While I’m here, I wanted to make note of the last few books I’ve read that I found very helpful. I’ve linked to each book so you can easily find it on Amazon if you want to read more about each book. If you happen to make a purchase, I may make a small commission which comes at no additional cost to you. I hope that if you do make a purchase, you like the books as much as I did.

One of the things that’s helped me get back to myself the past while is picking up a good book and consuming it for hours at a time on my weekends. I can’t even believe how little I read for so long — when I was a kid, I’d stay up every night way past my bedtime reading. It was the best. I feel like I’m finally getting back to that, though my reading time is mostly morning or afternoon now. I still want to read a whole lot more than I allow myself to lately.

Latest Reads

Around December, I finished You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, a book that I’d paused reading probably shortly before the pandemic. It’s good! It does get a little delusional toward the end when she encourages you to buy whatever car you want, even out of your budget (which to me is lol, no), but 90% of this book was an inspiring read and I’m glad I finally finished it. I’d recommend it if you need a bit of a reminder (or a lot of reminding) that you bring value to the table of life, whether it’s in your friendships, your family, your work, or your relationships… or anywhere else.

Soon after that, I read The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. I think I finished it about a month before the stock market started crashing due to tariff … uncertainties, we’ll say. Which just kind of proves the point of the book in a lot of ways. I recommend it if you’re not really a money person but you’d like to be some day. I’d also recommend it if you’re already getting your feet wet in investing and if you want to learn how your mindset can actually hinder your money growth if you’re not careful (or, if you’re too careful).

Somewhere in there, I also read The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest. I cannot even tell you how good this book was. Well, yes I can. Look at all those flags! I flag any part that resonates a lot with me. This has helped me understand others as well as myself a whole lot better, and given that, I am inclined to try to be a lot more patient with people and myself as a whole. I’d recommend it if you know someone who shoots themselves in the foot a lot, even though they could do incredible things if they didn’t — maybe especially if that person is you. It was awesome. Like, best book in a while. And I read it very quickly.

And currently I am reading Rewire by neuroscientist, Nicole Vignola. Like the previous book, I am loving the heck out of this one. Following the Netflix series, The Mind, Explained, I became interested in the inner workings of our brains with regards to how we form habits (and cannot seem to break most of them no matter how much we say we want to). I don’t watch a lot of Netflix, but there have been a few other docuseries since that kept my interest in this topic fresh. I follow Nicole Vignola on Instagram, and after a while of finding her posts incredibly useful and logical, I decided I wanted to read this. And then I got it for my birthday! So that worked out well. This book is helping me to reduce the amount of screen time I have, reduce burnout through incorporation of a few specific practices (that, by the way, I know do work, given I used to be a lot better at incorporating all of them into my life). Great read. Highly recommend.

I’m also reading How to Do the Work by Nicole LePera, another book I got years ago and finally decided to get into. It’s good, and has a lot of useful ideas that can be put into practice throughout. I didn’t take a picture of it, but you can find it here.

So that’s it.

My first substantial and topical post in a very long time. You might wonder why I read so much of what could be considered ‘self help’ or therapy-focused books. I work in a field that requires a deep understanding and empathy of people, and the more I do, the more I find books like this helpful. And to be honest, I’m pretty sure the more I try to learn about myself and, hopefully, grow too, the better off the people around me might be for it, and so will I.

Over the past year or two, self awareness has become something I feel is one of the most beneficial traits a person can have. I try to be, and I hope to always continue on that way.

What are you reading lately? Leave your thoughts and your recommendations in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by.

–Nik

The post Recommended Reads first appeared on Commatose.ca.

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to let you know that I’m mostly active on other platforms now, but if you have navigated here and enjoyed any of the stuff I’ve written, thank you! If you feel so inclined, you can even buy me a coffee.

I’ve rediscovered a few things I love, including writing, reading, [not ‘rithmetic — I’m worse than ever at that, thank you phones], and updating old blogs for relevancy.

These days, my DIY/sewing life has screeched to a halt. I have committed to reading and journaling more often as a way to reduce the otherwise almost-certain odds of burnout. One thing I’ve learned in the past couple of years is that working somewhere involving constant communication and documentation leaves me exhausted at the end of the week, and most of my weekends are dedicated to rest. I do want to bring back some leisure, but the dreary Ontario weather has so far made that complicated.

Anyway, all things considered in the world, things are generally good for me and I feel grateful. I’m leaning back into things I used to find joy in in my much younger years — for a while, that even involved tarot cards, though lately I do more collecting decks than reading them — and I am learning to know this new version of myself that channels Kim Wexler to do adult things, and allows herself to relax more and be silly at night, as well as speak the truth about her feelings, which was something I felt I had to hide for a long time for some reason.

So listen. Thanks for being here.

I hope you have a very good weekend. Talk again soon.

–Nik

The post What world is this? first appeared on Commatose.ca.

It’s me!

I’ve long neglected this site. I’d have shut it down entirely if it weren’t for the chalazion post and the one about dogs and hyperkeratosis as those are the two main ways readers end up here and they seem to still be relevant, which is always nice.

We’ve had some major family losses over the past few years and sadly I don’t think I got to mentioning them as my posts have been regrettably lax.

In January 2019, we lost our beautiful fluffy cat, Jane. She would have been 18 that February. Jane was a soft, sweet, quiet soul with gorgeous green eyes and the most lovely fur to touch. I still remember that texture running through my fingers. She was peace and calm in kitty form.

At the end of September 2021, we lost my soulcat, Rico, also 17. I know I’ll love many more cats before I’m through, but I’ll never know another like him. Losing him was something I was never prepared to do, but he had been unwell for a while so I had that time to fully appreciate him being in our lives and to tell him every day that he was the best cat in the whole world. He knew how loved he was and knowing that helped with my grieving a lot. 

Rico <3

This past year, quite unexpectedly, we lost our booming 95 lbs force of nature, our yellow lab, Casey. Somehow, maybe because it was so sudden, her death hit me hardest. With the cats, each had dealt with kidney issues (unfortunately common to a lot of older kitties) so we had time to anticipate what was coming. Casey had developed a tumour in her spleen quite suddenly that we didn’t know about. She began breathing heavily and her belly got very hard one day, and I noticed her gums were white… when I saw that, I knew this wasn’t going to be one of her usual clumsy incident-induced trips to the vet. She had had tests including bloodwork just a month before (during another one of her aforementioned usual clumsy incident-induced vet appointments) that showed nothing. Unfortunately this turned out to be a very serious tumour and by the end of her vet appointment, she was gone. I made sure she knew what a good girl she was and that we would miss her so very much in our lives and that, while she was here, she’d made our lives so loud and funny and fun.

And of course during the height of the pandemic we lost my wonderful Nana, everyone in our family’s biggest fan and greatest supporter, the first person to show me how to use a camera and one very funny lady.

Nana, Papa and I… a few years ago

I don’t know how this post turned into an Oscars Remembers tribute post, but I’m very sorry. Haha. I feel like I’ve left a lot out since becoming a mom, my mind got scattered and I’m only now picking up the pieces of who I used to be and gluing the ones I liked most of them together with bits and pieces of who I am now into a colourful mosaic of who I will be.

I know what you’re thinking: How very profound!

Lately most of my life updates are posted via my Buymeacoffee (where you can just follow public posts, or become a Supporter or a Member to see all posts) and on my Instagram. I’d love it if you’d join me on either or both and follow along. If not, that’s okay too.

Thanks for stopping by and for keeping this blog rolling, even when I don’t. Hope your year ahead is full of bread! (Food or otherwise.)

–Nik

The post Been a while.. first appeared on Commatose.ca.

Our part of the province moved into Stage 3 of reopening this past Friday, which allows children to play on playgrounds once again. Our son was sort of hesitant to play again (which makes me sad, however understandable), but he had an assignment to complete for his online summer learning course and it involved finding sets of things at the park, so he ended up going on the playground after all! Ours was pretty dead anyway as we live outside of town and the part of the lake we are near is unfortunately overgrown with some pretty funky-smelling algae. We sanitized before and after, as we do for just about everything outside of the house now.

Things were going well — it was so great to see him enjoying the equipment again — but in the midst of his short return to playground time, he managed to get stung by a weird little wasp for the first time ever. As stings typically go, it was quite a shock and painful too. I quickly rifled through my bag and was relieved (no pun intended) to find some Sting Relief wipes I had been keeping on-hand since last fall.

This was our first chance to test them since buying them last year after a quick-thinking mom whipped out a product similar for our son’s little friend who had been stung twice that week. I couldn’t find that exact product (it was in a first aid kit originally), but it turns out these work well too!

We swiped his sting with the towelette and held it on for a minute or two. The pain came down considerably (no more crying) and the swelling was minimal. Today you can only see a dot where he was stung yesterday, which put me at ease since I personally tend to react with a lot of swelling for certain stings.

Annoyingly, they’re pretty expensive on Amazon right now [affiliate ad], and I don’t particularly like linking to products that price-gouge, but there it is. If I find a cheaper link, I will update this post. I just thought I’d let you guys know that there are products like this one out there — and you can probably find something like them locally, too — to take along with you camping, to the beach, on hikes, to the playground — and there may already even be some version of these in your own first aid kit! I’ll be keeping them in my bag just in case at all times.

Feel free to share this post on social media or directly with anyone who has kids or who has a tendency to get stung or bitten (like me) wherever they may go!

Stay safe everyone! And try to stay un-stung as we move into angry yellowjacket season.

The post Quickly stop pain from bee stings & bug bites first appeared on Commatose.ca.

This year I decided after much recommendation to try turmeric lattes to soothe my sore throats. Turmeric lattes are sometimes referred to as golden milk. After constantly forgetting to buy the dry spice forever, one day I noticed a giant packet of the stuff while grocery shopping and actually managed to purchase it. You can stock your home up with some turmeric without having to leave the house here (affiliate link).

You’ll need just a few items, most of which you may have in your kitchen already:

• Milk
• Turmeric (dry or fresh)
• Ginger (dry or fresh)
• Black pepper
• Honey to taste (optional)

I use this recipe, and I try to remember (and usually forget) to add honey at the end as recommended to sweeten it a little. I enjoy it either way, the flavour is just heightened if you do add some.

Honey talks

It wouldn’t be very ‘blogger’ of me if I didn’t take this opportunity to brag mention that by sheer luck our honey is hyperlocal (oooh, buzzword! Get it…? ‘Cause bees!), sourced from the guy across the street from us with the bees whose honey reigns supreme over all honeys. They pollinate our garden and our cherry trees every year. There’s something comforting about the hum of hundreds of busy honeybees, even to someone who’s been stung by about 50 things with stings over her lifetime. They leave you alone if you leave them alone. The ones stinging me are usually yellowjackets anyway.

Before we lucked out into having a beekeeping neighbour, we bought some great honey from our local market and still do if our neighbour runs out. Honey from the grocery store is okay for sweetening too, but be sure to read your labels.

 

Oh right, what were we talking about? Turmeric lattes, yes.

Not only are they great for sore throats but turmeric has a wealth of other health benefits. Its anti-inflammatory properties help ease the pain of my early-onset varicose veins (the epic tale of which I’ll discuss in a later post). I won’t go into all of the health stuff though. The post with the latte recipe does a great job of it!

Another thing turmeric does incredibly well is stain things. So be careful; consider wearing an apron (I do!) and rinse well before you brush your teeth after having one of these or you’ll soon be buying a new toothbrush.

Are you or someone you care for dealing with a sore throat? Gather up some milk, turmeric, ginger, pepper and (optionally) honey, and give golden milk a try. Feel free to Pin this post for later, and please let me know what you think in the comments!

The post A tasty home remedy for sore throat, congestion & more first appeared on Commatose.ca.

I recently noticed that the 32 piece presser foot set is no longer offered with Prime but still has free shipping when you spend over a certain amount (i.e., $35 in Canada). What is offered with Prime (thankfully) is my favourite presser foot of all: The knit foot.

This post is not sponsored by any brand of knit foot. It’s an honest review of my feelings toward this sweet little presser foot. It does contain Amazon Affiliate links which I make a small commission off if you happen to buy anything. This costs you nothing in addition and also helps support my blog! So thanks!

In the aforementioned post, I mentioned the knit foot and said it was my fave. This has not changed. It’s also the foot I tend to get so comfy using that I forget to watch for thicker seams and end up having to re-buy because the rubber foot can come off.

Yes, you can put the rubber foot back on, but I find that after the first time it pops off, it continues to do so. Maybe the next time it happens I’ll get my husband to brave the super glue for me (I don’t do super glue on my own, haha!), but I’ll admit I have rebought this a few times. I have a knit foot graveyard because as a result of rushing through my projects.

Top: Alive and well knit foot. Bottom: Dead feet, RIP.

Anyway I mention the above in honest caution, but not as a deterrent. It’s something the makers of the knit foot could improve upon. When you approach your thicker seams with the knit foot, sloooooow down. If it looks at all like your needle is getting closer to the blue rubber foot, that’s because it the rubber part is moving up AKA coming off of the foot. This is not what you want. If you’re not careful, the needle will thread through your rubber piece and havoc will ensue. Don’t let this happen to you.

The easiest way to avoid this is to ignore the fact that you’re sewing is going smooth like butter and anticipate any thicker parts, move slowly and carefully, and even guide your fabric through just at this point with your foot raised (you can sew over that bit with a different foot after if it looks loose). Be gentle, be kind, even with presser feet that have a minor design flaw.

You can also try using a hump jumper over the thicker seams, which I have, but admittedly have not tried with the knit foot just yet. Here is a video that gives an example of how you would use that.

Now that that’s settled, let me tell you…

Why I love my knit foot more than my walking foot for knits

To those who have never used either, it may seem obvious to choose a knit foot for stretchy knit fabrics. I use mine most with jersey to make and finish scarves for my shop, to topstitch the hems on my upcycled tees, and other stuff for my family. But a lot of people who sew have never worked with a knit foot and their go-to is to use and recommend the walking foot, even when zigzagging over the fabric’s edge.

And here’s why I like it more than a walking foot:

The walking foot (or even feed foot) is harder to stitch over the edge of knits with, as they’re stretchy and the ‘teeth’ want to feed the fabric from the left and the right at once. That’s how it feeds most fabric through so smoothly.

If you’re doing an overlock or zigzag stitch over the edge of a fabric though, your fabric’s edge is in the center, just in front of the needle (not touched by the right teeth/feed dogs). And with a stretchy knit like jersey, things are more complex. The left teeth and feed dogs on a walking foot are likely to feed the fabric pulling toward the left — knit stretches the way it is fed, unlike a quilting cotton which will stay put mostly — since those right teeth and right feed dogs are gripping nothing.

The knit foot grips stretchy fabric right in front of the needle where you are zigzagging, overlocking, stretch-stitching, or whatever stitch you happen to be using. Your stitch goes where it should go, and it feeds smoothly through the machine with very little guidance from you.

Both sewn with one hand for video-taking purposes. Left side: Eek. Right side: Improved.

The walking foot is great for most fabrics, I find. Knits, however, especially lightweight knits, really benefit from being fed just in front of the needle.

Below is a little video showing you what I mean.

(I know, I’m a n00b. I shot it vertically because the only videos I ever shoot are for Instagram stories lately. Ack. I’ll do better next time. Anyway. Watch the video even if you skipped it due to its inferior alignment!)

So yes! Knit foot. It works especially well if you’re sewing without holding a phone to take a video, but hopefully you can see the difference well enough regardless.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope this post has been informative. If it has, please feel free to Pin it or share wherever you normally share great stuff! If you end up getting yourself a knit foot to try, or if you already have one, please let me know your opinion in the comments! I love mine (all of them, past and present, haha).

The post When to use a knit foot instead of a walking foot first appeared on Commatose.ca.

But first: Are you having a great summer? I hope so. I love this time of year for so many reasons — walking on the beach with your feet in the warm sand, hiking, gardening — and not needing to bundle up to enjoy the outdoors! (That last one’s really all I need.)

Another great part about August is it’s peach season in Southern Ontario! Peaches are probably the fruit I look most forward to each year, and there’s no shortage of them at any of our local farmer’s markets.

My husband recently got a couple of bright new t-shirts from one of our local markets. Alas, his t-shirt ended up in my scrap pile with a grease stain soon after. I used some blue Dawn and a toothbrush on the dry shirt then washed with my usual hypoallergenic detergent to get most of the spots out. It wasn’t perfect, but most of it was out. By this time, I had decided it was in my scrap pile, I was going to do something cute with it.

And I did! Using the aforementioned market tee and another tee in my scrap pile for the black sleeves and neckband! Isn’t it cute?

I used this free PDF raglan tee pattern and tutorial from LifeSewSavory. The pattern was easy to piece together, cut out and grade to his specific size — he has 3Y arms but a 5Y chest width because he is a little T-rex! This tutorial is so great because it helps you make a raglan t-shirt for kids 18 months old all the way up to 10 years! If you’re upcycling, that is a lot of free raglans you can make for the kids in your life. If you’re not upcycling, that is potentially a lot of not-free but still awesome raglans!

Best of all, this turned out to be a fast sew. The only part we got stuck on — quite literally, or maybe stuck in — was when I had the shirt finished and his head didn’t fit into the collar. [Insert horror face emoji.]

How did I fix that?

Well, I tried picking stitches for a while but my foot was swelling (I’ve had a heck of a year, I’ll tell you about it someday) so I took a break, came back and just cut the collar completely off the shirt. My little big-headed boy would never have fit through the original neckline.

So might I suggest that once you’ve sewn all the other parts together, you test the head size before sewing on your neckband. If it’s too small, carefully cut it just a bit (maybe a half centimeter) smaller and test again, repeating until you’re at the stage where a stretchy neckband that’s 80% as wide as the neck hole will be able to fit your child’s head.

Important note: I think the only reason we had this issue was because I graded the pattern so his sleeves wouldn’t be too wide. Next time I’ll probably just make the whole thing the same size to avoid catastrophe.

So yeah! I’m really happy with the result and this kid loves his upcycled raglan tee! You should make a raglan now. Or soon. Or some day soon! But when you do, definitely use this free tutorial from LifeSewSavory, because it’s great.

Aren’t raglans so awesome and comfortable? I can’t wait to sew up some more when I get the chance!

The post DIY: Upcycle your old t-shirt into a kid’s raglan! first appeared on Commatose.ca.

• Do not try sewing Velcro onto your very first project without the right needles, or they’ll turn to shrapnel and you could lose an eye
• Do not attempt to start and finish your first project halfway through the evening before you plan to give it to someone as a gift
• Go slowly if you don’t want to crush or stab your finger in between some sewing machine parts

…and other such helpful advice I would happily offer any beginning ‘sewist’ today. More tips like this in an upcoming (as yet unwritten) post. For now, I wanted to show you something cool. I’ve included a few affiliate links in this post. If you happen to order anything, I earn a small percentage of the sale (this costs you nothing additionally and helps keep my blog afloat, little by little).

I got this set approximately a year ago and it was a game changer. I don’t use that term lightly — or at all in the history of my being, actually, now that I think of it. It’s a set of 32 different presser feet that work with most of the popular sewing machine brands, and it unlocks the potential for so many more projects!

And that’s what all sewing enthusiasts need, right? More project ideas?

This thing has nearly every presser foot you could want at various levels of sewing expertise, beginner through expert. The only thing I’d add to it is an even feed foot (sometimes called a walking foot) — these are probably more difficult to make universal though, which may be why one of those is not included.

This set is a great value for the money, especially when you look up the prices of individual presser feet.

Here is an illustrated though kind of hard to read graphic of the names of the included presser feet in the 32 piece set.

My favourite presser feet so far?

1. Knit foot. Absolute fave. I love sewing up comfy jersey knit scarves for my shop, and this feeds the fabric through the sewing machine so nicely without any bunching or stretching. It’s truly unbelievable how it works compared to your regular foot and it’s the next best thing to having a serger. (I’d say it’s kind of better, as there’s almost no learning curve to worry about with a knit foot.) See my post about the knit foot here.
2. Rolled hem foot. There are actually a few different sized rolled hem presser feet in the 32 piece set! These feet make for beautiful, easy and professional looking hems on things like linen tea towels and any lighter material that is tedious to press and hem.
3. Open toe embroidery foot. Use this for applique and also for applying ribbons. The front of this presser foot is wide open so that you can see everything you’re doing. The back has a channel through which denser applique stitching and ribbons will flow without getting caught up in the foot or in your machine!
4. Darning foot. Great for free motion quilting! And darning, I assume.
5. Fringe foot. You can make decorative fringe with this foot so easily! I haven’t tried it for longer fringe, but for shorter fringe it works great! Here’s a tutorial that will give you some ideas — I love SewingPartsOnline’s videos!
6. Quilting foot. Having an available 1/4″ width on your presser foot makes for easier quilting — that’s for sure.

Those are just the ones I’ve gotten the most mileage out of in my own short time with this set. Depending on the kind of sewing you prefer to do, you may like these or some of the other ones even more.

Having a wealth of presser feet available makes projects easier and allows me to do lots of cool stuff I never even considered before getting this set. I’d recommend it to anyone starting out, intermediate, or expert because there is just so much versatility in this kit. It also makes a really great gift for anyone who sews!

Please feel free to share this post (if you are so inclined) on Pinterest or wherever you normally share all the good stuff! Have you got the 32 piece presser foot set? If so, what is your favourite foot to use?

The post The ONE kit you need if you love to sew first appeared on Commatose.ca.

Here he is in our DIY cat bed as a puppy. He would not be able to fit a leg in that thing today.

Just over a year ago, our boxer, Junior, started having severe tummy issues. He had always had slight stomach problems but they peaked last year with him starving himself and then vomiting bile and specks of blood. It was terrifying.

(By contrast, we also have a yellow lab named Casey who once ate a whole box of steel wool pads and managed to survive without much of a fuss. Our dogs are polar opposites in the stomach department.)

Note: If your dog stops eating and/or drinking, call your vet immediately.
We’ve been to our own veterinarian about 100 times in the past few years with our 2 dogs and 3 cats — better safe (and often broke $$) than sorry.

After an emergency vet visit and testing, Junior was diagnosed with pancreatitis. He had to stay with the vet on IV fluids for a couple of days until his system was mostly back to normal. His is a chronic condition and he is on a bland prescription diet (Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat kibble), probably for life. Since our worst experience with pancreatitis concluded, he has been mostly fine and behaves like any other giant dog.

The reason I’m sharing this is because, once in a while, our big brown dog will have a relapse and starve himself for a day or two. His tummy makes noises so loud you can hear them from the other end of the house. Granted our house isn’t too big, but even if it was, you’d still hear these stomach screams on a quiet day.

Since this usually happens on a Monday, I mused that he missed his dad while he was away at work. This weekend my husband headed north and sure enough, Junior stopped eating for the first time in months.

I tried everything.

We have probiotics from the vet that we add daily to his food to keep his stomach balanced. He’d have to eat them for that to work, and of course he didn’t want to.

Tried giving him a treat to whet his appetite. He wouldn’t take it.

Ice chips? Usually a favourite. Not this time.

I even called my husband, putting him on speaker so that Junior could hear him. It mostly just confused the poor dog, though actually he did inch closer to his food.

Sometimes the best course is to let him figure himself out and he’ll eat with gusto again the next morning. This morning I woke up to him gagging. I rushed him outside where he began vomiting foam. He would not drink, and he still wouldn’t eat.

I was talking to my husband about this when we remembered what used to help him get his appetite back:

Pure pumpkin.

In all its globby glory. So appetizing.

Canned (and preferably organic) pure pumpkin from any grocery store. Our corner store actually had lots of it.

Warning: Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
That is a different thing and will probably cause a world of new issues for your dog. [For example, he’ll probably want pie all the time, just like I do when I get a taste for it. More seriously, pie filling is bad for dogs.]

I dropped about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin into his food along with his probiotics, put a taste of the pumpkin on his gums and he instantly gobbled up a half day’s worth of food. He then looked at me like I owed him more. And I do, actually, but we always spread his meals throughout the day to prevent his screaming stomach.

Looking fancy with probiotic powder on his chin.

He is ‘normal’ (for him) again now. Rest assured, we’ll be consulting with our vet about this flare-up just to be safe.

Again, if your dog stops eating and/or drinking, especially if this is the first time and you have no idea what is wrong, please call your vet.

Our veterinarian has advised us that pure pumpkin is safe to add in reasonable amounts to dog food as it’s a good source of fibre and helps to ease digestion. Whether your dog has a pancreatitis flare-up, diarrhea or constipation, give pure pumpkin a whirl.  It is also appetizing to our big dogs and has almost always straightened out their stomach and stool issues. Hopefully it can help your dog too.

Please feel free to Pin the image below for your own reference, and/or share this idea with friends and family using the social media buttons directly below this post!

Have you ever used pumpkin to help your dog’s tummy troubles?

The post Stop your dog’s tummy pain with 1 ingredient first appeared on Commatose.ca.

Spider plants are excellent air purifiers, removing up to 90% of formaldehyde from the air. The fresh air provided by a spider plant promotes better sleep, so they’re great to keep in your bedroom.

The reason I chose spider plants over other air purifiers, though? They have the added benefit of being non-toxic for our kitties!  [Note: That may not stop curious cats from biting the long leaves, but at least we know it’s not going to hurt them.]

Okay, so the one in the middle is an aloe. The other two are spider plants I’ve managed to grow from baby plants!

So yes! You can grow them and it’s really, really easy. Soon, like mine, your place will be brimming with houseplants and you’ll be giving them as housewarming gifts, host or hostess gifts, parting gifts, teacher gifts, gifts for no reason at all… And so forth.

You don’t need a green thumb to grow new spider plants from their spider plant babies (also known as plantlets). If you already have a plant, you’re on your way. If not, pick one up today from your local garden centre and you’ll be cultivating in no time.

Materials:

• Spider plant that’s shooting off plantlets
• Glass bowl/short, wide vase of water OR a pot of soil (your choice)
• Scissors
• Rubbing alcohol & cotton ball (sterilize your scissors with this before cutting)
• Small planter full of soil
• Small rocks (if your planter has no drainage hole)

How to grow baby spider plants:

Method 1:

1. Find a plantlet forming on your spider plant. It will look something like this.

2. Choose a pot with a drainage hole, or add small rocks to the bottom of a pot without a hole; this helps to keep soil drained. Top with soil and place near a ‘mama’ plant.

3. Leaving the plantlet on the mother plant, plunk its baby ‘butt’ into your pot of soil nearby.

4. Water whenever the soil is nearly dry until it establishes roots. (You can check this with a very light-handed ‘tug’.) This usually takes a couple of weeks.

5. Cut off the shoot. Voila! A little spider plant, ready to grow up and out! Continue to water when soil is dry about 2 cm down.

Method 2:

[Note: This has worked better for me, for whatever reason. The one baby spider plant I grew in soil one is forever stunted, but I’ve grown at least 5 good sized plants since March with this second method.]

1. Pour about a centimetre of water into a short glass bowl or a short, wide vase.

2. Cut the plantlet from the plant and place the baby plant’s ‘butt’ in the water. You will notice little nubs that will eventually become roots after about 2 weeks.

Not too much water at the bottom or else the leaves will dip in and rot. Try to keep the plant ‘butt’ as I call it situated in the water.

3. Add that bit of water back into the bowl/vase as needed, keeping the plantlet in good light. Wait about two weeks to see some good roots sprouting, cleaning off any slimy junk that may grow on your roots along the way.

4. Ensure there is either a drainage hole in the container of your choosing, or add small rocks at the bottom for drainage. Top with soil. Transplant your new little spider plant and water well! Continue to water your plant when soil is dry 2 cm down.

Bonus tip for coffee addicts: Add a bit of your used coffee grounds into the water or soil once your plant is established. This will make the soil slightly acidic, which spider plants thrive in!

Soon your windows and shelves and plant hangers will be overflowing with these aptly-named plants, and your heart will be happy.

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Thanks for reading. Happy planting!

The post 2 easy ways to grow your own spider plants — no green thumb needed! first appeared on Commatose.ca.