Succolove

Moja se dosadašnja tinjajuća ljubav prema kaktusima i sukulentima zadnjih nekoliko tjedana zaista rasplamsala. Tome su uvelike doprinijeli i uradi sam projekti koje sam radila ovog ljeta. Čovjeku zaista trebaju sitnice da mu ispune srce, pa tako i mene jedna obična kava, a možda i knjiga u ruci i pogled na te divotice oko mene čine neizmjerno sretnom. Iako je ljeto bilo, riječima jednog mog prijatelja - odlično, ukoliko si vidra, svejedno se moglo ukrasti koji sunčani dan vani, no spektakularnim ulaskom u rujan popraćenim kišom, mislim da je vrijeme da se sukići presele u stan i tu pregrme jesen i zimu. Ja vam ovaj tjedan donosim drugi dio DIY projekta sa sukulentima. Ovotjedni projekt je možda malo zahtjevniji, dugotrajniji i neuredniji od prošlog, no svejedno vrlo zabavan i definitivno će vam se isplatiti zaprljati ruke.

Što će vam trebati:

•       plastične boce (ravnog dna) i razne plastične posude koje će glumiti kalupe
•       gips (ja sam koristila alabaster)
•       voda i štapić za miješanje gipsa
•       prozirna folija
•       nožić / skalpel / škare
•       mini baloni za punjenje vodom
•       zaštitna krep traka
•       primer / lak
•       boje u spreju ( ja sam koristila akrilnu)
•       rukavice

Prvo valja pripremiti sve posude i pribor koji ćete koristiti jer čim krenete raditi s gipsom imate tek koju minutu prije nego se stegne. Iz fotki dolje možete vidjeti koje sam ja posude koristila i što vam sve treba za njih, no vi slobodno koristite što god vam se nađe pod rukom. Ja sam koristila kalupe koji mi kasnije neće više trebati pa sam ih mogla razrezati i baciti nakon upotrebe, no ukoliko ih želite ponovno koristiti premažite unutrašnjost vazelinom da možete lakše izvući gipsanu posudu. Gips pripravite prema uputama na pakiranju, a moj savjet je da ih stvarno i poslušate. :) Dakle, prvo voda, a zatim dodajte gips do potrebne gustoće uz neprekidno miješanje. Ukoliko probate obrnuto, neće ići. Vjerujte mi. :) I još jedan savjet - ukoliko planirate napraviti veću posudu, odmah u njoj i miješate. Prostor za sadnju biljke možete napraviti nekom manjom plastičnom posudom, a meni su jako fora balončići napunjeni vodom. Kad napravite sve posude, dajte im koji sat da se dobro stisnu, a zatim ih možete izvaditi iz plastičnih kalupa i ostaviti da se osuše. Za veće posude će vam trebati i do tjedan dana.

Kako znati kad su potpuno suhe? Biti će znatno lakše i posvijetlit će. Vlažni dijelovi su sivkaste boje. E sad, gips nije najtrajniji materijal poznat čovjeku i ove vam posude definitivno neće trajati koliko i novi Opel ili ljepota Claudije Schiffer, pogotovo ukoliko uključite vodu u jednadžbu. No, ukoliko unutrašnjost gipsane posude prelakirate nekoliko puta, to će pomoći i neće joj voda toliko smetati. Postupak bojanja je isti kao i prošlog tjedana kad smo bojali lonce. Znači, prvo primer pa boja, a ja sam ovaj puta dodala i lak nakon bojanja za što dugotrajniji rezultat. Možete se igrati krep trakom i tako bojati samo dijelove posude. Dajte mašti na volju. A ukoliko se odlučite napraviti nešto slično, voljela bi vidjeti i vaše gipsane posude za sukiće jer možda i sama dobijem još koju ideju. Do sljedećeg čitanja! :)

My smouldering love towards cacti and succulents has really caught fire these past weeks. I have to say that the DIY projects I’ve done over the summer have really set it ablaze. One doesn’t need much to make one’s heart warm and neither do I. A simple coffee, perhaps a book in my hand and a sight of these beauties around me make me happy as a clam. Although this summer has been, in words of a friend of mine – great, if you are an otter - there were a few chances to spend the day out on the terrace, but keeping in mind the spectacular beginning of what seems like a rainy September, I think it’s time to take these babies inside and have them hibernate until spring. This week I’m giving you the second part of the succo DIY. This week’s project is slightly more challenging, time consuming and messier than the previous one, but I promise you it will pay off. 

You’ll need:

•       plastic bottles (use the flat bottom ones) and/or plastic containers that will serve as moulds
•       plaster (alabaster / plaster of Paris)
•       some water and a mixing stick
•       plastic wrap / cling film
•       a knife / scalpel / scissors
•       water balloons
•       painter’s tape
•       primer / varnish
•       spray paint ( I used acrylic )
•       gloves

Get everything ready before you start work because plaster sets quickly and you don’t have too much time to work with it. You can see from the photos down below what containers I have used, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I used some containers that I knew I won’t need after this project so I just cut them open when I was finished, but if you wish to use them again, make sure to coat the inside with Vaseline so it releases more easily. Prepare the plaster according to manufacturer’s instructions and my advice is to really do so. :) Ergo, water first, add plaster later. Put enough plaster until you have consistency of pancake batter, mixing constantly. If you try the other way around meaning pouring water into plaster, it won’t work. Trust me. :) And another brilliant piece of advice – if you plan on making a bigger flower pot, do the mixing in the very same container you’re going to use as the mould. The space you need to leave for the soil and the plant can be made using a smaller container, but I find those water balloons very cool and handy. When you make all your pots, give them an hour or so to set and you can take them out of their moulds and leave out in the air to thoroughly dry. It will take even up to a week for larger pots to dry.  

How to tell your pots are fully dry? They will be much lighter in weight as well as in colour. Moist areas are greyish. Now, plaster is not the most durable material ever known to man so these pots will definitely not last as long as the new Opel or Claudia Schiffer’s beauty, especially if water is somehow involved. But if you coat the inside with couple of layers of varnish, it should help. Painting process is the same we used when painting pots in last week’s project which means, put primer first, paint later only this time I decided to coat the pots with varnish as well to make the paint job more long lasting. You can play around with painter’s tape and that way paint only parts of your pots.  Let your imagination run wild! And if you do decide to make plaster pots of your own, I would like to see them. I might get an idea myself. Until next week, take care! :)

Lonci, ne i poklopci - Pots of gold

Prošli tjedan sam vam obećala jedan DIY projekt vezan uz kaktuse i sukulente, a imam ih čak dva! Danas prva verzija, sljedeći tjedan druga. Obzirom da sam veliki fan reciklaže i ne volim bacati stvari (sakupljač u nastajanju, neki bi rekli - pod tim „neki“ mislim na muža), ovaj današnji post se pokazao kao prava reciklažna poslastica. Iskoristila sam prastare, probušene lonce koje sam pokupila od mame (dugogodišnji deklarirani sakupljač) i bez po muke ih pretvorila u divne posude za cvijeće, kaktuse, što god. Al stvarno, ne mogu ih se nagledati!

Što će vam trebati:

• -         zdjela/e
• -         duct tape (ukoliko želite prekriti rupe)
• -         primer
• -         boja (ja sam koristila akrilnu)

Obzirom da sam ja svoje zdjele namijenila za kaktuse i sukulente koji ne trebaju previše vode, rupe sam prekrila duct tape-om da ne bi zemlja slučajno curila van i tako mi zaprljala podlogu na kojoj će zdjele biti, no vi slobodno ostavite rupe otvorenima, to je vama na volju. Lonci moraju biti čisti i suhi, a kao prvi korak savjetujem nanijeti primer. Moji lonci će biti većinu godine vani i želim što dugotrajniju boju, tako da sam stavila primer prije same boje, baš zbog dugotrajnosti. Inače nije obavezan. Također, ukoliko ste u mogućnosti, koristite boju u spreju. Primjena je znatno jednostavnija i omogućava vam uredniji završni proizvod. A ukoliko uložite u primer i boju u spreju, sigurna sam da ćete ubrzo (možda čak već sljedeći tjedan ;) naći novu primjenu za njih, tako da će vam se ulog definitivno isplatiti. Pritom moram naglasiti, rukavice su vam najbolji prijatelj! Nanesite koliko god želite slojeva boje, no pričekajte kojih pola sata ili čak i manje između slojeva dok se to sve ne osuši i na kraju posadite biljke po izboru. Jedino što vam preostaje je staviti svoje nove lonce, bez poklopaca, na neko vidljivo mjesto i uživati u njima. Do sljedećeg tjedna i drugog dijela ovog DIY projekta… Uživajte! :)

Last week I promised you a DIY project concerning cacti and succulents, and I came up with two! I'm giving you the first version today, and the second one is coming in next week's post. Being a great fan of recycling that I am, I just hate throwing things away (a hoarder in the making, some would say – by this “some” I mean my husband), so today’s post is a real recycling treat. I used some old, worn-out pots with holes in them that my mum gave me (a long-time certified hoarder) and in no time turned them into beautiful eye-catching flower pots. But really, I just can’t stop looking at them!

You'll need:

• -         some pots
• -         duct tape (if you wish to cover the holes)
• -         primer
• -         paint (I used acrylic)

Since I knew I’d plant succulents into these babies and they don’t need too much water, I decided to cover the holes using duct tape so that soil wouldn't leak through them and possibly stain the surface beneath the pots, but you can leave them be, it’s up to you. The pots have to be clean and dry and as the first step I recommend using a primer. My pots are going to stay out in the open for most of the year and I want the paint to last as long as possible, so I've used a primer before putting on the paint to make it more long-lasting. But it isn't necessary. Also, if you can, use spray paint. It’s much easier to use and it enables you to have a neater and cleaner finished product. What is more, if you do invest in the primer and spray paint, I’m sure you’ll find some other ways to use it (maybe even next week ;), so it won’t go to waste. And I can’t stress this enough, gloves are your best friends! Apply as many layers of paint as you wish, just wait for twenty or so minutes between layers so that paint dries thoroughly and in the end plant the flowers or other plants of choice. The only thing that’s left to do is to place your pots of gold in a visible spot and enjoy them. Until next week and the second part of succo DIY... enjoy! :)