{Reproduction Cowslip & anemone botanical charts in our family room by The Evolution Store}
I've managed to get my hands on a few & when Erin @ The Impatient Gardener asked me where I'd found them, I thought I'd share some of my sources in a post. (I hope you won't think I'm a one-trick pony when you see how many botanicals I've used in projects!! I just have a serious passion for them!! ;) The reproduction German education charts in my family room (above) are from The Evolution Store. They have a wide (and gorgeous!)selection of botanicals, and in particular, a lot with black backgrounds, which are higher-contrast and feel bolder and more modern than those with light backgrounds. I wanted my charts quickly & I needed a pair, so going vintage wasn't really an option for me this time. When I got the charts, I spent some time beating them up- I roughed up the edges a little and rolled and unrolled them a bunch, wrinkling them- so they'd more resemble my vintage ones. I also splurged for the wooden dowels vs. the plastic dowels. (ps- it's ridiculous that I spent all of this time making my new charts look old when I'm so careful & gentle with my old ones. hahaha irony.)
The charts can be hung on nails like mine (above) or framed like these:
{Room by S. Gambrel and the botanicals look like framed charts to me.... The Evolution Store carries all of these exact prints.}
The vintage botanical chart that sparked this post (below) is in my laundry room. I found it at an antique store. Any time I see rolled up vintage educational charts in a store, I go digging. I unroll every single one and buy all of the ones that I love. I keep them until the right project comes along.
...And it always does.
I found the mushroom chart in my middle son's nursery (below) at German Favorite Antiques, a local antique store in Leesburg, Virginia. They have a nice selection of charts, though most that I've seen in the past are industrial / machine parts charts.
Some of my favorite overscale botanicals are actual pressed botanicals or copies of actual pressed botanicals. If you plan on buying actual pressed overscale botanicals, then get your wallet ready for it because they're not cheap (but OH MY GOSH THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL & I looooooooove them & do think it's worth the splurge if it's something you're passionate about... Did you just hear me give myself an excuse to get one some day?? ;) ;)) BUT, there are a few posters around of overscale pressed botanicals. Allposters.com carries these ginko leaves and they are so perfect:
Actual pressed plants will eventually fade over time whereas copies of the plants won't.
I wanted to do something similar but a little more personal for some clients of ours so, their kids & I went outside & found some pretty leaves from their back yard (from tulip trees.) I took the leaves home and laid them out on my scanner and scanned them in. Then I sent the images to an online company to have them blown up and printed on stretched canvas. (below)
I came across this botanical (below) out at the Old Lucketts Store in Leesburg and I think it's a framed chart of a marsh marigold.
I found these two prints for a client's dining room (below) at Natural Curiosities, whose art work I love. They purchase & acquire the rights to antique & vintage prints and reproduce them, often in large scale. Everything from Natural Curiosities is even better in person than in photos because they "age" their papers and try to painstakingly replicate the originals.
...Another great source for overscale botanicals (mostly charts) is etsy. There are sellers selling actual vintage charts & there are a bunch selling new charts in the vintage style. (Many of the new educational charts are actually being made on the very same machines that the originals were made on... they are just 2012 versions of the originals, kind of like reprinting of books. The vintage charts found online are typically more expensive than the new ones.) It's sometimes hard to tell if a seller is selling vintage charts or reproductions so be sure to ask if you're unsure.
Anyway, I'm off for the day, but have a great one!!
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