All posts tagged: cactus

cactus fiesta.

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Just because we’re on SIP doesn’t mean we can’t have a fiesta at home! Let’s make a cactus piñata! Materials: corrugated cardboard, box cutter, scissors, masking tape, crepe paper streamers, glue stick Cut two of the same shape for the front and back of your piñata. Cut 1.5-2in wide strips of cardboard for the perimeter; make sure the corrugation allows you to bend your strips along the length (corrugation should run parallel to the bottom). Decide where you want to place the piñata opening and start wrapping one of the shapes with the cardboard strips at the base of the opening. Use masking tape to attach strips to shapes. I prefer attaching the strips to the outside border of the shapes (versus in line with the shape perimeter); this makes it easier to bend the strips to conform to the shape. End with a flap that is not attached with tape. You may leave a slight overlap. Attach the second shape to the opposite side. For this step, you could add all the tape to …

costume contest.

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Somebody won second place in a Yelp East Bay costume contest! Hint: it was us! This year Hubby and I dressed up as a pair of cacti. (Unfiltered: We were a couple of pricks. :P) I was most excited about making our headpieces. For my headpiece, I created a large pink cactus flower on top of a cushion-shaped cactus. For Hubby’s, I went with more of a bunny ears cactus look. I decorated some of our green clothing with felt Vs. I used double sided tape so our clothes wouldn’t get ruined. I’m a big fan of making costumes with normal clothes, felt cut outs, and double sided tape! We don’t normally go out for Halloween, but this year we went to a Yelp Elite event at East Brother Beer. There were cupcakes, tacos, pizza, and beer, plus all the fun costumes! We met childhood friends Arnold and Helga, world renowned super hero fashion designer Edna Mode, Beast (as in ‘Beauty and the’), and a deer (an Oh Deer!). Our costume prize: a gift certificate …

prickly eggs.

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I’ve been traveling to Palm Springs over the last year for work and have found a love of cactus! I love looking at them, especially in the wild – even though they’re so prickly! And since Easter is just a few weeks away, here’s a fun way to bring the desert in without risk of getting stabbed: Cactus Easter Eggs! And they are so simple to make. Materials: Plastic eggs – You can pick any color egg for this. All shades of green work well; so do purples. If you don’t see plastic eggs in your colors of choice you can spray paint ones that you have. Permanent white marker Felt in bright, warm colors of your choice. Hot glue Scissors How to: Create a desert flower with felt. Start with a circular piece of felt ~ 2in in diameter. Cut a spiral, leaving a small circle in the center (this will be the sealing “flap”). Roll along the spiral, starting from the outside of the circle, and glue the flap to seal. Hot glue …

sunnylands.

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Yay! I finally made my way to Sunnylands! I had never heard of Sunnylands until my colleague who lives and works nearby told me about it. I was super intrigued. It’s free to visit the grounds. If you’re feeling extra, you can also go on a guided tour of the garden and house. There’s a cafe, and a gift shop with the cutest desert mod birdhouses. But I was there to get my cactus fix! Seriously, why are groups of cacti so amazing to look at? Sunnylands is perfectly manicured and they’ve got plenty of desert plants to enjoy. On my visit it was a perfect 75 degrees (ok fine, that was really hot for me, but the shade was lovely!). I had a snack with my friends, we strolled, and I watercolored. Even though there were people around, it was a tranquil place. It just felt so peaceful and welcoming. This was my last visit to the Coachella Valley for work (for now!) but if I’m ever back in the area I definitely want …

cactus pricklies.

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Back in the desert! A quick work trip to the Palm Springs area means I get to do a little exploring. I stumbled upon Moller’s Garden Center  where cactus dreams come true. Moller’s has lots of plant varieties, but I was in the market for a cactus to bring home to my parents. I am obsessed with cacti right now (I blame Moorten). They don’t fair too well in the Bay Area (where I live); my parents, though live in a warm and dry climate – perfect for cacti! I got these lil nuggets. One turns purple in the winter! You can see it here turning back to green… I also found out the furry fuzzy soft looking dots on these cacti are not cute and fluffy at all. I rammed my hand into the purple one while trying to stop the cart and all those little pricklies, though they looked like fur on my knuckles, were painful to remove. I still have spikes in my hand that were too small to remove; it’s been over …

cactarium!

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Also on my Palm Springs weekend wish list: a visit to the Moorten Botanical Garden, a privately owned garden with over 3,000 cactus species. This garden is everything. I never thought I’d enjoy a botanical garden without flowers. There is a small fee to enter garden, and you can spend however long you want strolling the grounds. The garden is organized by region, and most of the plants are labeled. There are so many kinds of cactus varieties that I’ve never seen before. One of my faves were these Giant Golden Barrel Cacti. Another special treat – the garden’s cactarium (the first of it’s kind) which houses rare cactus varietals. We weren’t allowed to touch any of them. I wouldn’t want to anyway; look at these spikes. The Moorten residence is on the garden grounds… And look! Garden crafts – natural dye! You can take a piece of the garden home with you, too. They had lots of plants for sale. Hubby and I brought home four mini cactuses. Super cute! We hope the Bay …