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Garden, Home Decor, Houseplants · January 27, 2022

Spruce Up Your Space with Succulents!

Everyone’s home decor varies in one way or another as we try to project our interests onto our space.

With spring coming up, adding greenery is a great way to bring a new piece to your home without it looking out of place.

Those of you who follow my social media know that I’ll be working with Jessica from Cotton & Co. Vintage Boutique as an intern for her growing vintage boutique and I’ve also started a plant booth upstairs!

Check out my booth upstairs at Cotton & Co Vintage Boutique in Keymar, Maryland.

There are tons of cool vessels to find in the shop and with spring coming up, many are even meant for growing plants! Don’t be afraid to experiment with vessels with prior uses—these tend to be conversation pieces and can liven up any scene.


Start with a vintage vessel found in the shop and handpicked by one of our many vendors! If you’re worried it won’t fit in perfectly, don’t! Adding greenery will make the piece make sense and it’ll serve a purpose for any room in the house.

Here’s what I keep in mind while looking for planters for my own plants:

Keep it neutral if you’re overwhelmed! Neutral tones look great in any scene and match well with bold colors if you’ve already got an established look at home.

Match your plant’s expected growth to the container. If you’ve got succulents with established root systems, don’t force them into a tiny container with no room to grow!

Consider your drainage options! Many succulents are vulnerable to root rot, which I talk more about in my post linked here. Proper drainage is important to keep your plant healthy, so consider whether internal or external drainage is necessary with the container you choose.

Now you know what to keep in mind while searching around, but what kinds of containers can be used for growing succulents? With so many succulent varieties available at garden centers and even online, it really depends on the plant type you’ll be working with.

Here’s what containers I’ve used in the past or have been inspired by at the shop!

  • Mugs and teacups
  • Shallow ceramic cookware
  • Old mason jars
  • Wicker baskets (place plastic at the bottom or set a separate dish inside before adding dirt to prevent water damage!)
  • Old buckets, metal or otherwise
  • Watering cansOld rainboots
  • Candleholders
  • Wooden boxes or crates

Get ready for spring with Cotton & Co. by trying out new vessels for greenery! The items found in the boutique are hand-picked by each vendor before being sold at the shop, ensuring what you find is unique and personable.


These tips are a great start if you’re looking to start your own gardening project but don’t have your green thumb yet!

Posted By: byshannonamos@gmail.com · In: Garden, Home Decor, Houseplants

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Who remembers these journals? They were the very f Who remembers these journals? They were the very first product I ever made with my TUO photography on it and I still have a couple leftover 💕 I of course kept one for myself and have since filled it almost halfway full of journal entries straight from the heart

What would you use this journal for?
Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb cracker recipe?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I made these for our trip to Deep Creek as we always stop by @fireflymarketdeepcreek and they made the perfect base for all the different flavors we got 🤤

I’m in the final stages of getting this posted, so keep an eye out!
I’ve been considering an update to last year’s I’ve been considering an update to last year’s post on fall earring inspiration… these definitely need to make it on there!
There’s always something to admire in the space There’s always something to admire in the space around us. This little guy was happy buzzing around (quite loudly) while I washed my car and I couldn’t help but watch him for a while. If you’re lucky, you can catch them leaping from one flower to the next, letting their wings dance around in the wind rather than putting them to work.
In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is 7 years old as of August 2023 and I couldn’t be more proud of where it’s come in all these years. I know it’s been pushed to the back burner recently as my other business has picked up, but I can’t wait to make more TUO content for you in the coming weeks ☺️ thank you for sticking with me all this time, and get ready for new posts by #theuntamedoptimist coming soon!

I’m definitely sharing my Italian herb cracker recipe with you cause it was just too damn good not to, and I’ve got a few new ideas brewing for my local readers 😉 you’ll have to stay tuned for that one though!
There’s something so special about the wildflowe There’s something so special about the wildflowers that pop up around our garden spaces. The ones that are planted by the birds and cultivated by only Mother Nature’s touch.

Some might consider them weeds, but I know they serve a purpose. Take a moment to appreciate the ‘weeds’ in your yard today.
Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful for the long lasting blooms we get this time of year. I made a point to scatter the Hostas around the garden beds earlier this season in an effort to do two things:

Toward the end of last summer, the hostas had completely outgrown their space and weren’t living up to their potential. Dividing them filled the otherwise empty spaces in our beds whilst allowing each individual plant to grow bigger to fill it in.

While the largest section of Hostas wasn’t quite as showy as last year, our garden is already fuller and will only fill in more as the years go on. Turns out, plants and people aren’t so different if you think about it 🤔
It’s important to be present in each moment as i It’s important to be present in each moment as it comes. I try to remember this as often as I can and my garden is often the best reminder.

Each bloom changes day by day. The colors and conditions are always a sight to see and I don’t think I’ll ever not look forward to it. Nothing beats an evening stroll during harvest season.

Ask yourself, how do you ground yourself in the present? There are more opportunities than you may expect.
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