Having plants in your house is a great way to bring nature indoors and boost your mood. Here are some tips and tricks to keep them alive and get the most enjoyment from them.
I grew up with plants. My Grandmother had plants all throughout her home. She even had a special shelf with an east facing window where there were always beautiful succulents and violets blooming.
I enjoy sharing my plant knowledge with others and have learned a lot over the years through trial and error. It brings me great joy to visit local garden centres to peruse house plants, succulents and even air plants. Supporting local is always a great suggestion here and benefits people in your community. There always seems to be something new. A pop of green in an otherwise dull corner makes all the difference in your home.
Scroll through the tips that follow to help you keep your plants thriving and blooming.
Tip Number One
I started adding a watering schedule to my phone. Every week I get a little reminder to give my plants some attention and that much needed water. Even if I don’t water them on that specific day, I can do it the next day and keep to a schedule.
Tip Number Two
I also have a watering can that I keep beside my plants that I add any extra water to from the week. Extra water from a water bottle that I didn’t drink – add it to the watering can. A cup of water that a family member left on the coffee table – add it to the watering can. You get the idea. This provides intention for providing my plants with the much needed water that they need and also repurposes extra water rather than throwing it down the drain.
Tip Number Three
Another trick that took me a long time to learn was to not be afraid to repot a plant. The roots of plants grow and fill up the space of the container they are in. Plants are so happy when you repot them and give them more room to spread out and grow their roots in fresh new soil. Think of it a little like needing to go up the next size of shoe for your growing toddler.
Tip Number Four
Moving around a plant to find the perfect spot is also important. Figure out where it likes to be best. We had a plant in our dining room and I decided to move it to our sun filled south facing bedroom and it has easily doubled in size in a very short time. It is much happier in it’s new home.
Tip Number Five
This last tip has been inspired by watching ‘The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo’ on the Magnolia Network. She encourages you to use vessels and containers that you already have on hand. Also, finding vessels or containers at reuse shops or antique places. This is a really creative way to give a vessel a second chance and have a one of a kind container. I like to use old crocks to place my plants in. I finally decided that I should be enjoying them around my house instead of hiding them in the basement and not using them.
I hope these tips inspire you to add more green to your life, and love your plants.
Weekends are busy, but I have decided to try to make more time for doing things that I love. This weekend it was baking a batch of my Grama’s buns. Spending the afternoon in the kitchen baking something from scratch was wonderful.
I grew up eating these buns. My Grama made them, my Mom made them, my daughter made them, and now I am making them. My daughter is a baker and she learned from my Mom and perfected the Grama bun early on, and now I have learned from her.
Our bun shape of choice is ever so important and must be a knot, and nothing else will do. Why you ask, because it tastes better when it’s a knot and that is the simple truth.
That first bite just takes me back to being a little girl standing in my Mom’s kitchen. Something homemade has the ability to transport us right back, the smell, the taste, what a wonderful thing.
As we were sampling today’s buns my husband said, “your Grama would be proud, these are amazing.”
It is my wish that this post inspires you to make a family recipe. Something from your childhood that brings back as many wonderful memories as my ‘Grama Buns’ did for me today.
Here is my latest creation in progress. When I saw this amazing set of three metal ring wreaths at my local Dollar Tree, I knew I could create something wonderful. This project began by looking through my large collection of felt. I really love using felt as it can be formed into many things and keeps its shape.
I compiled colours that blended together and began cutting with my rotary cutter. This tool is amazing for creating straight cuts using a clear fabric ruler. I have made felt flowers before so I just began creating different flowers using the various colours.
A great tip is to use long straight pins to hold the flowers in place until you are ready to hot glue gun them. I like to position the flowers and move them around until I can create a good balance. I will be posting my final product once I get the last touches complete. Stay tuned for more pictures coming soon!
On Family Day last weekend, we went in search of somewhere to walk among the trees. We stumbled upon the trails of the Northumberland Forest.
Our family has always loved going for hikes and experiencing nature.
My daughter loves to admire the simple beauty in small things, like the texture of bark on a tree or a tiny twig emerging at an irregular angle. She stops frequently and admires the beauty around her.
My son, likes to get the job done and add up the steps. He likes to map out the trail and examine the elevation. He is cautious about the terrain and is always aware of areas that he needs to watch over Mum and make sure my steps are sure.
My husband, holds my hand and loves to breathe in the fresh, clean air. He gets down low to the ground to get the perfect camera shot and sees photos and angles that I would never see.
When I walk in the woods with my family, I am thankful for each amazing person that makes up my family. I cherish that each of them is different and unique and that we all complement each other and my love for them is deep like the roots of the trees around me. My heart is full of love and I am so proud to call these special people in my life, my family ❤️.
I love bagels.
To say they are my favorite food is an understatement. I could eat bagels for every meal; a sesame bagel with butter and coffee is my tried and true daily breakfast.
Both of my kids live in cities known for their bagels, Ottawa and Montreal. From Ottawa, my son brings home Kettleman’s bagels. From Montreal, my daughter brings St-Viateur’s.
Today I tackled my first ever bagels baked from scratch and if I do say so myself, they turned out pretty amazing! I used the Montreal bagel technique of par boiling the bagels in honeyed water before baking them. I twisted them into shape and love that they’re all unique.
I think next time I would add some maple syrup in the dough before the first rise, and I would have given them a longer second rise to make them a bit more toaster-sized.
With my Mom’s birthday around the corner, I thought that a cheerful handmade Spring wreath would be the perfect gift.
I made this using a green foam form and began glueing twine tightly around it. This created the base for the wreath. I then added various faux succulents around the bottom to create a nice full look.
The finishing touch was a ‘Welcome’ wooden pick and a lovely burlap ribbon. Happy Birthday Mom, made by hand and made with love.
Enjoying a latte in Griffintown, Montreal, snowflakes falling, frigid temperatures, but my heart is full ❄️
I find inspiration all around me. I am interested in a wide variety of things; flowers, gardening, reading, woodworking, crafting, decorating, and the list goes on.
In doing this blog I have realized that things can be simple as long as they are done with intent. What could be better than living with intention?
While on a road trip to Prince Edward County we were enjoying the scenery and driving along. My husband had reached for his coffee that we had made at home. He commented that it was a really good cup of coffee. My daughter replied, “It’s good because it was made by mum!”
That’s how the concept of this blog was created. Simply driving along on one of our adventures and suddenly a random phrase stuck. Immediately we all said, “that is a great name for a blog!” and so it begins…