{succulent centerpiece: mixing real + faux}

One thing I miss the most about our previous place in LA is our succulent garden.  I opted not to bring along any of the succulents from those planters on our move to Chicago since we don't have outdoor space here and I didn't think they would survive the move/living indoors.  After being here for almost a year, I have noticed quite a few people who have had luck with succulents indoors so I thought I would try it out.  Rather than do a full succulent centerpiece, I decided to hedge my bets on the plants living more than a week by buying only a few real ones and mixing them in with some faux ones.  Succulents have such a waxy appearance anyway that faux succulents actually look really realistic. You can find a really good selection of faux succulents in the floral department of Michaels or right here.  The real ones were purchased at Home Depot and you can buy online right here.

{re-using one of the wood planters we used for our wedding centerpieces}

 {yes I wore gardening gloves even for this small project because I am deathly afraid of spiders.}

 {real vs. faux}

 {can you tell which ones are real?}

{our wedding: florals by Hello Gem}

 

Just in case you didn't see it earlier this week, Chelsea of Hello Gem posted all about our wedding florals on Green Wedding Shoes along with some helpful tips for DIY brides.

I am so lucky to not only have Chelsea as a friend, but also as a talented floral and event designer.  I was able to give Chelsea some minimal inspiration images (like this, this & this) which she turned around to perfectly execute exactly what I had envisioned as dream centerpieces and bouquets for our wedding.

One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted pretty and soft bridal/bridesmaid bouquets that absolutely had to include white peonies, succulents and white anemones.  For the centerpieces, I wanted organic feeling arrangements that didnt have too much color besides green and white.  It was also really important to me that we use some of the deep black succulents from my own garden in the centerpieces and it was wonderful to use something I grew myself and they also added a pop to the arrangements.  Chelsea also created the festive flower crowns that two of my bridesmaids and our flower girl wore on the wedding day (seen here).

 Here is Chelsea's breakdown of all the different flowers she used:

{graphics by Hello Gem, images by EPLove}

{diy corkboard + planter tutorial from Bourbon and Bleu}

For Christmas, my good friend Heather made me this amazing framed corkboard with an attached planter for succulents.  This was such a wonderful gift to receive and I was shocked to hear how straightforward it was to make.  Heather normally blogs about all things food, restaurants & cocktails over on Bourbon and Bleu.  Since this project doesn't fit with her normal content, I asked her if she would be willing to put together a tutorial for the corkboard to share it on here.  Take it away Heather.... 

I’m so excited to share this fun DIY project with you! I made this for a few friends this holiday season, but now I’m sort of itching to make one for our apartment. It’s a great way to showcase pictures, cards, jewelry – you name it. And I think the succulents bring a unique and special touch. (full tutorial instructions are below)

 

 

 

what you need:

Bulletin Board Materials

• 1 White Wall Frame (19 x 22.75)
• 1 package cork squares
• ½ yard fabric (large geometric patterns tend to work best)
• Glue gun / glue sticks
• Razor blade
• Cutting mat

1. Using the glass from the frame as a guide, cut the cork squares down to fit the frame. 
2. Place the cork on the back side of the fabric. Trim the fabric so there’s about an inch or two extra on each side. 
3. Glue the fabric to the back of the cork board. Line any of the cracks between cork pieces with hot glue so that the cork doesn’t move around. Don’t put any glue on the front of the cork (where you’ll be placing the push pins) or else you’ll have lumps.
4. Put the fabric covered cork inside the frame, place the backing over the backside of the cork and then
5. Fold the clips down. You can discard the glass.

Planter Box Materials

• 2 pieces of 1 x 4 x 19 wood
• 2 pieces of 1 x 4 x 4 wood
• 1 piece of 1 x 4 x 19 particle board
• Nails
• Hammer
• spray paint
• Phillips screw driver
• 2 L brackets
• 4 screws
• Glue gun / glue sticks
• Plastic drop cloth
• 5 mini succulents
• Soil

1. Build the planter box using the 2 pieces of 1 x 4 x 19 wood as the front and base, the 1 x 4 x 4 wood as the sides, and the particle board as the back. I don’t think there’s any exact science to the number of nails or the way to build it. Just be consistent on each side and use enough nails to ensure the planter box is stable.
2. spray the planter box with several coats (I used 3 coats).
3. Once the planter box is dry (I purchased fast drying spray and gloss paint, so it took about an hour), line the planter box with the drop cloth. The drop cloth will make sure the planter box doesn’t leak every time you water the succulents. Line the interior of the planter box (about half way up) with hot glue and attach the drop cloth around all the sides.
4. Affix the planter box to the frame using an L bracket on each side. The L bracket will connect to the back of the frame and the base of the planter box.
5. Fill the planter box about three quarters of the way up with soil and plant the succulents throughout the box.

{the corkboard in it's new home}

{a simple table setting}

Tonight we are having some friends over for drinks and dinner.  Since we put away our Halloween decorations, our table has been back to how it normally is which is very simple, usually just some flowers and a pair of candle holders.  But when we have people over, I like to add a little something extra so I decided to grab some "baby" succulents from our deck.  I planted them in these fun new gold square ceramic vases I picked up on a recent trip to the flower mart.  I also added some additional candles onto one of our extra cake stands which is nice because it can be easily moved right before we eat to make room for family style dishes.  I promise to share the full dinner party menu tomorrow!

{sprucing up the deck}

Gardening on our deck is a lot more difficult than it looks. Since the artificial grass sits on top of "rooftop" concrete, I have to put down plastic painter's drop cloths whenever I want to garden since any dirt that doesn't make it inside the planters has no where to go but down a tiny drain on the side of the deck.  Because of this, I try to save up gardening projects and do them all at once.  This past weekend, I finally had a chance to plant some succulents I picked up in the downtown Flower Mart into some ceramic urns I scored at Michael's Crafts.  The urns are intended to be used for our upcoming wedding, but until then they'll hang out in the corners of our deck.  I also picked up a small white azalea bush for our dining table.  Other than our cocktail tree, I try to only plant succulents so that I don't have to water that much, but I couldn't resist this girly little plant on a recent trip to Home Depot.

{apothecary jars: faux succulents}

Easter is now over, so it was time for the Peeps and Robin's Eggs in the apothecary jars to go. (check them out in all their Easter glory here) Since there aren't any big holidays coming up, I decided to fill the apothecary jars with something other than themed candy.  I purchased a variety of faux succulents from Moskatel's in downtown Los Angeles. You can also find these at Micheal's Craft stores or even nicer versions at Pottery Barn. I used a little bit of dirt topped with the same moss and rocks I used in my real terrarium. I am pleasantly surprised with how real these look and I will probably keep them in the apothecary jars until July 4th rolls around.

 

{I even had one left over to put on the coffee table}

{fish bowl terrarium}

Since the gloomy weather this past weekend ruined my plans for some gardening, I decided it was the perfect time to re-plant an indoor terrarium that did not fair well in the move.  The large fish bowl vase was a TJ Maxx find, but you can find vases like these in the LA Flower Mart or at Home Goods.

What you need:

• vase - fish bowl shaped ones work best
• small rocks or gravel
• potting soil
• moss (my favorite is Super Moss' Reindeer Moss)
• various small succulents (Home Depot has a great selection for $1.50)

1. place a small layer of gravel or rocks in the bottom of the vase, for a vase the size of mine (12 inch diameter) I used about an inch worth. This allows for some drainage.
2. top with a couple inches of potting soil 
3. loosely plant succulents in desired locations, you can support them with some of the leftover small rocks if needed.  I recommend working from front to back as you plant the succulents, and then plant the one in the center last.
4. fill uncovered dirt with moss and rocks (this is optional but I think it looks much better with the additional color)
5. lightly water until soil is moist
6. place in area that gets a good amount sunlight and lightly water once a week.

I find that my terrariums will last 3 to 4 months before needing to be re-planted.  I imagine this time period changes based on how much or how little sunlight you get indoors. Our previous house had very little natural light and the terrariums could make it a few months. The loft gets TONS of morning sun so I am hoping this terrarium is going to stick it out for at least 6 months! Terrariums make easy inexpensive gifts as well. You can purchase 5 inch diameter fish bowl vases, fill it with three small succulents and then attach a cute gift tag (like this).