Succulent Fandom

Soft, roundy ones

Have you ever thought you invented or discovered something, only to realize that a gazillion others have been before you? That's how I felt when I began to discover my passion for succulents, only to find that a gazillion others think they are cool too. No Pinterest feed is immune. What is this obsession we have with these fat little fleshy plants? I mean, apparently, they are even hipster.

I can't speak for all of succulent fandom, but I came up with ten reasons I love these little suckers.

1 - Succulents look a little alien. I mean, really. Have you looked at sea of succulent plants at a nursery? It's a little other-worldly. Being a charter member of sci-fi fandom, this is a plus.

2 - Succulents come in endless shapes, textures and colors. Talk about a people pleaser. I am partial to the soft, roundy ones that look like the velour jumpsuits I used to wear in junior high. But like butterfly wings, I've found it's best not to pet them. I love pairing the blue-gray plants with silver or driftwood. Num. The darker green plants look edible with rusty metals and terra cotta. (By the way, succulents are not to be confused with ouchy cacti. Botanically speaking, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents have leaves; cacti have spines instead of true leaves and only their stems are fleshy. Things that make you go huh.)

Little succulent souls

3 - Succulents are very forgiving (mostly). I live in a temperate climate that does not freeze, so it's always interesting to see which plants overwinter with no attention. Actually, most do. They certainly get leggy, and look more alien than usual, but a few nips and tucks usually return a succulent bowl back to Earth.

4 - Succulents save homes. Seriously. So many homes here in southern California were saved recently during wildfires because people had a break of ice plant around their homes. Makes sense that they would not burn, infused as they are with water. Way to go, ice plant!

My Pinterest rusty metal and terra cotta palette

5 - Speaking of ice plant, I have a strong childhood memory of making mud pies with "green beans" made from the chunky leaves.  That's worthy of a bullet point.

6 - Succulents provide me with an almost daily temptation to snip cuttings from other people's yards, businesses, and public property. I usually refrain from stealing plant parts, which makes me feel good about myself.

7 - Succulents remind me of paper dolls. Snip, snip, arrange, dress up, done. So cute!

8 - I now have a new vocation of being on the lookout for succulent containers. No object is safe. I am enjoying using old kitchen and dining implements. I just planted a teeny beany plant in a candlestick holder. Now it sits on my palette garden shelves. My Pinterest palette garden shelves. Totally hipster. Alongside my rusty potato masher that I use to mix soil. Beyond hipster now.

My Pinterest silver and driftwood palette

9 - You can take a leaf and grow a plant. That's just cool. I've only just started consciously propagating (love that word), so it's still a thrill to see hairlike roots and leaf buds poking out from a leaf that was put aside, or even one that was dropped and forgotten. I always save what I can. Once they start producing life, they have a soul. An itty-bitty succulent soul.

10 - Succulents combine art, miracles, and life. When I create a lovely bowl, I can't take all the credit, especially when it grows and changes after I am done. I am learning about each plant, who is sensitive to too much handling or too much sun, who loves water and who drowns in it. But in general, they are diverse, adaptable, regenerating, forgiving, and interesting. Qualities that I strive to attain for myself. Ah! Perhaps that is the core of the fascination.

The Yardstick of Children

For my own mother

As the Mother's Day festivities and social media well-wishes come to a close, I find myself thinking about how much things have changed since my daughter and son were born umpteen years ago. On Facebook, I saw pictures of an old friend's children--and I did not recognize them. Of course, it makes sense since I haven't seen them since they were toddlers, but it made me think.

Parents tell time using the yardstick of children. We watch our children grow up in such small increments that we don't notice that the infant is no more, then the toddler, then the child. I remember thinking one day as I watched my son hanging onto furniture in his first attempts at walking, that one day this little baby would no longer be. He is now a strong young man, and has the walking thing down pretty well. I had the same thought with my daughter as we went for a really slow toddler walk one day. I remember she was wearing bright pink corduroy overalls and picking at dandelion fluff. And now we prepare for graduation.

I really don't think it gets any easier; it's just that our children's needs change. And we are required to change along with them whether we are ready or not. Then suddenly there it is, that wisp of a mother's lament as we smile at the memory of fat cheeks and drool. I am beginning to understand that one day being a grandmother will be a wonderful thing.

Beautiful Colors Shining

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I really wanted to put a special quote on my sister's birthday card, something that meant something to her. Then it occurred to me to just look on her Pinterest boards to find one! Sure enough, this one jumped right out. And the quote made me think. I mean, butterflies really have no clue what their wings look like. And it's not much of a stretch to imagine that we really don't know how well others see us.

My sister is halfway across the country right now, but I am excited that we will soon live in the same city for the first time in 30 years. Next year, we will be lunching for her birthday by the beach.

Happiest birthday, my one and only sister! I love you, and I can see your beautiful colors shining!

Grazie Mille!

I received an unusual custom order for my wedding congratulations card yesterday. It was in Italian (but ordered from California) and the bride and groom’s names were replaced with Mio Suocero, and the love poem was replaced with Grazie Mille. Despite my years of Italian in college, I had to look up that first phrase, and found it meant my father-in-law. I emailed to say I received the order, and chatted a bit about my love for the Italian language and my genuine Italian godfather. I was hoping she would tell me the story behind the card, and she did.

What I love about Etsy is that people are real, and orders are personal. It is so easy to make a connection so that instead of just fulfilling an order, I am creating art for someone. The bride-to-be told me that her wedding is being hosted in her future father-in-law’s hometown in Italy, and she wanted the card to thank him. What is just so heartwarming about it all is that she has been secretly learning Italian (even the groom doesn’t know) so she can communicate with her future in-laws at her wedding. I so enjoyed making this card, feeling like I was just a little bit a fellow conspirator.

Milestone Tribute

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This card is for my friend of twenty-five years, the kind of friend who keeps all your Christmas cards and ties them together with a string.

Of course, purple is the base color in pearlescent.  The texture is provided by some hand corrugating, but only offset in the center. A bit of washi tape is added, as well as the page of a probably mundane book that is transformed tres chic for its French words. A filigree medallion with a purple pearl sets off the subtle pearl tribute to the milestone age. But in the center, the sentiment says it all: "Friendship lightens every burden and makes the sun shine brighter."

Knowing my friend to be an avid reader, I made a matching bookmark alongside. It worked well adorning the package which held her present. The simple word "Friendship" is displayed along the face.

At my friend's request, I made a name plaque for her sweet hamster's cage. I used a hobbit font and theme, since her hamster loved the movie. The map is from the book, and the pun is from my corny sense of humor. I can't say I have ever made a pet plaque before, but I can see it as a new caged animal niche to be explored.

Happy Father's Day, Papa

I've been trying to connect with my dad all day, but we kept missing each other.  At least I was able text him on his iPhone and message him on Facebook, in addition to sending him a card via snail mail.  Thank goodness for modern technology, and for a father who (mostly) keeps up with it.  So here is my third high-tech attempt to let him know how special he is to me.

When I was little, I was always his princess, and he was the best Daddy in the world.  He helped pull out loose teeth, and made sure the Tooth Fairy took care of us.  Even that time she forgot, my Dad found that she misplaced a whole pound of coins under my mattress.  Silly Tooth Fairy.  And then there was the time I had to write "I will not talk in class" 100 times for shushing someone else.  He calmed my tears and taught me how to write in columns I-I-I-I will-will-will-will not-not-not-not, so it was much faster.  And then there were all those times he let me comb his hair and put barrettes in it.  (Little did I know I'd later practically pay my kids to do that to me.)  I've since put aside my tiara, but he is still the best Dad in the world to me.  Happy Father's Day, Papa!  Thank you for all your support and for listening.  Thank you for your generosity and for your wisdom.  Thank you for being fun and keeping us laughing.  I love you to the moon and back!

Happy Birthday, Sean!

My son is finally turning 14 today. I say finally because he is a big kid and seems a few years older. I guess each year I have been surprised how long it has taken him to turn the next age because of his size. But he is still a kid at heart. For the second year in a row, he and his best buds have done the gaming party at a hotel, after swimming and pizza. I heard them planning it again for next year. I suppose when you get it right, why change it?

This card has a Minecraft theme, with a Lego Minecraft block as its focus. It is my son's golden birthday, 14 on the 14th, so I like the number 14 reflecting on itself. We also did the traditional cupcakes in the shape of the age. My husband is the baker, but this year also did most of the Lego Minecraft blocks for their adornment. They came out pretty darn cute this year, if I do say so myself. Funny thing is that my husband wanted all his Lego back. No matter, the kids ate the brownie cupcakes and went back to their games and did not even notice when I cleaned up.

Yet another birthday, successfully accomplished. With my kids' combined ages, this makes party #30. A little mind-boggling when you think about it, but they are certainly getting easier. And I let them both know that after age 18, they just get a cake if they are around.

So Perfect

I love getting feedback from people who have purchased my cards, but it's extra special to hear a personal story of how it was given.

"We gave the card today to a great couple getting married abroad. The groom is a huge Kurt Vonnegut fan and even has a birdcage tattoo so this card was the PERFECT card for them!!! I told him that the birdcage is filled with lovebirds now ;) and he was very touched! The quote I had asked you to put in was a Vonnegut quote. Just thought I would fill you in on how perfect the card you made was!!! The groom was amazed that I found it so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"

For more photos of this card, follow this link.

Friends 'Til the End

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I received a request from someone on Etsy to create a custom card for a friend's birthday which featured Frodo and Sam and their friendship. ("Kinda geeky, I know," she said.) Actually, it reminded me of my own friendship with Stephannie. We must have read The Lord of the Rings a half-dozen times while we were teens. We would read all summer in her family's living room, her on one sofa, and me on the other.  Barefoot, kicking back, with saucers of orange Tang on our tummies (just the powder, not mixed). We would each dip our fingers and suck on the sweet sugar while we read. My trilogy still has orange fingerprints throughout. (And my Fellowship is still warped from my misguided loan to her brother, who dropped it in the bathtub. I mean, who reads a borrowed book in the bathtub? No trauma remaining on that one after thirty years. No, really, I'm fine.)

I found an old beat up Two Towers at a yard sale a few weeks back, and I am actually ripping from it to create my cards. I know it sounds blasphemous, but how cool is that? For this friendship card, I found a lovely passage where Gollum finds Sam and Frodo napping peacefully despite their danger. I also copied the map onto cardstock for the background. Adding a picture of the two hobbit friends, and metal tags of the initials of the sender and recipient, it came together quite nicely. And come to find out, these girls are turning 16 soon. Just like me and Nuffy back when. Kinda geeky, I know.

You can see more pictures here.

Happy Mother's Day

It is so easy to come up with something to say about my mother on Mother's Day. She is my constant supporter and biggest fan. She teaches me how to be a mother to my own children, and to be their biggest advocate in turn. Thank you, Mom, for always being there for me with an encouraging word or a listening ear. I will always love you to the moon and back. Happy Mother's Day!