between a rock and a hard place

I asked Sugar Daddy what he wants for Valentine's this year besides the obvious. He said he doesn't want any sugar for Valentines because he is trying to shed a few pounds. This puts me in a tough spot because candy is my go to with the hubby.

I thought about getting him a t-shirt or a new belt but after fifteen years of marriage those gifts are a little over done.

The happy ending is that being between a rock and a hard place gave me an idea.

A few months ago, Sugar Daddy moved into a new office and he said he wanted a low maintenance plant for his desk. I went to my stash of beach rocks, picked out a nice one and drew us as birds in white ink.

Then I got side tracked, as I tend to do, and drew on a whole bunch of rocks.

I had fun.



I used black and white ink with a calligraphy pen.



Then I went and bought an awesome apothecary jar, some charcoal, soil, moss and a darling little plant called "Moses in a Cradle". With a name like that, I had to have it.

I took everything home and assembled a terrarium for Sugar Daddy's desk.

This is how to assemble a terrarium:




I tried my hand at felting a little mushroom which turned out lame in a charming sort of way. But I also felted some green balls which are delightful.

I added my little love rock and sealed it with a kiss.





I'm giving it to him early because he barged into my studio unannounced (which is what we always do around here) and saw what I was up to.

I had left over moss and plants so I made a little sumpin' sumpin' for me too.


If you are stumped about what to give this Valentines, may I suggest you go to your favorite nature spot, pick up some rocks and create a minature ecosystem for your lovey. If you are thinking in your mind "But I can't draw", first I will say, stop whining. This isn't drawing, it's doodling. Everybody doodles. Then I will direct you to this children's book.

If you still don't think you can do it, go ahead and use stamps. Lame, but still cute.

design sunday

I have a corner in my living room that is sad and lonely and has been since the day we moved in. I have spent two years wondering just what to put there. I spent a year or so looking at different house plants that might work until I came to the conclusion that I didn't really want a plant at all. I then thought I wanted to find a great pillar sort of thingy to put a vase or finial thingy on. So I spent the last year looking at stands and pillars and cement artichokes and the like and I haven't seen a single thing I liked.

The other day it finally hit me. I want a terrarium. Not a simple one either. I want a full on, Victorian glass and iron, free standing terrarium with orchids and ferns. Why, oh why can't I ever like the cheap solution?

The good ones start at around $300 and go up. It is an item I will have to save for and convince Sugar Daddy of it's artistic value. Wish me luck.

Terrariums were invented by Nathaniel Ward, an English physician and botanist who placed a cocoon in a closed jar for observation and soon noticed ferns growing in dirt at the jar’s bottom. They continued to grow and thrive in the protected, humid environment, although they died when he tried to grow them outdoors in London’s polluted air. Ward concluded that many plants that could not survive in the outdoor climate and air conditions could live quite healthily in the biospheres he built and called ferneries, one of which has been preserved by the Smithsonian Institution.

The doctor’s discovery led to a new horticultural era. Rare plants could be transported across continents and climate zones in what became known as Wardian cases, and wealthy British families started commissioning elaborate versions for their living rooms. The word “terrarium,” from the Latin ”terra,” meaning “earth,” is commonly used in the U.S.

If you have been blessed with simple taste, you need not spend a lot to create your own terrarium. A bell jar makes a fabulous, smaller, environment for a little garden, as does a apothecary jar or even, (if you aren't into aesthetics) a milk jug. Visit a good (read- not Home Depot or Lowe's) nursery and ask someone to help you select a few plants that thrive in glass house conditions.

If you are feeling inspired, and actually do assemble a terrarium, send me a pic. I'd love to see what other people are doing.