DIY: Planting Succulents

       In an effort- perhaps- to satisfy my gardening urge I decided I need a few more indoor plants- I love a good succulent- they are just so cute and perky! A small community of succulents live in our living room over near the window- nothing too prickly that might hurt small fingers but enough green to lighten any grey mood! While succulents are fairly hardy souls there are some rather hard and fast rules when settling them into their new homes- which is what I thought I would share here today.

    Planting these little beauties is easy if you just remember the most important rule of all- succulents do not like to get their feet wet! Naturally succulents don't need much water- they are after all indigenous to dry climates- that said when they do get watered they need soil with very good drainage. You can either purchase special potting soil just for succulents or you can mix together sand and regular potting soil to create a mixture that drains the water away easily.

        Along that same train of thought- lets talk about the planting vessel it's self- I chose to use a vintage silver mint julep cup- obviously. The only issue with this vessel is there is no drainage hole in the bottom- most of the time you could just drill one out- not the case with this vintage gem. Instead I threw a few handfuls of pebbles into the bottom to create some drainage- when combined with sparse watering this should be adequate.

   Drainage- make sure the container you chose has a large hole in the bottom or drill one out- if that is not option use a good layer of chunky gravel

    Potting mix- succulents do not like wet feet so your soil should drain easily- hence the hold in the container

    Light- Succulents love sun- ensure that your plant gets 6-8 hours of daylight per day

    Water- of course Succulents are a plant and need a little water to live- but not much which is what makes them so hardy

      If one had to sum up succulents it would go something like this- sun, very little water and hard to kill. Sounds like my kind of plant! Of course succulents are having a bit of a moment right now thanks to elaborate glass terrariums seen in many a design magazine these days- but I prefer a small table top gathering- stashed away in a sunny corner- providing that mood lightening pop of green every Vancouver home could use.

 PS- yes that is a succulent growing out of the back of a dinosaur- our friend Caro makes the best take homes treats at birthday parties!

Crafternoon: Mini Puppets

         Around these parts we are big fans of Washi tape- I know for sure some folks will be asking what on earth is Washi tape- Mom I'm thinking of you! Washi tape is colourful, patterned, low tack masking tape- I like to use Washi to tack up the kid's art work around the house as it is non marking. Washi tape is available in practically any colour or pattern you can wish for and adds cuteness to any project- big or small. For this little craft my Girly and I chose to use Washi tape as "clothes" for Popsicle stick puppets.

         For this project all you will need is a couple of different colours of Washi tape, markers and large sized Popsicle sticks. Select one colour of Washi tape for the bottoms - skirt, pants, bikini ( Miss Lo made a bunch of puppets in bikinis), simply wrap a small piece of the Washi tape around the Popsicle stick. Next select a colour of Washi tape for the puppets top, wrap the top of the Popsicle stick to create the shirt. Once your puppet is clothed you can add it's features on with marker- hair, eyes, smile, glasses- we also gave a few of our puppets Washi tape hats.

        The nice thing about using Washi tape for a small project like this is that it tears very easily- scissors are not needed- unless you have an insistent four year old who likes to cut things into tiny pieces- then by all means use scissors! This is a great little project to take with you for travel or to a restaurant- it's a project that once set up the Littles can just work away on their own . In no time at all you will have assembled a motley cast of puppets- perfect for any sort of imaginative adventures!

        Friends it is Friday again- although it might be foggy right this second we are for casted to have a beautiful, sunny weekend- so if you need me just look to the farmers market, hiking trails or beaches of Vancouver- that's where we will be! Happy Friday Friends!