Mia Bella Passions

DIY Tropical Themed Wood Art Blocks

Tropical is my inspiration at the moment.

I'm loving it a lot.

Tropical inspires for me, those warm feelings.

Memories of past Pacific island holidays,

the clear bright colours,

the heat of the sun

and the smell of frangipani and other beautiful tropical flowers.

So because I am adding some new tropical elements to Mia Bella Passions homestead,

I decided to create some simple art blocks for the bedside table.

Which is still on order, and yet to arrive.

Meantime, this little project is a perfect time filler before kitset table antics begin.

First I cut three blocks of wood.

You can make these as big as you wish.

These wood blocks are 70mm x 155mm, 80mm x 120mm and 80mm x 80mm in size.

(mm =millimetres)

Once cut, you can use sandpaper to smooth the rough cut edges.

Or leave raw.

Paint the blocks white leaving the sides of two natural woodgrain.

I used white chalk paint.

I printed some tropical designs off the internet.

There are many free silhouette images available.

A palm tree, leaf and hibiscus flower were my choices.

If you are not feeling arty to freehand draw in pencil on to the block, use the image as a stencil guide by cutting it out first.

Paint the images.

I chose a lovely green acrylic paint.

Once dry I detailed using a white paint pen.

And a final coat of clear spray varnish for waterproofing.

For now, these are going to be displayed in my TV room on a little white French half table.

I think they look quite lovely here for the moment until I place them in the upcoming Tropical inspired guestroom...that makeover is coming to you soon.

The plant in this post is Rhipsalis Cereuscula.

It's a potless kokedama DIY.

You can find out more about the art of Kokedama HERE.

#woodblockart #kokedama #potplants

Self Care with Plants

Self care is a word thrown about in conversation quite a lot these days.

And rightly so.

For self-care I believe is key to a balanced lifestyle.

It is a conscious act that you as an individual takes to promote your own physical, mental and emotional health.

There the classic forms of self care like...

Fueling your body with healthy food choices.

Face to face (or as it is, currently via video) time with friends.

Quality time with family.

Getting enough sleep at night.

Cutting back on those over indulgences like chocolate and alcohol.

Exercising, yoga, swimming or playing a sport.

Singing, dancing.

Drawing, paining or crafting.

Or simply taking a stroll for some fresh air.

Immersing yourself in nature - a garden, the park, a beach, a bushwalk.

The list could go on.

But what do you do that you consider self-care that is not on that list.

What's something you do that you consider self care.

Or more importantly, if you do none of the above,

what one thing can you place into your life that will help with the feel-good vibes?

One thing I do for my own self care is to enjoy plants and flowers.

I'm really glad to see the resurgence of the popularity of house plants.

Fabulous self care practitioners!

I love flowers.

I often just go to the garden centre to wander around to enjoy the beautiful flowering plant varieties.

Yesterday I had popped into the grocery store for a few items and on the plant stand at the entrance was this beauty.

It is a miniature Calla Lily and it caught my eye immediately.

As my miniature white chrysanthemum on my deck table was due to be planted out into the garden, this darling came home to grace the table in all its glory.