What has been stealing my attention lately? Well, as the title states: plants, dead things, and jewelry. I've been working on my indoor garden, buying plants, seeds, soil, etc. I've also been working on some of my various vulture culture projects, making new jewelry and updating pieces I've bought. To read more about my various shenanigans and to look at pretty pictures, click below!
Aren't these succulents absolutely gorgeous?! I bought them from a local Mennonite greenhouse out in the middle of nowhere. They had 4 huge greenhouses with flowers, succulents, cacti, ferns, various other decorative plants (fillers, etc), as well as some vegetables. Each greenhouse was about 20' wide and 50' long. Their set-up was so huge and the variety of plants was amazing. I was in heaven. The succulent on the right is actually a Black Rose Zwartkop, which was featured in my Goth Gardening Etsy Finds.
I also bought some seeds and planted basil, rosemary, spinach, radishes, and cherry tomatoes. Next week I'll be able to plant my henbane. The growing adventure continues!
A while back I started working on a mouse head mummification. The mouse was found in my mom's house, between 2 boxes. It didn't seem to be stuck, it just died there. Because of the airflow and temperature it started to naturally mummify, but I knew it would need more work. I detached the head and initially just put it in sea salt to continue drying out (you can also use borax or alternate between the two). Bad idea, that thing stunk so bad because the brain was starting to decompose. Then I remembered that usually people will treat it with isopropyl alcohol or formaldehyde before moving on to the drying stage. So I soaked it in the alcohol for a couple weeks, changing the alcohol half way through. The picture above is after the 2-week soak and an open-air drying. Now I've got it sitting in sea salt for another week or two to make sure any remaining moisture is gone.
I lucked out because it was already starting to mummify naturally, so that cut down my treatment time a ton. I'll be sure to post photos when it's completely done. I've been thinking of getting a cloche with a metal rod to mount it on. Otherwise I was thinking of using a rod to mount it in one of my planters. You know, for that extra macabre vibe.
The Addams Family and Addams Family Values are always my go-to movies when I need a distraction or inspiration for something I'm working on. It's lighthearted, witty, dark/macabre and I would jump into that world if possible. Needless to say, I've been watching these a lot more lately and it's been a great motivator.
Randomly I started feeling crafty and was inspired by these purple anodized niobium ear wires I had purchased many months ago. Although I love my mummified baby tortoise head earrings just the way they are, I couldn't resist switching out the ear wires. I think the purple looks amazing with the brass and the natural tones of the tortoise head. The ear wires are a more vibrant purple in person. Some day I'll be able to get the correct lighting to capture it perfectly. To read more about my tortoise head earrings, read the review I posted!
What types of projects have you been working on lately? Comment below and tell us all about it.
