Tillandsia Terrarium

Tillandsia have been sprouting up everywhere: in magazines, websites, and now stores! I've been secretly harboring a need-to-buy-crush since I first spied them way back when, so when Justin and I were out enjoying a beautifully-weathered evening a few fortnights ago (I'm reading Jane Eyre right now so pardon the ye olde English) and came across an abundance of them at The Mossy Twig, I had to snag some surprisingly affordable sprouts (six for $30!). Fortunately, for more than just us, this venture coincided with the recent engagement of our friends so I nabbed an extra to use in a quick'n'easy engagement present.

Tillandsia, better known as air plants, is "a genus of around 540 species in the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae), found in the forests, mountains, and deserts, of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America. The thinner-leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick-leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants)—they normally grow without soil while attached to other plants. Epiphytes are not parasitic, depending on the host only for support." (Thank you Wikipedia.)

According to the associate at The Mossy Twig and proven over the past few weeks, to care for my air plants all I have to do is soak them in water once a week for about 10 minutes. Then before putting them back in their soil-less and water-less containers, shake them free of excess water. They do not do well with direct light but enjoy filtered light. If the ends begin to dry out, they aren't receiving enough water and if they appear soggy, they are getting too much water. Pretty simple, no?

Upon returning home from our weeknight out, I learned that not only was I drawn to these unique plants, our cats and their crunch-desiring appetites are too. Through a quick google search I found that "Tillandsias are NOT toxic to animals—although this does not mean your pet won't eat them, but they will survive the experience, your plant might not." Therefore I knew I was going to have to find containers that would completely enclose each plant, which wasn't a bad thing since my plan was to create little terrariums with them anyways.

I wasn't sure how many containers I would need but I did want them to be clear glass and clean-lined shapes so the next day's lunch hour was devoted to perusing my favorite closest thrift store where I found several containers that would do but only three that I left with—all for a whopping $6. After work I sidled up to our kitchen table with nothing more than the air plants, freshly washed glass containers, and some river rock that I have on hand for filling flower vases when needed.

(Look at Harley trying to sneak up and attack.)

In just a few minutes, I had arranged several terrariums. I even had to dig in my decor cabinet to pull out two more vases because when I was shopping for containers my memory underestimated the size of the plants and I clearly needed more.

First I laid down a layer of river rock, then I placed the air plant inside and called it a day! Nothing could have been easier and look at how simply beautiful they are.

To add another layer of texture, I tossed in some twigs I picked up outside my office. I think they especially work well with this leggy number.

So for a grand total of $36, I created five tillandsia terrariums, making each arrangement $6. This definitely is a winning project.

Paint Chip Art

A few weeks ago, a couple bloggers (Sherry from Young House Love, Katie from Bower Power, Lana from Make A House A Home, and Emily from Style By Emily Henderson) challenged each other to create something inspired by a pin on their Pinterest board. They aptly dubbed it the "Pinterest Challenge: Summer Edition" and invited everyone else on the world wide web to play as well.

Well, this occurred during a weekend that I was completely swamped (I think I was throwing my garage sale, having a small get-together, and competing in another triathlon) but I was excited to jump on board for the following week. Much to my sadness, however, this Pinterest Challenge was only a one-week stint, so when I was stretching my fingers, reading to post about my follow-up Pinterest project, the blog-o-sphere was crickets. Nevertheless, my spirit wasn't crushed for good and I forged ahead creating a piece of art for our newly hung frame gallery inspired by one of my own pinterests.

When I saw this easy-peasy project from Jessica at How About Orange, I swung into the nearest store selling paint on my lunch break and selected an assortment of swatches.

Although I love the pattern Jessica created, I had to make mine different and decided on laying strips of the colors diagonally. To achieve the look I wanted, I first cut the swatches into 1" strips.

Then I started arranging them, and as I was playing with the color balance, I decided to cut the ends of the strips at a 45º angle to add some interest to the otherwise boring strips. To keep the strips in place, I used some double-sided tape and trimmed to fit in my frame.

While I was working on this little diddy, Justin kept razzing me for playing around with paint chips, scissors, and tape but once he saw my piece hanging on the wall, those jabs stopped and he was impressed by how professional it looks.

Please do your best from the surrounding empty frames as you oogle my masterpiece. I think it's a great addition to the wall and I can't wait to share what I pop in the other frames.

(Not surprisingly, paint-chip art has been a-buzz across the interweb since it's nearly entirely free to make and easily customized. Check out Young House Love's success and One Project Closer's self-admitted fail.)

Stairway to Frames

Do you remember this post of yesteryear? It unveiled the painting transformation of our grandeous entryway and included these two photos of our barey-bare-bare staircase.

Well, I'm pleased to inform you that this staircase got its groove on.

I tackled the wall while Justin was frolicking in Australia for six weeks and aside from the missing artwork, we absolutely love it.

A few years ago I started slowly accumulating frames from thrift stores and garage sales after falling in love with framed galleries, especially in a stairway. (Cue these images from past posts.)

From this post.

From this post.

From this post.

However, after taking inventory of my stash recently, I realized I didn't like 1/2 of the frames I had been hoarding  (see a prelim arrangement from a year ago here). With that frustration and my intense desire to have this project done (and to get oodles of frames out of a guest closet), I took to my computer and started messing around with several arrangements. Strict grid? All one size? Mix of two sizes? Different colors? Various sizes and colors? I tried them all.

When it came down to it, I preferred the Tetris nature of the varied frame sizes and knew using all white frames would unify the arrangement. In my quest to find the most affordable frames, I checked out Target, Walmart, Ikea, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and I think even Kohls, but Ikea was the victor because of price and size selection.

Before I dove right in hammering holes in the wall, I copied this approach and taped up paper "frames" to perfect my spacing. Then I measured where the hanger was on the back of each frame and tapped a nail through that spot on the paper template. Last, I tore the nailed paper frame off the wall and replaced it with the real deal. Pretty sweet, don't you think?

I already have tons of DIY art ideas for the frames (thank you pintrest) but am lucky enough to start out with this beautiful photo of Chicago by Dan Dry...

and this large typographic piece I created my sophomore year of college.

One of the best aspects about this project is the transformative power it had in our front entry. Now whenever a newbie enters our house a wow is generally uttered—even from the cable guy.

Patch Wood Holes

First let me apologize for the horrible before and progress photos. This post has been in the making for a while but I had yet to take after photos until a few days ago so I'm finally getting around to finishing it.

Nearly two years ago I turned this TV bridge into a sideboard for our dining room. I removed the glass shelves and now use the cubbies to house wine racks and square storage baskets. However, the ghosts of shelves past left holes in the wood. The holes didn't bother me too much but I wanted to test my handy-woman skills by figuring out how to mask them without consulting Mr. Google. Fortunately I had an inkling it would be really similar to patching a small hole in a wall and I was right on the money.

First I gathered the tools I thought I would need. 1. Wood Filler. 2. Putty knife. 3. A sanding block. (4. Paint—not pictured.)

I used the putty knife to scrape some wood filler into and over each hole.

After allowing to dry, I sanded the heck outta that thing.

I repeated the filler/sand steps one more time until I was happy with the fill and smoothness of the holes.

To finish 'er off, I touched up the spots with the same white paint I used to repurpose the piece.

And restocked.

Now, no one's the wiser that there used to be shelves there, well, except for you of course!

Cushed MCM Couch

The progress on our office is slow going but I have finished a project that is going to play a huge part in the room—making cushions for our mid-century modern couch frame. Remember when I picked up the MCM couch and chair frames at my neighbor's estate sale for $5? I was super happy when I finished the cushions for the chair frames not too long ago and now these are done, I'm even more excited to share my handiwork. Check 'em out!

I bought the fabric during our trip to Mill End Fabrics in Rochester, Minnesota, and I followed the tutorial on Sew Mama Sew, which was just as easy as the first time but once again very time consuming. I hate to admit it, but it took me a whole Sunday to create the long seat cushion.

As you can guess by now, a dark blue color is going to play large part in our office's color palette, but we still haven't painted yet. The past couple weekends I have intended to paint but choosing a color is proving to be extremely difficult. Though, once I've got some color on the walls, I will share some pics.

Rethink Shipping Gifts

I have the misfortune that two of my best friends live 5+ hours away from me. For that reason, any gifts I want to give either of them, I have to ship. Generally I wrap the gift, put it in a box to send, and drop it in the mail, but this year I thought, why not wrap the box I'm shipping so they receive a pretty present, rather than some boring 'ol brown box. I knew if I used a thick paper such as recycled shopping bags, the wrapping would withstand the heavy handling by the post office—genius!

After securely packaging the gift in a sturdy box, I selected a silver shopping bag from my stash of used bags. (I knew they'd come in handy one day!)

Then I cut open the bag and laid it flat as if it was a sheet of wrapping paper.

I removed the handles with some gentle peeling and scissor snips.

And in no time, had a wrapped box in pretty silver paper!

But a wrapped box isn't a gift without a bow or ribbon, so I pulled out another pretty-paper shopping bag with a high-contrast yet complimentary color. I sure do love CB2!

To ensure the decor wouldn't be ruined during shipping, I had to create something that would lay flat against the surface of the box and completely cover it with tape, securing any corners or loose sides. When wrapping the gift, I also went over each edge with tape, sealing it from tears or water damage. Anything that is raised has the potential to be ripped off as the package is sent through the post office's mailing machine, so make sure you use a whole roll of tape on that sucker!

Although this particular package was going to my friend Heidi for her birthday, which was yesterday, and Christmas, I decided to stay in the holiday spirit, cutting a few snowflakes from the bright orange bag. I also trimmed out the white circles and added some dimension by layering the two elements. Pretty cute, yes?

I'm also pleased with how the gift for Dawn (the friend I went to London with) turned out as well.

Of course I wouldn't be posting this rethink if I wasn't positive it would run through the mail nicely. In fact, when I was standing in line I got tons of compliments and was even asked if it was my "original design." So, cheers Heidi and Dawn, keep your eyes peeled for these little babies in your mail boxes soon!

Mineral oil rub down

Justin and I have been doing a lot of cooking lately and as we pulled out our large wood chopping block to slice up our homemade italian pizza the other night, I was embarrassed by its condition. Let's face it, the board isn't the best or the top of the line, heck it was only $10 at Ikea, but I do my best to care for our belongings so they last as long as possible. Though, I must have been slacking on this particular piece. As you can see, the wood is extremely light and there are some darker spots, which I assume is from food.

To maintain our block's swedish quality, I follow some "rules" each time we use it. First, we do not use this board for raw meat, completely eliminating the potential for bacteria to harbor in the wood. Second, we give it a good scrub by hand shortly after using so our food doesn't stain the wood, and then let it dry immediately. Do not let wood kitchen items soak in water as this can lead to water damage, allowing more places for bacteria. Last, I treat our board with mineral oil on a semi-regular basis (every couple months or so).

Treating your chopping block to a mineral oil rub down is similar to you going to a spa. The mineral oil locks in the natural moisture and prevents cracking and other forms of wearing out. It is my understanding to not use any other type of oil such as olive or canola because these turn rancid over time and make your board unsanitary.

When Linen's-N-Things was still around a few years ago, I picked up this very large bottle of oil for less than $10. Each new wood tool we purchase for our kitchen gets an initial mild-soap wash and mineral oil rub down. As you can see in the above picture, we haven't even come close to using half the bottle—a little goes a long way.

After scrubbing and washing off the homemade pizza sauce from our board, I let it dry overnight. Then I treated our chopping block to a nice mineral oil massage. I'm not sure if each bottle has the same directions, but I put a small amount of oil in a bowl and warmed it up for 5–10 seconds in the micro. Then I used a soft rag to soak up some oil and rubbed it into the board. I have never applied the oil directly to the board because I fear really dark oil spots, but I'm sure if you follow the instructions on your bottle you'll be fine.

The last step in the application is to let the board rest for a while to allow the oil to fully soak in.

If you are treating one wood tool and have other wood cutting boards, bowls, spoons, or serving utensils you might as well fix them all up at the same time, or at least until you have used the warmed-up oil. Waste not, want not!