After posting this nighttime instagram photo…
…many of you noticed something missing.
Remember that beauteous living art frame? And my apprehension at keeping all those plants alive given my hastiness in selecting the plants and my tendency to bring death to all things green? Well, some things happened. Some expected and some unexpected. The African violets died. EXPECTED. The rest of the plants lived. UNEXPECTED. Not only did they live – they thrived! So much that they quickly outgrew the wall planter. They became top heavy and it was obvious {even to me with my black thumb} that they couldn’t stay within the confines of the modestly sized wall planter for much longer. Reluctantly, I transplanted the living plants to an outdoor planter on our back patio.
This picture doesn’t do them justice. They are huge. I removed part of the snake plant and put it in our bedroom but a little off shoot is still going strong outside in the planter.
With the plants living happily ever after outside, I was hesitant to replant/rehang the living art frame. I really liked the look of the succulent/fern mix I had going on previously but I wasn’t keen on having to transplant another round of plants in a few short months. Plants that aren’t so heavy, won’t grow so large, or plants that can be trimmed/cut back regularly would be ideal. And then while cleaning out the attic, I came across some artwork.
It is a painting of mine and HH’s first home in Illinois. Our best friends had it commissioned for us as a going away gift when we moved to Ohio five years ago. It means so much to us and I was ashamed {but excited!} to find it in our attic. HH and I both agreed that it needed to be put on display ASAP.
Now it lives in our kitchen where the wall planter once hung. It brings a smile to my face when I’m washing dishes or unloading the dishwasher. Lots of memories in that house. It’s where we brought home our firstborn. It’s where we first tried our hands at DIY and attempted {but completely failed} to find our style. Still, I can’t help but feel nostalgic when I see it.
I hung the painting with my trusty 3M adhesive strips. Do you recall my frustration with the magnetic spice containers? I added a picture ledge and eight spice jars from IKEA to remedy the situation.
I had problems with powdery and/or gritty spices getting stuck around the metal-to-metal closure of the magnetic containers. Over time, they became extremely difficult to open. These new spice jars have a glass-to-plastic closure. I transferred my powdery and gritty spices into them. So far, so good. I don’t have any problems with dried herbs or leafy seasonings in the magnetic containers so they are still living on the side of the fridge.
Can you believe I haven’t spray painted the lids gold yet?! Haha.
Sorry about the harsh lighting and shadows in these images. The skylights were doing their thing.
I really enjoyed having live greenery in the kitchen so I’m itching to add some pots to the windowsill. What about the living art frame? It’s here, chillin’ in the garage with all of the other future project supplies. What is its fate? We’re 99% sure we want to grow a kitchen garden at some point. I think I’ll eventually plant herbs in the wall planter and hang it out back near the grill. {The planter can be used indoors or outdoors.} I’m hoping the herbs will fare better {not outgrow the planter} since I’ll be cutting them regularly. We’ll see…
This is what it’s like to live with me. I am constantly changing stuff around until it works and feels right. Tweaking, if you will. To family and friends, it’s like a game figuring out what is different from their last visit. But once I find the perfect spot for something, it sticks. I think this kitchen art is a sticker.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, food, organization