Gorgeous Succulent Wreath Project

Ok... so since Mr. K will be gone all weekend there are a few DIY projects that I'm just dying to tackle!  And then hopefully I will share all of them in a timely manner.  hehe.  We all know I'm a little slow. 

Here's one... not sure if I'll tackle this one this weekend (don't worry, it's been added to the end of the list) but I'm in love with succulents so it will be done at some point.  We used them for my wedding.  We have some in my front yard.  I love them.  I'm not sure what it is.  I think they feel different and kind of edgy... but with a soft, hearty twist.  <-- Might be the most awkward description of a plant EVER!

This entire project was created by Jamie at Prudent Baby.  I found it on Tip Junkie, but they will take you to over to Prudent Baby from there too.  :) 

Start with:
* a wreath frame that you can get at your local craft store.
* Sphagnum moss
* Floral wire or Fishing wire
* Floral pins - paper clips - bobby pins - all will work
* Rooting hormone - helps plants grow in
* Succulent clippings... buy or prune yourself :)

1. Clip your succulents. 

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2. Moisten the spaghnum moss in a bowl for 5-10 min until it is fully wet.  Then stuff the wreath full of the wet moss.

3.  Wrap floral wire around the wreath and moss to keep in place.   

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4.  Time to plant!  Start with succulents that you have less of and are larger.  Stick a pen or pencil through the moss to make a hole. 

5.  Dip your succulent into the rooting hormone covering the stem. 
6.  Secure the plant in place by using the bobby pins or floral pins.  Make sure you do not pierce the succulent...go around it.  Probably why bobby pins work just as well if not better. 

7.  Continue around the wreath until you have all your clippings in leaving a little room for growth!  Keep adding until you feel good about it! 

When you are done you should have something like this!  Voila! 

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Isn't this GORG?!?! 

I mean who wouldn't love to hang this on their front porch!?! 

I know I would and I hope I can!  :) 

Beautius Succulents!

all images via http://www.prudentbaby.com/

*for all steps and more details on this project, visit their blog*

Vertical Gardens

Have you heard of this?  Am I late to hop on this bandwagon?!?  Vertical Gardens...

 And if you knew, why didn't you tell me?!?

I first came across it over at Design Sponge.  They were figuring out how they'd decorate their new patio and they listed this as one of the first things to do! That's right... a garden that hangs on a wall! I'm green with envy.  If only I had a fence to place this on....



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Anyways you can purchase the DIY panel from Flora Grubb.  I found it here for $99.  I think that's a bit pricey... plus I can't quite figure out the size.  They show 6 panels together and then block off one panel. But to me, $99 seems a bit pricey for one 20x20 panel.  Oh well.  I think there might be another way to do this, but I haven't quite gotten to that yet.  For now, I'm just sharing my findings!

Now, don't get me wrong.  I've heard of vertical gardens before, but I've never seen the plants flat... I've always seen them in pots that were hung to a wall like this:

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I'm much more satisfied with these that are completely flat to the wall!  And it doesnt' hurt that they are done with succulents either! Here are a few more pictures... Would you do this or do you have one already?  I'd love to hear about it and maybe share some pictures!

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Mondays with Martha

Clearly, I'm a Martha fan.  And clearly, most of those around me regularly know it.  I am not quite as perfect as her, I may not have all the resources as she does, but I do with what I have and I'm always worried about the presentation and my guests! 

After thinking about this blog and where it's come from and where it will be going, I thought I should incorporate her more...her DIYs, her food, her little tricks and trades... As Little Miss Martha, I'll do my best to represent Martha as best I can.  For now though, I'm going to start a Monday's with Martha thread.  It probably won't be everyone Monday, but it will allow me to bring a bit of her and some great inspiration to us all. 

So, here we go...
I think this will be a GREEN week... interpret how you will.  ;)  There may be some recycling efforts, some gardening efforts, and just feeling green in general (although I hope not). 

I'm thinking of spring so green is perfect!  In this case, house plants or greenery in the home.  Here is an example of Budding Chirita 'Aiko,' red-flowered Columnea 'Boehme' and 'Firebird,' and the moss Selaginella kraussiana.  Martha puts them in designer made pots and buys the saucers underneath at tag sales.  I'm sure you could get the same look with painted Terra Cotta. 

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These are displayed on antique cast iron stands.  I die.  Am I missing Rachel Zoe do you think?  Wonder if Rachel and Martha would get along?  Hmmm... I digress.  I love how they give you a height differential and also leave room for the plants to grow!  These are ivy and fern.  We used ferns at our wedding... They were very nice on the altar... just enough color!

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Here Martha has a couple of house plants on a guest's nightstand.  Do you do this?  I think if I put LIVE plants in my guest bedroom I'd forget about them and they'd die.  I have a tendency to kill indoor plants.  Outdoor ones I'm actually pretty good with.... just not so much the indoors.  Something I should probably add to my 2011 to-do list.  Work on becoming a Master Gardner - Indoor and Out.  Plus, these are orchids.  I have had an orchid before.  I've found that they are hard to water and give enough sunlight to.  Very beautiful and a great welcoming plant, I just am not sure that they are for me. 

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And lastly, my love of succulents comes out here!  Do you remember my succulent search?  Did I share that with you?  I was originally going to do mini potted succulents for my wedding favors... That got to be out of control price wise... But I loved the idea!  And ever since then I've had a love for all forms of cacti. 

This display is very cool.  I think I would totally do it IF I had an extra dining table that I didn't need to use all the time!  Ha!  Someday, right?  But I think it would add such depth to a room to have all these different kinds of plants sitting together.  It's like art in itself! 

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So... do you guys use house plants?  I have tried, but like I said... they die!  I kill them!  I don't mean to!  I try really hard, but I never have much success.  What about those trees you can get?  Or banana plants?  I love all the plants you can find at Ikea... just wondering if anyone else has tips, trades, ideas, success stories of their own house plants?!? 

Happy Monday!

-- Simple Arrangements --

Sometimes flowers can be overdone.  Not these below!  I love the simplicity of the arrangements.  Easy bottles, glasses, or vases.  Beautifully simple florals.  Color. 

Often times the prettiest arrangements are the easiest!

-- Still to do --

Does the list ever get shorter???

So I still need to get Mike a ring...better get that one done quick!  Well, he won't pick one...  And I still need to figure out what I'm doing for a guestbook.  I need go to my floral places and check on my orders since I'm doing all that myself. 

The flowers will be a lot like this but with those ivory ikea vase that I've shown before and brown painted milk vases.

Do you ever wonder why you chose to do the things you did?!  And think you knew you should have done things differently when you did them and wonder why you didn't do them the way you should have anyways?!  That's where I am right now.  Ugh.  I think that's why my list is so freaking long!  Because it's all me!  At least my sister is home now. 

I need to finish up programs now.  I need to figure out what's going on with the church and reception decor.  I need to make sure that we get the most awesome bridesmaid bouquets that I've ever seen finished!  They are absolutly so cool.  Cant' wait to share them!  And I can't wait to share the bouquet that my mom made for me either!  She's an absolute crafty genious!  I don't know why she doesn't do these all the time!

Look for these to be used! 

Get the marriage license, check on the honeymoon travel plans, figure out our song, send a song list to the dj, attend my bridal shower, purchase thank you cards, finalize bridesmaid accessories, finish up gifts, and that's it for now.  But the list keeps growing.  Can you tell I'm stressed?  Thank god for this Solodyn or I'd be breaking out all over!!! 

OH!!! And I need to tan...I'm whiter than a ghost! 

-- It's Decided! --

This is a totally random post for the day! 

But I think I've finally decided. 

...Ever Since I was a little girl... Every story starts like that, right?!  Well, mine doesn't start quite like that.  I'd say that mine starts ever since I really figured out that I could do WHATEVER I WANTED TO DO (which was about 18 or so...) I decided that I wanted to own my own business.  I always thought it would be a shoppe of somesort, but I figured it would be a little clothing store with sassy designer clothes like 8 Fifteen or Karisma (A sassy little boutique where I live).  I never really thought much of the outdoors or FLOWERS in general. 

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Now, I love them.  I love to arrange them at home, I love to plant them at home, and I love to have them at home.  I also find myself loving to look at all kinds of sites that do floral arrangements and/or have shops.  This made me think.  When I was a little girl, I never saw or went to a shop like Lily's in Wyoming or JL Designs in California or Eden Floral Boutique in Cincinnati. 

I can't wait to make my own bouquets and boutonniers.  It will be just great.  I hope they turn out as well as I'm planning! 

My shoppe would look like this all the time! 

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And I'd make bouquets and tablescapes inspired by these ones of JL Designs.

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We'll see how long it takes me!  Thanks to the great floral shops and floral designers out there for some great inspirations!  :) 

-- DIY Painted Vases --

I'm attempting a little DIY this weekend.  I take that back A LOT of DIY this weekend.  I am hoping to be putting together and trimming up my invitations so that all I need to do is print them, but along with that I'm going to be doing a good bit of spray painting.  Yep, you heard me.  I'm busting out my craftiness and channeling my Martha to pull out my best version of some painted vases. 

I went to Goodwill last weekend and scarfed up all the white, pewtred, plain glass, yellow, metalic, you name it vases...so long as they had a pattern on it and were less than $1.50 a piece they were mine.  I even got some of them at half off.  You have to love Goodwill for their half off days!  Then I went to Lowes and picked up some Mocha/Chocolate colored spray paint. 

Maybe I should back up a little bit.  I was inspired by this DIY setting on Style Me Pretty and I thought, hey...I can do that.  I like the idea of small vases on smaller tables because it can give the illusion of a lot of flowers without there being a lot which = lower cost.  LOVE IT!  Here is what there's turned out like:

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So beautiful it's not even fair. 

Mine will be chocolate in color and accented with whatever green/chartreusey colored vases, candles, and flowers I can find.  I've also found some really neat bronzy colored accent pieces a few places that I may start ravaging through and adding those in for some sass and extra color.  I think the centerpieces may turn out super sassy and I may be very very proud of what I did

(insert music symbols here) All by myself (insert more music symbols here).

Here's my process for painting the vases! 

They still need another coat but here is the process start to finish.  99 cent white glass vases, a little spray paint, and voila!

 

The best thing about the vases is that you can then give flower to people in them (it's not regifting because you totally crafted it in the first place!), you can use them in your house, you could let people take them home with them and you don't have to care becuase you spen next to nothing on them, and they are simply sassy and gorgeous!

-- Flower Shoppes --

I'm struggling. 

I love this little flower shop.  Lily and co.  Love them.

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Why is it located in...JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING?! 

All the cutest, best, little downhome shoppes are just way out of my reach!  I think I was not meant to live in Indiana!  So once again my search is on for another vendor...a Floral Vendor. 

In Fort Wayne, we have...

Armstrong Flowers

Cottage Flowers

Lopshire Flowers

Kroger

Lanternier Flowers

Young's Greenhouse & Flower Shop

McNamara Florists

but nothing like this --

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I want to be able to go in somewhere like this...more like a floral market...and pick what I'm looking for, go home and make what I want to make from it!!!  Where do these places exist?!  Besides Jackson Hole, Wyoming?  If I ever make it there I'm TOTALLY VISITING LILY AND CO!!! AND YOU SHOULD TOO!!! 

But seriously, does anyone know???  I want to have all my ducks in a row when the time comes to make the bouquets, boutonierres, etc so I'm not driving all over timbucktoo to find what I need. 

Are there any other brides out there in the same boat?  Making their own bouquets?  Looking for soemthing other than tele-florist to order resources from???