A planted project using succulents

4.8.14- 

  
I bought this colorful & in great shape vintage Coke crate last Spring at Fleattitude. I decided I wanted to plant it with succulents to set out on my porch during the Summer last year. I went to the local nursery to pick out the succulents I wanted, planted them. They did pretty well until I left them outside about 2 days to long & everything got frozen.  Cold temps & succulents don't mix well. So I lost everything in the crate that I had planted.  

-Posted this on Instagram 49 weeks ago- 

I thought of giving it another try again this year.  But was sad looking at that empty crate realizing that I had to start from scratch & really didn't know if I planted them the proper way for succulents to thrive or not.  

Well that all changed when I walked into Glassed Up 
{Did you enjoy reading that post yesterday? I hope so!}  
I was so excited with what I saw that I wanted to get my crate out & plant it full of some of the UNIQUE succulents that Lesa had in her shop.  Seriously, such a great selection.  Some of them I had never seen or heard of before.  What she has in stock is definitely not the normal you see other places.  

That's exactly what I wanted to create with this crate. 

A show stopper, a conversation piece, that would demand notice & look great set out for summer entertaining or welcoming friends & family into our home.  Lesa offered to plant it for me if I just brought in the crate. So I did. 

-The Before- 

-So glad this crate is still in great condition after all these years.  It's a beauty!-

-The After- 

That's me holding my crate of happiness right outside Glassed Up doors after picking it up!  I LOVE iT!  It turned out great & Lesa had such a great vision of the finished product.  I hand picked the little guys that I wanted planted & then she worked her magic.  I know it will thrive much better than the 1st one I attempted to plant. 

-Lesa was so nice to write the names down for me.  The 2 in the corners, kind of brownish looking & furry are called Chocolate Soldiers.  Fitting that they are on the corner, kind of protecting all the others.  That's how I think about it in my head anyway ;) - 

Isn't it delightful to look at.  I first fell in love with the cool varieties she had & then once she told me the names of each little plant that sealed the deal.  I adore a cute name!  So here are a few of my favorites. 

-Sunrise, just simple & sweet. Loved the color- 

-Baby Toes on the left.  The name really looks like & feels like this little plant.  Simply adored the name- 

-I talked about this plant in the last post but here it is in a sea foam greenish color, Split Rock.  Isn't that the coolest!  It grows & then splits & grows from the center.  Loved this little plant because it's like the Mom & a little sprout growing next to her. Isn't nature amazing!- 

Working with Lesa at Glassed Up was awesome!  Very affordable & quick turnaround to pick up my crate.  I would recommend her to anyone who's looking to buy or plant unique succulents for their yard or home.  She is very knowledgeable & has a great eye.  Hope you stop into Glassed Up sometime when you're up this way.  

{M} 

Flight of the Honeybee- keeping it local!

4.7.14- 

  I love finding a new place that intrigues & inspires & when it's close to home, even BETTER!  I discovered this little store last week.  The minute I walked in the door I was inspired & immediately asked the owner if I could grab my camera to take some pictures so I could share it with you all.  But before I take you inside the shop how cool is this old vintage Cafe sign? 

{Oh, the American Pickers would be drooling over it.  Maybe they read my blog, Mike, Frank.. are you listening!  Come to Northern UTAH!} 

Just had to take a pic because it's just to awesome not too. 

Here are the charming windows to the shop, Glassed Up.  When I first drove past the windows caught my attention & I wanted to check it out. 

-That's my friend Terra inside, who came along with me, chatting with the owner- 

Ok, this is what really made me go running to my car to grab my camera.  The owner, Lesa, completely covered the exposed cieling with old grain sacks.  GEnius!  I thought is was such a clever & unique way to add some charm to any old space.  LOVED it! 

Glassed up just opened but  has a little bit of this & that.  Of coarse glass products that I'll show you in a bit.  But old furniture painted & refurbished, old mirrors {like the one here}, potted plants & more.  

-I spy Me & the owner of the store, Lesa- 

What really intrigued me was the wide variety {& I mean WiDE} of succulents that Lesa has.  To top it off she is very knowledgeable about each little plant.  I saw some there that I have never seen before.  Like these super cool purple & light green plants called split rocks.  The grow from the middle out so when it gets too big or another little sprout starts to grow it splits to make room, so cute is that!  It was enjoyable to sit & listen to her explain each little plant.  

Here's a close up of the split rock plant.  Now do you understand.  What an amazing little thing! 

Another gorgeous tray to feast your eyes on.  Lesa, has these for sale or you can buy a planted succulent in the shop or she will even plant them for you in containers that you bring in.  

{I'm taking in something for her to work her magic on. Eeeeee... can't wait to see the final product.} 

Thought this was a pretty cool idea too.  You know I love vintage pop bottles & succulents so when I saw this I thought, genius!  A self watering planter made from an old glass bottle.  See it?  The wick is planted in the soil & the comes out the bottom of the bottle to suck up water as it needs it.  Smart! 

A pretty display of vintage goods holding pots of Aloe plants & variations of Aloe.  

I forgot until I saw this shot that she also has variety of cactus' too.  This building used to be an old saloon/bar back in the day.  The mirrored back wall & the long wooden bar are examples of its former life turned into a charming, unique store.  

Just had to take a pic of this cluster of glass bottles, well... just because I admire old glass.  I wish things were made like the used to be. 

So there you have it!  A new fun little spot up in my neck of the woods you should come & check out on Commercial Street in Morgan.  Once you do be sure to get back on the freeway & head to East for 5 more minutes to Taggarts for a piece of carrot cake as long as you're up this way.  You won't be sorry!  

{Heads up though, they're closed on Mondays} 

Thanks for coming along on this Flight of the Honeybee. If you want to discover more unique shops & stores I've found just search Flight of the Honeybee in the search bar on the right hand side. 
*The Grand Opening for Glassed Up is happening next Saturday the 19th.  "Like" their facebook page to stay connected to this great shop & the upcoming festivities. 

{M} 

Conference Weekend Tradition-Sweet Petal Roll

4.5.14- 

  Hello.... one of my favorite weekends of the year is here!  It's a stay at home, be together with family kind of a weekend.  I love it!  Being inspired, uplifted & of coarse eating yummy food the whole weekend long.  

If you follow this blog regularly you are very familiar with this next recipe.  It's a H&H classic the Sweet Petal Roll. It's the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls & it is delicious! 

{Plus, it's big enough to feed your whole family!} 

*The key to making this gigantic cinnamon is to either have a large pizza sized baking round with a edge on it or using 2- 9 inch cake pans. You NEED to have something with an edge around it to hold the Petal Roll all together, if not you're going to have a mess in your oven. {sorry!} 

Sweet Petal Roll 

Scald:  1  1/2 C. milk 

Add to warmed milk:
        6 T. shortening 

        1 T. salt 

        4 T. sugar
Cool & add: 5 cups of Flour 
Dissolve 2 T. yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Let rest a few minutes & then add to dough mixture & knead for 5 minutes 

Let raise for 1 hour. 

After dough has risen melt 1 cube of butter & place into a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl combine 1 c. Sugar, 2 T. Cinnamon, 1/2 C. Brown Sugar. 

Rip off a ball of dough & roll into a worm shape, about 6- 8 inches long. Dip into butter & then into sugar mixture.  Put them round & round in a pizza pan. {or you can divide the dough & make 2 -9 inch rounds}  *if you have extra dough after making the petal rolls, just roll a piece of dough into a ball, toss in the butter & sugar & then place them in a muffin tin to bake while the rolls are still raising.  {I usually get about 5-6 cinnamon balls when I use the 9 inch cake rounds} 

Raise for 45 minutes, pre heat oven to 350. Bake for 20 min & then ice with a powdered sugar glaze {powdered sugar, milk & vanilla}

Hoping this vamped up spin on the cinnamon roll becomes a family favorite in your home as much as it has become one in our home.  Always such a treat to make the Sweet Petal Roll.  You can also watch a clip {here} on how to make it 

if you'd like.  

{just keep in mind everything on camera & live TV doesn't exactly go as planned ;)} 

*Be sure to also enter The Glittered Revival necklace giveaway & get the coupon code for H&H blog readers to get  15% off your order. 

{M} 

Decor 101- Use what you have!

4.3.14- 

  Sharing one of the decorating rules I live by here on Lilac Lane.  It is my go to every time I change things up each month.  It's a simple basic easy way to decorate your home in style, YOUR style & here it is.... 

-Taken from A Beautiful Decorated Life class I taught last Nov.- 

You might be asking yourself, "What do I have?" or "I don't have anything to decorate with"  Oh, yes you do!  I'm sure of it.  What I'm about to show you I didn't go out & buy one single thing, I just walked into my pantry & started to look around & pull things off the shelf to bring out into my kitchen & family room. 

This wire rack was where I started.  I wanted the "kitchen" theme of coarse since this nook is right off my kitchen.  I love to incorporate vintage items into my everyday decor.  There is such a story, back ground & conversation built into anything you decor when you use vintage items.  

This whole set up started with this amazing  red popcorn seasoning tin {that my sweet friend gave me, thanks H!} & went from there.  The old tin honey container I dug out of an old barn up by my parents last month & the rest I've found or collected over the years.  It was all just in my pantry!  The giant cupcake tin I just bought from Vintage Whites, maple syrup container from Maine, old spice tins, berry baskets from Bake it Pretty, adorable honeybee can a birthday gift from my friend a few years ago, the brown pottery bowl came from my Grandma Hall's house, my beloved & well used scale & my Grandmother's old, I mean old wheat tin anchors the space.  I just love how it turned out. Again just using the guideline of using what you have. Taking the time to look around & bring items together, based on a theme of coarse.  That always seems to help. 

When decorating be open to inspiration!!  I had a wire cubby still to fill so I walked back into the pantry & pulled out some vintage Ball jars, glass milk bottles & just cool glass jars I've collected over the years with the intention of placing them in my wire rack.  Well..... I set them on my table until I was ready to place in the wire rack & inspiration struck!  I started laying them down in my trusty vintage chicken feeder 

{if you're keeping track I think this is use #42} 

I just adore the combination of glass & wood, I always have!  So this was just a perfect fit & display to have out on the kitchen table. Love the simplicity of the centerpiece, the different heights, shapes, colors & patterns of glass in the chicken feeder.  

Such a pretty display of things that I love.  Put together in a charming & interesting way.  I think the two separate displays play off each other & tie in beautifully together.  Says to me, this is a home that loves to eat, bake & spend time in the kitchen together. 

 A wide shot of all of it together.  Swoon!  

Another decor spot I've wanted to change around for awhile now was the top of my china hutch.  It has had the same thing on it for awhile now & that all came down & these fabulous new "picker" finds went up.  It's really a highlight in our family room now. I love how it all came together & turned out. 

The big mustard wooden spool came out of an old barn that sits across from my parents home.  I "picked" it a month ago with my Dad, brother & sister. What a cool find!  The large metal wheel of sorts came out of the Smith & Edwards yard that my friend, Staci & I picked through last year.  Grabbed it just because I thought it was cool.  Haven't really found a place for it until now.  

Glad that they take up the space above the hutch because I needed something large to go there. 

I love anything that has peeling paint, patina & a lot of personality to go along with it.  Just look at those cool rusty old bolts.  Glad this made it through the test of time in an old barn to get a new life inside Lilac Lane.  Love the color! 

Now for the fun part of decorating your home.... 

Make your house your home, own your space, fill it with things you love.  You don't have to go spend a ton of money to create a happy space.  Granted I've had some of these things for years but it's all come together over time.  Find your passion, what you love to collect & then show it off!  This is why I love to decorate because it's putting together what  I love.

Hope this post has inspired.  For other inspiring ideas check out One Kings Lane. 
*By the way... Did you see the vintage chicken feeder again?  If so leave a comment & let me know. 

{M} 

A week of appreciation & thanks!

4.1.14- 

It's no JoKE how busy I was last week but how rewarding the outcome was.  I had the opportunity to be in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week at my daughter's Middle School.  When I was the PTSO President 2 years ago my friend Erika was in charge & took this week to a whole other level.  Blew the minds of the teachers & brought tears to their eyes so I thought I better keep it rolling & with as much love, sweat & tears into this week too.  So FUN to see the teachers eyes light up & the smiles on their faces when they realize that it is all for them!

Started off the week decorating the teachers lounge with my friend, Nicole.  Thank goodness we both have a great stash of school inspired stuff to bring & put out.   Such a bright, cheerful happy space to walk into, don't you think?  

-It's amazing how a little bit of this & that can breath life into a pretty plain room.  Makes it a great space to eat lunch, grab your mail for the day, sit & visit with other teachers during the day-

Day 1 of the Week: 

Had a Coke fountain machine brought in.  Hello..... is there anything better for teachers!  I think not.  I even made sure to order in 2 tanks of Diet Coke so they wouldn't run out.  The week was already off to a great start with this little beauty.  

Day 2 of the Week: 

Books & Supply goodie bags for the Teachers!  We ordered in lots of books using money raised from the book fair to give each teacher a book or 2 for their rooms.  They loved it! 

----------------------------------------

Ok, I just had a thought!  My vintage chicken feeder is going to appear a lot in posts this week.  After each post leave a comment on how many times you spied it & your favorite use of it & at the end of the week I'll pick one winner to get a little somthin' somethin' Sound Fun? 

------------------------------------------

I bagged up some post it's, pencils, pens, dry erase markers, erasers & magnets & gave each teacher a bag.  I enjoyed putting them together & I'm sure the teachers will put it all to good use. 

-All positive messages for the teachers- 

Just because I loved it so- more pics of decor in the Teachers Lounge, making me excited already for The {Fall} Hive.  

{More info. coming soon- think September} 

Lots of what you see here will be in the H&H Fall collection.  Colorful & yummy! 

-Blocks, books & bright colors- scream school!- 

-This corner has school written all over it.  A wise old owl sitting up on top of a pile of vintage books keeping an eye on everything.  Thanks to Nicole for writing on my chalkboard, she does such a good job & the saying was so true!- 

-Some of my favorite things to put here & there.  Some H&H blocks with great sayings on them- 

-Are you singing along? -

A fun display on the teachers table. Old letter stamps in a jar, blocks, books & an H&H word tile. Amazing how a bright, cheerful print just put in a simple frame can hold it's own & make an impact.  

Day 3 & 4 of the week: 

Gave us the opportunity to serve the teachers Breakfast & Lunch.  Didn't take any pictures of the breakfast because to be honest setting it up & serving by 7:00 is just too darn early to think of everything.  

I used this chalkboard to write on each day & let the teachers know what was on the schedule for the day.  It was a great way to inform & still keep the "School" theme going.  

Lunch was super tasty! Lots of amazing friends helped out to make both breakfast & lunch a success.  Lots of baking & preparing behind the scenes.  

I've been thinking & planning for about a year to have something special for the teachers lunch. My Dad retired from 30+ years of teaching last year & has quite the reputation for making out of this world Dutch Oven Potatoes 

{One teacher, called them KiLLeR! & I would have to agree!} 

He was so nice to come down the night before, go shopping with me, prep everything with Miss Mace's help & then stand outside in the cold, snow & rain for 2 hours cooking the potatoes.  What a treat for the teachers! 

-The finished product- DE.LICIOUS!!- 

-Thanks so much, Dad.  LOVE YOU!- 

-Coleslaw is awesome on Pork Sandwiches,  If you've never tried it before you really should. YuM!- 

-Loved these big wooden apples my friend, Melanie, brought for decor.  She got them on a trip to Guatemala last year.  They were awesome & so appropriate to have out for a teachers lunch- 

-These skewer signs Melanie made were over the top cute!-

Day 5 of the Week:  

Created a "SWEET"  ending to the week by having dozens of cookies & cupcakes out for the teachers to take home.  There were to go boxes available for them to take home to their families because Teachers+Cookies= a better world in my opinion.  So grateful again for lots of friends willing to bake, bake & bake to make this a fun thing for the teachers.  

-My Grandma Hall's, now famous Gingersnaps.  A favorite for me to bake & share, everyone loves them!-

Of coarse everything had to be set on & displayed in such a way {I might have a sickness!}  but it really does make a difference to have anything for a buffet or party displayed in a unique & intersting way.  

Platters, cake stands, vintage berry boxes, vintage bread pans, jelly rings were used to serve up all the sweetness on.  Just look at those scrumptious cupcakes, thanks Sherrie, they looked so good!  Also loved the little tags I used to write the description on for the teachers to see.  

Looking back it really was a wonderful & rewarding experience to be a part of.  When you give, serve & strive to make other people happy it really does bless your life in ways you didn't expect.  My heart is full of gratitude & thanks for the wonderful teachers who help my girls learn, grow & inspire them each & everyday. 

Teachers ROCK! 

{M}