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How to create Japanese Moss Balls

How to create Japanese Moss Balls known as Kokedama

A perfect way to add greenery to your home without pots cluttering your window sill or table, this can give you a fun new way to display your house plants! Recently, I have learned how to make hanging Japanese moss balls and its simple and fun to make! I am a huge fan of Japanese decor and culture, so our house is sprinkled with this lovely decor throughout the rooms.

Materials that you will need : 4” potted plant that loves direct sunlight such as; asparagus fern,, or hedera ivy. Peat moss, potting soil, sheet moss, fishing line or jute twine.

Below is the instructions to follow to create this fun a new hanging planter

1^st Prepare the root ball

Water your plant the day before this will ensure that the soil is damp, but not liquid to work with. Remove the plant from its pot and mold / shape the soil and roots into a ball shape base.

2^nd Create a mixture of 1 part peat moss and 1 part soil, add water to the mixture and form a firm ball.

Split the ball in half and take one half of the ball to place and form it to the plant root ball, then repeat the same process for the second half. At the end you should have a larger formed root ball around your plant.

3^rd Wrapping with sheet moss

Soak the sheet moss in water until it becomes soft, then lay your plant ball in center of the sheet moss and wrap the plant ball with the sheet moss. Wrap the fishing twine around the circumference of the moss ball until the moss is not loose.

4^th Hanging your plant

First think about how far you would like to hang your plant in the window or space. Cut the twine measure out a piece 4 times the length from the hook. Fold the twine in half, then fold it in ½ again. Tie the folded ends together to form loops for hanging then tie the loose ends together, place each of the 4 lines apart and place the plant ball in the middle of the line and pull up the loops to hang!

Planting Cactus Seeds

There are two ways of growing cactus; from seeds or cuttings. For cactus enthusiasts, growing cactus from seeds is rewarding though it requires patience! Growing cacti from seeds is not as hard as you might think. One of the most common mistakes people make is planting the seeds too deeply. You should only plant a seed as deep in the soil as the seed is wide

Below are a few steps to help you get started on your little indoor cacti garden!

Get some cactus seeds, these can be found at Flymeawaycreations.com or at your local garden shop.

Fill a garden container pot with high-drainage soil.

Water it well, then let the water drain.

Spread the seeds on top, then cover them with a thin layer of soil.

Place it in a sunny location, then wait for the seeds to grow.

After planting your fun seeds, you might have a few questions about what to do next:

How often should I water cactus seeds?

While growing, cacti and succulents should be watered at least once a week. Some people water more often than this. During each watering, give the soil a good soaking, so that water runs out of the ‘drainage holes’ of the pots.

How Long Does A Seed Take to Germinate?

The seed germination time depends mostly on the species and where you are growing your cactus. When you choose to grow your cactus indoors, they are more likely to germinate fast. Indoors are a more controlled environment, and seed germination can take between three months.

How much sunlight?

After soil moistening and covering the seeds with sand, you need to cover them in a transparent lid or plastic wrap. Place your seeds in a strategic location, preferably indoors, where they have access to the right amount of sun. Consider placing them on a sunny windowsill.Do not place them outside because they don’t like intense sunlight. The purpose of the transparent lid retains moisture and helps the cacti sprout as well as allowing light to reach the plant. Monitor your seedlings carefully. If they start turning purple or becoming red, the chances are that they are getting sunburned. Reduce the amount of light access.

You can find more helpful information on Pintrest and you can always reach out to our shop on Etsy!

Flymeawaycreations.com

Exploring Nature with Children

During this difficult period, nature has provided me and my little ones with relief from the stress of our major life transition. The exercise, combined with the beautiful scenery and the kids’ company, was my daily dose of soothing comfort. Seeing a red-tailed hawk soaring above helped me to think of the need for a “bird’s-eye view” for a broader perspective on my own circumstances. Witnessing the vegetation, ants, butterflies, and squirrels mirrored to me that life is constantly evolving and adapting over time.

I appreciate the healing power of my walks in nature. The wilderness gave me a place to reflect, discern, plan, and exhale from the stress of the personal changes taking place. Taking the time to stop and look closely at the insects, the flowers, rocks, and leaves rejuvenated my spirit and gave me renewed appreciation for how life is constantly unfolding around us. Even during the subsequent months as I adjusted to my new status, being in nature gave me a constant grounding for myself and for the kids. Nature serves as a refuge to inspire, reflect, and heal. Studies reveal that being in nature has a powerful positive effect on the mind, body, and spirit. The statistics on the health benefits for kids of being in nature are remarkable and, in many ways, not surprising. Outdoor activities increase physical fitness, raise levels of vitamin D and improve distance vision; being in nature reduces ADHD symptoms; schools with outdoor education programs help students score higher in standardized tests and improve their critical thinking skills. Nature also reduces stress levels and enhances social interactions among children.

Outdoor play fosters children’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development. And by being outside and surrounded by nature, children experience an ever-changing and free-flowing environment that stimulates all the senses.

The natural world is a giant, open-ended learning laboratory. Children are innate scientists and love to experience the sights, scents, sounds, and textures of the outdoors. Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving, and STEM education. In nature, children think, question, and make hypotheses — thereby developing inquisitive minds. Whether they are judging the distance between two rocks before jumping or considering where insects go in the winter, children are constantly thinking when they are in nature. These experiences offer real, authentic learning like nothing else can. As children take risks, try, and fail, and try again, they gain resilience and confidence.

My kids and I decided to create a Nature Scavenger Hunt Card for us to take on our walks in the park. This card opens their curiosity and teaches them all about their surroundings. You can now find these fun cards at Flymeawaycreations Etsy shop in single or sets!

Also here are a few more brain building nature activities for children:

Build with and dig in dirt

Watch worms wriggle through the soil

Gaze at clouds

Jump in puddles

Listen to birds sing

Construct things with twigs and mud

Visit the shop to find the nature play cards, or garden flowering seeds to get your kids excited about nature!

Growing Chamomile for Tea

Chamomile is a flowering herb that can be used in cooking and in tea. Chamomile flowers steeped in hot water make a very relaxing tea, perfect for sipping on a quiet evening or a rainy afternoon. This year, I decided to grow some chamomile in my own garden. Chamomile is a member of the daisy family, and its flowers look like miniature daisies. It’s a bright green, feathery annual that grows best in full sun. I planted the seeds outdoors after danger of frost, and within a couple of months, the flowers should appear. The best time to plant chamomile is in the spring from seeds or plants. Growing chamomile from seed is also relatively easy and grows best in cool conditions and should be planted in part shade, but will also grow in partly sunny area.

It usually takes about two months from the time the seeds are planted for chamomile to produce flowers. This should occur by early to mid-summer, or about two weeks after you’re transplanted indoor seedlings. Also if you decide to plant your seeds in your veggie garden to help pollinate your flowering veggies try planting near cucumbers, broccoli, onions, or green beans. When the flowers are at peak bloom, I snip them off and let them dry on a wire screen in a cool place. Tea can be brewed from fresh or dried flowers. When harvesting frequently, this gives the plant to continue to bloom.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 Tbsp fresh chamomile flowers
1 small, fresh sprig of mint
8 oz boiling water

Once you’ve selected a pot, you’ll want to harvest your herbs. For the chamomile flowers, it’s ideal to use them the same day they are harvested, as the delicate petals have a short shelf life. Otherwise, they can last a couple of days in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with a lightly dampened paper towel. To prepare the chamomile for use, pop the head of the flower off the stem. They can even be harvested this way, so that they are immediately ready for use. For the mint, select a small sprig about the size of a quarter off the tender top of the plant. I selected a variety of mint called apple mint because fresh chamomile also has apple undertones, so they complement each other perfectly. Peppermint is also delicious.

Fill up your tea kettle with 8 oz of water and begin heating. Place 3-4 Tbsp (4 Tbsp for a stronger tea) of chamomile and your mint sprig into your teapot or makeshift teabag of choice.
Pour 8 oz of boiling water over the chamomile flowers and mint and then steep for 5 minutes. To serve, pour into a teacup, using a fine mesh strainer as needed.

Dandelion Sweet Bread

You probably have this special weed growing in your front or backyard right now, the dandelion flowering weed. You may be most familiar with dandelion as a stubborn weed that never seems to leave your lawn or garden,however, in traditional herbal medicine practices, dandelion are revered for their wide array of medicinal properties and for special sweet treats. From root to flower, dandelion are highly nutritious plants, loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and serve as an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins.

During this quartine time for all of us I have started looking into new receipes for my family and I. I wanted to share the newest one that I found and baked!

Dandelion Sweet Bread

This Dandelion Bread recipe makes 2 loaves:

You will need 4 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 – 2 cups dandelion petals 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup honey 2 eggs 2 2/3 cups milk.

First, gather your dandelions. You want to gather from an area that has not been sprayed with herbicide, like your own yard. You only need the yellow flower, so this is an easy job for the children! You’ll want a bunch.

Wash your flowers and separate the petals from the green

Once you have between 1 1/2 to 2 cups of petals, gather your other ingredients and get baking! Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients, including dandelion petals, in large bowl.

In separate bowl mix milk, beaten eggs, honey and vegetable oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into two greased bread pans. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking another 20 minutes.

After you take it out of the oven drizzle honey on top of the loaf, let cool and serve! This delicious bread is very sweet!

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