When I was growing up, I remember visiting my grandma and grandpa’s house. Their backyard was this amazing wonderland of growing flowers, plants, and vegetables. I remember rows and rows of veggies and having to be careful where I walked or I might step on something we were going to eat. I remember picking fresh radishes and green beans and eating them practically right off the vine.
At the time, I probably didn’t appreciate the magnitude of everything they grew. I did know it was amazing, but I didn’t really get how amazing it was. It had to have taken my grandparents months and years to grow and cultivate a garden like that.
Fast forward 20-something years, and I notice that this gardening gene seems to have bypassed me. I struggle to keep even the most basic of houseplant alive. I seriously seemed to have a black thumb instead of the very green thumb my grandparents had. I had resigned myself to the fact that my house would never have fresh plants.
Then a friend gave me an Orchid. It was beautiful. I read up on them and found out that Orchids love to be ignored. I realized that’s perfect for me. Then I took a chance and bought a succulent plant because I liked the container and they love to be ignored too. As a busy mom, I quickly realized that I can totally handle a plant that loves to be ignored. I actually had that Orchid for about 7 years, which is amazing considering house plants couldn’t make it three months in our house.
Succulents are amazing plants. They are very hearty. Most people think cactus when they hear the word succulent. Those fall under the same family, but there are tons of varieties of succulents that aren’t cacti. I love them because they play well with others and do well in a mixed pot with a variety of other succulents. They are seriously my favorite houseplant. And I’ve gone from one trial succulent in a cute pot to a number of varieties in different pots inside and out. Yay me! I have even managed to grow succulents from a cutting, which is like the holy grail of plant tending – getting something to regrow from a cutting. And, go figure, succulents are totally “in” right now.
I was so excited to see the Succulent Garden Suite in the Occasions Catalog this Spring. I love everything about this Suite – the stamp set, the dies, the paper, the colors! So right on. This was one of the first Suites I knew I had to purchase. One of the things I love about succulent plants is the overflowing pots filled with different varieties. One of the first projects I made with this set was an overflowing card filled with different varieties and this is what I came up with.
This card has about 25 different plants on it, everyone cut out and layered all over the front of the card. This card seriously brings me so much joy to see all the different plants blooming. This is very similar to how one of my pots looks right now. When you purchase this stamp set, be sure to buy the die set as well. I tried cutting out several of the plants by hand, and they take a ton of time to hand cut. You’ll thank me later.
If you struggle with the black thumb of death too, let me reassure you that a paper garden is just as wonderful as a real garden. I would like to encourage you to try a real succulent plant too though. They love a sunny window, the occasional drink of water, and being ignored (yes, really). Once you find a good window for your succulent, don’t move them. And if you pick the right succulent, it will flower every year and it’s amazing to see those buds pop up and then open. It truly warms my heart. I have six brand new buds on one of my plants this winter and I can’t wait to see the show in a couple weeks. It will be amazing.
Well, the Occasions and Sale-abration Catalogs are now live. You can click the links on the right and they will take you right to my online store. Don’t forget that for every $50 you spend (pre-tax, shipping), you can pick a free Sale-abration item.
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