destashing and planting

After this post about wanting to turn my studio into a Zen area, I have walked into my studio...and then out. And in...and out. And in again...and then fled.

Its going to be a big job and its making me twitchy just thinking about it. I'm beginning to understand why it was easier the last time to just truck on over to IKEA and buy some storage boxes with lids to house these things so I didn't have to go to the effort of picking through them all.

But I want to do it. So I've made the commitment to myself that I'm going to sort through a couple of boxes each weekend. I was a bit undecided about what to do with the things that survives each mini-purge. (I discovered that very old fabric paint can be horrifying, it was like a jar full of ammonia smelling sludge. And apparently gesso can become liquefied if left to age for an appropriate amount of time. I'm a bit worried about what else I'm going to find lurking in there.)

So the things that I would like to sell I've put up in an etsy store. Not much there so far, I attacked my rubber stamp box today so that's mostly what's there. I'm selling everything super cheap and will add to it each week. I'll post a little note here when I put new things there, hopefully they can find a good home.

One of the reasons I only got through my rubber stamps today is because I needed to tend to my plant collection. (They are alive which makes them more impatient then things like fabric and thread.)


Long before I was a fiber girl, I was a plant chick. Since I have back problems, outside plants don't work so well for me so indoor plants are the perfect compainion for that particular side of my personality.

The room that is now my studio used to be my bedroom and along one of the longest sides (which is around fifteen feet) was lined with every plant imaginable. (Well, maybe not every plant. I'm fascinated with venus flytraps but the thought of having to shove living things into their little enclosures creeps me out. I struggle with my own carnivore nature, not sure I want to extend that responsibility past myself.)

My two favorites were orchids and african violets. African violets especially. I ordered a lot from an online nursery called The Violet Barn. They specialize in miniature and trailing violets, truly amazing little buggers. If you are into violets, take the time to check them out, they have a really impressive collection of the unusual.

(Cute Dooley puppy story: When we first got Dooley he was too short to go up and down the stairs so I didn't bother putting a baby gate up across my bedroom where all my plants were. Then one day he was determined to see the second floor...except none of the humans were up there to monitor him. He promptly toddled into my bedroom, grabbed an african violet off the bottom shelf of a plant stand and drug it down the stairs by one of its leaves to give to me as a present. There was not a single bit of damage on it and he was quite proud of himself. But it was missing its pot. That part had popped off the plant halfway down the hallway and there were dirt clumps on the stairs where it bounced as he drug it down. Violets are tougher then you think.)

I have a display stand from my store that I put in front of the magic window in my studio. Anything and everything will grow there. Unfortunately, the window will not water them. Which means that my neglect of that room extended to them as well.

I decided today to quit being a bad plant mom. Part of that decision was fueled by a trip Mary and I made to Lowe's yesterday. They just got a shipment in of new houseplants and I picked up this one:


I can't find the name of it. I googled it three different ways and no dice. The tag in it was generic and no help so if someone knows, please leave a comment.

I also bought a bag of potting soil, the Miracle Gro variety. (I've not used Miracle Gro before, I'm curious as to whether or not it will turn my little plants into a raging jungle.) I whined to Mary that even the smallest bag was too big.

Um...no.

I needed to repot way more then I thought (see "bad plant mom" reference above) and ended up going back today to get another bag of dirt and a couple more pots. Which lead to me be bringing home another green friend. Who also promptly needed repotting...why? Because of this:

I've noticed this lately with the chain stores. They are shoving mature plants in tiny pots which then leads them to practically strangle themselves if they aren't potted up almost right away when we buy them. I suspect it has something to do with keeping shipping costs down but it makes me want to bring all the plants home and put them in bigger pots so they can breathe again.

I've also taken a liking to succulents. I picked up this guy from a greenhouse near me called Grey's Greenhouse where all kinds of odd cacti and succulents grow.


Don't know what this one is called either. But its more blue then green and this one won't care if I don't water it as much. Bonus.

So that was my Sunday. Got some sorting and cleaning done and feel like I didn't get a darn thing accomplished. I have to figure out how to keep making art in there while I do this because its going to take a while.

But at least the plants are happy.