plants - BELLE OMNILEY

Belle Omniley Home Decor Baton Rouge, Louisiana

STYLING FAKE PLANTS AN EASY DIY

YOUR GUIDE TO STYLING FAKE PLANTS

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to jazz up fake plants. Whether indoor or outdoor your neighbors and friends will definitely envy your green thumb.

What She’s Wearing

If you ever visit my home, you will know who primarily has the green thumb. Yes, you guessed it right, my husband. I for one was not prepared for the amount of wildlife activity that occurs when you are surrounded by water and the woods. I have seen my fair share of snakes; therefore during the spring and summer months, I leave the gardening to my husband. This year I still wanted plants on my porches; I have the great idea of trying out fake plants. So here’s my take on styling fake plants.

Plant(s). The first step is picking your plant(s). I have wanted lemon trees for a while. We have a few real ones in the yard, but I think the yellow looks perfect against my chinoiserie planters so I opted for lemon trees. This tutorial will work for any fake plant.

Planter(s). I am partial to any chinoiserie planter or anything blue and white. So have your pick. The perfect planter really makes the project pop. The best places to get planters at a great price are Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls.

Potting Soil. You can choose any soil you like here. Remember, if you are potting a fake plant, it doesn’t need to be filled with fertilizer. I used some of my husband’s bulk gardening soil.

Moss. This moss definitely makes the plant look even more realistic. The lemon trees used in this tutorial came with moss. I also added some additional moss I picked up from Hobby Lobby.

Now depending on the number of plants you are potting, this project takes less than 5 minutes per plant. The first thing I do is make a flat base in the planter for the plant to sit on. These particular planters had grooves in the bottom for draining, so I added a layer of soil on the bottom to make my plants sit flush. I then secured the plant in its position by adding soil around it. From there, I fill the planter will soil as I would planting a real plant.

Last but definitely not less, I added moss. Normally when planting a real plant, I use moss to hold the moisture in so I don’t have to water as much. Now if you decide to try this, please let me know. Your secret will be safe with me! Omniley.

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Belle Omniley Recipes Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Easy Strawberry Preserves no Pectin

Greetings! I hope all is well with my readers. Have you ever had the feeling that one of your ancestors has been holding your hands? Well, I have…the past 2 weeks my family has been dealing with a few things and I’ve been feeling like my grandmother has been right by side. She has been encouraging me to be a leader, not a follower, take control when needed, and telling me when to hold. God how I miss that woman. I know PawPaw and her are shining down on us all right now!

With all that has been going on, I have been trying to keep busy and went to the garden to pick some strawberries and noticed there weren’t any. I talked with my husband and he said he didn’t want to bother me, but the cats had been having a field day with them. Mind you we don’t own any cats…they have somehow taken over our yard and since they are known for killing snakes I let them stick around. If you know me I am scared to death of snakes. So there goes making a large batch of preserves. I was instantly upset…but felt a tap on my shoulder and it said make do with what you have! So I was able to throw together an instant pot recipe that took all of 1 hour from start to finish. Thanks, NaNa!!! This lady knew how to do everything. She made tons of preserves and would give them out to everyone. FREE OF CHARGE. We had a family meeting earlier this week. Again her telling me to take charge…and my mom led the prayer. I don’t know if they felt it, but oh I felt my NaNa in the midst of it all.

Love your family members, near and far. For we don’t know our time left on this earth.

So from our family to yours! Here’s a little sweetness.

This jam is perfect for toast, PB & J sandwiches, topping for pancakes, and strawberry shortcake.

Our plants before the cats had all their fun.

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Strawberry Preserves

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries fresh or frozen
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 zest of lemon

Instructions

Wash, hull, and slice strawberries.
Add the sliced strawberries and sugar to the instant pot. Stir to combine. Seal the pot with the lid. Allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 40 minutes.
Open the Instant Pot, add the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and ground coriander. Stir well. Close and secure the lid to the locked position. Check to make sure the vent is turned to SEAL. Press Pressure Cook and set the timer for 1 minute, adjust the time using the up or down arrow. Pressure Cook HIGH for 1 minute( add 1 minute if using frozen berries).
When the timer has finished, allow the pressure; then turn the seal to VENT and remove the instant pot lid.
Blend the jam using an immersion blender or potato masher.
Press Saute and allow the mixture to boil for 12- 15 minutes or until the jam has reached a gel consistency. Take caution to avoid burning. Stir frequently. Skim off the foam.
Jam is ready when it is tacky on a cold plate. If it's not tacky, allow the jam to boil for another 1 -2 minutes and retest.
Pour the jam into a sterilized container leaving 1/4 inch from the top. Let it cool down completely before sealing the jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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