NEW LOOK AND NEW ITEMS FOR SPRING

We would like to share with you our new items for Spring and Summer 2013! We had a great holiday season, and in the small bits of free time that we had, we got to create some new products with new ways to carry plants to bring to you for this spring!

A lot of the feedback we heard from customers was that they wanted to see more lapel pins. We brought the form of one of our more popular necklaces to a lapel pin, and we're really thrilled with the way it turned out.

We've also been playing around with some more classical shapes than just the simple modern ones we usually create. The Amphora necklace is inspired by vases seen on a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

We're also bringing out new colors for this spring like purple and bolder blues than we've used in the past. We're adding to our line of bag planters, so now you have a way to carry some fresh picked flowers on your tote.

Also, if you've visited our site in the past few days, you've probably noticed some changes to the appearance. We've updated the look and feel of the site. We've made some cosmetic improvements and fixed a few kinks, and we've also made some usability changes that we hope will make your experience on the site better. We've added a new way for you to checkout directly on our site with our new credit card processor Braintree, so now you don't have to worry about trying to use PayPal.

PROTOTYPING WITH MAKERBOT

In our studio, we have a MakerBot Thingomatic that is used to prototype new products. The objects that we create on it are not production quality, but they help us get an idea what a final product will look and feel like. We created a time-lapse video of the bot in motion to give you a better idea of what it does and how 3D printing works. The movie doesn't have any sound, and I wish that I could share with you the cute little electronic chirping noises the machine makes.

One of the neat things about 3D printing is that I was able to print an iPhone mount from Thingiverse to capture this process. We didn't end up using the iPhone footage because of video compression issues, but if you don't have access to a camera, using your phone is still a great way to create a timelapse video.

In the video our bot is making a small desktop planter that we would like to print in ceramics. We printed this prototype to see if this size planter would comfortably hold a larger air plant. While the machine we use to prototype with is far from perfect, it's a great low cost and quick way to get a feel for new objects.

If you have a MakerBot or access to a 3D printer, you can check out our Thingiverse page and download some of our files to print for yourself.

HOW TO PLANT GUIDE, PART 2: AIR PLANTS

Bromeliads, better known as tillandsia, are one of the easiest plants to care for. These plants are found naturally in warm tropical places, but also do well indoors elsewhere. They can be easily found at most nurseries and online. We like to use air plants in our planters not only because they are so easy to care for, but because they look really cool, too.

Today we bring you the second of many installments in our How to Plant Series, and show you how to plant one of our favorite plants, the exotic and always interesting air plant. Since we have a few planters that call for using air plants, we thought showing you a visual guide is the best way to explain what to do once you get your planter. These instructions also apply to attaching tillandsia onto other objects, too, so you can follow these instructions to attach them to (almost) anything. Please note that we refer to using a hot glue gun in this tutorial, so pay attention while you're using this tool, and supervise any children who want to try this craft.

To start out, you’ll need a planter, an air plant, and a hot glue gun (or another adhesive like epoxy or E6000). For this tutorial we used this planter, which is designed to be used with air plants. These are the easiest plants to use in our planters, and these instructions will be really short and straightforward.

Start by plugging in your hot glue gun, and wait until it gets hot enough for the glue to be ready to use. While you wait for your glue to heat, play around with how your plant fits best in the planter if you haven't already.

You’ll add a drop of glue into the planter where you want your plant, and then position your plant inside where you want it. You’ll have to act quickly on this step before the glue sets, so have your plant nearby. After this, you’re all set!

You might be worrying about the effect of the hot glue on the plant, but it won’t hurt the plant. Other glues work well, too if you have access to them, like E6000 or other epoxies, but don’t use super glue.

Caring for your airplant  once you’ve mounted it is very simply. A small spray of water a few times a week will be enough to keep it healthy, and make sure it gets indirect sunlight when you’re not wearing it. 

And that’s it! Now you’re ready to wear an airplant! 

HOW TO PLANT GUIDE, PART 1: SUCCULENTS

In the first part of our How to Plant series, we're going to show you how to plant a succulent in your wearable planter. We get this question a lot, and while we include directions in each planter on what to do, we thought a visual guide would help everyone out best. Planting a succulent in a planter is actually really simple, and shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes. 

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To start out, we recommend getting everything together first. You'll need the planter you've chosen, some soil, a plant, water, and a pen or a pencil. For this tutorial, we're using a type of succulent called sedum that grows as a ground cover in many places. You should be able to find it at any nursery or home improvement center, but you can also find it growing in many places if you know what to look for.

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Before you start, check your plant clipping for roots. Most succulents will begin growing roots a few days after they are cut. If they don't have roots, your plant will still grow them, and just plant enough of the stem below the top of the soil.

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Step One: Insert plant clipping into the planter.

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Step Two: Add soil. You'll only need a few pinches of soil, and make sure that the roots are fully covered.

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Step Three: With your pen or pencil, gently compact the soil down to make sure it stays in place.

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Step Four: Add a few drops of water to the planter.

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And now you're done! Clean any excess soil and water from your planter, and it is ready wear. After a few days the roots will be more stable. Proper care is still needed to take care of your plant, and make sure it gets sunlight when not being worn. Of course you don't need to use these directions in just our planters. You can use these same steps for planting a succulent in a larger vessel, or even adding a little bit of charm to any other small object you can find.