JJ Bean & TPD

Alright folks, the day has come! You can now enter to win a Tomlinson Plant Design Terrarium at THREE JJ Bean cafes in Vancouver! My terrariums are at my home store on Alberni & Bute, at the Marine building over on Burrard & Pender, and at our newest little shop over on Fraser & 27th. Tickets are $1 each, 5 for $3, or $5 for an arms length! So cheap, and all the proceeds go towards the upcoming JJ Bean/ Habitat for Humanity trip to El Salvador. In short, buy tickets. Buy lots, and buy often. The raffle is open until July 31, so the winner will be announced August 1. If you need to be coerced some more, below are photos of the terrariums I've made, and the locations where you can enter to win them.

Fraser: Dracena, Schefflera, big ol' tillandsia, and a tropical I have forgotten the name of...

Alberni: Super cool fern, selangenella, croton, and tillandsia

Marine: Rex begonia, golden selangenella, boston fern, and tillandsia. 

Pin & Post

Just a quick update here: If you live in the Vancouver area, you will soon be able to enter to win one of my terrariums! Some of the amazing JJ Bean staff (including my dearly beloved Maria & Wayne) will be heading down to El Salvador for two weeks with Habitat for Humanity this upcoming November, and now is the time to fund-raise. Keep you're eyes open for the raffle to begin! My

Purple Caput Medusae tillandsia

terrariums will be available at JJ Bean Alberni, Marine, and the company's newest store over on Fraser St. Tickets will be cheap and all proceeds go to a great cause. I'll keep you posted on those details...

Also exciting...I am now on Pinterest! It's been a long time coming. Make sure to stop on by and check it out! I've even set up a few boards of things that inspire me or bring me happiness. I sense that I may get addicted to Pinterest and will be frequently adding to my boards, so make sure to check back often! 

It's a crazy beautiful evening out there, so I think it's time to mix up a G & T and enjoy the patio for a while! Or maybe I'll make a few terrariums up (too many happy options, what's a girl to do?!) Mad love!

In & Out

Aeonium and succulents

I was walking home from work. It was a hot evening, it had been a long day, and I was exhausted. No, I was burnt out. I was listening to Daughter on my iPod and was suddenly completely caught up in the moment. There were some kids jumping through the sprinkler on one of the yards I was passing, and a wave of nostalgia hit me. I had participated in this simple summer activity countless times throughout my childhood, and I recognize it as a mark of summer. Jumping through the sprinkler. Such a simple delight. And then it hit me: I have been so busy that I haven't been enjoying life's simple pleasures enough. Now don't get me wrong, I love being busy and I love having so many projects on the go. But I think that I have been so distracted by the lists of things I have to get done that my inspiration, my joie de vivre, has been suffering. In that moment, I resolved to ensure that I make time to indulge in myself a little more, make more time for social gatherings, and to enjoy the simple things that make me smile (like the fact that my olive tree has blossomed and smells AMAZING). And so far, though my body is still tired (thank God for coffee!), my spirit is feeling much better. 

Cordyline and succulent

I've been busy making terrariums and working in my own gardens, and working my day jobs too. The pictures I have included  in this post(sorry about the quality) are of a couple terrarium refreshers that I have recently done. The life span of a terrarium often depends a great deal on the human factor. Terrariums should last several months before they start to suffer from things such as root competition or water logging, and eventually the whole terrarium may need to be replanted. From my own experience, a terrarium should need the the most attention in the first two or three weeks of it's life. This attention should come in the form of figuring out a watering schedule, making sure the plants are growing/surviving well, and finding the right place for it to call home. After  a few weeks, the terrarium should have sorted itself out. At this point, a certain degree of neglect from the human factor is necessary for its survival--it is its own ecosystem after all. Even God took a step back. This is my method, and it has been working well. I've had my own terrarium growing happily now for just over four months. But, as plants are organic living matter, sometimes they just die. They just do. It happens all the time, regardless of how green your thumb is. If this has happened to you, please note that I offer an affordable replanting service: Succulent refreshers start at $30; Tropical refreshers start at $15. Prices vary depending on the size of the container and the extent of the replanting necessary.

Now for some truly exciting news! I'm doing a wedding! No, it is not mine, but I am completely psyched. This will be the first wedding I have ever planned, so there is definitely a degree of stress, but I am confident that it will turn out amazing. I am planning and setting up the ceremony and reception decor, as well as creating all the floral work (bouquets, boutonnieres, arrangements--of course a terrarium or two, and ton of greenery). So exciting! The best part of it all is that the bride and groom are super laid back and have similar tastes as me, which makes this learning experience MUCH easier. It will be great! The wedding is in August and I will definitely be posting pictures of my work, so keep checking back. 

That's about all for now. The evening looks too beautiful to spend indoors, so I think it may be time for tea and a stroll.