Our First Giveaway

I'm super excited to finally introduce the "needles" of Needles + Leaves.  My beautiful and talented best friend/sister-in-law will now be joining me in contributing to this blog. Krista will be sharing fun, easy and inexpensive craft ideas!

We're thrilled to announce our very first giveaway!  Krista designed and handmade an amazing bag and we have a gorgeous macramé plant hanger to give away. 

This handmade bag features aztec print fabric with an outside pocket and a braided leather strap.  Our double decker plant hanger is a neutral beige with a twisted macramé design.  Read below for giveaway entry details. 

Giveaway Entry Details

There are three ways to enter this giveaway:

1. Repost our giveaway photo on Instagram and hashtag #needlesandleavesgiveaway

2. Tag 5 friends on our giveaway photo on Instagram

3. Share this blog post with your friends on Facebook. 

This giveaway ends on Monday, August 12th and the winner will be randomly chosen.  Good Luck! 

Iced Tea and Succulents: A Garden Tour

I took the kids to visit my mom this afternoon after VBS.  We chatted about plants and parenting over iced tea while the kids ate everything in sight and harassed the cats.  A typical visit.

My mom has always had a green thumb, so I love to glean as much information from her as I can.  She is the queen of succulent propagation and her plants seem to thrive even in the most unlikely situations. Her plants are gorgeous and she has such a lovely variety.  I took some photos today that I'd love to share with you! 

These little succulent arrangements in biodegradable pots are left over favors from my sisters wedding. 

I just love the different shades of green and the variety of textures in this area!

"Jelly Bean" succulents (sedum rubrotinctum) have never been my favorite, but somehow my mom's look magical. 

Anyone else get googly eyed at the sight of a perfect baby succulent? 

I love this area of my mom's garden.  It gets lots of sunlight so the plants grow nice and compact as they should. 

Freshly watered babies. I love the pink hues.

These plants are so vibrant! I tend to be attracted toward more muted tones, but I found the colors of these arrangements to be so refreshing.

This is my absolute favorite plant. From its color to texture to shape; everything about it is perfection.

I found this neglected arrangement in my sisters room. You can tell by the leggy plants that it hasn't been getting enough light. 

Looks like someone needs to read my blog post on propagating leggy succulents.  These leggy little plants look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book! You can see from the over head view that the biggest plant in the middle just completely gave up on life and dropped all it's leaves. Poor guy!

This is what a healthy arrangement with the same type of plants should look like. These plants have received the right about of sunlight and water.  It's amazing the difference the proper amount of sunlight and water can make!

These cute little jars line the window sill in the dining room. 

Don't you just love tiny succulents in wine corks? My mom uses an old cookie sheet on the wall to display her little magnetic wine cork succulents! 

Lastly, we have baby food jar succulents in the window above the kitchen sink.  These tiny jars are just perfect for arranging mini plants. 

I hope you enjoyed taking a little peak into my mom's succulent garden. We'd love to hear any comments or answer any questions you may have!  Comment below or find me on Instagram under @tawwni  

A Succulent Wedding

View fullsize

If anyone loves propagating succulents as much I do, it's my mom.  So when my little sister got engaged, she was more than prepared to style a gorgeous and affordable succulent filled wedding.  There were so many amazing little details, I just have to share them with you!

As guests arrived to the venue, their first stop was this adorable "guest book" table. 

As you can see, the ceremony site was absolutely beautiful!

The bouquet was stunning.  It was sprinkled with just the right amount of succulents. So elegant! 

The boutonnieres were simple and masculine.  I just love the little baby plant growing on the side!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

At the reception, guests were greeted by little succulent favors on their plates.  Succulent centerpieces and tiny jars full of baby plants adorned the tables.  

View fullsize

View fullsize

The succulent details at the sweetheart table were just darling! 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Succulents and dessert! Two of my favorite things!

There is so much more I could share, but I'm going to end with the beautiful succulent topped cake!  This wedding was my absolute favorite. The fact that everything was handmade and homegrown made it so charming and special.  I'm so glad I was able to share in such a memorable day!

All photography by    Photography By Aubrey Rae.