Pinterest Results .... Succulent Wreath and Sea Glass Effect

     I don't know about you but I am a Pinterest fanatic.  I believe I made this admission in an earlier blog posting.  No apologies, I love Pinterest.  Before I make my next statement, I should apologize to Country Living, Sunset and Romantic Homes magazines.... since Pinterest, I haven't open any decor magazines in months. On my Pinterest site, I have 85 boards covering topics of people, places and things that I love.  Another admission, I have over 5,000 pins and counting.  I have categorized my boards for my Tumblr blog (link above) and Ooh La La, Maui! for future use.  I also have boards for DIY projects and recipes for my own personal use.  But, as I was collecting all of these DIY projects and recipes, I asked myself "when are you going to do all of this stuff"?  My nature is to be a little lazy at times .... okay, I am a procrastinator.

     So, I came up with this brilliant ideal (I'm sure a million other bloggers are doing this) to do a craft, DYI project or recipe from Pinterest and share the results with you.  Not that I am a connoisseur of tasty food and home decor, but if you trust me just a smidge, I might save you a buck or two or keep you from wanting to pull your hair out by the roots.  I will try to stay in my "shabby charm and beach chic" state of mind, however, there are some household DIY tips I am chomping at the bit to share. 

I know, this cookie sheet is disgusting.  I know longer use it for baking cookies (my friends and family let out a big sigh).  I saw on Pinterest a solution that is suppose to remove this crud.  Thank goodness I am not the only one out there with yucky cookie sheets.  But anyway, wouldn't you like to see if there really is something that could clean a nightmare pan like this?  Me too!  Future project to share. 


Without further ado, let me introduce you to my succulent wreath, a "how to create" found on Pinterest by Better Homes and Gardens.  I know what you're thinking, "of course, this is fool proof....Better Homes and Gardens?".  I beg to differ!  I had to improvise to #1- save money and #2- make assembling  easier on myself.

The instructions say to cut your succulent pieces you will be using a day or two before assembly.  This allows a membrane to grow over the cut.  I have to admit, while putting my wreath together, I had to recut some of the stems shorter.  I am not too concern.  I always put fresh succulent cuttings directly into the soil for starter plants.

Here  are some of the items I purchased to assembly my wreath .... a bag of sheet moss, greening pins and a 12" wreath frame.

I laid out my sheet moss and filled it with moistened soil.  As you can see, I enclosed the moss by wrapping copper artist wire around the frame and the moss. (FYI...that's not a real dollar bill, it's part of the newspaper)

Finished .... now ready for the cuttings.

I used the greening pins like bobby pins, attaching the cuttings into the moss and soil.  I think you have to find your way with this step.  You want to make sure your cutting is secure and you may even need to use several greening pins for heavier cuttings or more delicate, smaller ones.  Sometime the pins poke through the back of the wreath as shown in the picture.  I used a chain nose plier to bend the pin under and/or over the wire frame.  If the pin was too long,  I cut it with a wire cutter.

Trying to create a pattern.....

It's looking pretty.....

Here are a few of my more delicate cuttings.

Voila!

Here are all of the tools I ended up using.  You need a sharp knife to cut through the moss.

After a few days, my wreath is still looking happy and healthy!

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/container/plans-ideas/make-a-succulent-wreath/#page=1

Isn't BHG's wreath lovely?  Just below the photo is a link to "how to make a succulent wreath".  Let me tell you a few things I did differently.  BHG instructs to use moss secured with netting.  I thought the moss sheets with a bit of soil and wrapped with wire was much easier.  Having said that, this is my first succulent wreath I have made.  I will let you know how it holds up.  Do check out this link, there is lots of information I did not mention.  So, Pinterest pin "How to Make a Succulent Wreath", gets two thumbs up .... so far.


Thumbs down....this next project was  a sheer disappointment for me.  I love sea glass so when I saw a pin on Pinterest claiming I could create the illusion of sea glass, I was excited!

http://www.lovelyish.com/764429012/5-simple-pinterest-diys/?cuttag=true

I think these pieces are beautiful, but they are not mine.  I found it almost impossible to create the smooth surface these candle stick holders have.  This link provide only scant instructions on how to do this DIY project but I thought I could wing it.  

This is my creation.  I love the color but not the streaks that were left behind after drying.  Beforehand, I thought streaking could be a problem so I used a sponge brush (Jen 1" Poly Brush).  I think I need to do some research and see if there are better instructions or maybe a tutorial on how to make ordinary glass, look like sea glass.

Off to make some liliko'i jelly.  No, this isn't a Pinterest project, just something I am craving.  

Liliko'i (passion fruit)

Lilko'i Jelly .... yum!

Heart of the Home

In my home, as in most, the heart of the home is the kitchen.  Not sure how that originated. Probably in "caveman times" when those furry homo sapiens huddled around an open fire, roasting dinosaur leg, telling stories of hunting the T Rex and staking claims on who invented the wheel or discovered "fire".  Like our ancient ancestors, my family gathers to the counter that encircles my stove and while I cook and talk as if I am Julia Child filming a television show, my audience - my family contribute to the conversation, often questioning my culinary skills (the nerve) while nibbling on food and indulging in sips of wine.

My father has spoke fondly of his childhood growing up in the state of Washington.  In the winter (before walking 10 miles to school, as he has claimed over the years...he may have been barefooted at some point) he would wake up to a cold, frosty morning where the only heat was in the kitchen.   There  he would find his mother feeding the fire in the stove with wood.  On her stove, she boiled water for washing, brewed a pot of coffee and fried bacon and eggs for breakfast.  My father would have to be gently reminded of the danger in standing too close to the stove in his flannel pajamas as he tried to rid himself of the winter chill.

This isn't my grandma, but like this lady, my grandmother was rotund in shape and wore loose ankle length dresses. 

When we remodeled our house five years ago, we opened a wall from the kitchen and added on a family room.  Now my kitchen sits in between the family room and living room - all three rooms opened up to each other.  Sounds nice, right?  An open floor plan?  Here's my dilemma, I decorated the living room in an Asian/Hawaiian decor honoring my husband's birthplace, Hawaii and his heritage, Japan.  In return, I was able to freely decorate our family room in a French Provencal style....white walls and fabrics with dark woods.  With two strikingly different decors, how do I decorate my kitchen?

It's been an ongoing process.  The look of my kitchen changes as often as a snake sheds it's skin.  FYI, there are no snakes in Hawaii.  I have gone from the vibrant colors of Provence with oranges, reds and greens - grapes and herbs and lemons in bowls.  Recently my kitchen was sporting the urban vintage look with crockery, wooden utensils, painted tins and industrial fixtures.  Right now, my kitchen has been softened with whites in the form of baskets with shells and shell shaped plates.  To add to the beach chic, I included vintage mason jars and bottles the color of the sea.   There are rusty wire baskets from France on top of my refrigerator, white French enamelware holding my spatulas, spoons and whisks and cobalt blue mixing bowls from the 1930's which sit atop my granite counters.

But lately, Pinterest has my mind drifting ..... take a look at these fabulous kitchens!

This is my ideal of "perfection".

I love this rustic French country look!

I like paintings in kitchens and bathrooms.  I have a painting in my kitchen in the coffee nook...an Ebay purchase of $7 in a white sea glass frame.  

Polished and Pretty

Now this would work in my home.  The marble top island, the tiled floor and blue cabinets.  Lovely.

Big SIGH

This decorator added a little of everything...even a Greek column.

With the exception of that cowboy painting, I love the shabby look of this small kitchen.  The sink in the photo is just like mine, only smaller.  Ooh, the hardware.

I don't have much wall space in my kitchen.  But if I did, I would cover it with blue transferware.

I would like to put some columns like these on each side of my sink.

Actually, this kitchen would be perfect for my eclectic home.  The rustic whitewash wood, clean crisp cabinets with a burlap skirt below a country sink is charming.  Shabby charm with some beach chic!

By the way!  I didn't post a 4th of JULY message.  Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day...

Hope you were able to put your feet up, watch fireworks and....

eat lots of Mom's apple pie =)

All photos are from Pinterest and are not mine.  Please contact me if you are interested in the original source.

wood burning stove photo - http://old-photos.blogspot.com

Inspiration from the Sea

Have you ever had those times in your life when you feel you are lacking inspiration?  Does it ever seem it would take a WHOLE village to move you or a billion cups of coffee to jolt you into existence?

This has been me lately since I came back to the islands from visiting my aging parents in California.  "Aging" may be the key word.  There is something de-spiriting about watching your parents age. And so, with a heavy heart, I have neglected the things I love ~

my shop on Etsy and my little blog, Ooh La La, Maui.

Yesterday I spent the whole day at the beach, looking for shells and getting drenched by waves beaking against the rocky shore.  The pulse of the waves and the of the smell sea, brought it all home to me.  We are ever evolving, ever changing.  Our bodies and hearts are like sea shells, fragile.  What's inside is what makes us strong as we get thrashed to and fro in the waves of life.

After a day at the beach, I am feeling refreshed and taking down the "do not disturb" sign.  I am welcoming myself back .... ready to blog and add new items to my shop.

Welcome Back

The Immortal Sea

That if I would,
I would stand immortally at sea
Gazing for eternity at sea

The beauty struck sea
I’d set leave of quay
To immortally find way

Stand upon the ocean shore
Reverberating sea splashing at my feet
Shore washing sea, covering my feet

To close my eyes is to be at sea
This dream lasts all day to me
One day is like twenty years at sea

That if I would,
I would stand immortally at sea
Hoping for eternity at sea

Wonder covered sea
I would bless the shore
And leave to be once more

Out at sea to sail
And stand upon a ship and sway
Listen to the creak of the wood, and say

To close my eyes is to be at sea
A dream that lasts eternity
Eternity, guaranteed, to live

Would one day be eternity
I would spend it out at sea
Stand upon the ocean shore, foaming at my feet

Annie Cordelia Adams


All photos were taken from Tumblr and are not my own.  Please contact me for original source.

Happy Father's Day!

Sixty Years of Reign

     I have been so busy this week since returning home from my California trip, I have not had time for news and keeping up with world events.  I was totally oblivious this weekend was Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.  Sixty years since she was crowned queen, June 2, 1952 to be exact.  Well!  Congratulations, Lizzie ..... I mean your Royal Highness!  Here's to you!

You captured the crown at a youthful age

and also the hearts of England and the world.   With your stoic, stiff upper-lip grace....

(and with a few stumbles along the way), you have managed to keep up with the "time's" in which you are living.

I love the way you are always carrying a purse on your arm.  You have shown us ladies, even the Queen needs to powder her nose and freshen up the lipstick every once and a while.

By the way, you look pretty in pink.

Now, go celebrate, dear lady...in style.  And for goodness sakes, have fun.  You deserve it!

All photos were taken from Tumblr and are not my own.  Please contact me for original source.