Macra-Mel

See what I did there? ;)

For Christmas last year, my mother-in-law got me a bunch of macrame crafty things (ropes, wooden beads, gold hoops, etc.). Up until last night, I had only made one piece (featured below). 

Macrame seemed so easy, but it was way harder than I realized while perusing Pinterest and seeing all the projects that didn't look too hard. 

But, alas, I wanted to try again. 

I have two pothos plants that have grown and started to droop their leaves, and I realized that this was the time. Now was the time to rekindle my excitement for this craft! 

{Note: I am a teacher. This is the beginning of the school year. This is the best time to try something new! I kid. Teachers out there know this is the worst of times to start anything new, aside from a new font in our grade book or a new set of colorful pens. But, fortunately, I had the day off for Labor Day, so it actually was a good time to start.}

I'm blessed because I not only have an awesome husband, but I have a very patient husband who was willing to help me measure out the super long lengths of rope, learn some knots with me, start the whole thing off for me, and hang around with me while I finished it. 

NOTE: It is much easier, and a lot more fun, to make a macrame piece while it is hanging up. 

I made a newbie's mistake with my first piece by tying all the knots together on the floor. It was difficult and nearly impossible to keep everything straight. 

I'm not going to lie. I'm so pumped with how it turned out! We weren't originally going to hang it here in front of the window, but I loved it so much, we realized it had it's home.

Also, fun fact, I realized that I wanted another one, so Dan and I have started our second (which will hang on the opposite side of the living room ceiling). Stay tuned for pics.

Happy planting!

Figgy Flashback

We got our Fiddle Leaf Fig (lovingly known as Figgy Pop in our house) almost a year ago, and she has killed it at plant life. She was the smallest FLF I had ever seen for sale, and remains still the smallest I've come across. (Trust me, I look often.)

{To give you plant hunters a reference, many small-end figgy's run about $25. She was only $16! Even the store owner of The Garden Company, my favorite garden store in Santa Cruz, said he had never seen one that small. Obviously I had to snag her.}

We've pretty much kept her in the same spot the entire time we've had her (minus a month when we had our Christmas tree), so I think it's safe to say she's got her home. She's almost a year old (with us) now, and she is flourishing. She seems to love the bright light through our sheer curtains, so we're keeping her there.

{Note: Today is a dreary day, but the indirect light is still bright enough for her. We're having a nice cool end to summer, but she doesn't seem to mind. She popped out a couple new leaves in the past couple of weeks.}

I love plants and farming, and think I've actually got quite a knack for it. (It's in my blood - my grandpa on my mom's side was a farmer.) I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but this is a way to me to post my pictures and brag on my plants and crops. 

Happy Planting!