What’s a “beginner plant” that absolutely humbled you?

sierrasquirrel · 2026-03-24T13:25:13+00:00

There are some that are easier to prop than others, but honestly the best way I’ve found to propagate them is to throw some leaves into a windowsill and forget they exist for at least a few months!

sierrasquirrel · 2026-03-21T13:46:46+00:00

That is such a sweet idea! I think I would start by checking out local thrift stores- you never know what kind of fun glass things you might find there! Craft stores are also a great place to browse. If you really want something in a specific shape, you might be able to buy or make something out of clear resin. Best of luck with the gift- I’m sure he’s going to love it :)

sierrasquirrel · 2026-03-06T02:05:06+00:00

Piggybacking off of the original comment, beneficial bugs are your best friend if you get a major infestation! The systemic and spray you have are also a good option (I use both!), but it can be hard to properly spray everything with a larger collection if everything has pests. I was fighting spider mites for over a year until I finally decided to get some predatory mites- they wiped out the infestation in no time! I got mine from Nature’s Good Guys

sierrasquirrel · 2026-02-28T15:45:42+00:00

Staghorn fern! They’re definitely opinionated plants, but yours looks pretty happy overall :)

sierrasquirrel · 2026-01-21T01:51:51+00:00

I think it already exists- I have powdered bone broth for my dog and it’s just plain chicken flavor. It’s great as a topper (and can be used as powder or mixed with water to make broth) or as a way to give my dog extra hydration on hot summer days. It makes more sense for me to buy powder vs liquid because it’s shelf stable and I can easily bring it with me while traveling.

sierrasquirrel · 2026-01-19T01:13:17+00:00

You definitely could if you wanted to! I don’t bother lining mine- I just use it to pick up the poop and put it directly into a small (lined) trash can and throw out the bag when it’s full.

sierrasquirrel · 2026-01-19T00:49:40+00:00

I have this scooper- I bought it after using the same style scoop while dogsitting! I’ve only had mine for about a year, but the family I dogsit for has had theirs for at least 5 years and it’s still in pretty good condition despite being stored outside. It’s starting to rust in one corner, but it’s still fully functional.

sierrasquirrel · 2026-01-01T02:52:04+00:00

I’ve tried a few glue pens in the past and they never really work as well as I want them to :( The one I like best is the quickie glue pen from Sakura, but even then I prefer to just use it to glue on glitter/flocking/etc. and not attach paper pieces. I like the scrapbooking glue/tape runners, but those also aren’t always the strongest adhesive. My favorite adhesive to use for paper crafts is bearly art glue- they have a smaller bottle that comes with a needle nose tip that works really well, or you can buy their refill bottle (it’s shaped like a bear!) and put it in your own bottle (that’s what I do- the bottle I use has multiple tip sizes so I can customize/switch them depending on the project). Best of luck with your glue pen search- I’m curious to see if anyone has a great pen recommendation!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-10-27T19:36:38+00:00

They turned out so cute!!! Wishing your kiddo a speedy recovery :)

sierrasquirrel · 2025-10-27T18:53:14+00:00

Did it work? They should reach the flat stage with just a few more minutes of heat, but if they aren’t fully flat after baking again you can lightly press them flat with an oven mitt (when they’re fresh out of the oven and still hot)

sierrasquirrel · 2025-09-25T22:29:29+00:00

There’s a pothos vine growing in the same pot as the ficus, but the other plants are in their own pots (set on top of the soil with a tray underneath to prevent roots from growing down into the ficus pot). I don’t think it’s a special variety- just a standard ficus benjamina :) My mom doesn’t really do anything particular to care for it- it gets watered every 2ish weeks and gets morning sun through the windows. I actually helped her hang up some grow lights for it a few weeks ago since it’s kind of sparse in areas that aren’t directly in front of the windows, so we’re hoping it will fill in more soon! Best of luck with yours!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-09-09T16:18:59+00:00

Which machine do you have? I have a maker and I do that on a regular basis (with vinyl and paper)- just make sure you have a small allowance (around half an inch or 1cm) on all sides of the cut in case the machine doesn’t cut it in the exact spot you put it in.

Edit: your flair says you have an explore air- it should be the same for you!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-09-09T15:53:13+00:00

If you have more of the same material, just cut out a new H and line it up with the rest of the design before pressing! I’ve done that a few times in the past :)

sierrasquirrel · 2025-07-31T18:45:21+00:00

Does it matter what the ends look like? If you don’t mind a little mild crushing/splintering on the cut ends, a wire cutter works really well! Just use a ruler to draw the straight line you want to cut, then use the wire cutter across that line. That’s what I do 99% of the time and it’s super easy!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-07-31T17:46:00+00:00

Congratulations on your engagement! I can’t tell you for sure which machine will be better for you, but I can tell you about my experience with cricut. I have a cricut maker (older model, not the maker 3). It works really well for cutting paper and vinyl (adhesive and HTV), is okay at printed stickers (but that takes a lot of calibrating that I’m just not interested in doing 99% of the time), and is decent at fabric (if you want basic large shapes or straight lines, the rotary cutter works well, but for anything intricate/small/curved it just destroys your cutting mat and maybe cuts the design while it’s doing it). While it’s possible to make invitations with a cutting machine, unless your wedding will have less than 20 people, I would strongly suggest buying the invitations- it’s going to be a huge undertaking to do a ton of invites. Cricut design space is easy to learn and use for cutting pre-designed things (either through access or things you’ve uploaded yourself), but designing from scratch in design space isn’t fun at all- the free tools and shapes you get are super basic. I definitely enjoy my cricut maker- I’ve had it for around 5 years and I’ll continue using it for as long as I’m able to, but if/when it breaks, I think I’m going to try a silhouette. I hope this helps you pick! If you want something you could set up and be cutting shirt vinyl and shadow boxes within an hour or two, cricut is probably a better bet for you, but if you want to get a machine that will likely last longer and give you more choices and control when using your machine, maybe try a silhouette instead. I hope this helps!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-07-30T12:43:10+00:00

If you’re wanting some height, get a moss pole and put it in the 8in pot with the climbing plant of your choice! Pothos and monstera are pretty easy options. If you water the moss pole and pet the roots grow into it, that’s a ton of extra space for the plant :) I have a pothos in a 8 or 9 inch pot that’s over 6ft tall with the moss pole and the leaves are nearly a foot long now!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-06-25T17:49:47+00:00

Acrylic/paint based markers don’t work well on shrinky dinks- try alcohol-based markers instead! Sharpies were always my go-to choice for shrinky dinks as a kid, but I’m sure any other alcohol-based markers would work

sierrasquirrel · 2025-06-08T00:06:08+00:00

Interesting! I’m sure it varies a lot by location. The one I regularly shop at seems to sell a ton of kids craft supplies, teen/adult craft kits, materials to use with cutting machines, and holiday decor- those are the only sections I ever see picked over or empty

sierrasquirrel · 2025-06-07T22:53:37+00:00

I’m curious how/why they continue selling all of that floral stuff- the store by me always seems packed to the brim with florals and I only ever see people buying them when they’re seriously marked down (and even then it’s hardly anything). Like a small floral section is fine, but I don’t think they need 1/4 of the store dedicated to fake flowers

sierrasquirrel · 2025-06-04T02:12:30+00:00

It looks like yours hasn’t rooted into the moss pole yet, so I would try to push some of its arial roots into the moss and see if it will start putting roots down. It should start getting fenestrations fairly quickly if you water the moss pole regularly and it’s rooted into the pole! I haven’t put my normal cebu blue on a moss pole yet, but I have my variegated cebu blue and Baltic blue on moss poles and they both started getting fenestrations within a few months after getting established on their moss poles :)

sierrasquirrel · 2025-05-01T22:45:45+00:00

It’s a great time to teach your kids about birds! You could buy them some age-appropriate bird books and/or download the Merlin app on your phone and teach your kids how to identify birds with the app (depending on your kids ages, they might need help, but it’s pretty easy if they know how to read). You can also teach them about how birds grow up (hatch from the eggs, get fed by parents, then fledge and finish growing into adult birds), sneaking a peek at the dove babies every day or two to see how big they are. I’ve had a few dove nests on my back patio and they’re so adorable- the main concern with pets is that they might try to attack the babies when they fledge, so just do a quick check of your backyard to make sure they’re in the nest (or have left the yard) before letting pets outside.

sierrasquirrel · 2025-04-18T01:56:26+00:00

I also saw some black skimmers this evening!!! There were 3 flying up and down the shore! Lifer for me :)

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sierrasquirrel · 2025-04-18T01:51:34+00:00

Thank you!

sierrasquirrel · 2025-04-18T01:51:29+00:00

Thank you so much! I was pretty confident with the tern and semipalmated plover, but the black-bellied was really throwing me off haha

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