Marimo is a Japanese word that literally means seaweed ball, those little green things you see above are typically referred to as Marimo Moss Balls. But they are neither seaweed nor moss. They're actually a rare type of algae (Aegagropila linnaei, for those who care) that is known for growing in spherical clumps because of the way the water currents push them along the floor like tumble weeds. 

A Marimo Terrarium is probably the easiest thing to make and also maintain. The main reason why marimos are so popular is because of how easy they are to maintain. They don't require a lot of light and they live in water so you don't have to worry about watering them. All you need to do is change the water weekly. Another reason why people like marimos is because depending on the change of environment and amount of light they get, they can sort of "bounce" up and down when they are photosynthisizing. 


Natural Marimo balls are a national treasure in Japan because of their beauty and cultural significance. They are now being protected because the marimo population has been declining. In fact, natural marimo balls are rarely sold and can cost at least $100 - $200  for a 1-5 in balls.  Those grown artificially however, can cost from $5-$25 at the most expensive price. 

The balls are quite squishy and should be completely solid algae, anything with Styrofoam or something else in the middle is probably a knockoff... yes, there are actually knock offs. It kinda weird holding these in my hand because of the story behind them.

"Legend tells of two lovers who desired nothing more than to be together. When their love was forbidden, they fell into the water, and their hearts became Marimo balls. Marimo are said to bring your heart’s desire to both giver and receiver."
"The Marimo represents love, at least according to Japanese folklore. Because of this story, the Marimo is known as the “love plant,” as it is said that the algae can recognize true love. In fact, many people choose to give a Marimo to the person they hope to spend the rest of their lives with."

It's cute because the marimo, like love, grows slowly and lasts forever, but they say the spirit of their love still lives in the marimos today... So, I'm holding the hearts of long lost lovers.... romantic?



I just let my moss balls sit in water for a few minutes. You could just leave it like this and be done with it.



I added some plant pebbles I had lying around, I've also seen sand and even marbles used pretty much anything you want as long as it isn't putting harmful substances in the water.

I first came across the Painted Teacup when I was planning for my sister's bridal shower. It's a quaint little afternoon tea and trinket shop in a converted two-story Victorian house. The owner of the shop, Mary, also happened to be one of the women serving us. She took the time to chat with us about how she started the shop and as it turns out, when she first bought the house there was no kitchen because the family who owned it before always went out back to their grandmother's house for dinner!

Woman of the hour. Happy marriage, sister.

We had a citrus green tea and a orange blossom rose tea.  The service was very, very good. The staff was so friendly and made sure our cups were always filled and they were so accommodating to all of our questions and requests.



We had some sort of red pepper saltwater cracker or something to much on while we waited for out food. And those cute, little glass Mason jars you see were actually party favors made by one of the bridesmades.


One of the things we all were pretty childishly obsessed with, we're these pillow puff sweets that they set out for us. They weren't really much on their own but when you out them in tea they were amazing. They had flavors like vanilla, peppermint, cinnamon, and lemon. You could choose accordingly what you thought would go best with your tea.





The owner, Mary, makes all of these pastries and sandwiches herself. They were all SO good. The flavors were really balanced well and we were all more than satisfied at the end of it. I can't quite remember what the scones and cakes were in order I think it was a raisin scone, lemon square, and a coconut cake, but going clockwise from them, as I can remember, was a pineapple salad cup, savoury sweet ham and gouda sandwich, cucumber sandwich, rye and radish bite, a crescent tuna salad roll, and in the center, a cranberry kale salad.




A few we extra sweets. We were all pretty stuffed by then, it's a shame but I can't quite remember what these were except that they were sweet and delicious.

So many teacups!

 We had been short a few teacups so when we asked they just pulled a few odd the shelf for us!


The gift shop has a lot of local wares and trinkets, it's hard not to want to stay and examine every little thing because they're all so unique.


The room adjacent to ours. A homier ambiance compared to our garden/parlor room aesthetic.


The is is pretty much the entrance hall way. The kitchen is to the left and the rest of the gift shop and smaller teach rooms are upstairs.

At the end of it all, it was a really good experience, a lovely atmosphere, and the people here were so kind to us. I definitely recommend the Painted Teacup to anyone planning any sort of small get together with their close friends. It's the perfect place to do it.

The thing about skin is that it's one of the, if not the, first things that someone can notice about you, especially if you've got big, red, uneven spots all over your face. Of course, there's definitely far more to you than your skin, but the unfortunate fact of our society is that first impressions do in fact, make an impression.
I work at a café, which kind of means a lot of first impressions with a lot of no-nonsense people who just want their coffee. So, it means a lot when someone stops to actually talk to you, let alone compliment you. BUT THEY DID. I had like 3 people who complimented me on my skin in one shift. And I blame it on these products.

Before

After

This isn't strictly "skincare" it's actually from my February Birchbox post but I had to talk about it again because it makes me so happy. This lip balm is so good for so many reasons. First of all, it's vegan, paraben-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. I already told you about how it changes color to the pH of your body, to an actually pretty noticeable color difference. I love the color it gives me and it stays pretty surprisingly long, I almost wonder if it's also supposed to be a stain.

Again, it's quite hard to get a real representation of the difference and the longer you wait the deeper the color "develops"

Masks