Succulent Love

I am a sucker for succulent plants. Especially in the hot Summers we have here they are perfect, they don't die if you forget to water them for a while and they are equally pretty during the entire year. (Image above from: HappyInteriorBlog)
Last year I tried to propagate some with the technique to lay leaves on top of dirt, although many seem to use this technique mine was a complete failure. I now just stick the leaves or branches in the dirt and usually something pretty comes out of it without any hassle.

Ever since we have been beach treasure hunters we come across a nicely drilled stone from time to time. Some are drilled completely through, which I blogged about a while back, but some have nice deep holes making them perfect for planters. I have been using a few my self, but now decided to put some in our decor shop for others to enjoy too.

Taking these pictures was fun, although they took ages, the plants look adorable with these rough natural stones.

As the holes are not very large these planters are only good for succulents, cactus and air plants as they do not require much or any water. Roots won't be able to grow much keeping the plants adorably small and cute but healthy (tested and approved).

These pictures make me super cheerful, I love plant pictures, I guess that is why my Botanical and Flora pinboard is always fresh with new plants, if you are a plant lover too you might want to follow it :) A few of the planters are available in the StarHomeStudio shop, and I will slowly add more.

p.s. No plant was in any way harmed, damaged or killed during this photo shoot. All branches were cut from large succulents and are now planted to become their own little plants :)

Sunday Expedition

We had another wonderful Sunday, it is hard to believe that these are taken in November. We are still having wonderful weather and we are making use of it!

This week we drove in to another not visited road and we were glad that we did. We came across some small little bays with beautiful clear water. Boat owners were also enjoying the amazing weather, but all in all it was quiet and peaceful.

The water was so clear that we actually saw some beautiful critters in the water.

A huge jellyfish, little fishes were hiding near it.

And an octopus who gave several different poses to me.

Near this magical little bay we walked towards the woods.

We did not come across a single person, which is one of the advantages of going in to roads that most people do not go to.

We came across an old well, not in use anymore for a long time as it was mostly filled with mud.

Some forest beauties.

And deep in the forest a little fairy tale house, the witch was out collecting herbs :)

On our way back I saw a massive amount of cactus, twice my height. There was a stop sign among them, most likely put there when they were much smaller, but it seemed like the stop sign was for the cactus as you could hardly see it from the car.

These Sunday trips always gives us new energy, I hope you enjoyed it with us!

Flora and Fauna

Once a year for a day or two, this prickly cactus becomes quite the beauty.

This year she out did herself, I would swear her flower was red last year, and yes she is a she, a guy can't be so pretty :)

As it only lasts for a day or two I took some pictures to keep this richness for longer to enjoy.

I would love a skirt like this a bit inspired by those lovely flower people in the animation movie Epic.

I googled for cactus flowers apparently their are many beautiful cactus flowers, but this one is the Echinopsis mamillosa. I know that if you plant the flower a new cactus will appear from it, but not sure how that works and to plant it.

As for the fauna, a large grasshopper visited us in the sewing room, I helped him to the great outdoors safely, a pity that you can't see its antenna's as they were huge I'm guessing about 10-11 cm (4- 4 1/2'').

Newly Listed: Wool and Leather Cowl

Today's newly listed is a super fun cowl made in lots of shades of green with recycled wool and leather.
Reading Still Life Photography Print Fruit Vintage Books Wall Decor by EternalMoment
Scotland Photography, Castle Art, Balvaird Castle, Medieval Art, Ruins, by AgaFarrell
Southwestern Decor, Green Cactus Photography, Nature Photography by JillianAudreyDesigns

Mother–in–law’s tongue

It’s funny how an apparently disconnected and innocuous flower name can reveal a lot about a land’s culture.

This cactus, blooming in our garden, seems harmless and soft to the touch. In reality, any contact with its tender bristles, results in a painful and burning sensation that lasts for hours. Therefore its Turkish name: mother-in-law’s tongue.