institute of the Arts–floral arrangements inspired by paintings. Rectangle was invited to provide wares for the event gift shop, and I’m thrilled to be a part of such a cool event at an amazing local institution. We’re making up a special selection of canvas clutches, scarves and some baby hats for them. We’ll remind you again, but the event is April 30-May 4.

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