Do you get dreamy looking at those Pinterest photos of sunlit living rooms filled with a jungle of plants? Me too! Plants are my favorite decor. They add such an elegance of beauty and aliveness and they purify the air to boot. How great is that? More plants, please!

Here are a few resourceful ways that I’ve discovered to easily multiple your plant collection.

 

1. Most plants you purchase are actually multiple plants in one container. 

When you’re shopping for plants, look for ones that have multiple stems/stalks within one pot. When you get home, you can then carefully separate them at the root ball into two or more plants depending on the desired size. You can transfer each new plant baby into individual pots or plant them together in larger pots with other plants that require similar care.

*I’ve included a picture below of my lovely Caladium. Do you see all those individual stalks? Those are all multiple plants that can be divided into many plants!

Safety tip: Make sure to educate yourself on plants that could be toxic to kids, dogs, cats, and other pets. Caladiums, for example, are toxic to all of the above! A plant identification app can be helpful (but not foolproof).

2. Propagate from plants you already have or find some growing in your neighborhood.

Many plants are incredibly easy to propagate into new plants. You may already have some in your home that you can take cuttings from, put them in water or soil to start new ones.

Here is a link for some easy propagators. https://bit.ly/3AissEj

Meet your nieghbors! I have also scored many plants by keeping an eye out for gardeners and nieghbors that are doing yard work. Sometimes the plants they are discarding can be propagated, especially succulents! Just ask, they are usually more than happy to share.

Also, keep your eye out for plants that are ready to rescue in public fringe areas of your neighborhood. I’ve found ivy, succulents and snake plants that where growing in abandoned zones that I’ve taken small cuttings from. Just be mindful not to take too much or that your not on someone’s private property!

3. Ask your local plant shops or nurseries if they have any un-sellable plants.

Many plants may not look pretty enough to go on the shelves for sale, yet they just need some TLC to thrive. Ask your plant shops if they have any that are destined for the trash. (I’ve found the boutique plant shops are the best to ask for these vs. the big box garden suppliers).

I have a philodendron that is over 12 years old that I rescued from a florist shop dumpster. It had one scrawny leaf when it started and a few years later, it was attempting to take over our kitchen it got so big! If you don’t mind rescue plants looking a little rough in the beginning, with some patience and care, they will flourish for years.

by Alejandra Roca
syndicated from redfin.com

Cleansing your house of bad vibes can be an important step in your personal well-being – but how do you know if you have harmful energy in your home, and how do you clear it out?

Signs You Need to Clear the Energy in Your Home

You can tell whether the energy in your home is good or bad – or neutral – based on the way you feel inside. A house filled with good energy feels fresh and vibrant; it’s full of life, and you feel good being there. On the other end of the spectrum, a home drowning in bad vibes will make you feel like you’re being stifled, smothered or even crushed. You can feel the tension in the air, and there are a thousand places you’d rather be.

Negative energy and stress go hand-in-hand, so if you’re constantly frazzled or at the end of your rope, your home could be partly to blame. If you’re not sure whether your home has bad energy of its own, check out these red flags:

• Excessive complaining. If you or your family members catch yourselves complaining, even when things are okay (or worse, when they’re actually pretty good), you may have negative energy in your home. The same is true if you’re struggling to find the positivity in life.

• Negative relationships. When the people around you – spouses, children, family and friends – are negative, it’s worth taking a look at the kind of energy you’re putting out there. Negative energy attracts more negative energy, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

• The blame game. Household members always pointing the finger? Negative energy in the home could be preventing them (and you) from looking inward to place responsibility where it really belongs.

• Criticism. If there’s a lot of criticizing going along with all the blame, your home could be swamped in bad energy. When you (or others in your house) send out negative vibrations, you’re increasing negative energy in your space.

• Clutter. One of the biggest signs of negative energy in a home is clutter. Clutter blocks the way energy flows through a home, so it could be keeping bad energy in and making things worse.

Even if you aren’t picking up on any of these warning signs that you’re dealing with bad energy, it’s a good idea to clear your house when someone has had an argument, been sick or is experiencing stress at work. Negative energy can seep into your space over time, as well, so it’s okay to get attempt to clear it whenever you feel like doing so.

Your home is the one place you should feel safe and secure, but if you open the door and you’re practically swimming in a pool of bad energy, you need to cleanse it – and this checklist will help.

Clearing Negative Energy From Your Home: The Ultimate Checklist 

Fortunately, it’s typically easy to clear bad energy out of your home to make room for positive energy. You’ll have to do an all-over cleansing, but it’s straightforward and simple.

First, clean the house. Get rid of all the clutter by putting things away or disposing of them, and make sure you clean every corner. Open all the blinds, and, weather-permitting, open your windows. Let in as much light and fresh air as you can as you clean. Don’t forget to dust, vacuum and check for cobwebs – you don’t want the negative energy or bad spirits to have any reason to stick around.

As you clean, know that keeping broken items in your house is bad feng shui – and items that don’t bring you joy can only drag you down. If you have an item that’s irreparably broken, it’s time to move on.

When you’ve cleared away the clutter and removed broken items from your home, you can finish sending the bad energy packing.

What you need:

• 5 lemons
• ¼ c. ammonia or white vinegar
• Sage, frankincense or copal (or all three)
• A fireproof dish for catching embers and ash (Native Americans used abalone shells)
• Sea salt
• A bell
• Selenite

Doors and Windows 

The doors and windows are where outside energy enters your home. Keep them purified by mixing a bucket of water with the juice from five lemons, 1 cup of sea salt and ¼ cup of ammonia or white vinegar. Clean the doorknobs, doors and frames, and windows in your home with the solution to keep them purified.

Throughout Your Home

The ancient Native American technique of smudging can help remove bad energy in your home. The Native Americans used it for millennia because they knew it worked – and fortunately, the same materials they used are readily available in health food stores and online.

Burning sage – particularly white sage – is a simple and fast way to clear out bad spirits and negative energy. Add frankincense (which you can use alone, too, if you don’t like sage) and copal incense to chase out all the negative vibes so there’s plenty of room for good ones. You can also use patchouli or other herbs recommended by healers.

Follow this step-by-step guide to smudge your home with sage (or other herbs):

1. Stand in the center or at the front door of the room you want to cleanse. Most people begin in the kitchen, as it’s the heart of the home.
2. Light the sage bundle like you’d light incense, and let the flames die out (they will, very quickly).
3. Fan the sage carefully to encourage a steady stream of smoke. Envision the smoke absorbing bad energy and carrying it away.
4. Cleanse yourself first by lightly fanning the smoke around your body, beginning at your feet and working up toward your head.
5. Walk clockwise around the room, swirling the sage bundle in circular motions. Pay special attention to the walls, corners and floor, and don’t forget the ceiling.

Some people choose to recite incantations or make positive affirmations as they’re smudging. If you’re comfortable, saying a prayer or appealing to a higher power for positive energy can help.

After you’ve smudged each room, pour salt into each corner and let it sit for 48 hours. The salt can absorb negative energy. Ring a bell three times in each corner to break up any stagnant energy, which the salt can then absorb. In two days, vacuum the salt away. Many people choose to use salt lamps to keep cleaning negative energy, as well.

You can further protect your home by putting selenite on your windowsills. Selenite can cleanse energy and raise the vibration in your home to a higher level. Many healers recommend using other healing crystals, as well, so if you have a favorite that works for you, place it in rooms where the bad energy seems to collect.

I delight in watching the dragonflies, bees, butterflies, birds, who have made my yard their home (and the many others who come for visits).  To create a magical space where these pollinators (and/or others local for you) will want to come, you can place things in your yard that will attract them.

To start, look up online or go to your local plant nursery to ask for the plants that attract the pollinators that are in your area.  Position the plants in areas where you can see them from the windows in your house that you most look through.

Get familiar with the birds local to your area and get specialty seed that attracts them.  Place in feeders in key positions out your main windows.

You can also use things like water features to attract frogs and dragonflies.

These few simple steps can transform your home into a haven for pollinators and other wonderful creatures 🙂

Enjoy!

Even though Winter doesn’t officially begin until the Winter Solstice towards the end of December, I start to celebrate winter starting the day after Thanksgiving 🙂

I will love to share with you some ways that I turn my usually beachy home into a winter wonderland 🙂

The first thing I break out is essential oils that match the season. My first choice to kick things off is Pine. Other wonderful smells of the season include Sweet Orange, Cinnamon, Clove, Star Anise, Spruce, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

I use these magical essential oils to clean counters, tables, and everything else. I also use them in a diffuser.

The next thing I love to do is bring things inside from nature.  Since I live in a warm climate, it is a little bit of a stretch to find things that feel like winter.  My go-to items are pine cones, pine needles, and acorns.  Poinsettias also bring amazing winter vibes 🙂

A fun individual or family project is to paint pine cones and decorate the tree and other parts of the house and porch with them 🙂

I love to also add white, red, and green candles to add warmth.

Here are some other great picks to make your home feel like a Winter Wonderland:

Winter Birch Wall Set

I hope you have a magical winter season 🙂
Annie