Indoor Gardening for Tiny Spaces

When you live in a teeny tiny space like we do, you have to find creative places to put just about everything. For me, one of the most challenging spaces to deal with has been my indoor garden. 

Here it is, in all its glory:

And as you can see, my succulents have begun to crawl across my counter top.

Faced with nowhere to put my growing plant collection, 

I looked at this rustic chicken feeder (by Homeroad) in a new light.

My first step was to attach the feeder to a wooden board, and tile around it. 

Next, I grouted the tile with grey grout, and added some PVC molding around the edges.

Finally, I mounted three D-ring hooks to the back of the planter, and attached it to the wall with anchors and 2" screws.

The last step was to fill it with some pebbles and potting soil, and then I planted 

some ivy plants in my new living room garden!

P.S. The ivy is from IKEA... they have a great selection of cheap indoor plants!

My Latest Craigslist Find: Vintage End Table!

I am completely addicted to Craigslist. It's such a great place to find (almost) anything you're looking for. In our apartment, we have several pieces of furniture (and a cat) that have all been nabbed from Craigslist.

Although Craigslist is a great site, it's really important to be safe. So I always make sure I speak directly to the person on the phone, and I bring someone else when I'm going to pick something up. If you haven't yet tried Craigslist for your small space needs, check it out!

Here's my latest find: A totally retro and very heavy, mid century modern end table... 

and I got it for only $20!

How-to: Hide the Cable Box

Our TV stand started out its life as a pantry shelf from IKEA. When we moved, I transformed the pantry into a media cabinet by painting the legs black to match our living room decor. 

But what about those ugly wires and cable boxes? A simple clearance curtain from Target did the trick. I cut the curtain to size, leaving the hem on the bottom, and used 

a staple gun to attach it to the inside of the cabinet. 

And there you have it... a simple, inexpensive media cabinet that keeps the clutter out of view!

Hi, Cletus!

Propagating Succulents

Succulents are so popular right now, and I love it! These adorable little plants are pretty, easy to care for, and really hard to kill. The latter being the biggest reason for my succulent obsession. So what happens when your cat (or someone else) gets a little too close to your indoor garden, and accidentally snaps a couple of these beauties? Worry not! Succulents are very good at regenerating themselves from broken leaves and stems!

Step 1: Place the broken leaf on top of the soil in a separate pot.

Step 2: Wait....

Step 3: In about a week or so, you will see very tiny leaflets growing around the edges of the leaf. Once this happens, use a spray bottle to mist the leaf every few days.

Step 4: The leaflets will grow bigger, and turn into baby succulent plants!

**Be careful not to remove the "babies" from the broken leaf too soon!

Note: Remember that succulents are slow-growers! Propagation takes a while, and it's important to give your plants just the right amount of sun and water. Typically, your succulent wants to be in bright light, and will thrive on water about once per week. Not all succulents are the same... so your plants may require a bit more or less water depending on the temperature conditions. It's best to keep your succulents in soil that drains quickly. You can do this by adding sand to your potting soil.

Good luck!