Project update

The fairy lantern turned out pretty good, but it didn't take very long to make so that left me needing another new project. 

And here's a plant update. Remember the tiny little palm tree?

It's all grown up now...

I guess it was happy in its little home, but it outgrew the space so now it's free to take over the windowsill. 

6 of 30

It's always when I'm in a hurry that Blogger acts up... I'm rushing off to sit down and watch a movie after being on my feet all day - and of course nothing I do in Blogger works right tonight.  Ugh.

 

Anyway - I'm not planning on updating every 3 days, but since I made it to the weekend on Whole 30, I want to crow about it. I got this far! I'm pretty amazed that I've been able to say no to chocolate all week. It has NOT been easy.

 

The week started off rough - I was cranky, tired and hungry. Today I am FINALLY less tired. In fact I got a surge of energy this afternoon that I'm still riding on. I hope that means all this good food is finally kicking in. My mood is decidedly better and I had the willpower to walk away from mini-donuts at the flea market even though I was hungry. I've eating good food all week and I found I've really enjoyed my food. Fruit has never tasted better and I appreciate every bite of everything else - probably because I'm so hungry.

 

Tomorrow I'm breaking a cardinal rule of Whole 30 and I'm making paleo pancakes for breakfast.

 

Why?

 

Simple. Whole 30 doesn't tell me what to do. And some stupid rules are made to be broken. I get why the authors of the book FORBID pancakes of any kind. 1) They're pandering to people who enjoy that feeling of having to 'be good' in order to prove themselves worthy. I got nothin' to prove. 2) They want you to get used to not having some of the trigger foods that can lead you down the garden path to bad eating. I get that. A paleo pancake is perfectly fine - but if you get used to eating pancakes every day, what happens when paleo pancakes aren't available? You'll just have regular pancakes and that's a different animal altogether. I get it. That's why I'm allowed to break the rule. It's like in writing. Know what the rules are and break them only for a good reason. My good reason is this: Eating right is NOT about never having something you like or about having the will power not to make something decadent out of good ingredients. LIVING WELL is about LIVING - not about sticking to arbitrary rules.

 

So, I'm having paleo pancakes because I can eat an egg and I can eat a banana and that's fine - there's NO REASON I can't mix them together and cook them and eat the result if that will make me happy, fuller, well fed and give me some variety. Arbitrary rules are stupid.

 

That being said, I am having the food dreams that so many people report having. In my dreams I've eaten corn, walnut chicken with soy sauce and bleu cheese - and I felt bad about it each time. But I did it anyway.

 

On that note, here's a before and after photo of one of my terrariums. Interesting to see the difference a year has made.

Then

 

 

 

Now

  



 

Only if it's purple...

As promised, the desk accessories:

 

The washi tape accent really makes it.

 

 

I also redid some of my gardens:

 

Here are two red maple saplings I rescued from the front yard. I'm hoping to turn them into bonsai - my new obsession. The sweet little pot is from today's garage sale excursion.

I bought a sedum mat at Lowe's today and used pieces of it everywhere. A nice sized piece of it makes a fantastic ready made fairy garden in a glass ivy bowl.

The ivy terrarium was doing really well on my desk, but I just wasn't happy with it, so I replanted the ivy into an open jar and turned it into a proper fairy garden using some pink fencing I found at an estate sale and that cute little terra cotta pitcher I've had floating around in my junk box for years.

 

AND...

 

I've also discovered the Japanese art of Suiseki - or the contemplation of rocks. Of course real suiseki is one amazing rock, usually that looks like a landscape set in a custom made wooden tray. This is a set of rocks in a heart shaped wooden bowl, but you get the idea. I plan to contemplate them.

 

Over dinner we did a lot of talking about a major paint job for the basement...so it looks like in the next couple of weeks I'll be working on the faux rock wall along the basement steps.

 

I have to say that my guilty confession is I have let go of writing. I do still have to complete a novella, but I'm in no hurry. For the first time in about 10 years, I don't feel the need to write, or the guilt of not writing. I'm just living my life - and as much as writing has been who am for the last 38 years, I feel a tremendous sense of freedom in NOT having to do it. I'm sure I will go back to it. There are still things I want to write, but for now, I feel incredibly liberated and I'm enjoying so many more things now that I don't feel like every moment not spent writing is a moment wasted. Is that wrong?



A better world?

Yesterday I was taking a walk and thinking about how I wanted to live in a different world this year - meaning I don't want to live in the publishing world so much this year, and I don't want to live in the cyberworld. I'm enjoying my blogging, but I find that most of the time I spent on the computer is NOT productive time. And when I get on the computer with the ambition to do something productive, I end up wasting time. Then I'm too tired to do something productive so I log off having accomplished nothing.

You would think my goal would be to put my computer time to better use, but alas, my goal is really to have less computer time all together.

Don't know how that's going to work out, but I'd like 2015 to be the Year of Good Health, not the year of blankly staring at the computer wishing I could get back on the writing train and start raking in the bucks that other people are raking in.

I spent this afternoon noodling around in my gardens. Added glass mushrooms to the terrariums to combat the melting the and mold that happen with the clay and resin ones.

I then fixed up my now non-living beach terrarium, inspired by the terrarium book I got for Christmas.

The pretty little starfish I had in there disintegrated, so I put a shell over the remains and tucked some dried moss in to look like something is growing.

Then I created another bottle garden - this one using the quilled plants that I made years ago. They used to be in the faux fairy garden I made, but that's getting tossed in favor of other real plants.

Now my real question for the day was this... Which is really the better world to live in? There's a lot of strife and argument between the people who live in the present and the people who want to live in the past. My question is, which makes a better world:

The commercialized present, where holidays are about retail sales, the seasons dictate what we buy and big business strives to keep us artificially happy by constantly providing us with new things to want and to need so that we work hard to have money to spend on things, things, things - and everything is shiny and bright and new and somewhat hollow... or

The 'idealized' past, where religion rules and tells us we must look askance and things that are new and commercial, where we should be working hard not to earn money but to earn our place in 'heaven' and government and church work to keep us artificially unhappy so that we are always striving to be better and more pious so we can attain our reward in the afterlife?

Is it better to be happily rushing off to the mall to pick up the latest tablet and video game and new flavor of shampoo that will give us shiny hair, or is it better to be trudging off to church or synagogue or mosque where we will be reminded that we are sinners who are worth nothing until we atone for something that supposedly happened centuries ago?

Is it better to pretend to be happy in a world with no sustenance, or is it better to be oppressed by a system that only allows us happiness when we're dead?

I know the latter isn't a world I want to live in - and really, neither is the former, but living on the fringe of both is rather frightening. Do you fall into the commercial present and be sucked into the next Black Friday or do you continue to resist the religious past where your soul is sucked out and sold back to you through prayer and atonement?

Maybe this is why I like to live in miniature world of my own creation.

I have a Groot problem

I sometimes make the mistake of saying I like action figures a little too much, and then I get them as gifts.

Here's my collection of Groot figures. I do love Groot - in fact I adore Groot. So I suppose I can't complain.






I gave the figures a place of honor among my relocated terrariums. After rearranging my art supply closet and switching it with my office supply closet, I also moved some of my terrariums from my very crowded garden shelf to my desk where they won't get as much light, but they really shouldn't need as much. This should free up some room for my Norfolk Island Pine and the gardens I plan to add later in the new year. I have to be careful about how many plants I 'rescue' - I'm severely limited in my space. Hopefully the Groots will lend their support to my jar plants and help them grow.

A bigger better terrarium

The marathon garage sale day turned up this loot - a fantastic, giant glass jar for $1.00 [complete with blue gravel], a bitters bottle, a miniature clear vase and a cute hurricane lamp that will be a great home for a tiny plant - which I haven't found yet.  I ran right out to buy something for the big jar because it needed to be a home to a needy plant ASAP.  Here's how it turned out.

The tree-like plant turned out to be bigger than I wanted it to be. I was really hoping to find some tiny plants, so they'd have a lot of room to grow big, but this isn't the season apparently for small plants. Hopefully the tree plant won't grow too big too fast. I added the spare bird's nest - and I'm pretending it's a blue-footed booby nest rather than a robin's nest. I set this in the bedroom window, we'll see how it does. I also grabbed the last of the ivy from outside [I did a much better job of eradicating it than I had really planned on, so I cut two small springs and planted them in the round open jar where i used to have the polka dot plants that weren't doing well.

I'm starting to outgrow my very limited indoor area for plants and I've got to bring my lemon tree inside soon, so things are going to get crowded for the winter. I think I have a plant addiction. Is that a thing?

Polka Dots!

I've been worried that the polka-dot plants I relegated to the safety of my home office to protect them from the cats weren't getting enough light, but apparently they like their habitat because one of them has produced a gorgeous little purple flower that looks like a cross between and iris and an orchid.

Likewise the cuttings I took last week and planted in potting soil seem to have taken hold. They're growing new leaves and enjoying the humid atmosphere in the half soda-bottle I'm using as a green house.

What's wrong with 'You should...'

I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself, but I promise to make an effort not to start conversations with other people with the words, "You should..."

It's not so much about making a suggestion as it seems to be about telling someone to do something because you would do it, or wish you could. It's not so much offensive as bothersome.

I've been told on a couple of occasions, 'You should make terrariums and sell them at craft shows.' Ugh.

To the people who have suggested it, it sounds like a great idea. Just start churning something out, assembly line style, and boom, start making a profit. Except that the people who have suggested this to me seem to have no idea that it's not just something I pull out of my butt. I had to assemble all of the supplies and to make a terrarium properly, it DOES in fact cost money. If you find things cheaply, such as at garage sales, where I like to find things, you're lucky if you can make a handful of things with the supplies you find. To go into business selling something you need a lot of product... and either your product needs to be consistent, so that you can create a viable pricing system and a production schedule, or your product needs to be individual enough that you can charge whatever you want for each individual item. Once you create a bunch of things, you have to transport them to where you're going to sell them for all this profit people assume you will make. And you probably have to pay for space at your sales venue - so hopefully a couple of sales will make up for that cost, otherwise it's just a big exercise in futility.

So, now you've got something that's a fun, creative craft project that has morphed into an expense for the proper supplies, time to create a decent amount of stock, store them until you're ready to sell them, transport them and pay for space. Now you're selling these items and people who buy them will have questions - can you answer all those questions?

How long will the plants live? I don't know.
What kind of plant is it? I'm not really sure.
How much light does it need? Some, I'm not sure.
How much water does it need? Water it once a week? Or more. Or less. I don't know. It's an experiment.
What if my cat eats it? What if my kid eats it? Don't let them do this.
Why not? Is it poisonous? I guess it could be.
How can you sell something that's poisonous? I'm selling it because someone who thinks they know better than me told me I SHOULD.
Can you customize it for me?  Not really, because I don't feel like it.
Can I return it if it dies? Not really.

And on and on. Maybe I over think things. But I didn't start making terrariums because I was looking for a new cottage industry. I've already got one business that's more trouble than it's worth [writing]. I really don't need another. What I need is a hobby that I enjoy, that's fun, that's isn't going to create stress in my life.

So, NO. I shouldn't make these and sell them. What I should do is what I want to do, not what other people tell me I should do.

A river runs through it...

I managed to hold off on making more terrariums until I had the day off. So 1/4 of my four day weekend was spent working on these.  This one is for my aunt. It's just a simple plant that needs good lighting. She has no pets, so she doesn't have to worry about feline interference. With no lid, it can grow as big as it wants and it will look like trees surrounding the little deer. The only problem with it is, like most of these projects, it's just too easy to make. It took me more time to assemble all my tools and supplies on the picnic table than it did to actually put the thing together.

And here's the lemonade dispenser terrarium. It turned out pretty good! I have no idea what the plants are since neither of them came with any identifying cards. Hopefully the light from the dining room window will be enough for them because that's where they're going to live for now.

I used the awesome pearly glass marbles to make a river running across the front of the property. The figures I glued to flat rocks work well, though they're a tiny bit too big to actually get through the door of the house. Hopefully, perspective-wise that little detail won't really be noticeable. 

So once again I procrastinated a day away. I know what I want to do with the story I need to write, I just can't seem to get myself to the point of actually sitting down and doing it. With these projects out of the way, hopefully I can devote the next three days to some actual work.

I had an idea

And it turned out to be a light bulb terrarium. Michael's sells the little light bulb jars for $1.99. Having looked at million of them on line I thought it would be too difficult to reclaim a real light bulb. This one is great because it stands on its own.

I will admit the cheat on this one - the plants are not real. I wanted something that was always going to look good and I really don't have a great place to keep a tiny jar like this that it will get decent light. 

In addition to my projects this weekend, I also got back on the stationary bike. I did only 10 minutes at first, but after re-charging my iPod and buying a few new songs, I was able to do a whole 30-minute workout this evening. I gave up the bike for a long time because, thanks to the myths perpetrated by the diet industry, the last time I used the bike it was for the purpose of losing weight. After 30 minutes a day for 3 months gained me a pound, I decided exercise was rubbish. It is if you want to lose weight, but I'm finally coming up on holding my own about not falling back into the weight loss mythology anymore. My concentration is on health - and I know I need to get more exercise just to stave off the stiff joints and the genetic pre-disposition I have to develop arthritis. I'm going to use the bike because I want to move, not because I want to lose. Hopefully having a proper goal in mind will help me stick with it and not become disgusted when it doesn't 'work'.

Life's a beach, in a jar

I mentioned my garage sale finds yesterday - here's the lemonade stand jar I got for $1. The spigot was broken, which was fine - I just removed it and glued a clear plastic gem over the hole. That will go in the back when the terrarium is finished.

The little house cost $2. It fits inside the jar perfectly. Today I picked up some preserved moss and a gorgeous set of river rocks in green and red and white.

As much as I want to run right out to Metropolitan and get more plants I'm forcing myself to wait until Thursday/Friday to start working on my next two live-plant projects because I've done so much procrastinating this weekend. [Still doing it, as you can see.] I'm trying to work up to sitting down and doing some actual writing, but the big, giant writer's block is weighing me down considerably.

Last night, having stumbled upon a photo while surfing, I made myself a beach memory bottle with the mason jar that used to house the caterpillars. I think it turned out pretty cute and gave me an excuse to use the scrap booking stickers I've been holding onto for a couple of years.

Yep, that's a cat investigating in the background. 

If I can't go to the beach, at least I can have one on my shelf. 

New projects

I've been busy since my visit to Metro Wholesale. I got wonderful little ferns to plant in the giant mason jar along with the mini-Stonehenge and Great Wall. It's a little disjointed as a theme for a terrarium, but one of these days I plan to add a mini-TARDIS to this one and then it will all make sense. This one has no moss in it - which I'm hoping will actually be a good thing.

This is a new outdoor garden I made in the plastic pot that used to hold parsley. The caterpillars ate all the parsley, so this one ended up with the tiny purple and white flowers. I love it! I want to go for a walk down the little cobbled lane.

I made another one built up with sea shells in a new terracotta pot. That one has the little flowers and baby's tears. It looks a little messy, but hopefully everything will take root and it will fill in nicely

Finally, I actually got two gorgeous salmon colored flowers on the plant in the desert terrarium. No feline mischief so far!

I got some great containers at garage sales today, so I have more projects in the offing. Yes, I'm running out of space for them, but I'm not running out of steam. Hopefully my little projects will give me inspiration over the winter, which I fear is going to be harsh this year, since the summer has been so mild. 

Another moment of Zen

Found a cute set of plastic world icons - including Stonehenge, the Easter Island giants and even Mt. Rushmore as well as this little figure who fits perfectly in the previously Pikachu terrarium. A permanent moment of Zen.

Terrarium Spice

Here's my collection of spice jar terrariums - a testament to the upside of not throwing things away. I've had these jars in the cupboard probably for the last 15 years. I probably inherited them along with the first house, and carted them to the second house and tucked them away in a high cabinet. And the minute I decided to make terrariums, they came to mind. Finally! They have a purpose.

So far the four of them are doing pretty well, after about a month since they were created. I've attacked a little bit of mold growing here and there and dribbled some extra water into the jars.

Oddly, or maybe not so oddly - the one that seems to be doing the best is the one that I dropped a couple of small quartz crystals into. I wonder if the crystals channel energy into the moss??

Small worlds

For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by small worlds. Miniatures captivate me...so years ago I built dollhouses, but that becomes expensive and problematic when you run out places to store your little houses and rooms.

Terrariums are my new obsession and the small natural worlds you can create inside a glass container. Taking my cue from the thousands of terrarium photos I've looked at on line over the last few weeks, I've begun creating some of my own dynamic little worlds. This one is my favorite - the little woman reminds me of myself. She seems amazed by the giant mushrooms she's found, just like I would be.

I am Groot.

I've said on a number of occasions that my problem with plants is that I tend to treat them like animals - as if they need constant attention and tending, daily feedings, pettings and reassurances that they are loved.

This is probably why most of the plants I've had have died. Plants don't need or want this kind of human interference, but I persevere, dribbling water on them every day, moving them around to get the best light, worrying if they've spent too much time alone...

I know. It's a problem. As a determined gardener, I'm trying very hard to stop this and treat plants like plants - living creatures that, for the most part, don't need me to oversee every aspect of their lives. [So I bought a moss ball that needs to be bathed once a week...]

Anyway, as if I wasn't having a hard enough time ignoring my terrariums so they will grow, I saw GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY on Thursday night and immediately decided I needed to have a sentient plant in my life. So I spent this afternoon crafting a baby Groot out of wood and clay and some wire. I have to paint it in a more realistic fashion when the clay is dry, then plant it in a pot. I think it turned out pretty good so far. I promise not to water it.