giving

amongst adults, holiday gifts are truly- thank you gifts. it's a great time of year for friends and family to share time, make memories and acknowledge the support given over the year that is set to close.

so if you are feeling indebted, don't go into debt. i believe the best thing you can give or receive is something from the earth. maybe a great basket of organic winter squash for the your friend who loves to cook; or a gift form pots and plants!

on this note- pots and plants encourages YOU to GIVE THANKS this year with our simple, green, leafy gifts that say happy holidays in a fresh, affordable and modern way.

take a look at our simple offerings. taking pre-orders now, pricing based on pick up from our Design District space the post-Basel week of December 6th, 2010. please please email us with your orders and we will arrange payment with you. info@pots-plants.com.

a. Peace Lily Indoor Plant in our ecoLITE pot for the Office Dweller  $25
b. Succulent Glass Dish Garden for the modernist $60
c. Waterlogged Log Watering Can for the Plant Lover  $15
d. 'Stan' the ready-made cactus dish for the bachelor $ 40 *special price!

i'm grounded.

being constantly on-the-go is my way of life. can i multi-task like no one you've ever seen? you better believe it! it's in the Shim family genes (have you met my sister?!).

we are like oak trees- sturdy and resilient and dynamic- with many branches, constantly growing and free. happy to be blown by the wind, bud new leaves, change, face challenges and expand...and get rained on every now and then too.

for me personally, this means always juggling tasks, favors, chores, Facebook-time, texting, messaging, designing, shopping for plants, going to business meetings, forming new business opportunities, pitching new ideas, hosting dinner parties, and nurturing and growing our little family.

so when my dr tells me that i have to be on moderate 'bedrest' mode from hereon out (or until this baby pops out), this is something that i absolutely cannot comprehend. do nothing all day long? with my feet up, or laying down? with zero stress?

where most people would relish at the opportunity to be told to have to rest and not work- i am instead, panic-stricken and filled with more stress then i feel on a normal day-to-day basis! why-  i have things to do! i have to buy plants, plant plants, finish off projects, have people to see, meet with and plan with, i have to get up and go!

but i just can't.

so here i am- forcing myself to lounge, with my laptop, getting to the things i wouldn't normally be able to do- being my mobile self. like blogging! sourcing out great furniture and garden accessories, putting ninth grade keyboarding class skillz back to work by actually replying to emails on a normal size keyboard instead of a miniature Blackberry one- and learning to embrace this calm before the work and new baby storm starts again.

and in the meantime- succumbing to (temporarily) trading my crazy "oak tree identity" instead, for the like of the still towering redwood sequoias of Northern California...grounded- but at least happy and calm.

wish me luck!

growing a business and a baby down an alley

funny to think that in january of this year, we were ringing in the new year with close friends in our party-famous backyard- under towering fishtail palms, oversized monstera and alocasia- donning our best robot costumes and challenging friends to robot dance offs (don't ask).

to four months later in may, opening Pots and Plants down an alley in the miami design district- without pomp, or circumstance.

while happily stacking our inventory of ecoLITE pots, we continued to figure out how to attract people into an alley (which in many other 'urban' cities have fabulous appeal- think San Fran's Chinatown Alleys)- and really get this business 'out of the ground', 'growing' (excuse the puns) and exposed in our year-round, foliage-dense, yet urban garden-challenged Magic City of Miami.

despite a long hot steamy Miami summer (and being pregnant!)- we have successfully attracted the target market we hoped for- with the help of friends, social media, and a great little summer open house event we hosted in July.

now in most 'normal' peoples' eyes- starting a business and getting pregnant at the same time could be considered an oxymoron- but I have remained quite equally excited, not only about having baby #2- but also about my other baby, Pots and Plants.

though I have not been able to physically and mentally move at my normal impulsive, fiery, passionate break-neck speed- I am happy that we have finally managed to get the shop into a routine and in a little closer to order. our Woolly Pocket display is up;  our plants are growing happily; our pots are selling and more people are catching on...

so as this baby grows- Pots and Plants will do the same- getting modern Miami folks excited about urban gardening.  introducing them to the concept of expanding living areas into their too often-neglected outdoor spaces with simple elements we offer including, modern planters, easy-care plants and vertical gardens by our very favorite San Francisco treat/brand- Woolly Pocket...

...and growing for Miami- an alley way worth discovering!

summer project: your own Woolly Pocket

in our home we very much enjoy cooking. whether it's for ourselves, our friends or for juju.

we have a small kitchen that surprisingly suits us perfectly- even without a microwave nor a dishwasher. as a result, we spend a lot of time standing at the kitchen sink- washing fresh fruit and veggies and...doing dishes! mike surprisingly loves dish washing- he says its therapeutic...whereas myself, well, i will do whatever needs to be done. on that note- while i am on 'sink duty' i stare out onto our side fence, which mind you, is not so bad with golden hawaiian bamboo dappling the sunlight from above, heliconia peeking from above the fence line and creeping fig...but i wanted to see more.
so flash back to over a year and a half ago...when flipping through a copy of one of the staple rags in our house, Dwell, i came across an eye catching ad. baked bohemian folks lounging about in a beautiful sunny garden with strategically placed botanical arrangements hiding private parts. an idyllic garden of eden with a twist? sign me up! low and behold the ad was from Woolly Pocket.

made from recycled plastic bottles, these 'pockets' hold an assortment of plants and can be hung indoors or out to create an instant 'living wall'. available in 4 colors- black, chocolate, peacock and camel- the pockets come in one, three and five pocket systems. the idea of vertical gardening stem from the works of French botanist/horticulturalist, Patrick Blanc- who's works have lushly wrapped building facades across Europe for years. and up until recently, vertical gardening has started to make an impact here in North America.

the idea of planting on a wall is not only hip and cool, but i like to think of it as a perfect union of design, architecture and horticulture- my three favorite things. so if you can imagine- Woolly Pockets plus me, equal true love. Woolly Pocket offers anybody, a simple and quick vertical garden solution with very little work and cash money. perfection in a pocket.

so- back to the view outside my kitchen window...guess what Mike got wrangled into doing the other day. that's right! creating my very own Woolly Pocket and hanging it smack dab directly across from the kitchen window. because the side of the house get indirect sunlight, i chose simple plants that would be lush, have contrast and drape. a kimberly queen fern, sedum and sweet potato vine.

installing the screws to hang the pre-grommeted pocket onto,  planting the smaller items first, then finishing it off with the large fern- and tucking in some good quality potting soil- was all it took. we planted the pocket on the ground- then hoisted it up onto the screws. you can also plant them, hung on the wall. finish off with 3 cups of water (recommended for a Woolly One) and voila! my very own instant vertical garden all in about 15 minutes.

pots and plants is proudly and happily the only south Florida retailer of Woolly Pockets- so come visit the shop or visit our website and pick one up. 39 smackers gets you a Wally One outdoor pocket. the cost of plants depends on what you select. think about where you plan to hang it up. a shady spot? a sunny spot? all day sun, or half day sun? all of these questions will help you to decide which plants to shop for. i recommend you stick to either a 3 gallon size (10" pot) with one 1 gallon (6" pot) or, three 1 gallon plants. think about contrast in color and size and long term results.

feel free to ask me for recommendations on plants and some great combinations. in the meantime, i think i'm going to find some dishes to do!

wanna see a woolly pocket?

earth day came and went this year here in miami, just as it always does. a noticeable lack of pomp and circumstance...as i have come to notice since living in miami. winter music conference takes more precedence over earth day- sadly enough...but in this case, i advise you all "to keep on keepin on" and look to other urban centers for inspiration and hope during earth week.

take for instance, let's look at the big apple.
this week Woolly Pockets (one of my fave companies) created a living wall in new york city's union square measuring 40'x 8' in conjunction with the New York Restoration Project at their annual New York Grows Festival. Wooly Pockets donated over 400 Wallys to bring this sweet idea to fruition which in turn also helped spread the word about their growing Woolly Pocket School Program (already 20 participating schools in Los Angeles alone).

so what's a girl to do but dream and hey, maybe try to blaze a new trail here in miami with the help of our friends at Woolly Pockets...stay tuned and by the way, happy belated earth week. i hope you all did your part at home or in your commuity- at least.

:)

embrace your outdoor space.

i know i have said this a million times.
but- hello? we DO live in Florida.
a place where summer is perpetual. where we never have to pack away 'summer wardrobes' to accommodate our 'winter wardrobes'.
a place were dining al fresco is something that can technically be done year round- but is actually preferred in the winter months!

for these reasons, and oh so many more, it baffles my mind when i see empty balconies, bare landscapes and no care or desire to take advantage of outdoor spaces.

here is a suggestion. a baby step, shall you...
acquire one, just one, simple easy care plant in a beautiful pot- and put it on your balcony or doorstep. i suggest a water wise, no care succulent plant- let's say, an Aloe plant- in one of our modern, simple pots.

put it in a sunny spot, add a chair or a floor cushion beside it and get outside! spend an afternoon, reading a book, your iPad or trashy magazine of choice- with your plant by your side and voila- your mini-shangri-la.

plants give life, they are  life and they actually can improve your mood.
try it and you will see for yourself. oh, and getting outside does a body good.

put some spring! into your outdoor spaces

the first day of spring is not only my birthday, but more importantly, it usually symbolizes the beginning of new growth, beginnings and new life.


if you haven't already heard the latest and greatest...pots and plants is currently breathing new life into the back space of the marimekko store on north miami avenue in the miami design district. our 1250 sf space is a simple warehouse space meant to keep our large inventory of ecoLITE fiberclay pots, display our ready made planters and to eventually act as a 'guerilla' style shop with a curated  menagerie of outdoor goodies including living wall systems, modern birdhouses and other cool outdoor accessories such as those often hard-to-find, outdoor rugs.


but as a start- we just would like to get our name out there and start encouraging green lovers in south florida to start thinking about their outdoor spaces and check out our wares for inspiration and easy weekend warrior projects that will guarantee to breathe new life into outdoor spaces with our modern, lightweight pots and affordable ready-made planters that are all divinely custom arranged by your truly. 


have you sprung on spring yet?


visit us at 3940 north miami avenue, down the side alley beside marimekko, miami, fl.  call me at 305-803-0533 to make an appointment.


our official opening date is april 12th. m-f, 11am to 7pm. saturdays, 12-5.
and our opening party is TBA, in may!!! stay tuned. visit our website and sign up for email updates. or join us on facebook and twitter!