According to a Swedish legend, there was a cobbler who each year put up a sign that said "Closed Between Bird Cherry and Lilac".

And this is indeed an enchanting time of year! Beautiful and intoxicating early summer. When veils of green leaves open on the bare branches. The heady scents of blossoms. Fresh shades of greens and bird song.

Every year I keep thinking that I really ought to do what the cobbler did! Hang up a sign on the door and take a few weeks off to indulge in this time of sheer beauty. And every year it turns out to be a busy time of year!

I had to do something about it so last week I spent the day walking all over Djurgården in Stockholm. I was dizzy with summer! Lunch in the fruit orchard at Rosendals Trädgård under clouds of cherry blossom was almost too much to take in. Breathtaking.

Back in the studio I worked on this desktop picture with an orchard with cherry trees in bloom which originally was inspired by a letter from Japan. But that is a different story! Trying to give the image this almost ethereal feeling I had in the orchard... And perhaps a bit of a story book quality!

Now you can customise your desktop with Cherry Orchard wallpaper. Available in several sizes and variations for different types of monitors and set ups. There are fullscreen, widescreen, iPhone and iPod Touch versions so pick a good one!

Tags: seasonal, floral, summer, spring, nature, Japanese, Scandinavian

I have been fascinated with yellow ever since the daffodils burst out in bloom! This new dual monitor desktop background with forsythia was inspired by Japanese designs and patterns - and yellow.

This month Club Members receive the Marmalade Monthly and a May desktop calendar. So head on over to the freebies section to get your Forsythia wallpaper and don't forget to join Club Marmalade Moon for even more exclusive desktop goodies!

Tags: seasonal, floral, spring, nature, Japanese, desktop calendar

Spending hours on your computer? How about a spring desktop makeover?

Marmalade Moon has created a new club to belong to. As May approaches, there is one more week to get the April Club Benefits!

I have designed three limited edition floral computer icons exclusively for members of Club Marmalade Moon. A Siberian Scilla. An exquisite tulip with striking, rosy apricot petals suffused with pink! A Pheasant's Eye Daffodil, or Poet's Daffodil.

April's Club Monthly comes as icons for Windows, icons for Mac (with beautiful large resources for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista) and as images for personal use on your blog, website, as an avatar for your computer user account, forums, instant messenger and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. The images are all in png format and available in seven sizes.

Join now to get your free, first-rate, limited edition spring desktop art!

Let your desktop bloom! 

Tags: seasonal, bold, spring, floral, Mac OS X, Leopard, Windows, Vista, instant messenger, social networking, forum

When MacPeople Lite in Japan featured my Soon Spring icons in their Spring 2008 issue I revisited the collection and decided to update the set to include fresh new versions for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista for this weeks release of icons at the Iconfactory.

But it was so much fun to work with these icons that I expanded the collection with five bold, new spring flowers! Inspiration was literally on the doorstep, with a few late Snowdrops and a sea of Scilla on the grassy slope outside the studio. Iris, Daffodils and Pheasant's Eye saluting the sun from the flowerbeds.

When I was designing these flowers I studied them and was fascinated by things I found out. That Iris, in Greek mythology, was the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. The optical phenomenon iridescence is derived from Iris' name and the fleur-de-lis is a stylized Iris...

Then I read that Pheasant's Eye daffodil, is also called Poet's Daffodil or Narcissus poeticus in latin... Isn't that just irresistable!?

And if you want to get it on paper, that spring is here, you might be interested in the Tulip card over in the shop where there are several cards inspired by spring.

Soon Spring computer icons come with a companion wallpaper: A Sea of Scilla. This desktop picture is available in several sizes for different types of monitors. There are fullscreen, widescreen, iPhone and iPod Touch versions so take your pick!

Last but not least, members of Club Marmalade Moon receive a bonus collection of Soon Spring icons and images for personal use on your blog or website or as avatars for your computer user account, forums, instant messenger and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace! Join the club to get your free April release of limited edition desktop art!

Tags: seasonal, floral, nature, spring, bold, Mac OS X, Leopard, Windows, Vista, social networking, Shop Marmalade Moon

It never fails, every year I buy budding bunches of daffodils, when I shop for food at the market. A couple of days later I buy another bunch, soon the dinner table is overflowing with daffodils. And when the daffodils bloom I am startled at how anything can be so - well so very yellow...

As you might have guessed, I am designing some compuer icons and desktop pictures on a spring theme. Bold and colourful like the brave spring blossoms. This spring desktop art will be ready to open its petals on your desktop next week!

Members of Club Marmalade Moon will receive bonus spring desktop art, so join the club to get your April release of limited edition desktop art, if you haven't done so already!

Tags: seasonal, spring, nature, floral, bold, Windows, Mac OS X, Vista, Leopard