Marimo Moss Ball



Hi everyone, hope you are all haveing a great day.
Today I would like to introduce you to my Marimo moss ball.

Everyone this is Mossy.
Mossy this is everyone.

Marimo moss ball

Isn't he cute?
He lives in this vintage Moccona coffee jar, on our kitchen bench. So you can imagine we get to see a lot of each other, especially as the kitchen is an open plan design.
 Every day Mossy and I have a little play. I keep a small bamboo stick with his glass house, and I twirl the water around and around with it. This makes Mossy lift up and spin around, then as I stop he floats back to the stone base and rolls around a bit.
 This keeps him nice and round.
I've read that if they don't get moved around much at all, then Marimo moss balls have a tendency to get flat or fat bottoms!

Marimo moss ball in a jar of water

 Mossy is very clever, as well as cute.
Occasionally he will make his own fun, and entertain me at the same time.
 On random days he floats up to the top of the water, and hangs out there! 

Close up of marimo moss ball floating in water with bubbles

How does he do it?
Well I'm not exactly sure, but I do notice that he does this when the water is a bit low or I have just changed his water. He seems to use air bubbles to float up.He usually does have a few air bubbles hanging onto him, but when he floats to the top I notice he has quite a few.

marimo moss ball floating with bubbles

I don't know where he gets the bubbles from. Id say he does release them from himself, as supposedly Marimo, or at least some of them, have a hollow center.
(But I'm sure its not bad gas emissions as some people have suggested!)
Most of the information I've seen, reason the floating is for photosynthesis, and its to do with light streams,which would make sense.
But I have wondered if it has something to do with  getting more oxygen.
However he does it, its really cool.

Marimo moss ball floating in  a jar of water

As you can see Mossy receives lots of light, but Marimo definitely don't like direct sun.
I have read a number of times that they don't like much light, but I have found this to be incorrect. 
And not only from my own experience.
Last Christmas we gifted two much larger Marimo to our daughter T and son in law M . They found that after a few months of keeping theirs on the darker side of their living room, that their Marimo weren't looking as healthy as Mossy. And that they had become a very dull dark green. So they moved them closer to the window and after a few weeks they were wonderfully glowing green again. 

Marimo moss ball terrarium

Another thing Ive read is that Marimo need cool water.
  Well I'm not saying that they don't, but I don't get to worried about keeping Mossy's water at a constant temperature. Mossy lives with us in Queensland Australia, and we get quite hot summers, and we do not have air conditioning. 
Mossy lives in a little jar, eleven and a half cm by eight cm. And if we have a run of very hot days in the high thirties or low forties, Celsius that is. Then I will add some fridge water to Mossy's jar or occasionally a little ice block. And he has been just as gorgeous and green as when he first came to live with me.
 Well actually even greener and more gorgeous, because.....
(well he doesn't like me to remind him of it so I'll have to whisper)
 but when he arrived by mail, he not only had to deal with being shoved in a plastic bag and posted - but by the time I received him, he was squashed flat! He still has a little tuft of hair that sticks up from where he nearly split in half : {


Close up of marimo moss ball  terrariam

To keep him fresh, about once a fortnight or less I give Mossy a change of water.
And a little rinse to get the old water out of him, and keep him fresh and smelling good.
 With filtered water of course!
I have a bowl of fresh water,which I dunk him in, then I give him a gentle little squeeze and dunk again and squeeze. I do this a few times, then I change the water in the bowl again for a last rinse.
 I then roll him between my hands and lightly press any lumpy bits, just to make him nice and round and to make sure I haven't swished him out of shape.
No helping that tuft though!
He really does love all the attention and seems to thrive on it.

marimo moss ball


A few other interesting little tid bits about Marimo moss balls you might like to know.

I might whisper this bit as well..... ( Because I'm not sure how Mossy will take it, he might be a bit young to know the truth yet.)

(Moss balls aren't actually moss! They are a water plant.In fact they are a rare green algae!)

In Japanese Marimo means - ball seaweed - or some variation of that.

There is a wonderful Japanese legend about Marimo.

Its about two lovers kept apart by their families, that is well worth looking up.

The Japanese believe that Marimo bring you luck.

They are found naturally in a few lakes around the world.

They grow very slowly, about 5mm per year.

Marimo are great for interior decor!



If you feel inspired to have a Mossy of your own, you might like to visit this link for some really good information by Wendi Phan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIdWEaXfHWE




marimo moss ball terrarium

Well I cant say Mossy has brought me any luck.
 But he has definitely given me lots of enjoyment. 
And happiness.
I don't know what it is, but whenever I look at that cute little green ball, I just feel happy.

Close up of Marimo Moss Ball

Bye for now.
 See you round.
Like a moss ball!

She :)

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The fresh, the fried and the fallow!

fresh vegetables on a plate arranged to look like a face


The Fresh



cacon and eggs in a frying pan that look like a face


The Fried


Potatoe with a funny face

And the Fallow


Have a great day!

She
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Vintage Home Decor illustrations From The 60's

 I was looking through some of
 the older books in our book case. Among the various books like Scream Queens, The History Of Flower Arranging, and The Colourful World of Birds I rediscovered this handsome hardcover volume, Reader's Digest Do-It-Yourself Manual, published in Australia 1965

Vintage book cover art

 He has owned this book for a number of years now, it was given to him by his father.At the time we were renovating our previous home, a cute little Edwardian weatherboard in Victoria. My father in-law was a cabinet maker and though He had been taught quite a bit of carpentry from  his father, the book was still a great reference source to have.

I helped with many things during that renovation, such as paint stripping, floor sanding, demolition, installing cornice etc etc. But I definitely do not have any carpentry skills!
My interest in the book was the fabulous 60s furniture and outdoor living designs contained within, all pictured in wonderful retro illustrations!
And even though our renovation was very modern country/Edwardian at the time, I definitely still loved the sixties styling from the book

So today when I was revisiting the book, I thought of you, and wondered if you would like to share in the enjoyment of the illustrations.


illustration of 60s couple installing a wall sconce

Obviously she has about as much skill as I do!
 I'm sure he is saying "Here darling, just hold that screw driver and look pretty."


1960s lounge/living  room illustration

I`m loving  that built in lounge.


1960s cocktail bar illustration

Tikki cocktail bar.


illustration of 1960s sideboard  with homewares

Cool ikebana display and small lamp

illustration of 1960s couples enjoying a bbq

I think I will let you work out what the conversations are about here

illustration of 1960s outdoor area with cane chair

 Though fifty years old, most of these illustrations could be from today's styles.
And just like some of our furniture available today, though very cool looking, I`m not to sure how comfortable the above chair would actually be!


Don't you just love vintage illustrations?

Me.
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Going Green And Upcycling




Recently our son J, gave He a gift of Lucky Buddha Beer imported from China. I was told that the beer itself was deliciously light and refreshing. Now, except for being happy for the giver and receiver, the quality of the beer was of no concern to me, as I don't drink beer. But the bottle the beer came in was another story altogether.

Lucky Buddha bottle cap


Upcycling a green beer bottle

I was immediately attracted to the gorgeous jade green of the glass as the light shone through it.Then my eyes fell to the front of the bottle where I discovered a wonderful embossed depiction of a laughing Buddha.

 Upcycling a bottle that has a buddha on the front

I wanted to be able to inspect the bottle closely, and sat waiting impatiently for He to finish drinking its contents. As I watched him savour each slow mouth full, it dawned on me just how rude I was being. Sitting there with my eyes glued to the bottle, interfering in the enjoyment of his gift. So I guiltily vacated the room to ponder what use I could make of the bottle when it was empty.

A bottle that is to be upcycled

She joined me at this point and had many creative suggestions for its use.
It could be a vase she prompted, or a personal water bottle, what about a container for one of our home made facial toners! Or just a decor piece sitting around looking interesting.

She and Me Blog


Later that day when I was assured that He was happy for me to have the bottle, I happily inspected it  and my findings only added to my fondness for the chubby little green bottle. Just above the Buddha, on the neck of the bottle was the word Lucky printed in gold.Underneath the bottle on its base were the Chinese symbols for Luck, Good Fortune, Longevity and Happiness. I presumed these were placed on the underneath so that every time the drinker lifted the bottle they would actually be making a lovely toast!

A lucky beer bottle


Chinese symbols on bottom of bottle

I really had to admire the makers and marketers of this product.Along with the  previously described assets of the bottle, the packaging the beer came in had an inspiring spiel about all natural ingredients and pristine water of the 1000 island lake.

I was curious enough to look into its production a little, and found that it was actually and Australian company! The beer had originally been brewed here in Australia.Though later, for a number of reasons the owners moved the production to China. Such as the availability of master brewers etc, I was glad to know it was not only for monetary reasons.

And so what did I do with the laughing Buddha?
Well I took one of these.....

Beer bottle used for olive oil bottle

And made it into an olive oil bottle for our kitchen!
How simple was that.

Upcycled beer bottle used an olive oil bottle

I just used the spout from my existing oil bottle, but you can purchase them in pairs for a few dollars from discount or kitchen stores. The bottle does have writing on the back, which you can remove with CLR. I am unsure about how environmental the product is so I haven't removed the writing as yet.If you are interested here is a link on how to do it.

I have another bottle now from someone else, I did think of making a matching set of oil and vinegar, but I rather like the individual look.The second bottle sits on the other side of kitchen near the sink and its use is varied. Sometimes it holds herbs or a home made herbal disinfectant rinse for my hands. I did think of using it as a dish liquid bottle, but worried about any mix ups! If I get tired of the oil bottle that might just be my next choice.

Clearly all the symbols where in action. He had the good fortune of receiving a nice gift, I felt lucky to be able to up-cycle such a lovely bottle and J who is studying for a degree in Environmental Science was happy that the giant footprint of the imported beer was reduced somewhat by the reuse of the bottle. And the memory of the gift itself has longevity, whenever the bottle is looked at. It really is Lucky Beer!

up-cycled beer bottle used for olive oil pourer

I am obviously not the only admirer of this cute bottle. As you can see from these links, and many more ideas out there.


If you would like to have one or more Buddha bottles yourself, they are very inexpensive at around $3.50 each or $18.00 AU a six pack. (ten green bottles hanging on the wall ;)

Let us know what you think of the up-cycle, or tell us your own ideas for reusing or up cycling the Buddha bottle.


Me.    








 



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