But I did not tell a lie...

My friends that know me well or anyone who has been to my house knows that I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with orchids.  I grow many varieties from the popular Phalaenopsis and Cymbidiums to the temperamental ones like Masdevallias and Bulbophyllums.  I believe there was a time when I literally had over 100 plants inside the house.  A few years ago, the husband put his foot down so since then, I have pared my collection down to about 60 in the house and about 30 outside...  Hahaha...  Not because I threw any of the plants away (on purpose), but because I gifted many of them to friends, or I killed them.  (They say you are not a true orchid grower until you kill at least a few dozen plants - insert the 'cha-ching' sound here followed by the sound of a toilet flushing)

My husband is a nice man.  He tolerantly lives with these plants that take over an entire wall of our tiny living room, the kitchen counter, above the mantle and pretty much every flat surface that receives just the right amount of light and air circulation.  Bless his heart, but yesterday, he kind of snapped.  More than he usually does when it comes to my plant obsessions.

This past weekend was the Fall orchid show at the South Coast Botanic Gardens.  Yes, I fully admit that I am a mega-nerd and have been a member of the South Bay Orchid Society for about 6-7 years.  I am on the Board of Directors, so I help out at the annual Spring and Fall shows.  Every year, there are premiere vendors/growers that sell plants at these shows that the society hosts so inevitably I end up adding to my collection at the very least, twice every year.  (More if I go to Santa Barbara for their show, or San Diego for their show...)  Therefore, at least twice a year, I brace myself for the usual lecture about how we have no more room for all the new orchids that come home with me let alone the money that I spend on them.  Bla bla bla.

Fall show 2011 - I did really good!  I only bought 3 orchid plants.  Two Phalaenopsis hybrids just because they were gorgeous and the grower had set them aside specifically for me (Thank you George Vasquez of Zuma Orchids in Malibu), and a Psychopsis Papilio Alba because I mean, how could I NOT get it when it was the last one and they are so hard to get a hold of?!?!?  These 3 beauties amounted to about $50.  That is really, really good considering some people will spend hundreds, even thousands on a single plant!  The husband was so proud.  He complimented me on my restraint and my responsible handling of money.  I was all smiles.

Then, he opened my trunk and saw this.

Oops...

My box of mini succulents, Tee Hee!

In my defense, I did not tell a lie!  I only bought 3 orchids.  I simply omitted that I purchased other things...  And besides they were cheap, AND I had a plan!  They would not take up too much space because I was going to plant multiple succulents in big pots that I already have!

See brilliant plan in action below!

My little Succulent Garden (only takes up 4 SF)

Look at these pretty little things!!!

How can one resist a cascading bunch?

Another Mini Succulent pot...

I looked at the Husband's furrowed brows and promptly pointed a finger at our dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Navar.  (At their lovely wedding in Palm Springs, they had oodles and oodles of succulents in perfect, white, shiny, ceramic pots all over the grounds as decoration and I instantly fell in love.  Of course the prettiest sight for all the guests was the gorgeous bride, but I tell ya, those perfectly potted succulents were very pretty as well.  And we got to take some home as gifts!)  So I blame the Navar's for what is now my mini obsession with mini succulents!  Since then, I have done my research and they are incredibly easy to grow!  You can leave them outside in full sun and do nothing but water occasionally and they literally flourish in our Southern California weather!  I promised the husband that the mini succulent gardens would stay outside and everything thankfully blew over.  Again. such a nice, tolerant man.

Unlike orchids where many species are notoriously high-maintenance, wallet busting, temperamental and seasonal bloomers, mini succulents are (even with no flowers) a NO-maintenance, low-budget, mesmerizing way to enjoy plants that love our So-Cal environment.  The variety of colors in the foliage is amazing!  Ice blues, chartreuse and purple???  Some are alien-like because they don't look like they are from this world!

I would not really recommend taking up an orchid hobby to everyone.  Unless you are slightly OCD and have the gumption to mix potting media, like the idea of having 5 different fertilizers for different times of the year, enjoy repotting - sometimes armed with a machete, find pleasure in fighting mealy bugs/orchid viruses, have the patience for a plant you bought today to not flower for 5 more years and can brave the alligator tears when a $70 plant withers, then croaks... then let's do lunch and I'll get you started on that adventure.

But a succulent garden?  I would highly recommend a potted mini succulent garden to anyone!

Happy Growing!

Random Airplant that bloomed this year!

Note to Self... Tile and how I did it all wrong.

I often make mistakes.  Like, practically everyday.  I usually learn from them and move on because if I beat myself up every time I made a mistake, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning!
There are days though, when I make a really big Homer "dooooh...", and when these moments occur, I make a mental "note to self..."

Today's "note to self" was kind of a big one and I just thought I'd share to save all you fabulous designers out there from falling into a trap:

09/14/11 - Note to Self:
When selecting tile that comes with a paper backing and the tile company offers the option to create a custom blend, PAY THE EXTRA to get the custom blend done at the factory.  (Especially when the client can afford it)  Self, DO NOT attempt to make your own blend by hand, in the field just because you think you know just the right ratio to make the tile look spectacular and just-so.  You don't, you numbskull!  Furthermore, getting the tile pre-blended in the future will aid in retaining more friendships with your tile contractors, because guess what?  The client will NEVER, EVER appreciate the time you took to "custom blend" their backsplash which will be hidden from view by cereal boxes and countertop appliances two weeks after the big reveal anyway.

This is how it all went down.


Day One: (yesterday)
Here is the design I did for a kitchen backsplash.  I worked closely with the tile guy and we did a pretty good job.  Yes, I had to lay out the entire pattern first to make sure that the joints were perfectly matched because I'm insanely anal that way, but at this point, it was coming along smoothly, just the way I imagined.  I felt really good and design-y yesterday.  It was also kind of fun to get my hands dirty even though the thin-set was drying my fingers out and cutting the glass tiles was tedious.

Day Two: (today)

The tile is pretty much in place.  The pattern looks good.  We remove most of the paper backing and cardboard shims and we install most of the final pieces that need to be cut around the cabinetry...  I know you can't see it in these pictures, but the larger running bond pattern is in a matte silk finish.  The little vertical chicklettes are an iridescent pearl finish.  My goal is to replace some of the larger bricks with iridescent bricks of the same size, thus creating the "custom blend."  In hindsight, what an idiot...

Precision cuts around cabinetry...  Can we say, "thank you inventor of the tile-cutter?!?!"

Three hours later...  I mark all the tiles that need to be "removed" and replaced with the iridescent ones to form the "custom blend." (blue tape)

Up until now, it's been kind of a pain, but okay...  I wouldn't want to do this everyday because my back hurts from hunching over, but nothing compares to what happens next.

This is when things go south...  What I realize waaaay too late is that since the thin-set has dried over-night, it is nearly impossible to remove the tiles that I want.  It wasn't just a matter of popping the tiles out with a fingernail and popping the new tiles in.  (That was what I was thinking in my head.)

The tile guy and I hammer and smash through the first few tiles, then we resort to a 2 step process of a small rotary blade to cut the tiles off the wall and break down some of the thin-set, then a hammer and chisel to smooth the holes out of caked on thin-set.  Consequently some of the little chicklettes and larger tiles fall off and I have to replace them one by one.  FRICK-ity-FRACK!  A royal waste of time, not to mention a royal pain.  I am sure the tile guy hates me at this point as he mixes another batch of thin-set for my sorry ass.

Two more hours later, we have removed all the tiles and the excess dried thin-set.  Now we have to remove individual iridescent tiles from their paper backing and set them one by one and level them with tiny plastic shims.  "Is it just me?"  I whine to the tile guy...  "I can't even tell if they are matte silk or iridescent at this point!"  I am pissed.  I know he is too, but he just smiles and says, "Kayo, don't worry, it will look better tomorrow when the grout goes in..."  What a sweet soul.

So, tomorrow...  Grout.  This frickin' backsplash better look good when all is said and done...

I'm going to go put some heavy duty lotion on my hands now.

Also to contend with:  Tile nightmare #2...  The fireplace.  Why do I feel another, "note to self" coming on with this project as well?